Miami-Dade County Public Schools rolled out its new lineup of classes, programs and initiatives, and the superintendent could not contain his enthusiasm.
"This is Christmas in July. This is Hanukkah in August," Alberto Carvalho told the school board members at a special meeting Wednesday morning.
The expanded list of offerings for this coming school year includes 16 additional magnet programs in 12 schools and 37 choice programs in 30 schools.
"This is by far the most dramatic, robust expansion of education programs in the history of our school system," Superintendent Carvalho said.
The list includes expanding STEM Programs, such as robotics and coding, to getting more computers into the hands of students who don't have their own, to adding more International Baccalaureate, Cambridge, Capstone and foreign language options.
"The programs are designed not only to give the kids more choices, they're designed with an intent of connecting with them in a rigorous and relevant way, allowing them to choose a theme or a topic that excites them and then build the educational journey that is tailored specifically to them."
For example, Central High School is getting a new magnet program called Global Trade and Logistics. Why is it coming to that school in the inner city? Carvalho said, why not?
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"We follow the principals of demand, equity and access, so there are some zip codes that historically have not had high quality, high demand educational programs there. We ought to bring those programs to those neighborhoods," said Carvalho.
The district is also creating a way to help students attend far away magnet programs by initiating what it calls "Flex Stop" busing, and Wi-Fi is being added to school buses.
Other new initiatives include starting a Police Explorers Program within the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, starting a health clinic at Northwestern High, a Cyber Security Academy at Mourning High, engineering, robotics and legal studies at Rockway Middle, a forensics investigative academy at Palmetto High, and many more.
If the plan was to create so many options that no student or parent can complain about not having educational choices, clearly, the district has succeeded.
New magnet programs include:
- National Security Intelligence Studies, Forensic Sciences & Law Enforcement at Barbara Goleman Senior High School
- Robotics and Visual Arts at Jose de Diego Middle School
- Medical Health Sciences at McMillan Middle & South Dade Middle schools
- Engineering, Robotics and Legal studies at Rockway Middle School
- Digital Media Technology at Hialeah Miami Lakes Senior High School
- Forensic Investigative Academy at Miami Palmetto Senior High School
- Communications at Sunset Senior High School
- Global Trade & Logistics at Miami Central Senior High School
Non-magnet choice programs coming to several schools include:
- Computer Science, Culinary Arts, and Performing Arts at Carol City Middle School
- International Language (Italian) program at American Senior High School
- Cybersecurity Academy at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School
- Forensic Science Academy at Palmetto Middle School
New initiatives include:
Digital Convergence: U.S. History Classroom Tablet and English Language Arts (ELA)- Student Tablet Programs- The program provides 32,000 tablets to all middle school 8th grade U.S. History classrooms and all 10th grade high school students enrolled in ELA, bringing the total number of devices to more than 100,000.
Digital Convergence: Tablets for Middle School Students with Autism - The program provides tablets to students in self-contained Autism Centers to allow access to web-based tools that promote language learning, emotional development, and the development of social and communications skills.
School Mobile App: The mobile application, for iOS, Android and Windows, that provides a personalized user experience based on the individual logging in to the application. Principals can keep parents and students up to date with both District and school specific information. Parents will have access to a school directory that will include email addresses, a school calendar of events and links to the schools social media sites.
Universal iCode Education 2.0: The program strengthens the educational opportunities for students in the areas of coding and programming by initiating Launch Code at the high school level, increasing participation in coding and robotics competitions, and launching introduction to computer science units in seven middle schools.
Wi-Fi-on-the-Go: The program creates opportunities for mobile learning by providing mobile "Hot Spots" on District-owned school buses which may be accessed by students on their way to and from school.
Flex Stops: This pilot program satisfies the need to transport magnet students that do not reside within the Transportation Service Zone area but are near a bus route with available seating capacity. The program is created near a school or park and will pick up several students at a time and it is established based on the number of magnet students residing in the area.
Global Positioning System (GPS) Bus Pilot: The GPS Bus Pilot establishes a school bus tracking system, which will provide parents and students the ability to track the whereabouts of their assigned bus.
Miami-Dade Schools Police Department Explorers Program: The program provides high school students an opportunity to gain insight into a career in law enforcement through the nationally recognized "Learning for Life" Police Explorers Program. Students engage in lessons that focus on the importance of clear and consistent rules, limits, and discipline. Students also learn the significance of personal character and being a role model for personal behavior change.
Health Clinic at Miami Northwestern: This school-based, primary healthcare clinic at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in Liberty City is funded by a $1.45 million grant awarded to FIU's Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration.
