how are miami schools? (Hialeah, Pembroke Pines: neighborhoods, magnet schools, university)

[Doess]

where are the best public schools in the county? are all schools bad? are there problems such as harassment and name calling (and fights) in miami schools or bad teachers?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Doess

are all schools bad? are there problems such as harassment and name calling (and fights) in miami schools or bad teachers?

Although I'm not quite sure if a school exists that has no harassment and bad teachers, I would say Miami ranks high on the scale. The only high school I would ever send my kids to in Dade is Palmetto and I would be hesitant to do that.

[crisp444]

High schools that are known to be "good" are Palmetto, Killian, Coral Reef, Coral Gables, and Krop. However, there are several other high schools in good neighborhoods in which your child can get a fine education (Sunset, Springs, Beach, among many). Where are you considering moving in Miami-Dade? If I know a specific area I can maybe comment on those high schools. I would send my child to pretty much any high school in Miami-Dade that is located in a nice area; it is a total myth that all the schools suck. Most of my college friends (who went to Boston University, MIT, or Harvard) from Miami went to public schools.

PS - people are probably going to tell you that Broward schools are much "better" but the truth is that if your child is determined to succeed and surrounds himself/herself with the right people and takes advanced classes, s/he can get a great education pretty much anywhere.

[doggiebus]

This may help you decide Miami-Dade Graduation Rates Among the Worst - Education - redOrbit

Also we went through this already. Try these links
http://www.city-data.com/forum/miami...h-schools.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/miami...hool-help.html

[compelled to reply]

I don't think the Broward schools are much better. Only Broward high schools I would send my kids to are Stoneman Douglas, Cypress Bay, Cooper City and MAYBE Western (I got a good education there but apparently the facilities are really poor now) and JP Taravella. Some of the other schools OFFER a good education but the learning environment isn't good or parental involvement is low. Dade has some excellent magnet schools but as a whole it's not just the kids but the system itself. They did a report a while ago about over 40 schools there having mice compared to one in Broward (mentioned school with poor facilities). IMO if they can't keep the schools clean, I don't know how they can even teach.

If you need decent elementary schools, there are quite a few decent ones in Dade and the majority of public elementary schools in Broward are decent. Florida in general does not have bad elementary schools anymore, hopefully it will work it's way up the system!

PS- Nice area means nothing in both Dade and Broward. Plenty of nice areas in Plantation, Miami Lakes, Pembroke Pines, Kendall, Sunrise, Coral Springs that get serviced by crappy high schools.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by crisp444

PS - people are probably going to tell you that Broward schools are much "better" but the truth is that if your child is determined to succeed and surrounds himself/herself with the right people and takes advanced classes, s/he can get a great education pretty much anywhere.

Broward schools suck less than Miami-Dade schools. They all suck though. Just because some people succeed despite the crummy schools, it doesn't change the crumminess of the schools.

[compelled to reply]

"Schools are all great, even in Miami!"
"Some of the schools are OK but it's hit and miss."
"The schools are absolute crap! Some just suck less."

Listen to me, I'm the correct one!!!!!!!! LOL. Seriously though, it's all going to depend on where you were moving from and what your own standards are. There are plenty of schools that are safe with dedicated staff but I think the issue is the curriculum and emphasis on standardized testing. The elementary schools are getting better but I really want to see some change in the middle and high schools, it's desperately needed. Yes I went to a Broward high school and I came out fine but there are still a lot of problems. The thing about the FCAT is that it should be used as an accountability tool and basic skills test, not a grand standard. The fact is our schools were really behind, thus all of the emphasis on the tests. The elementary schools are finally starting to meet the basic standards, which I think is going to mean less "FCAT frenzy" but middle and especially the high schools still have a long way to go, no matter how good the staff is or how safe the schools are, and some of the schools are short on electives and clubs. However despite all of the funding woes Florida schools improve by leaps and bounds every year, which isn't the case in most of the country right now, but the biggest challenges are yet to come. I predict a lot of electives being cut. I guess we will see what happens. I'm not sure that I have faith in public secondary school systems in general, at least not massive county wide systems.

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

PS- Nice area means nothing in both Dade and Broward. Plenty of nice areas in Plantation, Miami Lakes, Pembroke Pines, Kendall, Sunrise, Coral Springs that get serviced by crappy high schools.

I take exception to this though. High schools in Kendall are fine, I'd even call them good based on what I've heard about them and also from looking at data on FCAT scores, AP test scores, etc. I know lots of people knock on Miami Lakes because they go to Hialeah-Miami Lakes, but again, I know a couple people who went there (and went to great colleges) and told me that they had a very positive experience there. I can't say much about Plantation or Sunrise, or even Coral Springs (except that my best friend went to Taravella and always talked about how "preppy" and privileged the atmosphere was there), but why do you say that Pembroke Pines has bad schools? I thought that area was known for good schools... I think you are very harsh in talking about the schools, especially when it comes to those in Miami-Dade. When I think of people on this forum with extremely negative attitudes about South Florida, you really DON'T come to mind but you do tell people very negative things about schools that I know have produced some really bright students. I don't think the schools really need to improve much of anything because they are doing a great job in my opinion, especially considering the wide array of problems that some of them face!

[PBCboy]

I doubt these schools are "producing" bright students. If anything they're dumbing our kids and our society down.

Miami-Dade schools are the worst in South Florida, but the region in general is not known for having a good school system.

[compelled to reply]

Exactly PBCboy, while it's correct that you can make something good out of any school, there is nothing that is inherently "producing" future Harvard grads in the Miami-Dade (or Broward, or Florida, or in public schools in general) school system. The "best" schools are usually the ones with the most involved parents and students, not the ones with the most funding or fanciest building although pushy parents can lead to more options in schools in "good areas".