Florida Priorities Summit panel: Education system not benefiting all students

Florida’s education system is improving, but too many students are still getting left behind, a panel of the state’s leaders in the field warned.

At the Florida Priorities Summit, Tracy Wilson Mourning, the founder of the Honey Shine Mentoring Program, said that it is imperative to start building up the self-esteem of low-income students at a young age so that believe higher education is an option for them down the road.

“Too often, we’re programmed very early on where we belong, where our boundaries are,” Mourning said. “We have to think bigger than that. We have to think outside those boundaries.”

Fredrick Ingram, the president of the Florida Education System, echoed that point, saying that schools need to provide hope with internships and other programs. He added that it was key to establish a relationship between teachers and their students.

“Ultimately, you want a great teacher,” Ingram said. “That’s where the magic happens, between the teacher and a student.”

Madeline Pumariega, the chancellor of the Florida College System, said the the narrative that college isn’t for everyone needed to be dispelled because a growing number of professions require post-secondary education. She added that all students needed to have aspirational goals set for themselves early on so they are prepared as possible for a changing job market.

“The pathway to prosperity is through college education,” Pumariega said.

For state Sen. Anitere Flores, a Miami Republican, empowering students meant expanding school choice not just through charter schools, but magnet schools and open- and dual-enrollment.

“Success is never final,” Flores said. “We can continue to improve.”

The summit marks the culmination of the Florida Influencer Series for 2018 – a project by the Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald and Bradenton Herald. Over the past six months, the Influencers shared their ideas on how to address the most important issues facing the state and responded to questions from readers.