Twenty years ago, kindergarten was a year of informal education designed to help a child develop some readiness skills, adjust to school, adjust socially and learn through play. Readiness for elementary education was defined in terms of attitude and motivation rather than in specific academic achievements. The hazards of the academic model for young children is supported by recent research. Elkind (1986), for example, confirms that young children do not learn in the same ways as older children and adults. Because the world of things, people, and language is so new to infants and young children, they learn best through direct encounters with their world rather than through formal education. During the '80s there has been an increase in the number of high-risk children entering kindergarten who may not be ready for that experience. Perhaps in response to this trend, kindergarten, rather than serving as a readiness program for future schooling, has become an experience for which children need to be prepared entering kindergarten. The National Association of Early Childhood (1987) notes that expectations have become increasingly high and unrealistic, as the curriculum from upper grades has been pushed down to lower levels, thus doom large numbers of young children to the increased possibility of failure. As a result of this change, there has been quite a controversy over the policy of kindergarten retention. Although grade retention is widely practiced at all levels, research suggests that it does not help children to "catch up." While retained children may appear to do better in the short term, they are at much greater risk for failure than are their non-retained peers (Shepard and Smith, 1990). The provision of an extra year of schooling prior to first grade is intended to protect unprepared children from entering too soon into a demanding academic environment where, 'it is thought, they will almost surely experience failure. Yet Shepard and Smith (1988) note that, "depending on the philosophical basis of kindergarten retention, which differs profoundly from one district to the next, the extra year is meant either to be a time for immature children to grow and develop learning readiness or a time to work on deficient prereading skills" (p. 34). So the criteria by which retention decisions are made are critical. The question of which criteria determine a child's kindergarten retention becomes paramount. The study examines this question by addressing the following issues: 1. Current practices regarding kindergarten retention;2. The percentage of kindergartners retained each year (locally and statewide); 3. The effects of kindergarten retention; 4. The ways in which teacher pressure, parents, standardized tests, and basal reading programs contribute to kindergarten retention; and 5. Alternatives to kindergarten retention. There will always be a group of children who lag behind their kindergarten classmates. Before we create a new program, however, we need to examine the effects of kindergarten retention. It is the intent of this study to provide county school supervisors and others with information which would enable them to take action to reverse the negative effects of past practices. This information can assist those responsible for decision-making as they struggle to make the correct decisions regarding the placement of young children.

This non-equivalent group study explored the impact of teacher participation in the development and use of a web-based instructional resource on computer utilization by students. The effects of participation in the technology initiative on teacher attitudes toward computers, technology proficiency, and stages of adoption of technology were also investigated. Teacher volunteers participated in a treatment group that received a professional development intervention and a comparison or web access group (WAG) that received no professional development. The treatment, or Professional Development Group (PDG), received instruction that modeled a constructivist hands-on approach to creating technology-rich lessons based on classroom curricula and Internet technologies to encourage technology integration in the classroom. The lessons were posted online using identical web sites for both groups and accessed by students of the PDG and WAG teachers promoting the school-wide use of technology as a tool for active, directed learning. Use of the online resource was analyzed descriptively through computer lab usage logs, teacher-reported weekly logs, and number of hits on the websites. Utilization of the online resource by students of the professional development group of teachers was slightly higher than by students of the comparison group of teachers. The findings also indicated that exposure to the professional development intervention increased reported use of integrated applications and encouraged higher stages of adoption by the experimental group of teachers (PDG) than the comparison group of teachers (WAG).

This study investigated the learning style, teaching style, and attitude toward change of elementary school teachers and the relationship of these variables to the adoption of computer technology into teaching and learning strategies. The researcher used four instruments to gather data about the preferred learning style, teaching style, attitude toward change, and current utilization of computer technology both personally and with students. Survey forms were delivered to seven selected elementary schools in a Northeast Florida public school district. An educational technology survey was distributed to each of the 200 elementary school teachers in these schools. The return rate of completed surveys was approximately 36% (N=73). In addition, those teachers in each school who elected to participate in this study completed one of the following instruments: the Teaching Style Inventory, the Change Seeker Index, or the Learning Type Measure . Statistical analyses were conducted to determine if there were any significant relationships among the three factors (teaching style, learning style, and attitude toward change) and the adoption of computer technology by the teachers in this study. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the length of computer use and the location of computer use by the participants as well as other demographic variables. The major findings of the study were: (1) The highest instructional use of the computer by teachers was drill and practice. (2) Teachers were using the computer sparingly. The usage of the computer with their students ranged from once-a-year usage to daily usage. The most frequently reported usage was drill and practice on a daily basis. (3) No significant relationships between the preferred learning style and the adoption of computer technology were evident. ( 4) No significant relationships between the teaching style of the participants in this study and the adoption of computer technology were identified. (5) The relationship between the intrinsic factors and the adoption of computer technology was not significant. The relationship between the extrinsic factors and the adoption of computer technology was significant at the p Recommendations related to preservice teacher education, inservice training, and promoting the adoption of technology were made. Also, recommendations were made regarding future investigations that examine the relationship of learning style, teaching style, attitude toward change, and the adoption of computer technology by school teachers.

The purpose of the present study was to examine how perceptions of a chilly climate differ between students in traditionally female-dominated majors versus traditionally male-dominated majors, and how these perceptions relate to students' intentions to persist or pursue higher education in their chosen field. Participants were 403 students attending a community college in the southern United States, including students majoring in information technology (IT), engineering, education, and nursing. Participants completed the 28-item Perceived Chilly Climate Scale (PCCS) and other informational items. The primary research question asked: To what extent can scores on the five subscales of the PCCS be explained by the predictor variable set of gender, ethnicity, age, college major, and intent to leave the field? Canonical correlation analysis yielded an initial canonical root of .40 (Rc^2 = .16, p < .001), indicating that the predictor variables accounted for a moderate portion of the variance in PCCS subscale scores. Gender (rs = .89) accounted for the highest proportion of explained variance, followed by major (rs = .75). Findings indicated that women found the climate chillier than men, non-white students found the climate chillier than white students, younger students perceived the climate chillier than older students, and students in traditionally female-dominated majors perceived the climate chillier than students in traditionally male-dominated majors. Intent to leave the field was not a significant predictor of perceptions of chilly climate.

This study identifies, explains, and develops a practical model of teaching art criticism within a traditional secondary art curriculum. The approach to teaching art criticism uses the discipline-based art education format described in the Getty publication of 1985, a composite art critical format including B. Bloom, E. Feldman, K. Hamblen, and E. Kaelin, is accomplished through a process model curriculum developed by L. Stenhouse, and uses K. Gentle's curriculum design as the basis of the Curriculum Model Diagram. The project provides lessons that are intended to help junior high school, and senior high school art students develop the necessary skills to make informed judgements about art in the production, historic, aesthetic, and critical areas of the existing art curriculum. The methodology is presented in a lesson plan design, includes a Biographical Sketch, and a Six-Part Questioning Strategy. Three experienced artist/teachers were asked to review the curriculum and, using the Artist/Educator Questionnaire, evaluate it. Feedback from the three reviewers suggested several ways the curriculum could be tailored to individual teacher and program needs.

Science is taught at all grade levels, yet there exists a deficiency in the amount of emphasis placed on science training for elementary teachers. As a result, teachers often feel inadequate in their knowledge of scientific areas and in their ability to develop science process skills in their students. As a result in this lack of training, a need exists to provide programs to increase skill and confidence of elementary teachers not only in teaching science concepts but science process skills as well. One means of meeting this need was the development of an activity-based, process-oriented inservice curriculum designed specifically for elementary science. The curriculum was designed as an inservice component of 60 hours that emphasized process skills as well as updating science concepts. The curriculum was designed for use in grades 1-6 and stressed "hands-on" experiences using readily available materials and a minimum of specialized equipment. The curriculum was field tested as a component of the Clay county, Florida Summer Inservice Institute. Thirty eight teachers, whose teaching assignments ranged from kindergarten to sixth grade, participated in the field test. At the beginning of the Institute, no participant scored 80% or better on a pretest of knowledge of concepts and process skills. Each participant completed each 'activity in the role of a student, including forming a hypothesis, collecting data, and drawing a conclusion. Activities were then discussed stressing process skills used and an indepth review of concepts involved. On the final day of the Institute, 84% of the participants scored 80% or better on the posttest. Furthermore, evaluations of the component by particiPants indicated a marked improvement in confidence in and enthusiasm for teaching science process skills. Overall the curriculum met the objective of increasing elementary teachers' ability and willingness to teach science process skills as well as science concepts.

School leaders face increasing demands related to student achievement. These demands involve annual data reporting related to overall student, school, and district success. In Florida, this accountability and transparency requirement is addressed through an annual school grading system. It is essential that leaders utilize successful programs that directly influence positive student outcomes and demonstrate high quality education. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a youth leadership development program, specifically The Leader in Me (TLIM) program, on school grades. Based on data obtained from 16 public elementary schools across Florida, a repeated measures ANCOVA analysis revealed that no statistically significant differences in the mean school grade percentages were observed between schools that implemented TLIM and schools that did not utilize the program. In addition, no significant differences were noted in the mean school-wide achievement scores on state mandated assessments in the areas of English/Language arts, mathematics, and science. Furthermore,regression analysis revealed that the percentage of students identified as minority, the percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch, and the percentage of students reported as chronically absent significantly influence school grades. A review of the existing literature related to The Leader in Me, staff and student leadership, and the study variables follows, as well as a discussion of the findings and implications for future practice and research.

The purpose of this paper is to explain a curriculum package which was designed for science students at Orange Park IX, ninth grade center, Clay County, Florida. The target population consists of those students who read below the sixth-grade level according to the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) scores and who are enrolled in a general science class. These students are also enrolled in a Reading Skills class and some are in the SLD and ED programs as well. Although there will be interaction with the reading, SLD, and ED teachers, the classes will not be team taught. Therefore, the science curriculum is intended to be contained within the fifty-minute sessions allowed for science classes.

Paraprofessionals in self-contained settings are often involved in helping students to learn the skills to manage their behaviors. A need has been identified for paraprofessionals to join teachers in professional development opportunities in order to better meet the needs of the students who receive their services (Konza & Fried, 2012). By recognizing paraprofessionals as vital members of a student’s educational team (Boudreau & Twigg, 2011), informal professional development opportunities throughout the school day, such as professional conversations, may provide paraprofessionals with opportunities to share their experiences with each other and with their teachers, as well as to make collaborative decisions about how to support students’ efforts to meet their behavioral goals. The purpose of this study was to explore the shared perspectives of teachers, paraprofessionals, and school administrators about professional conversations between teachers and paraprofessionals in self-contained classrooms for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in supporting students’ efforts to meet their behavioral goals. Q methodology was chosen in order to take an exploratory approach to gain access to the viewpoints of teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators about these professional conversations. This study involved 37 participants that included 15 teachers, 14 paraprofessionals, and 8 administrators from five schools with self-contained ASD or EBD classrooms. Four factors were found in this study. Natural Communicators seem to find opportunities throughout the day to communicate about behaviors. Guided Communicators seem to need structure to ensure that they join the conversations about behaviors. Expert Communicators seem to have learned how to put the necessary supports in place to promote professional conversations and remove the barriers that inhibit them. Hierarchical Communicators seem to value the role of the teacher as the classroom leader and the hierarchical structure found within school systems. With further research and an expansion of these factors into a more complete theory, this may be a worthwhile line of research to help administrators find a way to balance the needs of each member of their staff within self-contained classrooms for students with ASD and/or EBD and to ensure that professional conversations are occurring to improve student outcomes.

Over the past decade, the number of individuals being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder has risen substantially. One byproduct of increased diagnosis is that more and more students with Autism Spectrum Disorder are applying and being accepted to colleges and universities (Graetz & Spampinato, 2008; Jones, 2012; Smith, 2007; Taylor, 2005; Zager, Alpern, McKeon, Maxam, & Mulvey, 2013; Longtin, 2013; Adreon & Durocher, 2007; Zager & Alpern, 2010). Research in the field of Autism and Higher Education is in its infancy, with a dearth of the research focusing on the challenges and struggles that degree-seeking students with ASD face within higher education. In an attempt to combat these challenges, many colleges and universities across the nation have begun to create post-secondary transition programs, but little is known from the perspective of the students participating in these programs (Adreon & Durocher, 2012). In this following study, Q Methodology was used to obtain information from 30 degree-seeking college students with Autism Spectrum Disorder on their best experiences within a higher education transition program.