Melissa Prado Aguilar

Work closely with the school leaders and the management company to ensure that systems are in place that foster data driven instruction.

Work directly with curriculum leaders to support the curriculum and instruction. Facilitate data collection and analysis as well as a response to data and interventions.

A wide-variety of services to provide support to educational institutions in order to ensure compliance, increase efficiency, and increase academic excellence through increased student achievement.

The mission of Phoenix Educational Support Services is to facilitate schools in developing a curriculum and establishing a conducive learning environment that maximizes the educational experience for students, parents, community stakeholders as well as the educators and faculty. 

Our goal is to rebuild education from the ground up.  This is possible through an educational approach that takes learning back to the basics and including an inquiry and exploratory approach to education.  It is our experience that this philosophy makes learning applicable and develops life-long learners.

Some clients include:

- True North Classical Academy

- Championship Academy of Distinction Hollywood

- Championship Academy of Distinction Davie

- AcadeMir Family of Charter Schools

- Excelsior Charter Schools of Miami

- Working with Governing Boards to establish unique & innovative charter schools

For more information, please visit www.phoenixeducationalsupport.com

As an established education professional with over 10 years of experience as a school-based leader, I was promoted to oversee the day-to-day operations of 9 charter schools in South Florida. I work with charter school principals to ensure compliance, assists with professional development opportunities and data analysis in order to maintain a strong data-driven curriculum in a positive and productive work environment.  Melissa Aguilar also spearheads strategic advertising and marketing for all schools while facilitating the growth of academies through the development of strong community and business partnerships.  I am experienced in hiring quality staff and have strategically trained and molded highly effective teachers into curriculum leaders, assistant principals and principals of successful and high performing charter schools.   I have 5 years of experience in writing, preparing and defending charter school applications to multiple school boards throughout the state of Florida.  I assist in annual compliance audits and in the development and implementation of school improvement plans.  I continue to grow professionally through professional development opportunities.  I am knowledgeable in the Common Core Standards as well as the New Florida Standards, Response to Intervention and effective instructional strategies, especially those developed through Learning Sciences International and Marzano.  I have assisted in preparing the teacher evaluation system as well as the leadership evaluation system approved and used in multiple charter schools across 5 different counties in Florida. 

I was assigned by the school's governing board to take over The Charter School at Waterstone in order to improve the school's culture and build community partnerships while facilitating  an increase in academic achievement.  The Charter School at Waterstone quickly climbed the ranks and was named one of South Florida's top performing charter schools by the Florida Department of Education.  I also focused on program development that would differentiate The Charter School at Waterstone as being unique and elite amongst other neighboring schools.  Using my experience and knowledge as leverage, I played an integral part in the planning, development, advertising and marketing of Everglades Preparatory Academy, 6-12th grade preparatory and career academy charter school in Homestead, Florida.  While running The Charter School at Waterstone, I would assist other charter schools operated under Advantage Academy of Miami, Advantage Academy of Hillsborough and Advantage Academy of Pinellas.

Under the governing board of Advantage Academy of Miami, I was appointed as the principal to open Summerville Advantage Academy K-5 Charter School.  I was actively engaged in all aspects of opening a new school which included recruitment of staff, staff development, school marketing and recruitment of students, development of the school's curriculum, schedule, and daily functions.  Opening Summerville Advantage Academy with the foundation of such a successful inaugural year allows the school to maintain full enrollment and a robust waiting list to date.

As the first assistant principal of a new charter school, I took a serious roll in developing a positive school culture by establishing activities and routines that are still in place and have become a tradition in the school's history.  I enjoyed working alongside talented instructors to develop the school's curriculum and establish the first data teams to analyze trends, execute interventions, and adjust instruction to meet the needs of the students.  The Charter School at Waterstone earned a "B" rating in its first year of operation, due in part to the establishment of the data and instructional teams established.

I began my career as a teacher of student with varying exceptionalities.  My  excellent classroom management and effective instructional strategies earmarked me as a promising teacher with leadership capabilities.  My efforts and talents as a first year teacher were recognized when I was nominated as Centennial Middle School's Rookie Teacher of the Year.  I was a finalist for the Rookie Teacher of the Year for Region 6 and Miami Dade County Public Schools.  I fell short of being the County's Rookie Teacher of the Year, yet was honored to be the County's Rookie Teacher of the Year Runner-up.   As a second year teacher, I was moved to teach 8th grade Reading and Language Arts due to the increase in high-stakes testing.  I was appointed to be the ESE Lead Teacher and before the end of the year, the data demonstrated that I was an effective educator boasting great learning gains and increases in student achievement in FCAT Writes/Writing and Reading.  In my third year, I developed and executed a department-wide discipline plan as the new ESE Department Head while still maintaining high-quality instruction yielding academic growth with a challenging group of students.  In the years to follow I was promoted to be the ESE Program Specialist to Redland Middle School which serviced over 350 students in a variety of settings.  Under my leadership, Redland Middle School was recognized as having one of the most inclusive programs in all of Dade County with a spectrum of services from most restrictive to completely mainstreamed with an array of support.  This recognition provided Redland Middle School's ESE Department to be awarded with thousands of dollars in materials and professional development in order to maintain its inclusive program.    

Educational Leadership Certification with a focus on management, curriculum and instructional leadership.  I completed her internship in Educational Leadership at South Dade Senior High School under the leadership of Thomas Halfaker.

Masters in Reading Education with a focus on diagnostic reading assessments and strategic reading instruction, intervention and remediation.

Bachelor's of Science in Special Education with a concentration in students with specific learning disabilities.  I successfully completed service learning hours in multiple SPED settings.  I also successfully completed 2 internships; one in a 3rd grade classroom for students with learning disabilities at Kendale Lakes Elementary and another in a 6th grade Social Studies and Reading class for students with varying exceptionalities at Paul Bell Middle School.  I was so successful during my internship at Paul Bell, that FIU worked with Miami Dade County Public Schools to end my internship early due to a teacher shortage.  I was then then hired by MDCPS as a teacher at Centennial Middle School teaching Science for student who were gifted and LD.    

I earned my High School Degree with honors.  I was a member of the National Junior Honor Society, Campus Ministry, Future Business Leaders of America, Yearbook Editor and an active member of the speech and debate team.  In 1994 and 1995, I was a top ranked thespian in the state of Florida wining numerous awards and competitions at local and state levels.  In 1995 I became a nationally ranked thespian and was invited to compete at the National level in Chicago.

Active Shooter Survival Course for Educators (Recertification)

Grant writing to assist educational institutions in capturing funds in order to enhance education and student achievement.

Trained to follow required lobbying policies in dealing with matters involving politics and government agencies/agents.

305-439-1053

786-325-0281

305-877-1914

305-772-5929