Doug Rodriguez, the new principal at Miami Central High School, has been given one task: Turn this struggling 50-year-old high school around in six months.

Doug Rodriguez, the new principal at Miami Central High School, has been given one task: Turn this struggling 50-year-old high school around in six months.

MIAMI — Rather than perform a yearly religious ritual at their mosque in Highland Gardens, members of Florida’s small but growing Shiite Muslim community prayed publicly Sunday for the first time at Bayfront Park, steps from bustling Biscayne Boulevard. Their aim: to make their faith more visible.

Richard Berke, an assistant managing editor of The New York Times; Diego Ribadeneira, a weekend metro editor and Lizette Alvarez, a reporter, offered pointers on how to obtain good quotes for great stories.