Within the secondary level of education covering students in grades 6-12, reading comprehension continues to be an area of concern for traditional public-school educators. Because students lack the foundations of reading upon entering middle and high school, on average across the United States, many students struggle to meet high school graduation…

This article uses fixed effects models to estimate differences in contemporaneous and downstream academic outcomes for students who take courses virtually and face-to-face--both for initial attempts and for credit recovery. We find that while contemporaneous outcomes are positive for virtual students in both settings, downstream outcomes vary by…

Instructional time is a fundamental educational input, yet we have little causal evidence about the effect of longer school days on student achievement. This paper uses a sharp regression discontinuity design to estimate the effects of lengthening the school day for low-performing schools in Florida by exploiting an administrative cutoff for…

Focus groups were used to examine ninth graders' participation in school nutrition programs, their opinions about the programs, and suggestions for improvements. Students expressed intense dislike and distrust of school meals. Suggestions for improvement included improving food's taste and appearance, serving a wider variety and more fresh fruits…

The course outlined in this curriculum guide, modified to fit the quinmester organization of schools, focuses on the role of the individual as a consumer. The aim of this elective, grades 7-9 course is to help the student develop sound decision-making habits for functioning more effectively in the marketplace and best fulfilling his role as a…

This report encompasses the results of two 1974-75 testing programs: (1) the Florida Statewide Assessment Program of communication skills and mathematics, administered to pupils in grades 3, 6, and 9, and (2) the countywide testing program involving the Stanford Achievement Test, a national standardized test administered to pupils in grades 1-12.…

Study used focus group interviews with ninth graders to help develop a nutrition education video and teacher's guide for Florida high schools. Students believed a video would be successful, expressed interest in 10 nutrition topics, recommended using teen actors with varying body types, and suggested no more than three or four topics per video.…

This general social studies course for grades 7-9 is an introduction to urban life: its history, the attraction of the city, its growth, advantages and problems. The condition of cities in America today is examined for the purpose of understanding the causes of their present condition and the steps that can be taken to save them. The goal of the…

Interdisciplinary social studies units on land use and social action for eighth and ninth grade students are provided. Although specifically written for students living in Pinellas County, Florida, the units can be adapted easily for teaching about land use in general and/or land use in one's own community. The overall objective is to help…

Students in grades seven through nine will examine and analyze the political organization, social structure, economic life, and values of the American Colonial period in this quinmester arranged American Studies course. Since the thirteen English Colonies effected the United States development, many of our nations foundations in government,…

The introductory social studies survey course required for grades 7 through 9, part of the Quinmester Program, attempts to help the student develop a cognitive structure in the social sciences generally and in each of seven disciplines. Emphasis is placed on basic skills the social scientist uses to study man and his problems. "Launch…

This elective course of study for grades seven through nine is part of a total effort to revise curriculum to fit the quinmester administrative organization of schools. The intent is to equip students to meaningfully analyze current events. Emphasis is placed on understanding the complex underlying political, economic, racial, and religious causes…

This quinmester course of study for grades seven through nine provides a framework for analyzing election processes in a democracy by investigating democratic societies of the past, and contrasting democracies with totalitarian types of government. Major emphasis is upon analyzing the system of institutionalized political parties, the…

Designed as an elective course of study for grades seven through nine, this curriculum guide provides a study of the political, economic, and social aspects of ecological problems in the community, state, or nation. The focus is on the causes and effects of pollution and alternative courses of governmental and student (citizen) action. A suggested…

The elective course of study about the lives of selected Americans who shaped events is intended for grades seven through nine and arranged to fit the quinmester administrative organization of schools. Aims for students are to: study key individuals in the context of their time to understand how they affect culture and history; identify with…