Educator Voices

For this educator, relationships are the reward

Lisa Buie January 14, 2021

About a third of the 435 K-12 student at The Rock School use state choice scholarships, including 108 who use the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship for lower-income students and 15 who use Gardiner Scholarships for students with special needs.

Editor’s Note: At the end of 2019, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared 2020 “The Year of the Teacher,” championing a $47,500 starting salary and a new bonus program for K-12 educators. In June, DeSantis signed into law a bill allocating $500 million for teacher pay, boosting Florida from 26^th to fifth for minimum teacher pay.

That boost applied only to district schools, causing some private school administrators to wonder if they would lose teachers. Alicen Crane, a teacher at The Rock School, a faith-based school in Gainesville, is among those who chose to stay. Here, she explains why the intangibles of her job are more rewarding than a bigger paycheck.

Alicen Crane

My experience at The Rock School is unique.

I attended The Rock as a student in elementary school and then for a while in high school. I spent some time in public school and was also homeschooled, so I have a little experience in various settings. But there was something about The Rock School that always drew me back.

As a student, I felt cared for spiritually, personally, and academically. So, when it came time to apply for my first job after graduating from high school, there was no question; it was The Rock Preschool I wanted to apply to. Now I was on the other side of education – I was a teacher.

I worked at The Rock School while getting my bachelor’s degree in elementary education and was able to substitute. I loved the small class sizes and being able to connect with the students, including some whose parents or siblings had been my classmates. I was able to learn from the teachers and get experience in a classroom. The Rock still had that community feeling I felt as a student.

After graduation, I knew I wanted to spend my first year as an educator at a school where teachers had the opportunity to focus on individual students’ needs and where the administration supported unique learning environments. So, I applied to The Rock School as an elementary teacher and was accepted.

That first year teaching, I learned so much. With a smaller school, I was able to grow professionally and personally. The administrators and my fellow teachers guided me through one-on-one training and professional development. I was able to learn so much from veteran teachers, including those who taught and inspired me. I was also able to grow by sharing with others the skills I was learning.

Five years after I first started working at The Rock Preschool, I was teaching my first elementary class. When I received my roster, I realized some of the students were the same ones I’d taught as pre-schoolers. I was thrilled! I had built relationships with these students and their parents. The relationships with families have continued year after year, at school events, in the car line, or in after-school care.

I know I could make more money at a public school, but I won’t be leaving The Rock School. It’s more than just an 8 a.m.-to-3 p.m. school. It’s a place where students, parents and teachers can be seen and heard. My administrative team is phenomenal, working with us to customize instruction to each student’s needs. The small class sizes give me the opportunity to use creative strategies to help my students succeed.

But the most rewarding thing about The Rock School is the opportunity I have to give back to my community. As I’ve pursued a master’s degree in educational leadership, I’ve had the chance to teach these students that their voice matters – that they all can make an impact in a world that needs them.

At The Rock School, I’m able to partner with parents and fellow educators. I’m able to teach the whole child, spiritually and academically, as each one continues to teach me. I wouldn’t trade that for anything, even a bigger paycheck.

January 14, 2021 0 comment

Charter Schools Commentary and Opinion Educator Voices Educators Featured Parental Choice Public School Choice School Choice Voices for Education Choice

Word for word: Founding principal of IDEA Victory Academy Latoya McGhee

Lisa Buie January 12, 2021

Lisa Buie

Editor’s note: IDEA Public Schools, a Texas-based nonprofit that serves more than 63,000 students in 120 schools across Texas and Louisiana, is set to bring its award-winning college preparatory program to the Sunshine State this year with the opening of two campuses in Hillsborough County.

In their first year, the Tampa “schools of hope” – charter schools that serve lower-income students from one or more persistently low-performing schools – will be open to students in kindergarten through second grade as well as sixth grade, with additional grades added each year until the schools are fully scaled with K-12 campuses. Building on its reputation as the nation’s fastest-growing network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools, IDEA, which stands for Individuals Dedicated to Excellence and Achievement, plans to have four schools in the Tampa Bay area by 2023 and aims to grow that number to 20 by 2026.

IDEA Tampa Bay already has begun recruiting students and principals, including Latoya McGhee, who has been tapped as principal in residence at IDEA Victory Vinik Campus. At the school’s virtual groundbreaking in November, McGhee shared how she overcame her personal challenges to succeed in college and life and why IDEA affords her the perfect opportunity to prepare other students to do the same.

Hello everyone, my name is Latoya McGhee, founding principal of IDEA Victory Academy. I have been an educator for 11 years, and most of my career has been spent as a teacher and a leader in low-performing schools in underserved neighborhoods.

I grew up in a small town called Hartsville, S.C. Though I had a pleasant educational journey through elementary, middle, and high school, I was not prepared for college.

Throughout grade school, I was considered a “smart” student. I always did my work, always studied, worked hard, and maintained a B average. But in college, I could barely keep up. By the end of my first year, I had failed all my classes, and I was back home in Hartsville. I felt like a complete failure.

When I was pregnant with my son, I worked several jobs and struggled to make ends meet. I enrolled in three colleges and quit. I prayed for an answer, or even just to have options, and one day a co-worker mentioned becoming an educator. Immediately, the small hairs on my arm began to stand up.

I sat there visualizing the possibility. I could actual see myself in a classroom filled with students. It made me smile in that moment to think about the kind of impact that I would make. I knew then that education was my true path of service to both children and my community.

For the first time in years, I set a goal that aligned with my passion. I worked hard to complete the remaining classes I needed to obtain my bachelor’s degree. I became a teacher, earned my master’s degree and became an assistant principal. Now, here I am, founding principal of IDEA Victory Academy.

You might be wondering: Why is she sharing this?

I’m sharing because, as I’ve said, even though I was considered a “smart” student, I was not prepared for college or life. I believe that all children deserve to have options, and to have options, they need to be prepared as early as possible. They deserve to have the education and resources needed to thrive in this world regardless of where they come from.

When I learned about IDEA and its commitment not only to seeing students to the college door but also through college, I knew it was home for me. I knew I wanted to be a part of an organization that is committed to providing a quality education for kids and that stands behind that commitment by ensuring schools have the necessary resources to meet the holistic needs of all students, their families, and the community.

The children in this community deserve to have passionate educators who are willing to give 100% every day, and I have seen IDEA do this firsthand while completing my residency at an IDEA campus in Weslaco, Texas. I had the opportunity to work with teachers and staff who go above and beyond to ensure that every child has what they need to be happy, healthy, and successful.

Our Direct Instruction curriculum closes gaps and builds students’ reading confidence. As a result, we can close reading achievement gaps and get 90% of our students reading to grade level at the end of each school year. Our critical student intervention and special education teachers work tirelessly to ensure that differentiated, small group instruction is designed to address the specific content gaps daily. Our Eureka math curriculum allows students to learn math concepts by integrating grade/age-appropriate real-world scenarios and activities into daily lessons.

In addition to providing rigorous academics, IDEA Victory will serve as a pilar of the community by building partnerships to provide a bank of resources that students and their families can take advantage of.

I am grateful to be a part of IDEA because we are committed to breaking barriers, giving families options, and making a positive impact in our communities. Though we are new to Tampa Bay, IDEA has 20 years of success under its belt in Texas and Louisiana, and now, it’s our turn. I encourage families to apply today and continue to connect with us.

Interested families can apply at www.ideapublicschools.org/apply.

January 12, 2021 0 comment

Blog Guest Commentary and Opinion Customization Educator Voices Featured Private Schools School Choice

Montessori education: Ahead of its time

Special to redefinED January 7, 2021

Special to redefinED

Summit-Questa Montessori School serves toddlers through eighth-graders on a 10-acre campus in Davie, Florida.

Editor’s note: This post from Judy Dempsey, founder and longtime principal of Summit-Questa Montessori School in Davie, Florida, is based on a chapter from her 2016 book “Turning Education Inside Out: Confessions of a Montessori Principal.”

Judy Dempsey

Education today must establish different goals for itself compared to generations ago. Today’s world is an inconsistent place that continues to change at a mind-boggling pace. Technology has transformed our world in a way that would be unrecognizable to our ancestors.

The extraordinary thing is that it may be unrecognizable to us in the near future.

In the past, education prepared students for a familiar and predictable world; the goal was to have students memorize a set of facts or learn specific skills that would serve them well in a variety of careers. Today, in the Information Age, any fact that a student would need or want is at the tip of their finger, a mouse click or screen tap away.

As educators, it is imperative that we prepare our students for the unique demands that the 21st century world will place upon them. It is vital in this age to teach students how to find the knowledge they need – knowledge as varied as the changing times themselves. Students must be able to think outside of the box and be creative learners and problem solvers.

Upon entering the workplace, they will need to work in the global community, so it is imperative for them to know how to communicate well and get along with others. They must be respectful of other cultures and traditions since it’s likely, in any business transaction, that their clients and the team with which they work will be from somewhere else in the world.

The statistics also indicate that people will change jobs much more frequently than ever before. Young people who can adapt to new and changing needs and expectations will be the ones getting and keeping the available jobs.

Our world is facing a multitude of challenges at different levels: environmentally, socially, ethically, politically, and economically. We need young people who have the skills to face unprecedented situations in the world. These are very different skills necessary for success in the 21^st century and for the survival of our culture, planet, and species. When parents ask me, “Will Montessori prepare my child for the real world?”, I confidently respond by saying, “Montessori will, without any doubt, prepare your child much better than traditional education ever could for this new real world.”

If you look at all the previously mentioned skills necessary for success in the 21st century, they are all inherent in the Montessori experience. Children learn to think differently based on their unique perception of the world. They learn how to get along with classmates from different cultures, ages or genders, or perhaps a very different type of learner, thinker, and problem solver.

Exposure to these different personalities, abilities, and individual gifts allows children to develop skills that are different from their traditional counterparts. Their vocabulary, critical thinking, social, and communication skills increase with every year that they are in the Montessori classroom.

They learn to explore their own interests and the Montessori materials at their own pace. The Montessori teacher will always guide the students along the path of learning, not by providing the answers, but by constantly asking the child the questions needed to stimulate critical thinking and discovery. A Socratic questioning type of approach allows students to develop and expand their own learning and critical thinking skills.

As much as our world has turned into a machine/technology-dominated society, social skills are still highly important for success. The highest paying jobs today demand people who are not only competent with technology, but also have strong people skills—an important human trait. Social skills are not usually part of the curriculum in traditional schooling. Michael B. Horn, co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute, said, “Machines are automating a whole bunch of things so having the softer skills, knowing the human touch and how to complement technology is critical, and our educational system is not set up for that.”

Although these skills may not be taught in traditional schools, they are a fundamental part of the Montessori experience. In a Montessori interactive and ever-changing classroom, students learn to communicate, adapt, and problem solve in socially appropriate ways as they navigate the classroom.

That classroom is like a sea full of unique and beautiful creatures, all with their own needs and interests. As the day flows, they all learn to share their habitat, enjoy each other’s company and beauty, negotiate, and sustain the peaceful atmosphere. In the process, their own gifts grow and flourish, contributing to the overall health of the environment.

Contrary to some who believe that Montessori classrooms are chaotic and nonstructured, where students can do whatever they want with no responsibility, nothing could be further from the truth. Students are expected to be responsible community members, finish the work that they choose, and return it to the shelf so that someone else can use it.

They mentor each other and care about each other. They collaborate, thereby learning to be more productive as a team. They trust each other and work on sharing their strengths with each other for the good of all. Our Montessori students are very well prepared for the 21st century.

President Barack Obama stated on CBS news, “I’m calling on our nation’s governors and state education chiefs to develop standards and assessments that don’t simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity.”

Remarkably, those in the traditional world of education do indeed have this important information; however, implementing a system that incorporate these skills into their classrooms remains a mystery to them. The National Education Association has been working for many years to bring innovation into public school systems. Its educational researchers have long recognized that students need to acquire very different skills for the future and have narrowed the focus to the “Four Cs.”

They name these Four Cs: communicators, collaborators, creators, and critical thinkers. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It also is interesting to note that while we’ve had the Montessori education system successfully in place worldwide for more than 100 years, few policymakers and educators take our approach seriously.

The American Management Association in a 2010 survey on critical skills stated:

“The Four Cs will become even more important to organizations in the future. Three out of four executives who responded to the survey said they believe these skills and competencies will become even more important to organizations in the next three to five years; additionally, 80% believe that reading, writing and arithmetic are not sufficient if employees are unable to think critically, solve problems, collaborate, or communicate effectively.”

I could continue to cite dozens and dozens of additional resources that give the same message about the importance of many other skills beyond reading, writing and arithmetic that our students need today. It should be obvious to anyone familiar with the Montessori approach that Montessori has been doing this the entire time it has been in existence. There is no doubt how timely it is today in preparing our students for the world in which they will find themselves as adults.

Dr. Maria Montessori, ever the visionary, was able to understand what our students would need for their future.

January 7, 2021 0 comment

Commentary and Opinion Coronavirus / COVID-19 Customization Education and Public Policy Education Choice Educator Voices Faith-based Education Featured News Parental Choice Podcast Private Schools School Choice

podcastED: SUFS president Doug Tuthill interviews educator Danielle Marolf

redefinED staff December 9, 2020

redefinED staff

On this episode, Tuthill talks with the principal of Wellmont Academy, a faith-based private school in St. Petersburg, Florida, that serves traditional grade levels – with a twist. While some students participate in in-person instruction two or three days a week, others attend in person five days a week, depending on the needs and preferences of each family.

Marolf discusses how her experience with her son’s dyslexia led her to start an untraditional school of the type now growing in popularity in Florida and nationwide. She and Tuthill also discuss the day-to-day management of a hybrid school like Wellmont, how longtime homeschool families have adjusted to a different schedule, and policy changes that are needed to give families more flexibility in spending their education dollars.

“As many negative things have come from the pandemic, I think this has definitely been a positive. It is blowing wide open the concept of how we educate our children best. Not everybody fits the same mold.”

EPISODE DETAILS:

· How a small homeschooling group grew into a popular hybrid school

· How scheduling and curriculum work for students at the same grade level but on different schedules

· The concept of “assisted learning rooms” where students operate in small groups with teachers present to guide them

· How Florida’s education policy needs to change to accommodate expansion of innovative school models like Wellmont Academy

December 9, 2020 0 comment

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Customization Education Choice Educator Voices Featured News Parental Choice Private Schools School Choice

Educator profile: Montessori school owner, teacher trainer and author Judy Dempsey

Lisa Buie November 24, 2020

Lisa Buie

Summit-Questa Montessori School in Davie, Florida, typically enrolls 475 students from 18 months through eighth grade. During the pandemic, the school has capped enrollment at 378 students to allow for social distancing and is offering a virtual program.

For more than four decades, Judy Dempsey has sought to bring out the best in children while offering education options to Florida families. For the past 26 years, she has owned and operated Summit-Questa Montessori School in Davie, which serves children from 18 months through eighth grade. About 20 percent participate in Florida Tax Credit, Family Empowerment and McKay Scholarship programs.

Judy Dempsey

SQMS students thrive on a 10-acre campus featuring native habitats, numerous gardens, a wetland preserve, a mini-barnyard, outdoor fields, a gymnasium and two pools. The school also is the site of Summit Montessori Teacher Training Institute, an accredited educator training center affiliated with the American Montessori Society, for which Dempsey serves as co-director. Since 2003, she has been instrumental in training hundreds of teachers in the Montessori method, which is based on self-directed activity and hands-on learning.

Dempsey served for five years as 1^st vice president and director of accreditation on the board of the Association of Independent Schools of Florida, a statewide organization that accredits private schools and recognizes prominent educators. She was named the 2016-17 Richard and Dorothy Lear Distinguished Educator of the Year, the association’s highest honor, in recognition of her efforts to provide a quality education to children in South Florida. In her book “Turning Education Inside Out: Confessions of a Montessori Principal,” she details her experience as a Montessori educator, administrator, school owner and teacher trainer.

redefinED reached out to Dempsey to learn more about what Montessori has in common with unschooling and micro-schools, her passion for education, and her interest in offering education choice opportunities to families. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q. What during your early life inspired you to pursue a career in education?

A. I did not intend to go into education when I was younger. I had a very creative spirit running through me and wanted to become an artist. My parents, however, had a different goal in mind for me when I attended college. They wanted to make sure that I would have a profession to fall back upon, so insisted I chose an area where I could at least be employed and support myself. I chose to go into education at that point because I loved children, and the opportunity for employment was acceptable to my parents. So, we compromised; I majored in elementary education and minored in art.

Q. Tell us about your own education. Were you also raised attending Montessori schools? If so, is that why you chose to work in Montessori? If not, how did you become familiar with Montessori and what drew you to it?

A. There is a great deal of irony here because I was raised in a strict, all-girl, traditional Catholic school, which is the antithesis of a Montessori environment. I received a very good academic foundation; however, I had been trained to not question and follow the rules without exception. I believe my desire to explore and question is what led me to follow my desire to be creative in other areas.

When I graduated from college, my presumed assurance of a teaching job evaporated. It was one of the very few years in New York City when teaching jobs were at a shortage. I pounded the pavement until I found a job as a teaching assistant in a Montessori elementary classroom for 6- to 9-year-olds. I had just graduated from a very good college, Wagner College, on Staten Island, N.Y., with a degree in education, and I had never heard of Montessori. What I experienced there changed my life and set me on a course that has led me to amazing discoveries for 44 years.

Montessori has allowed my passion for children, education, nature and creativity to flourish. Maria Montessori was such a genius to have created a system where children’s natural passion for learning, and to create, is the driving force of how authentic Montessori schools operate. The amazing fact is that her discoveries were well ahead of her time, as most of her elements in our Montessori schools are today verified by much of the current brain research being done.

I am more passionate about Montessori today than when I started. I have seen the impact this method has had on the overall development and lives of our students. It most definitely leads to well-rounded, well-educated, caring, self-assured, respectful young people who are driven by their passions. They are excellent communicators, critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers.

Q. You have an extensive background as a principal. Give us an overview of your current role at Summit-Questa Montessori School and how being an administrator prepared you for taking on ownership of a school.

A. I have been put into administrative roles throughout my entire professional career, even in the beginning of my career. They most definitely prepared me for my role as principal and owner of Summit-Questa Montessori School for the past 30 years.

I believe all leaders realize at some point that so much of what happens in a school, or any organization for that matter, is based on the kinds of relationships that are formed and managed. How do we handle conflict that will naturally arise whenever groups of people gather and work together? It has been a very bumpy journey because in my early years in administration, like most people, I avoided conflict at all costs. It was only as I matured and realized that avoiding conflict did not make it go away, and in some cases, made it worse.

I began to focus on building relationships, community and teamwork. The Montessori Method has a very clear structure that allows children of mixed ages and abilities to work together and peacefully overcome challenges throughout their day. The epiphany occurred when I realized that we could apply that same Montessori structure to the adults in our Montessori community. That is, building community, building relationships and supporting each other, respectful communication and setting the goal of finding peaceful solutions to our challenges. These are the things we strive for at SQMS, and I believe we all share that common goal.

Q. With classes that include multiple age levels and a student-directed approach to learning, Montessori seems a bit like unschooling and micro-schools. What distinguishes a Montessori education from these models and from more traditional models?

A. The Montessori method is so multi-layered. In general, the Montessori approach is based on a few very foundational elements that are necessary in the classroom: a three-year multi-age mixture of students, a full array of Montessori materials in all subject areas, children working independently and in small groups with the materials, a trained teacher by a MACTE accredited teacher training institute and the ability for children to choose their own work, along with being guided by a Montessori teacher.

Some people not familiar with Montessori have described the method as chaotic or without structure. This is not true at all; to the unfamiliar eye, students walking around, making choices, working independently and communicating with their classmates may look unstructured because it is so different from a traditional approach. There is a clear structure to the classroom, and it is designed to meet their needs at that age. Children understand this and react in a very positive way to learning in this manner. It is not uncommon to have most students loving school and not wanting to leave.

Trained Montessori teachers observe the students closely, encourage independence in thought and actions, and help guide them in all areas to help the child reach their full potential. This is not by influencing the child’s decisions, but by encouraging and supporting their learning. The Montessori materials support deeper learning through hands-on, exploratory learning that make abstract academic concepts much clearer and appropriate. This multi-sensory approach to learning has proven to create students with higher creative and critical thinking skills.

A common question about the three-year age mixture is a concern that the oldest student in the classroom will somehow be adversely influenced by the younger students. There has been quite a bit of research in the Montessori world which has shown just the opposite occurs. The oldest student is in a position of leadership, teaching the younger students, being a role model and earning certain privileges as the oldest in the classroom community. This leads to strong self-confidence, self-esteem and leadership skills; they learn how to overcome conflict and create peace within their community by using peace-making conflict-resolution skills.

Q. One could argue that education is in the midst of its most difficult and challenging time. Do you agree, and if so, what do you think the lasting effects will be after the pandemic? Will some of those changes be good and if so, in what way?

A. I most definitely agree that this pandemic has created one of the most challenging situations in our lifetime on so many levels. We at SQMS depended upon our Montessori philosophy when we saw the challenges that were inevitable for everyone in the state in terms of educational delivery to students. The teachers rose to the occasion and worked with students and parents to find ways to meet everyone’s needs.

Many teachers expanded their office hours to after school, before school, and evenings to help support student and family transition to online learning. They became even more creative, finding ways to bring excitement and concrete learning to students learning from home. It also led to discovery and creation of many online Montessori materials that the students could manipulate digitally.

I think if we look at the big picture of what some positive changes might be from the pandemic, it could include that people were forced to simplify their lives and appreciate the things that they still had, such as their health, their families and finding creative ways to spend time together. We witnessed parents working with their children on science experiments, in creative skits and helping their children stay organized and on task. These are all good things for families and hopefully will live beyond the pandemic.

Q. Is there anything else you think is important to share?

A. The only area I feel I need to include is the relationship that the Montessori method nurtures with nature. Dr. Montessori was one of the first ecologists and created a curriculum to teach children the interconnectedness of all life and the need to protect all forms of life. Children are actively engaged in hands-on experiences with botany, zoology, chemistry, earth and physical sciences.

All Montessori classrooms include some form of life to allow students to care for, learn about, protect and nurture them. Summit-Questa has multiple gardens that the students care for and multiple animals on campus, even a mini-barn with pigs, goats, and chickens. The middle school students hatch eggs and have built an enclosed butterfly garden that eventually will be home to multiple local species for the entire community to enjoy.

November 24, 2020 0 comment

Catholic Schools Commentary and Opinion Customization Education and Public Policy Education Choice Education Savings Accounts Educator Voices Featured Parental Choice Podcast Religious Education School Choice Technology and Innovation

podcastED: SUFS president Doug Tuthill interviews leaders of Miami Catholic Virtual School

redefinED staff September 30, 2020

redefinED staff

On this episode, Tuthill talks with Archdiocese of Miami Catholic Virtual School principal Rebeca Bautista, left, and coordinator of special programs Marcey Ayers. The online school is the only Catholic virtual school in the country run by an Archdiocese – a Catholic version of the well-known Florida Virtual School, which provides a robust curriculum to public, private, charter and homeschool families and school districts nationwide.

The three discuss why the school was created and how it enhances existing curriculum options for Catholic families nationwide –as far flung as Alaska. While Bautista and Ayers say flexibility has been the key driver of their success, they agree more flexibility is needed, perhaps through an expansion of education scholarship accounts that would allow families greater customization of their children’s education.

“Before (the pandemic) there was a misconception of what virtual education was, that it was easier or not legitimate … Now parents and schools are realizing virtual education can help students and schools grow …. It’s going to bring virtual to the forefront.”

EPISODE DETAILS:

How “partner schools” can augment their existing offerings with Archdiocese of Miami Catholic Virtual School’s platform and curriculum

How teaching in a competency-based system has allowed the school to better meet student needs

Catholic schools on the creative forefront of “unbundling” education

Legislation changes necessary to bring more customization and flexibility to families

LINKS MENTIONED:

RedefinED: Catholic Virtual School Offers Options to Families Seeking Online Faith-Based Education

September 30, 2020 0 comment

Education and Public Policy Education Legislation Educator Voices

Florida’s Principal Autonomy initiative showing signs of success

Livi Stanford August 17, 2019

Livi Stanford

Students at West Riviera Elementary have seen their school grade go from a ‘D’ to ‘B’ under the Principal Autonomy Program

Editor’s note: Throughout August, redefinED is revisiting stories that shine a light on extraordinary educators. Today’s post, first published in August 2018, features two strong school leaders, one in Palm Beach and one in St. Petersburg, who saw critical needs at their schools and took the necessary steps to address them.

When Robin Brown took the helm as principal of West Riviera Elementary School in Palm Beach in 2017, the school was struggling.

It had been designated a “D” by the Florida Department of Education.

Realizing the situation, Brown made critical changes.

She assigned 28 teachers to the grade level she felt they were best suited to teach, strengthened the school’s leadership team, collaborated with education professionals who have done effective work in school turnaround programs, and reached out to business leaders who have saved failing companies.

As a result, the school rose two letter grades to a “B” this year.

Brown, who participated in a new legislative initiative known as Principal Autonomy, credits the program with helping to improve student achievement at her school, where 98 percent of students are on free or reduced-price lunch.

The program, which is now open to any district in the state, has given several principals the opportunity to build leadership skills and mark their own vision on how their schools can improve. Those principals say the program is helping to increase student achievement and giving them the opportunity to think outside the box.

Under the new law, principals are given more flexibility and greater authority over staffing, the curriculum and the budget.

Brown said the program “allows you to gain valuable insight from other educators from different parts of the country who have completed the same type of work and have been successful. It helps us to help our leadership team build their capacity, so we can function at a higher level to improve student achievement.”

Last year, LaKisha Falana, who also participated in “principal autonomy,” decided to deviate from Pinellas County district guidelines and select a different math program for her students at Maximo Elementary School – a school whose struggles have been documented by the Tampa Bay Times.

The change in math, coupled with other instructional changes, helped boost her students’ fifth-grade Florida Standards Math Assessment test scores. Indeed, 46 percent of students scored a level 3 or above this year on the assessment compared to 37 percent the year before.

Like Brown, Falana has just completed her first year in the program and said she appreciates the ability to make site-based decisions.

“If there is something I want to do that is outside the box, then I have the autonomy to try it,” Falana said. “It helps us as a leadership team to narrow our focus and our vision. We developed a strategic plan in order to get the results we are seeking to achieve.”

State Rep. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, wrote the legislation that created the Principal Autonomy Pilot Program in 2016. That first year, three school districts – Broward, Palm Beach and Pinellas – were allowed to pick low-performing schools that could enter autonomy-for-accountability agreements with the state.

In 2017, the program was extended to all school districts. Three schools in Broward – Bethune Elementary, Village Elementary and Park Lakes Elementary – have now participated in the program for two years and the schools all earned C’s this year compared to D’s and F’s in previous years.

Diaz, a former public-school administrator, said instilling leadership in a school is one of the most important things in improving student achievement. “You bring in a leader who is dynamic and fits the bill and they themselves incorporate their program, get things done, and it matches the needs of the school,” he said.

Diaz said improvements in student achievement take time and one essential ingredient is that the school culture must be changed at the onset. “When you bring in high-performing leaders who care, you are going to see a change in culture first before you see empirical results,” he said.

Falana said she put several practices in place to improve student achievement at Maximo Elementary School, which improved one letter grade to a C from the previous school year. Above all else, Falana said teachers must focus “like a laser” on standardized-based instruction and they must ensure students master the standards for their grade level.

She also altered the structure of the instructional team at the predominately black school, where all its students are on free or reduced-price lunch.

Although the school remains a C, Falana said she is hopeful the school’s grade will improve.

The Florida Department of Education reported no new school principals have registered for the autonomy program for 2018-19. However, signups for the program are open until December.

August 17, 2019 0 comment

Educator Voices Faith-based Education School Choice Tax Credit Scholarships

Go & grind: School choice gives this principal a platform to inspire

Ron Matus August 10, 2019

Ron Matus

Melissa Rego, principal of La Progresiva Presbyterian School in Miami, has 18 years of experience in district, charter and private schools. When she assumed the helm of La Progresiva a decade ago, it had 162 students in K-12. Now it has 673– all of them with school choice scholarships.

Editor’s note: Throughout August, redefinED is revisiting stories that shine a light on extraordinary educators. Today’s post, first published in September 2018, features a veteran educator who shares her own life lessons to help the students at her school.

MIAMI – Little Havana is in a hurry.

Long before dawn bathes the palms in soft light, thousands of workers stream from neighborhoods where modest homes are tucked in tight as pastelitos in a Cuban bakery. Ignition. Traction. Acceleration. Past the store fronts with the proud Latin names. Past used car lots studded with American flags. Past the restaurant walk-up windows where smooth, sweet cortaditos pump fuel into true believers.

In the thick of this working-class hum is a faith-based school once harassed by Fidel Castro. He couldn’t kill La Progresiva Presybterian. Neither could the teachers union. Now it’s thriving more than ever.

How fitting that it’s led by a former public school teacher who’s the daughter of exiles.

Melissa Rego grew up four blocks from La Progresiva, the second child of a bank teller and a car mechanic. When she became principal a decade ago, the school with vanilla paint and Cuban roots had 162 students in K-12. Now it has 673 – all with state-backed school choice scholarships for lower-income students.*

The director who hired Rego told her to do whatever it takes to propel the school to its potential. So the woman with 1,000 facial gestures behind horn-rimmed glasses became Inspirer-in-Chief. Over and over, she reminds the sons and daughters of cooks and waitresses and gas station attendants what Little Havana teaches them every day. They know it in their bones, but still can’t hear it enough from somebody who’s been-there-done-that.

“More than anything, it was speaking life into these kids,” Rego said. “Battling with these kids about the thoughts they have, that they can’t accomplish anything. We told them, ‘You have the ability to do this. We’re going to equip you. You have a future. But you have to grind. You have to work like a dog. Things are not going to fall out of the sky for you.’ ”

Florida is home to arguably the most diverse array of school choice in America. The pluses for students and parents are well established. But choice is helping educators, too. More and more (see here, here, here, here) are able to work in, lead, and even create educational options that are in line with their talents, visions and values. In a world where choice is still “controversial,” they are trail blazers.

Rego, 42, didn’t set out to be one. She graduated from public school in Miami, got a full ride to Miami-Dade College, earned a bachelor’s in health science from the University of Miami. (Later, she earned a master’s in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern.) Her teaching career began 18 years ago. She started as a sub in the Miami-Dade district, working with emotionally disturbed students, then taught four years at a career academy high school. At the invitation of a friend who had become a principal, she headed to a new charter school.

The charter was serving 600 middle school students … in a movie theater. Its intended building wasn’t completed on time, so the school had to wing it.

That it did, successfully, helped Rego understand the power of school choice.

Students, parents and teachers all chose to be there. All worked harder to make their choice work. They were, Rego said, “invested.”

An American missionary founded La Progresiva in Cardenas, Cuba in 1900. It excelled for generations, but the Communist government assumed control of the property in 1961. Ten years later, exiles resurrected the school in Miami.

Rego tells her students: “You have the ability to do this. We’re going to equip you. You have a future. But you have to grind.”

Rego raised expectations, making college a fundamental goal. The students looking sharp in green, white and khaki uniforms are descendants of Cubans, Nicaraguans, Salvadorans, Dominicans. Seventy percent don’t have parents who attended college. But Rego uses her life as an example of what’s possible. Her students know her mom died of leukemia when she was 13. They know she dug deep to go and grind.

“She’s an amazing human being,” said Solange Robles, a senior who wants to be a doctor. “If you have to talk to her, she’ll talk to you, no matter what. In other schools, you don’t have as much access to teachers and administrators as you do here. In other schools, teachers forget who you are.”

“She’s been a mom to me. I’ve been in her office, crying,” said Leidiana Candelario, a 2018 grad now attending Miami-Dade College. “She said it’s ok to cry, it’s ok to let it out and be vulnerable. Conversations like that I’ll never forget.”

Rego is confidant one minute, goofball the next, commander the next. The school’s Instagram shows her sinking a free throw, granny style, then raising her arms in victory. In class (Rego still teaches Introduction to Government) she’s warm but no-nonsense. As she gooses a discussion about elitism and pluralism, she pumps her fist, scrunches her nose, cocks her head. “Bro,” she says during the follow-up quiz, “it drives me crazy when someone talks during a test.” Snickers fade fast into silence.

It’s easy to find students at La Progresiva who didn’t fare well in public schools. It’s easy to find some who say language barriers slowed them academically and made them prey for bullies. But at La Progresiva, something allows them to rise.

“It goes back to the nurturing,” Rego said. “The kids feel like, ‘There’s somebody in my corner that actually cares about me. I’m not just another face.’ “

What else makes it work? Maybe it’s because it’s smaller. Maybe there’s something about common culture and language that fosters trust. Maybe it’s because La Progresiva can deviate from the script on curriculum, discipline, what’s for lunch. Maybe it’s the emphasis on character. Maybe it’s the constant reminders, from the placards in the front office to weekly chapel, that there’s a shared moral code.

Rego dodges many of the tangles that snare her district counterparts, too. When she took the helm, she hired teachers who shared her vision. Today, La Progresiva has 38 teachers, 40 percent with experience in public schools. Many, like Rego, would make more money in the district.

“But you know what?” she said. “I’m happier here.”

It’s easier to grind when you’re free.

* La Progresiva students use the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, a school choice scholarship administered by nonprofits like Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog.

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