Indian River State College (IRSC) transforms lives by offering high-quality, affordable, and accessible education online and on five campuses located on the southeast Treasure Coast of Florida. Between 1988 and 2000, IRSC took the initiative to rally the communities IRSC serves around innovations to stimulate economic development and to prepare…

In support of community development, natural resource, and other Extension programs, the research reported here aimed to identify current and potential outdoor recreational opportunities in the St. Johns River Basin, an inland area in northeastern Florida. We identify the characteristics of the visitors participating in the recreational activities…

"The Road to Recovery: Projecting U.S. Job Growth and Higher Education Demand through 2020" (this issue, p26-29) presented six key indicators that highlighted the latest in education and employment needs for the success of the future jobs market. While the U.S. economy is growing, questions still remain: What skills do employers value…

Christian schools ought to revolve around Jesus' teaching, "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:26-28, ESV). However, Christian schools often model…

This article examines the "My True Voice Project," a mentorship-based program that uses principles of theater education to teach students effective oral communication skills. This project offers a unique model for how arts education can teach children vital thinking skills, strengthen traditional skills, and build community. As such, the…

This guide is based on findings of a year-long study undertaken by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to evaluate Institute-sponsored programs for youth aged 9-19 between 1998 and 2003, and discussion with the IMLS Youth Action Committee and practitioners about the kind of information needed for planning and implementing effective…

IN THIS COMPILATION OF ABSTRACTS OF 78 DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS AND MASTER'S THESES PREPARED AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY IN ADULT EDUCATION AND RELATED FIELDS, 48 PERCENT COME FROM THE FIELD OF EDUCATION (EDUCATION, HOME AND FAMILY LIFE, AND SOCIAL WELFARE), 6 PERCENT FROM PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY, AND THE REMAINDER FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS. RESEARCH…

The product of a three-year adult education teacher training project conducted for Florida's adult educators, this guide is designed to assist planners, facilitators, evaluators, and administrators of staff development programs for adult education teachers to design and conduct effective personal and professional learning experiences. It provides…

This paper examines a burgeoning network of organizations that is inventing new forms of community renewal and citizenship education. Their names vary--some call themselves public policy institutes, others centers for civic life--yet they share a common methodology, one aimed at tackling tough public issues, strengthening communities, and…

A resource for adult educators, this guide was developed as a teacher aid to be used with "Learning Activities for Adults," a curriculum supplement developed by adult education teachers in Florida that is based on Florida's Minimum Student Performance Standards. This assessment and resource is divided into five general knowledge areas:…

This curriculum guide for teaching the history of Florida is designed as a teaching unit in the Social Studies program for fourth graders in the Duval County Public Schools (Jacksonville). The central theme is "Our Widening World," and the primary idea is how conflict and interdependence brought about the growth and development of…

This manual is designed to help teachers, businesses, Chambers of Commerce, and students start their own economic development activities and youth ventures. It describes a two-step plan to economic development through youth: development of an in-school student chamber of commerce program and development of a youth-owned venture. The first part of…

This publication is a guide for designing programs to develop adult educator competencies as determined by other adult educators in Florida. The first section of the three-part publication explains the process of developing the list of essential competencies needed by adult educators, which makes up the second section of the document. The listing…

Agriculture and the railroad were significant forces in the development of Suwannee County, Florida, formally created in 1858 but explored and settled beginning some 300 years earlier. Lumber and cotton caused an early 20th century boom in the county which soon saw the negative effects of both industries. The introduction of tobacco in the late…

In 1977 leaders of Hardee County, Florida, listed relationships and attitudes of residents, rural atmosphere, environmental conditions, and economic potential among the county's strong points, and public service and facility improvements, developing economic potential, recreational and entertainment development, and planning and zoning as its most…