Wells, Jack G.

The problem examined in this study was to determine the extent to which elementary school principals were exhibiting a commitment toward the practices of school-based management. The research of the literature reflected a paucity of evidence related to the implementation of school-based management. Florida schools have been directed toward school-based management as a result of a legislative mandate in an effort to bring about accountability at the local school level. The literature reflected a void in revealing the state of the practice in elementary schools. The sample population of this study consisted of 311 Florida elementary school principals selected at random from those listed in the Florida Education Directory 1980-81. Two hundred forty-two of those responded, forming the survey sample. The survey instrument was developed by the Planning, Research and Evaluation Department of the State of Florida, Department of Education, in 1976. The areas covered by the survey included instruction, support services, parental involvement, management and finance. The conclusions were as follows: (1) About half of the elementary school principals were practicing school-based management. (2) Principals made the majority of decisions at the school level. (3) There was no significant difference in implementation of school-based management practices and geographical location. (4) Principals made the majority of management decisions compared to district level personnel and shared decision-making. (5) Parent Advisory Councils participated at a moderate level in all schools. (6) There was no evidence to suggest that implementation of school-based management was a function of (a) chronological age, (b) gender, (c) recency of Administration/Supervision certification, or (d) years of experience as a principal.

The purpose of this study was to research the historical circumstances involved with the establishment, growth, development, and administration of public education in Osceola County, Florida, from 1987 to 1927. This chronological study was divided into periods which highlight key historical events. The historical periods are as follows: 1822-1886. Territorial and early statehood education, and education in geographic Osceola County before separation from Orange and Brevard Counties. This section includes the legal foundation for education found in the Florida Constitution of 1868. 1887-1914. Early historical development through 1915 when Superintendent N. J. Sears resigned to become a State Representative. 1915-1927. The challenges associated with World War I, providing for the growth of the Twenties, and the development of the major elements of a school system through the passing of the State Constitutional Amendment allowing the Legislature to directly appropriate money for schools. The geographical area of Osceola County was originally part of Orange and Brevard Counties. The County was established on May 12, 1887, by Section 7, Chapter 3768 of the Acts of 1887, Laws of Florida. State Senator J. Milton Bryan, an Orange County Senator who lived in Kissimmee, was credited with this legislation. The County's northern boundary was approximately one-fifth of the distance between Kissimmee and Orlando and its southern boundary extended to Lake Okeechobee. In 1917, Okeechobee County was formed from parts of Osceola and St. Lucie Counties, decreasing the size of Osceola County to 954,880 acres (1,480 square miles of land surface). The resulting Osceola County is today the sixth largest county in area in the state. By 1927, school population (ages 6-21) reached 3,378, a substantial increase from 815 in 1887. Educational categories studied in this dissertation include: educational funding, school sites and facilities, recruitment and qualifications of teachers, teaching conditions, curriculum development and Negro education. The hypothesis was: The Osceola County School District has satisfied the educational challenges of providing for student needs since its beginning, during periods of significant growth and demographic changes. The hypothesis was tested by examining each category to determine if the preponderance of evidence indicated that the districts' needs had been satisfied. In summary, the overall purpose of this study was to provide the first documentation of the development of public education in Osceola County, Florida, from 1887 to 1927.

This study is designed to determine the prevalences and sources of administrative stress among chief administrative officers in Broward County, Florida nonpublic schools. The study offers a brief history of nonpublic school education in Broward County, in Florida, and in the United States. In a review of the literature the study identified pertinent administrative and managerial stress research. The researcher developed the Nonpublic School Administrative Stress Survey (NSASS) instrument which was used to collect the information discussed. The study concluded that administrators have some specific sources of administrative stress. Respondents identified educational development as a source of administrative stress. This component included specific problem children, sufficient time spent with students, scheduling of classes, designing school programs, implementing school programs and establishing and implementing innovative ideas. Significance was discovered in determining the administrators self-reported perception of administrative stress for 3 of 11 variables. The variables of age, highest earned degree and years of experience at a particular school were significant in determining the perceptions of administrative stress held by the nonpublic school administrators. The variables of sex, state certification of administrators, clerical status (religious degree), school size, school level, school type, school administrative structure and certified status of school faculty, were inconclusive in determining significance as variables of perceived administrative stress. It was further discovered that biographical variables are more significant factors in determining perceptions of administrative stress than are environmental variables. The researcher concludes that there is a need for much greater emphasis on research in the nonpublic sector of education with particular emphasis upon the nonpublic school administrator. The results of the data are based on 62 nonpublic school chief administrative officers in Broward County, Florida nonpublic schools.

Learning disability teachers in Broward County, Florida, were surveyed for the purposes of identifying competencies, actual practices and training needs of paraprofessionals. The survey was conducted in two phases. Phase One yielded information from which two competency lists were derived. The first list consisted of twenty-five essential competencies that a paraprofessional must demonstrate for minimum performance in the learning disability classroom. The second list consisted of 136 "preferred competencies," i.e., skills which learning disability teachers have identified as useful in the classroom, but not necessarily essential to paraprofessional performance. Phase Two yielded information from which was formulated two additional lists; the first composed of actual current practices of paraprofessionals in learning disability classrooms, and the second composed of possible current training needs. As a result of this study, information was compiled identifying (1) essential competencies, (2) preferred competencies, (3) actual competencies and (4) current training needs of paraprofessionals serving learning disability classes in Broward County, Florida. This information can be used as a guide for evaluation, needs assessment, job interviews and training of paraprofessionals. The study provided a basis from which the scope and sequence of a pre-service and inservice paraprofessional program could be constructed. The data suggest a possible three-level educational program for paraprofessionals. Level One: training in the essential competencies; Level Two: training in the preferred competencies; and Level Three: training in specialized areas. Thus, a generic core of competencies can be taught initially to all paraprofessionals simultaneously, gradually advancing to higher level skills and finally, providing the specialized training needed in specific areas of education.

This study described the present condition of absence control programs within the sixty-seven school districts of the State of Florida. It was initiated when it became evident that the literature of educational administration was sparse in reference to current studies involving the effects of absence control strategies on school board personnel. This lack of reference in the literature of educational administration was contrasted with the wealth of information within the field of business administration. The question arose as to the actual state of existing absence control programs within the educational domain. This study found that few absence control programs existed within the Florida school districts. Little program innovation was evident, and even the most basic components of an effective absence control program were lacking. The Florida school districts were not consistent in their tendencies to maintain written attendance policies or standard procedures for reviewing absences. They did not conduct annual absentee studies nor create a list of chronically absent employees. Employee assistance programs like absentee counseling and alcoholic rehabilitation were virtually non-existent. The sparcity of educational research in the review of the literature was consistent with the scarcity of absence control programs within the Florida educational system.