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- Episode 43 (Part 1) Dr. Earlean Smiley (25 min) ~ Click the link to listen
- Episode 44 (Part 2) Dr. Earlean Smiley (25 min) ~Click the link to listen
*For your convenience, you can click on Part 1 & 2 separately, above.
In this podcast episode, Dr. Smiley shares how Broward County Public Schools has been able to achieve an “A” rating in the state of Florida and become a two time Broad finalist. Dr. Smiley describes the way she and her staff made strategic decisions to put teaching and learning center in the planning and resources process. She also reveeals how she cultivated teacher, parent and community support and provides many examples of instructional and adminsitrative technology adoptions to scale and improve instruction and essential services. Finally Dr. Smiley tackles what it is to be a woman in a leadership role in public education. This interview with Dr. Smiley was stimulating as well as inspiring. She clearly knows what has brought success to the district and captured that success in our 2 part series which comprise a one hour interview. Dr. Smiley is extremely proud of the progress the system has gained throughout the years she has been there.
Biographical Background
Dr. Earlean Smiley is employed as the Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction/Student Support for Broward Public Schools, the sixth largest fully accredited school district in the nation. She supervises all aspects of administration including local, state, and federal programs, with an instructional and non-instructional staff of approximately 800 employees in 29 departments. She manages a budget of $185 million within a district operating budget of approximately $5 billion.
Dr. Smiley grew up in the “free state of Jones County,” in that part of south Mississippi’s “Piney Woods” that lies between the opulent country club elite and the impoverished cotton fields of sharecroppers. Smiley was an active participant in student activities and held a number of leadership positions in school and community organizations throughout high school and then in college. Earlean received financial aid based on her academic record and attended Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she majored in Drama, Speech and English. Graduating with honors early, she married and moved to Fort Lauderdale where she began her career as a special education teacher at Northeast High School in Broward.
In the mid-eighties, Earlean pursued graduate studies in Administration and Supervision at Nova Southeastern University, where she received a Master of Science degree. In 1991 she earned her Doctorate Degree in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. Dr. Smiley’s tenure in education includes serving as an assistant principal; curriculum specialist (North Carolina); a TRIO Talent Search Director (Sioux City, Iowa); principal; and as an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University.
Smiley has been highly recognized by the community for her accomplishments. This year she was honored as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Black Women in South Florida; the NAACP presented her with its Advocacy Award; Carrie P. Meek presented her with the Carrie P. Meek Outstanding Leadership Award; she was honored by the Sistrunk Historical Festival Outstanding Achievement Award 2007, and was recognized by the American Association of University Women at its International Women’s Day 2006.
With the experience of an accomplished administrator and the admiration of the community for her leadership, Dr. Earlean Smiley continues to guide Broward County Public Schools in their pursuit of student achievement.
Related Web Links:
- Broward County Public Schools
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