Miami school's turnaround wins Obama's attention
That's right the President visited my Alma Mater Yesterday! This was beyond a tremendous milestone for Miami Central and the community! In Addition, we just won our first State Championship and had 17 players sign D-1 scholarships to some of your favorite colleges
Miami (CNN) -- You could barely hear the dismissal buzzer over the sound of the pressure cleaner. But as school officials tried to spruce up their campus a bit, the buzz inside the hallways was almost as loud.
The Miami Central Senior High School was gearing up for a visit Friday from President Barack Obama. The president touted education at the school, which once was failing miserably but appears to be turning it around.
"I look at the community and where we've been, the struggle, everything that's been negative, and to bring the president here is amazing," school principal Rennina Turner said.
"It's inspiring to think about where you were a few years ago, and where you are today," President Obama said to the students. "You came together to turn this school around, and I think the rest of us can learn something from that," CNN affiliate WFOR reported.
The President said that students "can't even think about dropping out," and that the students across the country are going to need to continue their education past their senior year.
"More than ever before, companies hire where the talent is," Obama said. "Over the next 10 years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education past a high school degree."
Not too long ago, the future didn't seem so bright for the inner-city school, whose student scores earned it an "F" on state reports from 2007 to 2009. In danger of being closed and taken over by the state, the school upped its grade to a "D" last year and a "C" this year.
Miami Central has received federal grants that support the improvement of low-achieving schools. The U.S. Department of Education provided $546 million for School Improvement Grants nationwide, with $800,000 going to Miami Central.
That money brought in new technology and teaching tools, paid for coaches in reading, math and science, and allowed a three-hour Saturday academy to open for students who need extra help. The school also began a program to engage parents.
Miami Central is one of 19 schools in Miami-Dade County targeted as persistently low performers that needed a boost. These schools, called the "Rising 19," received $14 million as part of the Education Transformation Office. School officials said all the schools are showing improvement.
"They have teachers pushing them," Miami Central teacher John Thornburgh said of the students. "But they also believe in themselves, and they know that the minimum is no longer possible nor is it acceptable."
At the school for a year, Thornburgh is part of a new wave of teachers hired right out of school. He's part of Teach for America, a program that recruits the nation's top academic students to be instructors in low-income areas.
"They are the highest performers with a true commitment," Vitti said. "We recruited these higher achievers and paid them $3,000 extra a year."
Miami (CNN) -- You could barely hear the dismissal buzzer over the sound of the pressure cleaner. But as school officials tried to spruce up their campus a bit, the buzz inside the hallways was almost as loud.
The Miami Central Senior High School was gearing up for a visit Friday from President Barack Obama. The president touted education at the school, which once was failing miserably but appears to be turning it around.
"I look at the community and where we've been, the struggle, everything that's been negative, and to bring the president here is amazing," school principal Rennina Turner said.
"It's inspiring to think about where you were a few years ago, and where you are today," President Obama said to the students. "You came together to turn this school around, and I think the rest of us can learn something from that," CNN affiliate WFOR reported.
The President said that students "can't even think about dropping out," and that the students across the country are going to need to continue their education past their senior year.
"More than ever before, companies hire where the talent is," Obama said. "Over the next 10 years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education past a high school degree."
Not too long ago, the future didn't seem so bright for the inner-city school, whose student scores earned it an "F" on state reports from 2007 to 2009. In danger of being closed and taken over by the state, the school upped its grade to a "D" last year and a "C" this year.
Miami Central has received federal grants that support the improvement of low-achieving schools. The U.S. Department of Education provided $546 million for School Improvement Grants nationwide, with $800,000 going to Miami Central.
That money brought in new technology and teaching tools, paid for coaches in reading, math and science, and allowed a three-hour Saturday academy to open for students who need extra help. The school also began a program to engage parents.
Miami Central is one of 19 schools in Miami-Dade County targeted as persistently low performers that needed a boost. These schools, called the "Rising 19," received $14 million as part of the Education Transformation Office. School officials said all the schools are showing improvement.
"They have teachers pushing them," Miami Central teacher John Thornburgh said of the students. "But they also believe in themselves, and they know that the minimum is no longer possible nor is it acceptable."
At the school for a year, Thornburgh is part of a new wave of teachers hired right out of school. He's part of Teach for America, a program that recruits the nation's top academic students to be instructors in low-income areas.
"They are the highest performers with a true commitment," Vitti said. "We recruited these higher achievers and paid them $3,000 extra a year."
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