There are many benefits to being involved in a school-based agricultural education program (SBAE). Engagement of students in SBAE programs provides students with a milieu of opportunities; as such, it is imperative to determine strategies for recruitment and retention that are impactful. Research surrounding the recruitment and retention of SBAE…

The social aspects of faculty instructional development programs are increasingly recognized because the programs' impact is greatly influenced by social interactions among faculty participants. These interactions allow faculty members to reflect on and improve their teaching practices. Although the literature has shown that effective…

This study explores teacher perceptions and experiences related to agricultural communication supervised agricultural experience (SAE) projects. Participation in agricultural communication SAEs remains low, despite growing career and post-secondary options in this area for students. To better understand agricultural communication SAE projects and…

Sharing the importance of agriculture, agricultural education, and programmatic efforts through Extension is vital to ensuring policy makers and the general public understand the need for supporting the overall agricultural industry. However, communicating such importance can be challenging without accurate, evidence-based language to describe…

National FFA officers are propelled into a very public position when elected to serve the organization. With an expectation to serve as leaders, officers spend the year interacting with FFA members, sponsors, legislatures, parents, teachers, and others. In order to perform in the highest capacity, they often turn to mentors to guide them through…

Agriscience teachers help support the mission of the American Floral Endowment to inspire people to pursue careers working with plants by providing curricula related to ornamental horticulture. Nevertheless, an overall understanding of how the horticulture industry is connected to the studies of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess volunteer involvement in school-based agricultural education (SBAE) programs. An electronic survey (based on Seevers and Rosencrans, 2001) was sent to a census of SBAE instructors in three states. Attitudes of involving volunteers was positive although there were some roles SBAE participants'…

The cost of conflict avoidance and mismanagement can be detrimental to organizational environments. Thus, the need for individuals capable of managing conflict effectively is a vital and necessary leadership skillset, specifically within higher education. The purpose of this study was to examine if participation in the LEAD21 leadership…

In an effort to measure the influence of an immersive recruitment event, we sought to evaluate high school students' perceptions toward university climate before and after engaging in a day-long event hosted as part of National Teach Ag Day. The Inviting School Survey-Revised (ISS-R) was administered via paper and pencil when the students arrived…

Despite the potential benefits of utilizing volunteers in SBAE programs, volunteer utilization among SBAE teachers has received little attention in the literature in recent years, especially on a national level. A national random sample of SBAE teachers were surveyed to determine current behaviors and perceptions as well as predictors of volunteer…

Educational leaders implement professional development activities to facilitate teacher learning and growth. Each summer, scores of secondary agriculture teachers attend Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) institutes as a form of professional development. Recently, teacher preparation programs have begun offering CASE institutes…

The Growing Recruits for Urban Business (GRUB) is an urban agricultural education program in Lubbock, Texas with a focus on youth development. The mission of the program is to provide at-risk youth with the opportunity to learn technical agricultural skills and leadership skills through the management of a 5.5-acre farm. The purpose of this…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine current agricultural mechanics project construction and its use as a supervised agricultural experience in Texas and was conducted using survey methods. The population was composed of agricultural education teachers who had students with an agricultural mechanics project at one or more of four…

Today's agricultural leaders face complex challenges. On a global scale, pressing issues around land use, food production and security, natural resource management, energy consumption, and climate change drive the need for systemic, innovative, collaborative solutions. For over four decades, adult agricultural leadership programs have represented…

Meeting the demands of a proficient scientific workforce depends on students' communication skill preparation. To describe students' self-perceptions of their communication skills, we surveyed 315 students in Texas A&M University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Participants noted they were most proficient in their ability to listen…