Florida has the longest history of high stakes testing of any state in the United States, spanning a period of 28 years, seven different testing policy periods, and five tests. In this study, analysis of statistics from the 28 years suggested that declines in graduation rates corresponded to increasingly difficult high stakes testing policy periods, new tests, and periods that did not include high stakes accountability for graduation rates. Overall, graduation rates declined through an erratic 28 years for a net loss of 4.51 %. The achievement gap in graduation rates between white and black students worsened 200% from 1992 to 2003. Analysis of a random sample of 3,000 Florida 9th grade students in 1999 indicated that 42.6% of students graduated within four years with a standard diploma. School achievement variables, including grade point average, retention history, high stakes test scores, and attendance, were found to be the best predictors of individual student graduation. Implications were that to benefit the individual student for graduation, teachers and other educators must work to ensure academic success. Educators should conduct further studies to better understand the relationship between graduation success and high stakes testing polices.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of participation in a family coaching program on perceptions of parental self-efficacy, families' use of encouragement, and reinforcement behaviors. A second purpose of the study was to ascertain the lasting effect on families participating in a family involvement intervention that included coaching. Families with prekindergarten and/or kindergarten children attending school in a low-income neighborhood and neighboring child care centers were recruited for the study. The Family Coaching Institute, the family involvement intervention for this study, consisted of three 5-week, 2-hour biweekly sessions. Attendance ranged from 3 to 15 sessions. Child care, dinner, learning activities, materials, books and supplies were provided. Participants were encouraged to use the activities at home with their children between sessions. Pre-intervention and post-intervention interviews were conducted with the participants using scales designed to measure parental self-efficacy, encouragement, and reinforcement behaviors. Family members also participated in a focus group and completed the Family Involvement Learning Survey 6 months after the intervention. Results of the study indicated there were no statistically significant differences in responses from the beginning to the end of the intervention on the scales designed to measure parental self-efficacy, encouragement, and reinforcement behaviors. These findings are discussed in the context of a response shift bias. In contrast, ratings on the Family Involvement Learning Survey indicated participation in the intervention had a strong impact on family behaviors.

Performance measures have been used throughout the business sector as a means to assess productivity, allocate resources, and increase profitability. More recently, they have been utilized to answer increasing calls for accountability in public education. Legislation has been passed in both the United Kingdom and the United States that implements performance measures as a means to measure student achievement and assess school performance. This study, conducted both in the United States and the United Kingdom, examined the perceptions of 15 primary and 15 elementary school leaders with regard to the transnational issue of school performance measures. Q methodology was used to examine the opinions and perceptions of these leaders for the purpose of providing insight for stakeholders and identifying future areas of research. The data from the participants revealed patterns of opinion within the head teacher group, the principal group, and the participants as a whole. Common opinions included the balanced use of performance measures, the political nature of school performance measures, the appropriate use of standardized test scores, and the consideration of economic and social factors. This study also demonstrated the use of Q methodology in qualitative educational research by both obtaining and analyzing rich and insightful participant data.