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RiseUp Academy reports steep graduation gains and credits expanded learning time to federal grant work
Summary
RiseUp Academy told the board its school-improvement grant-funded changes coincided with large increases in graduation and attendance metrics; presenters credited expanded learning time, targeted supports and community partnerships but said grant funding will end in 2027 and sustainability plans are needed.
RiseUp Academy principal France Bayana and staff presented an update on a school-improvement grant (SIG) funded program on June 15, reporting large improvements in graduation and attendance metrics after implementing a three-part strategy of professional development, expanded learning time, and student social services.
Bayana told trustees the cohort graduation rate rose from 19% in 2019 to 91% for the 2024 cohort and 92% for 2025; the presenters said current tracking shows the school at 89% this year with one student who, if completed by Sept. 30, would put the year near 90%. The presenters described how the grant-funded initiativesincluding an attendance deputy, a home liaison, Saturday Accelerator programs and targeted credit recoveryincreased student engagement and credit accumulation for students who arrive at RiseUp with large credit deficits.
Staff explained that SIG funds supported instructional advancement, expanded learning time (after-school programs, Saturday accelerator, summer school and mini-master sessions) and wraparound social services. The panel said the grant has allowed staff to implement evidence-backed strategies, monitor quarterly progress (attendance goals of 3% growth per quarter) and track longer-term impacts such as early graduations for juniors who attended both junior and senior years; presenters reported a 58% to 62% early-graduate rate among that tracked subgroup.
Trustees asked questions about data integrity in light of districtwide grade-audit concerns. Presenters said state reporting had not adjusted RiseUp data because the state was not provided with individual students' names in the audit process and that RiseUpthey saidhad not altered their grade records in the way some other high schools had. Trustees pressed for clear before-and-after figures and the panels said they would provide clarifications and invited board members to visit ahead of an IDOE site visit in September.
Presenters noted sustainability concerns: SIG funding runs through 2027 and the school plans to request ongoing support for key positions funded by the grant (attendance deputy and home liaison) and to seek community partnerships and alternative revenue to continue Saturday accelerator and transportation supports. The board acknowledged the schoolin multiple commentsas a model that reaches students who had struggled elsewhere and praised staff for student gains.
What happens next: RiseUp staff will provide requested clarifications on metrics and will invite board members to a site visit tied to the Indiana Department of Education review later in the year. The board indicated support for pursuing sustainability of core roles now funded by the SIG.
