Superintendent Alberto Carvalho named National Association for Bilingual Education Superintendent of the Year
Schools Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho has been honored with the 2019 National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) Superintendent of the Year Award during its 48th Annual NABE Conference at Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort.
“I am honored to receive the National Association of Bilingual Education Superintendent of the Year Award,” said Carvalho. “This coveted honor is a testament to the district’s commitment to diversity and to ensuring that students have the advantage of a world class bilingual education. Preparing students for careers means also preparing them to compete in a global economy. In Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we have exceptional academic programs for English Language Learners with a cadre of educators who are among the best and brightest in the nation. This is a wonderful recognition of our work, and I share this award with our entire school district family.”
Carvalho received this award for his “exemplary leadership in highlighting bilingual education and improving graduation rates in a complex urban district, which is an outstanding model for others.” The Prize recognizes outstanding individuals who have dedicated themselves to improving bilingual education through new approaches and whose accomplishments are making a difference today.
Carvalho has served as Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the nation’s fourth largest school system, since September 2008. He is a nationally recognized expert on education transformation, finance, and leadership development. During his tenure, M-DCPS has become one of the nation’s highest-performing urban school systems receiving system wide accreditation from AdvancEd in 2014. The District has also been named as the 2014 College Board Advanced Placement Equity and Excellence District of the Year, as well as the 2012 winner of the Broad Prize for Urban Education. As a staunch believer in school choice, he has expanded choice options in Miami-Dade to include over 500 offerings including programs in fine and performing arts, biotechnology, engineering, robotics, aviation, forensic sciences, and many others.
An instructional leader at heart, Carvalho is also the proud founder and self-appointed principal of the award-winning iPrep Academy which has become a model of robust 21st century learning in the age of innovation and technology. Recognized by his peers as a leader, he was named 2018 National Urban Superintendent of the Year by the Council of Great City Schools, served as President of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents; been selected as Florida’s 2014 Superintendent of the Year, as well as the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year; was named by Scholastic Administrator as one of “The Fantastic Five” educators making a difference in America; and is the 2016 winner of the 2016 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education, as well as the Magnet Schools of America 2016 Superintendent of the Year.
He was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Education to serve a four-year term on the National Assessment Governing Board. Mr. Carvalho has been awarded many honorary degrees including a Doctor of Public Service by Florida International University; Doctor of Humane Letters by both Barry University and Florida Memorial University; and a Doctor of Pedagogy, Honoris Causa from Nova Southeastern University. He has been honored by the President of Portugal with the “Ordem de Mérito Civil” and by Mexico with the “Othli Award”.
