St. Petersburg College remained a community of care during a global pandemic, while quickly transitioning thousands of students into a thriving, online collegiate experience, SPC President Dr. Tonjua Williams said during a Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon last month.
On June 15, SPC President Dr. Tonjua Williams took to the stage with Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Grego to reflect on the past, present, and future of education in a COVID-19 environment. The presentation took place during the chamber event held at the SPC Seminole Campus. The two education leaders discussed the impact COVID-19 had on students and how to achieve higher levels of academic success moving forward.
When the pandemic first hit, Williams said she relied on the mantra of “keep employees employed and keep students learning.” She also shared how the college culture turned the challenges it was facing into an initiative to adapt and improve.
“Innovation is back,” Williams said. “During this time, our faculty were creative and innovative to keep students engaged.”
The college also gained major wins for student success, she said.
“We’ve been working to close the achievement gap for our African American male students. During the pandemic, we closed the achievement gap from double digits to 9%.”
Grego shared how Pinellas County Schools helped eliminate the digital divide among students by supplying almost 30,000 laptops and computers. Plus, a high percentage of students made testing progress, he said.
“When we look at the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA), I’m so proud to share in our elementary schools we had over 96% testing satisfied and in the secondary education we were over 90%,” Grego said. “We made it a priority, and we’re so in tune with our students’ progress. If they lost academic achievement, we want to fix it together as a community.”
Despite the challenges they faced and having to overcome the unknown, both leaders believe the momentum of innovating education is underway.
