Date of Award
2-1-2017
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate of Education, Ed.D.
College
College of Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Julie McCann, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Chad Lakies, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
JeVon Marshall, Ph .D.
Abstract
This study was conducted with administrators of four charter schools located in the west, the south, and southeast portions of the United States that had courses in religious and biblical literacy in each school’s curricula. A multiple case study methodology was employed to describe the experiences of public charter schools implementing religious and biblical literacy courses to discover commonalities to successful implementation. The data was gathered using semi-structured interviews conducted during the summer and fall of 2016. Areas of interest were specific to course descriptions, the fit within the specific charter school vision and mission, teacher training, and resources. The most common factor supporting the implementation of the courses, revealed by all administrators, was the need for teacher training and preparedness before taking on a specific religious or biblical literacy course. The researcher chose schools where the course fit into the mission and vision of the school, as an indicator of purpose, and where teachers used primary source documents in lesson plans. A framework of implementation strategy is provided as well as the implications needing to be addressed by staffing. The research may inform other charter schools looking to implement such coursework and the researcher outlines additional areas of study needed to investigate other specific indicators.