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M-DCPS’ SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ZONE NAMED ONE OF HARVARD’S Innovations in American Government Awards Top 50 programs MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (M-DCPS) School Improvement Zone has been named one of the Top 50 programs of the 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards competition by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. Selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 applicants, these programs represent the best in government innovation from local, county, city, tribal, state, and federal levels. Started in 2005, the School Improvement Zone consists of 39 chronically low-performing M-DCPS schools. Zone schools provide students with an extended day and school year instruction utilizing research-based, educational materials and focuses on literacy as the core component. The results of the program have been striking, with attendance, participation and student test scores increasing dramatically. Performance gains made by Zone students outpaced the gains of students statewide in both reading and mathematics. Each of the Top 50 programs underwent several rounds of rigorous evaluation from a committee of practitioners and policy experts from the Harvard Kennedy School as well as renowned institutions nationwide. The programs address a number of important policy areas including health and social services; management and governance; community and economic development; education and training; criminal justice; transportation and infrastructure; and the environment. Finalists for the $100,000 prize will be announced on June 3. The winners of the 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards will be announced and honored at an awards gala and reception in September. Established in 1985 by the Ford Foundation, the awards program is designed to improve government practice by honoring effective government initiatives and encouraging the dissemination of such best practices across the country. Many award-winning programs are now replicated across policy areas and jurisdictions, serving as forerunners for today’s reform strategies and new legislation. Such programs also inform research and academic study at Harvard Kennedy School and other academic institutions around the world. Additional information about the Ash Institute is available at www.ashinstitute.harvard.edu. ### 08-JJS/287/HD |
