The problem addressed by this study was the academic achievement gap of low-income students. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of educators of low-income students participating in the Florida School Choice program and the perceived challenges they face in bridging the academic achievement…

Positive programming from Law Enforcement organizations with K-12 students should be a priority. It can be challenging, but it can help lead to future elements of success for the kids. This study investigated law enforcement leaders' opinions, goals, and objectives in their approaches to positive programming. The participants were 12 law…

Although School based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers have a variety of responsibilities within a comprehensive program, supervised agricultural experience (SAE) programs are considered an intracurricular component. Unfortunately, the ability for teachers to plan for and facilitate SAEs has been reported as lacking. The purpose of this…

Despite the promise of equal education opportunities for all students in the nation, the achievement/opportunity gap between English language learners (ELLs) and their non-ELLs peers persists. Time, effort, and resources of all kids have been invested in educational reforms to improve these students' outcomes without success (Darling-Hammond,…

State colleges in Florida are subjected to performance-based funding and must meet state-mandated performance measures to receive core funds each year. Efforts to improve student retention and completion rates are made not only by the leadership of the state colleges, but by the faculty members. The purpose of this single, holistic, qualitative…

The overwhelming rise of leadership learning programs and experiences within higher education merits the exploration and identification of best practices, reduction of limiting educational methodologies, and strategies for promoting efficient and effective leadership education has never been greater. This study explores the barriers inherent to…

A core responsibility of the local education agencies (LEAs) that operate kindergarten-through-12th grade (K-12) schools across the United States is creating safe and secure environments that support effective teaching and learning. To help them meet this obligation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Cybersecurity and…

This paper identifies approaches, challenges, and best practices related to planning and designing today's academic library learning spaces. As part of the Project Information Literacy (PIL) Practitioner Series, qualitative data is presented from 49 interviews conducted with a sample of academic librarians, architects, and library consultants.…

All across the country, leaders in colleges and universities are asking the same question: What can we do to improve student success, especially for the low-income students and students of color whose graduation rates often lag behind? This second practice guide: "Using Data to Improve Student Outcomes: Learning from Leading Colleges"…

The content of this guide was derived from ongoing work of a working group on growth models coordinated and facilitated by the SLDS Grant Program's State Support Team. The Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program was asked by several states to review current growth models with the goal of determining the impact of different models…

The University of Florida (UF) established a Strategic Communications Planning Committee in May 2009 to coordinate a campuswide effort to promote strategic communications planning, strengthen the university's brand, unify key themes and messages, maximize use of available research and resources, and identify and propagate best practices and…

From classroom teachers to researchers, education professionals have raised questions about how best to assist students who face the significant dual challenge of acquiring the content knowledge necessary for academic success and simultaneously developing their English language competency. This document addresses these questions by looking at key…

"Building Institutional Capacity for Data-Informed Decision Making" is the third installment of the Cutting Edge series, which aims to help colleges engage faculty, scale successful interventions, and create a strong culture of evidence through use of data to strengthen their institutional change and student success efforts. Though the…