The focus of this research was to determine the relationship, if any, between student achievement and the implementation of the Sterling Quality Management System in a southwest Florida school district. A quantitative analysis focused on three sources of data. Two surveys provided by the Florida Sterling Council were used to collect data from school based personnel and student achievement gain scores obtained from the Florida DOE School Accountability Report 2005-2009. In this study, little positive correlation was found between perceived implementation of Sterling practices and student achievement gains. Of a possible score of 5, the total mean implementation score across all groups was found to be 4.14. This meant that the perceived level of Sterling implementation among respondents overall was very high. No significant correlation was found between the total average Sterling implementation mean score and student achievement gains (school points) made between 2005 and 2009. Overall, very few correlations were found to be statistically significant. This suggested the lack of a linear relationship between Sterling implementation and student achievement gains in the schools in the study Following are recommendations for future research. 1. This study could be repeated using a population of multiple school districts in Florida or in different states. 2. This study could be repeated using different measures of student achievement, such as end of course exam results, SAT or ACT scores, or achievement in Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate programs in high schools. iv 3. This study could be repeated with a population of administrators that includes all school principals and assistant principals. 4. This study could be repeated in a school district that has achieved the Sterling Quality award. 5. This study could be repeated to determine a relationship between Sterling Quality and other school effectiveness measures, such as parent involvement, community support, and teacher retention. 6. Determine the relationship if any that the implementation of Sterling Quality practices at the district level has on student achievement.

The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of several elementary science mentors and their mentees within one school district based on a fivefactor mentoring model. Utilizing a qualitative methodology in the form of a case study, five mentors and three mentees were interviewed using a structured protocol. From verbatim interview data and field notes, three themes pertaining to the role of the mentor within elementary science emerged as emotional support, technical support, and educative support. Within the five-factor mentoring model, personal attributes suggested notions of support and expert status as critical elements for effective mentoring. The factors of system requirements, pedagogical knowledge, modeling, and feedback were found to be interrelated amongst themselves and with the factor of personal attributes. Effective mentors demonstrated a commitment to the role as well as a flexibility pertaining to role adjustment depending on the context of the mentoring relationship.

This study examined the action research reports written by teachers in one Florida school district after they had received professional development on differentiated instruction and the action research process in the 2009-2010 school year. The 69 reports that were completed by the teachers were assessed using the Action Research Rubric that was developed for this study. This rubric evaluated whether the reports contained the elements of action research along with the characteristics that the district emphasized as part of the professional development such as differentiation, student subgroups, and collaboration. The Action Research Rubric contained seven subscales: Purpose of the Study, Plan, Professional Collaboration and Resources, Data and Evidence, Results, Instructional Decisions and Professional Reflection, and Sharing Results. Descriptive statistics were found for the aggregate group of reports as well as subgroups depending upon the school level (elementary, middle, or high school), the types of teachers within the elementary category, or the FCAT subject area of focus for the report. Overall, the action research reports met the district‟s standard as measured by the Action Research Rubric. As an aggregate group, the reports also met the standard on the Purpose of the Study, Professional Collaboration and Resource, and Data and Evidence Subscales. They did not perform as well on the Plan and Sharing Results Subscales.

This study examined the impact of involuntary mobility on the academic achievement of tenth grade students in a Central Florida school district. Students of involuntary mobility were selected as the result of new attendance boundaries due to new high school construction. Students were compared against non-mobile peers at schools of like demographics (i.e. poverty level and ethnicity). Mobility status (involuntary or no mobility) was the independent variable. The dependent variable, academic achievement, was measured by students’ tenth grade developmental scale scores in reading and mathematics on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Students’ ninth grade test scores were used as a covariate to control for students’ prior achievement and isolate the impact of mobility. Additional subgroups (minority and poverty) were compared to determine if involuntary mobility had a more significant impact on these groups. Finally, a hierarchical linear regression was used to determine if a model for reading and mathematics could be used to predict future academic performance for students of involuntary mobility. Findings showed consistently there was no statistically significant difference in the achievement performance among groups or subgroups and the subject tests of reading and/or mathematics with one exception. There was a statistically significant difference in mathematics achievement in the all students group when comparing those students of involuntary mobility with students of stability. Students of mobility actually indicated a modest level of higher achievement than non-mobile peers. The hierarchical linear model iv was found to be marginally significant for predicting achievement among involuntary mobility students in the area of mathematics, but not necessarily in reading. Future research recommendations include broadening the research to additional grade-levels. This research only considered the impact of achievement on high school students. Future research should consider similar impact on students at both the elementary and/or middle school levels. Qualitative measures would provide additional information, particularly the perceptions and experiences that stakeholders have throughout the involuntary mobility process. Other at-risk subgroups, particularly those of residential mobility and/or previous retention, provide additional considerations that would add to this body of research. Finally, involuntary mobility as the result of school closings would provide additional insight as this factor often has public negative perceptions.

In this research, data collected by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) for 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 program completers of the following three Florida teacher preparation programs were compared: the Initial Teacher Preparation Programs (ITP) of approved colleges and universities, District Alternative Certification Programs (DACP), the Educator Preparatory Institutes (EPI). A factor analysis was performed to identify factors perceived by program completers as important to their preparedness to teach. The factors that most closely supported completers’ perceptions of Florida teacher preparation programs regarding successful preparation for the classroom were: Planning and Instruction; Assessment, Communication and Research; Professional Responsibility and Ethical Conduct; and Use of Technology. Differences perceived by program types indicated that completers of the traditional program, initial teacher preparation (ITP),were significantly more satisfied with their preparedness to face the challenges of the classroom than were completers of school district programs (DACP) and community college programs (EPI. Although the teachers in all groups believed that their preparation ranged between effective and highly effective, the scores of the ITP group reflected significantly higher mean scores and ratings closer to highly effective than the DACP and the EPI groups. Conclusions, implications for policy and practice, and recommendations for future research were offered.

Dropping out of high school almost guarantees a life of hardship. The absence of a diploma contributes to poverty, increased crime rates and weakens the economy. To that end, school districts have a moral and ethical responsibility to bring an end to the dropout epidemic. This study was based on an analysis of more than 26,000 Brevard public school students. The researcher used 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 student data to determine the relationship between race, grade level, ESE status, ELL status, SES, type of promotion and dropping out of school. In addition, the researcher reviewed Student Exit Survey data and face-to-face interview data to determine why students dropped out and identified strategies students felt would have kept them in school. Finally, individual interview data were analyzed to understand the circumstances that encouraged participants to return to earn their diplomas. The researcher recommended use of data management and tracking systems for early identification of potential dropouts so intervention could be delivered at the onset of failure, assignment of trained adult leaders to monitor and intervene for students; enforcement of compulsory school attendance; creation of mechanisms to reduce absenteeism that do not lead to school failure; required intervention for students who are truant; identification and assignment of highly effective teachers to at-risk youth; intervention in classrooms that have high rates of student failure; use of relevant curriculum and employment of instructional practices proven to increase engagement; alignment of intervention strategies with researched practices; gathering of input and feedback from students to determine program effectiveness; iv creation of meaningful exit interview processes; utilization of survey data to identify and remove school-related barriers and collaboration with community agencies to find meaningful and genuine solutions for students in crisis.

Character education is one of the most controversial aspects of academic institutions in the United States. The responsibility of educating children about democratic principles and moral values is something many states and schools are taking very seriously as a vital part of a teacher’s role in the classroom. This study investigated the personal teaching efficacy and general teaching efficacy beliefs of pre-service secondary teachers at a large university in the state of Florida. This study investigated the responses of 130 pre-service secondary teachers in language arts, science, social studies, and mathematics within one teacher education program. The questionnaire utilized in this quantitative research study was the Character Education Efficacy Belief Instrument (CEEBI), which was designed by Milson and Mehlig (2002). This instrument is composed of 24 items designed to understand personal teaching efficacy (PTE) and general teaching efficacy (GTE) beliefs. This study examined if there was a statistically significant difference in PTE and GTE scores between secondary pre-service teachers based on the independent variables of a) program/major, b) gender, c) race/ethnicity, and d) coursework in character education. The results of this survey adds to a rich field of research and literature on character education and teacher education by taking a closer look at the specific beliefs of secondary preservice teachers regarding their PTE and GTE for character education. This study was an attempt to better understand the teaching efficacy beliefs for secondary pre-service teachers graduating from a teacher preparation program within a state that mandates character education.

Cattle ranching has been of major significance to Florida since the 16th century; however, few are aware of the historic, ecologic, economic and cultural influence of this industry. This study investigates the origins and impacts of the traditional customs and practices of Florida’s cattle ranchers, who preserve and reinvent this rich heritage today. Ranchers live closely with the land and their animals and, due to the often-uncertain and cyclical nature of the business, must possess resourcefulness and initiative to prosper. The image of the stoic cowboy has long been associated with the American West, yet before longhorn cattle ever crossed the western plains, Florida frontiers were populated with herds of unique “cracker” cows, descendants of cattle left behind by early Spanish settlers. Like the West, Florida experienced conflicts between ranchers and other land claimants, issues that continue in the 21st century. Modern ranchers contend with developers, environmental concerns, and increasing regulation, yet they persevere in passing on their cultural heritage. Agricultural lifestyles can be emotionally fulfilling, but stewardship of land and animals can be stressful and labor-intensive. Motivation to continue these customs may be enhanced by identification with cowboys of popular American media, enhanced by physical immersion in a similar setting. Optimal agricultural practices have been well researched; however, anthropology provides a useful lens to examine customs and practices of Florida’s cattle ranchers. Anthropologists have long been concerned with the dynamic relationship between human culture and the environment, examining how the physical landscape and ecological niches shape and are shaped by those who inhabit them. As globalized trade markets, technology, and economies expand, influencing agricultural practices and destroying natural habitats, diachronic studies of changing environments, economic and sociocultural influences in geographically bounded locales can be helpful in understanding this process. iv However, a key consideration is the fact that culture is not static, but ever changing, thus the most important aspects of tradition and heritage that we choose to retain and reinvent may provide the most telling insight into any society

This study was conducted to investigate the nonpromotion message's affective impact on parents. An interview guide was developed to collect data on parents' reactions to several aspects of public schools: Elementary schools in general; Messages received from elementary schools; Current practices (nonpromotion) in schools; Parents' feelings as a result of their child being retained; Information about their family. Interviews were conducted with parents of 180 children who attended public schools. Ninety interviews were conducted with parents of children who had been retained in either second, third or fifth grade and 90 were conducted with parents of children who had been identified as low achievers in second, third or fifth grade. Statistical and ethnographic analyses were completed to investigate parents' feelings about nonpromotion. There was little statistical evidence to indicate that parents perceived the nonpromotion message as an evaluation of themselves and the level of parents' affective reaction to the nonpromotion message was fairly neutral. Grade level at which a child was retained and socio-economic status of the family were unrelated to parents' affective reaction and self-evaluation scores. Also parents tended to blame the teacher and the child for a nonpromotion more than they blamed the school programs, the principal or themselves. One emerging concept revealed by the ethnographic analysis was that the school's strategy for working with parents had an influence on the parents' reaction to their child's nonpromotion. Parents' compliance with the need for nonpromotion seemed to be influenced by what the school personnel said rather than a personal response to what they felt would be the best for their child's future. Parents did what the school told them to do, they believed that the school provided them with accurate information, and that nonpromotion was the best alternative for their child. The exploratory data analyzed by this study provided some insight into the parents' emotional readiness and reaction to the academic failure of their child and provided suggestions for improved parent-school communications. A need for open and honest communication and cooperation between parents and educators was indicated. The use of parental contact had a positive influence on the parents' perception and support of the nonpromotion decision.

An extensive literature survey revealed there have been no in-depth studies of the quantity of water entering Orlando area drainage wells. Previous values ranging from 30 to 85 MGD were based on water supply withdrawal information or gross drainage area estimates. This paper presents a detailed study of the quantity of water entering 208 drainage wells in the Orlando Ubran Stormwater Management Manual (OUSWMM) area. Extrapolation of results to the remaining wells in Orange County is discussed briefly. Field experiments on one 20 in drainage well yielded a mathematical relationship that was reasonable for estimating acceptance rates for drainage wells of all sizes. One hundred seventeen drainage sub-basins have been identified in the 54,000 acre OUSWMM area. Seventy-four of these sub-basins contain or contribute flow to one or more of the 208 drainage wells. Weighted mean daily runoff in the 74 sub-basins was estimated between 39.1 and 53.4 MGD. Storage effects reduce this to 17 to 31 MGD, which is the maximum quantity of runoff available to the drainage wells. Other effects could reduce this more. A well hydraulics estimate of the inflow quantity was 18 to 47 MGD. This agreed reasonable well with the estimate of the available runoff. Deviation between the two could be due to the limited amount of data on heads on the well.