Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 3-25-16 Edition

Features
Free Ask-A-Lawyer
Letter To The Editor:
Event On Saturday
Improving Graduation Rates: What We’re Doing
The Florida Bar Consumer Protection Law Committee will host an Ask-A-Lawyer event on Saturday, March 26, from 10 a. m. until noon, at the Seminole Heights Library in Tampa. In- terested persons should sign-in in Meeting Room B and may register in advance by emailing attorney@longalaw.com. The Ask-A-Lawyer service is free of charge.
At the event, attorneys will conduct individual, 10-to-15- minute consultations. Partici- pating attorneys have expertise in many areas of law and will be able to provide guidance re- garding bankruptcy, foreclo- sure, employment, landlord/tenant, real estate, wills and estates, collections defense, and consumer rights. In addition, bilingual at- torneys will be present to pro- vide legal advice to Spanish-speakers.
Although local legal aid programs assist with repre- senting many, the need far ex- ceeds the resources available. Sometimes legal rep- resentation may not be re- quired and brief counsel from an attorney may be all the as- sistance a person needs.
Persons who participate in Ask-A-Lawyer must sign state- ments verifying that they un- derstand that the volunteer attorney is not agreeing to rep- resent them, but is simply there to provide some legal guidance and information. If necessary, attorneys may provide referrals to Bay Area Legal Services.
In addition to hosting Ask- A-Lawyer events, The Florida Bar’s Consumer Protection Law Committee conducts out- reach and prepares and up- dates consumer pamphlets available on The Florida Bar’s website.
Graduating high school is one of the most important steps towards building a better future, not just for each graduate, but for our entire region.
As Superintendents in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties, preparing our stu- dents to graduate and suc- ceed in life is our business – despite any obstacles stu- dents face inside or outside the classroom.
That’s why we are thrilled that on March 30, more than 200 students from 12 area high schools will gather in St. Petersburg for the GradNation Summit, an extraordinary event aimed at helping close the gap between those students who graduate and those who struggle.
With this event, the stu- dents will drive the conver- sation. Instead of principals telling students what they need to do to graduate, stu- dents will take the stage and tell principals, community leaders – and Superintend- ents – what obstacles they face on the path to gradua- tion and beyond.
No one person is more important to a student’s path to graduation than that very student. Take a minute to listen to a student, and you will learn what really matters to that child each day.
Between packed sched- ules, the arts, sports, volun-
—JEFF EAKINS, (pictured)
Superintendent, Hillsborough County Schools
and
–DR. MICHAEL A. GREGO, Superintendent, Pinellas County Schools
teering, friends, cliques and social media, school life can be daunting.
— Students tell us they need dedicated teachers. They need safe schools. They need options to pursue lessons in ways that work for them: in traditional classrooms, at technical schools and online.
— Students tell us they need advocates and mentors, someone they know they can turn to, on campus, and in the community, to help guide them or just to sit and listen.
— Students tell us they want to succeed well beyond graduation day. They want success in life.
Many of our high schools have graduation rates well above 90 percent, and we applaud them. Yet, we know there is more work to be done. Both counties face major issues in many of our struggling schools.
We know that too many students face too many hur- dles when earning a quality education. Poverty, danger- ous neighborhoods, finan- cial hardships and unstable housing are just some of these factors.
That’s why we’re creat- ing more innovative pro- grams to help students who need the most help.
In Pinellas County, we have new methods to iden- tify students who struggle early on in our Freshman Transition Teams. The dis- trict hosted parent nights to share ways they can prevent students from slipping be- hind in two key areas that could prevent a student from graduating (English/Language Arts and Math). Students who strug- gle early on are paired with
a peer mentor to guide them through high school.
Pinellas County Schools have revamped discipline practices with an eye to steering kids back towards learning and not into the justice system. We’re guid- ing more students into STEM and Advanced Place- ment classes and more stu- dents than ever are graduating those classes with college credit.
In Hillsborough County, we turned the traditional hi- erarchy structure upside down, so students and par- ents are at the top of the pyramid. This culture shift arises from a belief in ser- vant leadership, putting the needs of students first and helping them reach their po- tential.
Hillsborough County this year implemented a system to track grades, behavior and attendance of all 9th graders to help identify stu- dents that need help begin- ning their path to graduation – rather than waiting until the student has fallen behind. And we’re building more internships and mentoring opportuni- ties so students have real- life experiences to prepare them for life after high school.
Many of these programs and projects are quite new, but we’re already seeing progress. Graduation rates in both Pinellas and Hills- borough are rising, in all subgroups.
All this is thanks to a community of dedicated teachers and staff who give so much of themselves to help our students learn. We also must recognize the ad- ditional resources from our volunteers and partners who donate their time, tal- ents, and knowledge.
We know there’s more to do. We need leaders throughout the community who can help students stay on a path towards gradua- tion and success beyond graduation day.
We are making real progress, and more achieve- ments are ahead. But every- one needs to move in the same direction. We will be there doing what we should all do for our students – lis- tening.
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2016