Education Effect helps Miami Northwestern achieve historic “A”

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) announced Wednesday that Miami Northwestern Senior High School (MNW) has achieved the first “A” grade in the  school’s history, helped in part by The Education Effect partnership with FIU.

“Today we are celebrating at a school that was labeled as a failing school for many years,” said M-DCPS Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. “We have seen that our students, with the support of family, community and organizations like Florida International University, can move from being known as a failure to being a champion.”

FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg joins Miami Northwestern Principal Wallace Aristide in celebrating the school’s “A” grade, the first in its history.

Florida International University President Mark B. Rosenberg congratulated Miami Northwestern, which historically has been ranked “D/F” in the state’s school accountability ratings. Since 2011, with a seed investment from JPMorgan Chase, FIU has worked in collaboration with M-DCPS and MNW to improve student achievement, increase graduation rates and promote a pathway to post-secondary education.

“This is a major victory for Principal Wallace Aristide and his entire team,” said Rosenberg. “They have vision and work incredibly hard to bring together the resources to make a life-long difference in these students’ lives.”

Miami Northwestern Principal Wallace Aristide said The Education Effect has transformed MNW and the entire Liberty City community. The program is raising expectations, helping create a college-going culture, engaging parents and better preparing students to enroll and graduate from college.

Vice President for Engagement Irma Becerra-Fernandez, School Board Member Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall and Miami-Dade Commissioner Audrey Edmonson participated in the announcement of Miami Northwestern’s first ever “A” grade, helped in part by The Education Effect partnership with FIU.

“The partnership with FIU has inspired and motivated our students to become high achievers,” said Aristide. “Because of the partnership, our students see themselves as going to a college or a university, no longer just graduating high school. There is a much greater focus on GPAs, academics, future success, even as freshmen.’’

Since the partnership began, graduation rates at MNW have increased from 64 percent to nearly 80 percent, higher than the district average. The percentage of students earning a 3.0 GPA or higher has increased from 15 percent to 45 percent. Students accepted to post-secondary education have increased 10 percent. Last year, students earned more than $5 million in scholarships for higher education.