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Friday, December 27, 2013
NEWS RELEASE: DECEMBER 6 - 13, 2013
December 6, 2013
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Runcie Receives Superintendent Of The Year Award
Broward
County Public Schools Superintendent Robert W. Runcie received
the “Star” Superintendent of the Year Award in Tampa Thursday.
Dolphins Make Appearance At Maplewood Elementary School For Gatorade JTC
The
Miami Dolphins travelled north to Coral Springs to spend the day at
Maplewood Elementary School for a Gatorade Junior Training Camp (JTC),
impacting nearly 500 students, who were treated to six interactive
football drills, cheerleader routines and life lessons.
Apollo Middle School STEM teacher honored with Florida’s 2013 ‘Oscar of Teaching’
No
doubt, Luis Espinosa, who leads the Aeronautics STEM (Science,
Technology Engineering and Math) Magnet and LEEO (Linking Education and
Employment Opportunities) programs at Apollo Middle School in Hollywood,
Fla., was excited that Florida’s Commissioner of Education, Pam Stewart
and Superintendent Robert W. Runcie were participating in a school-wide
event to recognize the achievements of those two programs. Yet,
Espinosa had no inkling that the assembly’s spotlight was about to focus
on him.
Education over incarceration will end the school-to-jail pipeline
Anyone
who has heard me speak at public functions knows that when it comes to
our children — the future of Broward County — I strongly favor education
over incarceration. Likewise, one of my first directives as sheriff was
to implement mandatory civil citations.
Letter to the Editor
Broward schools replacing zero tolerance with PROMISE
The
Broward County school system finally understands that arresting our
children for disciplinary issues is cruel and unusual punishment. After
several years of holding the No. 1 spot in student arrests in Florida,
the district finally got it and introduced a program designed to reduce
the number of student arrests, suspensions and expulsions.
December 7 - 9, 2013
Broward schools puts Disney partnership on hold
The
Broward school district won't get its dose of Disneyfication just yet.
Officials have halted the district's partnership with the Disney
Institute because they say its employees have too many other initiatives
on their plate to handle additional training. Officials said they plan
to continue making improvements with there sources they have.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/fl-school-cancels-disney-training-20131206,0,895691.story
Group urges Broward school district to cut lawn mowing costs
Sometimes
the grass is cheaper as well as greener on the other side. That's why a
group of community activists is urging the Broward school district to
reduce the costs of its in-house lawn mowing services. They pay its
in-house employees almost three times what an outside company charges
for the same work, numbers provided by the district show.
Are police living on school grounds still needed?
The
Broward school district has allowed police officers to live rent-free
on some school grounds since the 1980s as a way to provide after-hours
safety. But there's no hard numbers to prove the decades-old program is
still effective.
Opinion
Early education a proven fix to school's reading woes
The first time I met Angela Brown she seemed a little out of her element. It was over a year ago at an Urban League of Broward County meeting
where the Broward School District had launched its Black Male Success
initiative, a new effort by superintendent Robert Runcie to boost
academic performance among black male students.
Opinion
Sharon Glickman: Public schools need more public support
Today,
educators, support staff, parents, students and community members will
come together for the National Day of Action to demonstrate our
commitment to public education.
Audit could cost Broward schools $1.7 million
Broward County schools
could be forced to pay as much as $1.7 million after a state audit
concluded they received funding for hundreds of ineligible students.
Many of the 15 regular and five charter schools were cited by the state
Auditor General when they couldn't provide documentation that services
were needed for some students in the English for Speakers of Other
Languages and special education programs during the 2011-12 school year.
Hollywood mom creates 'The Bully Map'
OneHollywood psychotherapist has found a different way to stand up to bullying. Gay Lynn Grigas, who speaks to Broward County students
about the importance of confidence and empowerment, has launched "The
Bully Map." This new feature —
found on her self-help website, Trigger-proof.com — allows people to
report different forms of bullying and see their incident pop up in
their city, anywhere in the world.
U.S. Schools Reversing Get-Tough “Zero Tolerance” Policy
Some
of the largest school districts in the United States are moving away
from two decades of “zero tolerance” policies that resulted in thousands
of students being arrested and dropping out. Instead, education
officials are trying to help at-risk kids avoid trouble and stay in
school.
December 12, 2013
Broward's graduation rates dip slightly
Broward's
high school graduation rate dropped slightly in 2013, according to
state figures released Wednesday. The district's overall graduation rate
was 75.3 percent, compared to 76.4 percent the year before. Statewide,
75.6 percent of students graduated.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-broward-school-graduation-rates-20131211,0,1050921.story
Seminole County's Dede Schaffner awarded
Seminole
County Public School Board member Dede Schaffner recently received the
STAR award for her exemplary leadership from the Consortium of Florida
Education Foundations. Schaffner was one of two people who received the
award from CFEF this year. The other recipient was Robert Runcie, the
superintendent of Broward County Public Schools. Both were recognized on
Dec. 5 during CFEF's 68th annual joint conference of the Florida School
Boards Association and the Florida Association of District School
Superintendents.
Opinion
A quality education for all public school students
Educators,
parents, students and community members in Miami-Dade and Broward
counties are joining together to reclaim the promise of public
education. This important effort is co-sponsored by the American
Federation of Teachers and National Education Association and is a vital
step forward for our schools in South Florida.
December 13, 2013
World AIDS Day event draws over 500 Broward County students in commemoration
Over
500 Broward County students took photos in front of the authentic AIDS
Memorial Quilt sewn together by friends, lovers and family members,
commemorating the life of someone who has passed away due to AIDS.
Council of Great City Schools Urban Educator - Op-Ed
Broward District Aims to Close Schoolhouse-to-Jailhouse Pipeline
In
an effort to counter "zero tolerance" discipline measures, Florida's
Broward County Public Schools in Fort Lauderdale recently joined forces
with local community organizations to approve a new collaborative
agreement on school discipline. (Click pdf link to view article on page 9)
Pinellas schools aim to reduce student arrests
A
new disciplinary policy could ensure that students in Pinellas County
schools rarely find themselves in handcuffs. School board members said
during their Thursday workshop that they would like to move forward with
the creation of a new policy emulating one Broward County enacted this
school year. In Broward, the school board formed an agreement with local
law enforcement agencies to ensure that students who commit
“nonviolent, minor offenses,” don’t end up with a police record
prematurely.