Michael Grego, superintendent of the Pinellas County School System, has received the Dean’s Lifetime Achievement Alumni Award from the University of South Florida College of Education.
The annual award is given to a community member who has demonstrated long-term contributions, achievement, and service within education or a related profession โ on a local, state, regional, national, and/or global level.
“Education is truly a career of service to others, and the programs and faculty of the USF College of Education offer the foundation educators need to succeed in their chosen field,” Grego said. “The College of Education prepares its graduates to approach challenges as opportunities, and it’s our children that benefit the most.”
Officials from the College of Education explained why they choose Grego to receive the award:
A visionary leader and dedicated educator with more than 35 years of experience, Grego began his career as a classroom teacher with Hillsborough County Schools, later becoming a department head and advancing to become the assistant superintendent for Technical, Career & Adult Education, and assistant superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction.ย He holds a masters and doctorate in Educational Leadership from the USF College of Education.
After serving 28 years with Hillsborough County Schools, Grego was selected as superintendent of the Osceola County school district, where he was credited with dramatic academic improvements, especially among minority students. In 2010, the Florida Alliance for Arts Education recognized him with an annual superintendent leadership award for his efforts to promote arts education. He then served as Florida’s interim chancellor of K-12 Education, and in 2012, Grego was selected to serve as superintendent of Pinellas County Schools.
Since he began as the Pinellas superintendent, Grego has implemented numerous initiatives to increase opportunities for learning. He launched an ambitious summer learning program to mitigate summer learning losses, and “Promise Time,” which offers an extra 60-90 minutes of instruction in reading, math, and science at struggling schools. Pinellas County Schools also initiated Connect for Success, which provides take-home laptops for students at Title I elementary schools.
Grego has aggressively worked to eliminate achievement gaps in Pinellas County Schools. In 2013, the district implemented the Bridging the Gap strategic plan aimed at boosting achievement, increasing graduation rates, and improving student engagement for African-American students. In 2014, Pinellas County Schools initiated Scale Up for Success, a program focused on increasing achievement at several St. Petersburg schools. In 2016, the district established a Transformation Zone with intense support for lower performing schools.
