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In September 2018, I celebrated my tenth year as Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. And not for one moment has it felt like a job. In fact, it’s been a wonderful and rewarding opportunity to lead what many consider to be the finest school system in the nation.

Every day, I wake with an excitement about the work ahead as we – 37,000-plus employees and I – create an environment that expands the joys of learning for students. I am filled with gratitude to have the opportunity to be a part of work that gives the children of our vibrant community a bright and prosperous future. My gratitude extends to every aspect and every employee of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, especially to our school site leaders and classroom teachers who are the lifeblood of our school district. They are the architects behind our upward trend in student achievement and steadily rising graduation rates. And beyond the classroom, we continue to strengthen business operations, demonstrating excellence in our financial practices and community engagement and support.

I am overjoyed by the response of Miami-Dade County voters who spoke loud and clear about their support of and admiration for our teachers through their overwhelming approval of the Secure Our Future Referendum, #362. As a result, we will be able to compensate teachers in a way that dignifies and honors the incredible work they do and fortify safety and security at all schools. It’s the best holiday gift our community could ever hope for.

As we prepare to enjoy the holidays, I am pleased by the fact that we were able to come to a tentative agreement with United Teachers of Dade (UTD) – an agreement that honors our commitment to educators and provides an historic compensation package that becomes effective with the start of the new year. While we could have waited until July 2019, it was important to us that teachers have peace of mind during the holiday break. Additionally, as a result of the district’s tentative agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), student learning will continue in a safe, secure school environment.

The overwhelming approval of #362 and the agreements with UTD and FOP have capped another year of staggering achievements for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The work of our educators, school site leaders, administrators and support staff this past year has been remarkable, and I am excited about the opportunities awaiting us in 2019. My wish for our students, families, employees, and community is to have a safe and wonderful holiday and a bright New Year.


Alberto M. Carvalho
Superintendent

 

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Thanks You!

image Throughout the years, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) has worked diligently to provide our students with the highest quality education. We have undoubtedly become one of the best-performing urban school systems in the nation, thanks in large part to the outstanding work of M-DCPS teachers. To continue our trajectory of success, we need to be able to retain and recruit high-quality teachers by providing them with adequate compensation, no small feat in a city such as Miami with such a high cost of living. This year, when voters were called upon for their support, not just of teachers, but of fulfilling a state mandate requiring armed personnel at all schools, you stepped up to the plate and resoundingly responded by backing Proposition #362. For that, we THANK YOU.

Florida ranks near the bottom in the average teacher salaries. To attract committed and talented people to this field requires that these professionals see a promising financial future. With 88 percent of the levied funds now being directed to investing in our hardworking instructional staff, as well as attracting and retaining new personnel, we thank you for your support in recognizing the importance of securing our future with Referendum #362.

We will not only be adequately compensating teachers through this Proposition, but also ensuring that students remain safe. After the tragic events that unfolded in Parkland, in which 17 students and faculty lost their lives due to a senseless act of violence, the State mandated that armed security personnel be present at every public school in Florida. The District signed more than a dozen Memoranda of Understanding with municipal law enforcement as a temporary bandage for an operation that would require enough manpower and funds to force the District to consider multiple avenues for these necessary resources. Keeping in mind that Florida law prohibits sales tax or the General Obligation Bond (GOB) school construction funds to fund operating expenses, the District felt the need to reach out to the community. With the remaining 12 percent of the levied funds now being invested in certified security personnel at each of our schools, we thank you for your support in recognizing the importance of securing our future with Referendum #362.

This levy will allow M-DCPS to raise $232 million annually, at a cost of less than 39 cents per day to the typical homeowner. M-DCPS’ tax rate will remain the lowest since 1980, even with this approved levy. This levy – in the best interest of our schools, and as a direct result, in the best interest of our community – impacts the local economy. A citizens’ oversight advisory committee is being established to monitor the use of proceeds generated by the referendum to safeguard the taxpayers’ investment.

Thanks to you, our community and our taxpayers, our future is secured with well-compensated teachers and certified security personnel at each school. Our Board, administrators, faculty, staff and students thank you for securing our future.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Teachers

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Teachers are the backbone of our community. They guide and advise, educate and inspire, care and praise. For our successes, for who we are today, and for forming the generation that will take care of us one day, we all have a teacher to thank. And for that, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools family celebrates them.

This school year, M-DCPS will be highlighting the transformational impact that teachers have in molding and shaping the lives of our students. Each month, we will showcase the importance of the teaching profession through monthly activities. We invite you to join us in reaffirming the undeniable fact that teachers matter, and we look forward to hearing about those teachers who have inspired you.

We have created social media sign templates for students, parents, teachers and community members to show their support for teachers throughout the year. These templates can be personalized with your message and posted to social media for all to see. When posting, please tag @MDCPS (on Twitter) or @MiamiSchools (on Facebook & Instagram) and use the hashtag #RESPECT4TeachersMDCPS.

Magnet Programs Continue to Soar @MDCPS

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In Miami-Dade County, there is no shortage of passionate students eager to take the next step in their academic career. Whether their passion lies in robotics and coding, media design or international studies – there is a place for them to foster these interests through a magnet program.

For more than 40 years, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) has been at the forefront of the choice movement in education, establishing the first magnet program in 1973 with the opening of a center for the expressive arts in the heart of the inner city.

Today, with over 384 magnet programs being offered at 114 schools across the district, M-DCPS continues to make a real commitment to developing our students into the leaders of tomorrow. Through magnet programs, students engage in a common mission and form strong social ties with their peers. Like all schools in our district, magnet programs provide students with strong academic guidance and a sense of purpose while ensuring that a specialized curriculum focusing on the students’ special interests is implemented.

For many students, having the opportunity to focus on a specific area during high school changes everything.

“Being accepted to the magnet program at Young Women’s Preparatory Academy (YWPA) was life changing. It was a program that brought out my academic potential and set me up to succeed in college,” says Claudia Pagon-Marchena, an M-DCPS and FIU alumna.

Pagon, harnessing the skillset she developed during her time as a student at YWPA, has forged a path for herself that involves helping others and creating change. Presently, Pagon works in the United States Senate as a Staff Assistant alongside a team of individuals committed to the betterment of society.

From making the transition to college more manageable to helping students realize their potential, magnet programs have proven to be an important part of our school system and a unique opportunity for our over 350,000 students.

In the past, Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ magnet programs were named among Newsweek’s list of the top 1,000 schools in the country. Five magnet schools were ranked in the top 100 nationwide and seven schools were among Florida’s top 20 schools according to U.S. News and World Report.

Challenging students in a way that fosters a legacy of educational excellence in our schools, magnet programs also require that students meet basic or enhanced eligibility criteria which can be found here: Eligibility Criteria

While the enrollment period for magnet programs in Miami-Dade County Public Schools opened in October, applications for the 2019-2020 school year can still be submitted through January 15, 2019.

Community Partners Take Charge for Principal Today

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More than 350 community partners took over each elementary, K-8, Middle School and High school in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) this month. Principal TODAY continues the M-DCPS tradition of forming new and meaningful school-community partnerships for the benefit of students.

The types of individuals who serve as Principal TODAY partners range from CEOs of corporations, small businesses, and community-based organizations; celebrities; elected officials and members of local and national media.

The 2018 event launched with a Kick-off Breakfast on November 28 at Jungle Island where the community partners got a chance to meet with their assigned principal to plan their respective school visits. The event, in partnership with Bank of America and with support from Scholastic Education and Feld Entertainment, Inc., in conjunction with the Coalition of Dade County Chambers of Commerce served as a true kick-off to future long-term partnerships for all.

During the school visits on December 6, the Principal TODAY partners experienced everything from being greeted with their name on the school marquee, to giving morning announcements, to assisting in classes, parent meetings and a myriad of other duties M-DCPS principals are responsible for every single day. According to one Principal TODAY partner, Charisse Grant, Senior Vice President for Programs and Grants Administration for The Miami Foundation who served at Miami Shores Elementary, “This is a great way for people to better understand the real-life experiences of our school system, educators and students and connect with the champions doing this great hard work every day!”

To learn more about Principal TODAY visit https://www.engagemiamidade.net/community-principal-today.

Alberto M. Carvalho Honored with Green Garner Award, Named 2018 National Urban Superintendent of the Year

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In late October, Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho was named the 2018 National Urban Superintendent of the Year by the Council of Great City Schools, which presented him with the distinguished Green-Garner Award. The announcement came during the Council’s 62nd Annual Fall Conference in Baltimore.

Every other year, the Council presents a superintendent from one of the 74 largest urban public-school systems in the country with the Green-Garner Award, the nation's highest urban education honor recognizing outstanding contributions in education and named in memory of school leaders Richard R. Green and Edward Garner.

Carvalho, who was nominated for this prestigious award by School Board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman, was honored for his commitment and passion to increase student achievement, bring 21st century learning to every school and bridge any and all gaps that may stand in the way of students in Miami-Dade County.

“Receiving the Green-Garner Award from the Council of the Great City Schools is proof that regardless of challenge or circumstance, anyone’s impossible can become everyone’s inevitable, through belief, skill and will,” said Carvalho. “I am humbled by this recognition, for it serves as an acknowledgement of the District’s impressive body of work over the past several years, including our NAEP-TUDA data, first-ever A-rating, and second consecutive school year with no F-rated traditional schools. I share this incredible honor and recognition with our students, educators, employees, community and School Board.”

Acquiring the Green-Garner Award makes Carvalho the winningest superintendent in the nation and comes on the heels of celebrating his 10th anniversary of leading Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

During his tenure, he has been selected as Florida’s 2014 Superintendent of the Year, as well as the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year; was named by Scholastic Administrator as one of “The Fantastic Five” educators making a difference in America; and is the 2016 winner of both the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education and the Magnet Schools of America Superintendent of the Year.

Under his leadership, Miami-Dade County Public Schools received a historic ‘A’ designation from the State of Florida, eliminated F-rated traditional schools in the district, and raised its graduation rate by almost 27 percentage points from 58.7 percent in 2006-2007 to 85.4 percent in 2017-18..

In 2012, the District won the coveted Broad Prize for Urban Education. Two years later, it was awarded the 2014 College Board Advanced Placement Equity and Excellence District of the Year for being the nation’s leader among large school districts, and simultaneously expanding access to Advanced Placement Program courses and improving AP Exam performance.

Also, significantly, even though the school district faced financial difficulties at the time that Carvalho became Superintendent, years later it won the top national honor for financial management from the Council, recognizing the district for employing the highest standards in financial management, accountability and fiscal control. He has served as President of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and in October 2015, was appointed to a four-year term on the National Assessment Governing Board by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

“Alberto Carvalho has had a remarkable run as superintendent of one of the largest and most complex big-city school systems in the nation,” said the Council’s executive director, Michael Casserly, in a press release. “On top of that, his 10 years of leadership of the district has shown all of us in urban education what is possible. He is one of the finest and most effective urban leaders I have known in over 40 years of doing this work. Congratulations to Alberto and kudos to Miami!”

Former Miami-Dade County School Board member G. Holmes Braddock is the only other Miami educator to win the Green-Garner award. He received it in 1994. The award has been presented annually since 1989.

Click here to watch how the South Florida community congratulated Superintendent Carvalho on his remarkable accomplishment.

iNspiration @MDCPS

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Compassionate, determined, and kind are just some of the words we can use to describe Jazmin, who is excelling in one of the most rigorous schools in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida.

Name: Jazmin Baez

School: 12th-grade student at School for Advanced Studies- Wolfson

Accomplishments: Despite only living in the United States for six years, Jazmin has excelled at the School for Advanced Studies (SAS). At the top of her class, she will receive her Associate in Arts Degree from Miami Dade College a month before she graduates from high school. However, Jazmin’s commitment to helping people in need in the community is even more impressive than her academic work. She is President of National Honors Society, an award-winning delegate at Model United Nations, and an Executive of the Florida League of Young Immigrants Foundation. Along with her vigorous work in connecting immigrant communities in Miami, she dedicates time to non-profits such as Languages for All Corporation where she teaches languages to people all over the world at no cost to the students through Skype. Jazmin’s family history of cancer fueled her passion to find a better treatment -- perhaps a cure. She volunteers as a Therapist Assistant at the Spinal Cord Injury Center of the Veterans Affairs Hospital where she works with disabled hospitalized veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and conducts research at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Everyone who knows her holds Jazmin in high regard. She was named a QuestBridge Finalist -- the nation’s top scholarship for underrepresented students -- while she awaits admission decisions from the top universities of the country.

Fun facts about Jazmin:

  • She is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English.
  • She has read over two hundred books outside of school assignments.
  • Jazmin was one of 152 students nationwide invited to attend the Youth Leadership Institute at Princeton University last summer.
  • She participated in the Columbia Girls in STEM program, an initiative launched by Columbia University for Miami area young women who excel in STEM related studies.

iNspiration @MDCPS

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Zackery Chambers is an educator who is passionate about sharing his love of music with students. A veteran teacher of 14 years, he prides himself in teaching his students to find their voice and believe in their power to accomplish goals. Growing up in Miami, his childhood experiences and obstacles have given him a greater understanding of the importance of students having an adult figure that genuinely cares and motivates them to have attainable goals at a young age. He recognizes the endless possibilities that his students can accomplish and wants them to strive in reaching their goals.

Name: Zackery Chambers

Occupation: Teacher & Director of Bands at Barbara Goleman Senior High School

Accomplishments:Chambers graduated from Florida A&M University (FAMU) in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science- Music. During his time at FAMU, he was a member of one of the nation’s most prestigious marching bands: The Marching 100. In 2007, he received his Master of Arts with a concentration in Music from F.A.U. and is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Educational Leadership. He was Barbara Goleman’s 2017 Teacher of the Year and a North Region Teacher of the Year Finalist. Since 2013, Chambers has worked tirelessly to bring music education back to Barbara Goleman. He has rebuilt the school’s music program, increasing it by more than 200%.

Fun facts about Zackery:

  • He is the namesake of the “Zackery Chambers” Determination Award from Florida A&M’s Marching “100” Summer Band Camp.
  • Each year, he organizes a band college tour visiting the campuses of Florida State University, University of Florida, Florida A&M University, and University of Central Florida, amongst others.
  • He has helped more than 25 students receive music scholarships for college, three of who are now band directors.

iNfact

image Save the Date! M-DCPS will observe “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day on February 1, 2019. The District uses this date instead of the national observance to minimalize disruptions during scheduled testing.
image Miami-Dade Schools Police is now hiring School Resource Officers! Be part of a team that protects and positively impacts lives. For more information, visit www.dadeschools.net.
image Since the inception of the General Obligation Bond, over 190 main projects and another 540 accelerated scope projects have been successfully completed, addressing critical needs at M-DCPS. So far, bond investment in schools totals $664 million, including $91 million in classroom technology improvements. #GOBprogress
image More than 30,000 M-DCPS students participated in an Advanced Placement (AP) course in 2017-2018, showing an overall passing rate of 55 percent, a two percent increase over the previous year.
image Miami Music Project's Children's Orchestra Program, a tuition-free, multi-year, after-school music education program for youth operating in under-resourced communities, unveiled its Miami Gardens Branch at Carol City Elementary School.
image In October, Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Ray Allen and the Ray of Hope Foundation, in partnership with Loews Hotels’ annual Celebrity Golf Tournament, and with support from Tutoring America, donated a state-of-the-art computer lab to Fienberg-Fisher K-8 Center.

iChoose M-DCPS

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Miami Edison Senior High School

Rear Admiral Thomas K. "Ken" Mattingly, NASA Astronaut

 

“Mr. Robert Lawrence, as a faculty advisor, used his friendship and sense of humor to persuade me to apply for an NROTC scholarship. Ms. Frances Gibbons taught science in a way that made solving practical problems, by understanding the physical world, exciting. Mr. Lawrence opened the door that led to a career as a Naval officer and aviator, while Ms. Gibbons nurtured the motivation to go through that door. Because of them, I have enjoyed a ride that has been out of this world.”

iNtouch

Miami-Dade County Public Schools
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Miami, Florida 33132
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Editors
Daisy Gonzalez-Diego
Vanessa Lopez

Contributors
Jackie Calzadilla
Hilda Diaz
Marcus Frias
Tammy Reed
Anna Rico

Photography
Jimmy Abraham