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Op-Eds

The Miami Herald

Published on Thursday, July 19, 2012

EDUCATION
FCAT doesn’t serve students — or parents
 
BY FREDERICA S. WILSON

As a former school principal I believe in accountability, but it must be transparent. As we digest the release of school grades from the Florida Department of Education, I want to say one thing — this is madness.

For 14 years I have fought against the FCAT. As, Bs, Cs, Ds, and Fs? How ridiculous. This is nothing but hoodwinking parents and the community by putting grades on a school. No other state in America deceives their communities by devising formulas that no person or school can decipher. For far too long students have been treated as experiments in petri dishes, and life-altering decisions have been made with a callous disregard for children’s futures.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/18/2901645/fcat-doesnt-serve-students-or.html

 
The Miami Herald

Published on Tuesday, May 29, 2012

TRAYVON MARTIN
Change or repeal ‘Stand Your Ground’
 
BY FREDERICA S. WILSON
http://wilson.house.gov

Many bills are adopted in Congress and in state legislatures every year that have controversial and unintended consequences that are revealed after the bill becomes law. Stand Your Ground is one such law and like so many others, certain segments of Stand Your Ground should be amended out — or Stand Your Ground should be repealed.

The governor has convened a task force to study the legislation; some state senators have done the same. The Justice Department will conduct a thorough and independent investigation. In fact, the investigations are going on at every level of government in this case. The Congressional Black Caucus is asking the Justice Department to look into the ever-changing interpretation of Stand Your Ground in cases we have witnessed personally in Florida, including the Marissa Alexander case in Jacksonville.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/28/2817547/change-or-repeal-stand-your-ground.html

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

FCAT closes door for many students
April 15, 2012|By Frederica Wilson

The key to the next level of life is a high school diploma. Without it, you can't open any doors. Unfortunately, thousands of high school students will never receive that key even though they have completed all their coursework and passed every exam. They won't receive it because of one reason — the FCAT.
 
Instead, almost 20,000 seniors will receive a "Certificate of Completion." Despite working toward graduation all their lives, they will suddenly be informed that, "No, you may not receive a diploma. No, you may not have this key to your future."
 
 
The Miami Herald
 
Published on Friday, March 30, 2012

CHILD WELFARE
We must do better for children in welfare system
 
BY REP. FREDRICA WILSON
http://wilson.house.gov

From the time that I first began my service as a lawmaker in Florida, child welfare has been one of my top priorities.

The memory of children who have died from abuse and neglect or have gone missing, like Rilya Wilson, a 4-year-old who went missing from my district in 2001, are constant reminders of how important it is that we do everything we can to protect children.
 
While challenges remain for Florida’s child welfare system, I believe we also have much to celebrate. That’s why I am joining some of my colleagues from the Congressional Foster Care Caucus for a roundtable discussion in Miami on March 30 where we will assess the state of the child welfare system and the benefits and challenges of the community-based care system in South Florida.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/29/2721528/we-must-do-better-for-children.html
 
 
The Miami Herald
 

Job fair a sucess but we can do more to spur growth

By FREDERICA S. WILSON
http://wilson.house.gov

Some 8,000 job seekers ventured into the James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami for a job fair Aug. 23. Many job-seekers had been unemployed for months, even years. There were young adults, seasoned professionals, mothers with babies, and mature workers. My first thought was “how awesome to see so many people turn out for this event,” but I quickly remembered that all of these people were either unemployed or underemployed...

 
 
The Miami Herald
 

Children at risk need better protection

By FREDERICA S. WILSON
Wilson.house.gov

I thought my nightmare involving Rilya Wilson would never end.

Now, that same nightmare is being replayed in the Department of Children and Families (DCF) through the tragedies involving Nubia and Victor Barahona, who were found badly burned in their adopted father’s truck last month. Victor survived, but Nubia did not. We can no longer sit quietly by and treat our children like they are invisible...

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/23/v-print/2130639/children-at-risk-need-better-protection.html#ixzz1NOZ3rxZm

 
 
The Miami Herald
 

Frederica Wilson: Charting new course for Haiti

BY FREDERICA S. WILSON
http://wilson.house.gov/

As much as you may learn about Haiti through the news, nothing — nothing — compares to seeing the country through your own eyes. After last year’s devastating earthquake, I was determined to see the destruction first-hand and chart a course to help Haiti rebuild, as well as strengthen ties between the Haitian people and the South Florida diaspora. It was in this spirit that I recently traveled to the country to survey conditions on the ground and assess the political climate...

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/21/v-print/2227787/frederica-wilson-charting-new.html#ixzz1NOZFobs9