The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions held by junior high school principals, their spouses, and school counselors regarding occupational stressors of the junior high school principals in the State of Texas. The occupational stressors center around five areas of concern: (1) administrative constraints, (2) administrative responsibilities, (3) interpersonal relations, (4) intrapersonal conflicts, and (5) role expectations. A randomly selected sample of 300 junior high school principals were sent questionnaires for themselves, their spouses, and their school counselors. Descriptive statistical methods were employed to calculate means and standard deviations of the principals', spouses', and counselors' perceptions of the occupational stressors of the principals. T-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to analyze the data.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the comprehensive school reform model core knowledge on the reading achievement of eighth grade students located in a suburban north Texas school district. The data compared the mean scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills of students attending the experimental core knowledge school with the control school that did not use the core knowledge curriculum. Students from both schools were compared for student achievement gains overall as well as several other categories. The study also used a qualitative survey that asked key faculty members at both schools questions regarding levels of curriculum implementation, staff knowledge of curriculum, etc. The data showed no significant differences between student achievement scores at the experimental school compared with students at the control school. However, the study found that the type of standardized test seems to have an impact on whether students in a core knowledge curriculum show higher achievement than students in a traditional curriculum. Students in a core knowledge curriculum show higher achievement on norm-referenced standardized tests when compared with students not attending a core knowledge school. When taking a criterion-referenced test such as the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, there is no difference in reading achievement between the two groups.

The specific purposes of the study are: 1. To ascertain the curriculum pattern with respect to the different phases of industrial arts taught in all the junior high schools. 2. To ascertain the phases or unit and subject matter content taught in each of the junior high schools. 3. To ascertain the grade levels at which the various phases and units of learning are taught in each school. 4. To ascertain if there are variations in subject matter content taught in each of the junior high schools. 5. To make suggestions and recommendations based upon the findings of the study for improving organization and administration of the industrial arts program.