For more than a century, the state of Florida has been home to a rich, diverse cultural tradition and history stemming from its pan-ethnic Latine population. While large metropolitan areas such as Miami and Orlando are home to sizable Latine communities, the idyllic and traditionally West-Central region of the state currently experiences a…

If a "curriculum" -- a set of instructional materials intended as a comprehensive course of study for a particular subject and grade level -- is well-aligned with state standards, it can help teachers deliver instruction that leads to students' mastery of those standards. However, most research suggests that curricula, in themselves, are…

Our children, and our nation, face new challenges in our increasingly digital world. The following report makes the case for building greater resilience against the growing problems of misinformation and disinformation by equipping our teachers and students with the tools and skills they need to face and understand those problems. It begins with…

Government officials are taking swift public health actions to slow the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of March, statewide school closures affected 55.1 million K-12 public school students across the country. While school closures affect all students, students from underserved communities feel this impact even greater. Data on…

This publication highlights how state policies and guidance are supporting the transformation to personalized learning through digital instructional materials. Specifically, the report includes personalized learning approaches and the policies and processes around the selection, curation, procurement, professional learning and funding of digital…

There is broad consensus that high-quality environments for young children depend on teachers who are skilled at nurturing their development and learning, yet low pay and inadequate working conditions routinely hamper teachers in their efforts to apply their skills and knowledge. This condition exists among teachers in early education as well as…

Approximately 26 million Americans have no access to broadband's social and economic benefits. A persistent level of non-adoption stems from adults' lack of perceived need or benefit. Florida's unique move to all digital instructional materials and required online learning by 2015 may make home broadband essential for maintaining a learning…

The following profiles address how the state departments of education are supporting local educators in classroom implementation of the Common Core by providing and/or facilitating the development of instructional resources and materials aligned to the new standards. In order for instructional resources and materials to be aligned to the Common…

Is the print textbook--that old-fashioned, heavy, expensive staple of the 20th-century classroom--soon to be a thing of the past? While it's hard to imagine the K-12 world, known for its resistance to change, throwing out math, language, and science textbooks in favor of digital content, the nation's current fiscal crisis, combined with major…

Digital textbooks will soon be part of every classroom in the United States. This trend accompanies an imperative for schools to facilitate 21st century learning in which educators prepare students to learn and live productively in a global society where accurate and current information is a meaningful part of everyday learning. As technology and…

This report utilizes survey data and a literature review to analyze challenges made to curriculum materials in Florida public schools in the late 1980s by groups and persons described as the "New Christian Right" (NCR). Survey data were gathered from the chief instructional program supervisors in the state's 67 school districts. Among…

Describes a study that was conducted to determine the extent to which adherents of the New Christian Right were involved in complaints about curriculum materials in the public school districts of Florida from 1986 to 1989. The responses of the chief instructional program supervisors to these censorship activities are also examined. (12 references)…

Materials for secondary school students to supplement a tour of the Fort Myers (Florida) Historical Museum are presented. Background information on the history of Southwest Florida is provided, and the rest of the materials consist of specific questions and suggested class activities on many of the major actors and activities in the area's…

These environmental study units consist of four modules and a tape-slide presentation on the Everglades National Park. Although not required for completion of the modules, the slide-tape presentation provides a resource for orientation of teachers and parents to camping experience for school children in an environmental education program. The four…

An effective social studies program provides coordinated, systematic study, drawing upon such disciplines as economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology. It prepares students to be personally and socially aware, promotes multiple perspectives, encourages intellectual curiosity, promotes…