In this study, we assessed the feasibility and social validity of an adapted approach to positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) implementation in secure juvenile facilities. The authors developed a comprehensive model of facility-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (FW-PBIS) for use in secure juvenile correctional…

Students with learning disabilities (LD) continue to fall behind their typical peers in the area of writing (Graham & Harris, 2011; National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, 2008). Studies indicate that self-efficacy influences writing performance and that self-regulation may be an important aspect of both metacognitive and affective…

School gardens have been an active part of United States schools since 1890, when the first school garden was established in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Since the turn of the 20th century school gardens have greatly expanded to include inner city schools in some of the largest metropolitan areas of the country. Since the early 1990s, school gardens…

The ability to evaluate and accurately articulate the outcomes associated with leadership development programs is critical to their continued financial and administrative support. With calls for outcome-based accountability, the need for rigorous evaluation is particularly relevant for those programs administered through the Cooperative Extension…

The landscape of higher education has significantly changed. Methods of instructional delivery, student profiles and degree offerings have transformed traditional brick and mortar institutions. Distance educational courses and programs, either fully online or hybrid, have been a major contributing factor in this shift. While a high percentage of…

The National 4-H Council developed the Health Rocks substance abuse educational program to prevent youth from engaging in risky behaviors. The program was presented in 2010 to more than 8,000 middle school youth in Georgia. A post-then-pre evaluation was conducted with youth who completed 10 hours of instruction to determine if changes in youth…

Georgia has been at the forefront of the pre-kindergarten movement since implementing its pre-k program in 1992 and creating the nation's first state-funded universal pre-k program in 1995. Georgia's Pre-K, administered by "Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning" (DECAL), aims to provide high-quality…

The primary purpose of the accompanying final study was to evaluate the impact of two professional development models on teacher-child interactions in Georgia's Pre-K classrooms. Teachers were randomly selected to participate and were randomly assigned to one of the professional development conditions or to a control group. Because of this…

The purpose of this dissertation was to discover the perceived effect that eliminating instructional coaches has had on teachers, professional development, and student achievement in one elementary school in the Southeastern Georgia School District. The methodology for this study was qualitative using a basic qualitative design. This study…

The purpose of this study was to examine the collegial coaching model of staff development used by 8 English teachers at one Georgia high school. The 8 teachers worked in 4 groups of 2 to develop curriculum, design lessons, and create assessments for one grade level of students. The theoretical foundation for the collegial coaching model dates…

The purpose of this study was to find out how and to what extent alternatively certified teachers, who are considered highly qualified, impact the achievement gap that exists between Black and White students that is measured by the End Of Course Test (EOCT). Two public school districts, one rural and one suburban, were selected from 150 school…

Low high school graduation rates continue to be a challenge in American public education. The pressure to meet the demands of adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the No Child Left behind Act of 2001 has led to an achievement gap in student performance between science and other core subjects, namely English, math, and social studies, on the…

THE STUDENT PERSONNEL SERVICES NEEDED AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH STUDENT PERSONNEL SERVICES WERE BEING PERFORMED IN GEORGIA'S AREA VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL SCHOOLS WERE DETERMINED. DATA WERE GATHERED BY THE USE OF (1) CRITERION CHECKSHEETS CONTAINING 167 ITEMS ON WHICH ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL INDICATED THE EXTENT TO WHICH A SERVICE WAS NEEDED AND WAS…

The effectiveness of Georgia's comprehensive high school consumer and homemaking educational programs in providing competence in six essential skill areas was studied. Respondents were selected from all Georgia high school graduates from 1978-79 who had participated in at least one consumer and homemaking education course. Survey findings showed…

This investigation had as its objective to collect relevant information in a systematic fashion concerning the actual, implemented four-quarter program. The investigators sought to identify what was currently operational in cooperating metropolitan school systems and to assess the degree to which the operational four-quarter plan meets the…