Cara Djonko-Moore

Cara Djonko-Moore studied Urban Education in the Department of Education Leadership and Policy Studies at Temple University and was honored as a Future Faculty Fellow.  She received her Ph.D. 2011. Dr. Djonko-Moore came to Rhodes from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies. She taught undergraduate and graduate courses focused on early childhood teacher preparation with a focus on culturally responsive teaching.  She has taught courses titled Diversity Among Children and Families, Early Childhood Teaching Methods, and Action Research in Early Childhood Education.  Dr. Djonko-Moore’s research interests include culturally responsive teaching within early childhood contexts and the retention of teachers in schools that serve culturally and linguistically diverse children and children in poverty.

Teaching Experience
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Child and Family Studies, Early Childhood 
Temple University, Teaching Assistant
High Bridge Elementary School, Elementary Teacher

Current Projects
I am in the data collection phase of a project to survey early childhood teachers regarding their cultural orientation (individualistic/ collectivist) and beliefs regarding culturally responsive teaching.

I am the in the data analysis phase of a project that examined my own teaching practice and how they contributed to students’ understandings of culturally responsive teaching.

Research Interests
I mainly engage in quantitative studies involving survey research and self studies.

Links to research
Djonko-Moore, Cara M. An exploration of teacher attrition and mobility in high poverty racially segregated schools, 2015
Djonko-Moore, Cara M., Joseph, Nicole M. Out of the Classroom and Into the City: The Use of Field Trips as an Experiential Learning Tool in Teacher Education, 2016