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University of Central Florida

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

2005

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A Comparison Of Character Education Programs And Their Effects On Academic Achievement, Behavior, And Attendance, Beth Berger Jan 2005

A Comparison Of Character Education Programs And Their Effects On Academic Achievement, Behavior, And Attendance, Beth Berger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether significant relationships existed between character education and the number of incidents of crimes and violence, attendance rates, and academic achievement in Florida public schools. Proponents of character education such as Lickona (1991) and Murphy (1998) posited that there was a positive correlation between teaching and practicing the six pillars of character education, and student achievement, and increased attendance. They also posited that there was a negative correlation between character education and incidents of crime and violence. The researcher acquired data in an attempt to determine whether or not the views of …

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A Study Of Public Employee Labor Law In The United States, Oleh Bula Jan 2005

A Study Of Public Employee Labor Law In The United States, Oleh Bula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the legal issues of public employee labor relations in the United States. Included in this study is a review of relevant case law as it pertains to collective bargaining in the public sector. In addition to reviewing the case law, this study researched the statutory language of each state for public sector collective bargaining. The study includes a review, analysis, and summary of the state and federal laws for public sector collective bargaining. The collective bargaining process in the United States is designed to resolve disputes between two parties, the employer and the employee. The resolution of …

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A Predictive Model For Benchmarking Academic Programs (Pbap) Using U.S. News Ranking Data For Engineering Colleges Offering Graduate Programs, Lisa Gay Marie Chuck Jan 2005

A Predictive Model For Benchmarking Academic Programs (Pbap) Using U.S. News Ranking Data For Engineering Colleges Offering Graduate Programs, Lisa Gay Marie Chuck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Improving national ranking is an increasingly important issue for university administrators. While research has been conducted on performance measures in higher education, research designs have lacked a predictive quality. Studies on the U.S. News college rankings have provided insight into the methodology; however, none of them have provided a model to predict what change in variable values would likely cause an institution to improve its standing in the rankings. The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model for benchmarking academic programs (pBAP) for engineering colleges. The 2005 U.S. News ranking data for graduate engineering programs were used …

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Adaptive Self-Regulation And Organizational Politics: Investigating The Effects In The Accounting Profession, Sharon Howell Jan 2005

Adaptive Self-Regulation And Organizational Politics: Investigating The Effects In The Accounting Profession, Sharon Howell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate whether or not perceptions of organizational politics mediate the relationships between accountants' personality and interpersonal traits and their perceptions of a superior's leadership ability and performance. An accountant who has a higher degree of confidence in his or her superior's abilities is more likely to be committed to a given project, resulting in a better project outcome. This benefits the client and ultimately society as a whole. This study contributes to the accounting and psychology literatures because extant research views perceptions of leadership ability and performance from the perspective of the individual …

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A Content Analysis Of 2004 Presidential Election Headlines Of The Los Angeles Times And The Washington Times, Maureen Mccluskey Jan 2005

A Content Analysis Of 2004 Presidential Election Headlines Of The Los Angeles Times And The Washington Times, Maureen Mccluskey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research suggested Election 2004 involved many issue regimes and wedge issues (Kaplan, 2004; Drum, 2004; Fagan & Dinan, 2004). Preceding research proposed that the American perception of presidential candidates has been somewhat based on the mass media's increasing priming and agenda setting techniques (Scheufele, 2000; Kiousis & McCombs, 2004). Hence the research addressed two questions: Is there a bias for or against either candidate in the headlines of the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Times? If there is bias, which issues tended to produce the most positive, negative and neutral results? All election headlines, from February to November …

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Effects Of Three Instructional Schedules On Skill Acquisition And Generalization In The Use Of Two-Way Radios To Report Task Completion By High School Students With Moderate Intellectual Disabilities, Geraldine Perez-Turner Jan 2005

Effects Of Three Instructional Schedules On Skill Acquisition And Generalization In The Use Of Two-Way Radios To Report Task Completion By High School Students With Moderate Intellectual Disabilities, Geraldine Perez-Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educators of students with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities face a significant challenge in preparing their students while in school to function, acquire, and maintain skills that would facilitate successful performance in the workforce while in supported and/or independent employment after graduation. The field of special education still debates about the best way to teach students with moderate intellectual disabilities, the best setting for their instruction and the best instructional schedule. The current research investigated the effectiveness and efficiency of three instructional schedules in the skill acquisition and generalization of two-way radio usage to report task completion by high school …

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Preparing Teachers To Partner With Families, Mary Senne Jan 2005

Preparing Teachers To Partner With Families, Mary Senne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research have demonstrated that family involvement significantly contributes to improved student outcomes relating to learning and overall school success. Teachers must be prepared to promote effective family involvement in the education of all children including those students with disabilities. Many factors can be attributed to successful outcomes for a student with a disability both in the school and the broader community. Families of children with disabilities can be one of these significant factors, yet teachers and those who prepare teachers are often ill prepared and lack essential skills and basic knowledge about the process of partnering with families …

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Teacher Attrition And Retention In Exceptional Student Education: An Evaluation Of The Skills, Tips, And Routines For Teacher Success (Starts) Initiative Of Volusia County, Florida Schools, Mary Speidel Jan 2005

Teacher Attrition And Retention In Exceptional Student Education: An Evaluation Of The Skills, Tips, And Routines For Teacher Success (Starts) Initiative Of Volusia County, Florida Schools, Mary Speidel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition affects the quality of services for students in K-12 education and poses an ongoing challenge for educational leaders, especially in the area of special education. Special educators leave the profession at higher rates than general educators. As a growing state, Florida has identified special education as a critical teacher shortage area. This study evaluated the Skills, Tips, and Routines for Teacher Success (STARTS) initiative of Volusia County Schools, a large district in east central Florida. Implemented in 2001 for new ESE teachers, STARTS offered four days of training in policies and procedures, curriculum, and classroom management. Research questions …

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Home School Versus Other Applicants To Postsecondary Institutions: Admission Policies And In-Depth Analysis, Rebecca Lynn Ashford Jan 2005

Home School Versus Other Applicants To Postsecondary Institutions: Admission Policies And In-Depth Analysis, Rebecca Lynn Ashford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, 94 colleges and universities in Florida were surveyed to determine what their admission policies were for home school applicants. Forty-six colleges responded to the survey. The results of the survey were analyzed to determine if there was a pattern of acceptance based on institution type--public, private, or proprietary. Further, the admission policies were analyzed to determine the extent to which they complied with the National Center for Home Education's (NCHE) recommend college admission policies for home school applicants. The researcher found that public colleges were more likely to accept home school students than were private colleges. Also, …

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Becoming Transcultural: Filling The Cultural And Communication Gap Within The Black American Community, Quanda Le Boldin Jan 2005

Becoming Transcultural: Filling The Cultural And Communication Gap Within The Black American Community, Quanda Le Boldin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to define transculturalism by exploring the Black experience through collectivism/individualism, Black identity and the ability to be transcultural. The study included 83 male and female Black American, college students, graduate students and college graduates. The participants answered a 4-part survey that measured collectivism/individualism, Black identity, the ability to be transcultural and minority hardships. Results revealed that the Pre-encounter, Immersion, Emersion and Internalization phases of Black identity are predictors of minority hardships. There were also significant results for the Internalization phase of Black identity and the ability to be transcultural. In conclusion, Black Americans that …

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Public Participation In Transportation: An Emperical Test For Authentic Participation, Jorge Cesar Figueredo Jan 2005

Public Participation In Transportation: An Emperical Test For Authentic Participation, Jorge Cesar Figueredo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the public participation activities of State Departments of Transportation (SDOTs) in the United States. A review of existing literature and legal frameworks suggests that an "authentic" public participation results when dimensions of representativeness, use of public inputs, interactiveness, and quality of citizen inputs have been achieved. The study sought to identify conditions that serve as measurements that must presumably be satisfied for authenticity to exist in public participation. The result was a Model of Authentic Public Participation that served as the basis for creation of a new four-tiered methodology to assess the performance of these districts relative …

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An Inquiry Into Discourse Choices As Indicators Of Gender Attitudes In A Non-Profit Conservative Christian Business, Dawn Marie Kruger Jan 2005

An Inquiry Into Discourse Choices As Indicators Of Gender Attitudes In A Non-Profit Conservative Christian Business, Dawn Marie Kruger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper is an inquiry into the discourse styles of men and women who work together in a conservative Protestant Christian business. Many conservative Protestant Christian churches teach that the Bible forbids women from holding positions of authority over men. Yet in the communications department of this particular business, women fill the top three management positions, supervising a mixed-gender staff of 15. Research has shown that men and women subconsciously use language markers that indicate personal attitudes toward the same and the opposite genders. This research project draws on that information while it analyzes the oral and electronic discourse of …

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Addressing The Impact That Workshop Site Coordinators And Administrators Have On The Teaching Of Science In The Classroom, Valerie Elaine Mckenna Jan 2005

Addressing The Impact That Workshop Site Coordinators And Administrators Have On The Teaching Of Science In The Classroom, Valerie Elaine Mckenna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studied the beliefs and practices of principals, workshop site coordinators, and science support personnel in two Central Florida school districts and compared those beliefs and practices to the literature on effective science in-service education. It is important to understand these beliefs and practices because they directly affect the content and pedagogical knowledge of classroom teachers, yet this aspect of instructional practices has been ignored in the science education literature. This study used a grounded theory methodology using open-ended individual interviews, participants observation, and documented analysis. Constant comparisons were built through analyzing the data. The research shows that in-service …

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Relationship Between Supervisor Locus Of Control And Employee Satisfaction In A Residential Care Facility, Patricia Chene Nowotniak Jan 2005

Relationship Between Supervisor Locus Of Control And Employee Satisfaction In A Residential Care Facility, Patricia Chene Nowotniak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to identify factors that may contribute to employee satisfaction. Review of the literature revealed potential factors influencing employee satisfaction, such as locus of control, difficulty of the work itself, and working conditions. These literature findings guided this research, to establish if a relationship existed between employee satisfaction of caregivers employed in a developmental institution and locus of control. Supervisors and their employees were given a locus of control scale; employees were additionally given a job satisfaction survey. The relationship between the supervisors' locus of control and employee satisfaction was evaluated as well as the …

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Social Competence Of High School Students Enrolled In Online Physical Education Courses, Deborah M. Ware Jan 2005

Social Competence Of High School Students Enrolled In Online Physical Education Courses, Deborah M. Ware

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the social competence of high school students enrolled in online Physical Education courses. Additionally, the demographic information regarding students who enroll in online Physical Education courses was examined. The subjects for this study included sixty students taking one of two Physical Education courses at the Florida Virtual School during the spring 2005 term. The entire curriculum of the Florida Virtual School is presented online and students live throughout the entire state of Florida. Therefore, the entire study was administered online. The assessment instrument used was the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills created …

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Analysis Of International Student Enrollments At A Florida Public University, Diana L. Weidman Jan 2005

Analysis Of International Student Enrollments At A Florida Public University, Diana L. Weidman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine if international student admissions at a public university had been affected by the events on September 11, 2001. To accomplish this, an analysis was conducted comparing international and domestic students' application rates, number of acceptances and enrollments for the fall semesters from 1998 through 2004 on data obtained from University of South Florida. The USF population data were also compared to enrollments in the U.S. for the respective years. Analyses on application frequencies and student enrollments comparing colleges of major and regions of origin were also performed. Generally, although statistical significance was found in many …

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Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities: An International Perspective, Jeanette Amayo Jan 2005

Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities: An International Perspective, Jeanette Amayo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the inclusion of students worldwide. Because the language barrier would impede the gathering of the necessary research, this study was delimited to only those English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The researcher examined many aspects of the education of students with disabilities in each country and how that attributed to the extent in which students with disabilities were being educated in the regular classroom. First, the researcher analyzed the legislation regarding students with disabilities, especially those directives that called for the Inclusion of …

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Transparent Templates Of Principals, Mary Chang Jan 2005

Transparent Templates Of Principals, Mary Chang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploration of the personal constructs of principals was intended to reveal the transparent templates they create and attempt to fit over the realities of their world. This study sought to go beyond externally imposed descriptions of the leadership behavior of principals by exploring their personal constructs to discover the meaning that principals ascribe to their leadership behavior in anticipation and interpretation of events. Kelly's (1955) personal construct theory provided the conceptual framework for this study. The research questions were addressed through qualitative inquiry. Data were collected in a process that began with full context elicitation, laddering, and triadic analysis, …

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A Study Of Blended Learning At A Metropolitan Research University, Linda Futch Jan 2005

A Study Of Blended Learning At A Metropolitan Research University, Linda Futch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to better understand blended learning at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The investigator examined blended learning from the institutional, faculty, and student perspectives in an attempt to capture the complexities of this learning environment. For the institutional perspective, models emerged that were critical to the development of UCF's initiative and ongoing support of both fully online and blended courses. The individual faculty perspective outlined unique characteristics of one blended course, HFT4932 - Exploring Wines of the World. The professor explained his/her choices and reasons for an instructional model as well as why the …

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Collective Teacher Efficacy And Reading Achievement For Hispanic Students In Reading First And Non-Reading First Schools In Southwest Florida, Larry Hylemon Jan 2005

Collective Teacher Efficacy And Reading Achievement For Hispanic Students In Reading First And Non-Reading First Schools In Southwest Florida, Larry Hylemon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined explicit and systematic reading instruction for Hispanic, limited English, lower SES students in a southwest Florida school district. Additionally, collective teacher efficacy was assessed to determine if differences existed between a Reading First and a non-Reading First school. A total of 68 students participated in the study and were divided equally between a Reading First and non-Reading First school. While the Reading First school concentrated resources on grades 2 and 3, all students received some degree of Reading First strategies. Available reading measures for analyses at the time of the study included the Group Reading Assessment and …

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The Sputnik Crisis And America's Response, Ian Kennedy Jan 2005

The Sputnik Crisis And America's Response, Ian Kennedy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On 4 October 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite, and the Space Age had arrived. While not an American achievement, Sputnik stands as a significant juncture in United States history. This thesis explores the resulting American political crisis, its development in the final three months of 1957, and the impact Sputnik had on American life. The thesis also examines the social and political context of the Sputnik crisis and will challenge some long-standing analysis of how America's reaction to the Soviet satellite developed. To accomplish this task, it was necessary to consult both primary and …

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An Examination Of Best Practices In Retention In The Associate Degree Nursing Programin The Florida Community College System, Mary Lewis Jan 2005

An Examination Of Best Practices In Retention In The Associate Degree Nursing Programin The Florida Community College System, Mary Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods research examined student nurse retention methods perceived as best practice by directors and coordinators in selected Associate Degree Nursing (AND) programs within the Florida Community College System (FCCS). A critical nursing shortage is expected to worsen over the next twenty years due to the aging workforce and the inadequate supply of qualified nurse graduates. The Associate degree nursing programs supply the majority of nursing graduates to the workforce. Thus, the associate degree nursing programs and student retention measures were studied. The research was conducted using a Delphi survey of directors of nursing in ADN programs within the FCCS. …

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Selected School Characteristics And Their Relationshipto High School Teacher Retention, Jhunu Mohapatra Jan 2005

Selected School Characteristics And Their Relationshipto High School Teacher Retention, Jhunu Mohapatra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the perceptions of Orange County high school teachers and administrators regarding selected school characteristics and their relationship to teacher retention. The study was based on another investigation conducted by the Charlotte Advocates of Education (2004) inquiring into the working conditions in schools and their impact on teacher retention. A total of 292 teachers with less than 4 years of experience and 14 administrators with more than 1 year of experience responded to 25 survey items related to the 6 factors comprising positive school characteristics. Factors such as School Facility, Resources, and Professional Development contributed …

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Transformational Leadership Qualities Of Florida Community College Student Government Advisors, Thomas Rath Jan 2005

Transformational Leadership Qualities Of Florida Community College Student Government Advisors, Thomas Rath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College student government organizations (SGOs) have the important responsibility for achievement of purposes that serve students and the college community. They are also the student voice in higher education governance. Effective student leadership is vital to the effective fulfillment of these purposes, as is the role of the student government advisor in ensuring the success of student leadership and leadership development. Transformational leadership (Bass, 1985) is seen as a way of reaching higher levels of leadership effectiveness and organizational performance, and it has been advanced for use in SGOs. This study examined the extent to which community college student government …

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Email Utilization By University Employees And Its Relationship To Job Satisfaction, Anthony Recascino Jan 2005

Email Utilization By University Employees And Its Relationship To Job Satisfaction, Anthony Recascino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of technology, such as electronic mail and the Internet, is becoming the norm in many workplaces. This is especially true in academic workplaces. The present study examined several issues related to electronic mail use and job satisfaction for employees within a higher education workplace. Results of the study found that administrative level employees both sent and received more email than non-administrative level staff. Job satisfaction was not found to be related to the amount of email sent or received. No difference in job satisfaction was found between employees at the main campus versus regional locations, nor was there …

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The Legacy Of Andre Smith, Ginny Seibert Jan 2005

The Legacy Of Andre Smith, Ginny Seibert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Jules Andre Smith was an architect and an artist with an aspiration to build a retreat where artists could explore and develop new ideas. In the late 1930s, due to the generosity of a benefactor named Mary Louise Curtis Bok, Smith embarked upon an undertaking that fulfilled his ambition. He created a legacy known first as The Research Studio and later as the Maitland Art Center. The intent of this thesis is to document and journey through Smith's legacy, and answer the following two questions: What is the symbolic meaning behind the imagery? Why design six acres of architecture dominated …

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Florida Public School Administrators' Knowledge Of Legal Issues Related To Search And Seizure, Catherine Slack Jan 2005

Florida Public School Administrators' Knowledge Of Legal Issues Related To Search And Seizure, Catherine Slack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School officials trying to deter drug use, combat crime, and shore up security are conducting searches that are landing school in legal trouble for violating students' constitutional rights. In 1993, West Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a strip search of a student suspected of stealing money was illegal (State of West Virginia ex rel Gilford v. Mark Anthony B., 1993). In another case, a federal appellate court held that a strip search of a student for suspected drug possession was reasonable, although no drugs were found (Cornfield v. Consolidated High School District No. 230, 1993). Improper searches of students, lockers …

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How Leadership Affects Follower Satisfaction: The Federal Case, Tracey Trottier Jan 2005

How Leadership Affects Follower Satisfaction: The Federal Case, Tracey Trottier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the effect of leadership in the federal government. Using a slightly revised version of Bass's Full Range Leadership Model, the study examines the influence of transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and combination of the two on the perception of leadership effectiveness and follower satisfaction in the federal government. To establish if this revised model is consistent with federal employees' perception of effective leadership, if leadership in the federal government increases follower satisfaction, and if both the transactional and transformational leadership are important to followers' perception of leadership and their satisfaction, data from the 2002 Federal Human Capital …

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An Assessment Of Mental Health Counseling Services Provided By Florida Public Community Colleges And Universities, Tito Jovan Benjamin Jan 2005

An Assessment Of Mental Health Counseling Services Provided By Florida Public Community Colleges And Universities, Tito Jovan Benjamin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess mental health counseling services provided by Florida public community colleges and universities. The researcher of this study designed the Counseling Center Questionnaire instrument. This instrument consisted of two different questionnaires, one for community colleges and the other for universities. The questionnaires were developed to ascertain information regarding mental health services provided by higher education institutions. The questionnaires yielded information pertaining to (a) which Florida community colleges and public universities were offering mental health counseling services to students, (b) the types of mental health counseling services provided, (c) the types of problems/issues students …

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A Study Of The Cost-Utility Of Outcomes Of Various Methods Of Increasing The Four-Year Graduation Rate In Osceola County Public Schools, Isaac Harold Berger Jan 2005

A Study Of The Cost-Utility Of Outcomes Of Various Methods Of Increasing The Four-Year Graduation Rate In Osceola County Public Schools, Isaac Harold Berger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine which interventions were deemed to be effective at increasing the four-year graduation rate in Osceola District Schools. This had become a concern due to the fact that this rate had decreased in recent years, and may be utilized as a predictor of the dropout rate. The interventions were then prioritized according to Levin's cost-utility theory, so that the order of implementation could be prioritized. The study was conducted in January and February of 2005, and responses were elicited from 600 people. Students currently in Osceola District Schools high schools comprised 200 of …

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