Broward High Schools Earn Federal Support

In these times of budgetary concerns, it’s safe to say that every dollar counts. While many school districts are looking to cut programs, four Broward high schools will be implementing new programs, thanks to their innovative ideas and the U.S. Department of Education.

Federal officials recently notified the District that it will receive approximately $2 million in grant funds to help four large high schools reorganize into smaller units to personalize instruction for all students and ease the transition for incoming ninth-graders. Those high schools are Boyd Anderson, Hallandale, Miramar and Blanche Ely. Each submitted grant proposals to the Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) program of the U.S. DOE and competed with high schools across the country for the grant awards. Each school will receive about $500,000 over three years to implement its project. More than 9,000 students at the four schools will benefit from the program.

These new grants bring the number of Broward high schools receiving Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) grant funds to seven. Flanagan, Western and Coral Springs high schools won federal funding for their projects last year.

The purpose of the SLC Program is to support the implementation or expansion of small, safe and successful learning environments in large public high schools. Successful applicants must ensure that the high schools proposed will become effective and safe environments where all students feel known, supported and motivated to succeed in college and chosen careers using research-based methods. Grant funds may be used to redesign schools into structures such as academies, “house” plans or schools-within-a-school, and for personalization strategies that complement or take advantage of smaller learning communities.

“This is great. It’s just the right kind of thing that our high schools should be doing,” said School Board Chairperson Dr. Bob Parks. “It’s sometimes difficult for students to ‘connect’ with caring adults in large urban high schools – this should help make sure that no students fall between the cracks or feel alienated from the high school experience.”

What the Schools Have Planned
• Boyd Anderson High School will implement a transition house for incoming ninth-graders and four, theme-oriented houses for 10th through 12th grade students. All houses will be led by an assistant principal, involve no more than 600 students and include academic teaming, block scheduling and connecting activities. House themes for upper level students include Health & Wellness, Global Leadership, Consumer Science & Technology and Humanities.

• Blanche Ely High School will establish a ninth-grade Advanced Learning Academy and seven other academies based on academic themes for grades 10 through 12. Academy themes include Arts, Business & Technology, Education & Leadership, Medical Science, Family & Consumer Science, Science and Pre-Engineering and Technology & Industrial Education. Each academy will serve from 200 to 300 students and will be self-contained. Each will include a sequence of study including work-based learning and mentoring for students.

• Hallandale High School will group 100-150 ninth- and 10th-grade students into eight Foundation Academies based on character development traits. Five career academies – including Communications & Broadcast Arts, Public and Human Resource Services, International Affairs and Business, Sports, Recreation & Entertainment and Technology & Industrial Education – will serve groups of up to 200 in 11th and 12th grade. The school will develop an adult advocate system to provide emotional support, guidance, tutoring and other assistance to students.

• Miramar High School will organize into five, self-contained Career Academies, each of which will have an integrated continuum of career guidance, coursework and work-based learning experiences supported by block scheduling. All students will participate in a Career Academy during each of their four years of high school. No more than 600 students will be assigned to any academy. Career Academies include Business, Applied Technology, Travel & Global Studies, Communications & Fine Arts and Science & Environmental Studies. Additionally, all incoming ninth-graders will enroll in a foundations course and develop an individualized career education plan. The school will also work with its feeder middle school to ease articulation of students to the high school level.

If you’re interested in developing a grant proposal, visit the Grants Administration & Government Programs Web site at: (www.browardk12.fl.us/grants/index.html) or call the department at 954-765-6674.

Understanding Safety Work Orders

The Safety Department has established several types of Safety Work Orders to keep track of safety reports, related safety projects and safety concerns. This also helps us to keep the District in compliance with statutes mandated by the State of Florida.

Each year, an Annual Comprehensive Safety Inspection is conducted at every school within the District. Work orders resulting from the inspection report begin with the letters “SR”, which stands for “Safety Report.” These work order numbers are issued by COMPASS (Comprehensive, On-Line Maintenance, Purchasing and Stores System) and can be found posted in the last column on the right side of the inspection report. When completed, these reports can be found on the Safety Department Web page.

Work orders that are issued by safety inspectors or staff from the Safety Department all begin with the letter “S” for “Safety”. These work orders are in response to safety surveys of complaints, concerns or safety related projects.

Florida State Statutes mandate that all fire related incidents occurring within the District be reported to the local fire department. In order to keep the District in compliance, all District sites that report incidents involving sparking wires, smell of smoke or other similar situations are asked to follow procedures in the Emergency Preparedness Manual, which includes calling COMPASS. The COMPASS operator will issue an “F” prefixed work order for these incidents. A vital part of the information that will be requested is the Fire Department Alarm Number, which is included in the work order for tracking purposes. A copy of the work order is provided to the Safety Department for any warranted follow-up.

Teamwork is a vital part of any organization. The Safety Department would like to thank the COMPASS staff for working with our department in the processing of our safety work orders. Their help, along with the help of others allows us to assure that all of our students attend schools that are safe, secure and conducive to student health and well-being.