Florida Institute of Education
FIE projects address critical educational issues in Florida. Working with local, regional, and statewide initiatives, these projects cover a wide range of topics:
School Readiness
FIE continues to build on a rich body of research to support young children’s learning and the active engagement in that learning by their families. FIE researchers worked collaboratively with school readiness and prekindergarten teachers to develop and test innovative instructional strategies using concept mapping designed to strengthen children’s background knowledge, vocabulary, and connection-making skills.
Early Literacy and Learning Model/Plus (ELLM/Plus)
The Early Literacy and Learning Model/Plus (ELLM/Plus) is a research-based, comprehensive curriculum for 3-, 4-, and 5-year old preschool children that has been proven to be effective improving children's early reading achievement in an experimental study. The literacy-focused curriculum builds children's cognitive development through literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, motor experiences, and physical health.
Early Learning Exploratory Projects
Jax Preschool SEEDS for Reading Success 3-year Pilot
The goal of Jax Preschool SEEDS is to help young children build a strong foundation for learning by enhancing their language and literacy development while fostering a love of reading. Three components comprise the program. The first is reimagining family engagement by promoting families’ active involvement in children’s literacy development while helping families address challenges that hinder children’s academic success and well-being. The second is professional support for teachers to enhance teacher-child interactions. The third component is to strengthen the quality of the learning environment, including the addition of reading members for three- and four-year-old children. The program, now in its third year, currently serves approximately 300 children and 250 families at six early learning centers located in a Westside Jacksonville neighborhood. One component of the program is that 成人AV视频 students, called 成人AV视频 Dream Promoters, read and interact with small groups of 3- and 4-year-old children twice weekly during the academic year while developing their own leadership and workplace skills in on-campus learning sessions.
Jax SOARS (Strengthening Opportunities to Achieve Reading Success)
3-Year Pilot
The goal of Jax SOARS, which began in Fall 2024, is to align early literacy, elementary reading, and family engagement within a defined geographic area. In practice, the Jax SOARS Westside Roots & Wings Hub includes partner early learning and care centers serving 300 children from birth to age five and over 600 students at two partner elementary schools serving students from Pre-K through fifth grade. A defining feature of the embedded hub model is its intentional focus on family engagement and support as a core strategy for improving literacy outcomes. This focus is implemented through two complementary strategies: reimagined family engagement and support and the Jax SOARS Adventure League, implemented at each of the two participating DCPS elementary schools. The Jax SOARS Adventure League is a structured literacy enrichment component designed to increase reading motivation and engagement among elementary students. Delivered during non-instructional time by certified teachers (Travel Guides), the program provides interest-based, immersive reading experiences that reinforce positive associations with books across home and school settings. Open to all students and families at the schools, the Adventure League promotes belonging through student choice, guided interactions with staff, and recognition of participation and achievement.
PreK-12 Education
FIE continues to promote educational opportunities for students from early childhood learning through post-secondary education. One initiative is the 成人AV视频/FIE PreCollegiate Connections: College Reach-Out Program. The program aims to increase high school students’ aspirations for enrollment and success in post-secondary education.
FIE works toward this vision using a systematic approach for improving practice and informing policy, an approach which embraces a sustained commitment to research, to university/practitioner collaboration, to innovation and development, to dissemination of evidence-based tools and strategies, and to data-informed decision- and policy-making.
Jefferson County Literacy Alliance
A three year partnership with the Jefferson County R.J. Bailar Public Library and the Florida Institute of Education at the 成人AV视频.
FIE Doctoral Student Research Assistants
FIE provides COEHS doctoral students interested in improving educational outcomes for at-risk children and youth opportunities to work with researchers in ongoing research studies and curriculum research and development efforts taking place at FIE.
FIE Undergraduate Business Team Apprenticeship Program and FIE Student Assistants
The FIE Undergraduate Business Team Apprenticeship Program currently provides two students in the Coggin College of Business half-time, full-year paid apprenticeships that allow students to gain experience in their fields while gaining valuable workforce skills. FIE also employs from three to six undergraduate- and graduate-level students for 10 to 15 hours a week each. Student assistants are paid a competitive wage for on-campus employment and also acquire critical workforce skills. Students employed at FIE also benefit from mentoring by FIE staff.
The Florida Institute of Education created and implemented the FIE Practice-Focused Coaching Model to help build capacity of teachers and address the school readiness gap between children living in poverty and their more affluent peers. Initially, the model focused on improving teacher skills in the areas of reading aloud, oral language, letter/sound knowledge, phonological awareness, and emergent writing.