ELRC partner school receives Office of Engagement’s Exemplary Community Partner Award
(l to r) Sandra San Miguel, Erin Phillips, Lindley McDavid
The Purdue University Office of Engagement selected Thomas Miller Elementary School as a 2026 JoAnn Miller Exemplary Community Partner of the College of Education’s Evaluation Learning and Research Center (ELRC).
The ELRC’s collaboration with Thomas Miller Elementary School is led by Lindley McDavid, lead evaluation and research associate. Through this partnership, Miller Elementary has become a national hub for the development and evaluation of innovative, movement-based science education curriculum.
Under the leadership of Principal Erin Phillips, the school works closely with McDavid and the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine’s Sandra San Miguel to design and evaluate both the curriculum and the League of Vetahumanz partnership program, which delivers this dynamic model to schools across the United States. Embedded Purdue faculty work alongside teachers and staff to deliver the VetaHumanz-Moves curriculum, blending physical activity with science learning. The results have been transformative, with fourth-grade science proficiency increasing more than fourfold and the model now scaling nationally.
This recognition highlights the power of sustained university-school collaboration and a shared commitment to advancing innovative, evidence-based educational practices nationwide. The award was presented during the annual Summit and Awards Ceremony (Feb. 25).
Office of Engagement award winners
Source: ELRC