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The purpose of this study was to determine if certain variables could discriminate between those school systems that do and those that do not have employee assistance programs. Using six variables identified in the literature, superintendents across the nation were surveyed to determine the status of these variables in their school systems. Discriminant analysis was used to test how well the variables predicted the existence of employee assistance programs. The results of the analysis indicated that two variables can be used to predict EAP presence. These variables are the superintendent's perception of the benefits of employee assistance programs and the superintendent's perception of the popularity of employee assistance programs in other organizations in the community. / Ed. D.

A model was developed to incorporate the major forces impacting upon a school superintendent and the descriptors, stability measures, intentions and processes of those forces. Tenure was determined to be the best outcome measure, thus the model became a quantitative method for predicting tenure. A survey measuring characteristics of the community, School Board, and the superintendent was sent to superintendents nationwide who had left a superintendency between 1983 and 1985. Usable forms were returned by 835 persons. The regression analysis was significant (p ≤ .0000) and accounted for 40% of the variance in superintendent tenure. In developing the equation, statistical applications included Mallows C_P for subset selection, Rousseeuw’s Least Median of Squares for outlier diagnostics, and the PRESS statistic for validation. The survey also included 24 hypothetical situations randomly selected out of a set of 290 items with four optional courses of action. The answers were weighted by the tenure groups of the superintendents. and the responses analyzed using a Bayesian joint probability formula. Predictions of the most probable tenure based on these items were accurate for only 18% of the superintendents. Variables found to contribute significantly in every candidate equation included per pupil expenditure, recent board member defeat, years in the contract, use of a formal interview format, age, being in the same etlmic group as the community, intention to move to another superintendency, orienting new Board members, salary, enrollment, and Board stability. Variables which were significant in some equations were region of the country, state turnover rate, proportion of Board support, whether changes were expected, use of a regular written evaluation, community power structure, number of Board members, grade levels in the district, gender, and having worked in the same school district. Variables which did not contribute were per capita income, whether the board was elected or appointed, educational degree and type of community. / Ph. D. / incomplete_metadata

A historical overview of the principalship is the story of a position in constant flux, responding continuously to a changing society and the demands that those changes bring to bear on the educational system. If the 1960s and early 1970s can be described as periods of uncertainty for the principalship, the late 1970s and early 1980s can be recognized as the period when the principalship came into its own, as it gained recognition as a key position in the determination of effective schools. Research studies conducted during the 1960s emphasized the need for the principals to assume a leadership role, with an emphasis on management of personnel resources for performance, morale, and productivity. Studies during the 1970s and early 1980s revealed insights into the nature of the principalship, and focused on those characteristics exhibited by effective principals. Faced by ever present societal demands for accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness at a time when the economy was on the downswing, coupled with constraints being placed upon their management prerogatives, principals were faced with many challenges during the 1970s and 1980s. During that period, research findings revealed that the nature of the principalship was reminiscent of a rapidly changing society. Time was a scarce commodity for principals who lived a fast paced, complex, and highly personal role, characterized by brevity of tasks, continuous face-to-face encounters, which often required on-the-spot decision making. Effective principals were described as diverse, proactive, people-oriented, risk takers, who were, for the most part, non-beleaguered and able to deal with the highly energized and demanding job. Another common characteristic of principals was their major stressor--dealing with teacher performance and evaluation, particularly when interpersonal conflicts and forced resignation were eminent. The second greatest stressor was perceived to be a threat to the physical status and/or job security of principals. In order to deal with their highly demanding and stressful jobs, principals were observed employing various coping mechanisms that enabled them to maintain control in often ambiguous roles. / Ed. D.

This study sought to determine Virginia Public School principals' knowledge of school law as it relates to the kind, length/quantity, and recency of preparation and years of administrative experience. Other variables measured included how knowledge is associated with geographic location within the state, grade level of school, principals' educational attainment level and how principals maintain a current knowledge of school law. A survey instrument was designed to collect demographic information and to test knowledge of court cases and state statutes. Two hundred ninety-eight principals participated in this study representing grade levels K-12 and all regions of the state. The principals' knowledge of four categories of school law (pupil issues, teacher/administrator issues, tort liability, church/state issues) was measured by a forty item true-false test. The data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance. The findings of this study indicated that there is no relationship between Virginia principals' knowledge of school law and their preparation (kind, length/quantity, recency) or years of administrative experience. Findings also indicated that although several areas of weakness were detected, principals displayed an overall adequate knowledge of school law earning a mean score of 31.3 out of a possible 40. / Ed. D.

Teachers in California, like in many other states, are leaving the profession at an alarming rate, thus creating a severe teacher shortage. Specifically, Black teachers are leaving and this problem warrants thorough exploration in an effort to increase Black teacher retention. The objective of this dissertation was to unpack the different factors that contribute to job dissatisfaction among Black teachers in secondary public schools in Los Angeles County. In particular, the study investigated the role school leaders played in their dissatisfaction through a phenomenological study that interviewed 10 Black teachers. Using critical race theory (CRT), this study found that there were six key themes that contributed to the dissatisfaction of Black teachers: persistent awareness of race, the racialization of the teacher-student experience, hurdles to professional advancement, lack of confidence in school leadership, inconsistent and inadequate support, and the psychological and emotional impact of these experiences.

The study addressed three basic problems. First, the effectiveness of incumbent special education administrators in Virginia had not been assessed. Second, the qualifications of incumbent special education administrators in Virginia had not been determined. Third, requirements for special education administrators in Virginia had not been developed, despite the recommendation of Berquist, et al., (1987) following their evaluation study of special education programming across the state. The study was designed to assess effectiveness by gathering perceptions of the quality of the knowledge and skills demonstrated by special education administrators. The study was designed to gather information on special education administrator's status in regard to two standard qualifications for positions in educational agencies, i.e., endorsement(s) held and amount of position-specific coursework taken. The study was designed to generate recommendations regarding requirements for special education administrators based upon the results of an analysis of effectiveness (demonstrated knowledge or demonstrated skill) by qualifications (endorsement and coursework [in administration and supervision of special education]). / Ed. D.

Evidence from studies related to the workplace (Ziemenski, 1981 and Knautz, 1982) suggest that occupational stress is a causal factor in job-related illnesses such as coronary heart disease, psychoneurotic and personality disorders, and migraine headaches. II In addition to physiological problems resulting from stress almost every psychosocial variable of importance is affected by stress in the workplace, including productivity, morale, and the .psychological well-being of workers" (Ivancevich and Matteson, 1980). Cooper and Marshall (1975) proposed two central features of stress at work, the interaction of which determines either coping or maladaptive behavior and stress related disease: (1) the characteristics of the persons (dispositional) and (2) the potential sources of stress in the work environment (situational). There is a growing need to use stress responses to cope with stressful situations encountered in occupations. In order to fulfill their responsibilities, employees should be aware of stressors that develop. The methods utilized in this study should provide an approach to identifying stressors and assessing counterproductive job situations. The purpose of this study was to measure and compare the degrees of stress experienced by administrators, teachers I and support personnel of the District of Columbia Public School System to selected occupational factors. This study utilized a descriptive research methodology and survey technique to gather data from a sample population of employees of the District of Columbia Public School System including: (a) administrators, (b) teachers, (c) support personnel, including engineers and clerical support personnel. It was hypothesized that: (1) there is no statistically significant difference in stress levels of administrators, teachers, and support personnel as measured by responses to measurements of perceived occupational stressors (change, clarity, tedium, control, intensity and conflict) according to reported situational and dispositional factors. Analysis of Variance procedures and Pearson Moment Correlation were used to test the hypothesis. Data for the study were obtained from five high schools in the District of Columbia. / Ed. D.

The problem of this study is an investigation of the effects, if any, of the professional support systems for the careers of women educators. This research should contribute to an understanding of the interaction among women and the impact of such interaction, if any, on career achievement. Women who want to become administrators can utilize this new information concerning support systems. By understanding the role of mentors and the interaction of a network, women as mentors may gain some valuable information with which to prepare themselves for a career in administration. The researcher leaned upon the Glaser and Strauss book, The Discovery of Grounded Theory as a methodological basis of this study. Generating theory and making hypothesis provided the basis for generating new theory and constructing associated hypothesis. Glaser and Strauss put forth the idea that generating a theory from data means that hypothesis and concepts come from data and are systematically worked out in relation to the data during the process of research. Theory is a process and generated during the course of a study. In grounded theory research, data interpretations are seldom conclusive and the research process is seldom finished. The respondents felt that alliances and networks had not really aided their career aspirations. However, the respondents did report having depended on male mentors in the pursuance and attainment of their positions. Because womens’ networks and their impact on the careers of in-place administrators is such a new concept, a relatively unresearched topic, many questions are left unanswered and future studies could further examine the phenomena of womens’ networks. Based on this study women would be advised to develop a mentor relationship or form an alliance with a male network. / Ed. D.