The problems plaguing the Lee county School district are complex and deeply entrenched . Arvella Clare is a fourth generation Floridian , born in Lakeland , Florida , wife and mother of two middle school girls . Mter graduating Kathleen Senior High , she went on to complete her Bachelor ' s Degree in Psychology at Bethune-Cookman , was a member of the Bethune Cookman Concert Corral and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority , Inc . She obtained her Master ' s Degree in Community Psychology at Florida A & M University in 1993 . Arvella served her community as a guidance counselor , teacher and an educational consultant where she experienced firsthand the type of entrenched problems in education found in Lee County .
Arvella Clare wants to end a 125 Year Tradition of Exclusion and Neglect
Lee County Florida was the last county in Florida to integrate the schools in the early 70 ' s . It is no surprise that there has never been a Minority Representative on the School Board of Lee County . As a result , the communities suffering the most in the current educational system are without representation of anyone who is sensitive to their struggles and life struggles . The interest of the community as a whole is best served by making sure we reduce the dropout rate among all high school students , provide for them a pathway to higher education and vocational careers , and develop tools to engage all students in preparation for the challenges of the 21st century .
Arvella Clare plans to implement a proven effective program as a Lee County School Board member that will :
• Reduce the drop-out rate by more than 50 % of at-risk students
• Double the number of students that go into higher education
• Engage children in the idea and promise of education
• Provide at-risk youth with a clear path to success and the tools to make it happen
• Dramatically reduce the number of children going into the Juvenile Justice System
• Deliver tangible results in the first 12 months prepared to scale locally , regionally and ultimately throughout the State .
Arvella Clare Lee County School Board Cape Coral Florida August 2014
Arvella believes we should make use of the huge ammmt of evidence that has been developed over the past decade to implement programs that are well tested, documented and proven to be effective in helping children be successful in our education system .
Evidence Based Mentoring is a proven solution to a long list of the problems our students , teachers and parents must overcome to be successful . She plans to develop evidence based mentoring as a standard service made available to students , preventing them from going down a negative path . By developing a standard mentoring program backed by current scientific evidence , Lee Collllty will be a leader in implementing and providing high -<JUali ty mentoring services for our youth .