CELL School Leadership Initiative

Indiana’s schools are at a pivotal moment. Students with disabilities deserve inclusive, high-quality learning experiences—and administrators are the key to making that vision a reality. The CELL School Leadership Initiative (CSLI) equips school leaders with the skills, confidence, and support needed to lead inclusive systems that improve outcomes for all students.  

What You’ll Gain 

  • Confidence in inclusive leadership decisions 
  • Clear frameworks for action for technical and adaptive leadership
  • Shared responsibility across staff 
  • Stronger school culture and student outcomes 
  • Professional growth and credibility 

What Makes CSLI Different 

  • Job-embedded learning  
  • Personalized support from experienced Indiana educators 
  • Designed for systems change, not awareness alone 

CSLI offers three different opportunities to grow school leaders’ experience in special education and inclusive practices.  

 

CSLI Cohort

Begins June 2026!

A two-year, job-embedded leadership initiative, building administrators learn to align general and special education, implement evidence-based practices with fidelity, and reduce confusion and conflict around special education.

  • Individual consultation and support for your school context 
  • Built for sustainable systems change—not one-time training 
  • Includes $5000 personal stipend for the two-year engagement in a supportive cohort setting 
  •  Earns over 90 professional growth points for building administrator license renewal 

A full list of the open response application questions can be found HERE and you are encouraged to view them and draft your answers in a Word or Google Document before copying and pasting into the application. We estimate it will take 60-90 minutes to thoughtfully complete this application.

 Schedule for CSLI Cohort Members (each session is a full day):

Date

Modality

Activity

Week of June 8, 2026Online90 minute Orientation Session
July 2026In-Person              (Bloomington, IN)Learning Session 1                  (mid-July)
August 2026-----No Session
September 17, 2026OnlineLearning Session 2
October 22, 2026OnlineLearning Session 3
November 2026In-Person             (Location TBD)Learning Session 4
December 2026-----No Session
January 14, 2027OnlineLearning Session 5
February 18, 2027OnlineLearning Session 6
March 2027-----No Session
April 8, 2027OnlineLearning Session 7
May 2027OnlineIndividual Check-Ins
June 2027In-Person                  (Bloomington, IN)Learning Session 8

 CSLI Cohort members can expect to have about 2 hours of related work a week to support their engagement and growth.

Year 2 (2027-2028) will be implementation of an action plan in your school building with 1:1 support from CSLI faculty, and no monthly learning sessions.

ASELI Partnership

Begins August 2026!

This pairs an aspiring leader in special education with their building administrator for a yearlong program to strengthen their school's capacity to lead for unified systems.

  • Support for coordinating work in your specific school context through ICASE successful ASELI program 
  • Includes $3000 stipend for the year’s work in a collaborative setting 
  • Earns over 90 professional growth points for building administrator license renewal 

Special Education Coursework for Director Licensure

Begins September 2026!

Participants already enrolled in the MS.Ed. in Principal Leadership at IUB or IUI can join the Special Education Director's program with tuition paid for.

  • Build district’s capacity for leadership in special education 
  • Encourages a deeper pool of special education leaders around the state 

 

Each CSLI pathway is designed to address a distinct leadership need—from building-level systems change, to developing internal special education leadership capacity, to strengthening the statewide pipeline of special education leaders. 

Apply here to the CSLI Cohort

Apply here for ASELI Partnership

This is your opportunity to lead with clarity, confidence, and impact—while strengthening your school culture and improving outcomes for students with disabilities.  

👉 Apply now to join the next CSLI cohort and help shape the future of inclusive education in Indiana.  

 Questions? Email CSLI

CELL School Leadership Initiative (CSLI) is an Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) SPDG Grant Funded Initiative through the Indiana Department of Education, Office of Special Education.

CSLI is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs Grant No. H323A250015. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service or enterprise mentioned in the publication is intended or inferred. Please cite as: CSLI (2025). CELL School Leadership Initiative.