Two innovative education initiatives have transformed public middle-school education in Sarasota County over the past eight years. A report marking the culmination of these successive initiatives, which together invested over $18 million into technology-enhanced education in the region, was shared with the Sarasota County School Board on February 20. At the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Todd Bowden presented his inaugural “Superintendent’s Coin of Excellence” to Gulf Coast Community Foundation and to Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation in recognition of their leadership in the efforts. The first initiative, STEMsmart, was launched by GCCF in 2009, in partnership with the Sarasota and Charlotte county school districts, to jump-start education in the STEM disciplines. Originally envisioned as a five-year, $2.5-million partnership focused on eight secondary schools within the two counties, STEMsmart grew into an $11.5-million initiative to transform every middle-school math and science classroom across the Sarasota County School District to the TechActive format. The second initiative, 21st Century Schools, expanded upon the scope of STEMsmart to fun similar transformations for every English language arts and social studies classroom in Sarasota County middle schools. Both initiatives were independently evaluated by Robertson Consulting Group. A selection of highlights from this ongoing evaluation is included in a new capstone report from GCCF, available below.

Gulf Coast Community Foundation Education Report