M-DCPS CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER TO BE INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME


April 28, 2004


Mercedes Toural, Miami-Dade County Public Schools' Chief Education Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Schools, will be inducted into the Miami Dade College Alumni Hall of Fame on Thursday, April 29 from 6-9:30 p.m. at the Hotel Inter-Continental, 100 Chopin Plaza.

"I am thrilled and humbled to be honored, especially for doing something I love so much," said Toural. "Education is the cornerstone for our community's progress, and I am so proud to be a part of it."

Under Toural's educational leadership, the school district has witnessed steady increases in FCAT scores for the last four years. Additionally, drop-out rates have decreased, particularly among Hispanics, who constitute 60 percent of the student population. Toural's no-nonsense approach to problem-solving is well-respected among the district's administrators and 21,000 teachers, and has helped her meet the challenges of the federal No Child Left Behind program and last year's class size amendment to the Florida Constitution.

For more information, contact Mayco Villafaña at 305-995-4638.

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04-MV/181/DF

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