U.S. education secretary highlights Miami mentor program, slams Florida education bills
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Thursday that the slew of education bills coming from this year’s Legislative Session in Florida is the “opposite of what we need for our children.”
“There are several states where the state legislation is really attacking public schools, limiting access to students, limiting access to curriculum materials and even making students feel unwelcome,” Cardona told reporters in Miami after questions were raised about the push from Florida’s GOP lawmakers to curtail what can or can’t be said or taught in public schools.
“You want to talk about fixing the teacher shortage? Let’s make sure our educators, parents and students feel welcomed,” he said. The political discourse, “bickering” and “overreach of governance” makes the profession less desirable, he said. (Backers of the bills maintain their efforts are meant to empower parents and improve children’s education.)
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Cardona’s comments followed a roundtable discussion with South Florida educators gathered at Dr. Frederica S. Wilson/Skyway Elementary School in Miami Gardens. The event honored the 5,000 Role Models of Excellence Project, a mentorship program for young men in Miami-Dade County public schools — a program he said should be highlighted as an alternative to the measures making strides in Tallahassee.
The project, founded by then Miami-Dade School Board member and now-Rep. Frederica Wilson in 1993, aims to provide at-risk boys “alternatives that will lead them away from a life of crime and violence.” In Miami-Dade Public Schools, the program serves more than 6,000 boys of color, said Wilson, a Democrat who represents Miami Gardens and other nearby communities, along with southwest Broward.
“There are programs that are led by parents, educators (and) a community coming together that really need to be highlighted,” Cardona told reporters. “A lot of other things get the headlines, but we need to be highlighting this. This is what works in America. This is what works for our children.”
Wilson, who invited Cardona to visit Miami for the first time, bestowed Cardona with an honorary membership in the 5,000 Role Models mentorship program.
The program’s success
Ahead of the discussion, Cardona said the goal was to celebrate the program, recognize the importance of connecting youth with role models and understand how the concept could be replicated elsewhere.
He asked the participants to share what has worked to benefit students positively. Some speakers spoke about the support network the program provides for students who may not have one, while some spoke of the change in students’ behavior, academic performance and confidence. Others focused on the program’s community benefit.
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Miami-Dade School Board member Steve Gallon III, whose district represents the elementary school, credited the district for investing in resources, personnel and external partnerships — something other speakers also highlighted. He also emphasized the need to create policies to ensure programs like this one withstand changes in the district.
“If you rely simply on the school system to shoulder this program, we would not have sustained 30 years,” Gallon said. “We give great credit to the partners that are outside of the particular school system.”
Board members Lucia Baez-Geller, Luisa Santos and chairwoman Mari Tere Rojas attended the event. Board members Roberto Alonso, Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall, Mary Blanco, Monica Colucci and Danny Espino did not attend.
Superintendent Jose Dotres, who was the final speaker at the roundtable, said programs such as the 5,000 Role Models are rooted in a “deep understanding and belief” of the potential every child holds and the need to invest in it.
The role model project, however, is “beyond a program,” Dotres said. “It’s part of our DNA.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 5:24 PM.
