Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Editor's Note, Joseph A. Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

An Overview Of The Nonprofit Sector In Missouri, Ivy Shen

Missouri Policy Journal

This paper examines the key characteristics of nonprofit organizations, analyzes the data obtained from the IRS, provides a snapshot of the nonprofit sector in Missouri, discusses the breakdown of various types of these organizations, compares the nonprofit sectors in Missouri and at the national level, and highlights key statistics of the sector. As of November 2022, Missouri is home to 38,460 nonprofit organizations, out of which 501(c)(3), 501(c)(7), and 501(c)(4) are the most common IRS tax codes. By the NTEE classification system, the top two classifiable categories of Missouri nonprofits are human services and religious congregations. The Missouri nonprofit sector …

In Real Time, A Crisis In Public Education: Teacher Shortages In Missouri And Kansas, Dong Hwa Choi, Judith Mcconnell Mikkelson

Missouri Policy Journal

Communities throughout the United States have experienced a shortage of teachers for several years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this teacher shortage has escalated, creating a major crisis in public education. The struggle to hire and retain a highly qualified teaching staff is true in all fifty states, including Missouri and Kansas. In this article, complex reasons for the growing teacher shortage in Missouri and Kansas are detailed and needed actions to rectify this dire situation are discussed.

Book Banning Trend Fuels Far-Reaching Effects, As Well As Challenges To Restrictions, Elizabeth Macdonald

Missouri Policy Journal

Recently, there has been a rapid rise in educational censorship efforts in Missouri and nationwide. There have been escalating book bans in Missouri schools accompanied by conservative backlash against diversity initiatives and manufactured outrage over Critical Race Theory (CRT). While public opinion opposes banning books, legislative efforts surrounding Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Critical Race Theory initiatives have contributed to the rapid increase of bans. Conservative media misrepresents critical race theory to justify censorship in all academic settings. Postsecondary education faces unique challenges, with proposed bans on DEI initiatives threatening accreditation, academic freedom, and quality of education. With bans …

Missouri Policy Journal -Volume 2, Issue 1 (2024) -Full Issue

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Joseph A. Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Student Outcomes And Spending On Teachers In The Aftermath Of Recession, Howard J. Wall

Missouri Policy Journal

This short paper looks for evidence of a link between K-12 education spending and student outcomes in Missouri during the years following the Great Recession. There are two reasons why this period is of interest. First, several studies have argued that an erosion in student outcomes occurred in many states during the period because severe budget crises led to spending cuts for K-12 education. Second, because the spending cuts were larger and more sustained than is typical, any negative effects on student outcomes would be exacerbated and more apparent. Thus, the period might be useful statistically given that causal links …

International Students In Missouri: Countering Enrollment Declines, Retaining High-Skilled Graduates, And Supporting Local And Regional Economies, James Kaemmerer, Matt Foulkes

Missouri Policy Journal

Tens of thousands of international students have studied at Missouri’s colleges and universities, making invalua-ble academic and cultural contributions to campus and community life. Perhaps less well-known have been the significant contributions that international students have also made to state and local economies. In recent years, the number of international students studying in Missouri has been on the decline (a trend that pre-dates the pandemic), and as a result local economies have potentially lost out on millions of dollars in revenue. The focus of this paper is first to explore the changing enrollment trends of international students in Missouri leading …

Cover, Jeanie Thies

Missouri Policy Journal

Photo Caption MPJ Issue 12

This gigantic eyeball sculpture known as “Eye” is located in Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, created by artist Tony Tasset. Photo by Jeanie Thies.

Raise The Age: Perceptions Of Missouri Juvenile Justice Actors, Angela M. Collins, Maisha N. Cooper

Missouri Policy Journal

In 2018, the Missouri General Assembly joined the ranks of forty-six other states and D.C. in the Raise the Age movement and raised the upper age of jurisdiction of the juvenile court from 17 to 18 years old. Senate Bill 793 was signed into law by Governor Eric Greitens on June 1, 2018, and was set to go into effect on January 1, 2021. Similar to other state and county level juvenile justice stakeholders, those in Missouri have expressed concerns over the potential fiscal challenges, increases in workload, and issues related to the allocation of resources and programming within the …

Lessons Learned From Missouri Institutions Of Higher Education Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Estlund, Catherine Shoff, Amanda Harrod

Missouri Policy Journal

Institutions of higher education (IHE) have worked tirelessly to mitigate the effect of SARS-Co-V2 (COVID-19) on their campuses. Shortly after COVID-19 hit Missouri, several state departments united their efforts to understand and problem-solve around the pandemic. The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (DHEWD) led one such effort, facilitating weekly meetings with members from Missouri’s IHE. The research team reviewed thirty-one video recordings from November 4, 2020, to June 9, 2021, and interviewed DHEWD staff. Using focused coding, the research team identified the role of DHEWD, leaders that emerged during the process, several challenges IHE faced during the …

Preschool Education For Three- And Four-Year-Olds In Kansas And Missouri: Reflections On State To State “Laboratories Of Democracy”, Judith Mcconnell Mikkelson, Dong Hwa Choi

Missouri Policy Journal

The well-being and education of three- and four-year-old children living in Kansas and Missouri is examined. The need for quality preschool education and its importance and history are viewed along with the licensing and regulations for preschools and that of preschool teachers. In addition, each state’s funding, state standards, regulations, supporting grants, Head Start programs, parent involvement, and special education services are compared and presented as state-to-state examples of “Laboratories of Democracy.”

Editor's Note, Joseph A. Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Cover, Colin Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Modern Policing, Reform Efforts, And Implementation Of Evidence-Based Practices For Eyewitness Identification Procedures, Joseph M. Zlatic, Jeanie Thies

Missouri Policy Journal

This article discusses various avenues to law enforcement reform that have been proposed, especially in regard to adoption of evidence-based practices. The authors advocate for specific reforms regarding eyewitness identification policies and protocols, and offer an overview of the supporting research. A brief history of the challenges to police reform is presented with an emphasis on how political factors stymie success. The authors assert that expanding use of model policies for eyewitness identification, either through legislation or appealing to agencies to voluntarily adopt such policies, is relatively apolitical and requires minimal to moderate cost and effort.

Editor's Note, Joe Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

An Overview Of Performance Funding Policy In Missouri, Ivy Shen

Missouri Policy Journal

Performance-based funding is a strategy that connects state funding directly to institutional performance on public campuses through indicators such as student retention, graduation rates, and cost efficiency. The policy was first adopted by Tennessee in 1979; since then many states have experimented with measures that attempt to finance higher education based on university performance. Missouri has a history of allocating additional state resources on the basis of performance through the Funding for Results program from the 1990s. This paper examines the history of performance funding policy in Missouri, the policy changes since its first enactment, and potential challenges with such …

Strengthening The Missouri Model Of Juvenile Justice: Missouri Division Of Youth Services Staff Perspectives, Sarah Kuborn, Carol Kellison, Kristen N. Sobba, Darrey Robins

Missouri Policy Journal

The Missouri Division of Youth Services (DYS) approach to juvenile justice has become a national model, often referred to as “The Missouri Model.” Missouri’s approach has produced positive outcomes including satisfactory discharges, high law-abiding rates, and low rates of recidivisms. Although a model for other states, the Missouri DYS Model lacks an essential component of youth rehabilitation: the family. Based on the suggestion made by Ringle and colleagues to blend out-of-home residential care with family based in-home aftercare services, this study aimed to explore Missouri DYS staff perspectives on merging Intensive Family Reunification Services into the current Missouri DYS Model …

Cover, Mike Weinecke

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Joseph A. Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Cover, Joseph A. Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Introduction By The Editor For Issue 9, R. W. Hafer

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Joseph A. Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Cover, Annette Rolfe

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Introduction By The Editor For This Issue, R. W. Hafer

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Joseph A. Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Cover, Joseph A. Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Introduction By The Editor For This Issue, R. W. Hafer

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Contradictions In Missouri: Do Apologies Really Matter In Criminal Sentencing?, Grant J. Shostak, Ryan V. Guffey

Missouri Policy Journal

Conventional wisdom provides that a criminal defendant who apologizes for wrongful actions committed may be shown mercy by the sentencing court. While some studies support the conventional wisdom, an apology sometimes has the opposite effect and results in a more severe sentence for the defendant. This study attempted to examine the effect a defendant’s apology had on a sentence handed down by a judge or commissioner sitting in the Circuit Courts of St. Charles County, St. Louis City, and St. Louis County, Missouri.

The Sweeping Changes Of Clean Missouri: Issues Of Redistricting Reform In Missouri, Debra Leiter

Missouri Policy Journal

In November 2018, Missouri citizens will vote on Amendment 1, also known as Clean Missouri. Clean Missouri focuses on ethics and political reform of the Missouri State Legislature, in the areas of lobbying, campaign finance, public records, and redistricting. This article briefly reviews the proposals of Amendment 1 and pays special attention to the issues of redistricting in Missouri. It places Missouri’s current redistricting system into context, offers an evaluation of the current system, and estimates the potential effects of the newly proposed redistricting system on political outcomes in Missouri.