There is a need for strong multitiered systems of support (MTSS) in rural schools, given that students living in rural areas experience poverty and transience and rural schools serve as the primary resource for addressing child academic, social, emotional, and behavioral problems. MTSS is important for preventing negative student outcomes,…

In 2020, the state of Florida strategized to improve reading instruction for K-12 students by mandating all elementary and literacy teachers receive a reading endorsement. In response to the mandate, the University of Florida's Lastinger Center for Learning developed an online, asynchronous, self-paced teacher professional development program to…

While most international educational development projects are engaged in capacity development, trainings rarely have enough depth to result in lasting changes in the capacity of local stakeholders. The case of the Nigeria Centre for Reading, Research and Development (NCRRD) at Bayero University Kano used a different model. Six NCRRD faculty spent…

With many cities showing an interest in afterschool system building and research providing a growing body of useful information, this Wallace Perspective offers a digest of the latest thinking on how to build and sustain an afterschool system, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for this promising work. The report (a follow-up to a…

In this article we discuss findings from a collaborative self-study of how seven teacher educators define, enact, and navigate their roles as culturally responsive educators across various programs within a higher education institution. All participants conducted an individual interview with another team member and engaged in prolonged team…

This paper provides an example of an innovative solution to program development that addresses the diverse needs of teacher educators throughout various geographical locations in Florida, through a collaborative multi-university, multi-agency teacher training program funded by one collaborative grant. In this time of economic uncertainties,…

As numerous studies from 1906 on have confirmed, children lose ground in learning if they lack opportunities for building skills over the summer. Nonetheless, summer learning loss comes up but rarely in the national discussion of education reform. By the end of summer, students perform on average one month behind where they left off in the spring.…

To address key policy and programmatic questions and help improve student and system performance, states must work to link data across the early childhood, postsecondary and workforce (P-20/workforce) spectrum and share this information with appropriate stakeholders. This issue brief highlights current efforts in California, Florida, Indiana, and…

Making Connections was the Annie E. Casey Foundation's signature place-based, community-change initiative of the 2000s. It sought to build on previous work and launch an effort focused firmly on the framework of family strengthening. The Foundation started Making Connections in 22 places, focusing eventually on first 10, then seven sites. It…

The 2009 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the North Florida Urban Professional Development School Partnership for its outstanding work in an urban education context and so named it one of the three recipients of the first-ever National Association for Professional Development Schools Award for Exemplary Professional…

A history of radio and television community college education in Florida is given, beginning with pioneering efforts by individual colleges, and concluding with the organization of a statewide consortium which divides the state into six regions, determined by the broadcast ranges of particular educational television stations. (NHM)

This collection focuses on the issue of collaboration in teacher education. Essays, program descriptions, materials development reports, and educational policy discussions debate the role collaboration may play, and argue the relative effectiveness of various programs based on cooperative effort of different genres. The Florida model in particular…

The manual focuses on the development of a school-level home/school information system to improve communication and understanding of special education programs. A step-by-step plan for developing such a system is addressed in terms of five major topics (sample subtopics in parentheses): basic information gathering (surveys and needs assessment),…

The Teacher Education Center Act (TEC Act) of 1973 provided Florida with a statewide system of centers intended to bring about reform in teacher education programs. The act mandated the responsibility for operating programs of preservice and inservice teacher education jointly to the colleges and universities, the school districts, and the…

The Sun Coast Area Teacher Training Program is an honors program at the University of South Florida which complements the teacher education program. It maintains partnerships with local school districts, organizations, and educational agencies as well as the legislature, business community, and the University of South Florida Medical School. (MT)