This study examined the effects of delay of gratification on academic success, substance abuse, and violent behavior. The participants in this study were chosen from an alternative learning school comprised of middle school students in Florida. The hypothesis for this study is as follows: Delay of gratification is negatively related to substance abuse and violent behavior, and positively related to academic achievement. The analysis of the data was conducted on the primary predictor variable (delay of gratification), alternate predictor variables (substance abuse & violent behavior) and the ultimate outcome variable (academic achievement) of this study. Initial statistical inquiry involved descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, kurtosis and skew) of the aforementioned variables, partial correlations (variable interrelationships), and the formulation of a multiple regression path analysis to investigate the particular paths individually within the proposed theoretical model (Wagner, 1993).

Study done on 15 teachers in 2 counties in North Florida--P. xvi. / Kimberly R. Burgess. / Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 328-339).

"The purpose of this study is to analyze the Diversified Cooperative Training Program at Jefferson High School as to its methods in meeting the needs of students to better serve themselves and the community. Chapter I will describe the concepts of the Diversified Cooperative Training Program. Chapter II will describe the Diversified Cooperative Training Program at Jefferson High School in Tampa, Florida, followed by a summary"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1952." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 33-34).

The disproportionate representation of ethnically and racially diverse students in special education has been an enduring problem in education for the past four decades. However, most of the research on disproportionality has focused on the ethnic/racial variable; the body of research focusing on the linguistic variable is still slim in comparison. As linguistic diversity in the United States continues to rise, teachers will continue to be challenged to meet the needs of the English Language Learners in their classrooms. However, many teachers feel unprepared to deal with this diversity and have difficulty discriminating whether a student’s poor performance is due to linguistic or cognitive factors. Consequently, many English Language Learners are misidentified and misplaced in special education programs. The purpose of this study was to analyze the representation of English Language Learners in special education high incidence disability categories in a large, urban school district in Florida. Cross-tabulations and chi-square statistics were used to analyze the distribution of special education students by ethnicity/race, home language, ESOL status, and English proficiency level; risk ratio and relative risk ratio statistics were used to determine whether the district’s English Language Learners showed under, equal, or over-representation in special education high incidence disability categories. The results indicated that English Language Learners were at the greatest risk for being identified as Specific Learning Disabled when compared to the other learning disability categories, and English Language Learners with intermediate English proficiency levels were at a higher risk for being identified and placed in special education high incidence disability categories when compared to beginning and advanced level English Language Learners.

The purpose of this research was to study the implementation of a professional learning community comprised of one group of third-grade teachers in a Florida elementary school where the emphasis was on research-based practices in the teaching of mathematics. Investigated were the growth of teachers‟ content knowledge in mathematics, specifically in the areas of multiplication and division, and the effects of their professional learning within their classrooms. Specifically this study looked at whether or not the participation of a group of third grade teachers in a professional learning community PLC improved the mathematical content knowledge of the participants of the study. This research design called for the research to be conducted in three phases. In Phase I, the researcher interviewed all participants using a researcher-designed interview guide. A researcher-adapted survey, based upon previously released items Ball (2008) was administered as a pre-test of mathematical content knowledge,. In Phase II of the study, the researcher documented the activities that occurred within a 10-week long professional learning community (PLC) of third-grade teachers. In Phase III of the research, a post-study interview was conducted with each of the participants by an independent observer to elicit participants‟ perceptions and observations based on their participation in the PLC. A post-test of content knowledge was also administered to the participants. Several themes were identified in the research study. These themes led to recommendations for practice and future research. Themes were related to the lack of iv mathematical understanding experienced by some teachers and the lack of professional development specifically related to mathematics, the value of the professional learning community, and the benefits of sharing current research and best practices. During this study, the participants were able to read and share examples of research-based best practices in mathematics, and participants then used this new information and additional mathematics content knowledge in their classrooms in teaching their students.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the performance of Title I third grade students in a central Florida School District differed on tests administered under timed and untimed conditions. Further examined was the literature on reasons for the achievement gap which centered around seven different themes: (a) standardized testing, (b) achievement gap data and identified factors (c) deficit theory, (d) cultural mismatch theory, (e) extended time accommodations, (f) test anxiety and stress, and (g) timed versus untimed tests. Six Title I schools participated in this study by assigning 194 students to take the 2006 Released FCAT Reading Test under either timed or untimed conditions. Although there were no interactions between the covariates and testing conditions, those who were in the free or reduced lunch program or were in exceptional education programs had lower FCAT scores than those who were not. However, when school was included as a moderator, there was a statistically significant interaction between testing conditions and schools on FCAT scores indicating that the relationship between testing conditions and FCAT scores varied for each individual school. A factorial ANCOVA was conducted, and it was found that the mean differences between students who took the timed and untimed 2006 FCAT Reading Test varied from school to school after accounting for the covariates. For two schools, those students who took the untimed tests scored higher than those who took the timed tests. In contrast, those students who took the untimed tests scored lower than those students who took the iv timed test for one of the schools. There was no statistically significant difference for three of the schools. A factorial MANCOVA was used to compare reading performance on the 2006 Reading FCAT between the timed and untimed groups on domain specific tests. The relationship between testing condition and FCAT scores for each domain specific test varied depending on the individual school. Therefore, it could not be concluded from these analyses that testing conditions would consistently result in increases or decreases of student performance on standardized domain specific tests.

The purpose of this study is to determine to what extent Dade county has kept its educational program abreast with the rapid development of the community and thereby met the educational needs of the children in this section of the country.

The purpose of this study was to determine the technology skills that principals perceived as essential for newly hired teachers. The study used a mailed survey to explore three technology constructs in order to determine which skills principals deemed important, how they evaluated those skills after teachers were hired, and which technology skills principals felt colleges of education should be teaching prospective teachers. The technology constructs examined were basic computer and technology operations and concepts, the personal and professional use of technology, and the application of technology in instruction. The study also examined whether principals who perceived themselves as technologically advanced also preferred to hire teachers at a similar level of expertise and whether principals who took the Florida Educational Leadership Examination, which included a technology domain, preferred teachers who were talented in the uses of technology. The findings of the study revealed that most principals, regardless of their own level of expertise or whether or not they took the FELE, are very aware of the instructional benefits of technology and that they perceive the basic, professional, and instructional uses of technology to be essential skills for teachers to possess.

No description available.

Increased accountability in contemporary public elementary schools requires that teachers provide evidence they are using research-based strategies that reinforce skills assessed on standardized tests. There is a need to provide empirical evidence that literature circles can reinforce skills assessed on these tests. A literature circle is a research-based strategy that is common in language arts classrooms. This study investigates the connection between these skills and student discussion that takes place during literature circles. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of skill-focused minilessons on students' independent use of reading skills. The study investigated whether application of skill-focused minilessons prior to literature circles would have an effect on students' independent use of reading skills within student discussions during literature circles. Sixteen students participated in the study. The study also investigated the impact that minilessons prior to literature circles had on students' scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in reading. Students were randomly assigned to the researcher's fifth grade class in the 2008/2009 school year. All students read the same material and received the same treatment. During the course of the study, students first took the FCAT diagnostic in reading and then engaged in five literature circle meetings, each preceded by a minilesson. Students then engaged in five literature circles with a different book and without skill-focused minilessons, followed by the administration of the reading FCAT. The data, which included content analyses of transcriptions of students' discussion and the collection of FCAT scores, yielded several findings. / The two skills most commonly used by students in independent literature circles were analyzing character and discussing plot. The two least commonly used skills were describing conflict and using context clues. Each skill within student discussion.The way in which students transferred the use of these skills to literature circles not preceded by skill focused minilessons varied. Multiple modes of transfer were identified for each skill. A dependent t-test for the FCAT scores did not indicate a statistically significant increase in the use of the five skills identified for this study when minilessons preceded literature circles. / by Gail Kennedy. / Abstract page (p. v) has author's name as Gail Sigelakis. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.