The purpose of the study was to develop guidelines for the formulation of strike contingency plans to assist school administrators and boards of school trustees during a teacher strike. The study was designed to secure and evaluate strike contingency plan items currently being utilized by school administrators as well as ideas suggested through published literature by authorities in the field.An initial survey was conducted to collect strike contingency plans and to determine teacher strike experience of 286 Indiana school superintendents and of superintendents throughout the nation identified as having experienced a teacher strike during August and September of 1975. Data collected were used to determine the number of strike contingency plans in existence in Indiana and in school districts outside Indiana included in the survey, and the experience level of Indiana superintendents in dealing with teacher strikes.The tactical ideas, suggestions, and guideline statements secured from the review of the literature and analysis of strike contingency plan material received in response to the initial survey were developed into a form for evaluating strike contingency plan items. The evaluation form was divided into six sections designed to elicit responses relative to strike contingency planning. One hundred eighty-seven statement items relative to the board of education, superintendent, communication center, transportation, security, and building procedures were included. Superintendents were asked to indicate if the strike plan items should be included in a strike contingency plan- as well as to indicate the degree of importance of each strike plan item in maintaining the operational capacities of a school district during a teacher strike. Ten Indiana superintendents identified as having had experienced one or more teacher strikes and having developed a strike contingency plan for use should a strike situation develop served as evaluators.The findings of the study were developed into a set of guidelines for the development of a strike contingency plan. Strike plan items were classified as items essential to every strike contingency plan and as items which should be considered for inclusion in a strike contingency plan while the strike plan is being developed. The strike plan items provide a nucleus around which a strike contingency plan could be developed to adequately meet the need for advance strike contingency planning.

The aim of the study was to determine whether adolescent psychological well being can be significantly influenced by attributional style, general health, satisfaction with life and self esteem. A cross-sectional research design was implemented for this study. An availability sample of 130 learners from 2 high schools; namely Batloung and Kgobokwe in the Ramatlabama area in rural North West Province (RSA) were chosen to collect data. The learners were selected using the stratified random sampling technique. All participants described themselves as equally traditional and westernised with a high value placed on individual goals and community goals. The respondents were 12-22 years old. Participants responded to a questionnaire consisting of six sections. The first section comprised of biographical data. Psychological well-being was measured in terms of distinctions between hedonism and eudaimonism. The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) was used to measure hedonism and the PWB scale by Ryff(1995) was used to measure eudaimonism. General health was measured by the 28 item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The cognitive Attributional Style Questionnaire (CaQ) measured attributional style. The 10 item Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale (SES) was used to measure self esteem. The quantitative data for the research, which was gathered through questionnaires, was subjected to statistical analysis. This was done through the utilisation of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS ver. 12). Descriptive statistics and Cronbach alpha reliability indices were computed for each scale. Regression analysis was used to establish the relative contribution made by the independent variables; Attributiona1 style (AS),Self Esteem (SE), General Health (GH) and Satisfaction With Life {SWL); on the dependent variable {psychological well being) . Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is used to test the significance of R(2) , which is the same as testing the significance of the regression model as a whole. The results of the study generally show that satisfaction with life, attributional styles, self-esteem and health meaningfully predict psychological well- being (R(2) = .41). the practical significance of the finding based on the Steyn's formulation was 0.69. psychological well-being correlated positively with satisfaction with life, general health, and the external attributions made by learners. There were no significant differences regarding 1he nature of attributions made by both male and female learners. It is therefore recommended that adolescents get support from parents, engage in challenging activities, positive life events, and interact more with significant others for their well being. Further research into the mechanisms of how life satisfaction plays its role in positive youth development is needed to promote the psychological well-being of all youth. / (M.Ed.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

The implementation of Development Appraisal System in Educational Institutions of North-West Province in the Mafikeng District. The main purpose of this study is to determine the implementation of Developmental Appraisal System in Educational Institutions of North-West Province in the Mafikeng District and the essential strategies needed for effective implementation. Furthermore the study carefully examines past and current guidelines for policy implementation. It also aims at facilitating improvement of school performance throughout approaches characterized by partnership, collaboration, mentoring and guidance. It enables a school and external supervisors to show to what extent it meets national goals and the needs of the public and communities. The subjects of this study are educators and school principals of the mentioned 30 schools in six(6) circuits. The study reveals that policy implementers in developing countries like South Africa are more concerned about lack of support and recognition to their position. Other concerns revealed are the inhibiting role of the educator unions in the policy implementation, policy implementers who need self confidence, flexible strategies, critical competencies and the necessary skills for effective policy implementation. On the basis of the challenges and skills identified from both the literature and empirical study, implementation guidelines consist of four phases as follows: pre-implementation, actualization, cascading and monitoring. Each and every phase has a set of objectives to be realized. Furthermore, the guidelines also take into account the role of the various key stakeholders teacher unions and parental bodies. These guidelines therefore carne about the implementation of Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) and this new policy included new programs, resources, objectives and aims that were not there in the implementation of developmental institutions of North-West Province in the Mafikeng District. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Relations) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2004

The purpose of this study is to determine the possible training needs of the school governing bodies so that they can play their roles efficiently. Education can no longer be led by the producers, namely the academic theorists, the administrators and the educators' unions. Education must be shaped by the users, by what is good for the individual child and what hopes are held by parents. If power is to be moved, then it has to be managed, by implication, this management is to be by the users represented by the governors. Governing bodies have to take ownership of their schools to make sure that quality education is provided. In order to be effective democratically and managerially, the need for training should be recognized. The responsibilities for governing bodies are so important and complex that a governor cannot be expected to discharge them effectively without some training going beyond the normal process of picking up the job by doing it. The empirical investigation was employed to determine the training needs and strategies of the school governing bodies. Literature survey was also employed to determine the possible problems preventing the governing bodies to manage effectively. The population involved in this study was confined to principals, educator governors, parents, learners and co-opted members. The results of 210 respondents were analyzed. The findings revealed that the governing bodies did not know what to do and what not to do (i.e. they do not know their job description). Findings more over revealed that the governing bodies need to be empowered through extensive training. Recommendations made by the respondents on how training of school governing bodies should be done are also expounded. The respondents put more effort on organisation of workshops, mentoring, in-service training, clinical supervision and induction as relevant strategies that can enhance efficient school governance. / (M.Ed.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2003

This study investigated the management of finances in public schools in the Mafikeng Area Project Offices. The purpose was to evaluate the systems that are in place to assist the financial committees to take efficient and effective financial decisions. The approach used in the study was quantitative in that the primary instrument of data collection was a questionnaire. The target population was school managers, financial committees arid school governing bodies. Copies of questionnaire were distributed to 124 respondent and 110 out of were returned. The data was presented in tables and analysed using basic statistic. The findings revealed financial committees and School managers did not have adequate training in financial management and Financial policies need to be developed at schools to assist managers, financial committee members and SGB's with proper financial control. The provincial Department of Education need to conduct a skill audits at schools to establish the gaps that might exist in schools particularly with regard to financial management, so as to design suitable training that will assist financial committees and school managers to be able to manage funds effectively and efficiently. Management of school finances is one of the most important areas in school management. Financial control ensures that transactions are recorded accurately. Therefore school managers together with financial committees need to be conversant with various approaches of financial control and record keeping. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

The purpose of this study was to empirically assess the role played by school management teams (SMTs) of under-performing secondary schools in the Central Region in their efforts to improve. The evaluation criteria applied were those for effective schools and school leadership derived from the literature study. The survey method was employed to gather the data. A pre-tested 43 item questionnaire was used to evaluate SMTs on 7 effectiveness criteria . The subjects of the study were 80 SMT members and 66 educators from 29 randomly selected trapped schools out of the 45 in the region . The empirical investigation conducted found that SMTs are not effective on most of the crucial effectiveness criteria such as strategic leadership and curriculum leadership. Significantly wide differences of opinion on their effectiveness between the two groups of respondents were observed. SMTs rated themselves as mostly effective, while educators on the other hand rated SMTs as generally ineffective. Lastly, on the question of what can be done to assist underperforming schools become more effective, the investigation makes two main recommendations. First, intensive induction programmes for newly-appointed SMTs as well as on-going capacity- building programmes for experienced ones should be implemented. Second, adequate resources coupled with sustained departmental support should be provided. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate and report selected Indiana public school principals' perceptions of differentiated staffing as a viable method of school personnel organization. The research was designed to examine Indiana school principals' perceptions of the differentiated staffing concept and the possible affects it may have on principals, classroom teachers, and students. The data obtained revealed the beliefs of those principals sampled concerning the relationship of differentiated staffing and school personnel organization. The original study population included 300 Indiana school principals who had been randomly sampled from the 1969-70 Indiana School Directory. Of the original sample, 100 were elementary principals (K-6, 1-6), 100 were junior high principals (7-8, 7-9), and 100 were high school principals (9-12, 10-12). A Principal's Response Instrument was designed from a review of the literature on differentiated staffing. The questionnaire was mailed to the selected principals and from this mailing, a total of 240 questionnaires were returned. This represented an eighty per cent return. Of the total number returned, eighty-five were from elementary principals, seventy-nine were from junior high principals, and seventy-six were from high school principals. Review of the data led to the following conclusions: Elementary principals, junior high school principals, and senior high school principals tended to respond in a fairly consistent pattern that did not produce a highly distinguishable difference between the three levels of school principals represented in the study.Seventy per cent of the Indiana principals perceived differentiated staffing to be a better method of school personnel organization than traditional staffing methods. They indicated that the differentiated staffing concept would need to develop the skills necessary to become specialists in group process, organization management, and human relations. Principals felt that the concept would permit the principals to be the instructional leader in the school. Principals did not feel that teachers would be in favor of differentiated staffing. However, they did feel that the concept would permit better utilization of teacher resources and would recognize a career ladder for teachers. They felt that the concept would foster good teaching techniques and that teachers' individual needs, interests, and aptitudes could be met under differentiated staffing. Principals perceived differentiated staffing as providing more meaningful educational opportunities for learners than traditional staffing patterns while meeting student individual interests, needs, and abilities. Principals favored the establishment of learning resource centers in the schools and the implementation of more individualized curriculum for students. Principals were overwhelmingly supportive to the notion that the primary concern of differentiated staffing is to promote more effective learning for students.Principals strongly favored the implementation of experimental models of differentiated staffing in the public schools in Indiana. They felt that local communities, and local, state, and national teachers organizations should be involved in planning differentiated staffing projects.

The purpose of this research was to determine student involvement in secondary school administrative decision making. Sixteen principals were selected to participate in the research representing secondary schools having a minimum enrollment of fifteen hundred in grades ten through twelve and nine through twelve in the Indianapolis school system and Marion County school districts.Interview data were catagorized under four major concerns dealing with fifteen major topics: assembly programs, athletic activities, building plans, curriculum, discipline policy, dress code and appearance, extracurricular activities, grading procedure, length of periods and school day, school board representation, staff employment, use of building, teacher appraisal, faculty meetings, and parent-teacher association.The first concern through the selection of one of three statements was to determine the administrator's philosophy on student involvement as a part of administrative decision making. The second concern was to determine the administrator's perception of the degree of student involvement in the fifteen selected areas. The third concern was to determine the administrator's perception of the degree of student involvement in related functions within the framework of the fifteen selected areas. The fourth concern was to determine the administrator's perception of future involvement in the fifteen selected areas.A value scale with numerical weights for interpretative purposes determined answers in the following manner:Individual Compilation SCALEWord ChoiceValueTotal #PrincipalsValueTotalVery reasonable516x580Reasonable416x464Undecided316x348Unreasonable216x232Highly unreasonable116x116Compilation of the sixteen principals' responses to the role of student involvement in secondary school administrative decision making thus were recorded in numerical degrees of acceptance and rejection of the very reasonable 65-80; reasonable 49-64; undecided 33-48; unreasonable 17-32; and highly unreasonable 1-16. Numerical weights were based on the individual value multiplied by the total principals as a unit, indicating the perceived role of student in secondary school decision making as a group.Participants were personally interviewed in their school offices by appointment. Informality characterized the interviews in which the instrument was used to secure data and additional comments were tape-recorded.All sixteen respondents reflected degrees of interest and recognition of student involvement in secondary school administrative decision making in their representative schools. Those topics receiving the greatest perceived degree of student involvement were: extracurricular activities, assembly programs, curriculum, dress code and appearance, building plans, faculty meetings and building use. The principals were undecided in involving students in grading procedure, teacher appraisal, school board representation, length of periods and school day, and athletic activities. They rejected discipline policies and staff employment as unreasonable involvement of students. The sixteen principals envisioned future student involvement as increasing in curriculum and extracurricular activities along with teacher appraisal and parent-teacher association.All sixteen principals believed in the philosophy of student involvement as a part of secondary school administrative decision making. The seven topics receiving the highest value scores for student involvement resulted in the following conclusions: (1) student involvement in the organization, leadership and after-school structure patterns in extracurricular activities; (2) assembly programs with emphasis on student performing groups for greater student contribution and participation; (3) student involvement in curriculum planning concerning organization and content of elective subjects; (4) more administrative support in parent-teacher association drive for student membership; (5) student participation in new building plans to gain insight of functional design and equipment from the users of those facilities; (6) student involvement in faculty meetings only when participation contributes to a particular student related subject on the meeting agenda; (7) students help supervise the use of the building to promote better understanding of the maintenance and tax value of a public building.

The purpose of the study was to secure selected information regarding custodial management practices followed in public school systems of the United States. A revision of the questionnaire used by Gland in the 1971 Indiana study was used to collect data.

This thesis describes an action research enquiry into the marketing of a small independent girls, school in the West Midlands, of which the author was the headteacher. Chapter One outlines the research situation. In Chapter Two, literary perspectives are presented on the issues of educational marketing, independent education (with particular reference to girls), and the problems of marketing a contracting school. Chapter Three covers methodological issues. In the first spiral of the enquiry, the school's provision was analysed and new initiatives were undertaken to improve it. These are described in Chapter Four. Next, the views of parents were sought, to assist the school's management team to evaluate the success of these initiatives, and to acquire firmer knowledge about sources of students. Outcomes are presented in Chapter Five. Preparatory school headteachers were identified as important 'gatekeepers, in the process of transfer into secondary independent schooling. A series of interviews with prep school heads established their views on, and involvement in, the transfer process. These interviews are analysed in Chapter Six. Concerns expressed by the prep heads about their relationships with secondary heads, particularly of girls' schools, prompted the final cycle of this study: to compare the views of heads of independent girls' schools with those of the prep heads. These findings are outlined in Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight presents a summary of marketing problems revealed by the research findings, suggests further areas of research, and indicates the final outcomes for the author and her school.