PDEC Projects

Florida Safe Learning Environment Data (FSLED) Project

Faculty

• Dr. Glenn D. Israel, Project Investigator
  Dr. Rose Barnett, Research Coordinator

The Florida Safe Learning Environment Data Project (FSLED) is a major component of the Florida Safe Learning Environment Institute, which was established to conduct research on school safety and provide services to Florida's schools in regard to comprehensive needs assessment and program planning through accurate data collection and reporting. The project is part of an ongoing effort by The Florida Inter-University Consortium for Child and Family Studies. Under the lead of Florida A&M University, the Consortium includes the University of Florida (FSLED), Florida State University, Nova Southeastern University, and Palm Beach County Schools as a collaboration of partners to achieve outcomes toward meeting the Florida Department of Education's Goal 5: School Safety and Environment.

The Florida Safe Learning Environment Data Project (FSLED) goal is to evaluate and design improvements to the SESIR reporting system to provide more meaningful data to state, district and school personnel relating to school safety issues. Under the direction of Dr. Glenn Israel, Project Investigator, and Dr. Rose Barnett, Research Coordinator, the FSLED Research Team has conducted and coordinated interviews and focus groups with school administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, and deputies in Alachua, Bay, and Palm Beach Counties. This information has been synthesized to evaluate how the SESIR system functions on a routine daily basis, current capabilities of the reporting system including strengths and weaknesses, and the potential need for system improvement.

The Florida Safe Learning Environment Data Project (FSLED) will assist districts and schools in accurately collecting and reporting school incidence data. It will also assist schools by monitoring the system for erroneous incidence reporting, establishing a link between SESIR and other data such as discipline data, creating a positive climate that provides an incentive for accurate reporting, understanding long-term benefits of needs assessment and program planning, and using the data for team planning and evaluation. As part of these efforts, the FSLED Research Team is currently designing a model school climate survey and school safety index for potential use statewide.

For more information about the FSLED project, please contact Dr. Rose Barnett at phone at (352) 392-0386 or by e-mail at rvb@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu.

• Back to About Us