Stand for Children

Stand for Children Indiana (Stand Indiana) is the Indianapolis-based affiliate of Stand for Children. It is an education advocacy non-profit focused on ensuring that all students receive a high quality, relevant education, especially those from marginalized groups.   

In 2011, Mind Trust provided the seed funding to bring Stand for Children to the Hoosier state. Stand Indiana originally launched with a focus on state legislative advocacy, but by 2013, Stand Indiana’s model and strategic focus were enhanced to address the need for more parent empowerment, especially in underserved neighborhoods within Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). With more than half of IPS students matriculating in D or F-rated schools at that time, and the recognition that IPS— from a perception standpoint—was the city’s front door to education, it was Stand Indiana’s belief that this was where the opportunity for impact was greatest. This shift resulted in Stand Indiana becoming more focused on educating and activating parents in individual schools and forging a partnership with the IPS district. Through this collaboration, parents received access to empowering and educational opportunities through the Stand University for Parents (Stand UP) program, which launched in Indianapolis in January 2014. After five years, more than 500 parents and community stakeholders graduated from Stand UP with the skills necessary to become strong advocates for improving public schools in Indianapolis.  

Working alongside other partners in education, Stand Indiana parent leaders and members have played meaningful roles in advocating for:  

• The Innovation Network Schools law in 2014, which gave IPS unprecedented flexibility to improve low-performing schools. 

• The turnaround of IPS School 93, which went from an F-rating to an A letter grade after parents campaigned for a successful school improvement model known as Project:RESTORE. 

• The first-ever state funding committed to growing teacher career ladders and improving educator preparation through residencies.

• The successful passage of the 2018 public referenda, which provided more than $270 million in operating and facilities funds to IPS. 

• An overhaul in leadership on the IPS board of commissioners over four election cycles, resulting in a change-minded board that has overseen dramatic improvements in graduation rates and greater student achievement in some of Indy’s under-appreciated neighborhoods.