Two Gary schools and a Hebron Middle School teacher were honored last week at the Indiana Educational Excellence Gala, an event sponsored by the Indiana Department of Education.
Nearly $5 million was awarded to schools and teachers across the state.
The 21st Century Charter School in Gary received the Excellence in College Readiness award and $250,000 for helping students earn a credential before graduating from high school.
“The primary reason we applied was to bring some sunlight to what we’re doing in Gary,” said Kevin Teasley, founder and superintendent of GEO Academies, in Indianapolis, which operates the school.
Teasley said he checked the Department of Education’s database for demographic information on college and career readiness indicators and 21st Century’s was 26.%%, 13th best in Indiana.
“If you look at the demographics, only 3% of Blacks earn a high quality…
