News Article

FSW School of Education Receives $19,000 Research Grant

Apr 22, 2016

APRIL 22, 2016 – FORT MYERS, FL. – The Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) School of Education was recently awarded a $19,297 grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Inc. (NMEF).

The grant will provide funding for researchers at the FSW School of Education to investigate how a fundamental change in the way states distribute school aid might impact school policies, administrator and teacher practices, and student outcomes for online charter schools.

“Online charter schools have always been funded based on enrollment and held accountable for meeting seat-time requirements,” said Dr. Larry Miller, dean, FSW School of Education. “This method is not producing the results we need as a nation to remain competitive in a knowledge-based economy. Some states, including Florida, have begun to experiment with a different approach to funding and accountability based on students demonstrating mastery over competencies.”

FSW’s researchers will focus on New Hampshire’s funding model.

“New Hampshire has been a leader in this funding model,” Dr. Miller said. “We will examine how this novel finance system works in practice to see if it incentivizes faculty and staff to maximize student outcomes, without sacrificing academic rigor.”

“Our research findings may have important implications for other states supporting large, online charter schools, such as the Florida Virtual School, which has reported serving over 7,000 full-time students in grades K-12 in the 2015-2016 school year,” said Megan Just, co-investigator on the project and senior research analyst in the School of Education.

The grant was facilitated by FSW’s Office of Sponsored Programs & Research (OSPR). OSPR oversees proposal submission of sponsored research, scholarship, and creative endeavors at FSW.

About the Nellie Mae Education Foundation: The Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) is the largest philanthropic organization in New England dedicated exclusively to education.  They are helping to reshape public education across New England to be more equitable and more effective – so all students graduate from high school ready to succeed in life - and contribute to their communities as informed citizens.

The Foundation works with schools to implement the principles of student-centered learning, a personalized, engaging, competency-based approach that is not restricted to the classroom.  It is helping schools strengthen what is working and substantially update and improve policies and practices that are outdated.

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Florida SouthWestern State College is Southwest Florida’s largest and one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Annually serving nearly 22,000 students globally, FSW offers a variety of nationally-ranked, career-focused academic programs with two- and four-year degrees, and professional certifications. Students are also active in clubs and programs catered to their interests. FSW debuted its intercollegiate athletics program in January 2016. Visit www.FSW.edu for more information.

Last Updated: April 22, 2016