This investigation is concerned with determining the extent of inservice education provided for special education personnel by the five pilot programs of Plan A. The two methods of determining this involvement are a case study of the pilot programs' inservice education and its relationship to resource agencies such as the Texas Education Agency and Regional Education Service Centers. The purposes of this study include the following: (1) determining the principles underlying the philosophy formulated by school district personnel in regard to the nature and purpose of inservice training for Plan A, (2) identifying the nature, scope, and assessment of a three-year period of inservice education for the pilot Plan A programs, (3) identifying the successful components of and the problems encountered during the three-year period of inservice education, and (4) describing recommendations for future inservice education. Only the five pilot districts are described in the case studies of Plan A programs. Data is reported in the following sequence for each of the pilot districts: background information; philosophy and goals; pre-, in-, and post-service activities for 1970-1971, 1971-1972, and proposals for inservice education for 1972-1973. Also reported is information concerning the role of the Texas Education Agency and the Regional Education Service Centers in relationship to Plan A implementation and inservice education.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / The aim of this research is to assess the management role of the principal of a state-aided school with regard to the management of general assistants employed by the governing body of such a school. To ensure efficient management, the principal must implement the principles of planning, organizing leadership and control in the process of managing general assistants. Planning should be aimed at reaching short-term goals while a more mechanistic and bureaucratic organizational structure will be more effective. Communication and interaction with general assistants are prerequisites for efficient leadership. Duties performed by general assistants must be continuously controlled to ensure that the activities are in line with the goals of the school. The principal is essentially a manager of human resources and therefore also a personnel manager. In respect of general assistants, labour unrest must be prevented. This task represents a new dimension of management for principals of state-aided schools where labour relations have become an important issue. As of 1 September 1988, the Labour Relations Act (Act 28 of 1956) is applicable to black general assistants employed at state-aided schools. Therefore the management of state-aided schools must take cognisance of the mechanisms for collective bargaining, namely, industrial councils, conciliation boards, mediation, arbitration and the Industrial Court. Collective bargaining takes place between an employer and a workers' union representing the employees.