Tangelo Park's lessons for Pensacola
- May 27, 2015
- / Randy Hammer
- / education
A couple of decades ago nearly half of the students dropped out of school in Tangelo Park, a community just outside Orlando.
Today, nearly all of Tangelo’s seniors graduate.
An article ran in The New York Times on Monday that profiled how a wealthy Orlando businessman pumped $11 million into the troubled community and created a turnaround that the reporter described as a “striking success story.”
Harris Rosen made his fortune in the hotel businesses and decided 21 years ago to see if he could make a difference Tangelo Park.
Some the key takeaways from the article:
- — Nearly all seniors graduate from high school and most go on to college on full scholarships Rosen has financed.
- — Young children head to kindergarten ready to learn, and many are reading already because of free day-care centers and a prekindergarten program Rosen also finances.
- — Property values have risen in community.
- — Crime has plummeted.