The specific purposes of this study were (1) to develop a profile of the Indiana secondary school assistant principal and, (2) to test two hypotheses relative to the duties of the assistant principal.As a result of a review of the research and literature related to the assistant principalship and consultation with professional educators, a questionnaire was developed which included twenty-five items to gather demographic data and seventy-nine duties in the areas of school administration and management, curriculum and instruction, pupil personnel, and staff personnel. The research instrument also included a section for rank order of importance of duties and a percentage of time spent in each of the four areas incorporating the seventy-nine duties.The data derived from the questionnaire were analyzed to determine (1) demographic data pertaining to the position (2) duties for which the assistant principals have full responsibility (3) duties for which assistant principals have shared responsibility (4) duties for which assistant principals have no responsibility (5) duties which assistant principals believe that they should be involved in (6) duties assistant principals feel they should not be involved in (7) the rank-order ofimportance of the duties as perceived by the assistant principals, and (8) the percentage of working time spent by the assistant principals in the areas of school administration, and management, curriculum and instruction, pupil personnel, and staff personnel.The analyzed data indicated the following:l. There are few duties for which assistant principals have full responsibility. 2. Assistant principals have shared responsibility in practically all duties involved in the operation of the school.3. In general, the assistant principals are in agreement with the assignment of duties and feel that they should be involved in the performance of the majority of the duties.4. The five duties that the assistant principals are involved in performing and consider the most important are pupil attendance, running the school in absence of the principal, preparation of the master schedule, direction of the athletic program, and pupil discipline.5. The majority of assistant principal's working time is spent in the areas of pupil personnel, and administration and management.6. There is practically no correlation between the duties in which the assistant principal is involved and the size of the population of the school.7. There is practically no correlation between the duties in which the assistant principal is involved and the type of school (Rural, Small City, Suburban, Urban).8. In general, the assistant principalship is being filled by a young, married, family man with at least a Master's degree. His first entry into the field of administration came early in his career. He has been an assistant principal a short time and was a classroom teacher immediately before moving to the present position. The persons interested in a new position are interested in becoming a high school principal.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the curricular offerings of the secondary school in Greensburg, Indiana. The data obtained should enable the administrators of Greensburg Community High School make decisions concerning present and future curricular offerings. Two questions were raised: (1) Had the needs of all students been met? (2) Had the needs of the society which the school serves been satisfied? The assumption was made that the fundamental curriculum needs of the high school pupil had been identified during the past years, and then a more basic question was posed: To what extent had these needs been met? The study was also concerned with determining whether or not graduates of Greensburg Community High School were adequately prepared to assume a responsible place in society, to further their education, or to become gainfully employed with no additional formal education.The data for the study was obtained by means of questionnaires and personal interviews with graduates from Greensburg Community High School, Greensburg, Indiana. Greensburg Community High School has five curricular offerings from which a student may choose: general, home economics, industrial, business, and interviewed college preparatory. Seven graduates were selected from each of the curricular offerings for five years, 1970 through 1974. The questionnaires were mailed to a selected population numbering 175 graduates. Twenty-.two of these graduates were also either personally or by telephone.Information pertaining to the following areas were sought: 1. Number of graduates receiving post-secondary training. 2. Curricular offerings with most value. 3. The curricular offerings with some value. 4. The curricular offerings with least value. 5. Additional curricular offerings which should be made available.6. Adequacy of the curriculum offered at Greensburg Community High School relevant to advanced study, specialized training, or general employment.Twenty--two Greensburg Community High School students were interviewed either personally or by telephone. The purpose of the interviews was to provide a direct contact with the selected graduates as well as to gather in-depth perceptions of the curriculum.Data from the study opened numerous areas for the discussion of the curricular offerings of Greensburg Community High School. An attempt was made to collect information that had the most relevant implications concerning the curricular offerings of Greensburg Community High School.The major findings of the study were:1. Twenty-seven percent of all respondents were reported to have been enrolled in or presently attending a four-year college or university.2. Nineteen percent had received or were receiving some type of post-secondary training, excluding the four-year college program.3. Forty-six percent of the graduates were enrolled in some form of post-secondary training.4. The graduates rated government, accounting, English, mathematics, physical education, and typing as offerings of most value during secondary school training.5. Foreign language, including Latin, Spanish, and French, were rated as offerings of least value. United States History and chemistry were also rated low.6. A majority of the graduates indicated that the curricular offerings of Greensburg Community High School were sufficient for meeting their needs.7. Eighty-six percent of the graduates believed that the training received during high school was sufficient preparation for advanced study, specialized training, or general employment.8. Seventy-seven graduates, or 86.5 percent of the graduates, responded that the high school could have done little else to prepare them for gainful employment.The purpose of the study was to collect data which would give a comprehensive view of the curricular offerings of Greensburg Community High School. Another purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the curricular offerings as perceived by selected graduates of Greensburg Community High School. Based upon the two purposes of the study the following conclusions are made:1. Curricular offerings are adequate at this time, but an examination concerning the content of some courses needs to be implemented.2. The guidance procedure should be updated so that graduates are aware of opportunities during their years in secondary education as well as during their time spent in post-secondary education.3. An examination of the extent or worth of foreign language offerings should be made.4. Career education should be implemented in the curricular offerings as a separate offering or as a part of one of the present vocational offerings.Based upon the findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are made:1. A self-study should be conducted by the concerned departments regarding the adequacy of courses and course content.2. A similar study should be conducted utilizing a larger population.

This thesis investigated the relative extent to which traditional industrial arts objectives have been met in selected secondary schools in Delaware County, Indiana, as perceived by former secondary school industrial arts students.In addition, the thesis identified, based on the opinions of the respondents, which objectives should be emphasized in industrial arts at the secondary school level.A thirty-two-item questionnaire was used to collect data pertinent to the attainment of the objectives and their perceived order of importance. Tables were developed from the data analyzing the responses according to number and percentages on a four-point scale. Chi-square analysis was used to determine the significance of the findings at the .05 level.Over-all, the findings showed that the objectives studied had been met at acceptable, although varying, levels. Furthermore, the rank order of importance for the objectives as assigned by the respondents coincided very closely with their relative order of attainment as determined by the students' responses to the questionnaire.

This project involved an analysis of the theoretical foundations for Indianapolis Prep; an alternative school for about 50 students ages 14 to 18 years who are on probation with the Juvenile Court of Marion County, Indiana. The accepted purpose of Indianapolis Prep is to prepare students to make a successful transition from the Juvenile Center through a transition academy and through a semester of success in a regular high school to high school graduation. For the population involved, the traditional path to a high school diploma is not viewed as the best alternative.Indianapolis Prep is part of the national “Cities in Schools” project; a project which appears to have the potential for making a substantial impact on the future direction of American education.The outcomes of the project were documented in various forms since the traditional format of preparing one large piece of writing with an introduction and a conclusion was inadequate. The process of the study served as an effective means for shaping the documentation of outcomes. The writer kept a journal of observations of Indianapolis Prep as well as one on reflections regarding her participation in the school. Compiling these writings into a summary produced an interesting anecdotal document of Indy Prep’s development in theory and in practice. This anecdotal record developed into an anthology of choice writings, proposals, reports, and poems and prose, all narrated and tied together with summarized journal writings.The following components were included in the creative project report:A statement of the creative project.A handout used by the “Cities in Schools” project to introduce and explain Propinquity, and organizational concept of interagency services.A description of the plan, implementation, and outcomes of the Sophomore Academy, a forerunner to Indy Prep.Examples of students’ poems and prose as well as writings of the investigator.An evaluative report of Indy Prep’s participation in the Ball State University staff development project. This report was compiled from observations, interviews, and notes on weekly SDP conferences and meetings, as well as information from monthly Ball State conducted workshops. Examples of contracts developed through the staff development program were included.A component of several essays in which thoughts and theories derived from various readings along with the writer’s experiences and study of Indy Prep were formulated and/or systematically organized.The final component was a bibliography of readings.

The success of small schools in maintaining higher graduation rates has been well documented (Schneider, 2002; Cotton, 1996; Raywid, 1996). This researcher investigated the effectiveness of a small school strategy implemented in a large school setting through the school-within-a school model for reducing the dropout rate, specifically as investigated through an Indiana high school's freshman academy for at-risk students, as an effective intervention for reducing the dropout rate. Data from Goshen High Schools' graduation rates of selected cohorts from the classes 2006 and 2007 were obtained for evaluating the school-within-a-school model as an effective intervention for reducing the dropout rate.Quasi-experimental research was completed with a comparison group of at-risk students and an intervention group of at-risk students who had the advantage of the freshman academy intervention. Five hypotheses were proposed. T-tests were completed on the at-risk indicators of student attendance, credits earned in ninth grade, and disciplinary referrals. Chi-square tests were conducted comparing cohort data on the graduation rate and the pass rate for the Graduation Qualifying Exam. Findings from a t-test indicated the school-within-school model of freshman academy was statistically significant in increased credits earned.The literature review compiled research on the high school dropout problem, problems in gathering accurate data figures on dropouts or graduation rate, the role of NoChild Left Behind (NCLB) on graduation rate accountability, factors identifying students at-risk for dropout intervention (attendance, disciplinary referrals, and grade retention), and research on the school-within-school structural reform.The sample for this study was selected from two cohorts of students based on eighth grade failure on the Indiana Standards Test of Educational Progress. Seventy-five students from the future classes of 2006 and 2007 were identified as students at-risk of academic failure.Student data collected from these cohorts indicated positive trends on absence, disciplinary referrals, and graduation rate. There was a statistically significant difference in the number of credits earned. Recommendations for continuing the school-within school intervention with a distinct identity were discussed. A call for future research on the school-within-school model included ideas for qualitative study, research on a larger scale or over several years of graduating cohorts. / Department of Educational Leadership

We know that education can be an arduous process. Countries use different approaches based on societal acceptances, but effective education always requires enormous efforts. Whether success is achieved, depends on the development of a rigorous and progressive curriculum, while at the same time providing all students the opportunity to learn” (Ravitch, 2010, p. 225). The purpose of this study was to analyze the success at which web-based curriculum is being utilized to meet the needs of at-risk students by providing them with the opportunity to recover lost credit as a means to keep them on the path to high school graduation. The institutions studied were select institutions that are identified by the Indiana Department of Education as recognized alternative education providers as well as select known public school corporations, in East Central Indiana, who are using web-based curriculum credit recovery programs. This researcher investigated the effectiveness of this credit recovery strategy as a tool to improve academic achievement and ultimately high school graduation. Additional information was sought on the challenges experienced in terms of support from the key stakeholders in breaking way from a traditional school setting when addressing the needs of students who are in jeopardy of failing to graduate. Data was obtained from the Indiana Department of Education and looked at graduation rates, dropout rates, as well as End of Course Assessment results. A survey was distributed to the survey population in an effort to gather a deeper understanding of the successes and failures schools were experiencing in an effort to break away from the status quo, leverage the advances of modern technology in an effort to provide students with multiple opportunities to realize academic success. The literature review compiled research on the current opinions for the utilization of web-based curriculum programs, the national attention being directed at public education as a key element in the economic slump of the American economy, and the economic impact on local and national economies for students who do not complete high school. Student achievement data collected from the survey population revealed positive trends on graduation rates, dropout rates, and performance on the Algebra I and English 10 End of Course Assessment. Recommendations for positive implementation of web-based credit recovery programming were discussed. Future research on this subject was recommended and ideas included a possible longitudinal study on a select group of at-risk students to identify strengths and weaknesses of this type of program. / Department of Educational Leadership