Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Information Sources Used By High School Seniors, Charles G. Eberly

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

College choice is a critical decision facing many high school students. Although some research has examined where students go for help in making college choices, few studies have examined how race or gender differences of the students or differences in their standardized test scores affect their information sources. Entering college freshmen (N=3,708) indicated which ~f nine information sources (college students, friends, high school counselor, college publication, family, alumni, high school teacher, newspaper, tel~vision) they used in selecting a college.

Responses were analyzed separately for females and males, blacks and whites, in each of four American College Testing (ACT) score categories. …

Information Sources Used By High School Seniors, Charles Eberly

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

College choice is a critical decision facing many high school students. Although some research has examined where students go for help in making college choices, few studies have examined how race or gender differences of the students or differences in their standardized test scores affect their information sources. Entering college freshmen (N=3,708) indicated which ~f nine information sources (college students, friends, high school counselor, college publication, family, alumni, high school teacher, newspaper, tel~vision) they used in selecting a college. Responses were analyzed separately for females and males, blacks and whites, in each of four American College Testing (ACT) score categories. …

Evaluation Of The Language Arts Curriculum In Cerro Gordo Community Unit School District #100, Keith Ashcraft

Masters Theses

Cerro Gordo Community Unit School District #100 in Cerro Gordo, Illinois has a student population of approximately 700 pupils. The schools are located within Cerro Gordo, a village of 1600 residents, but gain students from surrounding areas in the ninety-nine square mile district. Most of the parents are employed in farming or in Decatur which is twelve miles to the east.

During the 1985-86 school year teachers were surveyed as to what academic area needed evaluation. The teachers selected language arts as the subject for study. A committee of volunteers was formed and began meeting.

The researcher served as committee …

Educational Leadership: A Study Of Graduates Of Eastern Illinois University's Educational Administration Program, Elizabeth L. Smith

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptions of graduates from Eastern Illinois University’s Educational Administration program as to how effective their preparation was in preparing them for the role as instructional/educational leader.

A survey was developed and distributed to 214 Educational Administration students who graduated between 1982 and 1986. The data collected was broken down into three different categories to study: Female and Male Graduates, Teacher and Administrative Graduates and Graduates before 1983 and after 1985. A response rate of 42% was obtained.

An independent t test was utilized to compare the mean scores for the Foundations …

Personal, Professional, And Educational Characteristics Of Illinois Women Superintendents In 1987, Joyce Simpson Kaufman

Masters Theses

This study reviewed the personal, professional, and educational characteristics of the Illinois women superintendents in 1987. A questionnaire was mailed to the twenty-two women superintendents. Eighteen of them replied.

The three specific problems addressed by the study were:

1. What are the personal, professional, and educational characteristics of Illinois women superintendents in 1987?

2. What are the special problems encountered by women superintendents?

3. What advice do the present women superintendents in Illinois offer to women aspiring to become superintendents?

The responses were based on the perceptions of the eighteen women superintendents who replied. The questionnaire results were reported in …

Contract Negotiations With Classified Personnel In Selected Illinois Public Schools, Frederick Dee Wiley

Masters Theses

This study examined the current status of collective bargaining between boards of education and classified educational employees in eighteen selected Illinois public schools. The collective bargaining agreements from the respondent school districts were examined and data were researched and collected concerning items currently impacting the negotiations process. The results of the study indentified information with regard to the following areas of the collective bargaining agreements: 1. Union affiliation of the employee bargaining units. 2. Classification of the employees covered by the collective bargaining agreements. 3. The duration of the contracts currently in force. 4. Fair share as an issue currently …

A Study Of Perceptions Of Superintendents Of Illinois Public School Districts That Had Teacher Strikes During The 1984-85 School Year, James E. Mcnellis

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of public school superintendents before, during, and after the teacher strikes in the state of Illinois during the 1984-85 school year regarding: teacher organizations, negotiations personnel and influences, progression of events related to the strike (before, during, and after the strike), issues that contributed to the strike, time spent working on strike-related activities, terms and conditions of contract settlement, and cost of the strike. The 1984-85 school year was selected for this study because this was the first year teachers could legally conduct strikes in the state of Illinois after …

A Curriculum Review And Coordination And Articulation Study Of The Niantic-Harristown Unit School District #6, David O. Bills

Masters Theses

Reform of the public schools is a major issue in Illinois today. Numerous reports claim that public education is mediocre at best. These reports have fostered public concern that has led to a call for school accountability that has caused those involved in education to take a close look at their schools. In this atmosphere of school accountability, a careful and thorough examination of the school curriculum by the local administration can be useful.

Strong instructional leadership from the Superintendent of Schools in a local school district is an important characteristic of an effective school. In the face of state …

The Understanding Of The Roles And Responsibilities Of The Administrators And Board Of Education Members In Schools In The Diocese Of Peoria, Dennis J. Smith

Masters Theses

Purpose

There are specific tasks which are assigned to the board of education and the administrator in policies adopted by the Commission on Education for the Catholic Diocese of Peoria. The purpose of this study was to discover how informed or uninformed administrators and board members in the Diocese of Peoria are in understanding their authority and responsibilities. Lack of understanding of the assigned roles may represent a need for in-service or training on role and responsibility clarification.

Procedure

Administrators and board/commission members completed a survey which identified baseline characteristics, revealed a perception of the working relationship between administrators and …

A Discipline Model For Small Rural Schools, Darrell Stevens

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Altamont Community Unit #10 Gifted Program, Ann Louise Mcdaniel Chandler

Masters Theses

Purpose

The purpose of this field study was to research the entity of gifted education from an historical viewpoint, to review gifted education as it is today, and most importantly, to review evaluation procedures and studies connected with gifted education. A formal evaluation had never been done in the history of the Independent Study Program at Altamont Community Unit #10. The result of the evaluation procedure was to determine how to modify, revise, and re-evaluate the program in order to more effectively meet the needs of the gifted students in the school district.

Procedure

After the historical review of gifted …

Administrators Interview Model (Aim) Interview Instrument For Illinois Educators, Dianne Kay Warren Strufe

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field study was to develop an instrument which could be used by school administrators in the State of Illinois for certified staff selection. Research topics utilized include the interview process, qualities of effective teachers, and legal guidelines for interviewing. The instrument will focus on the five areas of teacher evaluation mandated by Illinois as components of effective teaching: classroom management, lesson planning and organization, teaching techniques, competence and attendance. The specific objective of the field study was the development of an instrument which is research-based, includes the competencies mandated by law upon which teachers will be …

Public School District Consolidation: Technical, Economic, Social, And Community Considerations, Dennis G. Catron

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Adult Undergraduate Students Attending Eastern Illinois University, Huey-Li Li

Masters Theses

Adult students over the age of 25 have comprised a significant proportion of student body in traditionally youth-oriented institutions of higher education. At Eastern, adult students comprised 7.2 percent of the population of undergraduate students in the Fall, 1986. Based on an institutional survey, this study attempted to gain a deeper understanding about adult students' academic and personal experiences of returning to a four-year university.

One-fourth of the adult students (N=183) were randomly selected and invited to participate in this study. A total of 104 adult students returned the questionnaires. Participants' responses were categorized into six groups in accordance with …

Conflict Management: Key To Effective School Principals, Henderson O. Days

Masters Theses

Effective school research studies have identified many characteristics of effective schools and effective leaders. In October, 1984, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Commission on Excellence identified 202 schools and 54 principals that met their school effectiveness criteria (Appendix C) and later that year they were given national recognition.

This researcher reviewed literature by Edmonds (1982), Eicholtz (1984), Guthrie (1980), Brookover and LeZotte (1982), Sergiovanni (1984) and others on effective schools as a validity reference in measuring the responses of the surveyed principals who listed what they perceived as being school effectiveness factors.

In establishing effective school programs, …

A Study Of The Organizational Climate Of Effingham High School As Perceived By The Faculty, Calvin R. Kirk

Masters Theses

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this field study was to determine how the faculty at Effingham High School in Effingham, Illinois, perceived the organizational climate of the school.

As first year assistant principal of the high school, the researcher saw the need to understand the personality of the organization with which he worked. The researcher viewed teacher perceptions of the school's organizational climate as a meaningful beginning point for initiating an ongoing project to build a positive school climate at Effingham High School.

Procedure

The Organizational Climate Index constituted the instrument used to gather faculty perceptions of the organizational …

Administrative Field Experience, Richard E. Manuell

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Alternate Incentive To Early Teacher Retirement, Vernon Dean Guinn

Masters Theses

The major emphasis of the study was to formulate an answer to the question being asked by the study group under the Illinois Project for School Reform, "How to improve the quality of teachers within the school system?" Specifically, this study analyzed the results of a study done by the Planning and Research Department of the State Board of Education, prepared in April 1977. Under this study's proposal, four areas of substantial disincentives were identified as reasons for teachers not taking early retirement. The age discrimination effect has since been overcome with early retirement incentives now being offered in many …

Anatomy Of A Strike, Elizabeth Ann Johnson

Masters Theses

This field experience is a historical examination of events and conditions leading up to and including the strike of 1982 between the teachers and the Paris, Illinois School District 195. A review of the literature parallels many of the conditions that led up to and were present in the Paris strike and its settlement. It also emphasized the relationship of unionism with the rise of teacher militancey.

This field study consists of six chapters. Chapter one is concerned with the overview of the problem. Chapter two reviews the historical background of labor unions, and the rise of teacher unions from …

A Study Of Teachers' And Principals' (Supervisors') Perceptions Toward Teacher Evaluation Practices, Kenneth C. Hendriksen

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Financial Status Of Dieterich Community Unit 30, William Mcclain

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Parents, Teachers, And Administrators Of The Learning Disability Programs Of The Macon, Moweaqua, And Warrensburg-Latham School Districts, Carl R. Hall

Masters Theses

Purpose

The purpose of this field study was to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of the learning disability resource services, the model used to deliver services in Macon, Moweaqua, and Warrensburg-Latham School Districts, from the parents’, regular teachers’, resource learning disability teachers’, and administrators’ perspectives.

Assessing the perspectives currently held of the resource services by regular teachers, parents, resource learning disability teachers, and administrators served as an initial step in planning for future program needs and may help in establishing future goals for learning disability students. Discrepancies in the perceptions of these four groups may represent communication problems and identify areas …

A Study Of The Truants Alternative Program In The Clay-Jasper-Richland Educational Service Region, Southeastern, Illinois, Larry Rinehart

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Clay-Jasper-Richland Truants Alternative Program had reduced truancy and chronic truancy in the region during the 1984-85 school year and to identify possibly needed modifications in the Truants Alternative Program.

A review of the research and literature revealed that truancy is a complex problem that may require the treatment of the student, school environment, and general environment. Only after a careful evaluation of a student's situation can a plan be formulated for remediating the truancy problem.

Statistics were obtained on the numbers of truants, chronic truants, and student population in each …

The Development Of A Program For Minority Dropout Prevention In The Decatur, Illinois Public School District #61, Priscilla Marjorie Palmer

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field study was to identify the need and present a workable model designed to address minority dropout prevention for the Decatur, Illinois, Public School District #61. The overall district dropout rate at the time this field study commenced was 26.6 percent. However, the dropout rate for minority (Black) males was 43.1 percent and 24.9 percent for minority (Black) females. The data shows that a problem of minority dropouts did exist in Decatur School District #61 and that a preventive program was needed to address this problem.The Program to Improve Student Attendance (PISA), was designed for use …

Superintendent Internship In Jasper County Cusd #1 And Robinson Cusd #2, Beverly L. Turkal

Masters Theses

This internship includes involvement, through employment, in two Illinois school districts: Jasper Community Unit #1 at Newton and Robinson Community School District 2 in Robinson. The internship has been under the direction of Superintendent James B. Taylor in Jasper Unit #1 and Superintendent Robert J. Verdun in the Robinson school district. Dr. Larry Janes, EIU professor, has been the student's advisor.

Jasper Unit #1 is the largest school district in Illinois, geographically. It includes 461 square miles and is the only district in Jasper County. There are ten attendance centers, including one high school and several elementary schools. The present …

Converting The Bement Junior High School To The Bement Middle School, Greg Zollman

Masters Theses

The town of Bement, Illinois, had an elementary school (K-8) and a high school (9-12) prior to 1976. The Bement Community Unit School District initiated its junior high school in 1976. This school consisted of the seventh and eighth grades.

During the 1983-84 school year, the administrators of the Bement schools expressed a general concern with the academic grades, social development, and behavior that was occurring in the Bement Junior High School. They indicated that many of the problems were the result of having the junior high school students housed with the senior high school students. They perceived that some …

Determining The Most Effective Therapy For A Client: A Literature Review With An Original Pilot Study, Perry Fred Finck

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Educational Poll Of Public Attitudes Regarding Decatur School District #61, David Ford Curtis

Masters Theses

Public opinion regarding the schools in Decatur Public School District #61 is addressed in this field experience. The study focuses on a comparison of local public opinion to national public opinion.

The questionnaire for the telephone survey was developed by selecting 11 questions from the 1982 Gallup education poll and adding a question regarding merit pay for teachers.

The local telephone survey included a random sampling from the Decatur, Illinois telephone directory of 200 residents living within Decatur Public School District #61. Each respondent was placed into three subgroups--parent or non-parent, age level, and highest level of formal education received. …

Administrative Field Experience, Office Of The Superintendent, Atwood-Hammond Community Unit School District No. 39, Atwood, Illinois, James E. Morgan

Masters Theses

Since the major role of superintendent of schools is to be the liaison between the board of education/community and the faculty, it is important to understand the philosophy of each group. Research reveals that the superintendent is the pivotal person in public relations for all parties involved with the schools. The superintendent relays board policy to the district employees and has the responsibility of explaining these policies to the community. One interesting factor determining the responsibilities of the superintendent is school size. In small schools the focus is directly upon the superintendent of schools, but in larger schools the superintendent …

Self Assessment Model For Local Boards Of Education To Evaluate Effectiveness, Charles N. Sutton

Masters Theses

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this field study was to develop a model self-assessment process for local boards of education. Since 1977, this researcher has served as Assistant Regional Superintendent of Schools in Champaign and Ford Counties. From that experience the researcher determined that many local boards do not define and implement a formal self-evaluation process. Of the twenty-one school districts in Champaign and Ford Counties only three have planned and conducted a self-assessment program during the past four years. Since 1983, 57 per cent of the total school board membership of these districts has changed.

In 1985, the …