Governor Crist Invites Students to Participate in Sunshine Week Essay Contest
Last week Governor Charlie Crist announced Florida’s 2009 Sunshine Week “Government in the Sunshine” Web site and invited Florida students in grades nine through 12 to participate in the Florida Sunshine Week essay contest. Sunshine Week, March 15-21, 2009, celebrates the State of Florida’s dedication to making state and local government more accessible to the public.
The essay contest is open to all Florida students in grades nine through 12, and winners will be notified the week of March 9, 2009. The first place winner will receive a $3,500 scholarship, the second place winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship, and third place will receive a $1,500 scholarship. All winners will be invited to attend an event at the Governor’s Mansion. The essay topic is: “Describe the various public records available under Florida's open government laws and how access to these records strengthens citizens' civil rights and liberties.”
To learn more about the contest, visit .
Department Celebrates Career Education Month
February marked the beginning of Career Education Month as proclaimed by Governor Crist. The Florida Department of Education kicked off the celebration in Tallahassee on Thursday, February 5, and welcomed teachers and students from the Williston FFA Parliamentary Procedure Team and the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) State Officers.
Students Kendra Claude, Arielle Claude, Lott Bullock, Victoria Sandlin, Ashton Bloom and Tyler Brook from Williston demonstrated parliamentary procedures, and HOSA State Officers Alissa Conde, Andres Conde, and Jady Gray performed a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) demonstration.
More than 796,000 secondary and postsecondary career and technical education students in Florida engage in career and technical education. Career and technical education offers individuals lifelong opportunities to learn new skills and provides career choices. It is a combination of academic rigor with career-focused relevance education that has the power to engage and motivate all students by giving them chances to learn in applied settings.
Florida’s New Career Readiness Program Gains Momentum
The Florida Ready to Work Program is poised to become one of the largest programs of its kind in the country. Ready To Work is a credential program that gives potential employees useful skills such as reading for information, applied mathematics and locating information. The credential signifies to employers that the individual is fully skilled and qualified for the demands of a work environment. Fully operational for only 18 months, more than 20,000 credentials have been earned through this unique career readiness program. To date, nearly 102,000 assessments have been delivered and 120,000 students and jobseekers have enrolled in the program.
Public high schools have generated 59 percent of all credentials followed by regional workforce boards (17 percent) and public technical centers (13 percent). The program has been implemented in partnership with more than 600 high schools, regional workforce boards, technical centers, community colleges, juvenile justice program, corrections facilities and community-based organizations statewide.
The program is now recognized by more than 400 employer partners statewide including Shands Jacksonville, Tervis Tumbler, and Consolidated Credit Counseling. Beginning this school year, students who earn the Florida Ready to Work credential will receive a special designation on their standard high school diploma. For more information on the program, visit www.floridareadytowork.com or call 1-877-444-4505.
The United States Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) awarded a two-year competitive grant of more than $182,000 to Florida to assist in developing and promoting rigorous programs of study (POS) through the implementation of statewide articulation agreements. The Florida Department of Education, in partnership with the University of Florida, the Employ Florida Banner Center for Biotechnology, the Employ Florida Banner Center for Excellence (Secondary/Career Academies) and the Agency for Workforce Innovation, has developed a rigorous program of study with accompanying statewide articulation (secondary to associate degree) in the area of Biotechnology.
Industrial Biotechnology is a secondary program offering students science credit through an applied science education, to prepare them for entry level positions in the cutting edge industry of Biotechnology. While meeting the state standards for science, the coursework focuses on developing science and bio-technical skills that are current and in demand for this rapidly growing occupation. Upon completion of the program, students are able to explain and perform bio-technical skills used by industrial, medical, agricultural, and research facilities that develop and produce marketable products and processes.
North Marion High School in Marion County and Santa Fe High School in Alachua County currently offer the industrial biotechnology program, and have local articulation agreements in place with Santa Fe Community College. In addition, three high schools in Palm Beach County (Seminole Ridge, Spanish River, and Palm Beach Lakes), and Ponte Vedra High school in St. Johns County are working to establish agreements with their local post-secondary programs (Palm Beach College, and Florida Community College at Jacksonville respectively). These local agreements will serve as a springboard in further developing statewide articulation agreements.
First Hispanic To Head Up Association of American Colleges and Universities
In a historic move, the membership of one of the nation’s most important organizations in higher education, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), has elected Miami Dade College (MDC) President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón as its chair. Dr. Padron is the first Hispanic, Floridian and community college president to hold this key post.
Governor Crist Applauds Florida Community Colleges for Important Role in State Higher Education System, Economy
At a reception honoring Florida community college presidents and trustees at the Governor’s Mansion, Governor Charlie Crist applauded Florida’s 28 community colleges for their role in continuing to provide affordable access to higher education. He noted that the colleges’ close ties with local labor markets are vital to Florida’s economic development goals. This year’s event was sponsored by the Foundation for Florida’s Community Colleges Inc., which provides scholarships to the 28 colleges through an $18 million endowment.
“Go Higher - Get Accepted” Campaign Kicks Off
The Go Higher – Get Accepted campaign is a joint undertaking of the Florida Department of Education, Florida’s 28 community colleges, and FACTS.org, Florida's student advising Web site. In its third year, the campaign aims to increase the number of high school seniors who aspire to go to college.
Go Higher - Get Accepted events offer seniors hands-on assistance to examine their career interests, decide on a program of study, and apply for admission and financial aid. All of these activities can be done online at FACTS.org. For more information on the campaign and a complete listing of events throughout the state, visit www.FACTS.org.
Video Contest Available For Students
Florida’s beaches are a popular Spring Break destination, and in advance of this year’s springtime festivities, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco is launching a video contest called “Why Not?” Using YouTube.com for submissions, the campaign is geared toward Generation Y’ers and asks 14- to 20-year-olds to share videos on why they choose not to drink alcohol this Spring Break. For more information, visit 
Superintendent Recognized For Economic Development
The Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) selected Orange County Superintendent Ronald Blocker as this year’s winner of the EDC Chairman’s Award. The superintendent is a member of the Board of Directors of the EDC and has been since 2000. For more details, visit http://www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2009/01-27.asp.
Manatee County School Wins National Football League Challenge
Tara Elementary School in Manatee County was recognized for its participation in the National Football League (NFL) Play 60 What Moves U Challenge, a physical activity program. Fifth graders at the Bradenton school pledged to exercise 60 minutes daily for 30 days. All 110 students participated in this challenge and kept daily records of their activities. To learn more, visit .
Bartow Middle School Leads Way In Health Care Studies
Seven Bartow Middle School students in Polk County won awards at a regional Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) organization. HOSA is a national student organization whose mission is to promote career opportunities in health care and to enhance the quality of health care. The Bartow Middle students competed in a region composed of schools from Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter counties. To see the winners, visit http://www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2009/01-30.asp.
Tallahassee Music Specialist Recognized As Music Educator of the Year
Martha B. Stanley has been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Music Educator of the Year by the Florida Music Educators Association. Mrs. Stanley is music specialist for grades K-5 at Hartsfield Elementary School in Tallahassee, and has been a music educator since 1972.
Clinical Educator Trainer Preparation (CET)
March 17 – 19, 2009
The Clinical Educator Trainer Preparation is a newly revised program that prepares trainers to deliver modules to develop clinical skills for assisting teachers in both the classroom and student service settings. Areas addressed by this program include diagnosing performance of educators and students, providing feedback on professional performance, and preparation and implementation of professional development plans.
A prerequisite for attending this trainer preparation session is previous completion of the Clinical Education Training (Participant Level) for supervising teachers. This first level of training is provided at the school district level. It is required for all district personnel and teachers, (including school psychologists, guidance counselors and school social workers), who supervise or direct teacher preparation students during field experience courses or final internships.
Registration for the workshop may be completed online at http://data.fldoe.org/register/prodev/. These sessions fill up rapidly, so early registration is advisable. Due to the nature of the training, a limited number of participants will be accepted.
The training will be held at the Leon County School District Aquilina C. Howell Instructional and Services Center Board Conference Room, 3955 West Pensacola Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32304.
If you would like additional information about the program, please contact Dr. Judy Etemadi, by telephone at (850) 245-0694, or via e-mail at email@example.com. In addition, you may also visit the following Web site at .
Second International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education
Apr. 15-17, 2009
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Suites
The music education faculty of the University of Florida School of Music will host a Symposium on Assessment in Music Education from April 15-17, 2009, at the Paramount Plaza Hotel and Suites in Gainesville, Fla. This symposium will focus on identifying and exploring effective assessment frameworks, models, and designs for the assessment of PreKindergarten through 12th grade and postsecondary music students and music programs. Keynote Speakers include Dr. Eric Smith, Florida Commissioner of Education, Dr. Richard Colwell, Dr. David Elliott and Dr. Edwin Gordon. For more details, visit http://conferences.dce.ufl.edu/isame/.