Month: March 2021

BCPS Awarded $100,000 Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenge for Algebra I

Student using a computer How do you make learning Algebra 1 more engaging and relevant to all students, particularly minority students, including those who may be learning a second language, and those from low-income families? This question is at the heart of a new pilot program being developed by Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), in collaboration with the Algebra Project, the Florida Alliance for Math Literacy & Equity, the Young People’s Project, Terratorium, Educational Testing Service and other education partners, thanks to a grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

BCPS is one of just 15 awardees across the country selected to participate in the first phase of the Balance the Equation: A Grand Challenge for Algebra 1 grant. The grant is the foundation’s first-ever Grand Challenge focused on education in the United States and is based on research that shows Algebra 1 is one of the most important on-track indicators for students’ success in the future. The way Algebra 1 has been traditionally taught in classrooms, however, has resulted in equity gaps in achievement and students’ ability to use math in their subsequent academic, work and civic lives.

Through the Grand Challenge grant initiative, educational systems are encouraged to rethink the way Algebra 1 is taught to help students – particularly those from diverse or low socio-economic backgrounds – understand how the skills learned through Algebra 1 can be applied in the real world, build successful support systems within school communities, create new ways to engage students in learning Algebra, and empower and strengthen teacher practices to better meet the unique needs of each student.

The Phase 1: Planning and Prototyping grant, provides $100,000 for the District and its education partners to develop the pilot study plan for rethinking Algebra 1 education.  Upon completion of Phase 1, the District will apply for a Phase 2: Pilot Study grant. If selected, Phase 2 provides up to $1 million to implement the plan in schools.

“Thank you to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for offering the Grand Challenge. We believe our students’ success in Algebra 1 creates a strong foundation for their futures,” said BCPS Superintendent Robert W. Runcie. “Ensuring our schools are teaching students in a way that creates relevance and real-world connections is critical, as we work to solve equity gaps, build strong relationships between teachers and students, and maximize learning.”

To learn more about the Balance the Equation: A Grand Challenge for Algebra 1 grant, visit https://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenge/balance-equation-grand-challenge-algebra-1.

 

 

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ABOUT BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

“Committed to educating all students to reach their highest potential.”  

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is the sixth largest school district in the nation and the second largest in the state of Florida. BCPS is Florida’s first fully accredited school system since 1962. BCPS has nearly 261,500 students and approximately 110,000 adult students in 241 schools, centers and technical colleges, and 92 charter schools. BCPS serves a diverse student population, with students representing 170 different countries and 147 different languages. To connect with BCPS, visit browardschools.com, follow us on Twitter @browardschools, on Facebook at facebook.com/browardschools.com and download the free BCPS mobile app.

 

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BCPS Announces Graduation Schedule for the Class of 2021

March 30, 2021

District Plans for Live, In-person Graduation Celebrations 

2021 Graduation #BCPS2021 Grads

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) announces the schedule of graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021. Dates, times and locations of the ceremonies for 48 high schools, technical colleges and education centers across the District are available at browardschools.com/BCPS2021Grads. The ceremonies will take place June 4 – 10, 2021.

The in-person celebrations will be modified to allow for appropriate safety precautions. Current plans are for BCPS graduates to each receive two tickets for guests to attend to ensure compliance with restrictions for capacity and health and safety guidelines. 

“We’re excited to return to traditional pomp and circumstance, and to give our 2021 graduates and their families an in-person graduation experience,” said BCPS Superintendent Robert W. Runcie. “We can’t wait to provide memorable and celebratory events that honor and recognize the Class of 2021.” 

Plans for each school’s graduation ceremony remain in progress and are subject to change, as health and safety guidelines, and other mandates are updated.   

Students and parents will receive cap and gown and other information, including live streaming opportunities to share with family and friends who unable to attend ceremonies, from their respective schools.   

To view the complete graduation schedule and other information, visit browardschools.com/BCPS2021Grads.  

 

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ABOUT BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS  

“Committed to educating all students to reach their highest potential.”   

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is the sixth-largest school district in the nation and the second-largest in the state of Florida. BCPS is Florida’s first fully accredited school system since 1962. BCPS has nearly 261,500 students and approximately 110,000 adult students in 241 schools, centers and technical colleges, and 92 charter schools. BCPS serves a diverse student population, with students representing 170 different countries and 147 different languages. To connect with BCPS, visit browardschools.com, follow us on Twitter @browardschools, on Facebook at facebook.com/browardschools.com and download the free BCPS mobile app. 

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BCPS Once Again Named Cambridge International’s District of the Year

March 29, 2021

For the second time in four years, Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is honored to be named District of the Year by Cambridge International. In 2018, BCPS was the first school district in the United States to be honored with this award, which recognizes districts for having high academic achievements among students participating in Cambridge programs, increasing Cambridge opportunities across the District and committing to equity in education for all students.

Since first receiving the Cambridge International District of the Year award – in the large district category – for the 2016/17 school year, BCPS has expanded access to Cambridge International exams by 58% and achieved an average 89% passing rate (based on 2019/20 school year exams).

“In the midst of the challenging year we have faced with the pandemic, this recognition is a testament to our students’ and teachers’ hard work and will to persevere,” said BCPS Superintendent Robert W. Runcie. “We are thankful to Cambridge International for its support of academic excellence here in Broward County and across the globe.”

“We congratulate Broward County Public Schools on receiving the District of the Year Award, in the large district category, for the second time in four years. This award is recognition of the exceptional achievement by the students, teachers and administrators in Broward County,” said Mark Cavone, Regional Director of Cambridge International, North America. “We look forward to continuing to partner with BCPS in ensuring all students have the best educational opportunities, and develop the skills and knowledge needed to confidently face our changing and complex world.”

BCPS has partnered with Cambridge International for more than 10 years, offering innovative programs at three elementary schools, 11 middle schools and 21 high schools, as well as Cambridge Magnet Programs at one middle school and one high school. To find out more, visit browardschools.com/innovativeprograms.

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ABOUT BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
“Committed to educating all students to reach their highest potential.”
Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is the sixth-largest school district in the nation and the second largest in the state of Florida. The District is Florida’s first fully accredited school system since 1962 and has nearly 261,000 pre-K-12th grade students and approximately 110,000 adult students in 241 schools, centers, and technical colleges, and 92 charter schools. BCPS serves a diverse student population, representing 170 different countries and 147 different languages. To connect with BCPS, visit browardschools.com, follow on Twitter @browardschools and Facebook at facebook.com/browardschools, and download the free BCPS mobile app.

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Vincent Chin is murdered

Chinese American Vincent Chin, 27, is beaten in the head with a baseball bat by two white autoworkers in Detroit on June 19, 1982. Chin died in a hospital four days later, on June 23. 

During his bachelor party at a club on the night of June 19, Chin and three friends were signaled out by Ronald Ebens, 43, and Michael Nitz, 23, his stepson, according to NBC News, who, witnesses said, blamed the men for being out of work because of car imports from Japan. Following a fight, Ebens and Nitz searched for the group, finding them at a McDonald’s, where Ebens used a baseball bat to smash Chin in the head while Nitz held him down.

Convicted of manslaughter in a plea deal, Ebens and Nitz were sentenced to three years probation and a $3,000 fine with no jail time. The verdict lead to outrage and protests in the Asian American community. Kin Yee, the president of the Detroit Chinese Welfare Council, called the sentence “a license to kill for $3,000, provided you have a steady job or are a student and the victim is Chinese,” according to The New York Times.

Ebens was later found guilty in a civil rights trial (Nitz was acquitted), but the verdict was overturned on appeal. In a second civil rights trial in 1987, Ebens was again found not guilty. In a 1987 civil suit, Ebens was ordered to pay $1.5 million and Nitz was ordered to pay $50,000 to Chin’s estate. While Nitz paid the amount, Ebens’ share was left unpaid. 

READ MORE: How the 1982 Murder of Vincent Chin Ignited a Push for Asian American Rights

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U.S. immigration station Angel Island opens in San Francisco Bay

Referred to as the “Ellis Island of the West,” Angel Island in California‘s San Francisco Bay opens January 21, 1910, as America’s major port of entry for Asian immigrants. Over the next 30 years, an estimated 100,000 Chinese and 70,000 Japanese are processed through the station.

Established as a military reserve during the Civil War, 20 acres of 740-acre island was transferred for use as an immigrant station in 1905, according to the National Parks Service.

With San Francisco serving as a key immigration entry point for Asian immigrants, Angel Island, located 6 miles off the city’s coast, was a preferred location for a station over the mainland. “Its location allowed for greater control over immigrant entry to the U.S., prevented immigrants on the island from communicating with immigrants on the mainland, and slowed the introduction of new or deadly diseases to the general population,” according to the parks service.

After arriving by ship in the bay, immigrants without official documentation were ferried to the island where, the parks service notes, they were quarantined by race and sex “regardless of familial bonds” with children younger than 12 allowed to remain with their mothers. Medical examinations and other hearings could take days to years in a “prison-like environment.”

In 1940, the station was moved to mainland San Francisco, and Angel Island is now a California state park.

READ MORE: U.S. Immigration Timeline

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First Japanese immigrant arrives in the U.S.

Called the U.S.’s first ambassador to Japan, a 14-year-old fisherman by the name of Manjiro is considered America’s first Japanese immigrant, arriving in the country on May 7, 1843, by way of a whaling ship.

According to the National Endowment of the Humanities, the boy and his crew were caught in a violent storm, with their ship eventually washing up on a desert island 300 miles away from their coastal Japanese village. Rescued five months later by an American whaling ship, Manjiro was adopted by American Capt. William Whitfield, who renamed him John Mung and brought him back to the states to his home in Massachusetts.

Manjiro eventually returned to Japan, where he was named a samurai and worked as a political emissary between his home country and the West, the NEH reports.

According to the National Museum of American History, it was about 20 years later, in the 1860s, when groups of Japanese immigrants began arriving in the Hawaiian islands, where they worked in sugarcane fields. From there, many relocated to California, Washington and Oregon.

From 1886 to 1911, the Library of Congress adds, 400,000-plus Japanese women and men immigrated to America, particularly to Hawaii and the West Coast. In commemoration with Manjiro’s early arrival, Congress, in 1992, established May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. 

READ MORE: Asian American Milestones: Timeline

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Patsy T. Mink sworn in as first Asian American woman and woman of color in Congress

Elected in 1964, Patsy T. Mink is sworn in on January 4, 1965, as the first Asian American woman and first woman of color to serve in the U.S. Congress.

Throughout her career, the U.S. representative for Hawaii was a strong supporter of civil and women’s rights, as well as an advocate for children, labor unions and education. Serving as a member of the Committee for Education and Labor, Mink was vocal in her opposition to the Vietnam War and was a supporter of a national daycare system, Head Start and the Women’s Educational Equity Act.

Mink, who co-founded the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in 1994, was a key author and sponsor of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which outlawed sex discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal funding.

”It’s rare as a legislator that you fight for legislation you believe in and stay around or live long enough to see it come to fruition,” she told a group of top women basketball players in 1995.

The daughter of second-generation Japanese immigrants, she was the first Japanese American admitted to the Hawaii bar in 1953 and the first woman to serve in the Hawaii territorial House of Representatives in 1956. Mink served in Congress from 1965 to 1977, and following an unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid, she was appointed assistant secretary of state for oceans and international, environmental and scientific affairs under the Jimmy Carter administration from 1977-1978.

After her time in the Carter administration, Mink continued to work in public service, including as a member of the Honolulu City Council and as founder of a watchdog organization that reported on Hawaii’s state legislature. She was again elected to Congress in 1990, serving until her death at age 74 in 2002. Soon after her death, Title IX was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.

READ MORE: Asian American Milestones: Timeline

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More than 20,000 Students Participate in Above the Influence Virtual Rally

March 18, 2021 

ATI Broward

More than 20,000 Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) students participated in the Above the Influence Rally on Thursday, March 18. Students who registered were able to participate in this year’s online socially distanced event from their homes and classrooms. The annual rally celebrated students’ for making positive decisions and resisting negative influences that could lead them down the wrong path. The morning event was hosted and live streamed from Hollywood Hills High School.    

BCPS Superintendent Robert W. Runcie and United Way CEO Kathleen Cannon kicked off the event with opening remarks, followed by student performances of skits, poetry, songs and dances, and a special unity of high school bands performance. Highlighting the event was a special performance by Grammy Award winner, Wayne Rhoden, known as the artist Father Goose. As Father Goose, he is well known for performing children’s music, kindie rock and reggae nursery rhymes. 

The Above the Influence Rally, created by BCPS and the United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse, bolsters students’ confidence in standing up to negative pressures – such as peer pressure, bullying, fighting, drugs and alcohol, and racism – and other destructive behaviors and attitudes. By focusing on the positive influences in their lives, students celebrate their choice to live Above the Influence. To further the rally’s message, students are urged to make a commitment to their goal by choosing the negative influence they will reject and are encouraged to look for the wonderful opportunities that abound.   

The Above the Influence Rally was presented by BCPS School Climate & Discipline Department, United Way of Broward County and the Commission on Behavioral Health and Drug Prevention, Hanley Foundation, Memorial Healthcare Systems, Department of Health – Students Working Against Tobacco and Children Services Council.   

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ABOUT BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS  

“Committed to educating all students to reach their highest potential.”   

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is the sixth largest school district in the nation and the second largest in the state of Florida. BCPS is Florida’s first fully accredited school system since 1962. BCPS has nearly 261,500 students and approximately 110,000 adult students in 241 schools, centers and technical colleges, and 92 charter schools. BCPS serves a diverse student population, with students representing 170 different countries and 147 different languages. To connect with BCPS, visit browardschools.com, follow us on Twitter @browardschools, on Facebook at facebook.com/browardschools.com and download the free BCPS mobile app. 

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Breonna Taylor is killed by police in botched raid

Shortly after midnight on March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black emergency medical technician, is shot and killed by police in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment after officers busted through her door with a battering ram .

Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, both of whom had no criminal records, had been asleep in bed. Walker, who later stated he feared an intruder had broken in, used his legally owned gun to fire one shot, which wounded Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the leg. Mattingly and officers Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison, all white and in plainclothes, returned fire, blindly shooting 32 times in the dark, striking Taylor six times.

According to The New York Times, Louisville police had received a court-approved no-knock warrant to search the apartment for signs of drug trafficking while investigating Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover. Those orders were changed to “knock and announce” before the raid, the newspaper reports. The police involved stated they complied with the warrant, but Walker said he heard no such announcement.

“Somebody kicked in the door, shot my girlfriend,” Walker told a dispatcher in a call to 911.

The three officers were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. Walker was arrested for attempted murder of a police officer, a charge that was dropped May 22, as the FBI, Department of Justice and Kentucky attorney general began their own investigations, according to the Times. No drugs were found in the apartment.

Following an internal investigation, Hankison was fired by the Louisville Metro Police Department June 23 for violating procedure and was indicted by a grand jury on September 23 on three counts of wanton endangerment, as bullets he fired entered a neighboring apartment with people inside. He pleaded not guilty. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron told the grand jury that Mattingly and Cosgrove were justified in returning fire. No charges were brought against either man.

Following Taylor’s death and subsequent national protests, including a viral social media campaign with the hashtag #SayHerName and outcries from celebrities, civil rights activists and political leaders, no-knock warrants were banned in Louisville in an ordinance known as “Breonna’s Law.” The city also agreed to pay her family a historic $12 million in a wrongful-death lawsuit settlement. 

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14 More Schools Added to BCPS Afterschool Supper Program

March 3, 2021

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) Afterschool Supper Program is quickly expanding to include an additional 14 schools for the 2020/21 school year. This addition brings the total to 194 schools serving nutritious suppers to students. The Supper Program ensures more than 19,000 students participating in regularly scheduled afterschool educational or enrichment activity programs receive the nutrition they need. The suppers are funded through the federal Child Care Food Program, which provides healthy meals in the childcare setting. Meals meet all USDA requirements and include a snack. The meals are made available at no additional charge to students participating in afterschool programs, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. The 14 schools added to the program are noted in red in the list below.

Aftercare Supper Program participating schools include:

Annabel C. Perry Elementary

Gator Run Elementary

Pembroke Lakes Elementary

Apollo Middle

Glades Middle

Pembroke Pines Elementary

Atlantic West Elementary

Griffin Elementary

Peters Elementary

Attucks Middle

Gulfstream Academy at Hallandale

Pines Lakes Elementary

Bair Middle

Hallandale High

Pines Middle

Banyan Elementary

Harbordale Elementary

Pinewood Elementary

Bayview Elementary

Hawkes Bluff Elementary

Pioneer Middle

Beachside Montessori Village

Heron Heights Elementary

Piper High

Bennett Elementary

Hollywood Central Elementary

Plantation Elementary

Bethune Elementary

Hollywood Hills Elementary

Plantation High 

Blanche Ely High

Hollywood Hills High

Plantation Middle

Boulevard Heights Elementary

Hollywood Park Elementary

Plantation Park Elementary

Boyd Anderson High

Horizon Elementary

Pompano Beach High

Broadview Elementary

Indian Ridge Middle

Quiet Waters Elementary

Broward Estates Elementary 

Indian Trace Elementary

Ramblewood Elementary

Castle Hill Elementary

J.P. Taravella High

Ramblewood Middle

Central Park Elementary

James Hunt Elementary

Rickards Middle

Challenger Elementary

Lake Forest Elementary

Riverglades Elementary

Chapel Trail Elementary

Lakeside Elementary

Riverland Elementary

Charles Drew Elementary

Larkdale Elementary

Riverside Elementary

Coconut Creek Elementary

Lauderdale Lakes Middle

Rock Island Elementary

Coconut Creek High 

Lauderhill 6-12 STEM 

Royal Palm Elementary

Coconut Palm Elementary

Lauderhill Paul Turner Elementary

Sanders Elementary

Colbert Elementary

Liberty Elementary 

Sandpiper Elementary

Collins Elementary

Lloyd Estates Elementary

Sawgrass Elementary

Cooper City High

Lyons Creek Middle

Sawgrass Springs Middle 

Cooper City Elementary

Manatee Bay Elementary

Sea Castle Elementary

Coral Cove Elementary

Maplewood Elementary

Seminole Middle

Coral Glades High

Margate Elementary 

Sheridan Hills Elementary

Coral Park Elementary

Margate Middle

Sheridan Park Elementary

Coral Springs Elementary

Markham Robert Elementary

Silver Lakes Elementary

Coral Springs High

Martin Luther King Elementary

Silver Lakes Middle

Coral Springs Middle

McArthur High

Silver Palms Elementary

Country Hills Elementary

McNab Elementary

Silver Ridge Elementary

 

Country Isles Elementary

McNicol Middle

Silver Shores Elementary

Cresthaven Elementary

Millennium Middle

Silver Trail Middle

Croissant Park Elementary

Miramar Elementary

South Broward High

Crystal Lake Middle

Miramar High

South Plantation High

Cypress Bay High

Monarch High

Stephen Foster Elementary

Cypress Run Education Center

Morrow Elementary

Stirling Elementary

Davie Elementary

New Renaissance Middle

Stoneman Douglas, Marjory High

Deerfield Beach Elementary

New River Middle

Stranahan High

Deerfield Beach High

Nob Hill Elementary

Sunland Park Elementary

Deerfield Beach Middle

Norcrest Elementary

Sunrise Middle

Deerfield Park Elementary

North Andrews Gardens Elementary

Sunset Lakes Elementary

Dillard Elementary

North Fork Elementary

Sunshine Elementary

Dillard High

North Lauderdale Elementary

Tedder Elementary

Discovery Elementary

Northeast High

Tequesta Trace Middle

Dolphin Bay Elementary

Northside Elementary

Thurgood Marshall Elementary

Driftwood Elementary

Nova High

Tropical Elementary

Eagle Point Elementary

Nova, Blanche Forman Elementary

Walker Elementary

Eagle Ridge Elementary

Nova, Eisenhower Elementary

Walter C. Young Middle 

Embassy Creek Elementary

Oakland Park Elementary

Watkins Elementary

Endeavour Primary Learning Center

Oakridge Elementary

Welleby Elementary

Everglades High

Olsen Middle

West Broward High

Everglades Elementary

Orange Brook Elementary

West Hollywood Elementary

Fairway Elementary

Oriole Elementary

Westchester Elementary

Falcon Cove Middle

Panther Run Elementary

Western High

Flamingo Elementary

Park Lakes Elementary

Westglades Middle

Flanagan, Charles W. High 

Park Ridge Elementary

Westpine Middle

Floranada Elementary

Park Springs Elementary

William Dandy Middle

Forest Glen Middle

Park Trails Elementary

Wilton Manors Elementary

Forest Hills Elementary

Parkside Elementary

Wingate Oaks Center 

Fort Lauderdale High

Parkway Middle

Winston Park Elementary

Fox Trail Elementary

Pasadena Lakes Elementary

 

 

 

 

 

USDA Notice:

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. 

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at:

http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: 

(1) mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture 
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 
1400 Independence Avenue, SW 
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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ABOUT BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

“Committed to educating all students to reach their highest potential.”   

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is the sixth largest school district in the nation and the second largest in the state of Florida. BCPS is Florida’s first fully accredited school system since 1962. BCPS has nearly 261,500 students and approximately 110,000 adult students in 241 schools, centers and technical colleges, and 92 charter schools. BCPS serves a diverse student population, with students representing 177 different countries and 151 different languages. To connect with BCPS, visit browardschools.com, follow us on Twitter @browardschools, on Facebook at facebook.com/browardschools.com and download the free BCPS mobile app.

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