Approve Partnership Agreement with Florida-Regional Community Policing Institute (RCPI) at St. Petersburg College - $137,686 (Curriculum and Instruction Division)

We request approval of the Partnership Agreement with Florida-Regional Community Policing Institute (RCPI), a producer of award-winning interactive media series, to design and develop a high-quality Civic Education CD ROM and/or DVD that will be engaging and relevant for today’s youth, based on the newly developed, comprehensive civic education program. The CD ROM and/or DVD will provide a unifying structure for existing civic education efforts and will provide additional resources and training for district social studies teachers.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded $2,040,147 to the district for Project ELECT (Educating Learners to Engage in Civics Today). The purpose of the program is to support activities to improve the quality of civic education through the implementation of comprehensive programs to improve public knowledge, understanding, and support of the United States Congress and the State legislatures.

RCPI will develop a CD ROM and/or DVD based on content provided by the district and the Political Science Department from the University of South Florida and in collaboration with project leadership. The CD ROM and/or DVD will include games, quizzes, videos, and other interactive resources providing teachers and students a powerful and thought-provoking addition to the civic education curriculum. Hillsborough County Public Schools will receive copies of the CD ROM and/or DVD for classroom instruction. The Federal Department of Education plans to reproduce the DVD’s for distribution nationwide.

Goal 1 - The percentage of students scoring at Level 3 or higher on FCAT reading will increase a minimum of five percentage points.

Funds of $137,686 are available through the Competition to Improve Public Knowledge of Support for Democracy, Project ELECT grant, Project 1025.

This Project ELECT component will be included in the overall evaluation report completed by the University of South Florida and will be provided to the school district in July 2009.