Twenty-three practitioner-informants were interviewed in depth and were asked to complete Rokeach's (1972) Value Survey in an attempt to identify the motivations for white persons to initiate, continue, and discontinue involvement as activists and organizers in low-income, urban, interracial community organizations. In order to create a context for the data, the literature regarding various types of organizers and activists for social change is examined as well as five theories of racial prejudice, the dynamics of majority-worker/minority-client relationships, and possible new models of behavior. The interview and Value Survey data are analyzed, compared, and used as a basis for the construction of a profile of an hypothetical "typical" organizer/activist. The informants' characteristics then are analyzed using Hampden-Turner's (1971) Model of Psycho-Social Development and it is concluded that informants are creative, productive, psychologically mature radicals who create dynamic, intense existences through their dedication to living by and fighting for certain key principles. Their initial motivations for involvement are found to be primarily personal benefit and curiosity. Current motivations, however are discovered to be political, i.e., helping the powerless to gain power, and personal, i.e., their own growth and learning and personal relationships. Motivations for discontinuing involvement are found to be lack of understanding the process and inappropriate ego-investment. Theories of radicalization are discussed and special attention is given to the concept of an environmentally-fostered predisposition to radicalism.

Statement of the research problem. This study seeks to determine the relationship of a black superintendent's (the researcher's) leadership style in the urban school district of Paterson, New Jersey, during the priod to 1976-1982, and the increase in student achievement. The feeling of educators and laymen alike is that our large urban educational centers need dynamic, effective black leadership and "leadership" is the most important component of a superintendent's job. The researcher examined a previous study to determine those variables that described the role and role expectations of black school superintendents and the relative importance the superintendents placed on eleven school-related problems. The researcher identified five of these school-related problems: instructional program relevance, accountability, student use and abuse of drugs, student discipline, and community relations to influence student achievement, in the city of Paterson, New Jersey. Purpose. The basic hypothesis central to this study was that the leadership style of the black superintendent will significantly improve student achievement. The researcher presents the reader an analysis of a black superintendent's leadership style in relation to five school-related problems which he identifies as being of immediate importance to the Paterson School District. The five school-related problems were discussed using the following three perspectives: the person, the structure and the skills. The study was limited to the urban public school district of Paterson, New Jersey, and the specific questions of the study were: (1) What is the relationship between principal and teachers' atitude and student achievement? (2) How are administrative attitudes and behavior affected by the leadership style of the black superintendent? (3) What are the major dimensions of the black superintendent's job as determined by the special operating conditions and constraints of his leadership style? Findings and conclusions. The main hypothesis of the study, that the leadership style of the black superintendent will significantly improve student achievement in the Paterson School System, was substantiated qualitatively. The hypothesis, is tenable within the limitations imposed by the researcher's hypothesis, the design of the study, the nature of the facts elected by it, and due to the evidence available.

The artist-in-residence concept has grown in popularity in the last fifteen years. During the 1970s artists were employed in a variety of arts and general education programs calling for curriculum change and school reform. In programs designed to increase the impact of artists' residencies, they found new relationships to schools through teaching, curriculum development and teacher training. Little has been written about the actual experiences of artists in these kinds of programs. This research addresses the need for a more thorough description and understanding of artists in schools and provides insights for the management of creative people in other types of organizations. A qualitative study was conducted which examined experiences of eight artists--four poets and four visual artists. Artists and twnety-three related teachers and administrators were interviewed. A core outcome of the study is a description of the circumstances encountered by artists and their processes of adjustment to their work environments. Artists' experiences were shaped in significant ways by their professional self-definition, work history and beliefs and values. Characteristics of the settings that impacted outcomes were: the socializing forces of the schools, scope of the programs, extent to which artists were required to perform tasks beyond their art and the degree of interdependence called for among artists and teachers. "Artist/educators" for whom teaching was a kind of a "second career" tended to be more successful in negotiating satisfactory roles than artists who saw themselves more narrowly. Administrative structures to bridge the differences between artists and teachers are crucial in reducing conflict and aiding collaboration.

The major purpose of this study was to analyze and evaluate the changes involved in the planning and establishment of a child development institution, the John E. Boyd Center for Child Care and Development, and the role of administrative leadership required to establish it. The study includes a description of the context of historical, political, social, and educational factors asociated with the Center, the changing needs of society, conflicts with local church authorities over the former day nursery that preceded it, and the ensuing litigation that resulted in a commitment to build a new institution. The period studied was from 1960 to 1980, with the actual process of organizational change taking place between 1969 and 1978. Effecting change while studying change was the central focus of the author's study. As administrator of the organization, the author sought to put into practice, and then evaluate, the theories of organizational change and organizational dynamics of Ronald G. Havelock and Kurt Lewin. The study documents a dynamic process of organizational change that was, in fact, successful, and concludes that the theories in question are empirically valid and useful, even when modified, as in this case.

In public schools the majority of teaching positions are filled by women, and the majority of school administrative positions are filled by men. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine teachers' personal perceptions and attitudes which continue the tradition of few women in school administration and to determine what factors contribute to keeping women from pursuing careers in education administration. More specifically, the questions that guided this study are: (1) Do women want to be in education administration? (2) Are teachers willing to support women administrators? (3) Do teachers believe that women have as equal an opportunity as men in acquiring an administrative position? (4) What factors would inhibit women from pursuing positions in school administration? (5) What traits do teachers feel most important for administrators to possess? The significance of the study was to provide a better understanding of the issues and problems confronting women who wish to, or attempt to, pursue careers in education administration. A two-page, four-sided, mail questionnaire was designed and mailed to a sampling of 251 teachers, members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. Seventy-three percent of the surveys were returned and sixty-five percent were considered usable returns. Conclusions drawn from the study were: (1) Male and female teachers shared an equal past interest in school administration and indicated that no specific factors inhibited them from pursuing such careers. (2) More male than female teachers indicated having a future interest in school administration, actively applied for administrative positions, and took more courses in education administration. (3) The majority of teachers indicated a willingness to support female administrators. (4) The majority of teachers were uncertain if their school system would hire female administrators. (5) Male teachers listed as the three most important administrative traits: the ability to deal with conflicts, communication skills, and being objective. Female teachers listed communication skills, ability to deal with conflicts, and self-confidence. Three least important traits for both genders were being aggressive, competitive, and authoritarian.

This study examines the perceptions of ten experts on the way participation effects developmental relationships (i.e., mentoring) in organizations. Each subject interviewed was an expert on either mentoring or participation, and had recently conducted research on either mentoring relationships or management theory in the past ten years. The ten experts were: Ken Blanchard, Arthur Eve, Grant Ingle, Kathy Kram, Daniel Levinson, Harry Levinson, Agnes Missirian, William Ouci, Edgar Schein and Peter Senge. The principal outcomes of this research were: (a) summary and analysis of expert opinion on the relationship between mentoring and participation, and (b) a two-stage model for understanding the relationship between mentoring and participation. The data is presented highlighting the subjects' response to nine speculations on the relationship between mentoring and participation. The speculations focused on peer versus hierarchical relationships, the importance of communication and networking abilities, changes in the nature of teaching and learning in mentoring relationships, multiple relationships versus single relationships, differences for men and women, and cross-gender relationships. Stage One of the model presents the Mentoring and Participation Matrix, which integrates Rensis Likert's four system modal on organizational characteristics and Kathy Kram's model on functions of mentoring relationships. The matrix suggests a categorization of the types of mentoring functions likely to occur in each of the four systems, which exist on a scale from highly autocratic to highly participative. Stage Two of the model presents the Intentional Management typology of managerial styles. The model, based on the Mentoring and Participation Matrix and the data analysis, presents four different managerial approaches, Manager as Proprietor, Manager as Director, Manager as Facilitator, and Manager as Nurturer, each reflecting a different level of participation and a different extent of employee development. The model suggests that a key to effective management is the assessment of extent of employee participation required and extent of people development desired to achieve a given managerial task. Implications for management, education and future research are provided.

This study was intended to provide administrators; elementary, middle/junior high and high school principals with an awareness of rights and responsibilities and to help motivate principals to translate basic legal concepts into actual practice. The study involved educational law as it was directly applicable and involved elementary, middle/junior high and high school principals. It presented specific legal principles that have been established and can be relied on for direction in many school areas. The research was intended to provide information about how education practice can be improved, so that it comports with the objectives of legal policy. It was meant to assist elementary, middle and high school principals to become more responsive to the realities of the education organization in relation to the legal policies of education. A survey questionnaire was developed and validated by a pilot-study committee. The population consisted of individuals in similar situations to those for whom the final instrument was intended. The final instrument was mailed to three hundred principals at the elementary, middle and high school levels, in both urban and rural school systems, who had been selected from the twelve counties in Massachusetts. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Computer Program was employed, utilizing FREQUENCIES, CROSSTABS and CHI SQUARE sub-programs. The findings indicated school administrators; principals at the elementary, middle and high school levels do not feel they are adequately informed about the laws that affect them and their schools. They also reveal that administrators themselves feel that information regarding education law would assist them, for they feel that there is a definite need for them to be informed about the laws that affect them in their positions as principals. It was also implied by the results of the study that knowledge of fundamental legal principles regarding education law would assist them in making administrative decisions. The findings of the study indicated that administrative training of principals at all levels, in both urban and rural school systems should include courses, seminars or workshops on educational law and policy.

A study was conducted to examine the private sector involvement in the federal job training and employment system since the inception of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982. The problem was to ascertain whether the innovative involvement of the private sector in the management and oversight of federal job training programs had achieved the explicit and implicit goals of the JTPA legislation. The methodology used included a combination of qualitative and quantitative strategies. A literature review was first conducted followed by a series of unstructured interviews with Private Industry Council (PIC) members. This led to the development of a three part survey instrument: questionnaire, attitudinal survey, and open ended question format. The survey instrument was pilot tested, refined, and mailed to a random sample of 300 public and private sector members of PICs within New England. The data was put into a computer and analyzed using the App-Stat analysis program. The study indicated that private sector involvement in job training has a positive impact on the management and operation of the local training and employment system, including improved public sector program management, increased responsiveness of training to local labor market needs, and improved operational effectiveness based on measured performance. Commitment to PIC goals, leadership ability, company support of efforts, and time availability were cited as the most important characteristics of effective PIC members. The study cited several areas of need including the lack of an adequate orientation and familiarization program for members, the need for more local autonomy and flexibility in order to address local problems, and the need to reverse the continued decline in the availability of funding resources for staff and programs. Recommendations were made for improving private sector utilization in the federal job training system. Suggested changes to legislation included broadening program eligibility requirements, altering performance standards, and establishing a stable funding base. Recommendations for future research and for using the data emanating from the study were also made.

This study uses focus group discussions as a means for understanding the role of ethics in the decision making processes of student affairs professionals. A second purpose of the study is to consider the method of the focus group discussion itself as a means to enable dialogue and conversation among student affairs professionals about ethical issues. The problem is explored through four research questions: (1) Do ethical considerations enter into the decision making processes utilized by student affairs professionals? (2) How do actual decision making processes as described by the student affairs professionals relate to prescriptions for ethical decision making in the literature? (3) To what extent is an ethic of caring exhibited? (4) Does the focus group forum itself contribute to developing a campus environment which promotes dialogue on ethical decision making? In this study, 26 staff at the University of Southern Maine participated in three focus group discussions. The participants were grouped according to position level: entry-level, mid-level, and director level. The discussion topics designed for the moderator's outline included two hypothetical case situations, as well as opportunities to discuss real work situations. Data were gathered from the transcription of the audio tapes of the discussions, and analyzed in relation to the research questions. Data specific to research question four were also gathered from responses to a follow-up questionnaire administered one month after the focus group interviews. The findings suggest that ethical considerations do enter into the decision making processes of the student affairs staff. The focus group discussions were shown to be a valuable intervention for a campus. The method can help produce an environment which is conducive to dialogue on important matters and in which considerations of ethics are perceived as valuable. Additional findings suggest that organizational considerations are an important part of the decision making processes of the student affairs participants. Regularized focus group discussion among student affairs staff can serve to promote such dialogue in the larger campus community, and therefore is an important step towards the development of an appropriate institutional environment for ethical decision making.

Abstract not available