In case you need one more argument against building a charter school in North Miami, look no further than the city’s own Middle School.
In case you need one more argument for keeping the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in North Miami, look no further than the city’s own Middle School.
The success of North Miami Middle School should be reason enough to say “No” to a new charter school and “Yes” to MOCA.
In a Miami Herald article published today, North Miami Middle School music program is changing the school’s culture, out of approximately 500 grant applications, North Miami Middle was one of 80 schools in the country to receive an award of $14,000.00 for its music program. This school was chosen because “the climate of the school has really changed,” according to the program director of Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, which funds the grant money. The “climate” to which Director Tricia Steel was referring was due to specific changes in the last three years. The Herald reported, “In 2008, a new building and a new magnet school with three academies — museum, international education and communications — and in 2011, a new principal, Alberto Iber, and a new music program.”
Thanks to music teacher Jonathan De Leon and band director LaToya Harris, the North Miami Middle School music program has thrived and contributed to the improvement of the school in general. Principal Iber told the Herald that the “emphasis on music, with its discipline and training, has led to fewer behavioral issues among the students, which have declined by 30 percent.” He also added, “Additionally, the school is improving academically. Although it is still ranked a C school, the school’s cumulative points last year rose from 513 to 536 points,” only 24 points away from a B, “which if it were to get this accolade, would be the first time in the school’s history.”
If that weren’t enough proof that, given a chance, public schools can raise the bar in education, eighth grader Nehemiah Augustin told the Herald, “When I stepped into this building and that band room for the first time, I felt my life transform. For me to be here is a blessing. The picture couldn’t be clearer than that.”
I’d say that’s clear enough!
In addition to the music program, the North Miami Middle School’s Museum Magnet Academy “emphasizes an object-based learning approach that employs the wide variety of teaching and learning resources of Miami’s local museums and cultural centers. In Museums classrooms, objects and inquiry push students to think critically and build meaningful connections between their academic and personal life experiences. Partnerships with local museums help to extend the boundaries of our classrooms and immerse Museum Magnet students in Miami’s rich cultural and artistic history.”
The Outreach Program in North Miami’s Museum of Contemporary Art has “worked with the community to use creative expression as a tool for better communication and empowerment. Since 2008, the museum has partnered with Miami-Dade County Public Schools by supporting programs in museum and communications studies at North Miami Senior High, North Miami Middle School, and W.J. Bryan Elementary School.”
This is all the more reason that the North Miami Mayor and Council must do everything they can to keep MOCA right where it belongs – in North Miami.
As reported in the Miami Herald yesterday in North Miami continues to seek more power over MOCA, Mayor Lucie Tondreau stated, “The city always has supported, and will continue to support, MOCA’s operations, exhibits and programs in North Miami. MOCA is the heart of our city, and we are not letting our heart go without a fight.”
I couldn’t agree more!
The notable achievements made at North Miami Middle School over the last few years is all the proof I need that the public school system is not broken. With the proper use of resources and the determination of a dedicated principal and staff, North Miami Middle has overcome all odds to become a shining example of what can be accomplished in a very short period of time. Those efforts, combined with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ partnership with MOCA, have proven the naysayers about public education wrong.
The encroachment of an overabundance of new charter schools in Miami-Dade County must be stopped in order to allow existing public schools to achieve their full potential. North Miami Middle School’s success formula should be bottled and distributed to every other “persistently low-achieving school” in the district.
It can be done, and it must be done.
The best way to instill the importance of the arts and culture in today’s young people is to fight for the survival of local museums such as MOCA.
The only way to stop the systematic destruction of the middle class, and thus allow our nation’s children the opportunity to attain the true American dream, is to vigorously defend the integrity of our public school system.
For those reasons I urge the North Miami City Council to say “NO” to charter schools and “YES” to MOCA.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
