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Executive Summary

for

“Hispanic Educators for Change”

Vision

Preparing students for life.

Mission

To promote structural change, readily accessible resources, and economic opportunities to help our

students and communities achieve their maximum potential.

Mantra

Inspire-Transform-Triumph Inspirar-Transformar-Triunfar

The School Board of Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Office of the Superintendent realized

the need to look at a new way of educating, advocating, and empowering the growing Hispanic

community. There is a continuous need to revitalize and strengthen our schools throughout the District,

as well as to make sure there is accessibility to exceptional public education in every area of the District.

The Superintendent of Schools has asked the Chief of Staff and a committee of educators, community

leaders, and university partners to study and analyze various sources of data and create strategic

recommendations. These recommendations will be aligned to the district strategic plan, which will

provide the necessary resources to create welcoming school environments for the present and for the

future of our students.

Research has shown that there has been a paradigm shift in the demographics of Hispanics in our

nation. In our District, 35% of our student population is Hispanic and the needs that come with this

rapid increase are many. Today, many of our schools need the support, professional development, and

services to meet this demand. The results of these efforts will empower families and educate our

students to maximize their potential as we prepare them for a productive and successful life.

Overcoming the challenges that Hispanic students face calls for transformational thinking. The time has

come for the District to permit itself to be bold and courageous. We have an opportunity to develop

partnerships that promote structural change, access readily accessible resources, and create economic

opportunities to help our students and communities to achieve their maximum potential for generations

to come.

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In 2014, the Office of the Superintendent created a task force that began an intense study on the needs,

concerns, and areas of opportunities among the Hispanic population in our schools throughout the

district. The task force measured the outcomes through a five-year strategic plan that analyzed areas of

the study that include demographics, enrollment trends, socio-economic status, academic

developments, as well as the condition of the physical plants. The five-year strategic recommendations

will address each goal as identified. The ultimate goal of the Hispanic Educators for Change strategic

recommendations is to preserve the mission and vision of HCPS. This effort will catalyze a new paradigm

that creates additional resources and partnerships designed to strengthen every aspect of the school’s

life, and allowing emerging leadership to support the rapid growth of the Hispanic population.

The Five Goals Identified in the Strategic Plan

I. Academic Programs and Support Services

II. Economic Partnerships & Grants

III. Leadership

IV. Educational Model

V. Community Engagement

Academic Programs and Support Services

The district has a tradition of providing academic excellence. We want to consistently improve in all

areas of academics and instruction aligned with the changing demographics. In partnership with the

district, schools will develop a welcoming school culture and build relationships that empower parents

to engage in their school community, so that our students thrive and achieve academic excellence.

Outcome #1 - Inform Families

Standardize a seamless and culturally relevant registration and enrollment process.

Develop relational front office staff and educators that are culturally sensitive and

knowledgeable.

Outcome #2 - Improve and Streamline Internal and External Communications for Hispanic families

Realignment of existing district resources (i.e. parent guide, website, videos, brochures, etc.)

Develop a district led communication plan to inform our schools on how to best utilize,

distribute, and promote resources for our students and families.

Outcome #3 - Gap Analysis

Analyze the infrastructure currently in place to meet the instructional and social emotional

needs of Hispanic students and families.

Disaggregate historical data relating to effective communication practices to design annual

survey for stakeholders.

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Economic Partnerships and Grants

To promote and expand the resource base of our diverse business community we must provide

opportunities for economic partnerships that will leverage new resources in a global market. This will be

achieved by identifying and pursuing private sector support and new grants that will impact the needs of

the Hispanic students of Hillsborough County Public Schools. Initially we strive to engage our new

partnerships in the following manner:

Develop a mentoring program for elementary and middle school students to develop their entrepreneurial spirit and expose them to the cultural diversity of our community.

Develop partnerships with local businesses to provide apprenticeships and mentoring opportunities for secondary students that will help the student explore real life work experiences while pursuing their educational goals.

Expand mentoring partnerships with community colleges and universities.

Identify, pursue and prioritize new grant opportunities to support the goals of the strategic recommendations.

Implement an annual Hispanic Educational Symposium. (i.e. effective educational models, economic impact of globalization, student driven initiatives)

Increase the trust and communication with the Hispanic families with our schools to understand the educational system that provides the instruction and attends to the needs of the Hispanic population.

Empower families to be more confident in their involvement with the schools to build the relationships that will support the success of the students.

Leadership

HCPS is committed to the understanding of the fastest growing and youngest population in the United

States. The recommendations aim to strengthen the District’s mission to prepare transformative leaders

in education with a strong understanding of cultural proficiency.

Diversify the workforce, especially in the area of teaching and educational

leadership.

Introduce a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership for Hispanic males.

Provide ongoing professional development that will aim to address areas like dual

language learners, immigration law, Hispanic studies, and cultural sensitivity.

Educational Model

It is important to find innovative ways to engaged students to learn. Working with Hispanic students it

is important to find new models that promote acculturation and equity in their educational experience.

Provide mentoring through guest speakers aligned with Club Day at the secondary level. The pilot schools will be Alonso and Leto High Schools. Some of the topics will be: Developing Cultural Awareness and Cross Cultural Understanding for Success,

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Developing Good Self-Esteem, Preparing for College Life with different topics such as: “How to apply for Scholarships” and others.

Provide a Summer College Preparation Camp that will provide the students with programs such as: Cross Cultural Awareness through Latino Studies, Preparing Youth for University Life, Public Speaking, Academic Research and Writing, Dressing for Success, Professional Etiquette, etc.

Develop a committee of mentors composed of Hispanic university students, school personnel and Hispanic educators. Members of the Hispanic Task Force working with the educational model will develop a Speakers Bureau and coordinate the mentoring program.

Work with group of county administrators to increase dual language programs throughout the District.

Provide more opportunities for the Hispanic students to take the GED in Spanish at more locations throughout the District.

Community Engagement

Engaging the greater community to support our School District efforts is an essential strategy to

accomplish many of our goals and build community investment.

To increase the community involvement in our schools.

Make the school the hub of the community by offering other social services for parents and

students to feel safe, comfortable, and valued members of the school.

Offer English classes at the schools for parents and other community members.

Create multimedia opportunities in radio and TV with information about community school

and educational events that are taking place in our areas with familiar faces of leaders in our

schools and communities.

Building strong relationships with students and parents.

Invite the parents to Family Forums by areas.

Family Literacy Nights providing specific support to our ELL students and parents.

Provide opportunities for parents to take part in other school events that are meaningful to

their culture. Hosting multicultural family nights on a regular basis.

To have a more culturally diverse awareness with staff and faculty.

Hire bilingual and bi-literate Parent Liaisons in schools with a high Hispanic population to be

the first line of contact with the parents.

Collect and analyze academic and behavioral data by subgroup and schools to target best

interventions for our students who are high risk.

Provide Professional Development to administrators, teachers and staff on cultural diversity

among the Hispanic Cultures.

Send all communications and official documents to parents in their native language.

Reach out to consulates, immigration offices and other outside agencies to gather information about

newcomers and other demographic changes that might affect our communities.