Use of the term Background knowledge, in conjunction with Reading Comprehension, has become convoluted and vague over the past several decades of research. Showing the abundance of uses of the term in multiple domains and disciplines has relegated it to being an automatic inclusion in key notes and conclusions of research on the topic of improving…

As the 21st century's first decade draws to a close, America's public school students are participating in online academic classes in increasingly large numbers. More than one million K-12 public school students took online courses in the 2007-2008 school year, according to an estimate in a recent Sloan Consortium survey. This represents a 47…

There is a growing consensus among educators and the general public that technology should play a more integral role in students' education. However, the question of whether the introduction of technology into the classroom has a positive impact on teaching and learning is still under intense debate within the educational community. This…

Context: Evidence exists for differences in health insurance coverage among states, but less is known about variations across different kinds of communities within states. Purpose: This article assesses the role of residential setting (metropolitan county, rural adjacent, and rural nonadjacent) in health insurance coverage for adult residents,…

Data were collected via brief telephone surveys of middle school and high school teachers responsible for tobacco use prevention education (TUPE) in Florida. Differences in teachers' perceptions of TUPE were significantly associated with perceived barriers and features of school contexts. Implications of these findings for the effective delivery…

Information is presented on the three prepaid tuition programs and four college savings bond programs currently in operation in the United States, and the fiscal issues involved in their implementation are summarized. The three prepaid tuition programs are in Michigan, Wyoming, and Florida. The characteristics of the three programs are outlined…

This report examines the major issues arising from the impact of information technology on the creation of government information and its storage, processing, and recordkeeping, based on information gathered through a literature search, several mailed questionnaires, and three public hearings. An outline of the background of the information policy…

For many decades communities have been troubled by the criminal activities of youth gangs. This report looks at almost 30 years of information collected on gang problems in nearly 4,000 communities. The number of localities reporting gang problems increased between the 1970s and the 1990s, representing a tenfold increase in the number of cities…

This report presents a second program review of Mathematics and Statistics in the State University System of Florida (SUS) that was conducted in 1989-90. The report reveals that all nine SUS institutions offer degree programs in Mathematics; five SUS institutions offer 10 degree programs in Statistics. It is noted that improvement has occurred…

Describes a study conducted in Florida to determine the status of combined school and public libraries and to evaluate whether further information is needed on their effectiveness. Recommendations based on findings from a review of the literature and a survey of state libraries and education agencies are presented. The questionnaire is appended.…

This paper reports on foreign language instruction in the community colleges of Florida. A brief rationale for increasing the importance given to language instruction is followed by a review of the literature concerning the latest classroom and laboratory foreign language techniques such as computers, video taping and analysis, audio tape…

A discussion of the implementation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) second language proficiency guidelines in Florida's public schools and colleges includes a brief review of literature about the guidelines, background information on the oral proficiency movement, and a description of the effects of the movement…

Three types of surveys were developed to obtain specific recommendations from key educational personnel for improving preservice teacher education programs. Deans, directors, and chairpersons of Florida teacher education programs provided profiles of faculty and students; the institution's standards for admission, selection, and retention of…

Most teachers and the public believe that children in kindergarten and the primary grades benefit from small classes because of children's need for individualized instruction and teacher attention. This report, part of a comprehensive policy study of early childhood education, presents a review of the research on the effect of class size on…

A survey of the status of foreign language instruction in Florida was designed to examine educational needs to support implementation of a state statute requiring two years of language instruction for admission to Florida's nine public universities. Specific project objectives included: (1) recommending the establishment of foreign language…