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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/178316 |
| Date | January 1971 |
| Creators | McKay, George W. |
| Contributors | Park, Don L. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | x, 134 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us-in |
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