Colodny Fass Congratulates Broward, Miami-Dade County Public Schools On Winning $150,000 in Scholarships as 2011 Broad Prize Finalists
Sep 20, 2011
Both Broward and Miami-Dade County Public Schools were among three finalists for the 2011 Broad Prize, announced today, September 20, 2011. For the honor, each school system received won $150,000 in college scholarships for its high school seniors.
Given to school districts that demonstrate the best overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among poor and minority students, the Broad (rhymes with “road”) Prize is the largest education award in the United States.
The winner, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools of North Carolina, received $550,000 in college scholarships.
The third finalist was Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas.
A joint news release on the award from the School Board of Broward County and the Broad Foundation is reprinted below.
Broward, Miami-Dade Schools Win $300,000 Total in Scholarships as Finalists for 2011 Broad Prize
WASHINGTON – High school seniors in Southern Florida now have access to $300,000 in new college scholarship funds, as Broward County Public Schools and Miami-Dade County Public Schools have each won $150,000 in scholarships as finalists for the 2011 Broad Prize for Urban Education, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation announced today. As multi-year finalists for the nation’s top education prize, the two districts have together won a total of $1.3 million in Broad Prize scholarships over the past five years.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined philanthropist Eli Broad and GRAMMY® award winner and education reform activist John Legendat the Library of Congress to announce that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina won the 2011 Broad Prize, the largest education award in the country that carries with it $550,000 in college scholarships for the winning district.
The $1 million Broad (rhymes with “road”) Prize is an annual award that honors the four large school districts that demonstrate the strongest student achievement and improvement while narrowing achievement gaps between income and ethnic groups. The winner of the 2011 Broad Prize was selected by a bipartisan jury of seven prominent leaders from government, education, business and public service, including three former U.S. secretaries of education.
As finalists for the 2011 Broad Prize, Broward County Public Schools and Miami-Dade County Public Schools will each receive $150,000 in college scholarships for high school seniors who graduate in 2012. The other 2011 finalist is the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas. Miami-Dade County was previously a Broad Prize finalist in 2006, 2007 and 2008, while Broward County was a finalist in 2008 and 2009. With this year’s prize, each district has won $650,000 in scholarships.
“In recent years, these two Southern Florida school districts have shown more sustained progress in outperforming their peers than nearly all other large urban school districts nationwide,” said Eli Broad, founder of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, which sponsors The Broad Prize. “Everyone involved in Broward and Miami-Dade County’s academic success-teachers, administrators, parents, students and the entire community-deserve our congratulations today.”
Among the reasons Broward County Public Schools stood out this year among the largest school districts in the country:
Better student performance than other similar Florida districts. In 2010, Broward outperformed other Florida districts that serve students with similar family incomes in math at all school levels (elementary, middle and high school) and in middle and high school reading, according to The Broad Prize methodology.
Progress in narrowing achievement gaps. Between 2007 and 2010, Broward narrowed achievement gaps between Hispanic and white students in math at all school levels and in elementary and middle school reading. In 2010, most Broward reading and math achievement gaps between Hispanic and white students were among the smallest in the state, according to The Broad Prize methodology. From 2007 to 2010, Broward also narrowed achievement gaps between black students and white students in middle and high school math and in elementary school reading.
More black students reaching high academic levels. In 2010, the percentage of Broward’s black students performing at the highest achievement levels (levels 4 and 5) on state assessments ranked in the top decile of district performance statewide in math and in the second decile of district performance statewide in reading when compared with other black students statewide.
Strong support for educators in the classroom. The district prioritizes teacher development, providing teachers with a wealth of online resources to help match their instruction to individual student needs and to enable them to adjust accordingly; resources include examples of best practices and access to a range of assessments to track student progress.
Among the reasons Miami-Dade County Public Schools stood out this year among the largest school districts in the country:
Better student performance than other similar Florida districts. In 2010, Miami-Dade outperformed other Florida districts that serve students with similar family incomes in reading and math at all school levels (elementary, middle and high school), according to The Broad Prize methodology.
More students from lower-income families reaching high academic levels. Between 2007 and 2010, Miami-Dade was more successful than at least 70 percent of other Florida districts at increasing the percent of low-income students who performed at the highest achievement levels (levels 4 and 5) in elementary and high school reading and math. For example, the percentage of low-income students performing at the highest achievement levels increased by 10 percentage points in high school math, while the average increase for other Florida districts was 6 percentage points.
More students preparing for college. Between 2007 and 2010, Miami-Dade increased participation rates on ACT and Advanced Placement exams for all students, as well as for black and Hispanic students. For example, ACT participation rates for black students increased by 21 percentage points during this period.
Struggling students and schools receive meaningful assistance to improve. The district has implemented aggressive turnaround strategies at schools with a history of poor performance, and traditionally underrepresented students receive access to accelerated learning opportunities.
Given changes in urban and suburban demographics over the last decade, The Broad Foundation narrowed the eligibility and selection requirements for The Broad Prize this year to ensure an equal comparison of large urban school districts. As a result, 75 districts that serve significant percentages of low-income and minority students were automatically eligible and considered for The Broad Prize. Districts cannot apply for or be nominated for this award.
For a full electronic press kit, including additional student outcomes, policies and practices that made Broward County and Miami-Dade County stand out among the largest districts in the country, please visit www.broadprize.org.
The selection jury that chose this year’s winner included:
- Henry Cisneros, executive chairman of CityView companies, former president of Univision and former U.S. secretary of housing and urban development
- Susan Hockfield, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and former chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Roderick Paige, former U.S. secretary of education
- Richard W. Riley, former U.S. secretary of education and former governor of South Carolina
- Margaret Spellings, president and CEO of Margaret Spellings and Company and former U.S. secretary of education
- Andrew L. Stern, senior research fellow with the Georgetown Public Policy Institute and president emeritus of Service Employees International Union
The selection jury evaluated quantitative data on the finalists, consisting of publicly available student performance data compiled and analyzed by MPR Associates, Inc., a leading national education research consulting firm. In addition, the jury evaluated the four finalist districts’ policies and practices, based on site visits, classroom observations, and interviews with administrators, teachers, principals, parents, community leaders, school board members and union representatives. The site visits were conducted by a team of education practitioners led by RMC Research Corporation, an education consulting company.
Broward County and Miami-Dade County were selected as finalists this past spring by a review board of 21 prominent education researchers, policy leaders, practitioners and executives from leading universities, national education associations, think-tanks and foundations that evaluated publicly available student performance data.
High school seniors in each district who graduate in 2012 will be eligible for Broad Prize scholarships, which are awarded to students who demonstrate significant financial need and show a record of academic improvement during their high school career. Scholarship recipients who enroll in four-year colleges will receive up to $20,000 paid out over four years ($5,000 per year). Broad Prize scholars who enroll in two-year colleges will receive up to $5,000 scholarships paid out over two years ($2,500 per year). For more information, please visit: http://www.broadprize.org/scholarship_program/overview.html.
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation is a national philanthropy established by entrepreneur Eli Broad that invests in the bold and innovative transformation of urban K-12 public education in America so that students of all backgrounds are academically prepared for college, careers and life. The Broad Foundation supports efforts to empower students and teachers to succeed in the classroom, use resources strategically and efficiently, and attract talented Americans into the profession. The Broad Foundation’s Internet address is www.broadeducation.org.