LUTZ, Fla. — A principal in Hillsborough County is proudly recognizing her staff for their achievement in making this year’s Schools of Excellence list.
In 2017, the State of Florida initiated the list to recognize the top-performing schools across the state.
Maniscalco K-8 in Lutz has made it onto the list this year, thanks to the efforts of its Principal, Tammy Reale. According to Reale, the school began prioritizing data-driven academic monitoring, which led to this achievement.
“Our teachers were deeply affected when we dropped to a B in 2021. They questioned their methods, wondering what they were doing wrong,” Reale expressed. “However, it wasn’t their fault. We simply needed to analyze the data from a different perspective.”
At Maniscalco, it is impossible to ignore the pervasive influence of a data-driven approach.
The classrooms of teachers are adorned with data points, while the school halls proudly showcase the goals and achievements of the students.
According to Principal Reale, teachers now have the capability to swiftly identify students who require extra support and those who are lagging behind as they closely monitor new types of data.
According to Reale, tracking data allows teachers to intervene earlier in the educational process.
Hillsborough County is proudly honoring the achievement of 31 schools that have been recognized on the Schools of Excellence list this year.
At present, only slightly over 10% of the schools in Hillsborough County have been acknowledged as Schools of Excellence.
