Miami-Dade County Public Schools' School Choice & Parental Optionshas been awarded a grant under the Federal Voluntary Public School Choice Program. This grant will be the foundation for an innovative and comprehensive restructuring of choice programs within Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS). Parental choice will be greatly expanded by providing a broad array of educational opportunities and increased transportation service for schools within specified Choice Zones. These choices will include: All Academy model schools" commuter schools, a broad array of magnet and school theme programs, charter schools, and satellite centers.

I Choose!, is a five-year initiative designed to significantly expand the availability of high quality school options for parents and students in Miami-Dade County. While district students may currently apply to a broad number of choice programs, restrictive challenges due to vast geographic distances, an inadequate transportation system, and parent's lack of knowledge regarding available opportunities have resulted in only 12% of the district's 374,725 students participating in choice programs. I Choose! will lead to significant change and improvement of the current system by identifying, evaluating, and replicating thriving choice programs in geographically smaller areas; and expanding transportation services to more students.

The overarching goals of this initiative include:

1. Create Choice Zones. The 2,000 square mile span of the district will be divided into eight smaller Choice Zones, (four established with grant funds) each containing approximately four complete feeder patterns (four high schools, six to twelve middle schools, nine to sixteen elementary schools) populated with a broad selection of high quality themed choice programs. Parents will have full choice options and transportation service for dozens of programs/schools within their Choice Zone, and controlled choice options outside the zones.

2. Identify, evaluate, and replicate successful programs. Identifying and evaluating successful schools and then replicating their effective practices will result in the implementation of educational models that raise student achievement. High priority will be given to schools which have been designated low performing, as defined by section 1111 (b), No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Each Choice Zone will have numerous high quality choice options for elementary, middle, and senior high school students.

3. Increase the capacity of successful programs. Approximately 25 district choice programs receive hundreds, even thousands, more applications than can be accommodated. A lottery system implementing a random selection process, though fair, still excludes many eligible students. Through I Choose!, program capacity will be increased by:

• moving existing relocatable classrooms to sites of highly successful programs where student applications exceed capacity;
• linking high quality schools by opening satellite centers at nearby locations; and
• allowing high schools to implement voluntary double shifts (including evening programs).

4. Create new " All Academy" model schools. Replicating successful themed models in schools that are in a declining enrollment mode and/or currently under construction will promote the expansion of school choice programs. Rather than assigning traditional neighborhood attendance boundaries, students from across the district can apply to attend. Success will be defined using a combination of criteria such as the Florida "A+ Plan" school rating, instructional strategies, programs that improve student performance, school waiting lists, parent satisfaction, and expressed community desire.

5. Redesign the district's transportation service plan to encompass expanded Choice Zones. I Choose! will maximize cost-effective transportation services by (1) replacing an obsolete map and routing system with a computerized routing system; and (2) developing the expertise within the transportation department to use the routing technology effectively. A route transportation director will work in conjunction with I Choose! staff to design Choice Zones and maximize routing efficiencies, thereby significantly increasing the number of students who have access to transportation services. Funding from I Choose! will be used to supplement district transportation costs, not supplant them.

6. Provide a Choice Academic Support Team (CAST). The CAST theme specialists will work with teachers in new choice programs as well as those in low performing schools. The team will offer workshops, professional development programs, and individualized assistance on choice-related issues to transform less-effective schools into more effective ones. They will also train and provide support for new lead teachers as school choice programs are implemented. A social worker and counselor will work exclusively in the community to address the critical need of helping parents avail themselves of public assistance services and to make informed decisions about their children's educatiOl1. As lead teachers are hired, the CAST will play a significant role in training them to take on leadership roles within their assigned Choice Zones.

7. I Choose! Summer Institute. An intensive summer institute has been established that provides an opportunity for shared problem-solving and reflection within a context of mutual support. For ten days, teachers from charter schools and the newly-formed choice and themed schools work with local and national curriculum specialists from the following fields: mathematics, science, language arts, social science, instructional technology, and guidance and counseling. The focus is on sharing effective teaching strategies and student achievement.