Based on the position that perceptions about roles and functions within organizations affect the operational goals of those organizations, this study vas conducted to determine differences in perceptions among educational personnel in large Texas school districts as to the operation of purchasing departments. The data generated by the present study support the conclusions stated below: 1. All employee groups questioned feel that there is a significant discrepancy between current and ideal practices in purchasing departments. 2. Any tendency to protect the status quo appears to be limited to those involved with the purchasing system in its design and operation. 3. Being more closely associated with classroom operations causes a greater discrepancy in how purchasing department practices are viewed. 4. Secondary Teachers were either more intensely in favor of change or more willing to express opinions. 5. There exists the tendency to lose rapport with teachers the more removed one is from the classroom. 6. Communications gaps exist between purchasing departments and those in classroom operations.

The problem of this study was to determine competencies which are necessary for effective administration by secondary school principals. The sources of data included a review of the literature and supplemental materials. The survey technique, employing a jury-validated questionnaire, was used to collect the perceptions of superintendents, principals, teachers, and college professors in the State of Texas. A total of 316 educators responded to the questionnaire. The development and findings of this study are presented in five chapters. Chapter I presents an introduction to the study. In Chapter II, a survey of the literature is reported. Chapter III contains details of the procedures employed in collecting data for the study. Chapter IV presents the data gathered through the use of the questionnaire. Chapter V presents the summary, findings, conclusions, and recommendations resulting from the study. The study identified eight general areas of competency for secondary school principals. Those competency areas were (1) organization and administration, (2) curriculum design and improvement, (3) the instructional process, (4) business and financial management, (5) student management, (6) personnel management, (7) facilities, equipment, and supplies, and (8) communications. A total of ninety-five competencies was identified from the literature and from communications with college professors and …

The problem of this study was predicting teachers' job satisfaction and performance based upon selected factors in personal background and organizational properties of their school. The purposes of this study were to determine (1) whether seven organizational properties of a teacher's work environment were important in predicting five job satisfactions and job performance, (2) whether the five job satisfactions were important in predicting teacher job performance, and (3) whether there were significant differences in five job satisfaction scores and in performance rating between teachers grouped by fifteen independent variables. This study concluded that the use of data collected on the seven organizational properties increased the prediction of job satisfaction and performance. The addition of the five job satisfactions and seven organizational properties increased the prediction of job performance. The specific independent variables that had the highest relationship on criteria mean scores were Teaching Field, Teaching in Area of Preparation, Expenditure per Student, and Campus Size for elementary teachers. For secondary teachers the highest relationships were on Contract and Salary.

This study compares present policies and procedures for selection of school board members in districts of The Council of Great City Schools with those advocated by board members, professional educators, and representatives of lay organizations. To determine present selection policies for school board members, a questionnaire was sent to the business manager of each participating district. Replies were received from twenty-one of the districts and presented in tables including number and percentage of respondents for each item. To determine opinions of board members, professional educators, and members of lay organizations, a thirty-five-item questionnaire was mailed to 190 board members, 22 school superintendents, 19 college professors, 19 PTA representatives, 22 NAACP representatives, and 11 chamber of commerce representatives. After a return of 200 usable questionnaires, data were presented in separate tables including number of respondents and percentage of respondents. Using the contingency coefficient technique for statistical analysis, null hypotheses were formulated to test relationships between the opinion of respondent groups and selection policies and procedures actually in use. The chi square test was applied to test the relationships, with the .05 level of significance as the criterion. Results were tabulated collectively. Tabulated results indicate that board members should be elected at …

The problem of this study is to determine the extent to which the Texas Education Agency and selected school districts have implemented the legislative provisions of House Bill 467, enacted by the Sixty-First Texas Legislature. No hypothesis is advanced. The purpose of the study is twofold: first, it describes the sequential development of the crime prevention and drug education program by the Texas Education Agency as mandated through House Bill 467; and second, it determines the current status of the crime prevention and drug education program in selected school districts through the use of a semi-structured personal interview with the individual assigned primary responsibility for coordination of the program in each of the nineteen school districts included in the study. It is the further purpose of this study to determine principal and teacher perceptions toward twenty-two factors related to drug abuse among students. This was accomplished through the use of a perception survey mailed to a random sample of 1,184 teachers and all 149 principals within the nineteen school districts participating in the study. This procedure resulted in the return of usable surveys by 804 teachers and 119 principals.