Using a case study approach, this investigation focused on the nature of the relationship between computer related expenditures and student achievement in mathematics, with consideration given to the mediating factors influencing the relationship. Some of these factors included the types of computers and software being used, the objectives of computer instruction, teacher preparation in the use of the computer as an instructional tool, the amount of time individual students had access to a computer during the school year, and the socioeconomic status of pupils. Two of the twenty-five largest school districts in Texas were selected as the subjects for this study. Numerical data were collected from existing documents including general ledgers, bid tabulations, test score tables, and records showing the numbers of students participating in the free and reduced price lunch programs. Specific information regarding the implementations of the instructional programs was gathered through observations and 2 interviews with principals/ teachers, and students in four— teen junior high schools in each of the two school district. The districts exhibited more differences than similarities in the approaches to using computers for instruction in mathematics. One district, for about two hundred dollars per student, purchased a prepared, copyrighted, and patented program consisting …

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between the scores of students on the Pre-Professional Skills Test (P-PST) and the scores of students on college aptitude tests, the race of students and the number of college hours that students had completed. The subjects who participated in this study were education students who sought admittance to Texas public colleges and universities and took the P-PST in March, 1984. A total of 642 students participated in the study, 512 White or other, 48 Blacks and 82 Hispanics. P-PST scores, race, number of college hours completed, and college aptitude scores were obtained from the student's college or university as a result of the signed release forms each student completed at the March, 1984 testing date.

The concern that prompted this study is the inadequacy of the present system of handling teacher certification information, especially as it involves the movement of information between Texas' teacher-certifying universities, local school districts, and the Texas Education Agency. Since it was found that no computerized certification system presently exists in any state, the primary purpose of this study was to develop a model for a computerized teacher certification information system; a secondary purpose was to determine the major factors involved in regard to the feasibility of such a model. The model is written from an education administration viewpoint and is limited to in-state elementary and secondary teacher certification, 1972 certification standards, and existing computer capabilities.

The problem of this study was the perceptions of Texas public school teachers and principals regarding recommendations for educational reform made in April, 1983, by the National Commission on Excellence in Education. Purposes included determining those perceptions and investigating differences between them, differences among teachers1 perceptions, and differences among principals' perceptions relative to specific categories of recommendations and specific biographic variables. A random sample of 460 teachers and 180 principals, stratified equally among the state's twenty education regions, was selected from the population of public school teachers and principals on computer at the Texas Education Agency, Austin, Texas. The actual number of respondents included 224 teachers and 91 principals, or 49 percent and 51 percent respectively. The instrument used was an attitude scale developed by the investigator. The thirty-nine original recommendations made by the Commission were converted into 118 specific recommendations, more precise and easier to read according to a jury of experts. An. analysis of variance was calculated for hypotheses one, two, five, and six, and t values were calculated for hypotheses three and four. The study was organized into five chapters including the "Introduction," "Review of the Related Literature," "Procedures for Collection and Analysis of Data," "Analysis of …

The problem of this study was to identify professional development needs of elementary school principals who are implementing site-based management. The purpose was to develop a prioritized list of developmental needs of principals participating in site-based management in the evaluation of teacher performance, instructional knowledge, behavioral life styles, and other needs as identified by a decentralized decision-making questionnaire. The population for this study was the sixty-one elementary school principals in a large urban school district. The principals were encouraged by the central administrative staff to assume the responsibility of site-based managers during the 1981-1982 school year. Three priority areas involving decision making at the school site evolved. These three areas were personnel, instruction, and budgeting. During the three succeeding years, additional areas of decision making have been added, such as building-level staff development, implementation of flexible student schedules, and provisions for specialized summer programs. Findings of the study showed that there was normality in the assessment of teaching skills by principals, that a significant correlation existed between principals' knowledge of instruction and principals' teacher evaluation scores and that a significant correlation existed between principals' teacher evaluation scores, female principals being more consistent. The findings showed that no correlation existed between …

The primary purpose of the study was to determine if the funding and revenue conditions which existed prior to the passage of the Tax Relief Amendment of 1978 continued after the enactment of public school finance legislation by the Sixty-Sixth and Sixty-Seventh Texas Legislatures. Analyses of four research questions were used to accomplish the purpose of the study.

This investigation studied the impact of male student involvement in selected school activities upon grade-point averages, rates of attendance and college entrance examination scores. The main purpose of this study was to provide data for state officials, school administrators, and school boards as they seek to make decisions concerning the activities program and its place in the educational system. The specific purpose was to determine if involvement in selected school activities had any relationship to the variables grade-point average, attendance, and scores on college entrance examinations. The study was carried out in four large Texas high schools with a total student population of 6,456. Male participants in seven major school activities were randomly selected. This process produced a total sample of 280 male students representing participation in seven activities in four high schools. Each activity was represented by a sample of forty male students. The conclusions were drawn that (1) there is a positive relationship between participation in the activities program by male students and attendance rate, grade-point average, and scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test and (2) there was no negative relationship between participation in the activities program and the participants' ability to receive a high school education.

Effective relationships among the levels of educational administrators will support the emphasis on academic excellence at national, state, and local levels. Recognizing the factors involved and understanding the interactions of those factors is a complex process. This study examined the bureaucratic leadership style of a superintendent in the organizational structure and the social interaction between the superintendent and campus principals in that organization as perceived by the principals. Quantitative data were collected by using two instruments: (1) the Administration Organi zationa1 Inventory to define the superintendent's bureaucratic leadership style and (2) the Perceived Social Interaction Questionnaire to determine the degree of social interaction between the superintendent and the campus principals. The study included the superintendent and the forty-three principals of a Texas suburban public school. Data analysis examined the leadership style and its relationship to the social interaction and both style and social interaction in relationship to age, sex, elementary or secondary level, and years of experience as a principal. Results of the study did not clearly define the superintendent's leadership style in a bureaucratic organization and indicated no significant difference between the style and social interaction and the four biographical variables. However, analysis of the data revealed that more …

The purpose of this study was to determine whether application forms used in Texas public schools for teachers and administrators were in compliance with federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Texas Human Rights Commission Act (THRCA) regulations regarding preemployment practices. Participating in the study were 740 public school districts in Texas. The study also attempted to determine if these application forms are in violation of EEOC regulations pertaining to pre-employment practices and whether classification based on the districts' size, wealth, student ethnicity and geographical location has a bearing on the degree of compliance with and awareness of EEOC and THRCA regulations. A model employment application form and set of guidelines were developed for school districts to use in securing pre-employment information. Inferential statistics were used through various applicable designs. Three different types of analysis were utilized. These were a Descriptive Analysis, a Goodman- Kruskal Gamma (y) Coefficient—chi-square analysis and a Multiple Regression analysis. The descriptive analysis included the calculation of percentages of the suspect questions appearing on teacher and administrator application forms utilizing the Criteria Used to Determine EEO Compliance and Awareness Among Texas School Districts. The Goodman-Kruskal Gamma (y) Coefficient and the chi-square analysis were employed in order …

The problem of this study was to describe inservice education programs for members of local boards of trustees and to assess the knowledge and attitude toward inservice of participating and non-participating board members. The major purposes of this study were to describe training programs carried on in selected school districts, and to assess and compare the knowledge and attitudes toward inservice education of board members who do and do not participate in those training programs. The project involved the identification of skill areas necessary for board members, the development of instruments to measure knowledge and attitudes toward inservice, the selection of boards of trustees from six school districts for an experimental and a control group, the description of inservice education programs in operation in districts comprising the experimental group, and the assessment of knowledge and attitudes of members of the experimental and control groups.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the leadership style of high school principals and their faculties' level of communication satisfaction. The study was also concerned with the relationship of the respondents' biographical data with leadership style and communication satisfaction. Subjects were selected from a population that consisted of thirty—two high schools in the North Central Texas Area. Each school that participated in the study had its faculty respond to the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire and a teacher biographical data survey. Each school's principal responded to the Least Preferred Co—Worker Scale, principals' Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire, and a biographical data survey. The results were then analyzed using simple and multiple regression.