The purpose of this study was to analyze three groups of policy-makers from the western counties of the state of Florida concerning four components of rural community education. The groups were; superintendents of education, county commissioners and school board members. The survey determined total population attitudes and group differences in terms of selective activities relating to interagency cooperation, citizen involvement, use of public school facilities and broad-based programming. Knowledge of community education information held by policy-makers was also examined. / Methodology. One hundred and fifty four questionnaires were mailed to policy-makers located in the fourteen western rural counties of the state of Florida. Seventy two responses were returned for a response rate of forty seven percent. Five categories of response were profiled: disagree, slightly disagree, no opinion, slightly agree and agree. Responses were assigned a number weight from one to five with higher numbers assigned to responses indicating more favorability. Total population and group attitudes were determined in relation to activities associated with the four components. / Findings. Policy-makers' attitudes regarding activities associated with interagency cooperation, citizen involvement, use of public school facilities and broad-based programming were mixed. County commissioners were much less supportive of the components than were superintendents and school board members. Superintendents were the most supportive. Policy-makers agreed that the rural public schools were meeting the educational needs of children and adults in their communities. Policy-makers rated their knowledge of community education information as medium or high. The majority had received information about community education from national, state or local sources. / There was a significant difference at the .05 level of confidence for group differences in thirteen of the twenty three activities associated with the components of community education. / Conclusions. Superintendents and school board members were much more supportive than county commissioners regarding those activities associated with the four components of community education. County commissioners disagreed with the proposition of sharing resources with community agencies for the purpose of addressing social problems. Clear neutrality concerning use of referral services and opposition to resource sharing expressed by the county commissioners could indicate weak understanding of agency capability to adequately deliver the prescribed services under mutual agency sponsorship. Sharing of educational facilities to enhance delivery of social services to the rural population did not find favor with the county commissioners. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0961. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74110 |
| Contributors | MAIBERGER, GEORGE L., The Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 115 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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