Twenty-two Central Louisiana educators are fully prepared for instructional leadership positions after completing a three-year training designed to impact student achievement.

Eight Central Louisiana principals completed a three-year instructional leadership program that aims to improve classroom instruction and student achievement.

Central Louisiana educators have begun a three-year journey that will prepare them for leadership positions in their schools and school districts. The educators in August started Aspiring Leaders, a leadership institute administered by The Orchard Foundation and funded under The Rapides Foundation’s Education Initiative. The Aspiring Leaders curriculum was developed specifically for Central Louisiana by the University of Washington’s Center for Educational Leadership.

The Rapides Foundation’s work as a healthcare organization extends beyond areas that are intrinsically health-related. Our work in the area of economic and workforce development is based on the direct correlation between higher incomes and a healthier population. Research shows that healthy economies with low unemployment rates and higher- wage jobs provide people with the means to purchase medical insurance, make better healthcare choices and live healthier lifestyles.

Recognizing workforce as the driver for economic development and income growth, the Foundation’s Economic Development Initiative in 2015 launched an ongoing grant opportunity designed to support training and education for above-median income occupations for which there is immediate demand in Central Louisiana. This new grant called the Workforce Opportunity Grant encourages strong partnerships between employers and higher education.

Louisiana State University of Alexandria partnered with Louisiana Eye & Laser Center (formerly Alexandria Eye and Laser) to develop the Optometric & Optical Technician Training Program, a first-of-its-kind program for Central Louisiana.