Educational law and legislation--Florida

Children of extreme poverty, who attend schools in impoverished neighborhoods,
traditionally fall years behind their counterparts before they reach school age. While there
have been numerous studies done on the effects of poverty on student achievement, there
are few remedies for closing the gap for students in poverty. Additionally, educators in
schools that serve a majority of students of poverty find that they have limited resources
but are given more mandates than schools in economically richer areas.
With the increasing mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act, educators are
struggling to incorporate the new demands into budget that are stretched beyond capacity.
Are there strategies that advocates for better education can use to mobilize legislators to
make greater provisions for education? The members of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission felt that they
could bring change to the educational provisions by changing their state 's constitution.
They changed the terms of art of the education article of Florida's constitution to increase
the duty required of the legislature to provide for education. Further, they provided a
definition of their concept of adequate provisions for education.
This study seeks to determine if the change ofthe language of the educational
article of Florida's constitution will impact the outcome of a challenge to the adequacy of
the Florida's educational provisions.

This dissertation was designed to determine the source and legacy of power which makes the speaker of the House of Representatives a very powerful figure in the Florida Legislatures, as well as determine whether a significant relationship exists between the speaker's power and the amount of educational benefits and school funding received by his constituency. The Florida speaker possesses more power and influence over school legislation and finance than any other member of the House. His/her priorities have a significant effect on whether the school districts, community colleges, and state universities, receive adequate funding for quality education. The power of the Florida speaker comes from long historical development in England and America via the House rules and precedents established by previous speakers. Although limited by tradition to one term, the Florida speaker ranks among the most powerful speakers in the nation. This study concludes that the speaker of the Florida House has sufficient power to lead his party/faction in the House, guide the flow of legislation, and significantly influence funding for his home district.

Purpose. This study was conducted to assess the reactions of Florida school administrators to the various components of the Management Training Act of 1981. Procedure. A thorough literature search was undertaken to determine more precisely those characteristics indicative of management training in education. A twenty-five item questionnaire was developed which assessed the reactions of participants in the Florida Academy for School Leaders' (FASL) management institutes. A total of one hundred eighty-five Florida administrators participated in the study. Florida school administrators approved of the value and content of the FASL institutes, and indicated that more effective and relevant presentations would result from a team of presenters representing different levels within the state. On-the-job training received a strong recommendation as the most valuable method of training. They also indicated a need for local management training programs. Selection committees were endorsed by the administrators. Survey participants highly supported competency-based administrative certification and compensation for administrators who demonstrate "high performing competencies." Two research hypotheses were formulated. Analysis of the data received indicated no significant difference among the reactions of Florida school administrators by role to the various components of the Management Training Act of 1981. The second null hypothesis was rejected as the analysis of the data indicated significant differences among the reactions of Florida school administrators by state region to the various components of the law. The variables that showed significant differences were knowledge of FASL institutes, selection, certification, and compensation. Among the recommendations for further research was a recognition of the need for a study of current participants of the FASL institutes and their relationship to the reactions of the first participants.