The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of CETA and vocational education administrators as to the importance of procedures for the implementation and operation of jointly delivered CETA/vocational education programs in Virginia. In order to accomplish this goal, the answers to the following research questions were sought: (1) Can consensus be obtained among CETA and vocational education administrators as to what procedures are necessary for the implementation and operation of jointly delivered programs? (2) Are there differences in the perceptions of the two groups of administrators as to the importance of procedures for the implementation and operation of jointly delivered programs in Virginia? (3) To what extent do the panel members agree on the sequencing of these procedures? (4) Are there differences in the tenacity of CETA administrators and vocational education administrators as demonstrated by their willingness to conform to the group's opinions? This study was conducted utilizing a modified Delphi technique and a panel of 28 experts. Panel members were divided equally between CETA and vocational education administrators and included representation from all geographic regions of Virginia. In each of the three Delphi probes, the panel members were asked to rate the importance of each of the items on the tentative list of procedures. Additional procedures were suggested by panel members in Probe I. The second and third probes included indications of the modal responses of the total group and each individual's responses on the previous probe. In Probe III each panel member was also asked to sequence the procedures. The data collected in these three probes provided a sequential list of 33 procedures for the implementation and operation of jointly delivered CETA/vocational education programs in Virginia. On the basis of the findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn: 1. Consensus on the procedures for the implementation and operation of jointly delivered CETA/vocational education programs in Virginia was obtained among the CETA and vocational education administrators participating in this study. 2. All procedures rated in this study are important to the implementation and operation of jointly delivered CETA/vocational education programs in Virginia. 3. Those procedures that pertained to developing communication links and program proposals are among the most important because they were rated as of "high importance" or "of extremely high importance" by 86 percent or more of the panel. 4. Those procedures pertaining to program evaluation by the operator and the prime sponsor were also very important. 5. Some localities have an administrative pattern that does not allow some of these procedures to be executed in the indicated manner. 6. Even in the final probe, there were some very low ratings of follow-up procedures. These low ratings may be attributable to the emphasis in the procedural statement on the completion of follow-up by vocational education administrators. 7. Any differences between the two groups of administrators in their perceptions of the importance of procedures are inconsequential. 8. Although the Kendall's W was significant and indicated moderately high agreement on the sequencing of procedures, some procedures are sequenced illogically. 9. The computed tenacity ratings indicate that each group of administrators was very tenacious. The high extent of agreement in the initial probe and the increase in agreement in subsequent probes would suggest the opposite, or that each group holds the same strong opinions. / Ed. D.

The purpose of A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVISORY COMMITTEES IN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES was to determine the effectiveness of advisory committees within the Virginia Community College system. How effective or ineffective these committees are being used has an effect on the programs within each college division. Data were gathered by means of a survey instrument which was developed and mailed to each community college dean in the state of Virginia. The results of the study revealed that advisory committees were widely used in community colleges in the state of Virginia, however, these committees were not used as effectively as they could be. Advisory committees used in Virginia's community colleges were used most effectively in helping with the identification of occupational skills needed by program graduates and in identifying area labor market needs. / Master of Science

Black education was unique in Montgomery County, Virginia, during Jim Crow segregation because African American students were able to attend Christiansburg Institute (C.I.), a black secondary school with an excellent reputation. C.I. initially emphasized vocational education, but in the late 1940s administrators expanded the curriculum to include a college preparatory program. C.I. nurtured black activism and culture. Because it was a regional school, it facilitated the development of an extended black community. Blacks organized first for equalization within segregated schools, and then they challenged segregation itself. After the Supreme Court declared school segregation unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), white Virginians resisted desegregation. White Montgomery County residents were committed to segregation, yet they were unwilling to commit to Virginia's "massive resistance” to integration. Desegregation came quietly and relatively quickly to Montgomery County due to bi-racial cooperation, a comparatively small black population, and the growth of the state university located in the county. Once integration was complete in 1966, the county closed C.I. White Virginians, especially those in eastern Virginia, fought so hard to avoid desegregation; yet in Montgomery County it was black residents who paid the highest price for integration -- their school. An institution that held high expectations for its graduates, while providing them with the tools to succeed in a segregated world, is now gone. This thesis explores the costs, the benefits, and the process of desegregation in one predominantly white county in western Virginia. / Master of Arts

The objective of this thesis was to identify and measure the effect of factors that influenced income earnings of former agricultural students. Data were obtained from a questionnaire mailed to former Virginia Tech students, all of whom were enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences during 1977. An analysis of the 243 respondents was conducted with emphasis on educational profiles, labor market entry and participation, and personal characteristics. Models based on human capital and labor market principles were developed to explain differences in individual incomes. Earned income models were estimated for the first job after leaving college, for the job held in 1985, and for the 1985 job in a lagged formulation. Analysis of covariance was used to estimate the empirical models. Model results for the first job starting income indicated positive returns to education and the provision of profit sharing benefits. Significantly higher starting incomes were also found for males and for those who considered pay as important or very important. In contrast, the year of job entry exhibited an inverse relationship with starting income. No significant differences in first job income were found for college major, type of placement services used, state location of the job, nature of the job (whether agricultural or not), and provision of housing benefits. Model results for the 1985 income, as in the starting income model, indicated positive returns to the provision of profit sharing benefits. Significantly higher incomes were also associated with married respondents, urban residents, and those who ranked oral communication skills as much needed or essential. In contrast, lower incomes were associated with those who ranked a technical skill to be much needed or essential and with those who held more previous jobs. Insignificant variables in the 1985 income model included level of education, college major, state location of the job, nature of the job, personal assessment of the importance of pay, provision of housing benefits, ranking of the need for knowledge of agricultural policy, and gender. Results for the lagged formulation of the 1985 income model were similar to results for the 1985 income model. In addition, prior income was found to be a positive and significant determinant of 1985 incomes. Implications for academic support areas, curricula, and students were presented and discussed / Master of Science

In an effort to determine the extent and type of usage of the libraries of the various high schools in District "M," a questionnaire was formulated. The group of students who composed the Graduate Seminar at Radford College during the Summer Session, 1950, cooperated with the study by responding to the first draft of the questionnaire; then by offering constructive criticisms. With the incorporation of their suggestions, the resulting instrument; found in Appendix "C," was mailed to all of the schools included in the study. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: first, Organization and Administration of the Library; second, Kind and Extent of Library Usage. / M.S.

In 1947 seven cooperative part-time office training programs were organized in the State of Virginia. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to determine the professional development needs of business educators in Virginia. An instrument was developed to assess priorities for leaders in business education in Virginia and the Virginia Business Education Association. The priorities were analyzed according to geographic region represented, and demographic factors of the respondents were compared to the priority rankings. Business educators attending regional conferences throughout Virginia during October, 1990 participated in this study. Two hundred and fifty usable instruments were received. A descriptive statistical analysis was used to determine the rank order, mean and standard deviation of the priorities; the same analysis by break-variable was used to determine the mean rankings for each geographic region. Correlations were run to determine relationships between the demographic factors and the priority rankings. Conclusions resulting from data analyses performed and reported in this study are as follows: (1) business educators are concerned with keeping business education relevant to workforce needs, and they are aware of the importance of integrating business education into the academic curriculum; (2) business educators desire their professional organization to act as their advocate at the local and state levels, as well as provide them with regional professional development opportunities; (3) business educators from all geographic regions agreed on their priority rankings for business education leaders and the VBEA; and (4) business educators with advanced degrees and/or more years experience do not differ significantly in their priority rankings from those educators without advanced degrees and fewer years of service. / Master of Science

Master of Science

Problem The problem for this study was to determine the occupations entered by graduates of the agricultural education department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute from 1959-1969, their advancements, and the effectiveness of their training. Purposes The specific purposes of the study were to determine: the employment record of the graduates, their mobility, the effectiveness of their training, their financial advancement, their educational advancement, and certain of their other achievements. Method The study was based on data secured by mailing a questionnaire to the 245 graduates. The questionnaire was completed and returned by 179 (73.l percent) of the graduates. Findings There were 134 (74.9 percent) of the reporting graduates who began employment in the agricultural education field. In 1970 there were 96 (53.6 percent) of the reporting graduates who were still employed in the agricultural education field. The 104 (58.l percent) of the graduates who reported that they had changed occupations listed 39 reasons for changing occupations. The graduates reported a need for more courses in business and management. The graduates also reported a need for more training in the specialized areas of the agricultural education curriculum. The average beginning salary for the reporting graduates was $5,650.00. The average 1970 salary was $9,439.00. There were 41 (22.9 percent) of the graduates who held advanced degrees beyond the Bachelor of Science degree. There were 110 (61.5 percent) of the graduates who reported special achievements. / Master of Science

Master of Science