SUPERINTENDENT’S SUCCESS ACADEMY

Miami-Dade’s public schools are opening their doors on non-traditional school days to give students a unique learning opportunity through the Superintendent’s Success Academy. One of Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s first initiatives, the academy is designed to boost student achievement and give students the academic tools they need to succeed in the classroom. Nine schools began holding tutoring sessions in December, including selected days during the Winter Recess. In addition to stressing academic rigor and enrichment, the academy provides a financial literacy component to teach students the importance of proper money management and gives incentives to students who attend the voluntary tutoring sessions. The participating schools include Holmes and Liberty City elementaries, Homestead, Miami Carol City, Miami Central, Miami Edison, Miami Norland, North Miami, and Corporate Academy South senior high schools. “These students have demonstrated a real commitment to achieving academic excellence,” said Assistant Superintendent for Differentiated Accountability Ms. Ellen Wright, who has direct responsibility for the schools. “The fact that they are willing to spend Saturdays and other non-school days in a learning environment clearly indicates where their priorities lie.”

At North Miami Senior High School alone, nearly 800 students attended a single Saturday tutoring session. “Our kids and their parents are well aware of how important the Superintendent’s Success Academy is in lifting student achievement,” said North Miami’s Principal Michael Lewis. “We are ready to do whatever it takes.”

Using Florida’s method of grading schools with the rating system designated by the No Child Left Behind Act, the schools must lift their performance grade and improve student performance in math and reading or face very serious state-imposed penalties. The academy will continue until the March administration of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.