Kerry-Ann Royes, Author at Faces of Education

How to Tell Stories That Matter: No Frills, Just Smart and Serious Advocacy from Children’s Services Council Sandra Bernard-Bastien

By Kerry-Ann Royes • December 22, 2016

I met this Trini queen over my years strolling the halls of the Children’s Services Council (CSC), the organization created by the voters to improve the lives of Broward’s children by addressing system-wide issues head-on. Being a Jamaican woman, I was immediately drawn to her familiar songbird accent, her unapologetically curly hair, and belly-filled laughs. But as we […]

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Does Her Teacher Love Science As Much As She Does?

By Kerry-Ann Royes • November 10, 2016

She’s turning 12. And in my classic avoidance of throwing a party or hang out with a bunch of pre-teens, I planned a girls trip to New York. We will see Christmas lights and snow if we are lucky. Of course, this is coming from two tropical girls who had to buy coats and closed-toed shoes for […]

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Principal Steven Larson Locks Arms in a Neighborhood United

By Kerry-Ann Royes • October 21, 2016

I met Steven Larson last year. He was fresh in town and was stirring up some partnership conversations in Pompano. This former Assistant Superintendent in Hillsboro, Oregon had moved his wife and 3 kids to South Florida to be closer to family. He took on the role of Principal of Pompano Elementary, the last failing […]

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I Knew My Son Was Telling the Truth But I Didn’t Want to Be the ‘Angry Black Woman’ Again

By Kerry-Ann Royes • October 19, 2016

I have two kids, a girl and a boy. My Elle, 11, has always been cut from her own cloth: independent, smart and smart-witted. She inhales books and the written word in a way that colors her reality. Because of this, she discovered a love of horses at the age of 6 and is […]

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Accountability Is Necessary and It’s Here to Stay

By Kerry-Ann Royes • September 30, 2016

Standardized testing is a part of state law since…forever. If you want a high school diploma from a public school in this country, you must take tests. Tests reveal how much you know, how well you know it, how much you’ve grown and if you are ready to move on. I seriously don’t put much […]

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True Schools Are Created By Those Who Own It

By Kerry-Ann Royes • September 20, 2016

I was born in Kingston, Jamaica and came to the U.S. as a teenager. That journey took me from a strict Catholic private school to an inner city high school in Miami. The true definition of culture shock! I recall the pivotal first encounter at my American school when I was asked to define my […]

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Broward’s SMART Bond

By Kerry-Ann Royes • September 16, 2016

Broward County Public Schools, and the superintendent specifically, has taken some heat over the SMART $800M bond secured with landslide support on November 4th, 2014. We are approaching the two-year anniversary of this loud vote of confidence displayed by Broward’s residents, however, there is a feeling that things are moving too slowly and more […]

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To Be Young, Gifted and a Student of Color

By Kerry-Ann Royes • August 4, 2016

So, I have to say…I’m a little proud of our school district. Recently the Washington Post highlighted Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) for a revolutionary policy started over a decade ago that rolled out universal screening for giftedness for every second-grade student. Previous to this policy, gifted testing was initiated at the recommendation of a […]

Who We Are

Faces of Education

By Kerry-Ann Royes • August 1, 2016

College degrees and spelling bees, Drop-outs and valedictorians, Black lives matter and my life matters, Belly-full and staving, Street smart and book smart. Students Natives and immigrants, Renters and owners, Nannies and bus-takers, Single shift and double, White-collar, blue-collar…brown-collar. Parents Rigorous and rote, Choreographed and cerebral, Classrooms and districts, Rule-makers and rule-breakers, Home school, public […]

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A Birthday Surprise Got Me Reflecting on This School Year

By Kerry-Ann Royes • June 7, 2016

Just the other day, I received a call from my child’s school during my birthday lunch. It was Ms. Giancarlo, my daughter’s social studies teacher. The same teacher who accused her of making some “not so good choices” this school year, that resulted in us both deciding to give my daughter an F. (Yup…I’m that parent.) […]

Kerry-Ann Royes

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