The item was met with pushback, with the first day of school around the corner.
At the end of June, Miami Dade County Public Schools decided to explore the feasibility of implementing a classical curriculum in all district schools.
The item was met with pushback, with the first day of school around the corner.
“Item H-3, classical education.”
That item brought forth by School Board Member Monica Colucci caused some parents to question its intention.
One parent shared, “The last thing we need to do right now is divert more funds from traditional, neighborhood, public schools to a charter school.”
Another speaker shared, “Given the recognized correlation between family income and student performance, we should not be so quick to credit curriculum and instructional approach alone as determining factors.”
However, Member Colucci and others held fast.
The item passed in late June, and board members have been looking into the models our schools are already using for the past several weeks. They also observe data from Classical Curriculum schools to see if this curriculum should be implemented in Miami Dade.
“Given that there is so much choice in the state of Florida, we need to be in a position as a district to compete,” shares Member Colucci.
The Classical Curriculum has made recent headlines, as Governor Ron DeSantis has been among its biggest champions.
The curriculum is divided into three parts.
Grammar is taught at the elementary school level and focuses on knowledge and memorization. In middle school, students focus on logic which is centered on questioning. And in high school, students focus on rhetoric, honing their ability to evaluate and make arguments.
“It also pursues truth and creates a student that focuses on character and virtue,” furthers Colucci.
Member Colucci says two local charter schools have already implemented the curriculum and says they are extremely successful in results. However, concrete numbers have yet to be presented.
It’s why Board Member Lucia Baez-Geller was adamant in vocalizing her concerns, “This is a curriculum that is being pushed and pushed through quickly, without any knowledge on whether or not it works for our students here, especially Miami Dade.”
She furthers, “And it’s not being tested or vetted; it’s just coming down the pipeline from the governor’s office.”
Baez-Geller had done her own research, finding when you compare charter schools with traditional public schools in the same district, performance levels do not vary.
“Miami-Dade County Public Schools is a melting pot, and there is so many different backgrounds, and I think we do need to consider, and not just have a blanket approach to how we implement curriculum. And we have to be sure, before we do any big changes, that we are going to do something that’s going to help our neediest students, not further isolate them from opportunities,” she continues.
The board says they will continue collecting data to provide an update during the October 3rd committee meeting and then will decide how to proceed.
