The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of the competencies which are needed by teachers of the hearing impaired in 1980. A survey instrument containing 92 competency statements that were originally developed by Romaine Mackie in a study she conducted in 1956, was utilized in this inquiry. Subjective judgments as to the importance of the competency statements were made by current teachers of the hearing impaired and administrators of programs for hearing impaired students. In addition, the teachers rated their self-proficiency in each of the competencies.

The problem of this study was the identification of ways and means of reducing paraprofessional turnover in mental health and mental retardation facilities. The high turnover rate of mental health and mental retardation paraprofessionals has major implications for the quality and cost of client services. Several researchers have suggested that adequately trained supervisors can influence the turnover rate among employees as well as their motivation and production. A six-month study of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation released in March, 1980 by a blue ribbon audit team blamed bad management practices, not low pay and poor working conditions, for the high rate of employee turnover. However, few studies have investigated the effect of supervisory training on turnover and researchers have called for additional studies in the area. The purpose of this study was to employ two specific intervention techniques with supervisory personnel in order to determine their effectiveness in reducing the rate of paraprofessional employee turnover in mental health and mental retardation facilities.

Studies of Individual traits perceived as necessary to achieve managerial effectiveness, while multitudinous in the world of commerce, have yet to be undertaken as they apply to managers in residential facilities serving mentally retarded individuals. The problem of this study was to identify a group of individual traits perceived as characteristic of effective managers in residential facilities for the mentally retarded. Projectively, the identified traits could constitute valid criterion for consideration in the selection process utilized in employing managers for both public and private facilities. The primary purpose of this study was to develop an instrument which would enable the interviewer to secure information regarding specific individual traits. An informed predictive decision regarding the effective management potential, of the individual, for a residential facility for mentally retarded individuals would be greatly enhanced. The secondary purpose of the study was to focus on a comparison between group responses for each of the 25 trait items. The study will identify significant differences and relationships between the responses of State Directors of Mental Retardation Programs, Assistants to Texas Deputy Commissioner for Mental Retardation, Superintendents of Texas State Schools for the Mentally Retarded and a select group of managerial personnel within Texas State Schools …