Dr. Sylvia R. Jackson

Director’s VITAE

I am currently employed as the Director of Gadsden Technical Institute (GTI) and Director of Secondary Education. During the course of my 30-year career as an Educator, I have served as a middle and high school science teacher; high school lead guidance counselor; high school assistant principal for curriculum, assessment, and federal programs; high school principal; curriculum director for both small (Gadsden County Public Schools) and large school districts (Anaheim Union High School District); and a university summer adjunct instructor (California Lutheran University-Human Growth and Development). I have completed Action Research (CA – Integrated Science Curriculum) and written and received several state grants both in the State of California and Florida (Orange County Middle School STEM Science Grant, FLDOE RTTT, FLDOE Perkins). I have served as a committee member for universities (UCSB Outreach, California Lutheran Educators Committee and FAMU-COE Redesign and Restructuring Committee), community colleges (Oxnard College Educators Committee and Tallahassee Community College Outreach Community Committee), and district education committees (Oxnard Union High School District Technology, Havana Middle School Restructuring Committee, Panhandle Area Education Consortium Advisory Board). 

I am a graduate of the Gadsden County Public School system. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Indiana University, a Psychiatric Nursing License from Camarillo State Hospital, and a teaching certification in Life Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. I have a Master of Science degree in Guidance and Counseling, Master of Arts in School Administration, and a Doctorate of Education Leadership, all of which were earned at California Lutheran University. I have written high school curriculum for both English and English as a Second Language science instruction; and presented at the National Science Teachers’ Association Conference and numerous local organizations within the learning communities I served. 

During my tenure with the Gadsden County Public School System, I was the primary author of the Race to the Top Grant, the Gadsden Teacher Evaluation Model, and the School Leaders/Non Classroom Teachers Evaluation Models (http://www.gadsdenschools.org/). I have served on the Panhandle Area Education Consortium (PAEC) Advisory Board for four years and am currently serving on the Gadsden County Development Council. I am also a trained Clinical Educator certified by the State of Florida. My current District responsibilities include supervision of the day to day operations of the post-secondary site, Gadsden Technical Institute; overseeing the district’s Career and Technical programs; and supervising secondary education.

DISTRICT'S MISSION AND VISION

VISION

Gadsden County Public Schools comprise a system of excellence that prepares ALL students to live and successfully compete in a global society.

MISSION

The mission of Gadsden County Public Schools is to collaborate with all stakeholders to provide a safe, caring, rigorous and engaging instructional environment in which students can learn and succeed.

SECONDARY TEACHING AND LEARNING

The Gadsden County School District is on a journey toward achieving excellence. Our students are the reason we exist, and everything we do must be focused on the things that are in their best interest. From this perspective, we will continue to be committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to better prepare our students for life in a global society.

CORE BELIEFS

The Gadsden County School District believes that:

• all students will learn when instruction is engaging, rigorous, differentiated and individualized;
• learning environments must be safe and supportive;
• schools exist to foster the development and well-being of the whole child;
• understanding and respecting diversity enriches students’ lives;
• every student has a right to a high quality education;
• success requires shared responsibility, collaboration and communication among all staff, families, students and the community;
• engaged families combined with highly effective teachers and school leaders are the central components of a successful school;
• positive character education is essential to whole child development;
• high-quality customer service is a critical component of high-quality education;
• everyone must be held to the highest ethical standards to achieve excellence;
• everyone must contribute to and be held accountable for student achievement; and
• all district services must clearly be linked to student achievement.

SECONDARY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Career and Technical Education can give high school students what they need to succeed in life: technical skills, academic skills, and employability skills (https://www.skillsusa.org ). A successful transition from school to work requires that the education our students receive is relevant to the job market, in sync with global economic forecasts, and contribute to our economy (Psychology Today: The Importance and Relevance of CTE, Dr. Jamillah Moore, March 2015).

According to the Association for Career & Technical Education website (https://www.acteonline.org ), when Career and Technical Education (CTE) is rigorous and relevant, youth and adults are prepared for a wide range of high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand careers. High school students involved in CTE are more engaged, perform better and graduate at higher rates.

·         81 percent of dropouts say relevant, real-world learning opportunities would have kept them in high school.

·         The average high school graduation rate for students concentrating in CTE programs is 90.18 percent, compared to an average national freshman graduation rate of 74.9 percent.

·         More than 70 percent of secondary CTE concentrators pursued postsecondary education shortly after high school.

Secondary CTE Programs

POSTSECONDARY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Gadsden Technical Institute (GTI) is the district’s postsecondary Adult Career and Technical institution.  It is a small site located at 201 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.  GTI offers adult education classes for students hoping to earn their GED and several adult Career and Technical programs:

·         Automotive Service Technology

·         Automotive Service Technology 1

·         Barbering

·         Carpentry

·         Commercial Class “B” Driving

·         Cosmetology

·         Diesel Systems Technician 2

·         Facials Specialty

·         Nails Specialty

·         Power Equipment Technologies

·         Practical Nursing

For more information call 850-875-8324 or visit www.gadsdentech.org .