Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

A Field Experience: Teacher Orientation, Rena J. Talbert

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field experience was three fold: 1) to determine the existence of formal teacher orientation programs, 2) the contents of the programs, and 3) the level of satisfaction by the principal(s) regarding the formal teacher orientation programs for newly employed teachers. A survey of the high schools in Educational Service Centers 15, 16, 17, and 18 was conducted.

In addition, a thorough review of literature and research associated with the need and benefits from a teacher orientation program was presented. Included in the review was the components of a mentor program.

An analysis of the survey results …

A Field Experience: The Paris High School Climate, Steven R. Sabens

Masters Theses

A comprehensive survey of the perceptions of students, teachers, and parents regarding the climate at Paris High School was conducted. This assessment was accomplished by conducting a random sample survey of students and parents, and a total survey of faculty.

Analysis of the survey results identified five specific areas in the Paris High School climate needing improvement (a) school/community relations, (b) student support climate, (c) school image, (d) school problems, and (e) students identifying a purpose between what they are studying and their everyday lives. In addition, a thorough review of recent literature and research associated with effective schools and …

A Financial Study Of The Mt. Auburn School District, Robert H. Sample

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field experience was to determine the financial condition of the Mt. Auburn Community Unit School District Number 5, Christian County, State of Illinois, from the 1986-87 school year through the 1990-91 school year. The financial condition of the district during 1991-92 school year was reviewed from July, 1991 through April, 1992. The education fund, operations, building, and maintenance fund, bond and interest fund, transportation fund, and retirement fund were all reviewed for stated time period. Tables were prepared for these major accounting funds to clarify the developing financial trend. Revenues received during 1986 through 1991 from …

Consolidation Study For Illinois Community Unit School Districts No. 10 And No. 20, Judith J. Phipps

Masters Theses

The main purpose of this field study was to examine factors related to school consolidation in Lawrence County, Illinois. Two unit school districts-Community Unit School District No. 10 and No. 20-have been in operation since 1972 in southeastern Illinois. Both districts have full recognition by the Illinois State Board of Education and North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

In 1991-92, approximately 2,800 students attended kindergarten through twelfth grade in Lawrence County. However, financial considerations were the primary concerns of the schools/ operations. Due to revenue losses in farmland reassessment, property taxes and general state aid, Lawrence County administrators examined …

Enhancing Cooperative Education Programs For Indian Valley Conference High Schools, William R. Estes Iii

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study is to examine the alternatives by which small rural schools in the Indian Valley Conference could offer a broader education base for their students through cooperative education programs. Data was collected by personal interviews from the principals of the thirteen Indian Valley Conference high schools. The study focused on four areas, a) the factors necessary for effective cooperative education programs, b) the advantages of cooperative education programs, c) the disadvantages of cooperative education programs,d) and the desire for increased participation in cooperative education programs.

The survey results, relative to the cooperative education program needs of …

A Comparison Of Attendance And Self-Esteem At Assumption High School, Connie Lee Falconer

Masters Theses

Nonattendance has historically been a problem for teachers and administrators. Only recently has the effect of self-esteem and attendance been the focus of serious research. This study was conducted at Assumption High School, Assumption Community School District #9, Assumption, Illinois. The study encompassed those students in grades 9 through 12 for attendance purposes in the school year 1990-1991. Those students who were added or dropped during the given school year were not included in the study. Since this research involved some of the factors of ten associated with nonattendance of high school students, all of the students continuously enrolled from …

Methods Of Improving The Student Teaching Experience At The Elementary And Junior High School Levels As Identified By Cooperating Teachers, Student Teachers And First Year Teachers, Darrell L. Sy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field experience was to identify how the student teaching experience could be improved based upon recommendations by cooperating teachers, first year teachers and student teachers who completed a questionnaire. Each group was asked its opinions of the current status of the student teaching experience and how the process could be improved.

Cooperating teachers provided information relative to the special types of activities they conducted to better prepare student teachers for the profession. Current student teachers were asked to determine the teaching skills with which they needed the most assistance. First year teachers provided information that compared …

Feasibility Study For Special Education Services In Clark And Edgar Counties, Michael F. Watts

Masters Theses

The goal of this project was to determine if the eight local school districts in Clark and Edgar counties could provide special education services as effectively as the Eastern Illinois Special Education Cooperative. The study answered this question and provided the districts involved with sufficient data and analysis to recommend to their individual Boards of Education the way in which they would offer these services in the future. This project provided the districts with such alternatives to the current delivery system as to suggest the possibility that the centralized system of special education services has viable alternatives. Districts were able …

Maintaining A High School Elective/Vocational Program With The Increase In College Entrance Requirements, Clyde W. Frankie

Masters Theses

This field experience examines how 21 selected Illinois unit district high schools have maintained their elective/vocational enrollments with the 1985 increase in college admission requirements. The 21 high schools identified had a student population between 700 and 1000. A questionnaire was sent to each school requesting information regarding their master schedule. Questions specifically requested data on number of class periods, length of class periods, number of graduation units, faculty teaching load, class maximums and minimums, and percent of college-bound students in respective schools. This data was analyzed through comparative data tables to identify potential solutions or trends high schools are …

A Decision-Making Model For Adding, Revising, And Terminating Vocational/Occupational Programs At The Van Buren Vocational-Technical Center, James R. Allen

Masters Theses

This project for the Van Buren Vocational-Technical Center, Lawrence, Michigan, was designed to provide management with an instrument to assist them in their annual vocational program planning activities. The result was the development of a decision-making model that applies objective evaluative methods for determining occupational program additions, revisions, and terminations.

The model employs separate matrix worksheets for adding, revising, and terminating job training programs. Each classification utilizes five components for completing the worksheet: (1) selection of ten evaluation criteria, (2) criteria weights, (3) criteria definitions, (4) criteria data source information, and (5) criteria cell scores for applying data source values …

Affirmative Action Policy And Procedures For Illinois Schools, Charles T. Kent Jr.

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the policy implementation process, and its implication for planned organizational change. A review of the literature reveals that school districts must utilize intensive recruitment campaigns to increase the hiring of minorities. The Superintendent Questionnaire was sent to the thirty-five Large Unit District Association (LUDA) throughout Illinois. Descriptive statistics, in the form of frequencies and percentages, were used to analyze responses to the questionnaire. The results and conclusions of this study gave rise to recommendations to superintendents, school boards and those with authority to hire should make a good faith effort in hiring …

Parental Attitudes And Opinions Of Central City School District #133, David Daum

Masters Theses

The accountability of the nation’s schools is an area of great public concern. A useful tool that a school district may use in becoming more accountable to the public is a parent opinion inventory. The inventory may serve as one step in the process of bridging the gap between public expectations of the school district and its actual performance. This study measured the opinions of fifty-seven parents about the performance of the Central City school district. The opinions were determined by a fifty-one item inventory issued to parents in grades kindergarten through grade eight. Recommendations, based upon inventory results, were …

Application Of Zero-Base Budgeting In The Learning Resource Center, Javad Raiesdana

Masters Theses

Budgeting is a statement of the organizational goals and objectives in monetary terms. Traditionally, budgets have been developed by adding to the previous year's budget as a base (at least in theory), but rather to start from a zero base and requires a justification of all expenditures. This method of budgeting assumes that each years's budget requests are built up from zero in response to the priorities and needs of that year.

The range of opinion about zero-base budgeting is broad. Some critics regard it to be of great value while others feel that it is inadequate. The purpose of …

A Woman Administrator: To Be Or Not To Be, Carole S. Coartney

Masters Theses

Every individual who is choosing a career or is contemplating a career change should research the field before making a final decision. This is especially consequential when considering an atypical occupation. A female educational administrator falls into this category. Since the majority of educational leaders are male, a woman administrator can expect to face many challenges associated with her gender.

The major purpose of this field experience was to gather information pertinent to a woman considering a career in educational administration. The specific objectives were five-fold: 1. To obtain a profile of the women administrators in downstate Illinois (south of …

The Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of A Junior High School Study Skills Program For A Small Rural School, Donald Lawrence Burton Ii

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field experience project was to develop a junior high school study skills program for a small rural school. Upon completion of its development, the study skills program was pilot-tested in the Tower Hill Junior High School in Tower Hill, Illinois. After the background and possible significance of this field study is discussed, specific project objectives and research hypotheses are listed along with the appropriate operational definitions, assumptions and delimitations for this field experience. A representative review of the literature and research is given on the subject of study skills and study skills programs. Field experience activities …

Characteristics Of The Pre-College Students At Parkland College, Leslie E. Marsh

Masters Theses

Parkland College is a community college of approximately 8,000 students located in Champaign, Illinois. The faculty and administrative staff is concerned with student retention, particularly the retention of those students in the pre-college or underprepared category who take courses that are below the college level. This retention study identified characteristics of underprepared students, interventions that had been successful at model community colleges, and recommended program implications for the future.

The study provided base-line data regarding characteristics of the 1346 underprepared students at Parkland College who were taking remedial coursework in the fall of 1988. Data was also gathered for the …

A Survey Of Fifth And Sixth Grade Parents At Jefferson Elementary School, Charleston, Illinois, James M. Louthan

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field study was to survey parents/guardians of fifth and sixth grade students concerning their opinions of programs, practices and procedures used at Jefferson Elementary School in Charleston, Illinois. An instrument was designed and given to students to take home to be completed by their parents/guardians and returned to school via the student. Results of the survey indicated that, in general, most parents were satisfied with the programs, practices and procedures except for the schoolwide discipline program, certain curricular offerings (handwriting, math and physical education) and the amount of homework assigned. Opinions of the parents surveyed will …

Jefferson Middle School: A School Of Achievers, Gary C. Niehaus

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field experience was to develop a detailed five-year strategic plan for Jefferson Middle School. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Middle School Future Planning Consortium had twenty-four middle schools across the nation that worked collaboratively to share and build their plans. Jefferson Middle School was part of this consortium. The researcher utilized the ASCD format and the expertise of those schools involved to develop the Jefferson Middle School plan. The format has four major areas of focus: (1) Organization, (2) Core Curriculum, (3) Improved Teaching and (4) Educational Technology.

This field study report is …

An Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of The Dual Principal As An Instructional Leader, Alan L. Jones

Masters Theses

This field experience investigated the effects of assigning multiple buildings to one principal. This study investigated the perceptions of the dual principals' effectiveness as instructional leaders and the impact of the dual principalship on job functions. In 1985 the state of Illinois passed school reform legislation stating that 51 percent of an administrators' time must be dedicated to instructional leadership. By developing a survey instrument to collect data from principals in Illinois serving in the capicity of multiple building principals information containing demographics of the districts, buildings, principals and perceptions of principals was tabulated. Even though the Illinois school reform …

Assessing The Impact Of Illinois Revised Statutes 122, Article 24a On The Identification And Remediation Of Unsatisfactory Performers, Teresa Lane

Masters Theses

Article 24A of the Illinois School Code was enacted in order to improve instruction in the State of Illinois. One of the underlying beliefs of the legislators who designed and passed the School Improvement Act of 1985, which contained Article 24A was that one way to improve instruction is to eliminate the unsatisfactory performers in the classroom. Since the implementation of Article 24A no data based studies have been conducted on the effects of this legislation on those teachers evaluated as unsatisfactory. This study is intended to gather data on the number of unsatisfactory performers as well as the characteristics …

Exploration Of Alternative Methods Of Providing Quality Educational Programs In Five Small Illinois Rural School Districts, Odus T. Cheek

Masters Theses

This study explored alternative methods that might be used by five selected small Illinois rural school districts to provide quality educational programs. Many Illinois school districts are facing problems that are unique to today's educational setting. Declining enrollments and decreasing farm land assessments along with small increases in state aid have compounded the problems of school districts. School board members must be aware of the condition of the school districts and what warning signs show impending problems. This study explored the enrollment projections, financial conditions and the instructional setting of five Shelby County Illinois school districts. Then options available to …

A Study Of The Administrative Agent's Role Of The Regional Superintendent Of Schools In Illinois, John E. Mcnary

Masters Theses

This work contains a study of the administrative agent's role of the Regional Superintendent of Schools in Illinois. The fifty-seven Educational Service Regions (E.S.R.s) in Illinois were surveyed to determine the number of superintendents acting as an administrative agent for a program, the educational experience possessed by each superintendent, the types of services being offered, the total number of dollars that become the responsibility of the administrative agent, the total number of jobs created, the governance structure, and the benefits and detriments of the role as reported by the superintendents. The data gathered by the survey was tabulated and analyzed …

Collective Bargaining In Illinois Special Education Cooperatives, Wayne E. Savageau

Masters Theses

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA) took effect on January 1, 1984. By the 1988-89 school year, the number of Illinois public school districts with negotiated contracts had increased by nearly 68%, from 507 to 850. The effect of the Act on multi-district special education cooperatives is not as easily determined.

Directors of Illinois' 54 multi-district special education cooperatives outside Cook County were surveyed to obtain demographic data and information on the collective bargaining experiences of these cooperatives. Responses were received from 41 directors (76%).

These directors reported geographic sizes ranging from 144 to 4,000 square miles, with enrollments …

Social Status And The Play Interactions Of Students Labelled Learning Disabled And Their Peers, Tammy S. Bryant

Masters Theses

The relationship between social status and play interactions of students labelled learning disabled and their peers is an area which has received much attention. However, most of the research has focused on students in resource settings. The current study focused on students labelled learning disabled in self-contained settings. The study involved administering the Play With Rating Scale to 41 second and third graders in regular classrooms and to 11 same-aged peers who were learning disabled in self-contained settings. The results were divided into popular/average and unpopular status groups. Thirty-three children were observed at play utilizing an observation tool developed by …

An Analysis Of The Impacts Of The Illinois Board Of Higher Education' S Admission Requirements On Selected High Schools In East Central Illinois, Stephen C. Selle

Masters Theses

The Illinois Board of Higher Education in 1985 instituted mandatory subject admission requirements for all state universities beginning in the year 1990. Subsequent legislative action by the Illinois General Assembly has moved these requirements back to 1993. This field experience investigated the possible impacts of these requirements on rural schools of under 500 students in east central Illinois. A cover letter explaining the purpose of the study and a two page questionnaire were mailed to twenty- one schools. Sixteen schools in the counties of Vermillion, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, and Will responded and were the focus of the study. Enrollment patterns …

Instructional Leadership: A Self-Assessment Instrument For Principals, John L. Bailey

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Curriculum Response To Budgetary And Marketing Pressures On A Two-Year Community College Engineering Technology Program (Microprecision Technology), Gerald R. Hough

Masters Theses

The process described is a program level response to institutional-wide budgetary restraints. The program in question is a two-year engineering technology associate degree program (Microprecision Technology). The major focus deals with:

1. reducing unit cost

2. improving marketability (recruiting)

3. improving transferability (as it relates to recruiting

The reductions in cost center around the ratio of contact hours to credit hours in the specialty courses as well as a reduction in the number of such courses. Issues dealing with marketability are directly related to the unique nature of the program and the difficulties involved in the public presentation of such …

Small Michigan Schools: Course Offerings And Methods Used To Maintain Curriculum Despite Low Enrollment, Dona M. Hettle

Masters Theses

Small schools face curriculum limitations because of low student numbers and financial constraints. The purpose of this study was to determine the course offerings and techniques for maintaining curriculum in selected Michigan small schools. Principals of 50 Michigan small schools chosen at random completed a questionnaire listing 79 courses and 15 strategies for maintaining curriculum. Responses were tabulated and listed in rank order. Course offerings in Michigan small schools vary greatly in numbers and kind. Sixty-nine percent offer a basic curriculum enabling students to meet the National Commission on Excellence in Education (1983) recommendations. In coping with small numbers, schools …

Community Education Plan For North Kent Consortium, Charlene M. Bunnell

Masters Theses

The purpose of this project was to design a working document which could be used by the four-school community education consortium in its management practices. The underlying question was whether it was possible to design a document which would be simple and complete, by still address the many needs of four different school systems.

The completed project includes a document which addresses the many facets of administering a multi-district consortium. It outlines the duties and responsibilities of each district at the present time while allowing for the realigning of those duties and responsibilities at a later date.

As a result …

Establishing Interagency Communication Among K-12 School Districts And Government Agencies Through An Intermediate School District, Gary R. Campbell

Masters Theses

The proposed procedure for a local school administrator to establish direct interagency communication between local, K-12 school districts and other government agencies who deal with troubled youth was to: (a) examine the function and organization of the intermediate school district, (b) evaluate the role of its superintendent, and, (c) assist the superintendent in establishment of an interagency discussion group. the This group would meet regularly to discuss mutual concerns in helping troubled youth.

This experience focused on gaining an understanding of the organization and function of a Michigan intermediate school district, the role of its superintendent, and the other non-school, …