By Dr. Annette Weissman, Principal SIB Community School

What is educational excellence? This is a topic of discussion at many educational meetings and there is generally consensus on some common threads, but not an exact definition.  It is also an important part of parental conversations as they first choose a school for their children and then monitor the quality of education the children receive.  Of course, at SIBCS and throughout the District, I am often a central figure in these talks.  Earlier this month I was part of a principal’s forum in Orlando, Florida and again the focus was on Educational Excellence.  I was attending an event hosted by the Foundation for Excellence in Education to celebrate the recognition of one of our teachers.

Randee Baron, a sixth grade mathematics teacher at Sunny Isles Beach Community School, was honored as one of Florida’s Greatest Teachers at a Celebration of Teaching in Orlando on Dec. 5, 2009. Ms. Baron was presented with this prestigious  award by the Foundation for Excellence in Education which is an organization launched by Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida, in 2008 to foster excellence in education.  The Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of education in American classrooms by sponsoring innovative, reform-based programs.

The Foundation rewards teachers whose students made the most progress in reading or math from one year to the next according to annual standardized tests.  Students of these exceptional educators learned at least 1.5 times, or 50 percent, more than the average student based on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores for the last three consecutive years.

Ms. Baron was one of only 81 teachers recognized  out of a pool of 181,000 eligible teachers.  The Foundation divides the awards into seven categories and Ms. Baron was a winner in two  categories. She was the recipient of the Math Excel Award for Teachers  Achieving the Greatest Gains with High Achieving Students and for Teachers Achieving the Great Gains with students in Families with Low Income. 

According to Jeb Bush, “Great teachers produce great students.  Study after study show the quality of teaching is key in determining the destiny of a student’s academic success.”  This has always been my philosophy as well and so I have always maintained the highest standards when hiring new staff members.  Then, I set very high expectations for everyone working at the school.  I believe the students, parents, and the community deserve nothing less than the very best education we can provide.