A study by officials of Millikin and the Decatur School District could turn Dennis Elementary School into a lab school for Millikin students. The school, which serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade, is located only a few blocks from campus in the historic West End of the city.

“Driving this is Millikin’s desire to continue playing a role in improving the West End neighborhood,” Barry Pearson, vice president for academic affairs, told the Decatur Herald & Review. “We’ve done a lot of work with the city to streetscape and other things. We just see this as a continuation of our effort to find a way to partner with another strong Decatur entity, and that’s Decatur public schools.”

Both the school district and Millikin officials see this as a possible win-win
scenario, with MU students gaining real-world teaching experience and observation in a nearby location, and Dennis students benefiting from increased exposure to the university setting through cross-visits.

The issue is currently under study and a decision is expected sometime this summer. If the lab school concept is approved, it will be implemented in fall 2012.