The DePaul University College of Education’s Office of Innovative Professional Learning (OIPL) has been awarded a bipartisan congressional earmark funding award of $720,000 by Sen. Dick Durbin's administration. The funds will go toward establishing DePaul's Center for Middle School Civic Leadership, under which two existing programs will merge to become the cornerstone of the center: the Barat Education Foundation’s Our American Voice civic learning and engagement program for middle school students, and DePaul University’s Future Leader Micro-credential program. Both programs have a track record of success in supporting youth development in underserved communities.