Sarah LaRose

Dr. LaRose holds a joint appointment between Purdue’s College of Agriculture (75%) and College of Education (25%). As a member of a military family, Dr. LaRose grew up moving to various domestic and international locations before her family settled in Connecticut, where she first enrolled in agricultural education CTE courses at her high school. She began her career in agricultural education as a high school agricultural education teacher and FFA Advisor in Woodbury, Connecticut from 2008 - 2015. Since joining Purdue as a faculty member in 2018, Dr. LaRose teaches undergraduate coursework in Teaching Methods, Curriculum Development, and Laboratory Practices in Agricultural Education. She is a co-author of one of the most widely used textbooks in undergraduate agricultural education programs in the United States, Foundations of Agricultural Education (4th edition), authoring chapters on curriculum development, teaching methods, laboratory teaching facilities, teaching in agricultural laboratories, and digital learning. She has also authored sections of the Agriculture Teacher’s Resource, a free online resource from the National Association of Agricultural Educators for pre-service, new, and alternatively licensed, and experienced agriculture teachers. Her research seeks to cultivate the development of agricultural educators who actively create student-centered, inclusive programs so that all students can experience the transformative benefits of agricultural education.

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Research Goal: To better understand and measure the short, medium, and long-term effects of school-based agricultural education programs upon increasing agricultural literacy and preparing a workforce to meet cross-disciplinary needs of the 21st century. A significant, continuing shortage of qualified candidates entering agricultural careers has persisted in the United States. The influence of school-based agricultural education (SBAE) on graduates’ decisions to enter these agricultural careers has been previously unknown. It has been argued that SBAE produces twin outcomes of producing citizens who are agriculturally literate and lifelong learners as well as preparing graduates ready to enter the skilled agricultural workforce (Roberts & Ball, 2009). While the roots of agricultural education were based in providing career training, students graduating from SBAE programs have not always pursued agriculture-related careers after high school. Given the shortage of qualified candidates prepared to enter the agriculture workforce, the influence of SBAE programs on the postsecondary career choices of program graduates has needed examination. The long-term effects of SBAE on program graduates’ agricultural literacy, as well as their occupational and educational choices have been unknown. Measurement of programmatic impacts would allow agricultural educators to make informed decisions regarding the effectiveness of program delivery, and program stakeholders to understand the short and long-term outcomes of student participation in SBAE. I am interested in studying the career development of individuals who enter careers in agriculture through various means in an effort to encourage more individuals to pursue employment in this area.

+ Selected Publications

• ASEC 34000 – Laboratory Practices in Agricultural Education
• ASEC 34100 – Curriculum Development in Agricultural Education
• ASEC 44000 – Methods of Teaching Agricultural Education
• ASEC 54100 – Program Development in Agricultural Education