The problem of this study has been an investigation and comparison of the school dropout rates of Mexican American and Anglo Students and their reasons for leaving school in a large metropolitan school district in Texas. The specific purposes were (1) to ascertain the dropout rates of Mexican American and Anglo students within similar socioeconomic status and to compare these rates; (2) to compare the reasons for dropping out of school given by Mexican American and Anglo students; and (3) to delineate the implications for the school district's instructional program and its operation. Based on an analysis of the findings of this study, the following conclusions were formulated: (1) the school district studied is not meeting the needs of Mexican American students, particularly Mexican American females; (2) it can be expected that Mexican American female students are more likely to drop out than are Anglo females; and (3) Mexican American and Anglo dropouts do not believe that there is anyone on the school staff in whom they can confide their decision to drop out.

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of developing a scale for rating a public school superintendent in Texas in terms of his adherence to selected characteristics of administrative leadership. A secondary problem is to verify the hypothesis that very few schools in Texas, if any, use a rating scale to evaluate the performance of the superintendent. The purpose of this study will be to identify a set of administrative leadership characteristics which are accepted by members of Boards of Trustees, professors of educational leadership, and superintendents.

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 examine the selection process used in the appointment of high school principals in the forty-eight large-city school districts of the nation. The purposes of this study were (1) to examine how principals of high schools in large-city districts are selected, and (2) to determine the criteria considered important in the selection process. In order to conduct this investigation a questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was validated by a twelve-member panel composed of eleven public school administrators and a former United States Commissioner of Education. Significant findings which tend to be supported by the data are: 1. Human relations skills were considered as being most important in selecting principals. 2. Superintendents placed little value on the personal traits of candidates. 3. Instructional skills ranked third in importance. 4. The selection process depended heavily on biographical data and the use of the interview. 5. Teaching experience and a master's degree are essential. 6. Assistant superintendents are involved in the selection process more often than any other group, but superintendents are most influential in the selection process. 7. School facilities, pupils, and parents are seldom involved in the selection process, and when involved, their influence is …

This study was concerned with which competencies are considered necessary for success as a Texas public school superintendent, and the results were derived from responses to a questionnaire by practicing school superintendents in Texas during the spring of 1975. Summary of Findings: The literature reviewed and the data obtained from the survey instrument appeared to indicate that school superintendents in Texas do need certain competencies in order to adequately fulfill their role in the educational setting. This study was limited to seventy-five school superintendents in Texas. There were variations in their responses depending on: 1. Size according to pupil population. 2. Wealth according to the amount of taxable value located in the school district subject to taxation backing each pupil enrolled. 3. Experience of the superintendent surveyed. There was no effort to develop historically the concepts related to the competencies necessary for success as a school superintendent in Texas. Only opinions of writers and school superintendents of schools serving in Texas schools were used in this study.

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 purposes of this study were to 1) compare the characteristics between the elections that were successful and unsuccessful; 2) identify the purpose of the school bond issue (demographic characteristics); 3) identify the financial resources and structure of the school districts (economic characteristics); 4) analyze the public relations and publicity techniques used in the school bond campaign (communications variables); 5) determine the degree of responsibility assumed by individuals and groups for the educational, building, and bond needs of the school districts (group involvement); 6) ascertain personal and professional information about the district superintendent as it related to voter influence in the bond campaign; 7) determine prior bond election experience. The major conclusions were that the trend of large or small eligible voter turnout was inconclusive, urban districts had more difficulty than rural or suburban districts in passing bond issues, and bond issues were passed mainly for new facilities. School districts with large assessed valuation per resident student had better results than others. The newspaper, "general talking it up," speakers, public meetings, and telephone committees were effective means of communication. The superintendent, board of education, faculty, principals, P.T.A., and lay groups assumed the most responsibility in the elections.

The problem of this study is the development of a model curriculum for high school metallurgy students. The study was made at the Skyline Career Development Center of the Dallas Independent School District, Dallas, Texas. The study has three purposes. In addition to providing a model curriculum for high school metallurgy students, a second purpose is to describe the developmental processes by which the curriculum was derived. The third purpose is the evaluation of the basis of the content of the model curriculum. It was found that of the 76 concept-relationships stated, 64 were true as originally written according to the established rating criteria. It was also found that 64 of the 76 concept relationships stated were appropriate for understanding by high school students, although the two lists of 64 concepts were not identical. The unapproved concept statements were deleted or rewritten according to the established criteria. Only one of the 33 skills listed received a low rating. It was further found from a report of the metallurgy instructor that the 21 high school students in the metallurgy program had attempted a cumulative total of 374 of the 33 behavioral objectives in the curriculum and had accomplished a total of …

This study develops guidelines and an in-service model for secondary teachers supervising student teachers. The study provides guidelines for developing in-service teacher supervision activities in secondary schools that serve as student teacher centers. The study seeks to determine selection criteria for supervising teachers; to ascertain in-service program activities considered valid by experienced supervising teachers, administrators and college coordinators; to measure professional reaction toward recent co-operative implementation of Senate Bill Eight; and to assess current in-service programs for supervising teachers in the North Texas area and test their conformity with criteria stated by known authorities. The study reviews literature in topical areas considered by known authorities to be those in which secondary-school supervising teachers must function. A questionnaire was developed, validated and mailed to an aggregate of 239 secondary supervising teachers, college co-ordinators, principals and central office administrators in selected public schools, and colleges and universities in the North Texas area. Collection of data resulted in a 73.6 per cent return in a ten-day period. Degrees of differences among the beliefs of participant groups were revealed by the chi-square measure of significance. It was found that the supervising teacher is the most influential feature of the entire student-teaching program and that …

This study tests the effectiveness of a program designed to use extrinsic incentives in improving the motivation of disadvantaged students to achieve academic success. This study seeks to determine whether the specific extrinsic rewards provided in the program actually improve the success of students on classroom tests. A secondary purpose of the study is to assess the extent to which that success, if achieved, becomes itself a reinforcement sufficient to maintain continued success in the classroom. Ignoring age and grade, students from the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades were grouped by their skill level in mathematics and assigned to an individual teacher. The study was conducted during four consecutive two-week periods. Base-line data were obtained during the first two-week period of both experimental and control students under regular classroom conditions. Extrinsic incentives were applied to the experimental group during each of the following two-week periods and identical measures were taken during the same period of both the experimental and control groups. The analysis-of-covariance statistical treatment was used to compare changes on test success. The .05 level of confidence was held as the standard for statistical significance. Two extrinsic incentives, a free movie and a monetary reward, were employed to bring …

This study is a description and analysis of the effect of criterion referenced test data on the acquisition of math skills and the mastery of selected objectives in fifth-grade students.The first chapter includes the introduction, statement of the problem, purposes of the study, statement of the hypotheses, background and significance., definition of terms, limitations, basic assumptions, and procedures for collecting data. The second chapter is a review of the literature pertaining to criterion-referenced testing and also includes a review of studies utilizing criterion-referenced test material. The third chapter describes the population being studied, the instruments used to measure achievement, and procedures for treatment of the data. The fourth chapter presents an analysis of the data collected for the study and a discussion of the findings. The fifth and final chapter presents a summary of the study, findings, conclusions, and recommendations pertaining to future research in the utilization of criterion- referenced testing. The subjects in this study were sixty, fifth-grade students attending Lakeland Elementary in the Lewisville Public School System who comprised the experimental group and sixty, fifth-grade students attending Central Elementary in the same district, who comprised the control group. The Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (Form G Level 2), …

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 …

This study investigates the effect of the student teaching experience on attitudes toward the use of punishment in the classroom. Student teachers in large innercity and suburban secondary schools furnished data, which were analyzed with a semantic differential technique and the Purdue Attitude Scale Toward Any Practice. The study seeks to determine the effect of student teaching on attitudes of prospective teachers toward punishment in the classroom for discipline purposes, as measured by a semantic differential; to determine differences in attitude changes when student teachers were grouped according to sex in pretests and posttests; to determine differences in attitude changes between those in inner-city schools and suburban schools; to determine the effect of student teaching on the attitudes of prospective teachers toward corporal punishment in the classroom as measured by the Purdue Attitude Scale Toward Any Practice. This study concludes that a beginning student teacher's attitudes toward punishment in the classroom changes significantly with experience. Attitudes of student teachers in inner-city schools do not change significantly more than those in suburban schools. Attitudes of female student teachers toward corporal punishment change more than those of males. The rules of the particular school in which the student teacher does his teaching …

The study is concerned with the change in mathematical conceptual understanding and computational skills of elementary school pupils during an academic period of twelve months in selected schools using mathematics resource personnel. Researching instructional techniques for mathematics concepts being taught in the elementary school and assisting in the implementation of the research into classroom procedure were the functions of the resource personnel. A total evaluation of the data was used to form the following conclusions confined to the population used in the study and the experimental procedure which was followed: 1. The use of mathematics resource personnel did not prove effective in improving the computational skills of the first or third grade elementary school pupil. 2. The use of mathematics resource personnel did not prove effective in improving the conceptual understanding of the first grade elementary school pupil. 3. The use of mathematics resource personnel did prove effective in improving the conceptual understanding of the third grade elementary school pupil following a six month period of treatment. 4. The use of mathematics resource personnel did not prove effective in improving the conceptual understanding of the third (now fourth) grade elementary school pupil following a twelve month period of treatment.

The purposes of the study were: (1) to determine whether the experience of attending a human relations workshop produces a change in anxiety levels as measured by two instruments, the Janet Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Anxiety Scale (Omnibus Personality Inventory); (2) to compare the mean anxiety scores of the experimental treatment group and the control group using the variables of sex, teaching level, and years of experience in public school teaching; and (3) to determine the retention effect on anxiety over an intervening time span of four months for the experimental treatment group. The following are conclusions derived from this study: 1. Whatever effect the experience of attending a human relations workshop had, it cannot be measured by the Anxiety Scale (OPI) or the TMAS. 2. No segment of a school population will experience increased anxiety as a result of attending a Thiokol human relations workshop (1). 3. No significant changes in levels of teacher anxiety can be expected from attending a one-week human relations workshop with the possible exception of individuals with six or more years’ experience who did report lowered anxiety. 4. There is no longitudinal effect on levels of anxiety for teachers as a result …

The problem of this study was to determine legal, moral, and social responsibilities and practices of the Texas public school system in dealing with religion. The purposes of the study were (1) to determine the impact of state and federal judicial decisions on religious practices in schools, (2) to review the historical background for trends of religious practices in the public schools of Texas, (3) to determine the social and professional influence on religious practices in public schools, and (4) to survey current religious practices from a select sample of public schools in Texas to determine if schools were basically sectarian. The following conclusions are inferred: I. It is not the intention of the Supreme Court of the United States to deny the existence of a Supreme Being, but rather its intention is to assure each individual freedom from any form of an established religion. 2. School policies do not delineate the role of religion in public school, 3. Through careful planning, progress could be made in developing policies for a study of religion which will complement, not supplement, the religious teachings of the home and of the church. 4. There are many opportunities for public schools to provide religious …

This study examines the extent of agreement or disagreement among and between Texas superintendents, principals and athletic directors toward fifty specifically defined role expectations for the full-time athletic administrator. By defining the athletic director's role expectations, the superintendents, principals and athletic directors may function more effectively in discharging their duties and implementing quality interscholastic athletic programs. Parents and educational leaders are very interested in athletic programs which contribute to the emotional, social, physical, and mental growth of youth. Given the increasing number of athletic programs and participants, it is important to analyze and report data related to athletic administration. The perceptions of the superintendents, principals, and athletic directors to the specifically defined role expectations for the athletic director provided data for analysis to determine the extent of role conflict and the role of the athletic director. The main findings are the following. (1) There is a minimal role conflict for the athletic director based upon the perceptions of the superintendents, principals, and athletic directors. (2) The majority of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed with forty-four of the specifically defined role expectations for the athletic director. (3) The majority of the respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the athletic director …

The problem investigated by this study was that of understanding types of behaviors exhibited by participants in negotiations processes and impact of behaviors on collective bargaining in Nigeria. The study's three purposes were to describe the nature and extent of interpersonal conflict that occurs in collective bargaining, to determine the consequences that stem from such conflict, and to suggest the behaviors and performances during the face-to-face negotiations that should exist to enhance labor-management relations in Nigerian public education. This study examined behavior in negotiations by using simulation, i.e., a quasiexperimental method. Four outcomes of negotiations--time required to reach agreement, terms of agreements, verbal behavior exhibited during negotiations, and satisfaction derived by negotiators in negotiations—were examined.

The problem of this study was to determine if there are differences in the perceptions of elementary principals and special education administrators across selected variables toward their expected and actual, role responsibilities in implementing specific provisions of P.L. 94-142. Data were collected from elementary principals and special education administrators in Texas. As a measure of perceptions, the Special Education Responsibilities Questionnaire (SERQ) was completed by all elementary principals as it applied to their schools, and special education administrators as applied to their school districts. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test of independence, t-test for correlated samples, and one-way analysis of variance.

This study was conducted to measure the effects of classroom instruction entitled Citizenship curriculum Training on high school discipline. Data for this study were collected and analyzed for fifty-eight ninth-grade students who had been referred to the principal's office three or more times the semester prior to the experimental treatment. An experimental group of twenty-nine students received citizenship curriculum instruction. The control group of twenty-nine students received only the school's traditional curriculum during second period class. Two teachers presented the citizenship curriculum training which included instructional units on beliefs, attitudes, emotions, anger, decision-making, communications, confrontation, positive attention, stress, peer pressure, authority figures, getting along in school, and the society game. Data were collected relative to grade-point average, absences, discipline referrals, and attitude toward high school as measured by the Remitters High School Attitude Scale. T-tests for correlated samples and analysis of covariance examined the effects of the Citizenship Curriculum Training on the four variables measured. The .05 level of significance was used to test the four hypotheses. The results of the study indicate that Citizenship Curriculum Training does not improve the students' gradepoint averages, absentee rate, lower the number of discipline referrals, and does not improve students' attitude as measured …

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine the perceptions of English teachers and language arts supervisors in the State of Texas with respect to the use of vernacular black English in relation to selected demographic variables, (2) to determine whether their perceptions differed significantly from one another, and (3) to determine whether those who do not work with vernacular black English (VBE) speakers differed significantly in their perceptions from those who work with black-dialect speakers. The factors of subjects' ethnicity, present position of respondents, district size of those surveyed, and degree held by respondents were analyzed in relation to differences in opinion, perceptions of criteria for teaching students who speak VBE, knowledge of VBE, and attitudes of respondents toward VBE. Responses from subjects to an instrument provided the data for testing.

This study investigated the effects of selected spelling teaching methods on spelling mastery of upper-elementary, learning disabled students. It also examined the value of assessing learning disabled students' modality preferences for diagnostic/prescriptive purposes.The study's significance is that it sought to (a) determine whether students classified as learning disabled can identify their preferred learning modes; (b) determine whether matching modes of instruction to students' modality reference(s) results in greater achievement; and (c) identify a systematic way of prescribing instruction for learning disabled students.

The problem of this study was to determine the effectiveness of community education in Texas as perceived by the superintendents, community education directors, and selected laymen in the participating school districts. 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 121 educators and lay participants responded to the questionnaire. As a result of the study, it appears that according to the perception of those surveyed, that the community education programs in Texas are accomplishing at least 83 percent of all the goals purported in the nationally-circulated literature. Based on the study, it appears that the ongoing community education programs in Texas are perceived to be effective by those most closely associated with them and therefore deserve to continue to receive special considerations and funding.

The problem of this study is to identify and describe specific bureaucratic/organizational barriers that inhibit needed curricular and instructional flexibility and freedom in an urban school system and to determine if means exist by which the barriers can be overcome. The purposes of this study include the identification, description, and assessment of the barriers identified and the development of a process model which addresses identified barriers. The study includes samples of parents, teachers, principals, and central administrators. Questionnaires were administered to parents and teachers. Structured interviews were conducted with all administrators. The survey instruments were validated through means of pilot tests and jury panels.