I Got Schooled

 I don't remember much about the day except that I was a tour guide for a Department of Labor person who was on a visit to Miami during the Reagan Administration.  I'm not sure why I was chosen for this task except that I called and made appointments and knew my way around Miami so we were not going to waste time.  The Fed Rep was younger than I was and Black.  We were going to visit grant recipients in Liberty City, Little Havana, and Virginia Key.  All three programs served youth between the ages of 14-21.

We went to O.I.C., SABER, and DMI.  The visits went well.  I thought attendance was good, the classes were interesting and the staff was able to answer questions about recruiting, payroll, management and possible placements.

On the way back to the office she asked about the kids that were in the DMI.  The Dade Marine Institute trained kids to work with outboard motors, seamanship, scuba diving and academics.  I told her most kids were referred by the courts as the staff had explained.  

She wasn't very impressed with my answer.  O.I.C. was almost 100%  Black, SABER about 90% Latin, and DMI was about 80% Anglo.  She wondered if there were kids from Liberty City or Little Havana that might want to spend time on the beach, learn a trade, and brush up their school work.  It could have been worse.  I knew where she was going with her line of questions.  After checking in at the office, my boss gave her a ride to the airport.

In some ways the DMI model worked: The original MAST Academy is now the Maritime and Science Technology Program (MST), essentially a small school within a larger educational venue. Acceleration in the MST Program is through a full Advanced Placement menu, AICE, Dual Enrollment, and Honors courses.

The DMI Alternative School model exists as an alternative school separate from MAST.  Its future with COVID 19 is in question going into the new school year.