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This article presents the quantitative portion of a mixed methods study of moral injury among professionals in K–12 public education. Using a cross-sectional correlational survey design, 218 licensed K–12 professionals from 68 schools in one urban school district in the Midwest completed an on-line survey that included measures of moral injury and emotional and behavioral correlates. The K–12 professionals exhibited levels of moral injury similar to those experienced by military veterans. Correlational analyses found that experiences of moral injury were associated with feelings of guilt, troubled conscience, burnout, and the intention to leave one’s job. Linear regression analyses demonstrated that professionals working in high-poverty, racially segregated schools were significantly more likely to endorse experiences of moral injury. These findings reinforce the significance of the intersectionality of race and class in reproducing oppressive and immoral educational practices and outcomes. A deeper understanding of and greater attention to potential sources of moral injury is critical in order to foster a more just and ethical education system.

Chronic school absenteeism among elementary school-age students is gaining attention from researchers and policymakers because of its relationship to long-term negative educational outcomes. Current literature on effective interventions, however, is limited in terms of the number of studies that have found even marginally effective interventions, the lack of clarity on the interventions being studied, and the connection between the intervention studied and the factors contributing to poor attendance. In response to these gaps in the literature, this study examined the following three research questions: (1) What factors are related to chronic school absenteeism for children in grades K-5 participating in a truancy intervention program? (2) What are the key elements that make up the caseworker intervention component of the program? and (3) How does the caseworker intervention fit with the identified related factors? Interviews were conducted over a two-month period with community agency staff working in the truancy intervention program who were able to provide insight into both the factors related to chronic absenteeism and the interventions that are being used. Results demonstrate that chronic absenteeism is related to a multilevel ecology of factors and suggest that an equally complex ecologically based intervention model is needed.