Aggression by students is a highly stable behavior and is a significant predictor for later aggression along with other undesirable outcomes for both the aggressor and victim. While aggression is often thought of in its physical form, acts of verbal aggression are equally problematic and can be especially complex for students who are identified…

On November 19, 2009, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it would invest $290 million to support effective teaching as a means to ensure all students receive the education they need to succeed in high school and beyond. The foundation made six-year grants to support four Intensive Partnership for Effective Teaching (IP) sites…

The purpose of this study was two-fold. It was first to find out what the educational materials needs were for children living in poverty, and second, to learn of the challenges, obstacles, and strengths by the programs already in place that were supplying educational materials to these children. This study used interviews and surveys as data…

A survey of 104 Florida public library administrators resulted in a 70% response rate to a questionnaire investigating the value of a variety of types of activities associated with professional development. Presented as a poster session, this report indicates that the following professional and continuing education activities were considered the…

Pay for Performance (PFP) is once again gaining popularity within education. This study examines teacher attitudes toward PFP policies, and how these views vary by teacher experience, subject area specialization, grade level(s) taught, educational background, risk and time preferences, and feelings of efficacy. Data were collected through a…

This report discusses secondary level psychology instruction in Florida public schools. The typical high school psychology student is described. The composite picture is of a student who is white, most often female, attends a large urban high school, and receives instruction with a behavioral emphasis from a social studies teacher with a Masters…

This paper presents the qualitative findings based on the analysis of open-ended responses from surveys completed by 59 incarcerated women who participated in an arts-based education program. ArtSpring focuses on promoting self-growth and effective life skills through art-making for underserved and institutionalized women and girls. Findings…

Accountability in higher education promotes measurable outcomes considered indicative of performance, productivity, and quality. One prominent measure in evaluating baccalaureate programs is the proportion of graduates continuing to the graduate level. This study combined a well-established follow-up program, which includes education enrollment…

Data on practicing school psychologists (N=211) were derived from a modified version of the National School Psychologists Questionnaire to determine the characteristics of Florida school psychologists. Significant differences were found between the actual and preferred time (in hours) that Florida school psychologists engaged in job functions,…

This paper explores how teachers of public relations can help students tolerate the many ambiguities inherent in public relations practice. The paper first reviews the literature regarding individual differences in communication, tolerance-intolerance of ambiguity, and individual differences in teaching. The paper then reports the findings of two…

Researchers designed and piloted a questionnaire that measures the level of implementation of exemplary middle school practices (based on the work of P. George and W. Alexander, 1993) using Rasch measurement theory. Assistant principals (n=26) participated in telephone interviews by responding to a 27-item questionnaire that contains items…

A study surveyed the use of computer hardware and software in reading and language arts programs of public and private elementary schools in Florida. Respondents, 173 public and private schools from urban, suburban, and rural areas of Florida (out of an initial group of 333), furnished information on who was providing computer instruction, where…

This study was conducted to learn whether black educators who had been principals of all-black schools experienced job displacement during the period when schools were being desegregated. Reactive and nonreactive data-collecting techniques were used to gather information on 343 black administrators. The findings indicate that during the…

Twenty-three teaching competencies identified as "essential" in a state-wide teacher survey by Florida's Council on Teacher Education (COTE) are reexamined as an aid in producing valid and assessable programs for teacher education. Three hundred and fifty central Florida teachers were questioned to rate the competencies on an…

Florida's Educational Reform Act of 1983 delineated a desired state for science K-12. In 1987, a study was conducted to determine the extent to which elementary school teachers were aware of the State's requirements and standards and were able to implement instruction to meet them. The format used to present and interpret the data was a…