FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- As the nation recovers from the recession, a community college in Broward County is taking a different approach to make workforce training available to all.

"Broward UP," which stands for "Unlimited Potential," makes education accessible by "meeting students where they are," by holding free classes and workshops at satellite sites in six local ZIP Codes that have the highest unemployment and lowest educational-attainment rates.

Dr. Mildred Coyne, senior vice president for Broward College Workforce Education and Innovation, said they've made agreements with communities and agencies to use their facilities.

"Now we've created an intergenerational model, where children are seeing their parents in school while they're at their favorite Boys and Girls Club," Coyne explained. "And it's really just creating a continuous loop of understanding that education is for everyone, and it's a never-ending, generational loop."

Since 2018, more than 2,600 students have taken the free workshops; 95% are students of color, and most are over age 30. Almost 2,000 of them have gone on to pursue certifications in their career fields.

Isabel Gonzalez, chief of staff and vice president of Communications and Community Relations at Broward College, said a degree isn't always the end goal in this model of learning.

She argued it's more important to get people ready for what employers will expect of them.

"There's just so much talk around dropping education credentials when you're hiring and those kinds of trends, but you still need to demonstrate those skills," Gonzalez contended.

Bridging the digital divide for students is another part of helping them compete for higher-wage jobs.

Coyne noted in Broward County, high-wage jobs are growing, while low- and middle-wage jobs are on the decline. "Broward UP" is a way for students to increase their economic mobility.

"Just moving people up from the bottom, up one rung, isn't enough," Coyne asserted. "It's not a resilient enough wage, and we saw that really play itself out through the pandemic, and the disproportionate impact that the pandemic and the economic downturn had on our communities of poverty."

She thinks the Broward College model could work at other schools, by building strong community partnerships.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

As teacher shortages grip Mississippi classrooms, a nonprofit is recruiting Generation Z educators to teach, tutor, and lead schools.

A survey by the Mississippi Department of Education found more than 5,000 vacancies among teachers, administrators and school support staff.

Kewanza Q. Williams, executive director of Teach for America Greater Delta, which includes Mississippi and Arkansas, said they provide a viable pathway toward entering the education field for Gen Z educators. She added their new partnership program is helping young educators become certificated teachers.

"We also have started a Spark Initiative, a Grow Your Own initiative," Williams outlined. "Where we work directly with districts such as Holmes County in Mississippi and Clarksdale Collegiate, identifying paraprofessionals or others who are interested in the educational field and getting them more invested and involved and informed about what is education."

Williams pointed out the organization currently employs more than 100 teachers and tutors across Mississippi and Arkansas, helping them reach their educational and career goals. She added they have 400 alumni working in various education-related fields, helping to build a system where children can fully develop their capabilities.

Williams noted they are also recruiting students from Mississippi and Arkansas college campuses and universities. She explained the Ignite tutoring program, where college students help high school students with their homework, fostering academic success and valuable connections.

"We recruit freshmen and sophomores and juniors in college to serve as virtual tutors, where they can be in their dorm room tutoring students from across the United States," Williams emphasized. "This high dosage tutoring has really helped here in Mississippi and Arkansas."

Williams added teachers can get certified for free in Mississippi and Arkansas through the Teach for America Greater Delta program. She stressed it provides comprehensive training and mentorship throughout the two-year program and beyond, ensuring teachers have the resources they need to succeed.


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The North Carolina Association of Educators is calling on state lawmakers to prioritize disaster relief legislation for public schools and communities in Western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.

Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the association, highlighted schools have been central to community recovery efforts, serving as shelters and resource hubs. She explained the association has requested specific actions from lawmakers to support the ongoing needs of affected schools, including free meals for all students and resources to rebuild damaged infrastructures.

"We will continue to uplift the immediate needs, the tangible resources that students need," Walker Kelly explained. "But also the long-term supports that they will need as they recover from this disaster, days, months, and for the years to come. "

Walker Kelly stressed additional funding is critical to meet both immediate and long-term, not just in affected areas but all public schools. For instance, many schools are welcoming displaced students and require essential resources like school supplies, clothing and hygiene items.

In addition to physical resources, Walker Kelly pointed out the emotional effects on students and families have created an urgent need for mental health support.

"Our students have experienced a traumatic event," Walker Kelly stressed. "They need trained personnel in school buildings to help them talk about those things and process that event."

On Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper signed the Disaster Recovery Act of 2024 Part II, giving North Carolina $604 million of additional relief funding. About $64 million is estimated to go to the Department of Public Instruction.


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A new survey found Bridgeport teachers lack confidence in the district's superintendent.

The Connecticut Education Association's survey comes amid ongoing complaints from teachers, district families and other staff about Carmela Levy-David's brief time at the helm. In the survey, teachers characterized the superintendent as unprofessional in dealing with educators and lacking consistent policies.

Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, said it is disheartening 80% of respondents are considering leaving Bridgeport to work in other school districts.

"Those aren't people that are saying, 'I'm overwhelmed,' or what have you, 'I want to leave the profession,'" Dias pointed out. "They're specifically saying, 'I'm uncomfortable with what we're doing in Bridgeport, and I don't know if I can sustain what's going on here or I can continue in the present manner.'"

Responding to the survey's findings, Levy-David said she is appreciative of the feedback but wishes the union had come to her with the results first. She added district administrators are committed to adjusting the pace of changes made to the district. The survey's findings are being presented to the Board of Education at its meeting tonight.

It is Levy-David's second year leading the district. Dias contended things have not gone smoothly since the beginning. The union has tried developing a relationship with Levy-David, but Dias argued the superintendent has been unresponsive. Dias added teachers worry about how it affects students, noting educators must pick up the slack.

"If the materials aren't being provided by the district, the teachers are trying to figure out how to get them," Dias pointed out. "If the curriculum is not adequate for the students, the teachers are trying to figure out how to fill those gaps and they're trying to figure out how to make things work. And so, you have teachers working 50, 60 hours a week, and that's just not sustainable."

After presenting the findings, Dias wants to work with the board on what lies ahead but said the board has delayed Levy-David's evaluation or addressing some of the concerns. While Dias wants the board to have sufficient data before proceeding, she contended they have to act, based on the district's discontent.

"We're not talking about a couple of people who are unhappy," Dias stressed. "We're talking about widespread dissatisfaction, and I really think that board of ed is obligated to wonder, 'Who's this superintendent leading?'"


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