LESSONS IN LEARNING
Whether it’s for kindergarten or adult continuing education, the region earns high marks for academic excellence and teaching innovation.

Nowhere is metro Orlando’s prowess as a place for learning more apparent than in K-12 education, where three public school districts teach more than 230,000 students.

The largest of the districts is Orange County Public Schools, the 12th largest district in the nation and the fifth largest in Florida. The district serves approximately 177,308 students through 170 elementary, middle and high schools, as well as alternative/exceptional education schools. Another example of large size is notable in employment. The school district is the second largest employer in Central Florida.

Seminole County Public Schools consists of 61 elementary, middle and senior high schools, plus two exceptional education centers and one alternative education center, serving more than 66,300 students. Historically, the high schools students in Seminole produce the best college-entrance test scores in the region and typically exceed state and national averages.

Osceola County Public Schools serves approximately 52,000 students, making it the second fastest-growing school district in Florida. The student population increases by approximately 1,500 each year. There are 46 schools, including elementary, middle and high schools, special education and vocational technical facilities. More than 12,000 students are safely transported 2.5 million miles, using 180 school buses.

For more information about the publicschool districts, visit the following Web sites: Orange County, www.ocps.net; Seminole County, www.scps.k12.fl.us; and Osceola County, www.osceola.k12.fl.us.

CHILD PROTECTION

Despite the fact that the Hispanic population continues to dramatically advance in stature, education remains a key challenge. Locally, help is available in the form of the Central Florida Higher Education Alliance.

Established in 2000, the alliance is comprised of regionally accredited colleges and universities that work in collaboration with area corporations and organizations to increase awareness of higher education opportunities in Central Florida. Among the 29 participating institutions are the University of Central Florida (UCF) and Rollins College and Valencia and Seminole community colleges, along with numerousother choices. For more information about the alliance, visit www.cfhea.org.

In addition, the area boasts three trade-technical schools: Orange Technical Education Centers, operated by Orange County Public Schools; the Seminole Community College Technical Program; and the Technical Education Center of Osceola.

Other noteworthy places to learn are Florida Metropolitan University, which is one of the largest private universities in the state, with several campuses; the Ana G. Mendez Metro Orlando University Center, currently the only dual language university system in the country, which offers Ahora, an innovative accelerated bilingual study program for associate's, bachelor’s and master’s degrees; the Galiano Career Academy, which provides career-specific training for indemand careers; Full Sail Real World Education, which specializes in preparing students for careers in film, music and show business, in general; the International Academy of Design and Technology, which offers career-oriented degree programs in Fashion Design & Merchandising, Interior Design, Computer Graphics, Multimedia Design, Game Design & Development, and Marketing & Advertising; and Polytec—Polytechnic University of the Americas. Bachelor’s and master’s degrees are offered at its Orlando campus in business, construction and engineering.

In addition, online course in Hispanic Marketing Communication are offered by the Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication. The 15-week course—available to Florida State University students not currently residing in the main Tallahassee campus—is particularly recommended for professionals currently addressing the Hispanic market, or those who would like to start a Hispanic marketing initiative.

Recent U.S. Census statistics reveal that Latinos will comprise almost 50 percent of the nation’s workforce growth by 2020. Yet, Latino families are lagging behind other population groups in higher education enrollment and graduation.

Enter the Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization that strives to increase access to a postsecondary education for America’s students by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, prepare families for their investment and bridge the gap when no one else can. To help Hispanics, Sallie Mae’s annual giving programs exceed $12 million and include a wide variety of scholarships. For more information, call The Sallie Mae Fund at 800-292-0688 or go to www.salliemaefund.org.

Ever heard of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund? It might represent a ticket to college. HSF was founded in 1975 with a vision to strengthen the country by advancing college education among Hispanic Americans. In support of its mission, HSF provides the Latino community with more college scholarships and educational outreach support than any other organization in the country. During its 33-year history, HSF has awarded more than 78,000 scholarships, totaling nearly $195 million, to deserving students studying at more than 1,700 universities and colleges throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Successful candidates are chosen on the basis of academic achievement, personal strengths, leadership and financial need. All applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of Hispanic heritage. For more information, visit the HSF Website at www.hsf.net

Locally, the Hispanic Heritage Scholarship Fund of Metro Orlando supports the development of outstanding Hispanic students in Central Florida through scholarships awards. In its seven years, the fund has awarded nearly $200,000. To learn more, call 407-234-7364.

Also, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, through its Orlando chapter, offers scholarships and other assistance. Full-time awards range from $5,000 to $7,500, while part-time recipients can receive $2,500. More information: www.nshmba.org.

LIBRARY RESOURCES IN SPANISH

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

There are several innovative programs throughout the region’s K-12 education system that address specific areas of need. The following three programs are examples: Yo Si Puedo, a community-based dropout prevention program, is reaching out to Central Florida’s business community for the purpose of offering minority high school students the opportunity to gain work experience during their summer vacations. The program offers at-risk students lessons in character development and leadership, participation in community outreach programs, exposure to local businesses, college and career planning, and the chance to socialize in a positive setting. Under the direction of the Hispanic Resource Link, the program works with students at Colonial, Oak Ridge, Timber Creek, Winter Park, Cypress Creek and University high schools. Roughly 85 students participated during the past school year. More information: www.hispanicresourcelink.org.

In Orange County classrooms, as well as those in other urban school districts across the country, significant numbers of low-performing and disruptive students monopolize attention, waste valuable class time and compromise safety at the expense of students who are prepared to learn. Enter the Community Education Partners, a program that is striving to make a positive change in the Orange County Public Schools district. CEP, based in Nashville, Tenn., is an education organization that partners with public schools to get at-risk students from grades six through 12 back on track. Low-performing and disruptive students are removed from public schools and placed in separate, structured campuses where academics, discipline and life skills are emphasized. CEP’s two Orlando campuses have an enrollment of approximately 1,200 middle and high school students. More information: 866-274-3045 or 321-281-2400, ext 2474.

El Nuevo Dia Orlando established a newspaper program called APRENDE, the first of its kind in Central Florida. The purpose is to use the Spanish-language newspaper as a learning tool in Central Florida classrooms. El Nuevo Dia Orlando publishes one page every Friday exclusively for the needs of students and their parents, in hopes of preserving the Hispanic culture among children. The newspaper uses colorful and entertaining ways that teach and maintain Hispanic traditions and values. The special student pages reach more than 25,000 students and their families.

In 2007, 17,000 low-income students received a second chance at their education, thanks to the Corporate Tax Credit (CTC) Scholarship Program— also known as Step Up For Students. If certain criteria are met, your child could be one of those students in the future.

The mission of Step Up For Students is to improve Florida’s K-12 educational system by creating and sustaining affordable educational options for lowincome families and their children. By empowering parents to choose the education that best meets their child’s learning needs, parents become consumers of their child’s education. As parents begin to shop for the best academic educational setting for their child, the level of education for all students will rise as schools—public and private—become more productive in an effort to keep and enroll new children.

Under the program, which was created in 2001 by the Florida legislature, disadvantaged students receive scholarships of up to $3,750 to attend a public or private school that best fits their educational needs. To qualify, your child must be entering kindergarten or first grade, or must be entering second through 12th grade and have attended a Florida public school for the entire previous school year. Also, your household income must be at or below stated guidelines.

More information: 813-258-2700, www.stepupforstudents.com.

HOW TO REGISTER FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL

• A child is required to attain the age of 5 on or before Sept. 1 to be admitted to kindergarten at any time during that school year.

• Any child who has attained the age of 6 on or before Sept. 1 will be admitted to first grade if kindergarten has been successfully completed. Successful completion of kindergarten will be defined as:

• Upon initial enrollment to transfer from one attendance zone to another in a public school in Florida, proof of residency must be presented. The following documents shall be required:

• Before admission to a public school from other Florida counties, a student must have a valid Florida Certificate of Immunization on file and proof of residence.

• Before admitting a student to Florida schools, the school must have received several documents required by Florida Statutes, as outlined below:

• Before entering seventh grade, each student needs the following: Hepatitis B (a series of three doses), second measles shot, preferably MMR; and Tetanusdiphtheria (Td) booster. This immunization form is available through the county health department or a personal physician.

Students who speak Spanish as their primary language can receive special classroom assistance throughout metro Orlando. Each of the three publicschool districts provides English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs.

The objective of the programs is to develop English language proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The ESOL classroom consists of students from diverse language backgrounds who enter school at various levels of English proficiency. During the development of English language proficiency, students progress through the beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. For more information about these programs, contact the following: Orange County Public Schools, 407-317-3363; Seminole County Public Schools, 407-320-0200; Osceola County Public Schools, 407-870-4848.

In addition, many private schools offer similar programs.

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