Initiatives — Dr. Martin Stewart Karp

№ 01 · Founded by Dr. Karp · Since 1993

The H.O.P.E. Contest

Help Our Pets Everyday — a countywide initiative providing a platform for students to engage in problem-solving activities addressing pet overpopulation in the community.

Dr. Karp spearheaded a three-way partnership between Miami-Dade County Animal Services Division, the Humane Society of Greater Miami, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, bringing leaders from all three organizations together to achieve positive outcomes. More than 10,000 students have participated in the Contest since its inception thirty-two years ago.

Today, he communicates regularly with the three entities and personally judges the entries submitted to the Contest.

Since 1993

10,000+

Student Participants

A spearheaded partnership of three organizations — Animal Services, the Humane Society, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Launched 2022

Every Child

Will Enjoy Learning & Succeed

Focused on each child's strengths — individualized instruction, projects, and pacing.

№ 02 · Created by Dr. Karp · Launched August 2022

The Success Center

Created at Yeshiva Elementary School and implemented in August 2022, the Success Center was designed to deliver a clear message: every child will enjoy learning and succeed.

To accomplish this objective, the program places focus on each child's strengths. Projects are assigned to explore students' interests, with individualized instruction and strategies to improve where each student is challenged — letting each child move at his own pace.

The Success Center represents the culmination of Dr. Karp's career-long advocacy for interest and needs-based learning, an approach he carried into his work as Dean of Academic Affairs and Community Engagement at the Talmudic University consortium.

Inventor Ivan Yaeger teaching at Yeshiva Elementary School

Inventor and entrepreneur Ivan Yaeger visited Yeshiva Elementary School to teach a class for the girls' middle school — part of the Success Center's interest-based programming.

№ 03 · District-Wide Adoption

City Year, AVID & College Summit

As part of his efforts on the School Board and with a nonprofit foundation supporting education initiatives, Dr. Karp committed himself to decreasing the number of high school dropouts and increasing graduation rates across Miami-Dade.

He championed three nationally recognized programs that have since been embedded in schools across the district:

City Year — mentors and support for students who lack guidance and need role models.
AVID — strategies that aid students in charting a college and career path.
College Summit — financial aid navigation and scholarship application support.

He also created a working group, with support from the Education Fund, that united college representatives and promoted the recruitment of students who would otherwise have been overlooked for post-secondary opportunities.

District-Wide

3

National Programs

Each addressing graduation rates, dropout prevention, and post-secondary pathways — all now embedded across Miami-Dade schools.

District 3

7 + 14

New Schools & Expansions

Plus six full window replacements, eleven playground or field renovations, and facilities upgrades at every District 3 school.

№ 04 · District 3 · 2004–2020

Facilities & Capital Renewal

As a member of the School Board, Dr. Karp met regularly with elected officials covering more than 30 municipalities and was closely involved in addressing the remarkable growth in District 3 and across Miami-Dade.

In District 3 specifically, he provided valuable input that led to:

Funding for and construction of seven new schools and two new cafeterias.
New buildings and classrooms added at fourteen schools.
Total window replacements completed at six schools.
Playgrounds and fields renovated at eleven schools.
Facilities upgrades at every District 3 school.

№ 05 · School Board Policy

100+ Policy Initiatives

During his sixteen years on the Miami-Dade County School Board, Dr. Karp proffered more than one hundred policy initiatives that were approved by his colleagues. The district was awarded the top prize in urban education during his tenure.

As a strong advocate for interest and needs-based learning, he worked to ensure that students with disabilities received appropriate services and support, and created a board policy that led to greater access to hands-on science courses and dramatic increases in science fair participation.

He introduced numerous items addressing student health and safety — including promoting education to prevent Noise Induced Hearing Loss — and was featured in a campaign by The Children's Trust and the Women's Fund of Miami-Dade targeting the online solicitation of children.

2004 — 2020

100+

Approved Initiatives

Each one passed by his colleagues on the Board — covering accessibility, science, student health, and child safety.

Children's Trust

36k

Children Benefit Annually

After-school programs, STEM, arts, youth sports, museums, and schools — funded perpetually thanks to the 2008 referendum.

№ 06 · The Children's Trust · 2005–2013

Perpetual funding for kids.

As the School Board's representative on The Children's Trust for eight years, Dr. Karp was part of the effort to gain approval — through a voter referendum — that allowed for further support for children's programming in perpetuity.

Today, the investment benefits over 36,000 school-aged children and youth across Miami-Dade each year. The Trust funds many organizations that provide after-school programs, STEM education, arts and youth sports groups, museums and schools.

One of his initiatives led to a Children's Trust campaign targeting the online solicitation of children — work that has saved untold harm to children across the county. He was also involved in the establishment of Health Connect in Our Schools, which led to the assignment of nurses in 164 schools.

Programs that endure.