FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 24, 2014

CONTACT: Daisy Gonzalez-Diego
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
305-995-2060

SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ALBERTO CARVALHO, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS DISCUSS VISION FOR SCHOOL YEAR AHEAD

School Board members engaged in a visioning session and discussed priorities with Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho in preparation for the school year ahead at a meeting at the Doubletree Hotel this afternoon. Carvalho unveiled new programs and improved procedures specifically designed to better serve the needs of Miami-Dade County Public Schools students and stakeholders, and laid the groundwork for a five-year District Strategic Plan for 2014-2019.

Carvalho presented School Board members with 52 new choice and magnet programs including AP/Capstone, Cambridge, Science, Mathematics, Information Technology and the Arts. Eighteen new Cambridge schools and 10 new Capstone Programs are included.
Magnet programs focus on STEM-related fields, including Geospatial Information Systems, iCode, Engineering, Conservation Biology, Environmental Science, Agriscience, and Enterprise Resource Planning. Some programs are provided in partnership with local colleges and universities, as well as science agencies. An improved magnet application and random selection system will help administrators manage the rapid growth in magnet programs and increase student access with clarity and transparency.

New education partnerships for specific groups and schools within the District include:

  • Collaboration with local technology industries to provide training, internships, and job opportunities for students with autism;
  • Creation of a specialized teaching institute to provide training opportunities in the tourism industry for individuals with disabilities, in collaboration with the FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management;
  •  Increased access to diagnostic, screening and education services for children aged birth to four, and expansion of the FIU Center for Children and Families collaborative program for parent education and classroom management strategies for disruptive behaviors;
  • Partnering with FIU and Lennar Companies to strengthen Booker T. Washington Senior High’s Engineering Academy and create an Astronomy Academy at the school.

Superintendent Carvalho also presented specific measures designed to help students and their families with academic endeavors, including:

  • A Transition-to-Kindergarten Ambassadors Project to help children moving from privately-owned learning centers to M-DCPS classrooms;
  • Providing each child with a school advocate, a “Success Coach” to identify student strengths and weaknesses;
  • Student internships through the National Academy Foundation to assist students in preparing for college and career in the new global economy;
  • A One-Stop Educational and Community Service Center to provide multi-agency assistance to at-risk youth needing emotional, social, health, personal, and career development;
  • A Million Dollar Community Literacy Challenge, supporting positive family environment and literacy, to foster student development;
  • A program that equips parents with the knowledge and skills to take advantage of grant opportunities.

The meeting also included a review of the school district’s budget and projects funded by the General Obligation Bond approved by Miami-Dade voters, including 201 projects in the first three years, and another 76 projects from years 3, 4, and 5, that have been accelerated for the coming year. 

The district’s digital transformation is well underway, with a record number of 11,000 Promethean interactive boards being installed for the coming year, and Wi-Fi installation completed four years in advance of the national average. More than 100,000 electronic devices, including laptop computers and tablets, will be available to students, providing them access to online textbooks and digital content.

Among other improvements, Carvalho announced:

  • Preparing teachers for the transition from FCAT to the Florida standards through a streamlined professional development program, as well as a public information campaign to help parents understand the new standards;
  • Hiring the most effective new teachers;
  • Aligning District functions to serve students better and “make everything about the child”;
  • A mobile “app” to help keep parents, students, employees and the community informed of vital information, including class schedules and bus information, emergencies, school closures and upcoming events;
  • Easier payment systems that allow parents to use credit cards to pay for necessary student services;
  • A paper reduction initiative, designed to reduce use of paper by 75 percent;
  • Streamlined tracking of maintenance projects through a digital dashboard;
  • A carpool program for District employees facilitated by a mobile application;
  • A streamlined, user-friendly procurement system with improved E-bidding;
  • A fraud prevention task force to help curb abuse of employee health care benefits;
  • Wellness Coaches at every school to promote wellness activities among employees;
  • UHealth Medical Center at Miami Jackson Senior High – a holistic wellness facility that will offer preventive health care for M-DCPS employees;
  • Worksite safety committees to provide an improved work environment for employees

The new programs and procedures will offer expanded choices and better service to M-DCPS students and stakeholders during the upcoming school year.

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14-DGD/012/JS

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