The study examined high school students' perspectives on climate change before and after participation in an informal science education program. During the program, students made a short, place-based film about climate change impacts in their communities. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of student data revealed key themes that illustrate how…

This study investigated the influence of gender, age, and camp type on outcome achievements for children (aged 6 to 10) at summer camp. The outcome achievements measured were affinity for exploration, affinity for nature, camp connectedness, friendship skills, independence, perceived competence, problem-solving confidence, responsibility, and…

Never before has more been asked of State Education Agencies (SEAs), commonly known as state departments of education. In recent years, policymakers at the state and federal level have viewed the SEA as the default entity for implementing new and sweeping K-12 initiatives--everything from Race to the Top grants and SEA waivers to teacher…

Although several studies have examined attitudes towards cougars, little research has been done to specifically address the perceptions on cougar-related interpretive media. The purpose of this study was to examine whether hikers read the available signage pertaining to cougars and examine the hikers' perceptions of current signs and cougar-human…

For the last decade, in districts big and small, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has emerged as the largest private funder of educational efforts. This began with an initiative around small schools in the early to mid-2000s, mostly abandoned now, and has gained traction in the past few years in areas such as teacher evaluation, the Common…

The two authors share learning gleaned from personal, classroom experiences in small schools--both cautions and assurances--for other educators who may be embarking on a similar path. We worked at two different small high school sites in the Denver Public Schools, an urban district with an ethnically diverse student population of 78,000. We…

Previous literature on retention of student helicopter pilots shows a gap in research of civilian schools and qualitative studies. To address this gap in the literature and to help helicopter flight schools better understand the incidents of attrition from flight training, this qualitative study investigated student and school-based factors…

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is clear: States are on the hook for advancing education improvement goals spelled out in the law as a condition for receiving up to $100 billion in economic-stimulus aid to education. But school districts are the ones that must decide how to spend most of that aid--including hefty, one-time increases for…

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine the culture of school resource officers housed in and providing law enforcement services to schools. The two overarching research questions that guided this qualitative study were: 1) What does it mean to be a school resource officer?; and 2) What do school resource officers do? Qualitative…

Until recently, teen pregnancy and birth rates had declined steadily in the United States in recent years. Despite these declines, the United States has the highest teen birth rate and one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among all industrialized nations. To help young people reduce their risk for pregnancy and STIs,…

Until recently, teen pregnancy and birth rates had declined in the United States. Despite these declines, U.S. teen birth and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates remain among the highest in the industrialized world. Given the need to focus limited prevention resources on effective programs, Advocates for Youth undertook exhaustive reviews…

Discusses the common characteristics of experiential education programs and administration in public and private elementary, secondary, and alternative high schools in Colorado and New Mexico. Also discusses the attributes of an effective outdoor education leader and how those attributes are acquired, based on interviews with Southwestern outdoor…

Accurate as of October 1975, the guidebook establishes detailed procedures and policies to be used by all persons engaged in white water rafting trips involving students from Jefferson County (Colorado) Public Schools, and provides a general guide and set of instructions for anyone planning and carrying out such a trip. The guidelines are drawn…