FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wed, Dec. 15, 2004

CONTACT: John Schuster Miami-Dade County Public Schools 305-995-1126

M-DCPS EXPANDS PROGRAM TO PARTNER PRIVATE SECTOR CEOs
WITH CEOs IN THE SCHOOLS - PRINCIPALS

MIAMI &endash; Some of Miami's most talented chief executive officers will bring their management knowledge and leadership wisdom to bear to improve Miami-Dade County schools through a program expanded by the School Board Wednesday.

The school district will work with the non-profit Council for Educational Change (CEC) to begin the second phase of its Executive Partnership Program, which matches a principal with a volunteer business leader to exchange leadership strategies and to collaborate on school improvement.

The School Board launched the partnership program last year in 21 schools. CEC has a similar program called the Partnership to Advance School Success or PASS. The new relationship will allow Miami-Dade County Public Schools to benefit from the structured activities and on-line resources created for PASS.

Data from CEC's existing program show participating schools have raised their state accountability letter grades, with 63 percent of them reaching an A or B. A University of Miami study concluded that achievement gains and school grades for most school increase significantly and steadily the longer the schools remain in the program.

The expanded Executive Partnership Program will focus on the district's 28 STELLAR (Schools Targeting Excellence in Literacy, Learning, and Reading) schools. The Board also on Wednesday approved a comprehensive plan to support the STELLAR schools, which have hovered near the edge of academic troubles, but are not "F" schools under the state's accountability system. Initially, eight STELLAR schools will take part in the partnerships.

Among the new CEOs and executives who have volunteered to serve as Executive Partners are:

• Andrew Ansin, Sunbeam Properties
  
  

• Robert Balough, Yale Mortgage
  
  

• Bruce Greer, Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens
  
  

• Steven Hayworth, Gibraltar Bank
  
  

• John Kislak, Kislak National Bank
  
  

• Charles Porter, Mellon Financial Services
  
  

• Ed Soto, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
  
  

• Frank M. Zohn, Ashlin Group, LLC

Program participants will undergo needs and skills assessments to assist in successfully pairing CEO's with principals.

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04-LJG/095/jjs

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