Robert Avossa is the superintendent of the School District of Palm Beach County in Florida, which is the 11th largest district by enrollment in the US. Before Palm Beach County, he was superintendent of Fulton County Schools in Atlanta, another very large district, so it goes without saying that Robert knows a thing or two about running a large operation.
As an immigrant, Robert is very sensitive to the needs of minorities and English Language Learners in his district. As he explains, “My family moved to the U.S. when I was a little boy. English was not my first language. We came from Italy. I'm a naturalized American citizen, and I tried to use my story and my passion for the work to show kids that anything is possible in this country, and the way is through education.”
He is a big proponent of offering personalized learning paths to individuals, a concept he brought with him from Atlanta. Palm Beach County offers the vast 200,000 student population over 300 choice programs for students and parents to choose. Different schools offer different programs and specialties, such as medical, cyber security, police, and fire fighting in the form of academies that students attend. The result is thousands of kids being far more invested in their education than they would be in a traditional one-size-fits-all setting.
Robert is a walking and talking American success story. Starting with his early beginnings as an immigrant boy from Italy, he has forged a career path through study, determination, and grit and is now making an incredible impact on the lives of thousands of kids and their families.
About Dr. Robert Avossa
Dr. Robert Avossa is in his third year of leadership of the Palm Beach County School District. The District is the 11th largest district in the country with a student enrollment of more than 193,000 students. The annual budget exceeds $2.4 billion and the District is the largest employer in Palm Beach County with over 23,000 employees.
Dr. Avossa is a Broad Academy Fellow and a member of Chiefs for Change, an esteemed network of state and district education Chiefs. He serves locally on the boards for the American Heart Association, CareerSource Palm Beach County, Children’s Services Council, Criminal Justice Commission, and Education Foundation of Palm Beach County.
Dr. Avossa is a University of South Florida graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exceptional Education and Behavior Disorders, as well as a Master’s Degree in Special Education. He earned his Doctorate Degree from Wingate University.
Follow Dr. Robert Avossa on Twitter.
Further Reading:
The Hechinger Report - When personalized learning includes skateboarding: One suburban district’s dramatic transformation
Valley Courier - Roadmap charts course for blended learning
Additional Reading:
Education Technology takes teacher buy-in to succeed
Global leadership embracing professional coaching
Thought leaders improving communication in schools
About Rod Berger, PsyD.
Dr. Rod Berger is President and CEO of MindRocket Media Group. Berger is a global education media personality and strategic influencer featured in The Huffington Post, Scholastic, AmericanEdTV, edCircuit, EdTechReview India and Forbes
Audiences have enjoyed education interviews with the likes of Sir Ken Robinson, Arne Duncan, Randi Weingarten, Sal Khan along with leading edtech investors, award-winning educators, and state and federal education leaders. Berger’s latest project boasts a collaboration with AmericanEdTV and CBS’s Jack Ford.
Follow Dr. Rod Berger on Twitter