Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) enrolled a student population of more than 258,900 in 2007/08. The District features a diverse multi-cultural, multi-ethnic population from 166 countries, speaking 50 different languages.

The District earned an 'A' grade from the Florida Department of Education in 2007/08, accomplished for the second time in the last three years. The District also received an 'A' grade from the state in 2006.

One hundred forty-one District schools earned 'A' grades (99 elementary, 29 middle and 13 high schools), more than 58 percent of the public schools in Broward county. The total number of 'A' schools in 2007/08 is an increase of 18 from one year ago. Overall, 74.4% of District schools earned 'A' or 'B' grades in 2007/08, compared to 68.6% last year. The District also produced a combined decrease of 12 'C', 'D' and 'F' schools from 2006/07 - eight fewer 'C' schools, one less 'D' school and three fewer 'F' schools. More than 50 schools improved by at least one letter grade from 2006/07 to 2007/08.

Broward County Public Schools was the largest district in Florida to earn an 'A' grade in 2007/08. BCPS is one of 31 Districts in the state (67 school districts overall) to earn an 'A' or 'B' grade from the state in each of the last five years.

Eight District high schools were included on Newsweek Magazine's list of top high schools in the nation: Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Nova, Stranahan, Fort Lauderdale, J.P. Taravella, Cypress Bay, Flanagan, Pembroke Pines Charter and Boyd Anderson. The rankings were determined by the number of advanced academic tests given at a school, divided by the number of seniors graduating in May or June.

Six high schools were named in the America's Best High Schools 2008 Report, published by U.S. News & World Report. The high schools honored were Atlantic Technical Center, Fort Lauderdale, Nova, Pompano Beach, Stranahan and William T. McFatter. All schools received silver medal recognition, placing them among the top 3% of high schools reviewed in the study. The report ranks schools of key principles that a great high school must serve all its students well and must be able to produce measurable academic outcomes that show the school is successfully educating its student body across a range of performance indicators.

DISTRICT A FINALIST FOR BROAD PRIZE
Broward County Public Schools was named a finalist for the 2008 Broad Prize for Urban Education, an annual $1 million award that honors urban school districts across the country that are making the greatest progress in raising student achievement. The Broad Prize for Urban Education honors urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall performance improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among ethnic groups and between high- and low- income students.

DISTRICT HONORED FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT YEAR BY COUNCIL OF THE GREAT CITY SCHOOLS
Broward County Public Schools was recognized by the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) for student achievement in each of the last seven years. CGCS is a coalition of 66 of the nation's largest urban public school systems. The Council works to promote urban education through legislation, research, media relations, instruction, management, technology, and other special projects designed to improve the quality of urban education.

SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES NEW STRATEGIC PLAN
Prior to the conclusion of the 2007/08 school year, the School Board approved its new strategic plan. The plan includes seven goal areas - student achievement, wellness, safety, innovation, employee excellence, parent involvement, business and community partnerships and environmental stewardship. The plan's vision is "educating today's students for tomorrow's world."

DISTRICT CONTINUES TO LEAD NATION IN NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS
More than 270 new teachers achieved National Board Certification prior to the start of the 2007/08 school year, increasing the District's total to more than 1,300 - the largest single-District total in the nation, according to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Broward County Public Schools has led the nation in the largest number of newly certified teachers in each of the last three years.

SCOTT FISKE NAMED PRINCIPAL, OSLAY GIL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
Western High School Principal Scott Fiske and Margate Middle School Assistant Principal Oslay Gil were named the District's top principal and assistant principal for 2008.

An 18-year educator, Fiske enters his sixth year as principal of Western High. Under his leadership, Western's graduation rate increased by 33.6%, to 89.8% in just two years, while enrollment in advanced placement and upper level math courses also increased. Additionally, Fiske implemented innovative academic/non-academic programs that helped increase attendance, raise grades and reduce discipline issues.

Oslay Gil enters his 10th year in education and first as Interim Principal at Sunrise Middle School after being named the District's top assistant principal, while at Margate Middle last year. Under his leadership, Margate Middle made academic gains in reading, writing and math. In two years, Margate Middle improved its letter grade from a C to an A.

NICOLE MARSALA NAMED BROWARD TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Coral Springs Middle School social studies teacher Nicole Marsala was named Broward County Public Schools Teacher of the Year 2009. Marsala, who believes in teaching history as a breathtaking story that is full of intrigue, deceit, honor and independence, holds National Board Certification in Early Adolescent Social Studies and History and makes a point of conveying to her students that history is not only what is in books, but that it is also alive and changing. Her goal is simple - all students will understand their civic responsibilities in order to become better-informed citizens and, ultimately, future leaders.

JIMMY MORROW NAMED BROWARD'S SCHOOL-RELATED EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
23-year District employee Jimmy Morrow, On-site Repair Person and Facility Coordinator at Hallandale Adult Center, was named Broward's School-Related Employee of the Year 2007/08. Morrow works at a 40-year old facility that consistently rates at the highest levels of safety and cleanliness and operates on a year-round schedule. He also makes time to mentor students and be involved with many of the school's varied stakeholder groups.STRANAHAN HIGH SCHOOL NAMED INSPIRATION AWARD WINNER
Stranahan High School was recognized as one of three College Board 2007 Inspiration Award winners. The awards are presented annually to outstanding high schools that improved their academic environment and helped students achieve equitable access to higher education despite social, economic and cultural challenges. The school received a $25,000 award to apply towards programs that encourage students to attend college.

EAGLE POINT ELEMENTARY NAMED BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL
Eagle Point Elementary School was selected as a 2007 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Eagle Point was one of 287 schools in the nation and one of 16 public and private schools in the state of Florida to receive the honor.

WILLIAM DANDY MIDDLE RECEIVES NATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN URBAN EDUCATION AWARD
William Dandy Middle School won the 2008 National Excellence in Urban Education Award, which recognizes public schools or public charter schools serving urban communities. William Dandy Middle was one of only 11 schools nationwide to win the award.

ARTHUR ASHE MIDDLE SCHOOL, GATES WIN NATIONAL AWARD
The National Education Association (NEA) and the NEA Foundation honored Arthur Ashe Middle School as a recipient of the 2008 NEA's Book Across America Library Award. One of only 50 awards presented to schools across the nation, the $1,000 NEA Book Across America Library Award provides the gift of reading to economically disadvantaged public school students. Arthur Ashe Middle is the lone District and one of only three schools in the state of Florida to receive this award. Christopher Gates, Arthur Ashe Middle School Community Liaison, was the first place winner of the Florida Education Association's Education Support Professional of the Year for 2008.

DR. LAZ A HALL OF FAME TEACHER
David Lazerson, a music teacher at The Quest Center In Hollywood, was named to the Teachers Hall of Fame in Kansas. Lazerson is one of 80 teachers enshrined in the Hall of Fame and only the ninth Florida teacher (second in Broward county) named since inductions first began in 1992.

48 BROWARD STUDENTS NAMED NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Forty-eight Broward County Public Schools seniors received National Merit Scholarship awards during the 2007/08 school year. 19 students earned College-Sponsored Merit Scholarship Awards, while 12 received National Merit $2,500 Scholarships. Nine BCPS students received Corporate-Sponsored National Merit Scholarships and eight were named recipients of National Achievement Scholarships.

ATHLETES EARN RECORD TOTAL OF SCHOLARSHIPS
High school seniors earned 318 athletic scholarships for college during the 2007/08 school year. Students received the scholarships to 132 different post-secondary institutions in 35 states, Washington, D.C. and Canada. Scholarships were awarded in 15 different sports football, baseball, soccer, softball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, lacrosse, swimming/diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. The one-year value of the athletic scholarships is more than $4.441 million, the largest annual athletic scholarship award in the history of Broward County Public Schools.

ADVANCED ACADEMICS
In 2007/08, more than 13,000 high school students took Advanced Placement courses. The District's 33 high schools have more than 30 different AP courses, focusing on art history, calculus, computer science, literature, foreign language, history, economics and more.

COMPUTERWORLD HONORS DATA WAREHOUSE
Broward County Public Schools was named as a 'Laureate' for 2007 in the Computerworld Honors Program, and was also a finalist in the Education and Academia Category for the 21st Century Achievement Awards by the Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation.

PREVENTION PROGRAMS AWARDED $7.6 MILLION PROJECT BRIDGE GRANT
The District's Office of Prevention Programs and Student Support Services received a $7.6 million Project Bridge grant from the Federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative. The four-year grant will be used to implement an enhanced, coordinated, comprehensive plan of activities, programs and services that focus on promoting healthy childhood development, while preventing violence and alcohol and drug abuse.

TRADEWINDS ELEMENTARY TEACHER NAMED TO 2007 ALL-USA TEACHER TEAM
Jill Putney, fourth and fifth grade teacher at Tradewinds Elementary School, is one of 20 teachers selected to the USA Today's 2007 All-USA Teacher Team. The All-USA Teacher Team recognizes teachers who excel in a variety of teaching situations. She becomes the third District teacher to receive the honor, joining Jane Koszoru, College Academy @ BCC in 2004, and Henry Brown III Hallandale Adult Center in 2001.

SILVER RIDGE ELEMENTARY EARNS RECYCLING AWARD
Silver Ridge Elementary School was named the top elementary school by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for its paper and cardboard recycling program. Silver Ridge students and teachers sent more than 2,100 pledges to the state agency in celebration of America Recycles Day in November.

POMPANO BEACH HIGH WINS APPLE AWARD
Pompano Beach High School was a winner of the Apple Distinguished School award for the 2007/08 school year. The award is reserved for schools that have achieved a 21st Century vision of education using Apple technology. Pompano Beach High is one of only 18 schools Apple is recognizing nationwide and one of only two in Florida.

NOVA EISENHOWER WINS PTA NATIONAL AWARD
Nova Eisenhower Elementary School was a winner of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) national award for its plans to help students and families celebrate "PTA Take Your Family to School Week". PTA National President-Elect Chuck Saylors presented a $1,897 award to the Nova Eisenhower faculty and students. The dollar amount of the award recognizes the year when the PTA was founded - February 17, 1897.

NASA SELECTS SOUTH PLANTATION HIGH TO FLY PROJECT
South Plantation High School was selected by NASA to fly a student-designed experiment aboard the agency's reduced-gravity aircraft, the "Weightless Wonder." South Plantation was selected as a NASA Explorer School in 2005, giving the school an opportunity to propose a reduced-gravity experiment. South Plantation will join 13 other NASA Explorer School teams selected for this unique learning experience to test science and math concepts in a weightless laboratory aboard the Weightless Wonder. South Plantation High School's immediate mission is to finalize the concept of its experiment and work with a NASA mentor to get the experiment flight-ready.

FOUR SCHOOLS RECEIVE NATIONAL HONOR BY MAGNET SCHOOLS OF AMERICA
Four Broward County Public Schools won national honors by the Magnet Schools of America. Sawgrass Springs Middle School (Environmental Science and Technology) was named a Magnet School of Excellence. Atlantic Technical High School (Technical), Pompano Beach High School (International Affairs with Informational Technology), and South Plantation High School, (Environmental Science) were all named Magnet Schools of Distinction. Sawgrass Springs Middle competed for the Dr. Ronald P. Simpson Distinguished Merit Award, considered the top award for magnet schools in the nation, which will be given to only one school in the Magnet Schools of Excellence category. Approximately 41,000 students participated in the District's magnet programs in 2007/08.

TAMARAC ELEMENTARY TEACHER RECEIVES INSPIRED TEACHER AWARD
Amy Conlin, a fifth grade teacher at Tamarac Elementary School, is the recipient of a 2007/08 Inspired Teacher Scholarship Best Project Award for Visual Learning from Inspiration Software, Inc. Conlin is one of 25 talented educators recognized from across the nation for their creative use of visual learning to help their students think and learn. Conlin created a project in Kidspiration to help students develop environmental awareness by understanding cause-and-effect relationships and building vocabulary.

SUPERINTENDENT HONORED AT STATE CONFERENCE
Superintendent James. F. Notter received the Florida Department of Education's award for Volunteer/Community Involvement at the Florida Partners In Education Conference, held in Jacksonville. It is the second consecutive year that Notter has received the honor. His long and sustained high standards for community involvement in education and the fact that his personal creed of excellence has raised the bar for all of Broward's successful community involvement programs were cited.

ATLANTIC TECHNICAL CENTER TEAM WINS ROBOT COMPETITION
Atlantic Technical Center High School's robotics team, the TechTigers, excelled in competition against 60 teams, using robots they designed, built, tested and maneuvered. The Florida FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology) Regional Competition took place at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Atlantic Tech's robot, El Tigre Loco (The Crazy Tiger), took first place.

FLANAGAN HIGH SCHOOL WORLD GUARD WINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The Flanagan High School World Guard won the championship of the 2008 WGI (Winter Guard International) Color Guard World Championships, held in Dayton, Ohio. Flanagan High School became the first Florida high school to win the WGI Color Guard World Championships, while ending an 11-year winning streak by James Logan High School (CA). Led by music teacher Dean Broadbent, the 27-member Falcons team earned a score of 96.90 in the Scholastic World competition, out distancing second-place finisher Avon High School (Indiana). Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (81.60) finished 14th in the same competition.

WELL-DESERVED HONORS FOR BECON-TV
Three BECON-TV produced television shows received nominations for 2007 Regional Emmy Awards by the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences: It's the Write Time, Science and Me: Growing and Knowing and Celebrate South Florida: Music, Education & Fun. Broward Teen News (BTN) was named a finalist for its Pacemaker competition for high school student-produced television news programs.

BECON PROGRAM WINS AWARD
Reality Avenue, a series of half-hour violence and substance abuse prevention programs created by the District's Office of Prevention Programs and BECON-TV, won national Bronze Tellys awards for its shows profiling body image and Internet safety. Reality Avenue programs address a variety of current topics, including addiction, teen stress, self-injury, self-esteem, depression, bullying, divorce and character. The Telly Awards is considered the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions.

SAFETY DEPARTMENT WINS NATIONAL AWARD
The District's Safety Department received a "Special Achievement in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Award" by ESRI, a national firm that designs and develops geographic information systems technology. The award recognizes the District's utilization of the WeatherBug system to monitor and track severe weather systems - providing an additional safety measure in protecting students, teachers and staff. The award profiles organizations for their outstanding work in the GIS (Geographic Information System) field. The District was selected to receive this prize from over 100,000 user sites worldwide.

WLTON MANORS ELEMENTARY NAMED NATIONAL SCHOOL OF CHARACTER
The Character Education Partnership (CEP) named Wilton Manors Elementary School a 2008 National Schools of Character award winner. Wilton Manors is the only Florida school to receive this honor. Winners have exemplary character education programs that exemplify the CEP's "Eleven Principles of Character Education" and serve as models for others.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COLLECT 10 SILVER KNIGHTS, 40 AWARDS OVERALL
District high school students collected 10 of the county's 15 Silver Knight Awards in 2007/08. The Silver Knight Awards are presented annually by the Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald. Silver Knight winners demonstrate both excellence in academics and contributions to the community. District students also earned 30 of 45 Honorable Mention recognitions, claiming 40 of 60 awards overall.

RECOGNITIONS
One hundred thirty-five schools earned the Golden School Award and 17 schools received the Silver School Award for the 2007/08 school year. Five schools received the Golden School Award for the 10th time and three schools collected the honor for the 20th time. Additionally, five schools received their 29th Golden School Award, representing the full term of the award. Two schools received their 10th SSA in 2007/08, while Western High School is receiving the award for the 19th year, the most Silver School Awards in the District. These awards are presented to schools that have demonstrated community involvement through their exemplary volunteer programs.

AN INITIATIVE OF SAVINGS
The District's Energy Conservation and Facilities and Construction Management Departments have been the driving forces behind modeling and creating energy-efficient schools, thus saving money across the District. Since late 2001, the Energy Conservation Department has developed programs that have saved the District more than $14 million. Additionally, as of March 2008, the District has received more than $1.2 million in rebate checks from Florida Power & Light as a result of energy savings initiatives.

Energy cost savings measures currently underway throughout the District include the reduction of operating hours of air conditioning systems, replacing inefficient florescent lamps with more energy-efficient bulbs, the installation of thermal storage systems, low flow toilets, urinals and faucets and replacements of inefficient chillers and transformers with new energy efficient technology. Additionally, many District schools are using motion sensors to manage light usage, turning off lights when students and staff are not present.

The newest energy savings initiative being piloted at schools across the District is called 'Energy Tools for Schools.' The plan puts control of energy usage into the hands of each of the District's principals. 'Energy Tools for Schools' teaches students and staff at each school specific strategies for saving energy - and money. Superintendent Notter has offered an incentive for principals to participate by permitting them to put a percentage of the savings from the program back into their schools.

The District is participating in a Native Tree Planting Program, in partnership with the Broward County Water Resources Division and the South Florida Water Management District. The goal of the program is to create Florida-friendly landscapes using native plants that conserve water, protect water quality, create healthy wildlife habits and enhance school appearances. The program also created an impetus for the District to rewrite its landscape, irrigation and maintenance specifications and develop a water conservation training program for students, teachers and staff.