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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

I Landed A U.F.O. On Main Street: An Autoethnography Of The Founding Of An Arts Education Organization In Appalachian Kentucky, Elise L. Kieffer Phd Jan 2019

I Landed A U.F.O. On Main Street: An Autoethnography Of The Founding Of An Arts Education Organization In Appalachian Kentucky, Elise L. Kieffer Phd

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Abstract: The Appalachian region in the southern mid-west has long been the source of stereotyping for dramatic and political affect. Through the course of nine years as a resident in an Appalachian community in south-central Kentucky, the author experienced life as it is lived by the local people. Through the establishment of an art education organization, the author became entwined with local families and became familiar with the origins of many of those stereotypes. Using autoethnography to interpret her experiences, through the lens of academic research, the author will confront the primary issues that surfaced: the acute designation of outsider …


The Great Divide: The Political Implications Of Southern Regional Identification In Kentucky, Joel Turner Jan 2017

The Great Divide: The Political Implications Of Southern Regional Identification In Kentucky, Joel Turner

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

Kentucky occupies a unique place on the American political landscape. The Commonwealth has never been fully embraced as Southern by most observers, but at the same time it is not necessarily a Northern state. As the intersection of North and South in the United States, Kentucky presentes a unique opportunity to study the impact of regional identity on public opinion. Utilizing data from a 2014 survey of a random sample of Kentucky residents, we are able to demonstrate that Southern regional identification is fairly high in Kentucky, and that this identification has a significant influence on opinion regard politicians and …


The Phantom Segregationist: Kentucky's 1996 Desegregation Amendment And The Limits Of Direct Democracy, D. Stephen Voss Jan 2017

The Phantom Segregationist: Kentucky's 1996 Desegregation Amendment And The Limits Of Direct Democracy, D. Stephen Voss

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

Decades after Kentucky abolished de jure racial distinctions in education, the state legislature asked voters to strip segregationist language from their venerable constitution. Political elites were stunned when a third of the state's voters, and majorities in five countries, rejected the change. However, the prime culprit for Kentucky's 1996 constitutional amendment vote was not white racism, because African-American voters endorsed segregation at rates similar to whites. Rather, the Kentucky vote offers a particularly clear and particularly dramatic example of the limits of ballot-box policy making. It should alert scholars that highly publicized referenda in high-profile states - the focus of …


Holding School Leaders Accountable: Estimating The Effects Of Retrospective Evaluations Of Kentucky School District Superintendents, Martin Battle, James C. Clinger Jan 2017

Holding School Leaders Accountable: Estimating The Effects Of Retrospective Evaluations Of Kentucky School District Superintendents, Martin Battle, James C. Clinger

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

This research represents an attempt to apply the theory of retrospective voting to the issue of turnover among Kentucky school district superintendents. The analysis tests the hypothesis that poor school district performance should increase superintendent performance. The hypothesis is tested using accountability data compiled by the Kentucky Department of Education. The analysis reveals somewhat mixed support for the hypothesis. Different performance measures have different kinds of impact. Schools with students scoring high on math and writing were more likely to experience superintendent turnover than other school districts were. The index scores for science and social studies had a negative, statistically …


Red Dog, Blue Dog, Yellow Dog: How Democrats Can Use Strategic Communications To Attract Republican And Conservative Voters, B. Gammon Fain Jan 2017

Red Dog, Blue Dog, Yellow Dog: How Democrats Can Use Strategic Communications To Attract Republican And Conservative Voters, B. Gammon Fain

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

In recent election cycles, a rightward shift among white Southerners, and in some cases the loss of African-American supporters through racial redistricting, turned many long-held Democratic districts in the South red. Kentucky is an excellent example of this shift in voting behavior. Even though registered Democrats outnumber Republicans, the GOP controls the Governor's mansion, most other statewide elected offices, both chamber of the state legislature, and all but one of Kentucky's congressional seats. To win back those seats, Democrats in states like Kentucky will need to appeal to conservative voters. Unfortunately, little scholarly research directly addresses the practical question they …


Do Coal Unions And Racial Diversity Affect Split Ticket Voting In Kentucky?, Kelli South, Chase Deppen, Mathew Gilbert, Ryan Mcdonald Jan 2015

Do Coal Unions And Racial Diversity Affect Split Ticket Voting In Kentucky?, Kelli South, Chase Deppen, Mathew Gilbert, Ryan Mcdonald

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

This paper performs an in-depth historical analysis in order to attempt to discover why Kentucky voters often split ticket vote between the national and local levels. Two theories are analyzed for validity: the coal union influence school of thought and the racial diversity school of thought Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed. The coal union influence theory was p1·oved not to have significance; the coal unions have had little influence on Kentucky voting patterns throughout history and into the present day. The racial diversity school of thought was proven to have some significance; voters are influenced to a certain …


Explaining State-Level Student Dropout Rates: The Impact Of Exit Exams And Public School Resources, Martin Battle, James C. Clinger Jan 2015

Explaining State-Level Student Dropout Rates: The Impact Of Exit Exams And Public School Resources, Martin Battle, James C. Clinger

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

This paper examines one key indicator of school performance, the dropout rate among the public school students at the state level from 1998 to 2002, using a. pooled, cross-sectional time series research design. In this analysis the effects of high stakes testing (i.e., exit exams required for graduation), funding levels, and other school resources are examined. The results ind.irate that exit exams have no statistically significant effects upon dropout rates. Per pupil expenditures do not seem to reduce dropouts and may in fact have a positive effect at the state level. However, the analysis indicates that high pupil to teacher …


School Resources And Student Outcomes In Kentucky Public High Schools, Martin Battle, James C. Clinger Jan 2014

School Resources And Student Outcomes In Kentucky Public High Schools, Martin Battle, James C. Clinger

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

This paper examines the effect of various input measures upon student outcomes within Kentucky public high schools from 2001 to 2004, using a pooled, cross­ sectional time series research design with panel-coIlected standard errors (PCSE). The results indicate mixed support for the proposition that school resources are related to desired school outcomes. Overall school spending seems to have no systematic impact Schools that seem to perform well have few indigent students, many teachers with master's degrees, and fairly high numbers of volunteers. The authors offer some conjectures about the significance and meaning of these findings, especially in light of different …


The Fragility Of Persistently Economically Distressed Counties In Central Appalachia And The Promise Of Public Leadership, Christine E. Emrich, Stephen Lange, Blake Bedingfield, Bonita Fraley, Justin May, Kyle Yarawsky Jan 2014

The Fragility Of Persistently Economically Distressed Counties In Central Appalachia And The Promise Of Public Leadership, Christine E. Emrich, Stephen Lange, Blake Bedingfield, Bonita Fraley, Justin May, Kyle Yarawsky

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

Appalachia has long experienced economic distress, but significant progress has been made since the establishment of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) in the 1960s. However, many counties in central Appalachia continue to experience persistent economic distress despite several advantages that are normally conducive to progress. This study examines Rowan County, Kentucky in comparison to four other rural Kentucky counties with varying degrees of economic progress. Quantitative comparisons were made on the basis of out-migration, educational attainment, and industrial diversity. Qualitative data was then gathered till·ough interviews to understand decisive events that affected progress as well as long-term causes of change …