Implementing Agricultural Literacy in Pennsylvania Elementary and Middle Schools: Perceptions of Principals

From the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the U.S. has witnessed a dramatic shift in the number of individuals engaged in production agriculture. Subsequently, citizens have moved away from agricultural-related settings, and the population has become detached from its food and fiber systems, exacerbating an employment gap in the agricultural workforce. Exposing youth to agricultural literacy in elementary and middle schools could 1) lead to an interest in agricultural careers, mitigating an impending employment shortage, and 2) cultivate an agriculturally literate society that can make informed decisions regarding agriculture. This study aimed to explore how Pennsylvania public elementary and middle school principals perceive agriculture and implementing agricultural literacy, identify their perceived barriers to implementing agricultural literacy in their schools, and determine the likelihood that principals would advocate for the adoption of agricultural literacy in their schools. Using Dillman’s Tailored Design, this study employed survey methodology to conduct a statewide census of 2,173 reachable K-8 principals, yielding 283 valid responses and a response rate of 13.02%. The responses yielded the following results (1) principals hold positive perceptions of agriculture, (2) principals believe that agriculture can be implemented in their schools, and (3) principals’ top perceived barriers to implementing agricultural literacy are lack of training, increased accountability through standardized testing, lack of time for teachers to learn about agricultural literacy, and lack of funding, respectively. In future studies, researchers should consider the influence of predictor variables on principals’ likelihood of advocating for the adoption of agricultural literacy.