Schools & City Collaborate to House Learning Center

The Shaker Heights City School District and the City of Shaker Heights join forces with funders and community groups to create a center for digital learning and family engagement, to open in the 2014-15 school year.

The purpose of the Innovative Center for Personalized Learning and Family Engagement (The IC) is threefold:

1. to provide high-quality alternative and accelerated learning opportunities for students who are not finding success in the traditional setting (Phase I, beginning in 2014-15),

2. to provide a resource center where parents can interact, learn more about navigating the system, and gain access to online information about the schools and student performance (Phase I, beginning in 2014-15),

3. to expand options for students who wish to take courses that are not offered at Shaker Heights High School or do not fit into their schedules (Phase II, beginning in 2015-16).

Beginning in 2016-17, Phase III will provide professional learning for teachers through partnerships with local colleges and universities.

“Establishing an online learning center has been a priority of our district since my arrival last year,” said Superintendent of Schools Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. “This is an important step in expanding opportunities for students beyond the traditional school day. We are very grateful to the City of Shaker Heights and our funders for making it possible.” Mayor Earl Leiken said that the members of City Council and he “are delighted to be able to find space in a city building to accommodate the needs of the schools for The IC. This is a good example of Shaker's governmental entities working in partnership to achieve community goals.”

The IC will be located on the lower level of the City-owned Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building, 3450 Lee Road. The City is making the space available rent-free. Recreation programs using the space will be relocated.

The space is being renovated this summer and will be equipped with wi-fi, computers, and other resources. In the 2014-15 school year, Shaker students who currently attend North Coast Academy, an alternative learning center in Richmond Heights, will transition to The Center in Shaker.

Curriculum at The IC will be based on the Ohio Online Learning Program, an extensive selection of high-quality courseware approved for credit by the Ohio Department of Education. Professional educators will be on-site to support and monitor student learning.

Startup costs are estimated at approximately $212,000. Foundations and corporate sponsors have committed to paying nearly half. The School District will fund the rest of the startup costs from the savings realized by bringing students back from North Coast to Shaker. In future years, the district expects The IC to be self-sustaining.

In addition to the City’s in-kind contribution of space, support comes from multiple sources, including: