Scholars and practitioners agree that homeland security policy implementation is contingent on a strong system of intergovernmental relations. The responsibilities associated with the homeland security mission, often mandated, cut across federal, state, and local boundaries. Local‐level stakeholders are especially important players in the implementation process. This article presents a local perspective on the way intergovernmental relations have changed—and the reasons for those changes—since 9/11. Results of a survey of county and city officials in Florida provide evidence that intergovernmental cooperation has improved as a result of federal and state mandates. These results are refined by an analysis of the effects of specific local characteristics and the quality and quantity of vertical and horizontal networks on intergovernmental cooperation and local preparedness. Homeland security appears to be a policy area in which mandated cooperation and coordination—in a time and place of urgency—have actually strengthened the intergovernmental system.

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The use of active learning strategies can involve students with course material in ways that the traditional lecture can not. As described by Bonwell and Eison (1991), active learning requires that students engage in activity (other than listening) that emphasizes the development of cognitive skills through higher order thinking tasks such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. There are numerous ways to integrate active learning strategies in the classroom, including: collaborative or group exercises, experiential learning, guided discussion, computer-based instruction, peer-to-peer teaching, and participant demonstrations. Incorporating active learning exercises into course curriculum can have a powerful effect on the development of learning skills. The benefits of active learning for students include an increased motivation to learn, increased responsibility for learning, improved attitudes toward learning, better interpersonal skills, and an increased ability to appreciate and consider a variety of perspectives (Jacobs, Power, and Inn 2002).

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This empirically based study compares the extensiveness and perceived quality of public and private emergency management-related collaborations at the grassroots level, based on a statewide survey of Florida county and city officials. The extensiveness of local officials' involvement in privatesector collaboration is on par with their emergency management-related interactions with public-sector entities. County officials are more likely than city officials to report higher quality networks with both public and private partners. First responders rate the quality of their intergovernmental public-sector collaborations higher than their generalist counterparts; the results are more varied in terms of each group's private-sector network quality assessments.