Understanding the Value of Art Education: A Video Discussion with Alberto Carvalho
ALBERTO M. CARVALHO (b.1965) was born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal. “From the time I was a little boy, I remember being poor, but feeling absolutely rich. I felt rich because every time I left my little apartment, I was greeted by absolute beauty. The architecture, the paintings in museums that I could access for free, the fountains, the poetry, the music that rang throughout the old quarters of Lisbon inspired me every single day. So was I poor? I didn’t feel poor because everything around me made me feel rich.” Carvalho was one of the few people in his family to graduate from high school. He saved enough money to leave Portugal when he was 17 years old and flew to New York City, not speaking a word of English. But he had the fortitude and substance to reinvent himself. A manifestation of the American Dream.
From the Office of the Superintendent:
Alberto M. Carvalho has served as Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS), 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, MDCPS 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 arts and performing arts, biotechnology, engineering, robotics, aviation, forensic sciences, and many others.
An instructional leader at heart, Mr. 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 has 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 has recently been 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.”
The videos below are organized by topic and run between 30 seconds and 4 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.
EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES: 1:31 min.
OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED: 0:56 sec.
SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES: 1:27 min.
CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY: 1:44 min.
OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED: 2:10 min.
CRITICAL THINKING: 3:22 min.
UNDERSTANDS THE COMMUNITY: 1:50 min.
COLLABORATION: 1:54 min.
ETERNAL OPTIMIST: 2:07 min.
SELF-CONFIDENCE: 0:42 sec.
UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION: 0:55 sec.
CRITICAL THINKING: 1:09 min.
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 1:33 min.
