Dr. Jon S. Turner

Biography

Dr. Jon Turner is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Special Education. His area of special research focus in on the challenges faced by rural schools. His research agenda focuses on the implementation of the four-day school week in public schools. Prior to coming to Missouri State, Dr. Turner had a 25 year career as a school administrator and teacher in Missouri rural public schools. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Missouri Association of Rural Education. He holds degrees from Missouri Southern State University, Missouri State University, and the University of Missouri and is a native of Webb City, Missouri. 

Details

Education

• EdD, 2006, University of Missouri
• MS, Education, 1997, Missouri State University
• BS, Education, 1988, Missouri Southern State University

Teaching

• EAD 787 Administration of Special Programs
• EAD 858 School Personnel
• EAD 862 Superintendency
• EAD 882 Internship for Superintendency
• EAD 850 Politics of Education
• EAD 867 School Plant Planning & Maintenance
• SEC 302 General Methods of Instruction in Middle and Secondary Schools

Professional experience

Selected publications

• Three Midwest Rural School Districts’ First Year Transition to the Four Day School Week:  Parents’ Perspectives, The Rural Educator (The Journal of the National Rural Education Association), February, 2019, p. 1-15. 
• The Economics of the Four-Day School Week: Community and Business Leaders’ Perspectives, Journal of Applied Economics and Finance, March, 2018, p. 168-174.
• Four-day-a-week Districts Continue to Grow in Missouri, School and Community, Winter, 2018, p. 10-13.
• Staff Perspectives of the Four-Day School Week: A New Analysis of Compressed School Schedules, Journal of Education and Training Studies, January, 2018, p. 52-62.

Research and professional interests

• The four-day school week
• School and school board leadership
• Rural school leadership
• Pathways for para-educators into teaching

Additional resources

• Curriculum Vitae
• Four-Day School Week Resource Center

Media appearances

Another symptom of the teacher shortage: 1 in 4 Missouri school districts now have a 4-day week
St. Louis Public Radio
08/08/2022

The Four-Day School Week Grows in Missouri-an interview with Dr. Jon Turner.
MSTA Presents
07/27/2022

MSU professor discusses the four-day school week, and why some smaller Missouri school districts...
KSMU-Springfield Public Radio
06/07/2022

Rural explosion in four-day school week aimed at recruiting teachers.
Columbia Missourian
06/08/2022

A record 128 Missouri school districts—25 percent—switch to the four-day weeks.
Springfield News-Leader
03/06/2022

The Four-Day School Week—An Interview with Dr. Jon Turner.
The Rural Voice
02/13/2022

The Four-Day School Week Continues to Grow in Missouri.
KY3-Springfield
02/06/2020

Grading the four-day school week feature Dr. Jon Turner and Paul Hill.
WBUR-Boston Public Radio
05/30/2019