Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Political Science

Date of Defense

7-11-2025

Graduate Advisor

David Kimball

Committee

Endsley Jones

Anita Manion

Stephen Bagwell

Abstract

Abstract

Punctuated Equilibrium Theory, as applied by Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) to the study of species evolution, examined the infrequency of morphological change or stasis discontinuity.1 While groundbreaking in the field of Paleontology and the study of fossil change, the theory has been well-fitting to the decision sciences as introduced by Baumgartner and Jones2, in their 1993 and 2010 publications. Recognizing typical, incremental policy change, its use in this research looks at how stasis, stagnant policy can be punctuated by changes in political or societal views. This study examines the impact of heightened problem discussion for agenda setting and state-wide education policy, asking if a single school district could influence state-level decisions. Looking specifically at charter school policy, can the urgent need evidenced by the non-accredited Normandy Schools Collaborative impact the state agenda, and create space for resuscitating a previously unapplied policy? My italicized reference to the “non-accredited” Normandy Schools Collaborative reflects the status change from unaccredited to a blank slate, granted by the Missouri Department of Education after its takeover and the impact of Breitenfeld. As both Normandy and the neighboring Riverview Gardens School District were unaccredited, Breitenfeld vs. the School District of Clayton, (Hoerner, 2015)5 required that they finance both tuition and transportation

for students transferring to accredited districts. Would recovery be possible for Normandy? While looking at the district’s demise, this study also considers the additional weight imposed by the Wellston-Normandy merger, a decision under the tenure of Chris Nicastro, Commissioner of Education for DESE during the tenure of the decisions discussed here. Regarding this a direly impractical decision, Dr. Stanton Lawrence, former Superintendent of the Normandy School District, described the improbability of recovery, (Stanton Lawrence: How Missouri Killed the Normandy School District, 2014).6 While a more reasonable choice would have been to merge Wellston with a better-assessed, better-resourced district, it seemed that Normandy was tasked with making brick out of straw. Using district and state-wide achievement data, accreditation status in parallel with charter policy, and the heightened conversation over the impact, I look at indications for charter school appeal - Wellston’s impact on Normandy, Normandy’s failure and need for revival, and during unaccreditation, the deeper imposition of sending Normandy’s students to surrounding districts. As also defined by the policy process, the timely existence of a policy entrepreneur carries weight during the window of opportunity. This research looks at the probability of that window being raised by accreditation status and by Breitenfeld, and whether an entrepreneurial presence existed as a catalyst for statewide policy change. If Missouri charter school policy is revisited regarding the Normandy Schools Collaborative, would this single district have become the medium?

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