Elementary school administration

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has always advocated Christian day schools. One of the major missions of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, according to its Constitution, is the furtherance of Christian parochial schools and thorough instruction in confirmation. Although the governance of each school varies, typically, a school board's general duties include defining policy and ensuring its implementation. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of similarity between the desired role and the actual role of the Lutheran elementary school board as described by principals, school board chairpersons, and pastors in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod elementary schools in the United States. The sample was comprised of 200 Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod schools selected at random from the United States during the 1999--2000 School Year. The School Board Function Survey instrument for the principal, school board chairperson, and pastor were sent to each of the selected schools. It consisted of 47 tasks commonly associated with school boards. Respondents were asked to indicate on a Likert scale the (a) desired amount of involvement they believed the school board should have with a task and (b) the actual amount of involvement they believed the school board does have with a task. Data were analyzed via two statistical procedures. First, a paired t-test was calculated. Second, a table of the mean differences in the ratings was provided. A general threshold for significance was set at the .05 alpha level. Results indicated a significant difference between the desired role and actual role of the school board on 38, 26, and 35 of 47 tasks commonly associated with the school board as viewed by principals, school board chairpersons, and pastors, respectively. School leaders would do well to provide opportunities that clarify the mission of the school and the role of the school board. Subsequently, upon a clear delineation of the mission and role of the school board, consistent and continual examination by the principal, the school board chairperson, and the pastor would seem beneficial.

The purpose of this study was to develop a model management program which would substantially increase the efficiency of the special education teacher and administrator by using the microcomputer. An investigation utilizing a survey of South Florida schools to determine which schools had access to microcomputers, followed by a questionnaire to forty-two selected schools revealed that only fifteen of the schools surveyed were using the microcomputer in special education classes. Telephone calls to these fifteen schools revealed that only six were using the microcomputer to assist with management procedures for special education classes. A personal visit to each of the six schools which were using the microcomputer determined that the only duty the microcomputer was performing was attendance record-keeping. The information gathered from the survey, questionnaire, telephone calls, and personal visits indicated a need for the development of a program to be utilized with a microcomputer at the school level which would assist in the management of special education. The study then focused on the development of a model program in one elementary school which would assist with special education management. This was accomplished by designing a computer program that accomplished a variety of record-keeping tasks on the microcomputer such as attendance records, mailing labels, classroom rosters and other demographic data for individual classes. Programs were also utilized that assisted with the scoring of student mastery tests that were a part of a county-wide unified curriculum. The RECIPE program, which assists with the task of creating and implementing the individual education program, was incorporated into the model. Several recommendations were made at the conclusion of this study. The microcomputer should be more accessible to school administrators and teachers. In-service training in the use of the microcomputer should be provided to all interested personnel and students. A computer department should be a part of the school system to provide programmers, in-service trainers, and to program, evaluate, and disseminate software. Colleges and universities should begin classes in computer literacy and programming for all future teachers. Educators must take over the job of writing and programming appropriate software for use in our schools. Education in the microcomputer age should not be in the hands of technicians.