Commissioner Smith Kicks Off Advanced Placement Summer Institute
More than 650 Advanced Placement (AP) teachers from around the state gathered in Tampa recently to learn and share exciting teaching plans and strategies to help energize AP students and prepare them for success at the college level. Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith kicked off the Institute with an inspiring message about the importance of AP courses and the positive effect teachers can have on a child’s education. Florida’s efforts to expand AP offerings are already yielding significant results with striking increases in the number of minority students and students in rural areas participating in advanced coursework.

In 2007-08, approximately 130,000 Florida students took at least one AP exam, and over the last five years, the number of exams taken by Florida students increased by 93 percent compared to 62 percent for the nation. Florida had the greatest one-year increase (30 percent) in the number of African-American public school AP exam takers and the third greatest increase (14 percent) in the number of Hispanic exam takers, when compared to all other states. Additionally, one out of every eight African-American AP exam-takers and one out of every seven Hispanic AP exam-takers nationwide who were awarded a passing grade or higher were from a public high school in Florida. To learn more about the Advanced Placement Summer Institute visit http://professionals.collegeboard.com/prof-dev/workshops/summer-institutes.

Florida Agencies Join Together to Improve Educational Opportunities for Foster Youth
The heads of five Florida government agencies strengthened their bond on July 30 pledging to work more closely to make certain children in state care receive an appropriate, high-quality and stable education.

Signing the Interagency Agreement to Coordinate Services for Children Served by the Florida child welfare system were the heads of the Departments of Children and Families, Education, Juvenile Justice, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, and the Agency for Workforce Innovation. Signers say that the agreement will go a long way toward ensuring that foster children receive the coordinated services and the stability they need to succeed in school and beyond.

The agreement sets 11 basic goals, requires specific actions, and assigns responsibilities to each agency so that no child “falls through the cracks.” It covers the sharing of information among agencies and collaboration on educational stabilization, dependency case planning, early identification of disabilities, independent living skills, post-secondary educational opportunities, and employment training and support services. The agreement also requires representatives to meet regularly to develop interagency strategies and initiatives that enhance the coordination and quality of services.

For more information about the Interagency Agreement, visit http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/news/20090730fivefloridaagencies.shtml.

Parent and Family Involvement Programs Recognized
The Department of Education, Florida PTA and business sponsor Washington Mutual acknowledged exemplary parent and family involvement programs recently at the PTA annual Leadership Conference in Tarpon Springs. Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith was on hand to highlight the extraordinary efforts of PTA members and to focus on the shared mission of Florida’s parents and educators to prepare Florida’s next generation of leaders.

The Parent Involvement Awards program recognizes various categories of family involvement including learning at home, parenting/nurturing, volunteering, community collaboration, communicating with the school, as well as policy making and advocacy. The award program offers an opportunity to share successful programs and best practices that can be implemented throughout the state. To see the full list of winners, visit http://www.fldoe.org/news/2009/2009_07_20.asp.

Florida Districts Garner Grants For Teaching American History Project
Ten Florida school districts were recently awarded more than $9.6 million dollars in grants to help schools improve the teaching of American history. The Teaching American History grant program is designed to improve student achievement by enhancing teachers’ knowledge of traditional American history through intensive ongoing professional development in both content and research-based teaching strategies. The five-year grant will fund projects collaboratively developed by organizations with extensive knowledge of American history such as libraries, museums, nonprofit or humanities organizations and institutions of higher education.

For a list of grant awards, visit http://www.fldoe.org/successstories/2009/07-31.asp. For more information about the Teaching American History grant program, visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory/index.html.

Indian River State College Reaps $3.9 Million Grant
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration recently awarded a $3.9 million grant to Indian River State College to develop a new Center for Competitive Economics and Entrepreneurship (CCEE) that will focus on new high-tech jobs related to the emerging green industry. The CCEE will serve as an economic development engine, preparing a skilled workforce for new business, industry and innovation in the fields of alternative energies, photonics and robotics. The grant is one of the largest ever received by Indian River State College and is estimated to create 1,050 jobs and generate $101 million in private investment.

For more information about the grant, visit http://www.eda.gov/xp/EDAPublic/NewsEvents/PressReleases/PRFTPierceFL072209.xml.

Miami Dade College Awarded STEM Grant
The Miami Dade College (MDC) North Campus recently received a three-year $865,519 grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program to support its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Connections Program. STEM Connections is a cooperative effort between MDC’s North Campus and St. Thomas University aimed at increasing the transition of high school minority students, particularly women, into STEM majors; increasing enrollment and retention of declared STEM majors; and developing mentoring networks to assist and support both STEM students and faculty from these institutions. MDC North Campus will also partner with six Miami-Dade County high schools to develop and align math and science programs that connect high school minority students with postsecondary STEM career-related disciplines, mentors and tutors.

For more information, visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/iduesmsi/index.html

College Students Benefit From New Scholarships
College students across Florida’s Big Bend may soon get some help with tuition and books this fall thanks to a new grant for students interested in computers and information technology. Florida’s Great Northwest, a regional economic development organization located in Florida’s Panhandle, has announced a $1.15 million investment to be used as scholarships for certificate and degree programs in information technology and engineering at seven colleges and universities in northwest Florida. Chipola College, Gulf Coast Community College, Northwest Florida State College, Pensacola Junior College, Tallahassee Community College, Florida State University and the University of West Florida are participating in the scholarship program.

For more information, visit http://www.floridasgreatnorthwest.com/proposals/7_13_09-FGNW_Post-Secondary%20Awards-FINAL.doc.

Florida Keys Community College Hosts Diveheart Retreat
Florida Keys Community College (FKCC) was recently the destination for a group of inspirational adventurers seeking to overcome disabilities through the healing powers of diving. Diveheart, a Chicago-based non-profit organization, planned the trip to FKCC’s James E. Lockwood Jr. School of Diving and Underwater Technology to help build confidence and independence in children, adults and veterans with disabilities through the sport of scuba diving.

FKCC faculty and staff worked with Diveheart to introduce divers with disabilities, particularly wounded veterans, to their diving course curriculum which includes underwater archeology and coral reef restoration. Enthusiastic participants from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago enjoyed scuba diving and snorkeling in the dive lagoon/underwater classroom, helping them discover that scuba diving is an activity that they can easily participate in that may lead to exciting and productive careers in marine biology, oceanography, underwater archeology, photography and more.

For more information about FKCC’s Dive program, visit www.fkcc.edu. For more information about Diveheart, visit www.diveheart.org.