NW: 0:5? ‘W ABSTRACT FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICIPATION BY MICHIGAN SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS IN PROGRAMS AUTHORIZED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 by William Frank Pierce Purposes. The major purpose of this study was to identify some of the variables associated with the deci- sions of school superintendents to submit applications for funding under the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. To further delineate the variables associated with the decision to apply for funds, the following three subpurposes were formulated to identify certain factors which could be attributed to: (l) the superintendent's professional preparation and experience, (2) the superin- tendent's immediate professional environment, and, (3) the operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Edu- cation. Method. A questionnaire was developed and submitted to 200 randomly selected public school superintendents. One hundred of the superintendents had applied for funds available under the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 during fiscal year 1965 and/or 1966. The re— maining 100 had not applied for funds during either of the two years. Returns were received from seventy-one of the William Frank Pierce group who applied for funds and fifty-eight from those who did not apply. In Part One of the questionnaire, each of the re- spondents was asked to check the answer which best de- scribed him in terms of his academic preparation, under- graduate major and teaching experience, and length of ex- perience as a teacher and a superintendent. In Part Two, the respondent expressed his opinion, belief or attitude toward each of sixty-seven statements relating to the ad- ministration of vocational education under the provisions of the new Act. In Part Three of the questionnaire, the superintendents responded to each of forty-three statements designed to measure their understanding of the provisions of the Act. Chi square distribution was applied to the differ- ences in responses by the two groups to determine whether statistical significance existed at the .05 level. Major Findings. For those variables related to the superintendent's professional preparation and experience, it was found that: (l) superintendents who applied for funds possessed a Significantly higher level of academic preparation, and, (2) the superintendent's undergraduate Inajor, types or length of teaching experience, length of experience as a superintendent or length of employment in 'fifflds other than education had no significant relation to 'the decision to apply for funds. For those variables related to the superintendent's William Frank Pierce immediate professional environment it was found that su- perintendents who attended regional informational confer- ences conducted by the Division of Vocational Education were more likely to apply for funds. Although no statistical Significance resulted for most variables related to the operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Education, it was found that superintendents who applied were inclined to feel to a significantly greater degree that vocational training should be offered as a cluster of occupations rather than as a single skill. Most of the superintendents in both groups: (1) felt the matching fund requirement was a serious obstacle to program deveIOpment, (2) expressed a need for addi- tional state aid to satisfy the matching fund requirement, (3) possessed an inadequate understanding of vocational teacher certification requirements, (4) were dissatisfied with the funding priorities established by the Division of Vocational Education, (5) favored receipt of additional printed guides and guidelines and more consultative assist- ance from the Division of Vocational Education, and, (6) revealed limited concern over the possibility of increased federal and/or state control resulting from the Act. Superintendents who applied were significantly more knowledgeable of the provisions of the Act relating to Vo- cational Agriculture, Vocational Homemaking, Trade and In- dustrial Education and the Work-Study program. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICIPATION BY MICHIGAN SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS IN PROGRAMS AUTHORIZED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 By William Frank Pierce A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY College of Education 1967 c/// 7,30 9,3- (.7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author is deeply grateful to Dr. Raymond A. Garner, Chairman of his Guidance Committee, for his many hours of assistance, his constant encouragement and his continued guidance in planning and conducting this study. Appreciation is also expressed to Dr. Harold M. Byram, Dr. G. Marian Kinget and Dr. Troy L. Stearns who served on the author's Guidance Committee. Sincere thanks are also extended to Mr. Alexander J. Kloster, former Acting Superintendent of Public In- struction, Mr. Robert M. Winger, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, the staff of the Division of Voca- tional Education and public school superintendents, all of whom helped greatly to make this study possible. Finally, deep and lasting gratitude is expressed to the author's family. To his son, Stuart, who understood why as much time could not be spent with him as both he and the author would have liked, and to his wife, Darlene, without whose patience, encouragement, understanding and assistance this study could never have been completed. ii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my wife, Darlene S. Pierce, whose unfailing encourage- ment and whose willingness to sacrifice so many things, both large and small, have made her the embodiment of everything a wife should be. William F. Pierce iii TMEEOFCMWMWS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I Need for Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Purpose of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Theoretical Framework of the Study . . . . ll Scope of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Limitations of the Study . . . . . . . . . 14 II. VOCATIONAL EDUCATION -- A CONTINUING EVOLUTION AND EXPANSION . . . . . . . . . . 17 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Emerging Role of the School System and Its Responsibility for Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The Form and Structure of Vocational Education in the School System . . . . . 27 Public Attitude Toward VOcational Education 31 Vocational Education and Federal Aid . . . 34 Review of Related Studies . . . . . . . . . 39 III. METHOD AND PROCEDURE OF THE STUDY . . . . . . 53 Population and Sample . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Development of the Instrument . . . . . . . 63 IV. ANALYSIS OF DATA AND PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Number and Composition of Returns . . . . . 76 iv CHAPTER PAGE Professional Preparation and Experience of Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan School Superintendents . . . . . . . . . 77 Factors in the Immediate Professional Environment of Two Respondent—Groups of Michigan School Superintendents . . . 98 Reactions of Superintendents to the Operational Procedures of the Michigan Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 How the 1963 Act Affected Public Schools 103 Need for Informational Materials to Assist in Implementing the Act . . . . 119 Need for Vocational Education Consultant Services at the State Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Need for Factual Materials to Assist in Interpreting the Act . . . . . . . . 143 Increased Federal and/or State Control . 154 Superintendents' Satisfaction with Application Forms . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Obstacles Generated by the Matching Fund Requirement of the 1963 Act . . . 176 Need for More State Financial Aid . . . . 187 Understanding of Vocational Certification Requirements . . . . . . 2OO Purpose of Vocational Education . . . . . 211 Needs Met By Established Priorities . . . 224 The Superintendent's Understanding of the 1963 Act . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . . 257 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 Recommendations for Further Studies . . . . 267 V CHAPTER 'SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . APPENDICES Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Vocational Education Opinion Inventory of School Superintendents Form Submitted to Panel of Original Cover Letter . . Second Cover Letter . . . First Follow-Up Letter . . Final Follow-Up Letter . . List of Panel of Jurors . vi Jurors PAGE 270 278 288 313 314 315 316 317 TABLE 1. 10. LIST OF TABLES Summary of Applications for Vocational Education Act of 1963 Funds for Fiscal Years 1965 and 1966 . . . . . . . . . Number of School Districts and Sample Sizes in Each Enrollment Stratum for School Districts Which Did or Did Not Submit Applications for Vocational Education Act of 1963 Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Per Pupil State Equalized Valuation of Randomly Selected Schools . . . . . . . . . Sample Size, Number, and Per Cent of Returns of Two Subpopulations of Michigan School Superintendents Stratified According to High School Enrollments . . . . . . . . . . Academic Preparation Possessed by Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Length of Employment by Current School Board of Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Length of Employment by Previous School Board of Two Respondent—Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Length of Employment As A Teacher of Two Respondent—Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Length of Employment in Fields Other Than Education of Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . Numerical Rank Ordering of Undergraduate Majors of Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . Vii PAGE 54 6O 62 78 8O 81 82 83 84 85 TABLE 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. PAGE Numerical Rank Ordering of Teaching Experiences of Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . 87 Perception of Vocational Education by Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9O Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups Based on Responses to Ten Statements Relating to Their Perception of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 High School Enrollments in School Districts of Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Per Pupil State Equalized Valuation of School Districts of Two Respondent—Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . lOO Attendance at A Regional Conference on the Vocational Education Act of 1963 by Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lOl Perception of How the Vocational Education Act of 1963 Affects Public Schools by Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Five Statements Relating to Their Perception of How the Vocational Education Act of 1963 Affects Public Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Combined Strata Used in Making Comparisons Relating to Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . 112 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents From Districts of Varying 9-l2th Grade Enrollment on Five Statements Dealing With How the VOcational Education Act of 1963 Affects Public Schools . . . . . . . . 113 viii TABLE 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. PAGE Summed Scores Received by Superintendents From Districts of varying State Equalized Valuation on Five Statements Dealing with How the Vocational Education Act of 1963 Affects PUblic Schools . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing With How the Vocational Education Act of 1963 Affects Public Schools . . . . . . . . 115 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by A Previous Board for varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with How the Vocational Education Act of 1963 Affects Public Schools . . . . . . . . 116 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with How the Vocational Education Act of 1963 Affects Public Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Kinds of Informational Materials the State Division of Vocational Education Should Be Developing According to Two Respondent- Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . 12O Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs About the Kinds of Printed Materials Needed to be Provided by the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . 123 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying 9-12th Grade Enrollment on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Printed Materials Needed from the Division of v0cational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of varying State Equalized valuation on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Printed Materials Needed from the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 ix TABLE 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35- 36. PAGE Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Printed Materials Needed from the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by A Previous Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Printed Materials Needed from the Division of Vocational Education . 128 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Printed Materials Needed from the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . 13O Kinds of Consultative Services Needed at the State Level According to Two Respondent- Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . 132 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs About the Types of Consultative Services That Should be Provided by the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . 136 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying 9—12th Grade Enrollment on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Consultative Services Needed from the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying State Equalized Valuation on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Consultative Services Needed from the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Consultative Services Needed from the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . l4O TABLE 37. 38. 39- 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. PAGE Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by A Previous Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Consultative Services Needed from the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Consultative Services Needed from the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . 142 Factual Materials Needed to be Provided by The Division of Vocational Education According to Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . 144 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent— Groups to Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs Concerning the Need for the Division of Vocational Education to Prepare More Factual Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying 9-l2th Grade Enrollment on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Factual Materials Which Should be Prepared by the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying State Equalized Valuation on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Factual Materials Which Should be Prepared by the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Factual Materials Which Should be Prepared by the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 15O Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by A Previous Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Factual Materials Which Should be Prepared by the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . 152 xi ’_“'———"" m _ __-.— - — _ ___._ _ . . _._ __. _—____, TABLE 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. PAGE Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Types of Factual Materials Which Should be Prepared by the Division of Vocational Education . . 153 Viewpoints of Two Respondent—Groups of Michigan Superintendents Toward A Possible Increase of Federal and/or State Control Resulting from the Vocational Education Act of 1963 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the 1963 Act Increasing Federal and/or State Control of Education . 158 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying 9-12th Grade Enrollment on Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the 1963 Act Increasing Federal and/or State Control of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying State Equalized Valuation on Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the 1963 Act Increasing Federal and/or State Control of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16O Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the 1963 Act Increasing Federal and/or State Control of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by A Previous Board for varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the 1963 Act Increasing Federal and/or State Control of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the 1963 Act Increasing Federal and/or State Control of Education . . . . . 164 xii TABLE PAGE 53. Viewpoints of Two Respondent—Groups of Michigan Superintendents Regarding the Adequacy of Application Forms Used to Request Vocational Education Funds . . . . . 166 54. Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Seven Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the Forms Used to Request Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 55. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying 9—l2th Grade Enrollment on Seven Statements Dealing with the Adequacy of Application Forms Developed by the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 56. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying State Equalized Valuation on Seven Statements Dealing with the Adequacy of Application Forms Developed by the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 57. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Seven Statements Dealing with the Adequacy of Application Forms Developed by the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 58. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by A Previous Board for varying Lengths of Time on Seven Statements Dealing with the Adequacy of Application Forms Developed by the Division of v0cational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 59. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Adequacy of Application Forms Developed by the Division of Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . 176 60. Viewpoints of Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents Regarding the Matching Fund Requirement of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 . . . . . . . . . . . 177 xiii TABLE 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. PAGE Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the Matching Fund Requirement and Its Effect on Program Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18O Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying 9—12th Grade Enrollment on Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the Matching Fund Requirement and Its Effect on Program Development . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying State Equalized Valuation on Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the Matching Fund Requirement and Its Effect on Program Development . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the Matching Fund Requirement and Its Effect on Program Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by A Previous Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the Matching Fund Requirement and Its Effect on Program Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the Matching Fund Requirement and Its Effect on Program Development . . . . . . . 186 Viewpoints of Two Respondent—Groups of Michigan Superintendents to the Provision of More State Aid to Satisfy the Matching Fund Requirement of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent— Groups to Five Statements Relating to Their Beliefs about the Need for Additional State Aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 xiv TABLE PAGE 69. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying 9-12th Grade Enrollment on Five Statements Dealing with Whether Additional State Aid Is Desired to Assist in Satisfying the Matching Fund Requirement of the 1963 Act . 194 70. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying State Equalized valuation on Five Statements Dealing with Whether Additional State Aid Is Desired to Assist in Satisfying the Matching Fund Requirement of the 1963 Act . 195 71. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with Whether Additional State Aid Is Desired to Assist in Satisfying the Matching Fund Requirement of the 1963 Act . 196 72. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by a Previous Board for varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with Whether Additional State Aid Is Desired to Assist in Satisfying the Matching Fund Requirement of the 1963 Act . . . . . . 198 73. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with Whether Additional State Aid Is Desired to Assist in Satisfying the Matching Fund Requirement of the 1963 Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 74. Understanding of v0cationa1 Education Certification Requirements Possessed by Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 75. Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Five Statements Relating to Their Understanding of Vocational Teacher Certification Requirements . . . . . . . . . 205 76. Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying 9-12th Grade Enrollment on Five Statements Dealing with Understanding of VOcational Teacher Certification Requirements . . . . . . . . . 207 XV TABLE 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. PAGE Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying State Equalized Valuation on Five Statements Dealing with Understanding of Vocational Teacher Certification Requirements . . . . . 208 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with Understanding of Vocational Teacher Certification Requirements . . . . . 209 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by A Previous Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with Understanding of Vocational Teacher Certification Requirements . . . . . . . . . 210 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with Understanding of Vocational Teacher Certification Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Viewpoints of Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents Regarding the Purposes of Training in Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Five Statements Relating to Their Views Regarding the Purposes of Training in Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying 9-12th Grade Enrollment on Five Statements Regarding the Purposes of Training in Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying State Equalized Valuation on Five Statements Regarding the Purposes of Training in Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Regarding the Purposes of Training in Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 xvi TABLE 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 9.1. 92. 93. PAGE Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by A Previous Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Relating to the Purposes of Training in Vocational Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Relating to the Purposes of Training in Vocational Education . . . . . . 223 Viewpoints of Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan Superintendents Regarding Priorities Established for the Use of Vocational Education Act of 1963 Funds . . . 225 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Five Statements Relating to Their Agreement with the Priorities Established for Fiscal Year 1965 . . . . . . . . . . . . 23O Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying 9—12th Grade Enrollment on Five Statements Dealing with the Adequacy of Priorities Established for the Distribution of Vocational Education Funds . . . . . . . . . 231 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed in Districts of Varying State Equalized Valuation on Five Statements Dealing with the Adequacy of Priorities Established for the Distribution of Vocational Education Funds . . . . . . . . . 232 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by Their Present Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Adequacy of Priorities Established for the Distribution of Vocational Education Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Employed by A Previous Board for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Adequacy of Priorities Established for the Distribution of vecational Education Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 xvii TABLE 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. PAGE Summed Scores Received by Superintendents Who Taught for Varying Lengths of Time on Five Statements Dealing with the Adequacy of Priorities Established for the Distribution of Vocational Education Funds . . . . . . . 235 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent— Groups to Forty-Three Statements Relating to Their Understanding of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Ten Statements Relating to Their Understanding of the General Provisions of the 1963 Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions for Youth with Special Needs . . . . . . . . 243 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions about Area Vocational Technical Schools . . 244 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions for Office Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions for Distributive Education . . . . . . . . . 246 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions for Agricultural Education . . . . . . . . . 247 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions for v0cational Homemaking Education . . . . 249 Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions for v0cationa1 Trade and Industrial Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 xviii TABLE 104. 105. 106. 107. Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions for Placement and Follow-up Services . . . Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions for Post-High School Vocational Education Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent- Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions for Adult Vocational Education . . . . . . Summed Scores Received by Two Respondent— Groups to Three Statements Relating to Their Knowledge of the 1963 Act Provisions for A Work Study Program . . . . . . . . . xix PAGE 252 253 254 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Since early in 1960, vocational education has re- ceived more publicity in the popular press and more atten- tion from professional educators than ever before in its history. Once based almost solely upon agriculture, our economy has become highly automated and industrialized with a resultant dependence upon advanced technology and special- ization. Along with this more technical economy has come more efficient output per man—hour in all phases of produc- tion. Concomitant with this rise in industrialization and productivity has been an increase in unemployment in certain segments of the labor force. This fact is stressed in the Manpower Report of the President prepared by the United States Department of Labor. While discussing the changing pattern in the demand for labor the authors state: Opportunities for employment of the unskilled and semi- skilled are declining or, at the most growing slowly, as new machines and automated production techniques have taken over repetitive functions formerly accomplished by hand. A larger proportion of the available jobs re- quires higher initial levels of skill and general edu- cation and may require periodic retraining to meet the needs evolving from new processes and new products. The impact of these trends is more dramatically evident in the tremendous continuing differentials that exist in unemployment among occupations.l 1United States Department of Labor, Manpower Report Of the President and A Report on Manpower Requirements, Re- sources, Utilization, and Training, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., March, 1964, p. 25. 1 2 The authors of this report further point out that, even though the average national unemployment rate in 1963 was only 5.7 per cent, unemployment stood at 12.1 per cent for laborers, excepting those working on farms or in mines, and 7.4 per cent for operatives and kindred workers. Obviously then, as fewer individuals produce goods and services in greater quantities with the aid of advanced technology, more and more of those occupations which demand unskilled and semi-skilled workers are eliminated from the labor market. The inevitable result is a paradoxical situa- tion: a high unemployment rate during a period of high em- ployment opportunity. Many segments of our economy are actually suffering from a dearth of adequately trained em— ployees. But the school dropouts or inadequately Skilled high school graduates, the typical source of unskilled man— power, no longer qualify for many of the most prevalent job opportunities in the world of work. These young people often lack the skills or technical abilities required to fill existing job vacancies. Unhappily, the need for Skilled or technically trained manpower is becoming most critical just at the time when more young people under twenty-five are entering the labor force than ever before. A further examination of the Manpower Report of the President reveals that between 1960 and 1970 the number of young people in this age group who enter the labor force is expected to in- crease by over six million. This compares to less than a A400,000 increase in the same age group during the previous 3 decade. Sociologists, statisticians, and economists were able to predict this development and warned our nation of an impending crisis. Consequently, in the late 1950's and the early 1960's, people from many walks of life turned their thoughts and energies to the solution of this problem of inadequately trained manpower. One of the more Significant solutions, an increase in education, and more specifically, an increase in vocational education, received a great deal of attention. Vocational education is not a new concept in this country. Nor is federal financial aid, as proposed in this solution, a new concept. The Federal Government has been supporting voca- tional education since the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917. However, in light of the problems of unemployment created by automatiOn and advanced technology, many leaders felt that vocational education as initially conceived in this country was inadequately preparing young people to enter today's labor force. Consequently, in early 1961, President Kennedy created a Panel of Consultants on Voca- tional Education. In November of 1962 this Panel transmitted to the President a report entitled Education for a Changing World of Work. The Panel of Consultants presented a sweeping review of vocational education and recommended several far- reaching changes. A direct outgrowth of the Panel's Report was the passage by Congress of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Under the provisions of this Act, the Federal Government's financial commitment to vocational education 4 was extended not only by permitting an increase of approx- imately 400 per cent in federal funds, but also by providing greater flexibility in the kinds of programs for which the funds could be expended. Although the Act was passed in early 1963, it was not until late 1964 that Congress actually appropriated and allocated funds to the separate states. Need for Study As funds became available, the vocational administra- tors in the states began to develop procedures by which local school systems could benefit from the provisions of the new Act. In Michigan, applications for participation in the Act were sent to the superintendents of the 544 school districts in the state offering instruction in grades nine through twelve. 0f the 544 applications sent, only 232 were returned. Since lack of funds has been assumed to be one of the major drawbacks to the expansion of vocational educa- tion in Michigan as well as the rest of the country, and since increased federal funds were now available, one might logically wonder why so many school administrators failed to complete applications which would have permitted their school districts to participate in funds available under the Voca- tional Education Act of 1963. It appears, therefore, that influences in addition to finances were responsible for the .failure of many Michigan administrators to apply for funds TX) expand local programs of vocational education. AS indicated previously, the Panel of Consultants on ‘Voc:ational Education recommended some rather sweeping changes 5 in vocational education as one way of narrowing the gap be- tween the quality of available manpower and the quality re- quired to fill available jobs. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 was passed for the express purpose of implementing the Panel's recommendations. Yet, on the basis of the re- sponses by administrators of local programs during the first two years additional funds were available, it became appar- ent that the substantial expansion of vocational education envisioned by the sponsors of the new Act was not going to be realized--at least not to the degree apparently en- visioned by them when they declared in the first paragraph of the Act that: It is the purpose of this part to authorize Federal grants to States to assist them to maintain, extend, and improve existing programs of vocational education, to develop new programs of vocational education, and to provide part-time employment for youths who need the earnings from such employment to continue their vocational training on a full-time basis, so that per- sons of all ages in all communities of the State-- those in high school, those who have completed or discontinued their formal education and are preparing to enter the labor market, those who have already entered the labor market but need to upgrade their skills or learn new ones, and those with special edu- cational handicaps-—will have ready access to voca- tional training or retraining which is of high quality, which is realistic in the light of actual or antici- pated opportunities for gainful employment, and which is suited to their needs, interests, and ability to benefit from such training.2 Was the Act inadequate in its provisions? Was it in fact based on a set of inaccurate premises? Were its finan- Cial provisions still too restrictive and/or limited? Were 2U. 8., Congress, An Act to Strengthen and Improve ttLe Quality of Vocational Education . . . , Public Law 210, 8E?th.Congress, H. R. 4955, December, 1963, p. l. 6 local administrators so poorly informed relative to the Act's aims, goals, purposes and opportunities that they were not able to see the benefits of the Act clearly enough to take advantage of it? AS the legally constituted agency respon- sible for the administration of the provisions of the new Act, the Division of Vocational Education of the Michigan Department of Education needed answers to these questions. If answers could be obtained, those responsible for imple- menting the Act's provisions could better discharge their legal responsibilities. Dependent upon the answers received to these and other questions, one of two types of action could be taken. If it were found that the provisions of the Act were sound and extensive enough to provide the desired expansion of vocational education, then changes could be effected in the operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Education to insure the proper implementation. However, if it were found that the provisions of the Act were inadequate to effect the desired changes or were based on a set of faulty premises, then steps could be taken to change or strengthen the Act to make it correspond to the needs of the world of work. Eyrpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to identify some of the Variables associated with the decisions of school superin- ‘tendents to submit applications for funding under the Voca- txional Education Act of 1963. Put another way, one can ask tkle question, were there certain identifiable features extant 7 in the personal or professional characteristics or profes- sional environment of those superintendents who submitted applications which were not found in those who did not sub- mit applications? Probably many variables influenced the superintendent's decision to submit an application. However, in order to de- limit the scope of the study to a manageable degree, three distinct types of variables were investigated. It was hy- pothesized that each type contributed, in a distinct and unique way, when the superintendents made their decisions. In addition to aiding in the formation of a composite pic- ture of the superintendent and his professional environment, each was considered and evaluated separately for other mean- ingful comparisons. As a result, three subpurposes of this study were formulated: 1. To identify certain factors which could be at- tributed to the superintendent's professional preparation and experience, 2. To identify certain factors which could be at- tributed to the superintendent's immediate pro- fessional environment, and, 3. To identify certain factors which could be at- tributed to the operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Education. Under professional preparation and experience, the questions tested were as follows: .A. Was the decision to submit an application related to: 8 The superintendent's level of educational attainment? The superintendent‘s length of employment by his current school board? The superintendent's length of previous employment as a superintendent? The superintendent's length of employment as a teacher? The superintendent's length of employment in fields other than education? The superintendent's undergraduate major? The discipline in which the superintendent taught? The superintendent's perception of vocational education? Under environmental factors, the questions tested were as follows: A. Was the decision to submit an application related to: l. The Size of the school district in terms of student enrollment? The amount of equalized valuation of the school district? Attendance at one of the regional meetings conducted by members of the State Division of Vocational Edu- cation to explain the application procedures? In addition to the questions outlined above, other questions were included in the questionnaire to secure some meaningful answers for the Director of the Michigan Division of Vocational Education and his staff. Although the questions 9 outlined below may be considered related to the superintendent's professional preparation, experience or professional environ- ment, they were considered separately because of their Spe- cial interest to members of the Division of Vocational Edu- cation. Questions tested, relating to operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Education, were as follows: 1. How do superintendents perceive the Vocational Edu- cation Act of 1963 as affecting public schools? 2. What kinds of informational materials should the state office be developing to assist superintendents in implementing the Act? 3. What kinds of consultative services at the state level are most needed by superintendents to assist them in implementing the Act? 4. Are superintendents interpreting the Act to peOple of their communities or does the Division of Voca- tional Education need to prepare more factual materials? 5. Do superintendents view the Act as increasing federal and/or state control? 6. Are current application forms used to request funds satisfactory? 7. Do most superintendents view the matching fund re- quirement as a serious obstacle to program develop- ment? 8. Do superintendents feel more state financial aid should be provided to satisfy the matching fund re— quirement? 10 9. Do superintendents adequately understand vocational teacher certification requirements so they can best implement the provisions of the new Act? 10. Do superintendents view vocational education as training for a single skill or a family of occupa- tions? 11. Do superintendents feel the priorities established for 1964-65 best met the needs of their schools in particular and the state in general? 12. Do superintendents adequately understand the provi- sions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963? 13. What parts of the Act are least understood by super- intendents and need further clarification by state personnel? For purposes of clarity, a brief explanation of the nature of the factors contained in the three subpurposes listed previously is necessary at this point. Factors as- sociated with subpurposes one and two were felt to be extant in the superintendent or his environment and, in general, rather static. In contrast, factors associated with sub- purpose three were felt to be more fluid and controllable. As such, they were subject to change. It was reasoned that an insight into the reactions of superintendents toward the provisions of the Act and the efforts of the State super— visory staff might well lead to Operational changes by the Division of Vocational Education of the State Department of Education. Stated differently, if the nature of the less 11 static variables were understood, corrective changes could be effected by the Division of Vocational Education. Several studies have indicated that the superintendent of a school district is the primary change agent in that dis- trict. Although it is recognized that many factors influence the superintendent's decision to initiate change, research has Shown that the superintendent must initially be posi- tively disposed toward a change before it will have much possibility for success. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, the factors affecting the decision to submit an application were confined to those which could be attributed directly to the superintendent or to the professional environ- ment in which he works or to the operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Education. Theoretical Framework of the Study Brickell in a study conducted in New York state found that new types of instructional programs were introduced by administrators rather than the Board of Education or teachers. To illustrate this statement Brickell says: Instructional changes which call for significant new ways of using professional talent, drawing upon in- structional resources, allocating physical facilities, scheduling instructional time or altering physical space--rearrangements of the structural elements of the institution-—depend almost exclusively upon ad- ministrative initiative. Even in the best of circum- stances for the expression of new ideas--in schools where administrative authority is exercised with a light hand and faculty prerogative is strong--teachers seldom suggest gistinctly new types of working patterns for themselves. 3H. M. Brickell, Organizing New York State for Educa— ixional Change, University of the State of New York, State Ifliucation Department, Albany, New York, December, 1961, p. 87. 12 He admits that the administrator is not necessarily the orig- inal source of interest in a new program, but unless he gives his attention to a prOposed change and actively promotes it, the innovation will not be adopted. If we define curriculum as all the experience pro- vided to pupils in the school system, many additional studies support the contention that superintendents are the primary change agents in a school. For example, McNeilL‘L found that the superintendent's attitude was the key factor in curriculum improvement. In addition, Shock5 found that the Board of Education accepted the superintendent's recommendations on eighty-six per cent of all the items on the board agenda. Because of this, Shock concluded that his investigation tended to lend validity to the often-stated assumption that a school board looks to its superintendent for leadership and guidance in decision making. In support of Shock, Becker6 also found that school boards did not participate to any degree in the development of educational curricula but accepted the recommendations “J. D. McNeil, "Deciding Factors in Curriculum Improve- ment," School Executive, vc1. 77, July, 1958, pp. 46-47. 5D. P. Shock, "Patterns in the Decision Making Process of a School Board" éunpublished Doctoral dissertation, Stan- .ford University, 19 O), p. 187. 6J. W. Becker, "Processes Used by Superintendents for ‘the Improvement of Educational Opportunity in Selected School jDistricts" (unpublished Doctoral dissertation, Temple Univer- sity. 1958), p. 307. 13 of superintendents and their professional staffs. Pritchard7 determined that curriculum construction was a very important function of the superintendent. In surveying board members regarding their opinions of the importance of the superin- tendent's role in curriculum construction, he found that no one said it was a minor role, twenty-nine per cent felt it was a COOperative function with the Board of Education and seventy—one per cent stated it was the major role of the superintendent. These studies support the contention that the super- intendent is the major or primary change agent in a school system. In view of these findings, it seemed appropriate to limit this investigation primarily to those factors related to the superintendent. However, a few factors which might be considered indigenous to the school system itself rather than to any one person were also investigated. For example, 8 Roe found that the Size of the school in terms of enrollment and its equalized valuation were both factors which contrib- uted to the SCOpe of vocational education programs being of- fered. According to Roe, schools with enrollments below 150 and valuations below $1,500,000 are too small to offer occu- pational training. As mentioned previously, three factors associated with the professional environment of the superin- tendent were also considered. 7G. S. Pritchard, "Duties and Responsibilities of School IBoard Members in Small District Schools" (un ublished Doctoral dissertation, Michigan State University, 196 ), pp. 195-196. 8N. H. Roe, A Study of the Reimbursed Vocational Pro- grams in Michigan, Office of Vocational Education, Department 0 Eu. 1c ns ruction, Lansing, Michigan, 1950, p. 17. l4 Scope of the Study This study was limited to 200 secondary school super- intendents in Michigan. The 200 superintendents were equally divided into two groups on the basis of whether their school system submitted an application for funds during the first two years they were available under the provisions of the Vo— cational Education Act of 1963. The study was further de— limited in that each group of 100 superintendents was strati- fied according to the high school enrollment in their schools. In each instance, high school enrollment included grades nine through twelve. Eight such strata were identified. Whenever possible, ten superintendents from each of the two major subgroups were randomly selected for inclusion into each stratum. However, in some of the strata insufficient numbers of schools were found which either had or had not applied for funds to allow the selection of equal numbers of superintend- ents in each stratum. A complete description of each stratum and the number of samples therein, in addition to the sam- pling procedure, can be found in Chapter Three. Limitations of the Study Since only Michigan school superintendents of specific types of school districts were included in the study, the findings relate only to the 544 schools in Michigan which originally received applications for funds available under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. One further limitation of this study must be admitted. 15 The pre-selected variables were admittedly not exhaustive. It should be understood that certain significant variables probably exist which were not included in the study. Those which were included were felt by the writer to be the most pertinent to the purposes of the study but it Should be noted that additional variables might exist which were in- advertently omitted. The timing associated with the mailing of the ques- tionnaire will be described fully in Chapter Three. It is recognized however that the instrument was submitted, by necessity, at a rather undesirable time of the year. As a result, the percentage of returns was probably reduced. The questionnaire, an example of which can be found in Appendix A, was composed of ten pages of rather compact print. Because of the length of the questionnaire, some superintendents may have failed to respond. In order to ob- tain all the information needed for this study, it seemed necessary for the instrument to be rather lengthy. As also discussed in Chapter Three, one part of the questionnaire was composed of a true and false test designed to measure the superintendent's understanding of the pro- visions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Although efforts were made to assure the superintendents that the test scores obtained would be viewed as a reflection of the quality of information provided by the Division of Vocational Education and not as a test of the knowledge of the superin- 'tendent, it is recognized that this procedure might well 16 have been viewed with distaste by some superintendents and could have resulted in fewer returns. CHAPTER II VOCATIONAL EDUCATION -- A CONTINUING EVOLUTION AND EXPANSION Introduction The purpose of this chapter is to present a review of selected literature and writings related to this study. Books, periodicals, government documents and unpublished dissertations were searched and those portions of research or materials having some connection to this study are re- ported. Sources available at the Michigan State University library were reviewed and, where necessary, materials not available were secured from other sources. In preparing this review, the studies were grouped into six separate areas. The first section contains stud- ies outlining the continuing evolution and expansion of vo- cational education. Studies and materials dealing with the emerging role of the school system and the place of voca- tional education within that system are presented in the second section. Section three contains research studies and writings which explain the form vocational education has assumed within our educational system. Section four of this chapter provides a review of studies which points out the attitudes and beliefs of the general public toward 17 18 vocational education. The fifth section contains studies which are concerned with federal aid and its relationship to vocational education. Finally, section six is composed of a review of materials and writings which are related specifically to the three subpurposes of this study. Enactment of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 might be considered just one of many steps in the evolution of vocational education in this country. Specifically, this study is focused on the factors involved in the de- cision by Michigan secondary school superintendents to apply for funds available under this Act, thereby allowing them to expand or improve the vocational education program in their school districts. Since the study deals with a specific occurrence, the request for funds, the factors studied which might have a bearing upon this occurrence are also specific. However, to understand more fully why specific factors effect a specific decision, it is helpful to be familiar with the general conditions which existed at the time the decision was made. Why was the 1963 Act passed by the 88th Congress and not the 8lst or the 50th? One needs an understanding of the general social and educational climates relating to vocational education to fully appreciate the specific occurrences. For example, the National Defense Education Act of 1958 was passed to provide training of highly skilled technicians in occupations recognized as necessary to the :national defense. When one understands that this Act was 19 passed as a reaction to the orbiting of the first man-made satellite by the Soviet Union, its provisions and their subsequent acceptance by educators are more readily compre- hended. The social and educational climates were right for this Act at this time. Unlike the National Defense Education Act, the pro— visions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 were not the result of any one startling occurrence but resulted from a rather lengthy social and educational evolution. What evo- lutionary processes had taken place to make 1963 the right time for the passage of the Vocational Education Act? What were the social and educational climates of the day? In Chapter 1, reference was made to the social fac- tors which prevailed when the 88th Congress enacted the new vocational education legislation. This section of Chapter II will deal briefly with the educational climate of that time and the occurrences of the preceding fifty years which molded it. When approving the Vocational Education Act of 1963, why did the Congress provide federal funds for public schools and not for expanded training by industry, or the Urban League, or some other social agency? What evolutionary process had caused occupational training to be a part of the school system? Someone has said, "There is nothing new under the sun," and this is certainly true of the concept of voca- tional education. Granted its form of execution has 20 changed, its relative status in the cultures of man has changed, its social acceptance has changed, but the basic concept, that of "learning by doing" has remained constant. Aristotle, in the Nicomachean Ethics, written prior to 322 B. C., said, "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them, that is, men become builders by building and lyre—players by playing the lyre."l Nor do we receive vocational education in a vacuum. Man has always passed his skills and abilities on to other men for the greatest good of mankind. In another place in his Ethics, Aristotle pointed this out when he stated: And the corresponding statement is true of builders and of all the rest; men will be good or bad builders as a result of building well or badly. For if this were not so, there would have been no need of a teacher, but all men would have been born good or bad at their craft.2 As the complexities of everyday life increased, the role of the teacher in passing on vocational skills became more and more important. Not only has this role increased in importance, it has in practice become an absolute neces- sity. In simple societies it was possible for the skilled craftsman or tradesman to pass his abilities and knowledge on to individuals on a one-to-one ratio. As the world of work became more complex, however, one-to-one student- teacher ratios could no longer suffice. The distance lAristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, from a translation 'by W. D. Ross, The Works of Aristotle, Great Books of the ‘Western World, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., Chicago, 1952, Book II, p. 348. 21bid., p. 349. 21 between home and job became greater as the American econ- omy moved from an agricultural base to one of industrial orientation, work became more complex and the amount of knowledge began to increase almost beyond comprehension. Consequently, it became impossible, both from the stand- point of physical separation and the magnitude of the task involved for a young man to acquire the vocational know- ledge he needed from one individual. The time had come for a Specific social agency to assume the major share of this responsibility. At the turn of this century this social evolution began in earnest in regard to vocational education. In 1914, Snedden discussed the problem when he said: It is life which trains men--life abounding in deeds and thoughts, among men and things. Wherever there is vital interaction between a mind and its world there is real education. Educative power is, thus, broadly distributed. Its centres of influence are the social institutions -- school, home, church, vocation, and neighborhood life. Together they bear the total work of training men, with all the economy and efficiency which comes through a division of labor. In proportion to the relative strength and weakness of their structures, they supplement and reinforce one another. This distribution of educative power among the social institutions is by no means a fixed division of burdens, set once and for all by tradition or reason. The needs of society lay their heavy demands now upon one agent, now upon another. And in the shifting currents of social progress, some institu- tions once powerful are left weakened, if not help— less, while other institgtions wax strong to meet the demands of the time. 3David Snedden, The Problem of Vocational Education, Iioughton Mifflin Company, New York, 1910, p. iii. 22 The Emerging Role of the School System and Its Responsibility for Vocational Education Which social agency Should assume the responsibil- ity for providing vocational education? Early man met this need in the home and soon found this method to be inade- quate. Industry followed with a system of apprenticeships which was also inadequate to perform the complete job as the requirements of work began to change even more drasti- cally and more rapidly. Snedden felt this evolution had reached its logical end by 1914 when he wrote: In all these variations of influence, one striking tendency stands out clearly: As the agencies for incidental and informal education become incapable of training men for their complex environment, so- ciety, becoming increasingly selfconscious, gathers up the neglected functions and assigns them to the school, Ehe one institution entirely under its control. The fact remained that "Vocational education is as old as man himself."5 The basic question in 1914 was, is vocational education, as presently perceived, in the hands of the proper social agency? Should the schools be respon- sible for occupational training or should their responsi— bility end with providing "the opportunity to acquire the elements of a general education which is the birthright of every citizen in a democracy?"6 ulbid., p. iv. 5United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Education For A Changing World of Work, Report of the Panel of Consultants on Vocational Education, Office of Education, 1963, p. 18. 6Melvin L. Barlow (ed.), Vocational Education, The Sixty-fourth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study Of Education Part I,University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1965, p. 19. 23 What facts had society to support the need for voca- tional education as an integral part of the educational system? It would seem that irrefutable evidence exists in the cultural history of the United States to justify the belief that some form of vocational education is essential in the public schools. Snedden alluded to this in two different instances when he said: We may sum up by saying that the education whose con— trolling motive in the choice of means and methods is to prepare for productive efficiency is vocational; that vocational education, more or less unorganized and resting largely on native instincts and capacity, has always existed; that it tends to be organized under school conditions only where special demands or necessities exist; and that from the standpoint of social necessity, vocational education given by some agency is indispensable.7 and again when he stated: In the course of the development of a progressive social economy, we may expect it to be made obliga- tory upon every individual to acquire a certain amount of vocational education, just as the present tendency of legislation is to prevent any one from remaining illiterate. Vocational education is not in conflict with liberal education, but is a sup— plemental form, and may be expected to reinforce it.8 AS stated previously, Snedden only alluded to the role of the educational system in providing vocational education. Fifty-four years later, Venn was much more direct and to the point. He stated: At a time when the demand for education, especially higher education has never been greater, is it necessary that vocational and technical occupations 7Snedden, op. cit., p. 13. 8Ibid., p. 82. 24 be taught within the educational system? In the past, perhaps no; now, however, yes, because technology is demanding workers with a degree of training and re- lated education that can best be offered in a system of education. To ignore the demand is to accept so— cial and economic dislocations that will vitally af- fect the American economy and the personal well-being of our citizens. Hawkins, Prosser and Wright also seemed to feel that vocational education belonged in the public school system when they pointed out: As civilization has developed, the tendency has been to increase the educational area covered by conscious and more or less organized instruction to the furthest possible extent. This has long been the case in aca— demic education, and it is likewise the case in voca— tional education. Faust did not question the principle that vocational education should be a part of the school system. He ob— viously believed this was not the issue at all when he wrote: It is therefore not enough that our educational system prepare people for the specialized tasks required in our specialized society. It must, in addition, prepare them for their responsibilities as citizens.1 In further expounding his views of the responsibilities of 9Grant Venn, Man, Education and Work, American Coun- cil on Education, Washington, D. C., 1964, p. 18. 10J. Chester Swanson (compiled by), DevelOpment of Federal Legislation for VOcational Education, from Develop- ggnt of Vocational Education by Layton S. Hawkins, Charles H. Prosser, and John C. Wright, American Technical Society, 1951, p. 3. llNational Manpower Council, Improving the Work Skills 9§_the Nation, Columbia University Press, New York, 1955, p. 23. . 25 education in the area of training people, Faust went on to say: This means that our educational system must not only make sure that the knowledge, the insights, and the skills developed by preceding generations are trans- mitted to oncoming ones, but that the next generation be prepared to make advances in technology, in social justice, and in the realization of the full range of individual capacities.l2 Barlow13 contended that society, through the public education system, has a responsibility to provide instruc- tion in vocational education. And finally, Dressel sup- ported the concept of vocational education being a logical and integral part of the educational system when he stated: ”Since all education today is, and must be, both liberal and vocational, the task is not that of finding the appro- priate proportions of each but rather of reappraising and redefining all courses so that they contribute to both."14 And finally, in an article written in 1965, Tompkins reviewed a statement printed in 1936 by the Committee on the Orientation of Secondary Education and had this to say: "But the case for vocational education in the secondary school remains intriguingly close to that presented by the Committee in 1936--the need for vocational education is 12Ibid., p. 24. 13Barlow, op. cit., p. 2. 14Paul L. Dressel, "Liberal and Vocational Education," (Sollege and University Bulletin, Association for Higher Edu- <:ation, XI, May 1, 1959, p. 4. 26 still great and the school is still the most effective agency for vocational education."15 It appears obvious that the Congress of the United States supports this position. Otherwise, why would they have been willing to appropriate large sums of money through Federal vocational education legislation to support the con- cept? This argument should not be construed to imply that vocational education can and should be the sole responsi— bility of this nation's public schools. AS mentioned earlier, business and industry have provided, and will continue to provide, certain types of vocational training. As a matter of fact, the Panel of Consultants on Voca- tional Education recognized the important contributions of these programs when they wrote: Vocational education programs are conducted by a variety of institutions in addition to the public schools. Some of these programs are excellent examples of educational planning and much of the best instructiopgl equipment and materials are to be found there. The fact remains that a significant portion of vo- cational education, according to a majority of educators, should be an integral part of our public school offering. By 1963, therefore, it was generally accepted that the educational system should assume the responsibility of 15The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Education Associa- tion, Washington, D. 0., Vol. 49, No. 301, May, 1965, Foreword. 16United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, op. cit., p. 6. 27 providing this type of training. McCarthy warned against a complacent attitude by educational leaders when he wrote: "When the programs of vocational education in the public schools become static, and are out of step with occupa— tional practices, some other agency will assume the respon- sibilities which belong in the field of public education; and there are several agencies not affiliated with educa- tion which are anxious to assume educational responsibili- ties."l7 To summarize, the question of what social agency Should provide vocational education to the youth and adults of this country has been asked, and by 1963 it was generally acknowledged that the public school system was the logical agency to perform this service. The Form and Structure of Vocational Education in the School System Once it had been decided that vocational education should be provided as a part of public education, it was necessary to determine what form this type of education should take. Should every student be expected to enroll in it? Should it provide training for specific occupations or general families of occupations? In short, what should vocational education do for students? Welhelms voiced these concerns in the Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. 17John A. McCarthy, Vocational Education, America's ggeatest Resource, American Technical Society, Chicago, Illinois, 1951, p. 333. 28 He stated that principals were worried about whether voca- tional education programs provided training for a specific occupation or a family of occupations. They were also concerned about the form or organization of vocational education and were asking whether vocational education should be offered in area vocational schools or as a part of comprehensive high schools. They were further concerned about the current need to broaden the scope of vocational education to include technical programs on the one hand and Specific programs for the academically untalented on the other.18 These issues, all a part of the question of the form of vocational education, have not been completely re- solved even today. Which students should be exposed to vocational education and Should their training be specific or general in nature were apparently major points of con— troversy between "generalists" and "vocationalists" during the evolutionary process. Barlow summarized the thinking on these questions very concisely when he stated: Some leaders of education believe that most of the efforts subsumed under the heading "vocational edu- cation" have been not only puerile but downright dangerous; the young people exposed to it have not only failed to acquire an order of technical Skill which would assure them success in the labor market but have also been deprived of the opportunity to acquire the elements of a general education which are the birthright of every citizen in a democracy. To the severity of this judgment can be juxta- posed the equally strong views of leaders of 18 Fred T. Welhelms, "Vocational Education: What Are the Big Questions?" The Bulletin of the National Association 9£_Secondary School Principals, National Education Associa- tion, Washington, D. C., Vol. 49, No. 301, May, 1965, pp. 3—7. 29 vocational education who maintain that vocational education, especially at the secondary school level, has never attempted to produce a skilled worker. Its objectives have been much more modest: to af- ford certain youngsters an alternative to the con- ventional college preparatory curriculum by offering them a balanced program of general education, an in- troduction to applied mathematics and basic scien- tific theory, and at least the rudiments of specific manual skills or preliminary training as a technician.19 As mentioned, these issues have not been resolved even today but educators seem less concerned about them. Perhaps the reason for the apparent lessening of tension is that the discourse is no longer one between "generalists" and "vocationalists." The forces seemingly have become divided, and today, "generalists" are found to disagree with "generalists" and "vocationalists" do not always agree among themselves. For example, one college professor whose field is outside vocational education perceived it as being neces- sary for every student when he wrote: All students need to learn something of the connection between their thoughts and their hands. If either side is slighted, the child is cheated. If manual arts courses are given sufficient intellectual con- tent, as they can be, they should prove useful for liberal arts purposes, Since ideas linked to activ- ities gain in significance and scOpe. When the time comes that we recognize more fully this simple educa- tional truth, we will be in a position to move toward the kind of public school system for all American children that Dewey and Mead worked to bring about. But as long as we continue to make the sharp dis- tinction between academic and vocational education that we make in most American cities and towns, we 19Barlow, op. c1t., p. 19. 30 are perpetuating economic and cultural class dis- tinctions and denying education in its full sense to a large part of our population.20 Hutchins obviously does not agree. The overriding theme of his educational philosophy is a plea for the study of the classics by all students. This tenet is evident in the majority of his writings but no more so than when he states we should " . . . leave experiences to other agen- cies--let schools deal only with the intellectual training of the young."21 Whether vocational education should be offered as training for a Specific occupation or a family of occupa- tions was to become an issue among educators. Some voca— tional educators would offer training for Specific occupa- tions at the high school level while others contend that vocational education should remain general and training should be provided in families or clusters of occupations. Still others like Struck saw variations in the two extremes. Struck felt, as far back as 1945, that we should " . . . stress exploratory experience in grades through the ninth, followed by general education in the opening years of the high school and specific vocational education during the last two or three years of the high school as now 2O Darnell Rucker, "The Liberal and the Manual Arts in Education," School and Society, Vol. 91, No. 2232, November 16, 1963, p. 24. 21Robert Hutchins, The Higher Learningpin America, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1936, p. 96. 31 constituted, plus approximately two years of post-high school training."22 One might summarize the position of educators on the question of what form vocational education should take in the public schools at the time of the passage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 by saying the issue had been joined but the outcome was in doubt. As a result, the provisions of the Act were written in such a way as to allow training in either a Single skill or a cluster of occupations, in area centers or in comprehensive high schools, as technical programs for the academically talented or as special programs for persons with special needs. In short, the members of the 88th Congress did not try to answer these questions or resolve all issues. Instead, they wrote the Act in such a way as to allow the administrators of each school system to make their own determination as to what form vocational education should assume . Public Attitude Toward Vocational Education What was the attitude of the general public regarding vocational education? The findings of two studies revealed the role which laymen thought vocational education should play. 22Theodore F. Struck, Vocational Education For A Changing World, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1945, p. 524. 32 In one of these studies, conducted by the Michigan State Board of Control for Vocational Education, the re- searcher found that " . . . there is general agreement among all groups that the schools are not giving adequate occupational preparation to young people."23 As a result of this particular study the investigator reported: The people of Michigan are very positive that the public schools Should provide more opportunities for young people to prepare to earn a living. If what the people think has any influence on what the schools provide, there will be an expansion of voca ional education in all schools of the state. It was further revealed in this study that "the majority of Michigan citizens say that we can reduce dropouts by increasing and improving vocational education."25 In a second study, Wenrich and Crowley found that the "general favorability of parents towards education includes the vocational program. They want to see a good program for youth who could benefit from such a program."26 More specifically, Wenrich and Crowley stated: . . . they react strongly in favor of the statement that vocational education has a necessary place in the high school curriculum. They want to see more 23Office of v0cational Education, What Michigan People Think About Vocational Education Needs, Department Of Public Instruction, Lansing, Michigan, June, 1947, p. 2. 2”1pm., p. 3. 25Ibid., p. 11. 26Ralph C. Wenrich and Robert J. Crowley, VOcational ,Egucation as Perceived by Different Segments of the Popula- tion, COOperative Research Project No. 1577, University of bkichigan, 1964, p. 52. 33 students enrolled in its programs; even if it should mean a heavier burden on the existing school budget, they favor an expansion of the program. They appear to consider properly conducted vocational programs as providing a valuable service to the community in furnishing agaptable workers for the community's labor force. 7 If these two studies can be considered to have provided answers typical of the beliefs of the average layman, it would appear that the general citizenry was in favor of vocational education at the time of the passage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. One Michigan educator apparently doubted that lay- men held a very favorable attitude toward vocational edu- cation. Young, a supporter of increased vocational educa- tion, suggests its elevation in the school setting would reduce the dropout rate. He even proposes that it become a prerequisite for all college-bound students. He con- tends, however, that the attitude of the American public toward preparation for college has placed vocational edu- cation in an illogical position. He states this is so be— cause Americans have an "English gentleman" philoSOphy of life; college and accrediting personnel are academically oriented and therefore measure high schools by how well their graduates do in colleges and universities; most secondary school officials do not understand the role of 27Ibid., p. 46. 34 vocational education and parents and students are too en- amored of the college preparation program.28 Vocational Education and Federal Aid Whether to grant Federal aid has persisted as one of the major points of contention during the evolution of vocational education in the United States. The arguments for and against Federal aid to education have waxed loud and long. Primarily, the issue centers around the question of separation of church and state and the specter of Fed— eral aid creating Federal control. The position of the Federal Government in the field of education has changed markedly over the last 100 years, and the change has not been easy or free of controversy. Most authorities agree that the first significant effort into education by the Federal Government began with the passage of the Morrill Act of 1862. This Act provided for the establishment of agricultural and mechanic arts colleges.29 Drake felt that the land grant colleges were pecul- iarly representative of the trends in higher education in the United States during the 19th century. He stated, "Their major characteristics may be summarized as an exem- plification of democracy in education, associating higher 28Robert W. Young, "The Academic 'Mohammed' and the Vocational 'Mountain'," School Shop, Vol. XXIV, October, 1964 3 pp 0 27-28 0 29William E. Drake, The American School in Transition, Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey, 1955, p. 302. 35 education with a basic industry, reliance upon scientific research, the specific training of students, the promotion of a program of adult education, and a major concern for the general welfare."30 Most or all of these characteristics probably still prevailed when the specific vocational education acts were passed beginning with the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 and continuing through the passage of the Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962. Yet, not everyone was or is especially enamored of Federal aid. Moley,31 for instance, recognizes two distinct dan- gers associated with Federal aid: First, centralization of control over the content of education and, second, in- doctrination by those who do the controlling. In order to make his point that Federal officials may indeed at- tempt to influence educational policies at state and lo- cal levels, he quoted a 1961 report of the Committee on the Mission and Organization of the United States Office of Education: In addition to the Federal level of public policy determination, the Office has much concern with policy at the state and local levels and in higher educational institutions. Active leadership by the Office to encourage constructive consensus on particular problems or issues in American educa- tion helps to crystallize public policy at all levels.3 30Ibid., p. 304. 31Raymond Moley, "Uncle Sam, Schoolmaster," Newsweek, V01. LXII, No. 13, September 23, 1963, p. 110. 32Ibid. 36 Moley contends further that: This, then, is the prescription to establish under an elite, the members of which think alike on pub- lic policy, a vast system of indoctrination in our schools, colleges and universities ever where. Their pious denial of the word "control' is not relevant. For control by whatever regime is in the White House is real, active and apparent. Another example of the fears expressed relative to Federal control resulting from Federal aid can be found in an article by Exton. She says: Since federal funds are normally provided to obtain federally desired results, an examination of the educational assistance laws now on the statute books will Show various controls, ranging from slight and implicit to mandatory requirements to be federally enforced by withholding federal payments unless the law is complied with. Federal controls may stem from the legislation itself, rules and regulations set up to administer the law, administrative deci- sions expflessed by federal officials, or other factors. These two views express the deep concerns shared by many. Some feel that the only way to prevent Federal con- trol is to provide support for all public education. Prior to the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Federal aid to education had been established to accomplish specific purposes, such as the expansion of training in agriculture, increased emphasis in vocational education, schooling for American Indians, or job retrain- ing. In this connection, one source says: 33Ibid. 3“Elaine Exton, "Issues Churned Up Federal Aid," The American School Board Journal, Volume 1 9, Number 3, September, 1964, pp. 42-43. 37 Although the federal role in education ought to be limited chiefly to the financial, the actual role has been to use federal assistance as a means of making decisions regarding the conduct of educa— tion in its specific. Specificity is a dominant characteristic of existing programs; they tend to deal with particular institutions, or particular educational functions or particular students. No- where is there evidence of a ommitment to act in general support of education. Specific aid, if one follows this line of reasoning, will favor one element of the curriculum over another and therefore interfere with local curriculum decisions and consequently with local and state control. In addition, advocates of general federal support point out that fed— eral aid has not been available for elementary education. Obviously this is no longer true with the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Later, Exton36 contended that Federal aid to edu- cation would lead to Federal control by reducing local boards of education to mere rubber stamp organizations whose sole responsibility would be to pass on decisions made at the national level. This will come to pass, in her opinion, "unless there is a strong public demand that federal action be limited to goals consistent with the maintenance of state and local control. . . ."37 35Educational Policies Commission, Educational Re- sponsibilities of the Federal Government National Educa- tion Association, Washington, D. C., 1964, pp. 9-18. 36Elaine Exton, "Will the New Federal Aids Strengthen or Weaken the Public Schools?" American School Board Journal, Volume 150, Number 2, February, 1965, pp. 37-38- 37Ibid. 38 So much for some of the beliefs of professional educators and writers. How has the general public felt about Federal aid? In the study conducted by the Michigan 38 Board of Control for Vocational Education, it was discov- ered that 83 per cent of the sample felt that more Federal and state aid should be provided in order to improve voca- tional education. Apparently, the general public has not been very concerned about potential Federal control or is willing to risk such an occurrence in order to obtain more adequate vocational education programs for young pe0ple. It appears that Congress agrees with the public since at last count it has passed over thirty—four separate pieces of Federal legislation providing financial assistance to public schools. As Elfin pointed out, a recent listing of Federal agencies involved in education ran to twelve printed pages.39 Perhaps Elfin summarized it best when, in 1963, he said of the newly appointed Commissioner of Education, Dr. Keppel, "He can also convince the American people that it is no longer a question of whether there should be Federal aid to education, but how much aid there should be and how it should be distributed.”0 Educationally, the time seems to have been right 38Office of Vocational Education, op. cit., p. 13. 39Mel Elfin, "School Aid: Can Dean Keppel Call The Class to Order?" The Reporter, Volume 28, Number 6, March 14, 1963, pp. 32-35. uolbid. 39 for the passage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. The public school was apparently the accepted social agency for providing vocational training, educators generally were ready to discard the rather narrow concept of vocational education as a single skill and work toward the develop- ment of families or clusters of occupations, while the general public seemed to favor an expansion of vocational education offerings and accept Federal aid for education. These developments, coupled with the need for trained man— power as described in Chapter One, were undoubtedly con- sidered by members of the 88th Congress when they passed the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Review of Related Studies Limited research has been conducted which relates to the purposes of this study. Since this study was de- signed around three distinct subpurposes, this portion of the review will consider separately the literature which pertains most directly to each subpurpose and the vari- ables which were related to each of them. Subpurpose one dealt with the relationship between the superintendents' professional preparation, their admin- istrative and teaching experience, their work experience outside the field of education, their perception of voca- tional education and their decision to submit an applica- tion for funds available under the provisions of the Voca- tional Education Act of 1963. 4O 41 Wenrich and Crowley conducted a study which was focused on one of the variables included in subpurpose one. While measuring school administrators' attitudes toward vocational education, they found that school admin- istrators who are highly favorable have had less personal experience with vocational education than have those who are less favorable. In addition, they found an apparent positive correlation between high educational attainment and an unfavorable attitude toward vocational education. Another variable included in subpurpose one was de- signed to obtain a measure of the superintendent's per- ception of vocational education. Among the studies in which this variable was considered, Wenrich and Crowleyl1L2 found that administrators agreed that students in voca- tional education programs lack too many scholastic skills but that vocational education is necessary for students to develop as well-rounded youth. Furthermore, according to Wenrich and Crowley, school administrators believed that students enrolled in vocational education courses for social reasons rather than to obtain an occupational objective. They stated: School professionals believed that students elected vocational courses because of social-class factors, not primarily because of the threat of failure, or 41Wenrich and Crowley, o . cit., p. 74. “21bid., p. 50. 41 as a result of a special interest. It is because their friends select a vocational type cpprse that some 1nleIduals choose the same course. Wenrich and Crowley also found that school administrators continued to believe that vocational education programs are considerably less respectable than the college prepar— atory program.2m If this attitude is shared by the stu- dents, it may account for their selecting vocational edu— cation on the basis of peer group acceptance rather than a special interest in preparing for the world of work. Wenrich and Crowley also report that school ad- ministrators see vocational education as more interesting, equally meaningful and certainly more essential for some students than a college preparatory course. However, they also found that vocational education is less purposeful, less satisfactory in terms of results and structure and less well defined than the college preparatory curriculum.LL5 The perceptions discovered by Wenrich and Crowley may be partially explained by the following statement from a study conducted by the American Vocational Association: "The educational system has remained far too deeply rooted in the academic tradition to be wholly effective for an overwhelmingly large proportion of our present high school “31bid., p. 54. Mulbid. u51bid., pp. 61-63. .0 a 5.. . v‘ . § _. s‘ \ i . 42 population."46 It was further revealed in the American Vocational Association study that a high school curricu- lum which emphasizes only academic college entrance re— quirements is meeting the real needs of only a small per cent of the high school population. Bentley and Woerdehoff47 found, on the other hand, that ninety-one per cent of Indiana's school administrators believed that opportunities for vocational education are an important responsibility of secondary education. This finding was supported by McLure who revealed that administrators felt that a sound vocational educa— tion program would reduce high school dropouts. He wrote: The students who drOp out of high school constitute an important group to be considered in planning programs of vocational education. Many of these individuals would remain in school and graduate if the opportunities were available to prepare them for the occupation of their choice.“ The committee on Research and Publications of the American Vocational Association found similar results in an earlier study. In 1951 the committee wrote: ”6American Vocational Association, Inc., Adminis- tration of Vocational Education at State and Local Levels, prepared by the Committee on Research and Publications, Washington, D. C., 1953, pp. 3-4. 47Ralph R. Bentley and Frank J. Woerdehoff, The Viewpoints of Indiana School Administrators Regarding Vocational Education, The Division of Education, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, June, 1958, p. 6. I48William P. McLure, Director, Vocational and Tech— nical Education in Illinois - Tomorrow's Challenge, Bureau of Educational Research, College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 1960, p. 44. 43 There is an increasing awareness among school ad- ministrators of the responsibility of publicly supported schools to provide vocational education for the American people. Education for purposeful work is distinctive in its aims and services, and the school administrator has felt the need for understanding both the philosophy and the specific administrative policies required for genuine voca— tional education. 9 The school administrator's role in the development of vocational education programs was alluded to in the same study when the authors stated, "The success of any program of vocational education is directly dependent upon the quality of leadership given to the program."50 This latter statement supports the theory expressed in Chapter One that the superintendent is the primary change agent in a school system. Apparently, school administra- tors perceived themselves in that role. Why else would they have indicated to the committee that the success of the vocational education program depended upon the quality of their leadership? Subpurpose two dealt with certain variables which could have been associated with superintendents' decisions to submit an application and were a part of their imme- diate professional environment. Some investigators found that the size of the school district has a definite bearing upon the beliefs and attitudes of the superintendent toward education in ugAmerican Vocational Association, Inc., The School Administrator and Vocational Education, prepared by the Committee on Research and Publications, Washington, D. C., 1951, p. 1. 50Ibid., p. 16. .A. a . ~K~ r.‘ 44 general and vocational education in particular. Kosoloski5l found, for example, that the level of participation by small schools in Title III of the National Defense Educa- tion Act of 1958 reflected their need for more help and also a greater desire to use available Federal funds. This apparently belies the timeworn statement, "The rich ' since small schools get richer and the poor get poorer,’ which generally have less assessed valuation behind each student made the most use of this Act. Wenrich52 also discovered that the smaller the school the higher the percentage of administrators who favored constructing state or area vocational schools with state and Federal funds in order to provide realistic in- dustrial education. He further pointed out that adminis— trators from small schools did not see a need for providing guidance services for employment-bound youth. His findings appear to reflect different beliefs and attitudes of super- intendents from schools of various sizes toward the use of Federal funds to support education. 51J. E. Kosoloski, Jr., "A Quantitative Analysis of Pennsylvania Public School Utilization of the Provision of Title III of the National Defense Education Act of 1958" (unpublished Doctoral dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, 1958), p. 128. 52Ralph C. Wenrich, "A Study to Determine More Ef- fective Ways of Using State and Federal v0cationa1 Educa- tion Funds in the Further Development of Programs Operated 'by Local School Districts," a part of the Michigan Voca- ‘tional Education Evaluation Project, State Board of Control for VOcational Education, Lansing, Michigan, July, 1962, p. 67. 45 Apparently the quality of vocational education of- ferings is also associated with the size of the school district. McLure concluded from his study that, "There is much evidence that a minimum enrollment of about 2,000 high school students in the whole district is essential to organize staff, students and equipment efficiently and economically for a comprehensive type of program in one or more instructional centers."53 A study conducted in Michigan5u using "effective" and "ineffective" schools having vocational education pro- grams Showed that the "effective" group of school systems averaged 5,683 pupils and 232 teachers whereas the "inef- fective" group averaged 1,862 pupils and 71 teachers. In summary, the preceding review of the literature seems to indicate that inadequate programs of vocational education are provided in small school systems and that the superintendents of the small districts hold views relating to vocational education which are considerably different from those of their counterparts in larger districts. Subpurpose three dealt with thirteen variables related to the superintendent's decision to submit an 53McLure, op. cit., p. 110. 5“Clarence C. Mason, A Study of Organization for _§pe Administration of Vocational Education in Selected bdichigan High Schools, Office of Research Administration, {School of Education, University of Michigan, June, 1963, Il- 8. 46 application as influenced by the Operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Education of the Michigan State Department of Education. The reader is reminded that these thirteen variables were discussed in Chapter One. One of the variables included in subpurpose three dealt with the question of whether the Division of Voca- tional Education staff of the State Department of Educa- tion was providing administrators with sufficient written information pertaining to vocational education. Some edu- cators have conducted studies which provided at least a partial answer to this question. The American Vocational Association,55 for example, found that school administra- tors feel the need for specific information concerning vo- cational education when the development of vocational pro- grams is being considered. Again, in a study by Wenrich,56 it was discovered that seventy-two per cent of the admin- istrators sampled indicated a need for prepared instruc- tional materials. Bentley and Woerdehoff concluded from their study of school administrators that eighty per cent "viewed themselves as key persons in the development of local vocational education programs."57 They go on to observe, "If Indiana school administrators are to assume this role, then it is obvious that they will need to have 55American Vocational Association, Inc., The School .Administrator . . . , op. cit., p. l. 56Wenrich, op. cit., pp. 72-75. 57Bentley and Woerdehoff, op. cit., p. 8. flw—V\ ..__.——_.'— fi—v l a“, __ 47 a thorough working knowledge of the Indiana State Plan for Vocational Education and to be adequately prepared pro- fessionally to understand the philosophy and practice of vocational education."58 Apparently then school administrators need addi- tional printed materials and information about vocational education. However, Teckman59 found that it was impos— sible to keep present state department standards attuned to proposed new practices in secondary education. It seems reasonable to assume that this statement pertains to vocational as well as general education. In support of Teckman, Riddle6O found that many state departments are doing little if anything to improve curricular and instruc- tional practices. It would appear, therefore, that admin- istrators of state departments of education need to pre— pare additional materials on vocational education but that there is evidence that the state departments may not be fulfilling this leadership role. Another variable included in subpurpose three dealt with the school administrators' beliefs about the need for consultative assistance from the Division of Vocational 58Ibid. 59Charles Edward Teckman, "The Influence of State Departments and Regional Accrediting Associations on Secondary School Experimentation" (unpublished Doctoral dissertation, The Ohio State University, 1962), p. 174. 60Bruce E. Riddle, "An Analysis of State Depart- ments of Education with Respect to Their Emerging Leader— ship Functions in Educational Improvement" (unpublished Doctoral dissertation, University of Oklahoma, 1961), p. 116. J“ v “V‘ fiHTfi-‘l‘fl’l— A A 48 Education staff. Most investigators while considering the need for printed materials also examined the need for con— sultative assistance as a method for providing information to school administrators. A study by Riddle specifically referred to con- sultants. He found that many states did not have an ade- quate number of consultants.61 One other study by Wenrich and Ollenburger alluded to this need when they found that high school principals felt they did not have enough time to provide leadership and assistance to develop vocational education programs.62 This would imply that additional consultant help from the State Department of Education could fill this need. These two studies, coupled with those dealing with providing printed materials provide data which imply the need for more and better consultant assistance for local school administrators. Subpurpose three also centered on a variable which dealt with the superintendents' beliefs pertaining to Federal control resulting from Federal aid. Three studies focused specifically on Federal or state control of 61Ibid. 62Ralph C. Wenrich and Alvin Ollenburger, Higp School Principal's Perception of Assistance Needed in Order to Develop More Adequate Programs for Employment— Bound Youth, Office of Research Administration, School of Education, University of Michigan, December, 1963, p. 8. 49 education. Lu63 found no apparent correlation between Federal aid and Federal control, or between Federal con- trol and detriment to national education. Posey, on the other hand, was not prepared to support Lu. School admin- istrators, according to Posey, felt there had been an in- crease in Federal control of education in recent years. He also found that superintendents from larger districts were more aware of Federal control than superintendents from districts with enrollments of less than 1,500 students. Posey also found that states having a "variable" cost foundation showed more control than those having a "unit cost" foundation. And finally, all superintendents saw a high degree of Federal regulatory practices but a small amount of leadership.64 Bentley and Woerdehoff65 supported Posey when they found that thirty-six per cent of high school administra- tors believed vocational education was a Federally con- trolled program while thirty-eight did not agree. The findings of these investigations seem to support the con- clusion reached in an earlier section of this chapter that 63Hsien Lu, "Federal Role in Education: The Prob- lem of Federal Aid with or without Control" (unpublished Doctoral dissertation, Columbia University, 1963), pp. 474-476. 6”Ellis Benton Posey, "State Education Agency Con— trol of Public School Expenditures in Selected Foundation Program States" (unpublished Doctoral dissertation, Uni- versity of Texas, 1953), pp. 581—582. 65Bentley and Woerdehoff, op. cit., p. 11. 50 Federal aid and Federal control are unresolved issues in the minds of educators. However, as shown earlier, the general public appears to want better education and are not reluctant to accept Federal aid in order to obtain it. The superintendent's perception of the need for ad- ditional state or Federal funds was also surveyed as a part of subpurpose three. In general, school administra- tors seem to feel that financing of vocational education programs is inadequate and would welcome additional finan- cial support. McLure66 found two conditions which hindered the fullest development of vocational education in compre- hensive high schools: first, the organization of small student populations into administrative units and, second, lack of adequate finances. Wenrich and Crowley67 found that school administrators support greater expenditures to provide a well-rounded program of vocational education. They would support expanded as well as upgraded programs. The administrators in Bentley and Woerdehoff's study68 felt that if vocational education programs are to be made available to all students, particularly in the smaller schools, several develOpments may be desirable. First, it may be necessary to broaden the tax support and school at- tendance base through school district reorganization, 66McLure, op. cit., pp. 109-110. 67Wenrich and Crowley, op. cit., p. 52. 68Bentley and Woerdehoff, op. cit., p. 12. 51 second, to increase state incentive aids, and finally, to explore the possibilities of area school programs for V0- cational education. In terms of methods of financing ex— panded vocational education services, Bentley and Woerdehoff69 found that twenty-one per cent of the Indiana school administrators felt Federal funds were undesirable and nearly one-half felt it desirable to have vocational education at least partially financed with Federal funds. Subpurpose three also contained a variable relating to the superintendent's beliefs regarding the best use of available vocational education funds. These beliefs were revealed by a few of the studies reviewed. For example, Wenrich and Ollenberger70 found that seventy-five per cent of the high school principals favored spending some or most of earmarked vocational education funds to improve programs for employment-bound youth. The principals sur- veyed felt that the first requirement for assistance was an assessment of the needs of in-school and out-of-school youth and employers. Wenrich71 found that superintendents generally agreed that more funds should be spent for job training for special groups, vocational guidance and equip- ment, and less for more supervisory and consultant services. In terms of a priority use of funds, and based on the felt 69Ibid. 7OWenrich and Ollenberger, op. cit., p. 8. 71Wenrich, Op. cit., p. 73. 52 needs of administrators outlined above, Wenrich stated, "It is entirely possible that our past and present policies and practices.relating to the financing of vocational edu- cation in Michigan may have had the effect of supporting local on-going programs rather than promoting new programs designed to meet the needs of our technological age."72 It would appear from prior studies that the use of voca- tional education funds was being questioned by school ad- ministrators. One of the variables included in subpurpose three dealt with the superintendent's understanding of the Voca- tional Education Act of 1963. A survey of available lit- erature did not reveal any other study which had attempted to measure this variable. 72Ibid., p. 3. CHAPTER III METHOD AND PROCEDURE OF THE STUDY Population and Sample At the time this study was conducted, 544 Michigan school districts offered instruction through the twelfth grade. Since vocational education is not normally of- fered below the ninth grade, superintendents from these 544 districts were the only administrators who received application forms for Vocational Education Act funds from the Division of Vocational Education. These superintendents were sent the necessary forms for fiscal years 1965 and 1966. For 1965, 143 or 26.3 per cent of the 544 eligible school districts applied for financial assistance under the new Vocational Education Act. In the succeeding year, 193 or 35.5 per cent of all eligible districts applied for funds. Consequently, during 1965 and 1966 a total of 336 applications were received. Since 104 districts applying for funds during 1965 also submitted applications for 1966 funds, the 336 applications actually represented requests from 232 different school districts. The total number of school districts requesting financial assistance during the two fiscal years of 1965 and 1966 represented 42.7 per cent of those eligible for participation. 53 54 A summary of the applications received is presented in Table 1. TABLE 1 SUMMARY OF APPLICATIONS FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEARS 1965 AND 1966 Per Cent of Total Total Per Eligible Appli- Cent Applied Applying Fiscal Total cations of One Year One Year Year Eligible Submitted Total Only Only 1965 544 143 26.3 39 7.2 1966 544 193 35.5 89 16.4 On the basis of applications received, the popula- tion could be divided into two distinct groups; superin- tendents from districts who submitted applications for one or both of the two years under consideration and super— intendents from those districts who did not apply either year. The superintendents of 232 school districts were identified as belonging to the first group while superin- tendents from the remaining 309 school districts comprised the second. The sample used in the study was randomly selected from the two groups. In arriving at the sample size, statistical experts suggested applying the rule of thumb that "the sample size should be three times greater than the number of variables to afford the maximum degree of confidence in the statistic." Since twenty-four 55 variables were identified in the study, as summarized in Chapter One, a minimum of seventy—two responses was there— fore deemed most appropriate. Assuming that the return would be less than 100 per cent, a sample size of 100 su- perintendents was randomly selected in each of the two major subgroups. Before randomization could be effected, however, additional factors such as the wide disparity between en- rollments and state equalized valuation were considered which soon led to the conclusion that a stratified random sample would most logically fit the purposes of this study. Since other variables, such as the composition of school boards and their commitment to vocational educa- tion, are societal in nature, and consequently almost im- measurable, a study of all possible variables would be very difficult to make. As a result, the variables ex- amined in this study were confined to those attributable directly to the superintendent or his immediate professional environment or to the operational procedures of the staff of the Division of Vocational Education. One measurable factor which comprises a part of the superintendent's professional environment is the size of pupil enrollment. Studies by Roe,l McLure,2 and 1W. H. Roe, A Study of the Reimbursed Vocational Pro- grams in Michigan, Office of Vocational Education, Department of Public Instruction, Lansing, Michigan, 1950, p. 17. 2William P. McLure et a1., Vocational and Technical Education in Illinois, Tomorrow's Challenge, Bureau of Edu- cational Research, College of Education, University of Illinois, 1960, pp. 143-144. 56 Kosoloski,3 to name only a few, have shown that rural high schools with smaller enrollments and more restricted physi— cal facilities tend to offer rather limited and restricted vocational education programs. Conversely, urban school districts tend to offer more comprehensive vocational edu- cation programs. Obviously then, the physical setting from which a superintendent frames his professional deci- sions could affect his perception of the role to be played by vocational education in his school district. On the basis of this premise, one logical procedure for providing more homogeneity in terms of sampling practices is to stratify the sample according to student enrollment in grades nine through twelve. The 100 randomly selected superintendents were therefore stratified according to the high school enrollments in their district as reported by the Division of Research and Educational Planning of the Michigan Department of Education. At the time the sample was selected, the most current information avail- able for school membership was the 1963-64 report. While these data were slightly outdated and therefore not en- tirely accurate, they were felt to be acceptable for several reasons: the data provided were uniform for all 3J. E. Kosoloski, Jr., "A Quantitative Analysis of Pennsylvania's Public School Utilization of the Provisions of Title III of the National Defense Education Act of 1958" (unpublished Doctoral dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, 1958), p. 96. 57 school systems selected, annual enrollment figures do not vary a great deal from year to year, no more current data were available and each stratum was selected on the basis of a rather wide range of upper and lower enrollments which assured that a school system might vary in its rank order within the stratum but would probably not move from one stratum to another in one year. Another obviously nonuniform variable is the amount of per pupil state equalized valuation. An examination of an additional report prepared by the Division of Research and Educational Planning indicated that no meaningful cor- relation exists between student enrollment and state equal- ized valuation. It was therefore impossible to stratify the sample on the basis of both the student enrollment and the state equalized valuation. It might also have seemed logical to further strat- ify the two populations on the basis of whether the dis- tricts were conducting vocational education programs at the time application was made for the 1963 Act funds. How- ever, in analyzing the applications received, it was dis- covered that 461 of the 544 schools receiving applications for reimbursement were conducting programs in vocational education. Two hundred and ten, or 90.5 per cent, of the 232 applications for 1963 Act funds were submitted by superintendents of schools already conducting programs of vocational education. Only twenty-two, or 9.5 per cent, were submitted by superintendents from school districts 58 wishing to offer vocational education programs for the first time. Conversely, of the remaining 312 districts which did not submit applications, 251 or 80.4 per cent were already conducting vocational education programs. Only 61, or 19.6 per cent of those which did not submit applications, offered no vocational education programs. Due to the small number of schools not offering voca- tional education in each of the two distinct groups, it appeared of little functional purpose to stratify ac- cording to the type of program being offered at the time applications were submitted to the Division of Vocational Education. It was finally decided to stratify the sample on the basis of ninth through twelfth grade enrollment. Since 100 superintendents were to be randomly selected from each of the two major subgroups, those who submitted applications and those who did not, an effort was made to identify an equal number of respondents in each stratum. Strict adherence to this procedure was not possible how— ever because applications were not received uniformly throughout all the strata. School superintendents in school districts having larger enrollments submitted the greater number of applications whereas those having the smaller student enrollments submitted fewer applications. A base number of ten superintendents was decided upon for each stratum. However, in order to obtain a sample pos- sessing characteristics similar to the population, it was 59 decided to select more than ten respondents from certain strata. Consequently, thirty respondents were selected from the stratum which applied for funds and had the largest enrollment. More than ten were also selected from the strata having the largest and the smallest en- rollments from those who did not apply. The superintendents from two types of school dis- tricts were eliminated from the study. The superintendent from the Class I district in the state was not included. Two reasons made this decision seem justifiable. First, in a system as large as a Class I district, the profes- sional staff and not the superintendent would have been responsible for the major decisions relative to participa- tion in the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Second, since only one school district of this size is found in Michigan, no comparisons between districts could be made. In addition, the two Class II school districts in the state were also excluded from the study. This decision was made for two reasons. First, the size of these dis- tricts was so large that, as in the Class I district, the superintendent probably based his decision on the recom- mendations of his professional staff and not necessarily on his own beliefs. Second, school officials in both of these schools made application for funds and therefore no comparison between districts was possible. The following table summarizes the stratum size, the population in each stratum and the sample size for each of the two subpopulations. 60 TABLE 2 NUMBER OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND SAMPLE SIZES IN EACH ENROLLMENT STRATUM FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHICH DID OR DID NOT SUBMIT APPLICATIONS FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 FUNDS Schools Schools Not Stra- Submitting Submitting Total tum 9-12 Applications Applications Number Num- Enrollment 1n ber Stra- Num- Sample Num- Sample tum ber Size ber Size l 1000 and above 76 3O 2O 2O 96 2 800 to 999 19 10 19 10 38 3 600 to 799 30 10 19 10 49 4 500 to 599 20 10 18 10 38 5 400 to 499 27 10 34 10 61 6 300 to 399 32 10 47 10 79 7 200 to 299 15 10 57 10 72 8 199 and below 10 10 98 20 108 229a N = 312 N = 541a 100 100 aNote: The figures Shown do not include the three school districts excluded from the study. Although it was impossible to stratify the sample on the basis of both the state per pupil equalized valua- tion and the student enrollment it was felt that the per 'pupil equalized valuation of each superintendent's district was of sufficient importance to receive considerable 61 attention. As a result, each superintendent was randomly selected and then assigned a three digit code number. The code number assigned to each superintendent could not be used to identify the respondent as an individual, but only provided information relative to the characteristics of his professional environment. The first digit was either a zero or a one. A zero identified the superintendent as one of the 100 sampled who had not applied for funds while a 1 indicated he was one of the 100 randomly selected su- perintendents who had made application. The second digit ranged from one to eight and denoted the size of school district in terms of 9-12 grade student enrollment. These enrollments sizes are summarized in Table 2 above. The third digit in each code number ranged from one to seven and represented the state equalized valuation of the respondent's district as summarized in Table 3 below. A state equalized valuation of $20,000 and above was coded with the number one while a state equalized valuation of less than $7,000 was represented by the number seven. For example, a code number of 065 told the investigator that the respondent had not applied for funds, was employed in a school district having a 9—12 student enrollment of 300 to 399 and came from a district having a state equalized valuation of $9,000 to $10,999. Since 100 of the respond- ents were assigned the zero digit and ten came from a dis- 'trict having that particular 9—12 grade enrollment and :seventeen came from schools having that particular state 62 equalized valuation, it was clearly impossible to identify a particular respondent on the basis of this assigned code number. Since the superintendents included in the study were selected only on the basis of student enrollment, chance alone dictated the number and per cent found in each per pupil equalized valuation range. TABLE 3 PER PUPIL STATE EQUALIZED VALUATION OF RANDOMLY SELECTED SCHOOLS Per Pupil Total Schools Schools State Number of Sub- Not Sub- Equalized Randomly mitting mitting Per Valuation Selected Appli- Appli- Cent of Range Schools* cations cations Sample $20,000 and over 22 15 7 11 15,000 to 19,999 30 ll 19 15 13,000 to 14,999 19 ll 8 9.5 11,000 to 12,999 37 18 19 18.5 9,000 to 10,999 40 23 17 2O 7,000 to 8,999 30 13 17 15 Less than 7,000 22 9 13 11 200 100 100 100.0 *It should be noted that although chance alone dic- tated the number found in each range, the overall selections closely approximated a normal bell-shaped curve. As illustrated by Table 3, the different ranges were ccxnposed of no less than 9.5 per cent of the sample and no nuore than 20 per cent. Although the schools in each range 63 varied by a maximum of 10.5 percentage points, sufficient numbers were found in each range to allow the writer to make meaningful comparisons of superintendents employed by districts having different financial bases. Additionally, the numbers and percentages obtained in each valuation range would seem to support the contention that no observ- able relationship existed between the rank order of schools on the basis of student enrollment and their rank order based on state equalized valuation. Development of the Instrument The questionnaire was developed in three parts. Part One was comprised of eight statements designed to gather information pertaining to the superintendent. The sixty-seven statements in Part Two focused on the personal beliefs and perceptions of the superintendent relative to vocational education and the operational procedures of the Michigan Division of Vocational Education. Part Three was composed of forty-three true and false statements purporting to measure the superintendent's understanding of the Voca- tional Education Act of 1963. (See Appendix A.) Part One was therefore designed to gather informa- tion relating to the superintendent's professional prepara- tion, his administrative and teaching experience, his work experience outside the field of education and his partici- pation in vocational education conferences. Part Two was used to measure the superintendent's general perception of vocational education; his belief as 64 to how the Vocational Education Act affected public schools, his attitudes toward the kinds of written material and con- sultative services provided by the Division of Vocational Education; his opinions relative to the amount and effect of Federal and state funds, his knowledge of vocational certification requirements, his concept of the scope of vocational training and his reaction to funding priorities established by the Division of Vocational Education. Finally, Part Three was focused on the superintend- ent's understanding of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 and was designed to determine which parts of the Act were least understood by superintendents. Presumably, such parts would need further clarification by state per- sonnel. Part Two of the questionnaire was developed on the assumption that five statements would be sufficient to obtain a reliable reaction of superintendents toward a specific variable under consideration. For example, state— ments 7, 27, 40, 65 and 66 of Part Two of the instrument were all designed to answer the question or variable, "What kinds of consultative services at the state level are most needed by superintendents to assist them in implementing the Act?" The belief that five statements would be suffi- cient to obtain a reliable measure was predicated on the fact that each of the variables was centered specifically on operating procedures currently being practiced by the Division of Vocational Education. This procedure was 65 followed for all but the variable dealing with the superin- tendent's perception of vocational education. Since this one variable was rather general in nature, it was felt that ten statements should be developed in order to obtain the most accurate responses possible. In attempting to measure the superintendent's under- standing of the Act in Part Three, it was decided that cer- tain parts of the Act might have been better understood than others. If this were the case, a low score on the true and false test might reflect a lack of understanding of one or more of the specific provisions of the Act rather than provide a true reflection of his overall understanding. In other words, a superintendent might have a very good understanding of seven of the eleven specific sections of the Act and an almost total lack of understanding of the remaining four sections. Viewed as a composite, his over- all score would be misleading since it would indicate a general lack of understanding of all provisions of the Act rather than reflect his high degree of understanding of some parts and a low understanding of others. Accordingly, three questions were developed to measure a superintendent's understanding of each of eleven specific sections of the Act. To illustrate, statements 7, 31 and 39 were designed to measure a superintendent's under- standing of the provisions of the Act relating to Trade and Industrial Education. One group of statements in Part Three was of a general nature and did not deal with any 66 specific section. Like the perception variable in Part Two, ten statements were developed to obtain a measure of general information relative to the Act but which did not pertain to any particular section. Before the questionnaire could be prepared and sub- mitted to the respondents, it was necessary to validate the instrument. Selltiz defines the validity of a meas- uring instrument "as the extent to which differences in scores on it reflect true differences among individuals, groups, or situations in the characteristics which it seeks to measure, or true differences in the same indi- vidual, group, or Situation from one occasion to another, rather than constant or random errors."l‘L She admits how- ever that the measure of the validity of an instrument is very hard to obtain when she states: Nevertheless, it remains true that many-~probably most--questionnaires and interviews have been used without evidence of their validity. Again, the reasons are not hard to find. It is not always easy to determine what would be appropriate cri- teria of validity. Even if one can identify What would constitute appropriate evidence, it may not be feasible to gather the necessary data. But without such evidence, one can only hope that his instruments are actually measuring what he believes they are measuring. As stated earlier, a questionnaire was needed which would provide the following information: the understanding uClaire Selltiz, Marie Jahoda, Morton Deutsch, Stuart W. Cook, Research Methods in Social Relations, Holt, Rinehart, Winston, Inc., March, 1962, p. 155. 5Ibid., p. 277. 67 of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 possessed by school superintendents, the opinions of the superintendents rela— tive to questions having specific interest to the Division of Vocational Education, and the professional preparation and experience of the superintendent and the characteristics of his school district. Utilizing certain recommendations expressed by 6 Thurstone and Edwards7 the following procedures were ad- hered to in developing the instrument. Statements were de- vised in sufficient numbers to provide at least half again as many as would be required on the final questionnaire. Following steps outlined by Selltiz,8 these statements were then evaluated to eliminate ambiguity, irrelevancy, neutrality and extremity. The refined questionnaire was then submitted to a panel of twenty-two professional con- sultants in the Division of Vocational Education in the Michigan Department of Education. This panel of jurors was selected for several reasons. In the first place, their most recent professional responsibilities had made them more familiar with the provisions of the 1963 Act than perhaps any other group of individuals in the state. In addition to having broad general knowledge of the 6L. L. Thurstone and E. J. Chave, The Measurement of Attitude, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1929, pp. 26-29. 7Allen L. Edwards, Techniques of Attitude Scale Construction, Appleton, Century, Crofts, Inc., New York, 'i§57, pp- 105-115. 8Selltiz, o . cit., pp. 552-574. 68 provisions of the Act, each is believed to have a thorough understanding of the philosophy of vocational education. Their general knowledge of the Act in particular, and vo- cational education in general, is further strengthened be— cause each juror specializes in one or more of the programs offered under the provisions of the Act. And finally, their length of service with the Division of Vocational Education generally afforded them an excellent opportunity to make realistic and knowledgeable comparisons between old and new vocational education legislation. The panel of jurors was asked to evaluate the proposed instrument to determine items which should be refined, retained as written or dis- carded. The jurors were told the specific question which each statement was designed to answer. They were asked to select those statements which, in their opinion, would most likely elicit the superintendent's true opinions about the questions being asked. The following, for example, is a section from the instructions provided the jurors. The final group of statements is designed to obtain a measure of the superintendent's beliefs and perceptions about what the responsibilities of the staff of the Division of VOcational Education should be as a result of the provi- sions of the 1963 Act. The specific question being asked is listed at the top of the page and is underlined. Listed below the specific question are at least ten statements which attempt to answer the underlined question. Please select five of the ten or Inore statements provided for each underlined question. Do superintendents View the Act as increasing national and 'state control? l. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 is just one more indication of the growing problem of state and federal control of education. 69 2. Although the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is an— other example of increased state and federal control, the benefits to young people far outweigh its disad- vantages. 3. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 does not increase state and national control of education. 4. Any controls of vocational education imposed on schools by the Vocational Education Act of 1963 are necessary and justified in that they assure the most equitable allocation of funds to all children of the state and nation. 5. Since federal funds are in essence only state funds being returned to the state, I do not view federal legislation aimed at expanding vocational education as a threat to local autonomy. 6. Although in practice I might accept federal funds available under the Vocational Education Act of 1963, in principle I object to federal aid to vocational education and would refuse such aid if equal funds were available from a local source. 7. Due to the high cost of vocational education, federal aid as provided in the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is the only realistic source of funds. 8. Under the concept of local autonomy, local educational agencies have been unable to provide adequate voca- tional education and consequently the state should in- crease its leadership and control in order to provide adequate programs. 9. A reduction in programs of vocational education is preferable to a loss of local autonomy. lO. Superintendents should recommend to their boards the refusal of federal funds when their acceptance be- comes a real threat to local control. Comments: An exact replica of the materials provided the jurors is provided in Appendix B. 7O Seventeen of the twenty-two professional consultants responded to the preliminary questionnaire, representing a seventy-seven per cent return. The seventeen returns were then summarized and tallies made of the number who selected each statement. Selltiz lends credence to this step in the procedure when she writes, "Generally, pooling of ratings by two or more observers who are rating the same subjects tends to increase both reliability and validity."9 The most frequently chosen statements were then retained on the basis of the following schedule: Those measuring perception of vocational education 10 Those measuring general understanding of the Act 10 Those measuring understanding of specific parts of the Act 33 Those measuring opinions of current operating pro- cedures of the Division of Vocational Education 57 110 These 110 statements were then re-examined in light of the comments and suggestions made by the seventeen responding jury members. As a result of the suggestions and comments presented, certain statements and certain groups of state- ments were reworded or rewritten. Particular consideration was given to the comments made by a consultant to statements dealing with his special area of interest. A tentative form of the questionnaire was then de- veloped. In addition to the 110 statements designed to 91bid., p. 158. 71 measure the superintendent's perception and knowledge of vocational education, an additional eight statements were included to obtain information about the characteristics of the superintendent and his professional environment. Each of these statements possessed several foils which al- lowed the respondent to merely check the answer which best described him. For example, to the question of length of employment as a teacher the superintendent simply had to place a check next to one of the following possible re- sponses: none, I to 3 years, A to 6 years, 7 to 9 years, 10 to 12 years, or 13 years or over. Two additional features of the questionnaire should be emphasized. First, all statements pertaining to opin- ions and perceptions required the superintendent to respond on a forced choice agreement-disagreement scale. The four choices in the resultant Likert-type or summated scale were Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree and Strongly Disagree. A possible fifth choice, that of no opinion, was purposely omitted. Such a choice, while admittedly allowing for a response when no opinion has been formed, does not add much meaningful data for later statistical analysis. On the other hand, use of a four choice summated scale can create a situation whereby a respondent will elect not to answer at all rather than select a response when he actually pos- sesses no opinion. At the same time, the procedure may tend to force the respondent to actually think about the statements and arrive at a decision relative to his opinion. 72 Authorities in the field differ on the value of either method which, in the final analysis, leaves the decision of choice of methods to the personal preference of the re- searcher. The second feature of the questionnaire that war- rants discussion is the fact that all statements relative to the superintendent's understanding of the Act, con- sidered in Section Three of the instrument, were presented as true and false statements. In addition, a third re- sponse aside from that of true and false was added. For example, question one of Section Three was presented to the respondents as follows: T F I 1. In Office Education, single courses as well as a series of courses are now reimbursable under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. The format for all statements in Section Three was the same as shown in the above example. If the respondent actually did not know the answer to the statement he could circle the "I" which represented "Insufficient Information." As mentioned previously, it was felt that this procedure would accomplish at least three purposes: relieve the respondent of the feeling that he was being tested, reduce the number of times that a superintendent would fail to respond and reduce guessing thereby obtaining a more accurate measure of the true understanding possessed by the superintendents. To avoid offending or threatening the respondents, it was made clear that the score obtained on the true or false part of the questionnaire would measure how well 73 personnel in the Division of Vocational Education inter- preted the 1963 Act to superintendents. The respondents should, therefore, have felt that any inadequacies shown by their test scores were attributable to the staff in the Division of Vocational Education and not to them personally. After the 110 statements were selected, the tenta- tive questionnaire was organized, as mentioned previously, into three sections. The first section, containing eight statements dealt with the personal characteristics of the superintendent and factors in his professional environment. Section Two, composed of sixty-seven statements, dealt with the superintendent's perceptions of vocational education and Opinions relative to the operating procedures of the Division of Vocational Education. The forty-three state- ments in Section Three were designed to measure the super- intendent's understanding of the Act. The statements in Sections Two and Three were randomly assigned within each section using a table of random numbers. Hopefully, ran- domization here would aid in obtaining more nearly accurate responses since it was difficult to compare answers to statements pertaining to the same variables. As indicated earlier, for example, statements pertaining to the question, What kinds of consultative services at the state level are most needed by superintendents to assist them in implementing the Act? were randomly assigned to Section Two of the ques- tionnaire as statements 7, 27, MO, 65 and 66. After structuring the instrument and randomizing 74 the responses, sample questionnaires were submitted to four superintendents to obtain the reactions of a pre-test group. These superintendents were equally divided-~two who had submitted applications and two who had not. A few revisions were suggested by these individuals and were in- corporated into the final instrument. As described previously, lOO superintendents were selected from each of the two subgroups by using a table of random numbers. The address of each was obtained from the 1964-65 edition of the Michigan Education Directory and Buyer's Guide. Each of the 200 superintendents was mailed a c0py of the questionnaire, a cover letter prepared by the writer (See Appendix C), an additional cover letter en- dorsing the study and signed by the Acting Superintendent of the Department of Education, Mr. Alexander J. Kloster (See Appendix D), and a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The packet of materials described above was not mailed until the first week in July of 1965. A record was kept of the number of returns received in each of the pre- selected strata described previously. During the first week of August a follow-up letter (See Appendix E) was mailed to everyone in each stratum in which at least a sixty per cent return had not been received. Another ques- tionnaire and a third cover letter (See Appendix F) were mailed during the third week of September to all sample members in those strata in which a sixty per cent return had still not been received. 75 The timing of the original mailing is felt to have been a possible deterrent to the receipt of a higher per cent of returns. Applications for funds under the l963 Act for fiscal 1965 were not due in the Division of Voca- tional Education until June 30, 1965. Since the study was designed to compare superintendents who did or did not submit applications for funds for the fiscal years l96M and 1965, it was necessary to wait until after the deadline for the submission of applications before the random selec- tion could be made. In addition, Mr. Kloster did not be- come Acting Superintendent until July 1, 1965, and under- standably he did not wish his cover letter to be mailed prior to that date. The summer months are obviously not the most de- sirable for submitting a questionnaire. Vacations, summer school, conferences and the reopening of schools all con— tribute to a busy schedule and undoubtedly affected the per cent of returns while resulting in a longer period of time between the original mailing, the follow-up and the final mailing than might be desirable. The number of returns, responses by stratum and the results of the study will be described in the next chapter. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF DATA AND PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS Introduction In this analysis an attempt has been made to deter- mine which of the variables discussed in Chapter One were associated with the decisions of school superintendents to submit applications for funding under the Vocational Edu- cation Act of l963. This determination is based upon an analysis of the responses by superintendents to the re- search questionnaire discussed in Chapter Three. In addi- tion, the analysis has been conducted in a manner designed to determine whether a variable could be attributed to: l. The superintendent's professional preparation and experience, 2. The superintendent's immediate professional environment, or, 3. The operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Education of the Michigan Depart- ment of Education. Number and Composition of Returns One hundred and thirty-nine, or 69.5 per cent of the 200 questionnaires mailed to superintendents, were re- turned. Nine of the questionnaires were incomplete and 76 77 could not be used. In addition, one questionnaire was re- ceived too late to be included in the analysis. The 129 usable questionnaires represented returns from 64.5 per cent of the 200 superintendents included in the sample. Seventy-one per cent of the 100 superintendents included in the sample, who had submitted applications for reim- bursement under the Vocational Education Act of 1963, re- turned the questionnaire. In comparison, 58 per cent of the 100 non-applicants included in the sample responded to the questionnaire. No additional returns were received even though two follow-up letters and duplicate c0pies of the instrument (See Appendices D and E) were sent to super- intendents who had not returned the questionnaire. Table 4 summarizes the number and per cent of returns by sub- population and by stratum. Ten unusable questionnaires were returned, eight of which came from superintendents in subpopulation two. Had these eight questionnaires been usable, the per cent of re- turns for superintendents in subpopulation two would have been increased to sixty-two per cent and strata five, seven, and eight would have contained at least a sixty per cent return. However, as mentioned previously, the overall re- turn totaled 64.5 per cent of the study sample. Professional Preparation and Experience of Two Respondent-Groups of Michigan School Superintendents Eight variables were considered as possibly being related to the superintendent's professional preparation 78 TABLE A SAMPLE SIZE, NUMBER, AND PER CENT OF RETURNS OF TWO SUBPOPULATIONS OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS STRATIFIED ACCORDING TO HIGH SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Enrollment Stratac Sample Ngé?f Per Sample Ngéof Per Size turns Cent Size turns Cent 1 (1000 a over) 30 19 63.3 20 13 65 2 (800 to 999) 10 8 8o 10 7 7o 3 (600 to 799) IO IO IOO IO 5 50 A (500 to 599) 10 7 70 IO 7 7o 5 (Moo to M99) 10 5 50 lO 4 no 6 (300 to 399) 10 6 6o 10 6 6o 7 (BOO to 299) IO 7 70 IO 5 5O 8 (199 so below) _;_9_ __9. 2.2 _2_0_ _1_1 2; N = 100 71 AV. = N = 100 58 AV. = 72-9 57-7 aSuperintendents submitting applications Superintendents who did not submit an application Numbers in parentheses denote 9-l2 grade enrollment and experience. These variables were posed in the form of questions designed to determine whether the superintendent's decision to submit an application was related to: l. The superintendent's level of educational attainment? 2. The superintendent's length of employment by v 79 his current school board? 3. The superintendent's length of previous employ- ment as a superintendent? A. The superintendent's length of employment as a teacher? 5. The superintendent's length of employment in fields other than education? 6. The superintendent's undergraduate major? 7. The discipline in which the superintendent taught? 8. The superintendent's perception of vocational education? The Chi square test of significance was applied to the differences in responses between the two groups of su- perintendents to the first five questions. These results are presented in the following five tables and the Chi square value is shown at the bottom of each table. Of the five questions analyzed by this procedure, only question one (Table 5) showed any statistical signif- icance. Question one, dealing with the superintendent's level of academic preparation, was significant at greater than the .I level. The 71 respondents who submitted appli- cations for 1963 Act funds possessed a higher degree of academic attainment than did those who did not apply for funds. An analysis of the table shows 88.7 per cent of those who applied have taken courses beyond the Master's 80 Degree as compared to 72.4 per cent of those who did not apply. TABLE 5 ACADEMIC PREPARATION POSSESSED BY TWO RESPONDENT—GROUPS OF MICHIGAN SUPERINTENDENTS Academic Subpgggéation Subp$§ggation Preparation (Per Cent) (Per Cent) Bachelor's Degree Only O O Work beyond Bachelor's Degree but less than 1.4 3.5 Master's Degree Master‘s Degree 8.5 24.1 Work beyond Master's Degree but less than 76.0 67.2 Doctor's Degree Doctor's Degree 12.7 5.2 No Response 1.4 O x2 = 8.731 d/f=4 Sig. level = .10 those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds ESubpopulation one Subpopulation two Two additional variables were felt to be associated with a superintendent's professional preparation and ex- perience. These were the discipline in which he taught and his undergraduate major. The responses by the two sub- populations of superintendents to questions about their teaching experience and undergraduate majors served to 81 provide an insight into the types of individuals who tend to become superintendents but did not show any differences between the two groups. The 71 superintendents who ap- plied reported 173 or an average of 2.44 different teaching assignments. The 58 superintendents who did not apply in- dicated 124 separate teaching assignments for an average of 2.14. TABLE 6 LENGTH OF EMPLOYMENT BY CURRENT SCHOOL BOARD OF TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS OF MICHIGAN SUPERINTENDENTS Length of Subpopulation Subpopulation Employment Onea Twob (Years) (Per Cent) (Per Cent) Less than 1 11.3 12.1 1 - 3 33.8 27.7 4 - 6 11.3 20.7 7 - 9 12.7 5.2 10 - 12 5.6 12.1 13 or over 25.3 22.3 No response O O x2 = 5.841 d/f = 5 Sig. level = N. S. a Subpopulation one bSubpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds 82 TABLE 7 LENGTH OF EMPLOYMENT BY PREVIOUS SCHOOL BOARD OF TWO RESPONDENT~GROUPS OF MICHIGAN SUPERINTENDENTS Length of Subpopulation Subpopulation Employment Onea Twob (Years) (Per Cent) (Per Cent) None 39.4 46.6 1 - 3 9.9 305 4 - 6 15.5 18.9 7 - 9 11.3 8.6 10 - 12 5.6 5.2 13 or over 18.3 17.2 No response 0 O x2 = 5.804 d/f = 5 Sig. level = No S. aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds Some superintendents in both groups reported more than one undergraduate major. The seventy-one superin- tendents who applied for funds reported ninety-seven sepa- rate undergraduate majors or an average of 1.37. Those who did not apply showed a similar pattern. These fifty- eight respondents reported seventy-three different under- graduate majors for an average of 1.26 per respondent. For both groups, it was found that a very small per cent either majored or taught in vocational education. On the 83 basis of the undergraduate majors included in the ques- tionnaire, the so-called academic majors were most often represented in both groups. Judging from these data, per- sons majoring in art, music or home economics apparently do not normally become public school superintendents. The very close relationship of the academic preparation of the two groups of superintendents is shown in Table 10 by rank ordering the frequencies of their undergraduate majors. TABLE 8 LENGTH OF EMPLOYMENT AS A TEACHER OF TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS OF MICHIGAN SUPERINTENDENTS Length of Subpopulation Subpopugation Employment Onea Two (Years) (Per Cent) (Per Cent) None 1.4 O l - 3 21.1 15.5 4 - 6 29.6 27.6 7 - 9 19.7 22.4 10 - 12 9.9 6.9 13 or over 15.5 24.1 No response 2.8 3.5 x2 = 3.112 .d/f = 6 Sig. level = N. S. a b those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds Subpopulation one Subpopulation two 84 TABLE 9 LENGTH OF EMPLOYMENT IN FIELDS OTHER THAN EDUCATION OF TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS OF MICHIGAN SUPERINTENDENTS Length of Subpopulation Suprpulation Employment Onea Twob (Years) (Per Cent) (Per Cent) None 15.5 10-3 1 - 2 14.1 27.5 3 - 4 21.1 18.9 5 - 6 11.3 13.8 7 - 8 4.2 o 9 - 10 2.8 3.5 11 - 12 O 1.7 13 or over 1.4 3.5 No response 29.6 20.7 x2 = 9.040 d/f = 8 Sig. level = N. S. those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two II N For those who applied for funds, 59.7 per cent re- ported undergraduate majors in one of the top three majors in order of rank. The superintendents who did not apply for funds were very similar with 54.8 per cent showing majors in the same three disciplines. One might logically assume that an undergraduate major in vocational education would strongly influence a 85 TABLE IO NUMERICAL RANK ORDERING OF UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS OF TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS OF MICHIGAN SUPERINTENDENTS Unde§§§23uate Subpgfigéation Rank Subpg§:%ation Rank (Frequency) (Frequency) Social Science 24 1 22 1 Mathematics 20 2 8 3 Science 14 3 IO 2 Physical Education 12 4 5 7 English 9 5 6 4 Industrial Arts 5 6 5 6 Business Education 3 7 6 5 Agriculture 2 8 4 8 Music 1 9 2 9 Art O IO O IO Trade and Industrial O 11 O 11 Home Economics 0 12 O 12 Other 7 —- 6 -- TOTAL 97 —— 73 __ :Subpopulation one 5 those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds Suprpulation two superintendent's decision to submit an application. How- ever, neither group was represented by many superintendents possessing an undergraduate major in vocational education. 86 In subpopulation one, of the ninety-seven undergraduate majors reported, only five or 5.3 per cent indicated an undergraduate major in one of the four areas of vocational education. The vocational preparation of superintendents in subpopulation two was similar. Ten, or 13.7 per cent, of the seventy-three undergraduate majors reported were in vocational education. Since twice as many of the super- intendents who did not apply for funds reported an under— graduate major in vocational education than those who did apply, one might wonder whether a major in vocational edu- cation was associated with a negative decision toward the application for funds. The numbers are not great enough to allow one to state this as a definite conclusion, but since almost fifteen per cent of the non-applicants re- ported a vocational education undergraduate major it leads one to wonder whether superintendents with backgrounds in vocational education are less inclined to apply for voca- tional education funds. The rank order comparison was applied to the re- ported teaching experiences of the respondents and is re— ported in Table 11. A comparison of Tables 10 and 11 shows a great deal of similarity in the rank ordering of undergraduate majors and teaching experience of the responding superintendents. For example, social science, mathematics and science ranked one, two or three for both groups of superintendents in respect to both undergraduate major and teaching experience. 87 TABLE 11 NUMERICAL RANK ORDERING OF TEACHING EXPERIENCES OF TWO RESPONDENT- GROUPS OF MICHIGAN SUPERINTENDENTS Teaching Subpopulation Subpopulation Experience Onea Rank Twob Rank (Frequency) (Frequency) Social Science 37 l 33 1 Mathematics 33 2 24 2 Physical Science 21 3 21 3 Biological Science 16 4 12 5 Physical Education 16 5 ll 6 English 14 6 14 4 Business Education 8 7 6 8 Industrial Arts 6 8 7 7 Agriculture 2 9 4 9 Trade and Industrial 2 IO 2 10 Music 1 ll 2 11 Art 0 12 O 12 Home Economics O 13 O 13 Other 17 -- 8 -- TOTAL 173 -- 124 -- aSubpopulation one bSubpopulation two II II funds those who applied for funds those who did not apply for Over sixty-one per cent of the superintendents who applied for funds reported teaching experiences in one of the top 88 three majors in respect to rank ordering. The same pattern of responses was reported by the superintendents who did not apply except that over eighty—two per cent of this group reported undergraduate majors in these three disciplines. A comparison of teaching experiences in vocational education shows that a higher per cent of those who did not apply for funds reported having taught in vocational education. For example, twelve superintendents in subpopu- lation one, or 6.9 per cent, indicated experience in one of the four areas of vocational education as compared to twelve, or 9.7 per cent, of those who did not apply. As mentioned previously in this chapter, question eight, one of the variables associated with the superin- tendent's professional preparation and experience, focused on the superintendent's perception of vocational education. The reader will recall that question eight asked: Was the decision to submit an application related to the superin- tendent's perception of vocational education? Both re- spondent-groups or suprpulations were asked to react to ten statements in order to secure an answer to this ques- tion. The respondent was asked to either strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree by circling one of the four choices provided. These choices of agreement were in- dicated as follows: Strongly Agree, SA; Agree, A; Disagree, D; and Strongly Disagree, SD. Some of the statements were worded in such a way that the statement was positive in nature. In these in- stances, agreement with the statement reflected a positive 89 or favorable attitude. The SA choices were, therefore, given a score of four, A a score of three, D a score of two, and SD a score of one. Conversely, some of the state- ments were written in a negative vein. Disagreement with these statements indicated a favorable perception. Conse- quently, in these instances, the SD choice was rated with a score of four, D with three, A with two and SA with one. Since ten statements were developed to measure perception, a minimum score of ten and a maximum score of forty were possible. The following table shows the per cent of re- spondents from subpopulation one and subpopulation two who either strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed or strongly dis- agreed with each of the ten statements designed to measure perception of vocational education. An analysis of the responses to each statement in Table 12 shows rather uniform responses by both subpopula— tion one and subpopulation two superintendents to items 29, 41, 45, 61, and 67. Minor differences were expressed by the two subpopulation respondents to the other five items. Approximately eleven per cent more of those who did not apply either disagreed or strongly disagreed that voca- tional-technical education should be offered in area schools or at the post—secondary level (statement three). This be- lief was further expressed by superintendents in subpopula- tion two when 14.3 per cent more of them felt vocational education at the secondary level was of little value to a well-rounded education as expressed in statement fifteen. .37.».(37 90 4.... m3 m.sa s.mfi s.mm m.m: b.0m :.mm w.Hm ©.O® m.m m.m m.mm w.mm mgp op empspfisppm sHHmepsm pmmoa pd on :80 hapqsoo mHSP m.:m :.mm ©.w w.m CH mums pcoE%0HmEsz Qwfis one o.p@ooQOQ wasp nonpwcmspm op mappflfi woos Ho>mH hswqu loom mSp pm Qoapmoscm HmQOHp nwoo> 6cm coaprSUo Hmsmnfla pmcqsos Ham; 8 mo pHMmCmp amp s.om m.m :.m m.: m>sn gasogm pqmespm swm>m 8.Hm>ma Hoosom swag upmom osp pm so mmflpfiafiomm Hoosom cowpmosUm Hmoficnomp uHonproo> swam oomflawfloomm CH wmcfi>osm on casosm coapmo 1566 HwQOHpmoo> «kHBOp mmoc IHmSQ ocm SMQmSUGH mo mwmmc H.m: m.mm fi.:m H.am mo spflxmagsoo map mo mmsaomm .Hm .ma pm.wcma.gc m.hU H.MU N.HU H.HU N.HU H.HU N.MU H.9w mmcommom oz mosw¢ hamaospm mosw< moswmmfla omswmmfim musQGOHpmmzw CH 66989852 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CoHp8oC8m 98C0Hp800> 898 .mpC885pm 898 18C008m Mo 888pC8098Q 988989 988 8 90 8888C 98C0Hp8oo> 89p 90 8C8E p888 89980HpmH9889 op 8900908 30998 99H3 mmm9 90 8.9 ®.m p8< CoHp8os8m 98C0Hp800> 898 .MJ .8m 0.3m 98.9889.90 N.9w 9.9U m.9U 9.93 m.9U 9.9U m.9w 9.93 88C0988m oz 889w< w 898C09pm 889 < 889w8mHQ 889w8mH9 89H8CC0Hpm8sa CH 88989852 898C09pm 89800C8m m8 pC8E8p8pm m8mComm8m 90 pC8U 98m ©8SCHpCOOII89 m9m¢e 106 08898>89 998888988 90 98090 I 998889898 8>998®8Z0 80959 909 99998 909 090 093 88099 I 039 9099895909958 n m .969 80959 909 0899998 093 88099 I 890 9099893909958 u 9 .908 8.88898099 909980508 99508 8>9898989mEoo 890E 809>09Q 09 9999998 899 89 889898 900908 9m.9w89.9w m.9U 9.9U m.9U 9.90 m.9U 9.96 N.9U 9.9U 8mcomm8m 889w< oz h9®9099m 88988899 889w< 889w8m9m h9®9099m m8mcogm8m 90 9980 98m 899899099885@ 99 08989852 9980098m m8 99888989m U8§G9PQOOIIN9 m9m<8 107 An analysis of statement 19 shows that superintend- ents rather uniformly disagreed that the Act will provide a more realistic educational program. Approximately ninety per cent of the superintendents in both subpopulations either disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement. However, a rather large per cent of the school administra- tors in subpopulation one disagreed with statements 2, 3M and 43 as compared with the superintendents in subpopula- tion two. In addition, no one in subpopulation one strongly agreed with statement 37 whereas slightly more than twelve per cent of the superintendents in subpopulation two strongly favored the statement. In general then, it can be said that those who applied for funds were more inclined to feel that the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 would not release more local funds for general edu- cation and would not necessarily allow schools to more re- alistically meet the needs of secondary students, dropouts, or adults. In order to provide a summary of the superintendents‘ reactions to the five statements just discussed, the super- intendent's score on each statement in Table 17 was summed to obtain an overall score for all statements pertaining to this question. Since five statements were provided to obtain an answer to the general question of how superin- tendents perceived the 1963 Act as affecting public schools, a score of 0-20 was possible for each respondent. Table 18 provides the summed scores for the superintendents in the 108 two subpopulations. Chi square values, in accordance with the procedures previously described, are recorded in Table 18 and in each summary table presented in the remainder of this chapter. TABLE 18 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR PERCEPTION OF HOW THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 AFFECTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score by Quartile Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea Twob (N = 60) (N = 51) O - 5 O O 6 - 10 1.7 3.9 11 - 15 86.8 94.2 16 - 20 11.5 1.9 x2 = 3.14 d/f = 1 Sig. level = N. S. aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds A high score on this series of five statements in- dicates a belief that the Vocational Education Act of 1963 will improve the educational services offered by a school system. Since superintendents in subpopulation two re- vealed a more negative perception of vocational education 109 as shown in Table 13, it is not surprising to find in Ta- ble 18 that a slightly greater percentage of these super- intendents also felt the 1963 Act would have an adverse effect on educational programs in their schools. On the other hand, as a result of their having obtained scores in the fourth quartile, almost ten per cent more of the administrators in subpopulation one felt the effects of the Act of 1963 would be very positive in their outcome. Although the Chi square procedure did not show sig- nificance at the .05 level, the difference between subpopu- lations one and two on the effect of the 1963 Act on pub- lic schools was significant at a percentage somewhere be- tween the .10 and the .05 levels. As such, it is worthy of note. The positive position toward the effect of the Act on public schools assumed by the superintendents who applied for funds would imply that this attitude may have been associated with the superintendent's decision to make application. A summary of the beliefs of a11 responding superin- tendents is shown in Table 18. However, it does not allow an examination, for example, of the perception of the ef- fect of the Act on public schools by superintendents from districts having a state equalized valuation of $11,000 and above in comparison to superintendents who came from districts having a much smaller state equalized valuation. Throughout the remainder of this chapter each sum- mated table, as illustrated by Table 18, will be followed 110 by five additional tables to show a comparison of the summed scores of all superintendents to the responses of superin- tendents when selected on the basis of: I. It ranges or Size of district in terms of high school en- rollment, Wealth of district in terms of per pupil state equalized valuation, The superintendents' length of employment by their current school board, The superintendents' length of employment by a previous school board, The superintendents' a teacher. and, length of employment as should be noted that the number of possible stratifications on the five tables following each summary table will be less than the superintendent had to select from on the questionnaire. For example, there were eight different stratifications according to 9-12 enrollment on the questionnaire. These were as follows: Stratum Number ODNCNUW-D'UJIUH 9-12 Enrollment 1,000 and above 800 600 500 400 300 200 199 Because of the small N's in some of to 999 to 799 to 599 to 499 to 399 to 299 and below these strata, an attempt 111 was made to obtain more uniform N's between the two sub- populations of superintendents by combining the responses from each successive pair of strata. Consequently, the succeeding tables dealing with 9—12 enrollment will have four rather than eight strata. A similar treatment was applied to tables dealing with state equalized valuation, length of employment by present board, length of employ- ment by previous board, and length of employment as a teacher. Table 19 summarizes the new ranges or stratifi- cations and the frequencies in each range or stratum. Except for minor differences, an analysis of Table 20 shows a reasonable amount of uniformity between the two subpopulations. For some reason, superintendents in both subpopulations from districts having a high school enroll- ment of 300-A99 were more negative toward the effects of the Act than their fellow administrators from either larger or smaller schools. In addition, respondents in both sub- populations from school districts having a high school en- rollment of less than 300 students were slightly more prone to indicate that the 1963 Act would improve the edu- cational services offered by a school system than were the superintendents from larger schools. Very little uniformity in the responses of the two .subpopulations is observable when analyzing Table 21. In general, it appears that superintendents who applied for funds tend to feel the effects of the Act on public schools will be positive. Those from wealthier districts express 112 TABLE 19 COMBINED STRATA USED IN MAKING COMPARISONS RELATING TO TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS OF MICHIGAN SUPERINTENDENTS Combined N for Sub- N for Sub- Variable Ranges or population population Strataa One Two 800 and above 27 20 9-12 grade 500 to 799 l7 l2 enrollment 300 to 499 ll 10 299 and below l6 16 State 15,000 and above 20 20 equalized 11,000 to 14,999 16 13 valuation 9,000 to 10,999 1A 11 8,999 and below 21 14 Years as Su- 3 or less 32 23 perintendent - A to 9 l7 15 present school 10 and above 22 20 Previous em- Less than 1 28 28 ployment as l to 6 18 13 school super- 7 to 12 12 7 intendent l3 and over 13 10 Length of 3 or less 16 8 employment A to 6 21 16 as a 7 to 9 21 1? teacher 10 and over 11 15 aThese strata were derived by combining the original strata sizes shown in Tables 2 and 3 of Chapter Three and statements 1, 2 and 3 of the questionnaire. (See Appendix A.) this positive attitude more strongly than those from the poorer districts. Subpopulation two superintendents reacted somewhat opposite however. Over eleven per cent of the 113 TABLE 20 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS FROM DISTRICTS OF VARYING 9-l2TH GRADE ENROLLMENT ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH HOW THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 AFFECTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile 9-l2th Grade Enrollment Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob 92C 93d 949 92 Q3 94 800 and above 0 90.0 10.0 5.8 94.2 0 500 - 799 0 100.0 0 0 100.0 0 300 - 499 11.1 77.8 11.1 12.5 87.5 0 299 and below 0 73.3 26.7 0 93.2 6.8 a bSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 2 2nd quartile or scores of 6—10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 superintendents who were employed in the wealthiest dis- tricts had scores in the second or least positive quartile. Conversely, over eleven per cent of the superintendents from the poorest districts obtained scores in the fourth quartile and therefore expressed a very favorable attitude toward the effects of the Act. In general, therefore, the responses by the two groups seem too inconsistent to allow one to attempt any valid generalizations from Table 21. 114 TABLE 21 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS FROM DISTRICTS OF VARYING STATE EQUALIZED VALUATION ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH HOW THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 AFFECTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Per Pupil State Equalized Valuation Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob 92C 93d Q4e Q2 QB 94 $15,000 and above 0 86.6 13.4 11.1 88.9 0 11,000 - 14,999 0 83.3 16.7 0 100.0 0 9,000 - 10,999 0 92.4 7.6 0 100.0 0 Below 8,999 5.0 85.0 10.0 0 88.9 11.1 a bSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds II II SQ2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16—20 With rather minor exceptions, the pattern of re- sponses in Table 22 is fairly uniform among the two sub- populations. Over ninety-five per cent of the superin— tendents from the two subpopulations agreed or strongly agreed with the five statements dealing with the effects of the Act on public schools. We can say then that the overwhelming majority of superintendents, regardless of their length of experience with their current board, feel the Act will favorably affect public schools. 115 TABLE 22 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY THEIR PRESENT BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH HOW THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 AFFECTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent 9 o a . b Present Board SUbPOPUlatlon One Subpopulation Two 920 93d Q48 92 Q3 Q4 3 or less 3.5 80.7 15.8 4.5 91.0 4.5 4 - 9 0 100.0 0 0 100.0 O 10 and over 0 84.2 15.8 5.5 94.5 0 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 Q3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 8Q4 2 4th quartile or scores of 16—20 An analysis of Table 23 indicates that suprpula— tion one superintendents, whose experience was primarily with their current board, were more prone to strongly agree that the passage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 would result in improved educational services in their schools. Those superintendents who had seven or more years of experience with other boards tended to assume a less positive position. The same general pattern of responses pertained for superintendents who did not apply for funds. However, only four per cent of those 116 TABLE 23 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY A PREVIOUS BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH HOW THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 AFFECTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years AS Superintendent, Previous Board Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob 92C 93d Q4e Q2 QB Q4 Less than 1 O 79.2 20.8 0 96.0 4.0 1 - 6 O 87.5 11.5 0 100.0 0 7 - 12 11.0 89.0 0 0 100.0 0 l3 and over 0 100.0 0 28.6 71.4 0 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds II II CQ2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 dQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of ll-l5 eQ4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 who had previous employment as a superintendent of less than one year scored in quartile four as compared to 20.8 per cent of the same group from subpopulation one. Con- versely, 28.6 per cent of subpopulation two superintendents who had been employed by one or more additional school boards for thirteen years or more scored in the second quartile and therefore felt the provisions of the 1963 Act might actually be deleterious to their educational programs. None of the superintendents from subpopulation 117 one who had been employed by a previous board for thirteen years or more were concerned enough about the effects of the Act to public schools to have received scores in the second quartile. In summary, the two subpopulations tended to Show the same pattern of responses in Table 23. However, where positive responses were reflected by both subpopulations, the number of superintendents in subpopulation two who reacted favorably was considerably less. This less favor- able reaction was illustrated by the lower percentage of superintendents in subpopulation two who scored in quar- tile four. Conversely, where more negative responses were obtained by both groups, the number reacting negatively was greater in subpopulation two as illustrated by higher percentages in quartile two. Once again, rather scattered responses to statements dealing with how the Act affected public schools among the two subpopulations sorted on the basis of teaching experi- ence do not allow for any particularly revealing analysis of Table 24. The differences among the quartile scores of the superintendents possessing varying amounts of teaching experience are so small that it seems unreasonable to con— clude that length of teaching experience had any effect upon the responses obtained on the statements dealing with the effect to public schools resulting from the passage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. 118 TABLE 24 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS WHO TAUGHT FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH HOW THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 AFFECTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years of Teaching Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Experience 92C 93d 948 92 93 Q4 3 or less 0 86.7 13.3 0 100.0 0 4 - 6 5.6 83.3 11.1 0 100.0 0 7 - 9 0 93.4 6.6 7.1 85.8 7.1 10 and over 0 80.0 20.0 0 100.0 0 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds gQE = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 2 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 Question one has contained a complete explanation of the statistical treatment and a narrative explaining the rationale behind the development of each table. This was purposefully included with the discussion of the first variable associated with the operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Education so the reader would haVe concrete examples to follow as the methodology was de- veloped. Each of the remaining questions listed on page 102 will be analyzed and discussed in the same manner as 119 question one. The discussion of methodology and the de— velopment of the statistical treatment will be omitted, however, Since otherwise Similar procedures will be used as other questions are considered. Need for Informational Materials to Assist in Implementing the Act Question two asked: ~What kinds of informational materials Should the state office be developing to assist superintendents in implementing the Act? Once again, five statements were submitted to responding superintendents to obtain answers to this question. The responses to the five statements are presented in Table 25. All items were responded to in a rather uniform man- ner by superintendents in subpopulation one and subpopula- tion two. Both groups tended to respond in the same way to all five statements. Rather uniformly, superintendents who applied for funds as well as those who did not apply indicated a need for more printed information pertaining to vocational education. In Table 26 the responses of each of the two sub- populations of superintendents are Shown on the basis of their summed scores by quartiles. A high score on Table 26 indicates that superin- tendents need more informational materials to assist them in implementing the provisions of the 1963 Act. Those who did not apply appear to feel more strongly that these materials are needed as indicated by the fact that almost 120 9.9 88 9.9 o 9.08 9.39 8.89 9.39 m.mm 3.88 8.88 8.39 8.39 3.09 9.88 9.38 m.09 8.8 8.8 8.8 8.09 8.8 9.9 8.8 O 3.9 899 99 88909888 989099 180908 98009 989888 09903 90993 8899980998 9890999009 .M899 90 909 909980908 989099800> 899 98099 98899092 99 909980908 98909980o> 90 m8>9908n90 098 89808 899 899999990 9899009 8 8989899 099098 909980908 9890998009 90 90989999 899 .88909888 98909980908 98009 99 080889 99089 89 909980908 09 89998989 8909 9898089 989 98990 09 999890998989 899 098 8889 90 909 909980909 989099 u800> 899 90 89899898 99 .08 98.9089.90 8.90 9.90 8.90 9.90 8.90 9.90 8.90 9.90 88909889 02 88989 99890998 88989 88988899 88988899 99890998 888909889 90 9980 989 8998990998890 99 08989992 99900989 88 998989898 mBZMQZMBZHmmmbm Z90HmOHZ mo m9bom0lBmezommmm 03% OH 0ZHQ90009 029909m>mm mm Q9bomm 209890398 99ZOHB900> 90 ZOH8H>HQ 89988 898 899HmMB9S 99ZOHB929092H 90 89299 m8 m9898 121 8.8 8.9 9.89 8.8 9.99 8.89 8.8 8.8 8.8 o 9.9 o 8.89 8.8 8.89 9.88 8.8 0.9 o 9.9 098 88909989 99 8809> I988 899 899999990 9899009 8 8989899 099098 909980909 989099800> 90 909m9>99 89B .8889 90 909 909980909 98909980 10> 899 98099 899889998989 309 898 90993 989988 90989 899 99 89099899000 89989888 098 389 899 99 89999899 909 880998 9899099990 8989899 099098 909980909 989099800> 90 90989>99 89B .9099 :80909 9890998009 90 90989> I99 899 99 08989899 89 099098 M889 90 909 909980909 989099 I800> 899 99 909 0809>099 88 88898099 909980908 989099 u800> 09908 90 998E9098>80 .83 .mm 98.9089.90 8.90 9.90 8.90 9.90 8.90 9.90 8.90 9.90 88909889 88989 02 99890998 88989 88988899 88988899 99890998 888909889 90 9980 989 8998990998898 99 08989892 99800989 88 998989898 089999900|Im8 9999B 122 80999 909 99998 909 090 093 88099 I 039 9099899909998 8 .90 80999 909 0899998 093 88099 n 890 9099899909998 9 9 .988 .m889 90 909 909980909 989099800> 899 90 890989>099 899 998889999 9889 09 98090 99 08998990 89 980 8809> I988 88899 309 8999989998 98.9089.90 8.90 9.90 8.90 9.90 8.90 9.90 8.90 9.90 88909889 88989 02 99890998 88988899 8998990998890 99 08989899 88989 88988899 99890998 99900989 88 998889898 888909889 90 9980 989 089999900Ilm8 9999B 123 ten per cent more of the respondents in subpopulation two scored in the upper quartile of Table 26 than the super- intendents in subpopulation one. TABLE 26 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT THE KINDS OF PRINTED MATERIALS NEEDED TO BE PROVIDED BY THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score by Quartile Subpopulation Subpopu§ation Onea Two (N = 61) (N = 50) O - 5 O O 6 — lO 0 0 ll - l5 8l.9 72.0 16 - 20 18.1 28.0 d/f = l Sig. level = N. S. a bSuprpulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds 'Tables 27 through 31 provide data showing the su- perintendents' responses to the five statements dealing with the types of printed materials needed When the re— spondents are sorted on the basis of the five factors listed on page 110. Table 27 shows a great deal of uniformity in response 124 TABLE 27 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING 9-12TH GRADE ENROLLMENT ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE TYPES OF PRINTED MATERIALS NEEDED FROM THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile 9—l2th Grade Enrollment Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q3C Qud Q3 Q4 800 and above 91.7 8.3 75.0 25.0 500 - 799 87.5 12.5 72.7 27.3 300 - 499 70.0 30.0 77.8 22.2 299 and below 63.6 36.u 75.0 25.0 aSubpopulation one Suprpulation two c funds dQ3 2 3rd quartile or scores of ll-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of l6—2O to the need for additional printed materials tendents from subpopulation two irrespective of district in which they were employed. On hand, superintendents from subpopulation one those who applied for funds those who did not apply for among superin- of the size the other reacted dif- ferently to the need for printed materials if_they worked in either the largest or the smallest districts. Only 8.3 per cent of the superintendents who applied from districts having high school enrollments of 800 or more strongly agreed with the need for certain types of informational 125 materials as evaluated by the five statements on Table 25. Conversely, more than thirty—six per cent of the superin- tendents who applied for funds but are employed by dis- tricts having less than 300 high school students strongly agreed that they wanted to receive additional information from the Division of Vocational Education. Apparently then, superintendents from larger districts feel better informed of the goals and objectives of vocational educa- tion and do not feel as great a need for program develop- ment guidelines or curriculum guides as their peers from smaller districts. Perhaps this difference results from the fact that the larger districts tend to employ staff members, such as directors of vocational education, who serve in a supportive or advisory capacity to the super— intendent. The superintendents from smaller districts do not generally have this assistance and therefore expressed a greater need for in—service educational devices. For those who did not apply, the fact that approximately twenty—five per cent of them, regardless of the size of their district, indicated a strong desire for these ma- terials would imply that the Division of Vocational Edu- cation should begin to develOp additional printed guides and guidelines. As might be expected, the amount of state equalized valuation had little or no bearing on the question of the kinds of printed materials needed. Rather uniform re- sponses were obtained among all superintendents from 126 TABLE 28 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING STATE EQUALIZED VALUATION ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE TYPES OF PRINTED MATERIALS NEEDED FROM THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Per Pupil State Equalized Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Valuation QBC 04d 03 04 $15,000 and above 83.3 16.7 70.6 29.4 11,000 - 14,999 81.7 18.3 69.3 30.7 9,000 - 10,999 76.9 23.1 81.7 18.3 8,999 and below 8A.2 15.8 66.6 33.4 a Subpopulation one Suprpulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds 3rd quartile or scores of ll-15 4th quartile or scores of l6-20 b CQB subpopulation one. Concomitantly, subpopulation two super— intendents were also uniform in their responses regardless of the wealth of their district except that somewhat fewer superintendents from districts having a state equalized valuation of $9,000 to $10,999 scored in quartile four than their peers from more wealthy and less wealthy dis— tricts. There is no apparent explanation for this dif- ference. An analysis of Table 29 shows similar patterns of 127 TABLE 29 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY THEIR PRESENT BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE TYPES OF PRINTED MATERIALS NEEDED FROM THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent, Present Board Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q3C 04d Q3 04 3 or less 77.3 22.7 60.0 A0.0 u - 9 78.6 21.4 75.0 25.0 10 and over 85.0 15.0 83.3 16.7 SSubpopulation one = those who applied for funds Subpopulation two those who did not apply for funds gQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 responses by superintendents in both subpopulations. For both groups, an inverse relationship exists between length of employment by their current school board and the super- intendents' expressed interest in receiving additional printed materials. The more administrative experience possessed by a superintendent in his present position, the less interest he expressed in receiving additional printed materials from the Division of Vocational Educa- tion. This relationship held true for superintendents from both subpopulations. Irrespective of whether he 128 applied for funds, the superintendent with less than four years of experience was much more interested in receiving additional curriculum guides and program development guide- lines than his colleague with more than a decade of experi- ence. The less experienced superintendent who did not ap- ply for funds was even more interested in obtaining these materials as expressed by the fact that approximately seventeen per cent more of this group scored in quartile four than his colleagues from subpopulation one who pos- sessed the same degree of experience. TABLE 3O SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY A PREVIOUS BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE TYPES OF PRINTED MATERIALS NEEDED FROM THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As S erintendent pfigvious Board, Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Two b Q3C 04d Q3 04 Less than 1 83.3 16.7 62.5 37.5 1 - 6 80.0 20.0 69.2 30.8 7 - 12 81.7 l8.3 83.4 16.6 13 and over 80.0 20.0 100.0 0 .aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two C Q3 those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds 3rd quartile or scores of ll-15 Nth quartile or scores of 16-20 129 It was found when analyzing Table 30 that subpopu- lation two superintendents who had been employed by a previous board for a period in excess of thirteen years were far less concerned about receiving additional ma- terials. None of this latter group felt the need for ad- ditional printed information strongly enough to score in the upper quartile whereas almost thirty-eight per cent who had been employed for less than one year were found to have scored in the fourth quartile. Once again, the less experienced superintendents indicated a desire for additional materials while their more experienced col— leagues expressed less and less interest as their years of experience increased. The same pattern did not pre- vail for superintendents who had applied for funds. Their expression of interest remained uniform irrespective of their years of experience. Interestingly enough, according to Table 31, both groups of superintendents who had taught for three years or less were, relatively speaking, much less interested in receiving additional printed materials than their re- spective groups reported as a whole in Table 26. None of the respondents in this category from either subpopulation agreed strongly enough with the five statements to score in the upper quartile. With the exception of those super- intendents who had the least amount of experience as a teacher, all other superintendents in subpopulation two with varying amounts of teaching experience scored about 130 TABLE 31 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS WHO TAUGHT FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE TYPES OF PRINTED MATERIALS NEEDED FROM THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years.of Eigzigégge Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob 03C 04d Q3 Q4 3 or less 100.0 0 100.0 0 4 - 6 89.5 10.5 64.3 35.7 7 - 9 70.6 29.4 71.4 28.6 10 and over 60.0 40.0 71.4 28.6 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two funds CQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of ll-l5 dQ4 2 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 those who applied for funds those who did not apply for the same as the group in general, as exhibited on Table 26. Superintendents in subpopulation one showed a rather scattered pattern. The tendency exhibited was that the longer the superintendent had taught, the greater was his expressed desire for additional printed materials. This manifestation might be a logical response since the longer a superintendent had taught, the longer his time and en- ergies would have been devoted to his subject matter rather than school administration and, consequently, the 131 less time he would probably have had to learn the philos- ophy and operational patterns of the vocational education curriculum. One can only wonder why subpopulation two superintendents did not respond in the same manner. In summarizing the superintendents' responses re- corded in the last five tables, the more experienced su- perintendents in subpopulation two were more negative toward the development of printed materials which might lead to the further development of vocational education in their districts than were their less experienced counter- parts. Even though none of them applied for funds for the two years under consideration, it appears that the less experienced superintendents would like to receive more materials about vocational education while their more ex- perienced counterparts do not feel a need for such informa— tion. Need for Vocational Education Consultant Services at the State Level Question three asked: What kinds of consultative services at the state level are most needed by superin- tendents to assist them in implementing the Act? A summary of the responses to the five statements designed to deter- mine the kinds of consultative services needed by the re- sponding superintendents is shown on Table 32. Statements 7, 27, and 66 received highly uniform answers. 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HCOmHH Cop mpmonOC moCCH MCHCopOE COH mHooCOm Op pCOm 0C6 COHpmosom HOCOHpOoo> HO COHmH>HQ on hp OOCOH0>OO mECOH COHpOOHHCC< 0.00HHOpOO hHHCCmmoooC ICC 0C0: mmIqmmH HmomHH Cop mpmmsvop MUCCH wCHCopOE Cop mHooCOm Op pCom oCO COdeosom HOCOHpBoo> Ho COHmH>HQ on hp OOQOH0>OO mEHOH COHpOOHHCC< .COHmesom HOCOHmeo> HO COHmH>HQ on HO .mm .mm .mm pm.s6ta.so m.CU H.HU m.HU H.HU m.HU H.HU N.CU H.HU OmCommom Oz OOCwC AHwCOCpm OOCm< OOCwSmHQ OOCmOmHQ hHwCOCpm mmmCommOm mo pCoo Com OCHOCCOHmeCG CH OOCOQECZ hHSOoCOm ms pCofiopOpm OCCCHpCOOIImm MHm<9 168 oompo>OC pCoEOOCwO HO COOCO I pCoEmpOpm m>Hpowsz moCCH Cop hHmmO poC 0H0 oCz Omon I moCCm COH OOHHCCC oCz Omon I 03p COHpOHCCOCQCm mCO COHpOHCCOCQCm m .sOp H .sos 9.H O m.m m.m H.4m m.wH 3.60 p.4s o :.H m.0m H.mm w.mH 0.9 0 0 m.mm wdm :.m mt: .mpmo 050 me 0C8 mCOHp IOOHHQQO mo pQHOOOH me Coosp Imp meCOe Ozp Ho SCEHCHE O CO I>Hw on oHCOCm mEOpmhm HOOCOm HSOOH anOEm>OCCEH Edpw IOCC Com COHC hHopmswmow o9 .OOOpm IpmoCC hHHmOO 0C8 o>HpOECOH ICH 0C0; COHmeOHCxO vaosppO on 0C6 mmImmmH HOOmHm Cop mpmmsvop moCCH wCHCopOE Cop mHooCom Op pCOm 0C8 COprosom HOCOHpOOo> HO COHmH>HQ me >9 UOCOH0>OO mECOH COHpOuHHQCC .Ooopm ICO©CC HHHmSO 6C6 m>HpOECOH ICH 0C0: COHpSCOHCNO UmComppm 3.3 .mm QN.HUOH.H0 m.HU H.HU N.HU H.HU N.CU H.HU N.HU H.HU OCHOCCOHmeCd CH OOCOQECZ mHsooCmm ms pCOsopOpm OmCommom OOCw< OOCmOmHQ oz hHwCOCpm OOCm< oopwmmHQ szCOCpm mOmCOCmOm Ho pCoo Com woSCHpCOOIImm MHm<9 169 of those who did not apply felt the forms were unnecessar— ily detailed. Both groups of superintendents responded similarly when asked to react to the forms used to request funds during the second year they were available. Both groups, therefore, responded in much the same way to item 26 as they had to item 25. Almost fifteen per cent more of those who did not apply, when compared to those who did, felt the forms and informational materials supplied the first year were not informative and easily understood. Apparently the super- intendents in subpopulation two felt that the forms used the second year were even more confusing. Almost twenty- eight per cent more of those who did not apply were dis- gruntled with the forms made available the second year than their colleagues who applied for funds. As might be expected, administrators who did not apply were not only more critical than those who applied but also felt the forms were a little less informative the second year. This difference in reaction could have resulted from the fact that those who applied had, by necessity, spent more time with both the forms and the explanations than their counter— parts who did not apply for funds and were therefore better able to supply a more realistic evaluation of the forms. Finally, slightly more of those who applied seemed to indicate that two months or more should elapse between receipt of the application form and the date these forms were due in the Division of VOcational Education. 17O Superintendents in subpopulation two, to a small degree, seemed to require less time between the two events. Table 54 shows the summated responses of both sub- populations to the seven statements dealing with the ade- quacy of the application forms. TABLE 54 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT—GROUPS TO SEVEN STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT THE FORMS USED TO REQUEST FUNDS Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score by Quartilea Subpopulation Subpopulation Oneb TwoC (N = 61) (N = 50) 0 - 7 0 0 8 - 14 9.7 6.0 15 - 21 7309 86.0 22 - 28 16.4 8.0 x2 = 2.03 d/f = 1 Sig. level = N. S. aSeven statements in this section result in a maxi— mum score of twenty—eight Subpopulation one CSubpopulation two funds points. = those who applied for funds = those who did not apply for A strong agreement by a superintendent that applica- tion forms were satisfactory would be reflected by a high score on Table 54. On a percentage basis, twice as many of those who applied scored in the upper quartile than 171 superintendents who did not apply. This finding may indi— cate that those who received forms and applied for funds were quite satisfied with their composition. Conversely, slightly more of the superintendents in subpopulation one were somewhat dissatisfied with the forms. Their responses might reflect the fact that more of them actually filled out the forms and therefore could respond from personal experience. The superintendents' responses to the seven state- ments clearly indicated that those superintendents who did not apply for funds were more critical of the application forms. Table 54, which reflects the summed responses to all seven statements, confirms this observation and also illustrates that a small percentage of those who applied for funds were even less impressed with the forms than those who did not apply. In general, however, it appears that the forms were generally judged satisfactory by those who applied. The following five tables will summarize the re- sponses by both groups of superintendents when sorted on the basis of the five additional variables listed on page 110. According to Table 55, the responses by superintend- ents from both of the subpopulations are very similar in quartile three to the percentages shown for the same quar- tile in Table 54. The major differences occur in quartiles two and four. Among respondents in subpopulation one, the 172 TABLE 55 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING 9-12TH GRADE ENROLLMENT ON SEVEN STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE ADEQUACY OF APPLICATION FORMS DEVELOPED BY THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile 9-l2th Grade Enrollment Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 800 and above 15.0 75.0 10.0 0 87.5 12.5 500 - 799 6.2 75.0 18.8 10.0 90.0 0 300 - 499 20.0 70.0 10.0 0 75.0 25.0 299 and below 0 73.4 26.6 12.5 87.5 0 a bSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 2 2nd quartile or scores of 8-14 Q3 2 3rd quartile or scores of 15-21 eQ4 = 4th quartile or scores of 22-28 percentages of responses in quartile two vary from zero for those from the smallest districts to twenty per cent in the next to the smallest districts. Therefore, no con- sistency of responses to the question of adequacy of appli- cation forms can be Observed. The same inconsistency is apparent for quartile four. Superintendents from subpopu- lation two showed the same pattern of inconsistent responses in the second and fourth quartiles. Due to the inconsist- ency of responses, no generalized differences in responses 173 to the adequacy of the application forms can be observed as a result of the superintendents coming from varying sized districts, regardless of whether they did or did not apply for funds. TABLE 56 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING STATE EQUALIZED VALUATION ON SEVEN STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE ADEQUACY OF APPLICATION FORMS DEVELOPED BY THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Per Pupil State Equalized Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Two Valuation b Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 $15,000 and above 13.3 73.4 13.3 11.8 88.2 0 11,000 - 14,999 0 78.6 21.4 0 72.7 27.3 9,000 - 10,999 0 91.7 8.3 0 91.0 9.0 Below 8,999 20.0 60.0 20.0 9.0 91.0 0 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds CQ2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 8-14 dQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 15-21 eQ4 = 4th quartile or scores of 22-28 Once again, so much discrepancy in the responses to the question of adequacy of forms is Observed in Table 56 that no distinctive pattern emerges in either subpopulation on the basis of wealth of district. 174 TABLE 57 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY THEIR PRESENT BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON SEVEN STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE ADEQUACY OF APPLICATION FORMS DEVELOPED BY THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent Present Board ’ Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 11.4 69.2 19.4 8.7 82.6 8.7 4 - 9 12.5 81.3 6.2 0 100.0 0 10 and over 5.3 73.7 21.0 6.2 81.3 12.5 iSubpopulation one = those who applied for funds Subpopulation two those who did not apply for funds CQ2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 8-14 dQ3 2 3rd quartile or scores of 15-21 eQ4 = 4th quartile or scores of 22-28 175 TABLE 58 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY A PREVIOUS BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON SEVEN STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE ADEQUACY OF APPLICATION FORMS DEVELOPED BY THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent Previous Board a b 5 Subpopulation One Subpopulation Two Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 Less than 1 7.7 65.4 26.9 13.0 87.0 0 1 - 6 6.2 75.0 18.8 0 84.6 15.4 7 - 12 10.0 90.0 0 0 85.7 14.3 13 and over 22.2 77.8 0 0 85.7 14.3 8. bSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 8-14 Q3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 15—21 8Q4 2 4th quartile or scores of 22-28 An analysis of Tables 57, 58 and 59 and a comparison of these three tables to Table 54 show a scattered pattern of responses by superintendents in both subpopulations one and two to the statements questioning their beliefs about the adequacy of the application forms developed for fiscal years 1965 and 1966. Apparently, therefore, neither the number of high school students, the wealth of the district nor the lengths of administrative or teaching experience had any bearing 176 on the responses of the superintendents from either sub- population to the statements dealing with the adequacy of the application forms. TABLE 59 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS WHO TAUGHT FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON SEVEN STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE ADEQUACY OF APPLICATION FORMS DEVELOPED BY THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years of Teaching . a . b Experience Subpopulation One Subpopulation Two Q2C Q3d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 0 84.6 15.4 0 100.0 0 4 - 6 10.5 79.0 10.5 7.2 85.6 7.2 7 - 9 25.0 62.5 12.5 6.6 73.4 20.0 10 and over 0 63.6 36.4 7.6 92.4 0 ESubpopulation one 2 those who applied for funds Subpopulation two those who did not apply for funds §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 8-14 Q3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 15-21 eQ4 = 4th quartile or scores of 22-28 Obstacles Generated by the Matching Fund Requirement of the 1963 Act Question seven asked: Do most superintendents View the matching fund requirement as a serious obstacle to pro- gram development? The superintendents' responses to the five statements designed to answer this question are sum- marized in Table 60. 177 Em :4 0 :.H m.mm 0.0m S.Hm 0.0m 9.0m m.mm :.H: 0.0m H.6d H.Hm 0.0: 0.60 m.sa 0.mm 0.0H :.mm H.3m m.HH poC HHHpm 0H mde pCdE 9.H m.: IOmCCCEHmC pCdO Com HpHHH < .mEopmhm ddeH de CO Cde mCdpmmm HOOCOm HHde Co CHCmUCdC Cdpddpw d meoz pCOO Com hpme pmddH pd pd muCCp HdCdUOH CopdE Op mHOOCOm HdOOH Com m0mH po pod soppdoSSC Homopp 0 w.m Idoo> de HO pCdCoCHCUOC 0C9 .mUCCH HdOOH 00H>OCC Op mpHHde m.pOHCpmH0 d Op wCHcpoood hpd> 0HCOCm mdpdC pCdEdmCCp IEHdm .OHpmHHddCCC mH COdeO I500 HdCOdeOo> HO mddeC HHd 0.w 0.m Cop mpdC pCdEdmCCQEHOC dem C .0m 0.3m .mH pm.soSH.so m.C0 H.C0 N.C0 H.C0 N.C0 H.C0 m.C0 H.C0 dmCommdm Oz Ode< meCOCpm ddeC OOCdeHQ ddpmdeQ dCHdCCOHpmdsd CH UOCOCECZ szCOCpm SHEOUCdm md pCoEdpdpm mdmCOCmdm HO pCdo Com mmmfi mo 90< ZOH9<0DQM H mm9 90 9Zm2mmH30mm QZDm UZH$U9<2 mm9 wzHflm<0mm m9ZMQZM9ZHmmmDm Z<0H$0Hz mo mmbom0I9zmazommmm 039 90 m9ZHOm3mH> 00 mqm<9 178 000C0>OC pCoEOded HO CdUCO I pCdsopdpm d>demdzO dUCCH Cop hHCQd pOC 0H0 0C3 Omon I 03p COdeHCCOCpCm u m .CUC msCCH Cop UOHHmmd oCz Omon I oCo COdeHCCOCpCm u H .de 9.H 0 9.H ®.m O.pCOHHO HdOOH dosch Op esop oHsos pp pdsp pspoaosdpm de SOCH cowdCCOOch hHmCOCpm on OHsoCm pCOO Com hppHm Cde o.mH :.mm 0.00 m.0m 0.6m 0.0H S.H 0.m popdoCd opdp psoSomsspsHop < .60 O.COde0500 HdCOdeoo> CH CdeOCC opdsvdod Cd 00H> IOCC zHHdCHH op mHooCOm Cop opppmwoa pp noses m0mH po pod COdeOsvm HdCOdeoo> de.HO m.sH H.4H 0.00 H.mm 0.0H o.Hm o o sonpposa steam dspsopds odH .Cdppo Op dMHH 0H503 03 thHde oCd dgoom de mo EdeOCC COdeOsUO HdCOHp Idoo> d 00H>OCC Op pOHCp ImHU 9E SOHHd Op pCOHOHHHCm .mwm pm.s0oH.so N.C0 H.C0 N.C0 H.C0 m.C0 H.C0 N.C0 H.C0 OmCommom oz OOCmC mHmCOCpm ddpwdeQ OCHdCCOHmesd CH UOCOQECZ OOCw OOCw a C dm.Q HHwCOCpm SHEOUCdm dd pCdCdpdpm mOmCOCmOm Ho pCmo Com COSCHpCOUIIOQ MHm<9 179 The superintendents in both subpopulations re- sponded similarly to statement 60. However, superintend- ents in subpopulation two reacted more negatively to item 18 than those who applied. Approximately fourteen per cent more of those who did not apply disagreed with the statement and therefore felt reimbursement should not be based on a district's ability to provide local funds. On the other hand, approximately sixteen per cent more of the superintendents in subpopulation two chose to strongly agree with statement 54 than the superintendents who ap- plied for funds. More of those who did not apply there- fore felt the matching fund requirement penalized the small school systems. Item 56 elicited almost a thirteen per cent more positive response from superintendents in sub- population two than it did from superintendents in subpopu- lation one. Those who did not apply were therefore more prone to feel that more than a fifty per cent reimbursement rate was necessary to provide an adequate vocational educa- tion program. Finally, approximately fourteen per cent more of the superintendents in subpopulation two chose to disagree with statement 58 than superintendents in subpopu- lation one. Apparently then, those who applied were more inclined to favor a flat reimbursement rate, did not feel the fifty per cent reimbursement rate penalized the small school systems, tended to feel the fifty per cent reim- bursement from federal funds was sufficient and were more receptive to the idea that adequate programs of vocational 180 education could now be provided as a result of the passage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Table 61 shows the summed responses of both subpopu- lations to the five statements dealing with the matching fund provision of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. TABLE 61 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT AND ITS EFFECT ON PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score by Quartile Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea Twob (N = 67) (N = 55) 0 - 5 O O 6 - 10 405 5'5 11 - 15 56.6 58.2 16 - 20 38.9 36.3 x2 = .056 d/f = l Sig. level = N. S. those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds :Subpopulation one Subpopulation two A score approaching twenty indicates that superin- tendents felt the matching fund requirement was a serious obstacle to program development. As it is revealed in Table 61, the summed scores of the superintendents in each 181 subpopulation were quite similar. Approximately ninety- five per cent of each group of superintendents felt the matching requirement provided some degree of hindrance to program development and slightly over one-third of each group felt this strongly. Those who applied and those who did not are generally agreed that the matching fund require— ment is a hindrance. It is interesting to note however that the analysis of separate items on Table 60 reflected relatively more concern by those who did not apply than is expressed in Table 61. The results obtained on the basis of the five en- vironmental and professional characteristics of the super- intendents used throughout this chapter are presented in Table 62 through 66. When comparing Tables 62 and 63 some rather pre- dictable results were observed for both subpopulations. Superintendents in suprpulations one and two who came from the larger (800 and above 9-12 enrollment) and more wealthy ($15,000 and above state equalized valuation) dis- tricts were much less concerned about their districts having to provide matching funds than responding superin- tendents in smaller, less wealthy districts. 0n the other hand, superintendents from both subpopulations one and two who came from districts with enrollments less than 299 and state equalized valuation less than $8,999 were much more concerned about the matching fund requirement. The high numerical scores compiled by these superintendents 182 indicated that they had a high degree of concern about having to provide matching funds to receive financial ben- efits from the Vocational Education Act of 1963. TABLE 62 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING 9-12TH GRADE ENROLLMENT ON FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT AND ITS EFFECT ON PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile 9-12th Grade Enrollment Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q4 e Q2 Q3 Q4 800 and above 8.0 76.0 16.0 11.0 67.0 22.0 500 - 799 0 58.8 41.2 0 60.0 40.0 300 - 499 0 40.0 60.0 0 40.0 60.0 299 and below 6.6 33.4 60.0 4.6 40.9 54.5 8. Subpopulation one those who applied for funds bSubpopulation two 2 those who did not apply for funds CQ2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 dQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 eQ4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16—20 An examination of Table 64 reveals that superintend- ents from both subpopulations one and two who had been em- ployed for over ten years by their present board were much less concerned about the matching fund requirement than less experienced superintendents. Over fifty per cent 183 less of this group from each subpopulation scored in the fourth quartile which denotes a high degree of concern about the matching fund requirement. TABLE 63 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING STATE EQUALIZED VALUATION ON FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT AND ITS EFFECT ON PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Per Pupil State Equalized Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Valuation Q2C Q3d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 $15,000 and above 11.1 66.7 22.2 11.2 67.0 22.0 11,000 - 14,999 6.6 40.0 53.4 10.0 50.0 40.0 9,000 - 10,999 0 71.4 28.6 0 54.6 45.4 Below 8,999 0 50.0 50.0 0 53.8 46.2 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 2 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 2 4th quartile or scores of 16—20 An analysis of Table 65 shows that in subpopulation one, all superintendents demonstrated a rather high degree of concern about the matching fund requirement being a hindrance to program development. However, those who had been employed by another board for thirteen years or more 184 TABLE 64 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY THEIR PRESENT BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT AND ITS EFFECT ON PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent, Present Board Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 3.5 51.7 44.8 0 60.8 39.2 4 - 9 0 47.0 53.0 7.2 35.7 57.1 10 and over 9.5 71.4 19.1 11.1 72.2 16.7 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds II II §Q2 2 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 Q3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 eQ4 2 4th quartile or scores of 16—20 were found to be the most concerned about the matching fund provision. The superintendents who came from sub- population two reacted almost exactly opposite to the subpopulation one superintendents just discussed. At least forty-five per cent of the younger superintendents who had not applied scored in the fourth quartile. The older superintendents, on the other hand, were far less prone to agree strongly with the statements and gener- ally failed to even score in quartile four. They 185 therefore reflected considerably less concern about the matching requirement provision of the Act than younger su- perintendents who did not apply. TABLE 65 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY A PREVIOUS BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT AND ITS EFFECT ON PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent, Previous Board Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 Less than 1 0 59.3 40.7 7.4 44.4 48.2 1 - 6 5.5 66.6 27.9 0 53.8 46.2 7 - 12 0 60.0 40.0 16.7 83.3 0 l3 and over 11.7 33.3 50.0 0 89.0 11.0 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6—10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11—15 Q4 2 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 An examination of Table 66 shows that the more teaching experience possessed by a superintendent in sub- population one, the less concern he exhibited over the matching fund requirement of the 1963 Act. The same pat— tern of responses was not exhibited by superintendents in 186 subpopulation two however. As a matter of fact, the op— posite seemed to be true. The superintendents who did not apply for funds and had six or less years of teaching ex- perience tended to show considerably more concern over this provision of the Act than was exhibited by their col- leagues who had seven years or more of teaching experience. The reason for these opposing responses is a matter of con- jecture. TABLE 66 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS WHO TAUGHT FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT AND ITS EFFECT ON PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years.of Teaching Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Experience Q2C Q3d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 14.3 57.1 28.6 12.5 50.0 37.5 4 - 6 4.7 57.2 38.1 0 46.7 53.3 7 - 9 O 57.9 42.1 0 75.0 25.0 10 and over 0 54.6 45.4 14.3 57.1 28.6 a b those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds Suprpulation one Subpopulation two I! ll SQ2 : 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 187 A summary of the responses reported in Tables 61 through 66 reveals the following: 1. Almost all superintendents in both subpopula- tions felt the matching fund requirement was a serious obstacle to program development. The smaller and less wealthy his district, the greater the tendency for a superintendent from either subpopulation to demonstrate more serious concerns about the matching fund requirement. The more experience a superintendent possessed as a school administrator, the less concern he exhibited over the matching fund provision. Subpopulation one superintendents with the least amount of teaching experience were less concerned about the effect of the matching fund requirement upon program development than their colleagues with more teaching experience. The opposite was true for superintendents in sub~ population two. Need for More State Financial Aid Question eight asked: Do superintendents feel more state financial aid should be provided to satisfy the matching fund requirement? Once again, five statements were designed to answer this question. These statements, and the responses by the superintendents in the two sub- populations to each of them, are presented in Table 67. 188 9.H m.d 9.H w.m 9.H m.: 0.MH m.0 0.00 0.90 m.9H m.0H H.mH m.m H.m0 m.m: :.mm 0.mm 0.mm 0.0m m.mm 9.90 m.oH m.m CH popCpmpe Hoosom Hdoofi osp pmHmmd Op dHCdHHd>d OUdE mp 9.H :.H eHoosm Hosoe opdpn adsoHpHeo< .mEdeOCC COdeoswd HdCOdeOo> Ho COHmCdeO me COH UdMCdCHdO HmCoC dpdpm Ho pCCOsd HdeCdpm IpCm d H0 COHpHucd de CwCOCCp wdedCCOO Op UHsoCm COdeCpHm 0HC9 .Odedc th op COdeO I500 HdCOdeOo> Ho COHdCdeo pmHmmd Op dpdsvdwdCH Coop 9.H m.: HHHdoHsoanC o>dC mesaH mpdpm O.COdeO:00 HdCOHp Idoo> COH doCdpmHmmd HdHoCdC IHH dpdpm HO pCCOed dpdswdcd 0 :.H Cd m>HdOdH deoCOwd COdeoCUM .wm .0m .9H pd.posa.po m.C0 H.C0 N.H0 H.C0 N.H0 H.H0 N.H0 H.H0 dmCommom Oz OOC0< HHwCOCpm OOCmC OdedeQ OdpwdeQ OCHdCCOdeOCQ CH UOCOCECZ HHMCOCpm HHEOUCdm md pCdCdpdpm mdmCommOm Ho pCdo Com mmmfi 90 90< ZOH9 mm9 mo 9zmzmmH30mm @339 03H$09<2 mm9 990H90mm mm9 09 093mmzm9ZHmmmDm Z<0H$0H2 mo mmDOmUI9zm930mmmm 039 90 m9ZHOm3MH> 90 CCCOCH 9.H 0.m on Sago eaaosa messH opdpm .mCdC0OCH CoCm 0CH0H>OCC CH HpHHHpHmCOHm IOC HdHoCdCHH Copdde oECmmd UHzoCm dpdpm de «0000C C0300 ICdE HdOOH md HHOS md Opdpm HO mHmdp de Co GOCOHO>00 mp UHsoCm mEdeOCC COdeOsUd 0 0.m HdCOdeoo> OHpmHHdOC doCHm .COHp Idosco HdCOdeOo> HO EdeOCH Hdep de HO dCde wCHCopdC pCOO C00 HpHHH mpH mCHCCOOCC .90 00.3 pm.sodH.po N.C0 H.H0 N.C0 H.H0 N.C0 H.H0 N.H0 H.H0 OmCommdm oz OOC0< hHwCOCpm OOC0< dopmdeQ dopwdeQ HHmCOCpm OCHdCCOHpde@ CH UOCOCECZ hHEomCdm md pCoEmpdpm mOmCOQmOm Ho pCoo Com COSCHpCOOII90 mgm<9 19O UOmCd>dC pCdEOOCmd HO deCo I pCoEdpdpm 0>demdzO muCCH COH HHCCd pOC 0H0 0C3 dmon I O3p COdeHCHOCCCm m .CU meCH COH ndHHmCd oCz mwon I dCo COdeHCCOQCCm u H .CUM O.COHp Idozwd HdCOdeOo> Ho mEdeOCC waCdde 0CH0H>OCC COH mstH 9m.H0dH.H0 N.H0 H.H0 m.H0 H.H0 m.C0 H.H0 N.H0 H.H0 dmCOCmom 00C0< Oz hHwCOCpm OdedeQ dCHdCCOHpded CH wdCdCECz m 0 00C C was dnHC HHmCoppm HHSooCdm dd pCosdpdpm mOmCOCddm Ho pCdo Com 005CHpC00II90 mam<9 191 Over eighty per cent of the superintendents in both subpopulation one and subpopulation two disagreed with statement 17. Their responses were very uniform among the four responses provided them. Almost sixty per cent of those who applied either agreed or strongly agreed with statement 30. By comparison, almost seventy-five per cent of those who did not apply either agreed or strongly agreed with the same statement. Although the majority of both groups indicated they be- lieved additional state funds for vocational education should be provided, those who did not apply expressed this belief in a stronger manner. One might surmise, therefore, that some of the superintendents in subpopulation two would have requested additional vocational funds if more state financial support had been available to satisfy the matching provision of the Act. Both subpopulations of superintendents responded in the same manner to statement 38. Over eighty per cent of each group were either in favor or strongly in favor of this statement. A majority of superintendents, regardless of whether they applied for funds, feel state funds should be made available to assist in providing the necessary matching funds. This wish by both groups of superintend- ents was reiterated in their response to statement 49. Once again, over eighty per cent of the respondents from the two subpopulations either agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. 192 The question of providing state funds only for V0- cational students was raised in statement 57. Apparently the superintendents did not regard this restriction as a serious limitation since over eighty-five per cent of the responding administrators in both subpopulations either disagreed or strongly disagreed with statement 57. The overwhelming majority of the superintendents in subpopulation one and subpopulation two were in favor of additional state aid to assist in providing matching funds even though these funds would be limited to the assistance of vocational education students. The summated responses by both groups of superin- tendents to the statements relating to more state financial aid to satisfy the matching fund requirement are presented in Table 68. A high score in Table 68 indicates a belief that more state aid should be provided. Superintendents in both subpopulations felt rather uniformly that additional state aid is needed to implement the provisions of the V0- cational Education Act of 1963. Those superintendents who did not submit applications were only slightly more inter- ested in increased state aid than were those who applied. This finding is somewhat surprising since it might be hy- pothesized that a lack of local matching funds would be one of the major reasons for not applying for funds. It would seem logical to expect, therefore, that a signifi- cantly greater number of superintendents in subpopulation 193 two would indicate a desire for additional state funds than superintendents in subpopulation one. This was not the case however. Perhaps one could generalize that su- perintendents who applied for funds and therefore had matching local money available still felt they could do a better job if additional state funds were provided. TABLE 68 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL STATE AID Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score by Quartile Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea Twob (N = 64) (N = 55) O - 5 0 O 6 - 10 0 3.6 11 - 15 65.5 56.5 .16 " 20 3405 39.9 x2 = .628 d/f = 1 Sig. level = N. S. those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds fiSubpopulation one Subpopulation two II II The five tables showing the responses of superin- tendents when sorted on the basis of five different en- vironmental and personal factors are presented next. In Table 69 the responses of superintendents in 194 subpopulation one who came from the larger schools indi- cated they were considerably less interested in more state aid than their peers from smaller districts. All other su- perintendents from smaller districts tended to exhibit a strong belief in the need for additional state aid. This conclusion is supported by the fact that at least twenty- six per cent more of the superintendents from smaller dis- tricts scored in the fourth quartile than their colleagues from districts having 800 or more high school students. TABLE 69 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING 9-12TH GRADE ENROLLMENT ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH WHETHER ADDITIONAL STATE AID IS DESIRED TO ASSIST IN SATISFYING THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT OF THE 1963 ACT Per Cent of Superintendents‘ Scores in Each Quartile 9-12th Grade Enrollment Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2c Q3d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 800 and above 0 83.4 16.6 10.6 52.6 36.8 500 - 799 0 56.2 43.8 0 50.0 50.0 300 - 499 0 50.0 50.0 0 55.6 44.4 0 299 and below 57.1 42.9 O 66.6 33.4 a bSuprpulation one Suprpulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds II II CQ2 : 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 dQ3 2 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 804 = 4th quartile or scores of 16—20 195 The respondents in subpopulation two who work in districts with varying high school enrollments reacted in a manner consistent with the summed responses of superin- tendents who did not apply for funds as shown in Table 68. TABLE 7O SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS 0F VARYING STATE EQUALIZED VALUATION 0N FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH WHETHER ADDITIONAL STATE AID Is DESIRED TO ASSIST IN SATISFYING THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT OF THE 1963 ACT Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Per Pupil State Equalized Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Valuation Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 $15,000 and above 80.0 20.0 5.3 57.9 36.8 75.0 25.0 7.7 61.5 30.8 53.8 46.2 0 45.4 54.6 52.6 47.4 0 58.4 41.6 11,000 — 14,999 9:000 7 109999 Below 8,999 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds II II §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6—10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 As anticipated, the responses by superintendents as shown in Table 70 indicate that the less wealth possessed by a superintendent's district the more likely he was to express a desire for more state aid. This is especially 196 apparent in subpopulation one when one notes the responses in the fourth quartile range from twenty per cent for the superintendents from the most wealthy district to 47.4 per cent for the superintendents from the least wealthy dis— trict. This relationship is not quite as pronounced with superintendents from subpopulation two but, in general, the respondents from the wealthier districts are apparently slightly less concerned about additional state aid than their colleagues from the poorer districts. TABLE 71 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY THEIR PRESENT BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH WHETHER ADDITIONAL STATE AID Is DESIRED TO ASSIST IN SATISFYING THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT OF THE 1963 ACT Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years AS Superintendent, Present Board Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 0 64.3 35.7 4.6 45.4 50.0 4 - 9 O 68.7 31.3 7.7 30.8 61.5 10 and over 0 65.0 35.0 0 85.0 15.0 a Subpopulation one Suprpulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds b CQ2 2 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 dQ3 2 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 eQ4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16—20 197 The administrators from subpopulation one exhibited responses, as shown in Table 71, which are highly consis- tent with the summed responses elicited from superintend- ents from suprpulation one as reported in Table 68. Therefore, almost one-third of the superintendents, re- gardless of their length of employment as a superintendent by their present board, strongly favored additional state aid to assist in satisfying the matching fund provision of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. For subpopulation two superintendents, those who have been employed by their current school board for over nine years are not as positive about the need for addi- tional funds as their colleagues who possess less experi- ence. Approximately forty-six per cent fewer of this lat— ter group strongly favored additional state financial aid than those who had been employed from four to nine years. Thirty-five per cent fewer of these superintendents strongly favored additional state financial aid than their peers with three or less years of experience. In Table 72 the responses by superintendents in sub- population one show a steady increase in desire for addi- tional state funds as the respondents report more years of employment by a previous school board. The pattern for superintendents in subpopulation two is entirely different. Approximately forty-five per cent of this group express a strong desire for additional state aid except for those superintendents who have been 198 employed for thirteen years or more. This group is not as concerned about additional state aid being provided as their colleagues with less experience since only eleven per cent Of the superintendents with thirteen years or more of experi- ence were strongly in favor of added financial assistance. TABLE 72 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY A PREVIOUS BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH WHETHER ADDITIONAL STATE AID IS DESIRED TO ASSIST IN SATISFYING THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT OF THE 1963 ACT Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent, S ' a . 1) Previous Board ubpopulatlon One Subpopulation TWO C Q3d Q4 e Q2 Q2 Q3 Q4 Less than 1 0 73.0 27.0 0 57.7 42.3 1 - 6 0 66.6 33.4 0 53.8 46.2 7 - 12 0 54.6 45.4 28.6 28.6 42.8 0 58.4 41.6 0 89.0 11.0 13 and over a Subpopulation one those who applied for funds bSubpopulation two = those who did not apply for funds §Q2 2 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 eQ3 2 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 An examination of Table 73 revealed no discernible pattern of differences in the responses of superintendents in either subpopulation one or two. Apparently teaching 199 experience was not a factor in influencing superintendents to express a desire for additional state funds to satisfy the matching requirement. TABLE 73 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS WHO TAUGHT FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH WHETHER ADDITIONAL STATE AID IS DESIRED TO ASSIST IN SATISFYING THE MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT OF THE 1963 ACT Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years.of Eggzigégge Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 0 69.2 30.8 16.6 50.0 33.4 4 - 6 O 65.0 35.0 0 53.3 46.7 7 - 9 0 66.6 33.4 5.9 58.8 35.3 10 and over 0 72.7 27.3 0 60.0 40.0 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds gQ2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6—10 eQ3 2 3rd quartile or scores of 11—15 Q4 2 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 In summarizing the responses of both groups of su- perintendents to the need for additional state financial aid to satisfy the matching fund requirement of the Act, the following generalizations can be stated. All the superintendents from subpopulation one and 200 over ninety-six per cent of them from subpopulation two either agree or strongly agree that additional state aid is desirable. Over one—third of both groups strongly agree that such assistance would be desirable. For the superintendents who applied for funds, those with the greatest amount of administrative experience who are employed in the smallest, least wealthy districts are the most interested in receiving additional state finan- cial assistance. On the other hand, the superintendents who did not apply but possess the least amount of adminis- trative experience are the ones who seem to be the most concerned with receiving additional state funds. No major differences were observed between subpopulation two super— intendents who are employed in districts of varying size and wealth. Understanding of Vocational Certification Requirements Question nine asked: Do superintendents adequately understand vocational teacher certification requirements so they can best implement the provisions of the new Act? Table 74 provides the responses by superintendents in both subpopulations to the five statements designed to answer this question. Over fifty per cent of the respondents in each sub- population either agreed or strongly agreed with statement 5. The responses to each choice were quite uniform between the two groups. Consequently, at least one-half of all 20l O.mpCmEdCHCv IdC COdeOHHHpCdO CdCoddp COdeosUd HdCOdeoo> UHwHC HO dmCdOdp UdCdHHO mp pOC Hap: 000H Ho pod sodeostm HdCOdeOo> OCp deCC deHmmOC m.0 6.9 o :.H H.4m 0.0m 0.00 0.0: 0.0a 9.mH soc nomsdoo :02 mgp Ho Had: .m: o.COHp Idoswd HdCOdeoo> CH mmdeH IHHpCdO 0CHCoddp HdHOOHm dNHC ImoOdC op COdeHOOmmC HdeCdo Cppoz me hp pCOHHm oC Cddp 0.0 3.0 m.0 0 9.0m 0.H0 0.00 0.00 9.H 0 de dCde dmudeoCM 0C OH .00 O.OHpmHHdOCCC COdeOsnd HdCOHp IdOO> COH mpCdCdCHdeC COHp IdOHHHpCmO CdCoddp dpdpm Oxda 9.H 0.: 0.90 0 9.00 H.0: 9.00 0.00 0.0H 0.0H po< 30C de Ho mCOHmH>OCC 0C9 .0 Cm.C0dH.C0 m.C0 H.C0 m.C0 H.C0 m.C0 H.C0 m.C0 H.C0 dmCOCmdm 00C0< ddC0d0H0 dCHdCCOHpmdsa CH UdCdCECz Oz HHwCOCpm ddC0< ddedeQ mHmCOCpm hHaodem md pCmEdpdpm mOmCOdem Ho pCdo Cdm 093mmzm9ZHmmmbm Z<0H30H2 90 0mDOmUI9zmflzommmm 039 9m mammmmmom :9 mqm<9 m9zm2mmedmm ZOH9<0H9H9mm0 ZOH9 90 UZHQZ<9mmMQZD 202 Udmpd>dC pCdeddpwd HO deCo I pCdEdpdpm d>dewdzO mUCCH COH HHCCd poC 0H0 oCz dmon I 03p COdeHCHOCQCm n m .pr muCCH COH 0dHHmmd 0C3 dmon I dCO COdeHCCOQQCm H .de 9.H 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 9.03 9.00 H.03 3.0 0.0 0.90 0.0H 0.00 3.09 H.mH 0.0 9.H 0.0 0.08Hp Ho UOHCdH cdHHHOde d CHCsz COdeO IHHHpCdO pCdCdCCdC COH 00Cd I0Cdpm de p008 Op UdCHCUdC 0H 0C0 Co 0C HH HHCO UdHOHC I80 mp UHzoCm CdCoddp HdCOHp Idoo> UdHHHpCdO HHHdHOde C .pCOEHOHCEd COH medHHd>d mH CdCoddp UdHHHpCdO OC HH CO mdmmdmmom CdCodmp 00HH IHpCdO OC COHCB mHHHMm mommdd Imom 0C0 Co 0C HH UdHHHpCdo mp CdCoddp COdeozcd HdCOHp Idoo> 0Cd>d pde 0CH0Cd800 Hp COHpoCCmeH UdcddC UHoC ICsz op OHpmHHddCCC mH pH .00 .H0 sm.sdsa.sd m.H0 H.H0 m.H0 H.H0 N.C0 H.H0 N.C0 H.H0 dmCOCmdm Oz ddme . HHmCOCpm ddedeQ ddeC ddpmdeQ hHwCOCpm mdmCOCmdm Ho pCdo C00 dCHdCCOHpdeG CH UdCdCSCZ HHEOUCdm md pCdEdpdpm smpdppsoOII39 03039 203 respondents apparently felt a need for a revision of voca— tional certification requirements as a result of the pas- sage of the 1963 Act. Over sixty per cent of the superintendents from sub- population one and subpopulation two disagreed with state- ment 35. The high percentage of no responses by both groups also reflects a lack of knowledge in this area. Since a strong disagreement with this statement reflects a good understanding of a recent decision by the North Central Association, it appears that the Division of Voca- tional Education has succeeded, in this instance, in pro- viding adequate information to a majority of administrators in the field. Once again, strong disagreement with statement 42 would reflect a true understanding of certification re- quirements. Again both groups of superintendents re- sponded rather uniformly to the four choices and over sixty per cent of the respondents in each subpopulation disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement. There- fore, it appears that a majority of superintendents from both subpopulations feel that vocational certification requirements will not adversely affect vocation course expansion. More than eighty-five per cent of the superintend- ents in each subpopulation either agreed or strongly agreed with statement 51. As a matter of fact, twelve per cent more of the superintendents in subpopulation two strongly 204 agreed than the respondents from subpopulation one. Obvi- ously, the majority of superintendents are willing to hire technically capable but educationally unqualified teachers in order to provide needed vocational education courses. Although the superintendents are willing to hire uncerti- fied teachers, they are apparently not in agreement as to how long the person should remain uncertified. Approxi— mately fifty per cent of the superintendents in each sub- population agreed with statement 53 while the other fifty per cent disagreed. Several conclusions seem justified from the re- sponses to the five statements just discussed: 1. The majority of superintendents feel the vo- cational certification requirements are un- realistic. 2. Some superintendents do not understand voca- tional certification requirements. 3. The great majority of them are willing to hire specially certified teachers. 4. Approximately fifty per cent of them feel the uncertified teacher should meet the requirements for certification within a specified period of time. It is interesting to note that although the majority of superintendents feel the current certification requirements are unrealistic, at least fifty per cent of them would per- petuate this situation by requiring uncertified teachers to obtain certification within a given period of time. 205 The following table provides a comparison of the summed scores of superintendents in subpopulation one and subpopulation two for the five statements relating to cer- tification requirements. TABLE 75 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF VOCATIONAL TEACHER CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score by Quartile Suprpulation Subpop ation Onea Two (N = 59) (N = 50) O - 5 0 O 6 - 10 10.2 lA.O 11 - 15 86.A 84.0 16 - 20 3.4 2.0 x2 : .346 d/f = l Sig. level = N. S. a Subpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds b When summed scores are high in Table 75, the super- intendents reveal a good understanding of certification requirements in vocational education. Over ten per cent of each suprpulation scored in the lower fifty percentile. In addition, only a very 206 small percentage of each subpopulation scored in the upper percentile. These scores, coupled with the sizable number of superintendents who did not respond, would imply that many of the administrators lacked a good understanding of certification requirements. Thirteen respondents, or 18.1 per cent, of subpopulation one and eight respondents, or 16 per cent, of subpopulation two failed to respond to one or more of the statements pertaining to question ten. Failure to respond could be associated with uncertainty or lack of knowledge. Because several of the superintend- ents did not respond to the statements relating to require- ments for certification in vocational education, it is pos- sible that more assistance needs to be provided by the Di- vision of Vocational Education staff in relation to these requirements. The following five tables provide the responses by superintendents in subpopulations one and two sorted on the basis of the five additional factors analyzed through- out this section of the chapter. Because of a rather wide variety of responses by both groups of superintendents which present no observable pattern of differences in Tables 76 through 80, it is im- possible to generalize that superintendents from large or small districts, wealthy or poor districts, or who have more or less administrative or teaching experience are any more knowledgeable about vocational certification re- quirements than any other group of superintendents. As a 207 TABLE 76 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING 9-12TH GRADE ENROLLMENT ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH UNDERSTANDING OF VOCATIONAL TEACHER CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile 9—l2th Grade Enrollment Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob 02C Q3d Que Q2 QB Q14 800 and above u.3 87.0 8.7 11.8 88.2 o 500 - 799 14.3 85.7 o 18.2 72.7 9.1 300 - 499 30.0 70.0 o 25.0 75.0 o 299 and below 0 100.0 0 7.1 92.9 o a bSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6—10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of ll-l5 Q4 : Nth quartile or scores of 16-20 208 TABLE 77 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING STATE EQUALIZED VALUATION ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH UNDERSTANDING OF VOCATIONAL TEACHER CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Per Pupil State Equalized Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Two Valuation Q2C Q3d Que Q2 Q3 Q4 $15,000 and above 5.5 89.0 5.5 22.2 77.8 0 11,000 - 14,999 0 100.0 0 8.3 91.7 0 9,000 - 10,999 15.4 77.0 7.6 18.2 72.7 9.1 Below 8,999 18.8 81.2 o 0 100.0 0 a bSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds gQ2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-lO Q3 = 3rd quartile or scores of ll—l5 eQA = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 209 TABLE 78 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY THEIR PRESENT BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH UNDERSTANDING OF VOCATIONAL TEACHER CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent Present Board ’ Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 7.4 89.0 3.6 9.0 91.0 0 4 - 9 15.4 84.6 0 27.3 63.6 9.1 10 and over 10.5 83.2 6.3 11.7 88.3 0 SSubpopulation one those who applied for funds Subpopulation two = those who did not apply for funds §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 eQ3 2 3rd quartile or scores of ll-l5 Q4 2 4th quartile or scores of l6-20 210 TABLE 79 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY A PREVIOUS BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH UNDERSTANDING OF VOCATIONAL TEACHER CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent, Previous Board Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q49 Q2 Q3 04 Less than 1 12.0 80.0 8.0 8.3 87.5 4.2 1 - 6 16.7 83.3 0 7.6 92.4 0 7 - 12 0 100.0 0 50.0 50.0 0 13 and over 8.u 91.6 0 14.3 85.7 0 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-lO Q3 = 3rd quartile or scores of ll-l5 eQA = Ath quartile or scores of l6—2O result of the lack of development of any meaningful pat- terns it was felt unnecessary to discuss each of the five tables separately. One can say in summary that most superintendents seem to have a relatively poor understanding of vocational teacher certification requirements. This general lack of understanding was true of superintendents in both subpopu- lations one and two. Neither the size and wealth of their district nor their level of administrative or teaching 211 TABLE 80 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS WHO TAUGHT FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH UNDERSTANDING OF VOCATIONAL TEACHER CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Years of Teaching Experience Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less A - 6 7 - 9 10 and over 0 100.0 0 14.3 85.7 0 5.9 88.2 5.9 7.1 92.9 0 17.6 82.4 0 7.1 92.9 0 20.0 70.0 10.0 23.2 69.2 7.6 a b c Q2 dQ3 8Q,“ experience sponses to quirements. Subpopulation one Subp0pulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds II II 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 3rd quartile 0r scores of ll-l5 4th quartile or scores of l6-2O appears to have had any bearing on their re- the statements dealing with certification re- Purpose of Vocational Education Question ten asked: Do superintendents view voca- tional education as training for a single skill or a fam- ily of occupations? The five statements develOped to ob- tain an answer to this question are presented in Table 81. 212 0.0 o 0.0 H.3s 0.0a s.m: 3.60 0.60 0.0s m.m s.om 0.0m s.s0 0.s0 s.mm 0.0 s.fi o .0m0H o IHoo hpsqsaaoo 0 so hpsflfloms cossmosom Homospooo> moss no as smqswa ospmsamms mam 0H nmvfi>osm on maqo coo moosp IoQSooo so msopmSHo so wosa Issds as cospooswm Hoqospwoo> .Ho>os soogom swag Ismom was so mcflcsmss umocd> I00 oSmssm so pmxsoa sonoa 03p smpcm 0p Umsomosg hfiadsvo 09 Has: mopddoosw Hoosom swan soap ow Ho>oa hsoccooom 009 pm mcospoQSooo so msopmsao so moflassds CH woos>osg mp wasosm mossmoSCm Honossooo> om.soes.so m.sU H.sU N.sU H.sU m.sw H.sU m.sU H.sU omcommom oz mosw< moswomfla hammospm mmswfi mmsmdmsm hflwzospm mmmcogmom mo p000 som ossoccospmoza as wosonesz hagouzmm mo pcmfimswpm ZOHB ZH UZHZH H0 mgm as mp0005pm ms p05 09 p009 000 p0xs08 sopwa 0.0000p 0.0 0.Hs s.fi o 0s mpcooSpm 0o memos was .Qowosmmm ospmsam0s pmos map as sstm osmosm 0 sop Gdsp s0sp0s mGOdeg ISooo mo m0sasadp so ms0pmsao sow wcscsosp q0s5poflm p008 Izoame0 0gp cs 000030 ©0scflp Isoo 03p 0:0 hspcsoo mpgp cs m.os 0.0 s.s o swosochop eooco>eo map spa: .hp0s000 00 ms0pE0E 0>Hp0500sm 080009 0p mp0005pm flflm.pmflmm0 op s0©so CH H0>0H hswccoo0m 0gp p0 00smmmo 09 p058 nosp 0.5a 0.0H 3.0 3.H I00500 Hmcospooo> ospmHH00m .00 .0m .Nm pm.soes.ao m.sU H.sU m.sU H.sU m.sU H.sU N.sU H.sU 0msomm0m oz 00sw¢ hfiwqospm 00sw< 00sm0mHQ 0sH0c00Hpm05@ Cs 00s0pfisz 00swdmsm hawcospm hancsmm 00 pc0E0p0pm momcogm0m mo ps0o s0m UmscflpQOOIldw mqm0s pQ0E00swd p0 s00so I p0080p0pm 0>spdm0z mccsw sop zfimmw pom 0H0 o0: 0000p I 03p cospmfiSQOQQSm u m .swo 00:30 sop o0sammo 0:3 0000p I 000 sospwfiSQOQQSm u H .swm 0.0Q0Hp0mdooo mo hasEdp so s0pmSHo 0 Q0£p smnpos Hasxm 0chsm 0 som pm.s00a.sw m.sw H.sw m.s0 H.so m.sm H.sU m.sw H.sw omcomm0m 00sw¢ 00sw< 00swmmam 00smomsm 0sH0QQospm0SQ Gs ©0s0pfisz oz meQospm . mawsospm haaowcwm 00 pQ0E0p0pm m0msomm0m mo p000 s0m ooszquoOIIsm 0003s 215 A majority of the superintendents from both subpopu- lations agreed or agreed strongly with statement A. How- ever, almost twenty per cent more of the superintendents in subpopulation one agreed with this concept than did those from subpopulation two. Consequently, over seventy- five per cent of the superintendents who did not apply for funds and over ninety per cent of those who did felt that vocational education should be offered as a family or clus- ter of occupations. Over thirty—five per cent more of the superintend- ents who did not apply agreed with statement 11 than those who applied. This is a rather interesting finding and may imply that superintendents in subpopulation two did not ap- ply for funds because they believed that vocational educa- tion should be provided in area vocational schools. Rather uniform answers to the four choices of re- sponses were obtained from both groups on statement 22. Approximately seventy-five per cent of each subpopulation agreed that realistic vocational education must be offered at the secondary level. Based on the responses to state- ment 11 as discussed above, a majority of superintendents from subp0pu1ation two subscribe to the principle pre- sented in statement 22 but believe it should be provided in area vocational schools. Responses to statements 23 and 59 illustrate clearly that regardless of whether or not they applied for voca- tional education funds, over eighty-five per cent of all 216 superintendents feel that vocational education should be offered as clusters or families of occupations rather than as training for a single skill° Table 82 presents the summed responses to the five statements just discussed. TABLE 82 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR VIEWS REGARDING THE PURPOSES OF TRAINING IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score by Quartile Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea Twob 0:60 0=50 O - 5 O O 6 — 10 1.5 1.9 11 - 15 53.9 74.0 16 - 20 44.6 24.1 x2 = 5.3 d/f = 1 Sig. level = .05 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds A high score on Table 82 indicates a belief that vocational training should be provided as a family or clus- ter of occupations. Obviously, on the basis of the re- sponses, those superintendents who applied for vocational 217 education funds more readily accepted this belief. A full twenty per cent more of subpopulation one had average scores of 3.2 to A on each of the five statements. A re- sponse such as this indicates a high degree of agreement. As a matter of fact, the difference between the two sub- populations was statistically significant at the .05 level. This is rather surprising when one considers the rather uniform responses to the five statements used to obtain the summed score in Table 82. The reader will recall from Table 81 that the superintendents in subpopulation one scored consistently higher in the fourth quartile than subpopulation two respondents. In addition, quite a dis- crepancy existed between the two groups on the question of where vocational training for clusters of occupations should be provided. These two facts probably account for the statistical difference between the two groups. The following tables will compare scores of superin- tendents in both subpopulations sorted on the basis of: (1) their districts' 9-12th grade enrollment, (2) their districts' state equalized valuation, (3) their years of employment by their current board, (4) their years of em- ployment by a previous board, and (5) their years of em- ployment as a teacher. Table 83 illustrates some interesting facts. First of all, the more negative scores (those in quartile two) for both subpopulations were obtained by superintendents from the largest districts. Anyone, therefore, who felt that vocational education should be taught as a 218 TABLE 83 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING 9-12TH GRADE ENROLLMENT ON FIVE STATEMENTS REGARDING THE PURPOSES OF TRAINING IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile 9-l2th Grade Enrollment Subpopulation Onea Suprpulation Twob C Q2 Q3d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 800 and above 4.1 58.4 37.5 5.6 66.6 27.8 500 - 799 0 60.0 40.0 0 63.6 36.4 300 - 499 0 54.5 45.5 0 66.6 33.4 299 and below 0 40.0 60.0 0 93.7 6.3 a Subpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds b §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6—10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 single skill came from school districts having a high school enrollment of over 800 students. Those superin- tendents from subpopulation one who most strongly disa- greed with the point of view were those who were employed in districts having a high school enrollment of less than 300 students. This latter group of superintendents tended to feel quite strongly that vocational education should be offered as a family of occupations. Superintendents who did not apply for funds but came from the larger schools 219 tended to strongly favor offering vocational education as a family of occupations. On the other hand, superintend- ents from districts with less than 300 high school stu- dents were very much opposed to vocational education as a family or cluster of occupations when compared with their colleagues from districts having more than 300 high school students. One can only wonder whether the superintendents from small school districts do not also have limited phys- ical facilities which might preclude families of occupa— tions being taught. Subconsciously, perhaps, such limita- tions could have affected their responses. No major differences appear among the respondents from districts of varying wealth, as reported in Table 84, except that a much higher proportion of the superintend- ents in subpopulation one scored in the fourth quartile than the superintendents from the same enrollment stratum in subpopulation two. Within each subpopulation, however, the responses by superintendents in the various strata are rather uniform. The amount of state equalized valuation ap- parently has no bearing on the superintendents' responses. The only major difference reflected by length of em- ployment, as indicated in Table 85, was shown for respond- ents in subpopulation two who had been employed by their current board for ten or more years. These men, although all tending to agree that vocational education should be taught as a family of occupations, did not express them- selves as strongly as their peers who had less experience. 220 Approximately nineteen per cent fewer of this latter group scored in quartile four than their colleagues with less ex— perience. TABLE 84 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING STATE EQUALIZED VALUATION ON FIVE STATEMENTS REGARDING THE PURPOSES OF TRAINING IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Per Pupil State Equalized Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Valuation Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 $15,000 and above 0 50.0 50.0 5.5 72.3 22.2 11,000 - 14,999 0 60.0 40.0 0 69.2 30.8 9,000 - 10,999 7.6 46.2 46.2 0 81.8 18.2 Below 8,999 o 61.1 38.9 0 75.0 25.0 ESubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 2 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11—15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 Superintendents from subpopulation one showed no consistency in their responses in Table 86. The superin- tendents who did not apply for funds reflected less posi- tive agreement with the five statements the longer they had been employed by previous boards. This is reflected by the fact that the per cent of responses in the fourth 221 quartile varied from 33.3 per cent for superintendents with less than one year of experience with a previous board to zero for superintendents with at least thirteen years of experience with another board of education. Con— sequently, for superintendents who did not apply, the more experienced they were the more strongly they felt voca- tional education should not be taught as a family of occu- pations. TABLE 85 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY THEIR PRESENT BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS REGARDING THE PURPOSES OF TRAINING IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent - a . b Present Board, subPopulation One Subpopulation Two Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 0 56.6 43.4 4.6 65.2 30.4 4 - 9 6.3 56.2 37.5 0 69.2 30.8 10 and over 0 17.4 52.6 0 89.0 11.0 those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two §Q2 2 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of ll-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 No particularly different pattern of responses was apparent among superintendents in subpopulation two when 222 TABLE 86 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY A PREVIOUS BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THE PURPOSES OF TRAINING IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent Previous Board ’ Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q4e Q2 Q3 Q4 Less than 1 4.0 40.0 56.0 3.7 63.0 33.3 1 - 6 0 83.4 16.6 0 75.0 25.0 7 - 12 0 36.4 63.6 0 83.3 16.7 13 and over 0 54.5 45.5 0 100.0 0 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 2 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 analyzed on the basis of Table 87. About twenty-five per cent of them, regardless of years of teaching experience, strongly agreed that vocational education should be taught as a cluster or family of occupations. Superintendents from subpopulation one tended to become progressively more positive toward vocational education as a family of occupa- tions in direct relationship to their length of experience as a teacher. In other words, the longer he had served as a teacher, the more strongly he felt vocational education should be taught as a family of occupations. 223 TABLE 87 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS WHO TAUGHT FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THE PURPOSES OF TRAINING IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years.of Biggigégge Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 0 64.2 35.8 0 75.0 25.0 4 - 6 0 75.0 25.0 0 78.6 21.4 7 - 9 5.6 33.3 61.1 0 73.4 26.6 10 and over 0 36.4 63.6 6.6 73.4 20.0 fiSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of 16-20 224 In summarizing the various methods of analyzing the responses to the statements dealing with the superintend- ent's perception of how vocational education should be of- fered to students, the following results were observed. Approximately twenty per cent more of the superintendents in subpopulation one strongly agreed with the idea of a family or cluster of occupations than superintendents from subpopulation two. Superintendents who applied for funds and were employed in the smaller districts tended to pro- vide the most positive support to this concept. The most negative reflections from subpopulation two superintendents were obtained from the most experienced superintendents em- ployed in the smallest districts. Needs Met By Established Priorities Question eleven asked: Do superintendents feel the priorities established for 1964-65 and 1965-66 best met the needs of their schools in particular and the state in general? The responses by both groups of superintend- ents to the five statements designed to answer this ques- tion are presented in Table 88. Seventy and eighty-seven per cent of the superin- tendents in subpopulations one and two, respectively, ei- ther disagreed or disagreed strongly that the established priorities favored the larger schools. Only 12.1 per cent of the superintendents in subpopulation two agreed as compared to 28.2 per cent of those who applied. Ap— parently, a majority of the superintendents felt that the 225 Gosp0oofifi0 03p :0 m0spfiso Issa msssmsasspmm so ssssso Ismcommms 00p 00: 00Hp0050m H0cosp000> so Cosmfl>flm 039 0.s0£poc0 0000 mosss 000s so po¢ moss I0050m H0cosp0oo> sos hpsso Iss0 smzwfls 0 so pswflmz 0soE 5:0 0>s000s cflsocm n000p Issossm so mss0p as n0000350 000 on qcosp05psm H0000 0000 so 0000050HGS 0gp Op 059 0.0p0ssp000 000300 smws0a 03p 00so>0s has00a0 0©I300H ssomss mossSU moons 000s so p03 cosp0oscm H0Qosp000> sos emsmssnssmm mossssosss was .00 .0H 0.0 3.s 0.00 0.3 0.00 H.00 0.00 0.00 o 3.0 o w.0 3.0 0.0 H.0H 0.00 0.00 3.03 0.50 b.0a o 3.H o o H.0H 0.w0 0.33 0.00 H.03 3.00 p0.sU0H.sU 0.sU H.sU 0.sU H.sw 0.sU H.sw 0.sU H.sU 0mcomm0m 00sw< 00s0< 00sw0maa 00sw0mHQ oz mamcospm . hawcospm m0mcomm0m so pc0o s0m 0sH0QQospm050 CH 00s0pesz 0H80000m m0 pQ0S0p0pm mQZDh mmma mo Bo< ZOHB¢ODQm Q mo MmD mmB mom QmmmHQm 00 00030 226 N.H w.m 3.m H.w m.mm m.mm ©.©3 m.m3 H.3m b.0H N.H m.m o ®.m m.3m 3.mm $.33 b.m3 m.NH 0.» 0:9 op 00cwflmm0 0Q casozm mccsm 90m thHOHsm swan 0 0Q0 0H00£QS0 s0 H000 p00sw < 0.00flp00300 H000Hp000> s0 ms0swosm mmflp0 us0m0 hapz0ss50 wcHQH0pGH0E s0 Q0H05H0x0 0gp op pmosa0 00:0 0H0 s0 QOH0Q0mx0 030 so 080swosm 30C s0 pc0fiflmflap0pm0 0gp 00s0>0m has00H0 mmu3mmH Hoomss mqssso mozss mmma so 00¢ 00Hp0050m H0QOH0000> sow omgosapopoo mossssossg 009 .0HQ0HH0>0 h0008 s0 0:5080 0gp 30H: 0H00Q 00H: u0p0pm 0 Q0 S0sw0sm 0H9H0000 @000 0:0 0s5000 op muqsm s0 .30 .mm QN.MU0H.HU m.HU H.9U N.MU H.MU N.MU H.s0 N.HU H.MU 00:0900m oz 00Hw< hfiwsospm 00sm00HQ 00sm< 00sm00HQ hfiwaospm 00000000m so 0000 90m 0sH0QQ0Hpm0SG CH 00s0QESZ hHEOUQ0m 00 pC0E0p0pm U0SQHQQOOII®w MQQ0s 9:0800sw0 so 00000 I #:0809000 0>Hp0w0z moans sow hflmm0 poC 0H0 00: 0003p u 030 G0H90H5909950 n m .sw 0005s sow 00flamm0 003 00000 I 0Q0 00Hp0H5009950 O H .som .00HPHHH00s H00£0m H00HQ£00pIH0QOHp u000> 0090 so coaposspmqoo QN.MU0H.MU N.HU H.MU N.MU H.HU m.hw H.HU m.Hw H.MU 0mqomm0m 00sm< oz hawcospm 00sw0mflm 00sw< 00H®00HQ hfiwqospm m0mcomm0m so @000 s0m 0sHOQQOHpm0SQ CH 00909832 haaooc0m 00 pQ0S0p0pm ooscssooo--mw 0003B 228 priorities established by the Division of Vocational Edu- cation permitted an equitable distribution of available funds among all school districts. Although the majority of superintendents from both subpopulations either disagreed or strongly disagreed with statement 13, almost thirty per cent of those who applied either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement in comparison to only about fifteen per cent from subpopula- tion two who agreed or strongly agreed. In comparison to those who did not apply, almost twice as many of those who applied for funds felt that certain priorities were logi- cal. It might be assumed, therefore, that since the per- centages of agree and strongly agree responses to state- ment 1 were almost identical to the agree-strongly agree responses of both groups to statement 13, that the same superintendents who felt large schools were not favored in the priorities established by the Division were also the ones who felt priorities should be established. Responses to item 50 indicate that superintendents in both subpopulations one and two felt strongly that lead- ership by the Division of V0cational Education in estab- lishing priorities was not an infringement on local autonomy. A high degree of uniformity can be observed in the responses of superintendents from both subpopulations to items 52 and 64. At least fifty per cent of each subpopu— lation of responding administrators felt that the priori— ties did not favor the establishment of new programs of 229 vocational education to the exclusion of currently oper- ating programs. Apparently this is an area which has been adequately clarified by the staff of the Division of Voca— tional Education. Judging from the responses to statement 64, over sixty-five per cent of the superintendents in each subpop- ulation agree with the area school concept and are willing to see a great deal of effort and resources put into the construction of area-technical school facilities. The summed responses of both subpopulations of su- perintendents to the five questions discussed above are presented in Table 89. A high degree of acceptance of the priorities es- tablished is reflected by scores approaching twenty. Ap— proximately one—fifth of the superintendents in group one and one-quarter of those in group two felt the priorities did not satisfy their needs. Although the difference be— tween the two subpopulations was not statistically signif- icant, it would appear that the established priorities may have had some influence upon the decision by superintend- ents to apply for funds. If, for example, a superintend- ent felt the priorities established would either adversely affect his ongoing program or were restrictive because of the size or wealth of his district, he may have determined that making application for funds would be a waste of his time. Conversely, since many of those who applied ex- pressed the same concerns relative to the established 230 priorities, it is obvious, if the above analysis is accu- rate, that other factors weighed strongly enough to over- come these concerns. This inference illustrates once again what seems to have been obvious throughout this study, that no single factor can be said to have been sufficient to in- fluence a superintendent's decision to apply for funds. TABLE 89 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO FIVE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR AGREEMENT WITH THE PRIORITIES ESTABLISHED FOR FISCAL YEAR 1965 Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score by Quartile Subpopulation Subpop ation Onea Two m=60 m=BM O - 5 O O 6 - lo 1901 2703 11 - 15 77.6 70.9 16 - 20 3.3 1.8 x2 = 1.04 d/f = l Sig. level = N. S. a Subpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds b The additional analysis of question eleven on the basis of certain environmental and professional differences between superintendents is presented in the next five tables. 231 TABLE 90 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING 9-12TH GRADE ENROLLMENT ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE ADEQUACY OF PRIORITIES ESTABLISHED FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FUNDS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile 9-l2th Grade Enrollment Suprpulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C Q3d Que Q2 Q3 QA 800 and above 25.0 70.8 4.2 26.3 68.4 5.3 500 - 799 11.8 82.4 5.8 20.0 80.0 o 300 - 499 20.0 80.0 o 50.0 50.0 o 299 and below 16.6 83.4 o 18.7 81.3 o aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 Q3 = 3rd quartile or scores of ll-15 eQA = 4th quartile or scores of l6—20 232 TABLE 91 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED IN DISTRICTS OF VARYING STATE EQUALIZED VALUATION ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE ADEQUACY OF PRIORITIES ESTABLISHED FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FUNDS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Per Pupil State Equalized Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Valuation 02¢ 03d 018 Q2 Q3 on $15,000 and above 11.1 88.9 0 22.3 77.7 0 11,000 - 1A,999 23.0 77.0 0 33.4 66.6 0 9,000 - 10,999 15.4 69.2 15.4 .18.2 81.8 0 Below 8,999 26.4 73.6 0 35.7 57.1 7.2 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds SQZ = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-lO Q3 = 3rd quartile or scores of ll-15 eQA = 4th quartile or scores of l6-20 233 TABLE 92 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY THEIR PRESENT BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE ADEQUACY OF PRIORITIES ESTABLISHED FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FUNDS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent, Present Board Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob 02C 03d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 17.9 75.0 7.1 30.u 69.6 0 A - 9 20.0 80.0 0 1u.3 78.6 7.1 10 and over 20.0 80.0 0 33.4 66.6 0 a Subpopulation one those who applied for funds bSubpopulation two = those who did not apply for c funds dQ2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-lO eQ3 = 3rd quartile or scores of ll-lS Q4 = 4th quartile or scores of l6-2O 234 TABLE 93 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS EMPLOYED BY A PREVIOUS BOARD FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE ADEQUACY OF PRIORITIES ESTABLISHED FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FUNDS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years As Superintendent, Previous Board Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob 02C 03d Q4e Q2 Q3 04 Less than 1 16.0 80.0 4.0 26.0 74.0 0 l — 6 25.0 68.8 6.2 28.6 71.4 0 7 - 12 18.2 81.8 0 28.6 57.2 14.2 13 and over l8.2 81.8 0 25.0 75.0 0 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds CQ2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-10 303 = 3rd quartile or scores of 11-15 Q4 2 4th quartile or scores of 16—20 235 TABLE 94 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY SUPERINTENDENTS WHO TAUGHT FOR VARYING LENGTHS OF TIME ON FIVE STATEMENTS DEALING WITH THE ADEQUACY OF PRIORITIES ESTABLISHED FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FUNDS Per Cent of Superintendents' Scores in Each Quartile Years of Eggzigéfige Subpopulation Onea Subpopulation Twob Q2C 03d Q48 Q2 Q3 Q4 3 or less 8.3 91.7 0 42.8 57.2 0 4 - 6 42.1 52.6 5.3 33.4 66.6 0 7 - 9 15.0 80.0 5.0 29.4 64.6 6.0 10 and over 0 100.0 0 14.3 85.7 0 a Subpopulation one those who applied for funds bSubpopulation two 2 those who did not apply for funds §Q2 = 2nd quartile or scores of 6-lO Q3 = 3rd quartile or scores of ll-l5 eQA = 4th quartile or scores of l6—20 An analysis of Tables 90 through 9A in comparison to Table 89 shows no meaningful differences in the responses by superintendents in either subpopulation. Apparently the fact that superintendents came from districts having dif- ferent sizes of high school enrollments or different de- grees of wealth and possessed different amounts of admin- istrative and teaching experience had little bearing on their perception of the adequacy of the priorities for 1963 Act funds established by the staff of the Division of 236 Vocational Education. Where rather large percentage dif- ferences occurred between the responses obtained on one of the preceding five tables and Table 89, there was no ap- parent pattern to the differences and consequently they were difficult to evaluate in any meaningful way. In summary, it has been pointed out in the pre- ceding seven tables that a rather sizable group of super- intendents from both subpopulations felt the priorities established by the Division of Vocational Education for the use of funds available under the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 were equitable and ade— quate to meet their needs. Approximately eight per cent more of subpopulation two superintendents expressed strong agreement with the established priorities than superin— tendents from subpopulation one. Neither the size or wealth of the districts of the superintendents from either subpopulation nor their years of experience as administrators and teachers had any ap- parent effect on the responses. This finding is somewhat surprising since one might expect that superintendents from large, wealthy districts would react differently from su- perintendents from small, poor districts to any set of es— tablished priorities. The Superintendent's Understanding of the 1963 Act As already mentioned, the final two variables as- sociated with the operational procedures of the Michigan 237 Division of Vocational Education were posed in the form of the following questions: 12. Was the decision to submit an application re- lated to the superintendent's understanding of the Vocational Education Act of 1963, and, 13. What parts of the Act are least understood by superintendents and need further clarification by state personnel? Part Three of the research questionnaire contained forty-three true and false statements. The total score on all statements was assumed to provide a measure of each superintendent's overall understanding of the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of l963. In order to de- termine which parts or provisions of the Act were best or least understood, ten statements were developed to measure the understanding of general provisions of the Act and an additional three statements were developed to measure the superintendent's understanding of each of eleven specific sections or purposes which were affected by the provisions of the Act. The reader might wish to refer to Part Three of the questionnaire in Appendix A to review the statements dealing with each of the specific sections. Since the statements were randomly assigned to this part of the in- strument, it will be necessary for the reader to consult the following guide to determine which statements pertain to each section of the Act under analysis. 238 Section or Purpose Analyzed General Provisions Youth with Special Needs Area Vocational-Technical Schools Office Education Distributive Education Agriculture Education Trade and Industrial Education Placement and Follow—Up Post—High School Vocational and Technical Education Adult Vocational Education Work-Study Program Randomly Numbered Statements 10,14,15,18,21,29, 30,35,41,42 13,24,28 19,20,40 1,4,36 3.34.38 6,23,32 7,31,39 15,33,37 2,12,25 9,17,22 5,8327 Tables were prepared to show the responding super- intendents' general understanding of the Act as well as their understanding of the eleven separate provisions. As already mentioned, the Chi square statistic was applied to each of these tables. In order to assure that expected frequencies of at least five were obtained, the scores for quartiles one and two were collapsed into the lower fifty percentile and quartiles three and four were collapsed into the upper fifty percentile. Consequently, the significance levels shown for the following table compare the lower and upper fifty per cent of all scores for superintendents in subpopulation one to the corre- sponding scores for superintendents in subpopulation two. For example, the fourfold contingency table and the 239 accompanying statistical analysis for Table 95 would ap- pear as follows: Lower 50% Upper 50% Subpopulation l 29 35 6A Subpopulation 2 33 2O 53 62 55 117 2 2 X = N(Bc-Agl IA+B)(C+D7(A+C)(B¥D7 x2 = 117(1155-580)2 I64)(53)(527(557 x2 = 117(575)2 11,590,000 x2 = 117x330,000 11,590,000 X = 3,859.000 * 11,590,000 ‘ ‘333 Table 95 contains a comparison of the composite scores compiled from the superintendents' responses. Ta- ble 96 is composed of superintendents' responses relating to their general understanding of the Act whereas Tables 97 through 107 summarize the results obtained from the responses of superintendents relative to each Specific section of the Act. The notations used on tables in this section are identical to those used on all tables in this chapter. In Table 95 the higher the score the greater the amount of total information possessed by the population sample of superintendents. Approximately sixty—seven per cent of those who applied for funds scored in the upper 240 TABLE 95 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO FORTY-THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score by Quartile Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea Twob (N = 71) (N = 58) O - ll 5.7 22.4 12 - 22 26.7 24.1 23 - 33 54.9 50.0 34 _ 43 12.7 3-5 x2 = 2.69 d/f = l Sig. level = N. S. %Subpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds fifty percentile compared to only 53.5 per cent of those who did not apply. The major differences between the two subpopulations occurred however in the upper and lower quartiles. Almost seventeen per cent more of the super- intendents who did not apply exhibited a very low level of information as compared to those who did apply. Con- versely, almost ten per cent more of the superintendents in subpopulation one exhibited a high degree of under- standing when compared to subpopulation two. Although 241 statistical significance was not reached at the .05 level on this table, it is significant at the .10 level. This would imply that the degree of difference between the two groups is rather high. Those superintendents who applied had a much greater understanding of the provisions of the 1963 Act and probably found it easier to apply for funds than their less informed colleagues from subpopulation two. TABLE 96 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO TEN STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE GENERAL PROVISIONS OF THE 1963 ACT Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea TWOb (N = 61) (N = 48) O 2 3.2 12.6 3 31.2 33.4 6 8 60.7 54.3 9 11 4.9 O x2 = 2.32 d/f = 1 Sig. level = N. S. %Subpopulation one Subpopulation two funds those who applied for funds those who did not apply for Almost ten per cent more of subpopulation two scored in the lower percentile on Table 96 as compared to their colleagues in subpopulation one. In addition, over eleven 242 per cent more of subpopulation one had scores in the upper fifty per cent than their counterparts in subpopulation two. Superintendents from subpopulation one, therefore, exhibited slightly more understanding of the general pur— poses of the Act than the superintendents who did not ap- ply for funds. The following tables are designed to compare the amount of knowledge exhibited by superintendents in the two subpopulations toward the eleven specific purposes of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 as summarized on page 238. Each section or purpose was evaluated with three questions. Each question was assigned a numerical value of one. The scores in the following tables will there— fore range from zero to three. The reader will recall that the respondent could answer the question by circling the "T" for true, the "F" for false or the "I" for in- sufficient information. Since the test was designed to measure the effectiveness of the information provided by the staff of the Division of Vocational Education, it was determined that an "I" should be considered the same as an incorrect answer. Consequently, all correctly answered statements were given one point, all incorrect answers and all those answered with the "I" selection were given zero points. 243 TABLE 97 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS FOR YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea Two 0 4.6 6-0 1 23,1 24.0 2 50.8 44.0 3 21.5 26.0 X2 : .08 d/f = l Sig. level = N. S. a b those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds Subpopulation one Suprpulation two 2&4 TABLE 98 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS ABOUT AREA VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOLS Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea Two (N = 67) (N = 49) O H.5 12.2 I 20.9 18.4 2 41.8 34-7 3 32.8 34.7 x2 = .358 d/f = l Sig. level = N. S. a bSubpopulation one those who applied for funds Subpopulation two = those who did not apply for funds 245 TABLE 99 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS FOR OFFICE EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulgtion Onea Two (N = 71) (N = 58) O 3.3 11.5 1 20.2 16.1 2 68.1 48.8 3 8.4 23.6 x2 = .34 d/f = 1 Sig. level = N. S. a Subpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds b 246 TABLE 100 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS FOR DISTRIBUTIVE EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea’ TWO.b (N 2 66) (N = 48) O 5. 2 13.8 1 21.1 14.9 2 55.9 48.3 3 17.8 23-0 x2 = .141 d/f = 1 Sig. level = N. S. aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds 247 TABLE lOl SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS POR AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulgtion Onea Two (N = 66) (N = 50) 0 9.1 20.0 1 18.2 26.0 2 53.0 44.0 3 19.7 10.0 x2 = 4.37 d/f = l Sig. level = .05 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds 248 In Tables 97 through 100, superintendents in subpop- ulation two consistently obtained higher percentages in the lowest quartile and lower percentages in the third quartile than superintendents from subpopulation one. In addition, more superintendents from the group who did not apply scored in the lowest fifty per cent in each of the tables than their colleagues who had applied for funds. 0b- viously then, superintendents in subpopulation one demon- strated more knowledge of the provisions of the Act re- lating to youth with special needs, area vocational tech- nical schools, and office and distributive education. In Table 101 the degree of difference between the two subpopulations of responding administrators was sig- nificant at the .05 level. Those superintendents who ap- plied for funds, although not possessing a statistically Significant amount of information in general, were much more knowledgeable of the provisions of the Act relative to agricultural education. This finding would imply that development of agricultural education programs might be ex- tended or expanded if less time were spent by the Agricul- tural Education staff of the Division of VOcational Educa- tion with schools having agricultural education programs and more time with those not now having programs. In Table 102 the differential in information about homemaking education possessed by the superintendents in the two subpopulations was Significant at the .001 level. This extremely high significance level implies a serious 249 lack of information or a great deal of misinformation about these types of programs. Since the 1963 Act made funds available only for programs for gainful employment in home economics, it might be assumed that gainful employment has not yet been adequately defined by the staff of the Division of Vocational Education. However, since superintendents in subpopulation one generally did well on the statements dealing with home economics, one might assume that, as in agriculture, serious scrutiny of those who did not apply should be made by state staff members in home economics. TABLE 102 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS FOR VOCATIONAL HOMEMAKING EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea Two (N = 67) (N = 49) 0 4.5 22.4 1 17.9 30.6 2 50.7 40.9 3 26.9 6.1 x2 = 11.62 d/f = 1 Sig. level = .001 aSubpopulation one Subpopulation two those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds 250 TABLE 103 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS FOR VOCATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulation Onea Two (N = 66) (N = 49) o 6.1 14.3 1 36.3 51.0 2 28.8 22.4 3 28.8 12.3 X? = 5.93 d/f = l Sig. level = .02 a b those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds Suprpulation one Subpopulation two In Table 103 the respondents from subpopulation one scored so much better on questions dealing with trade and in- dustrial education that the difference between the two groups was Significant at the .05 level. The same generalization can be made for this service as was proposed for agriculture and home economics. It appears necessary for staff members of the Division of Vocational Education to concentrate on providing consultant services to those systems which do not now have Trade and Industrial Education programs or did not request funds to improve or expand existing ones. 251 TABLE 104 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS FOR PLACEMENT AND FOLLOW-UP SERVICES Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopu tion Onea Two (N = 65) (N = 49) 0 3.1 10.2 1 18.4 16.3 2 40.0 40.8 3 38.5 32-7 x2 = .384 d/f = l Sig. level = N. S. those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds aSuprpulation one Subpopulation two 253 TABLE 106 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OR THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS FOR ADULT VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONa Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulation 0neb TwoC (N = 66) (N = 49) 0 3.1 10.2 1 24.2 24.5 2 42.4 40.8 3 30.3 24.5 x2 = .714 d/f = l Sig. level = N. S. aNote: Post—high school vocational education is defined as fulltime study whereas adult vocational educa- tion isbdefined as part—time or supplementary education. Subpopulation one = those who applied for funds CSubpopulation two = those who did not apply for funds Even though statistically significant differences did not occur between the two subpopulations in Tables 104, 105 and 106, it once again becomes apparent that superin- tendents from subpopulation one were slightly more knowl- edgeable about the provisions of the Act relating to place- ment and follow-up services, post-high school education and adult education. Approximately seven per cent more of the superintendents from subpopulation two obtained zero scores 253 TABLE 106 SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS FOR ADULT VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONa Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulation Oneb TwoC (N = 66) (N = 49) 0 3.1 10.2 1 24.2 24.5 2 42.4 40.8 3 30.3 24.5 x2 = .714 d/f = l Sig. level = N. S. aNote: Post-high school vocational education is defined as fulltime study whereas adult vocational educa- tion isbdefined as part—time or supplementary education. Subpopulation one = those who applied for funds CSubpopulation two = those who did not apply for funds Even though statistically Significant differences did not occur between the two subpopulations in Tables 104, 105 and 106, it once again becomes apparent that superin- tendents from subpopulation one were slightly more knowl- edgeable about the provisions of the Act relating to place- ment and follow-up services, post-high school education and adult education. Approximately seven per cent more of the superintendents from subpopulation two obtained zero scores 254 in each of the three tables than superintendents from sub— population one. In addition, about six per cent more of the superintendents in subpopulation one responded accu- rately to all three statements than the superintendents from subpopulation two. 0n the basis of these findings it can be said that, although a relatively high per cent of both groups of superintendents indicated a lack of knowl- edge of these three purposes, the superintendents who did not apply for funds were less knowledgeable than their colleagues who applied. TABLE lOT SUMMED SCORES RECEIVED BY TWO RESPONDENT-GROUPS TO THREE STATEMENTS RELATING TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE 1963 ACT PROVISIONS FOR A WORK STUDY PROGRAM Per Cent of Superintendents by Quartile Summed Score Subpopulation Subpopulation 0nea Two (N = 65) (N = 50) O 35.4 38.0 1 32,3 48.0 2 18.5 10.0 3 13.8 4.0 x2 = 5.16 d/f = l Sig. level = .05 those who applied for funds those who did not apply for funds aSubpopulation one Suprpulation two II II 255 Although Table 107 showed a statistical Significance of .05 in the different scores obtained by the two subpop- ulations, scrutiny of Table 107 shows neither group was very knowledgeable about the work-study program. One would logically be inclined to recommend a great deal more infor- mation about the work-study program be provided to the su- perintendents of all eligible schools except that, at the time of this writing, work-study funds appear to have been withdrawn from the Act and the program may no longer be available to students. A general comparison of Tables 97 through 107 Shows some uniformity of results. In each case, from two to three times as many superintendents in the group that did not submit applications failed to answer the three ques- tions at all or answered them all incorrectly. In other words, they received a zero score on the table being con- sidered. In addition, in all but four of the eleven ta- bles, more of the superintendents who had applied for funds were able to answer all three questions c0rrectly than those superintendents who did not apply for funds. There was enough diversity in the scores in both subpopulations to justify the belief that the Division of Vocational Edu- cation has not supplied the superintendents with sufficient information about the Vocational Education Act of 1963. A comparison of the scores obtained by both subpop- ulations on Tables 97 through 107 Shows that many of those who actually applied were not too well informed. It was 256 brought out in every table dealing with knowledge of the Act that more of the superintendents who did not apply scored considerably lower than those superintendents who applied. This finding would lead one to believe that lack of knowledge was indeed a factor in making application for funds. Added to this, the finding of a statistical Signifi- cance in the differences in responses of at least an .05 level for those statements dealing with agricultural educa- tion, homemaking education, trade and industrial education and the work-study program makes this assumption even more valid. CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 0n the basis of responses by seventy-one superin— tendents who had applied for Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds and fifty-eight superintendents who had not ap- plied for funds, certain generalizations relative to the purpose and subpurposes of this study, as outlined in Chapter One, are possible. Conclusions The major purpose of this study was to identify some of the variables associated with the decisions of school superintendents to submit applications for funding under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. This major purpose was then made more specific by the development of three subpurposes. Subpurpose one was established to identify certain variables related to the superintendents' professional preparation and experience which were associated with the decision to apply for funds. 1. The superintendents who applied for funds possessed a significantly higher level of academic preparation. Therefore, it appears that superintendents with greater academic preparation are more likely to apply for funds. 257 258 2. Superintendents who applied for funds tended to per- ceive vocational education more favorably than those who did not apply. The data did not indicate however that this variable was necessarily associated with the decision to apply for funds and the differences in per- ception were not statistically significant. a. Superintendents employed by wealthy districts are much more favorably disposed toward vocational edu- cation than their colleagues from poorer districts. b. Superintendents who did not apply and work in the poorer districts expressed the most negative per- ception of vocational education. c. Superintendents who did not apply for funds and had been employed as an administrator for longer periods of time by either their current or previous school board generally expressed the most negative view of vocational education. 3. The superintendent's undergraduate major, type or length of teaching experience, length of employment by current and previous school districts, or length of employment in fields other than education apparently had no significant relation to the decision to apply for funds. Subpurpose two was formulated to identify certain variables related to the superintendent's immediate pro- fessional environment which were associated with the de- cision to apply for funds. 259 No significant difference occurred between the two groups of superintendents when compared on the basis of their districts' ninth through twelfth grade enroll- ment and state equalized valuation. Superintendents who attended regional informational conferences conducted by the Division of Vocational Education were more likely to apply for funds. A sig- nificantly greater number of those who applied had at- tended a regional informational conference when com— pared to those superintendents who did not apply. Subpurpose three was designed to identify certain variables related to the operational procedures of the State Division of Vocational Education which were asso- ciated with the decision to apply for funds. 1. Superintendents who applied had a more positive per- ception of how the Vocational Education Act of 1963 would benefit public schools. This perception seems to have been associated, at least in a minor way, with the decision to apply for funds although statistically significant differences were not obtained. a. Superintendents who did not apply and had been em- ployed by a previous board for over a decade were the most critical of the way the Act would affect public schools. The availability of printed materials from the Divi- sion of Vocational Education to assist superintendents in implementing the provisions of the Act was not 260 associated with the decision to apply for funds. Even though a statistically significant difference did not result, certain generalizations were possible from the data. a. All superintendents expressed a strong need for additional printed materials. Superintendents who had not applied for funds indicated a stronger de- sire for these materials than those who had ap- plied for funds. b. Superintendents from districts having small high school enrollments revealed the most interest in additional materials from the Division of Voca- tional Education. c. More experienced superintendents who did not apply for funds reacted most negatively toward the idea of the State Division of Vocational Education de- veloping additional materials to be used in the implementation of the 1963 Act. The amount and types of consultant help provided by the Division of Vocational Education apparently had no measurable bearing on the decision to apply for funds. Once again, statistical significance was not obtained. a. The majority of superintendents, whether they re- quested 1963 Act funds or not, favored additional consultant services. b. Consultant services were most desired in the areas 261 of vocational guidance, adult education, area vo- cational school programming and providing programs for persons with special needs. Superintendents from smaller, less wealthy dis— tricts expressed the greatest desire for addi- tional consultant assistance. More experienced superintendents indicated less de- sire for additional consultant assistance than their less experienced colleagues. The desire for printed materials designed to interpret the Act to communities cannot be said to have been as- sociated with the decision to apply for funds. A lack of statistical significance was once again observed. a. Most superintendents expressed a need for addi- tional interpretive materials. In general, the superintendents who did not apply for funds tended to exhibit a greater desire for these materials than those who applied. The superintendents who did not apply and were employed by districts having larger high school enrollments tended to favor the development of ad- ditional materials more than their fellow adminis- trators from smaller districts. Less experienced superintendents who did not apply for funds also tended to want more materials than their colleagues who possessed greater amounts of experience. 5. 262 A fear of increased Federal and state control was ap- parently not associated with the decision to apply for funds. Although statistical significance did not oc- cur, the data provided the following observations. a. More experienced superintendents expressed more concern about control than those with less ex- perience. b. Superintendents with the least amount of teaching experience expressed the greatest concern about Federal and state control. The application forms develOped by the Division of V0— cational Education were apparently not associated with the decision to apply for funds. a. In general, however, superintendents who did not apply were less pleased with the application forms than were those who applied. Although no significant difference was observed between the two groups of superintendents, most superintendents felt the matching fund requirement was a serious obsta- cle to program development. a. Superintendents employed by small, poor school districts were much more concerned about the matching fund provision than superintendents from larger, wealthier districts. b. More experienced superintendents from both suprp- ulations expressed less concern about the matching fund provision than their less experienced col- leagues. 263 8. Since superintendents in both subpopulations expressed an equal desire for additional state aid to satisfy the matching fund requirement for vocational educa- tion, this factor cannot be assumed to have been as- sociated with the decision to apply for funds. Most superintendents favored increased state aid and no statistical significance occurred. a. Superintendents from poorer districts expressed the greatest desire for additional state aid. b. Respondents who had been employed for longer pe- riods as superintendents expressed less concern relative to the need for additional state aid for vocational education. 9. A lack of understanding of vocational teacher certifi- cation was apparently not associated with the decision to apply for funds. Once again, no statistical sig- nificance was obtained. a. Both those superintendents who applied and those who did not apply for funds exhibited a limited understanding of vocational teacher certification. 10. A difference in opinion as to whether vocational educa- tion should be offered as a single skill or family of occupations may have had some influence on the decision to apply for funds. A significantly greater number of the superintendents who applied for funds compared to those who did not apply perceived vocational education as being offered as a family or cluster of occupations. ll. l2. 13. 264 a. Superintendents employed in districts having small high school enrollments were the most positive of all superintendents in believing that vocational education should be offered as a family of occupa- tions. b. More experienced superintendents from both subpop- ulations were less positive in their beliefs that families of occupations represented the correct curricular arrangement for vocational education. The priorities established by the State Division of Vocational Education for use of funds under the pro- visions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 were not a measurable factor in the decision to apply for funds. Although statistical significance did not oc- cur, both groups of superintendents expressed dissat— isfaction with the priorities. The difference in the level of general or overall un- derstanding between the superintendents in the two sub- p0pulations was not statistically significant and therefore this variable was probably not associated with the decision to apply for funds. a. Superintendents who did not apply were in general less knowledgeable of the provisions of the Act than were those who applied. The difference in understanding between the two sub- populations was statistically significant for the specific provisions of the Act dealing with vocational 265 agricultural education, vocational homemaking educa- tion, vocational trade and industrial education, and the work study program. Recommendations Many vocational educators seemed to feel that lack of flexibility and insufficient funds in previous voca— tional education legislation were responsible to a great extent for the slow degree of development of vocational education programs in local schools. The Vocational Educa- tion Act of 1963 provided both additional flexibility and additional funds. Yet only 42.6 per cent of all eligible school districts applied for these funds during the first two years they were available. This study attempted to determine what other factors were associated with the de— cision to seek funds and what additional efforts would re- sult in increased vocational program development. 0n the basis of the results of this study, it would seem that ex- panded vocational education offerings would probably re- sult if the following recommendations are followed. 1. Certain superintendents in larger, wealthier school districts indicated a particularly favorable attitude toward vocational education. In addition, these su- perintendents tended to be more highly educated and possessed fewer years of administrative experience. Additional program development, for the benefit of all vocational education in Michigan, would probably be realized if personnel in the State Division of 266 Vocational Education encouraged these superintendents to assume responsibility for conducting innovative pilot and demonstration projects. The perception of more experienced superintendents must be improved through concentrated efforts by vo- cational educators before additional vocational program development can be expected in their districts. Before a great deal of expansion or improvement can be expected in Michigan's vocational education program, the positive advantages of vocational education to the non-college bound youth and the methods by which these types of programs can be offered must be fully explained to superintendents who do not have vocational education programs in their districts or who are not actively seeking ways to improve existing programs. Such efforts are especially important with superintendents who are employed in the smaller, less wealthy districts. Efforts must be made to obtain additional state aid for districts offering or wishing to offer vocational edu- cation programs. A full and clear explanation of vocational teacher certification requirements should lead to additional vocational program development. The concept of clusters or families of occupational training in vocational education should be publicized, explained and emphasized. Additional printed materials explaining the goals and 267 purposes of vocational education as well as program guidelines and curricular materials should be developed by the State Division of Vocational Education. 8. Additional consultant assistance should be provided by the staff of the Division of Vocational Education. This is especially true from a promotional standpoint whereby staff consultants should concentrate less on those dis- tricts currently operating vocational programs and more on those which should develop such programs. 9. More informative printed materials of a promotional na- ture should be developed by State Vocational Education staff to assist superintendents in interpreting the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 to their communities. 10. The Division of Vocational Education staff should in- crease its efforts to assure that all superintendents understand vocational education in general as well as the provisions of vocational education legislation. Coupled with the printed materials recommended above, in-service workshops for school administrators should be developed on a regional basis to provide this in- formation. Recommendations for Further Studies 1. With this study as a base, additional factors, espe- cially those found in the superintendent's environment, such as geographic distribution of his district, compo- sition of his school board and the industrial 268 development of his district should be evaluated to de- termine if additional factors can be identified which are associated with the superintendent's decision to apply for funds. An analysis of methods by which additional state aid could be obtained for vocational education should be undertaken. A study such as this would provide the Michigan Department of Education with concrete evidence to present to the Michigan legislature. Since many superintendents perceived vocational educa- tion as training in a cluster or family of occupations, a study needs to be undertaken which would identify the occupations within various clusters as well as the clusters pertaining to Michigan's economic structure. The type and amount of leadership exerted by the State Board of Education and the Department of Education are not well defined in the new Constitution. A study de- signed to assist in determining the role of these two bodies as perceived by Michigan educators would pro- vide realistic direction to state educational leaders. The development of the area vocational-technical school concept has resulted in confusion regarding the role of local vocational education programs in relation to the emerging area vocational programs. A study to define the role to be played by each type of program should be undertaken. The Michigan Vocational Evaluation Project was 269 conducted prior to the implementation of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. A study similar to this ear- lier research project would provide a more accurate picture of vocational education in Michigan today. Program planning and budgeting systems, cost benefit analysis and vocational information evaluation systems are all on the threshold of adoption in Michigan and the nation. One or more studies should be conducted to Show the relationship of one system to the other and the best way to implement the adoption of these systems at the state and local level. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Aristotle. "Nicomachean Ethics." Translated by W. D. Ross in The Works of Aristotle, Volume II. Great Books of the Western World. Chicago: Encyclo- paedia Britannica, Inc., 1952. Barlow, Melvin L. (ed.) Vocational Education. The Sixty- fourth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part I. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965. Development of Federal Legislation for Vocational Educa- tion. Compiled by J. Chester Swanson from Develop- ment of Vocational Education by Layton S. Hawkins, Charles H. Prosser and John C. Wright. Chicago: American Technical Society, 1951. Drake, William E. The American School in Transition. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1955- Edwards, Allen L. Techniques of Attitude Scale Construc- tion. New York: Appleton, Century, Crofts, Inc., 1957. Fern, George H. What Is Vocational Education? Chicago: American Technical Society, 1945. Hutchins, Robert M. Higher Learning in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1936. McNemar, Quinn. Psychological Statistics. 3rd edition. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1962. Selltiz, C., et al. Research Methods in Social Relations. New York: Holt, Rinehart, Winston, Inc., 1962. Snedden, David. The Problem of V0cational Education. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1910. Struck, Theodore F. Vocational Education for A Changing World. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1945. Thurstone, L. L., and Chave, E. J. The Measurement of Attitude. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1929. 271 272 Venn, Grant. Man, Education and Work. Washington, D. C. American Council on Education, 1964. ARTICLES AND PERIODICALS Bohrson, Ralph G. "It's Too Peaceful in the Country," The Bulletin of the National Association of Sec- ondary School Principals, Vol. 49, No. 301 (May, 1965), 17-20. Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Vol. 49, No. 301 (May, 1965), foreword. Cass, James. "While School Keeps," Saturday Review, Vol. 46 (August 17, 1963), 46. Dittrick, Alva R. "New Directions in VOcational Educa- tion," The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, Vol.49, No. 301 (May, 1965), 10-11. Dressel, Paul L. "Liberal and Vocational Education," College and University Bulletin (May 1,1959), 4. Editorial. "Control of Schools: I " America, Vol. 110, No. 8 (February 22, 1964), 247- 48. Editorial. "Control of Schools: 11," America, Vol. 110, No. 10 (March, 1964), 305. Elfin, Mel. "School Aid: Can Dean Ke pel Call the Class to Order?" The Reporter, Vol.2 No. 6 (March 14, 1963). 32- 35. Exton, Elaine. "Issues Churned Up By Federal Aid, " The American School Board Journal, Vol. 149, No. 3 (September, 1964), 42- 43. Exton, Elaine. "Will the New Federal Aids Strengthen or Weaken the Public Schools?" American School Board Journal, Vol. 150, No. 2 (February, 1965), 37-38. McNeil, J. D. "Deciding Factors in Curriculum Improve— fignfi, " School Executive, Vol. 77 (July, 1958), 7- Moley, Raymond. "Uncle Sam, Schoolmaster," Newsweek, V01.LXII, No. 13 (September 23, 1963), 110. Narden, Joseph T. "Vocational Education For A Dynamic Economy," The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, Vol. 49, No. 301 (May, 1965), 8. 273 Rucker, Darnell. "The Liberal and the Manual Arts in Edu- cation,” School and Society, Vol. 91, No. 2232 (November 16, 1963), 18—20. Welhelms, Fred T. "Vocational Education: What Are The Big Questions?" The Bulletin of the National Asso- ciation of Secondary School Principals, Vol. 49, No. 301 (May, 1965), 3—7. Young, Robert W. "The Academic 'Mohammed' and the Voca- tional 'Mountain'," School Shop, Vol. XXIV (October, 1964), 27-280 PUBLIC DOCUMENTS U. S. Congress. An Act to Strengthen and Improve the Quality of Vocational Education . . . , PMblic Law 210, 88th Congress, H. R. 4955, December 18, 1963. U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Edu- cation and Training, The Bridge Between Man And His Work. Third Annual Report of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to the Congress. Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1965. U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Edu- cation For A Changing World of Work. Report of the Panel of Consultants on Vocational Education. Wash- ington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1963. U. S. Department of Labor. Manpower Report of the Presi- dent and A Report on Manpower Requirements,_Re- sources, Utilization and Training. Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, March, 1964. REPORTS American Vocational Association, Inc. The School Admin- istrator and Vocational Education. A Report Pre- pared by the Committee on Research and Publications. Washington, 1951. American Vocational Association, Inc. Administration of Vocational Education at State and Local Levels. A Report Prepared by the Committee on Research and Publications. Washington, 1953. 274 Bentley, Ralph R., and Woerdehoff, Frank J. The Viewpoints of Indiana School Administrators Regarding Voca- tional Education. The Division of Education, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, June, 1958. Brickell, H. M. Organizing New York State for Educational Change. University of the State of New York, State Education Department, New York, December, 1961. Educational Policies Commission. Educational Responsibil- ities of the Federal Government. Washington: Na— tional Education Association, 1964. Kemp, B. H. The Youth We Haven't Served, A Challenge to Vocational Education. Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1966. Mason, Clarence C. "A Study of Organization for the Ad- ministration of Vocational Education in Selected Michigan High Schools,” Vocational Education in Michigan. Lansing: State Board of Control for Vocational Education, July, 1962. McCarthy, John A. Vocational Education, America's Greatest Resource. Chicago: American Technical Society, 1951. McLure, W. P., et al. Vocational and Technical Education in Illinois, Tomorrow's Challenge. Bureau of Edu- cational Research, College of Education, University of Illinois, 1960. National Manpower Council. Improving the Work Skills of the Nation. New York: Columbia University Press, 1955- Office of Vocational Education. For The Greatest Good. Lansing: Department of Public Instruction, undated. Office of Vocational Education. What Michigan People Think About Vocational Education Needs. Lansing: Depart- ment of Public Instruction, June, 1947. Roe, W. H. A Study of the Reimbursed Vocational Programs in Michigan. Office of Vocational Education. Lansing: Department of Public Instruction, 1950. Smith, H. T. Education and Training for the World of Work, A Vocational Education Program for the State of Michigan. Kalamazoo: W. E. Upjohn Institute, 1963. 275 Wenrich, Ralph C. "A Study to Determine More Effective Ways of Using State and Federal Vocational Educa- tion Funds in the Further Development of Programs Operated by Local School Districts," Vocational Education in Michigan. Lansing: State Board of Control for Vocational Education, July, 1962. Wenrich, Ralph C., and Crowley, Robert J. Vocational Edu- cation As Perceived by Different Segments of the Population. Cooperative Research Project No. 1577, University of Michigan, 1964. Wenrich, Ralph C., and Ollenburger, Alvin. High School Principal's Perception of Assistance Needed in Order to Develop More Adequate Programs for Employ- ment-Bound Youth. Office of Research and Adminis- tration, School of Education, University of Michigan, December, 1963. UNPUBLISHED MATERIAL Becker, J. W. "Processes Used by Superintendents for the Improvement of Educational Opportunity in Selected School Districts." Unpublished Doctor's disserta— tion, Temple University, 1958. Kosoloski, J. E., Jr. "A Quantitative Analysis of Penn- sylvania's Public School Utilization of the Provi- sions of Title III of the National Defense Educa- tion Act of 1958." Unpublished Doctor's disserta- tion, The Pennsylvania State University, 1958. Lu, Hsien. "Federal Role in Education: The Problem of Federal Aid With or Without Control." Unpublished Doctor's dissertation, Columbia University, 1963. Posey, Ellis Benton. "State Education Agency Control of Public School Expenditures in Selected Foundation Program States." Unpublished Doctor's dissertation, University of Texas, 1953. Prichard, G. S. ”Duties and Responsibilities of School Board Members in Small District Schools." Unpub- lished Doctor's dissertation, Michigan State Uni- versity, 1953. Riddle, Bruce E. "An Analysis of State Departments of Education with Respect to Their Emerging Leadership Functions in Educational Improvement." Unpublished Doctor's dissertation, University of Oklahoma, 1961. 276 Shock, D. P. "Patterns in the Decision Making Process of A School Board." Unpublished Doctor's dissertation, Stanford University, 1960. Teckman, Charles Edward. "The Influence of State Depart- ments and Regional Accrediting Associations on Secondary School Experimentation." Unpublished Doctor's dissertation, The Ohio State University, 1962. APPENDICES APPENDIX A VOCATIONAL EDUCATION OPINION INVENTORY No. OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS DefiniTion: For The purposes of This sTudy The Term "vocaTional educaTion" means vocaTional or Technical Training or reTraining conducTed as a parT of a program designed To fiT individuals for gainful employmenT as semiskilled or skilled workers or Technicians in recognized occupaTions. Part I DIRECTIONS: Pant 1 a devoted to a coaeotéon 06 biogltaphécai da/ta. Pflecwe answe/L each queotéon below by checking the appILOp/utwte bflanh. Mone than one check may be used 60): oome Ltemo. 1. I have been employed as a 5. My teaching experience was in: superintendent by this Board of Education for: English Social Science less than 1 year Art 1 to 3 years Music 4 to 6 years Mathematics “30040693 AAA/\Af‘ vvvvvv 7 to 9 years 10 to 12 years 13 years or over Physical science Biological science Physical education Agriculture Business, Office. or Distributive education Trade and industrial education Home Economics Industrial Arts Other (Please specify) L» P: D‘UQ H) (D Q: 0 C" m AAAAAAAAAA vvvvvvvvvv 2. My length of previous employment as a school superintendent was: W none 1 to 3 years 4 to 6 years 7 to 9 years 10 to 12 years 8 i—-' AA VV 13 to 15 years 16 to 19 years {3‘09 H: (D Q» 0 0‘ SD AAAAAAAA vvvvvvvv 20 years or more 0\ 2 <4 under raduate ma‘or was: 3. My length of employment as g J a teacher was: a. ( ) English a. ( ) none b. ( ) Social Science b. ( ) l to 3 years C- ( ) Art. C- ( ) 4 to 6 years d- ( ) MUSlC . d. ( ) 7 to 9 years e. ( ) Mathematics e. ( ) 10 to 12 years f- ( ) Science f. ( ) 13 years or over 8- ( ) Physical education h. ( ) Agriculture 4. My academic preparation 1. ( ) Business, Office or includes; Distributive education j. ( ) Trade and industrial a. ( ) Four-year college education degree k. ( ) Home Economics b. ( ) Work beyond four- 1. ( ) Industrial Arts year degree but less m. ( ) Other (Please specify) than Master's degree c. ( ) Master's degree' d. ( ) Work beyond Master's degree but less than 278 Doctor's degree e. ( ) Doctor's degree 7- My experience in work other 8. Did you or your representative than education was: attend one of the regional meetings conducted by the State Division of Vocational Education in January, 1965 pertaining to the application for funds available under the (Please list job title and length of employment for all positions you held for more than six months.) Job Title Length Vocational Education Act of 1963? ( ) Yes ( ) No Part II DIRECTIONS: Pant 11 t4 dettgned to teann how you fieet about uocattonat educatdm tn genenat and spectfitc openattng pnoceduhet 06 the tvtAton 05 Vocattonat Ed- ucatton tn paattcutan. Pteate neopond to each statement tn tenmb 06 youn.own peMonat beuefio on Optntont. Pteate ctncte the aeéponbe whtch cometpondzs the ctobebt to youa 6eettng about each.tton. SA = Stnongty Agaee A = Agnee D = Dtsagnee SD = Stnongty Dtoagltee Pteabe do not teave any ttem out--theae ta no atght on.wnong answea--tt t6 just how ygg_6eet about thtngt. Othen peopte may have dtfifienent optntons. Hene t4 an exampte: A D SD Vocattonat educatton tt beast batted to the tow achtevu. Thtt peaooniotaongty agnees wtth thtt ttem and that woutd phobabty neomnnend vocattonat educatton to onty ceatatn types 06 studentb. SA A D SD 1. The priorities established for Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds during fiscal 1964-65 clearly favored the larger school districts. SA A D SD 2. One of the benefits derived from the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is the fact that costly vocational education pro- grams can be partially financed with federal funds thereby leaving significantly more local funds to improve programs in general education. SA A D SD 3. Because of the complexity of today's agriculture, industry, and business, vocational.educationshould be provided pri- marily in specialized area vocational-technical education school facilities or at the post-high school level. SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. _ 3 _ Vocational education should be provided in families or clusters of occupations at the secondary level so that high school graduates will be equally prepared to enter the labor market or pursue advanced training at the post-high school level. The provisions of the new Act make state teacher certifica- tion requirements for vocational education unrealistic. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 is just one more indi- cation of the growing problem of state and federal control of education. More consultative services should be provided by the Division of Vocational Education in homemaking to assist local educa- tional agencies in developing courses and programs leading to wage-earning occupations. An analysis of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 and its relationship to other new federal Acts relating to education is badly needed by local educational agencies. The Division of Vocational Education should prepare a booklet outlining the goals and objectives of vocational education in Michigan under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. A well-written presentation of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 which is easily understood by the layman would be very helpful to me in interpreting the Vocational Education Act of 1963 to my community. Vocational education in families or clusters of occupations can only be provided in any realistic manner in an area vocational education facilityy or a community college. Although the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is another example of increased state and federal control, the benefits to young people far outweigh its disadvantages. Due to the uniqueness of each local situation, no one purpose, in terms of priorities, should receive any more weight or a higher priority for Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds than another. Since federal funds are in essence only state funds being returned to the state, I do not view federal legislation aimed at expanding vocational education as a threat to local autonomy. Every student should have the benefit of a well rounded liberal education and vocational education at the secondary level does little to strengthen this concept. Application forms developed by the Division of Vocational Education and sent to schools for matching funds requests for fiscal 1964-65 were another indication of the increased control being exerted by state and federal regulations. SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. _ h _ Education agencies receive an adequate amount of state financial assistance for vocational education. A flat reimbursement rate for all phases of vocational edu— cation is unrealistic. Reimbursement rates should vary according to a district's ability to provide local funds. The provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 will help schools provide a more realistic educational program to far more students than can be assisted through local efforts alone. Additional guidelines which would assist local educational agencies in the development of sound vocational education programs as provided for in the Vocational Education Act of 1963 should be prepared by the Division of Vocational Education. The high unemployment rate in this country can be at least partially attributed to the lack of a realistic vocational education program in most secondary schools. Realistic vocational education must be offered at the second- ary level in order to assist all students to become produc- tive members of society. With the advanced technology in this country and the continued change in the employment picture, training for clusters or families of occupations rather than for a single skill is the most realistic approach. Due to the complexity of the current program available in vocational education, application forms and informational material cannot be adequately interpreted without the bene— fit of regional informational meetings conducted by personnel of the Division of Vocational Education. Application forms developed by the Division of Vocational Education and sent to schools for matching funds requests for fiscal 1964-65 were unnecessarily detailed. Application forms developed by the Division of Vocational Education and sent to schools for matching funds requests for fiscal 1965-66 were unnecessarily detailed. More consultative services should be provided by the Division of Vocational Education to assist superintendents in the establishment and operation of area vocational schools. Vocational education is best suited to the low achiever. Every student, regardless of ability, should be exposed to the realities of the world of work; every student should therefore be encouraged to take some courses in vocational education to assure a well rounded educational experience. SA SA SA. SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37- 38. 39- 40. 41. 42. -5- State funds have historically been inadequate to assist expansion of vocational education to any degree. This sit- uation should be corrected through the addition of a sub- stantial amount of state money earmarked for the expansion of vocational education programs. It has been possible to interpret the Vocational Education Act of 1963 to my community with the materials available to me. Application forms developed by the Division of Vocational Education and sent to schools for matching funds requests for fiscal 1964-65 and the attached explanation were infor- mative and easily understood. Application forms developed by the Division of Vocational Education and sent to schools for matching funds requests for fiscal 1965-66 and the attached explanation were infor- mative and easily understood. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 will allow schools to realistically meet many of the vocational needs of a far larger percentage of secondary students. To my knowledge there has been no effort by the North Central Association to recognize special teaching certificates in vocational education. The Division of Vocational Education should prepare curricular guides for training in the new and emerging occupations in the labor market which are now reimbursable under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 will be most beneficial to the local school system as a result of the provision to help dropouts and/or students who have graduated and desire post-high school education. Additional state money should be made available to assist the local school district in procuring its fifty per cent matching share of the total program.of vocational education. Due to the high cost of vocational education, federal aid as provided in the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is the only realistic source of funds. More consultative services should be provided in guidance to assist in implementing the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. The educational system in this country has been geared, far too long, toward the college preparatory program to the detri— ment of providing realistic programs of vocational education. Many of the new courses now possible under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 will not be offered because of rigid vocational education teacher certification requirements. SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD 43. 44. us. 46. 2.7. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. _ 6 _ The most positive aspect of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 in terms of the local school system is the ability to provide more comprehensive adult education programs. To adequately plan for program improvement, local school systems should be given a minimum of two months between the receipt of applications and the due date. Vocational Education should be available to all people of all ages in all communities. There is a very real need for more prepared materials to assist me in interpreting the Vocational Education Act of 1963 to my community. Under the concept of local autonomy, local educational agencies have been unable to provide adequate vocational education and consequently the state should increase its leadership and con- trol in order to provide adequate programs. The Division of Vocational Education should prepare a booklet outlining the services it performs and explaining how these services can be obtained in order to best implement the pro- visions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Since realistic vocational education programs should be de- veloped on the basis of state as well as local manpower needs, the state should assume greater financial responsibility in providing such programs. The Division of Vocational Education has the responsibility of establishing priorities on the allocation of funds to assure the best possible program on a statewide basis with the amount of money available. It is unrealistic to withhold needed instruction by demanding that every vocational education teacher be certifiable if he or she possesses skills which no certified teacher possesses or if no certified teacher is available for employment. The priorities established for Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds during fiscal 1964—65 clearly favored the establish— ment of new programs or the expansion of old ones almost to the exclusion of maintaining currently Operating programs of voca- tional education. A specially certified vocational teacher should be employed only if he or she is required to meet the standards for perma— nent certification within a specified period of time. The requirement of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 for local schools to match federal funds at at least fifty per cent works a greater hardship on small school systems than on the large systems. Vocational education is not a school responsibility. It can and should be provided by employers after workers enter the labor market. SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SA SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD SD 56. 57. 58. 59- 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. - 7 _ A fifty per cent reimbursement rate is still not sufficient to allow my district to provide a vocational education pro- gram of the scope and quality we would like to offer. State funds should only be provided when they assist all students. I would therefore be opposed to additional state funds for providing expanded programs of vocational education. The matching funds provision of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 makes it possible for schools to finally provide an adequate program in vocational education. The needs of students in today's labor market can best be met if students in vocational education are trained for a single skill rather than a "cluster" or "family" of occupations. A reimbursement rate greater than fifty per cent should be strongly discouraged from the standpoint that it would tend to reduce local effort. Vocational education is not meant for, and has limited or no value to, a student who has the academic capabilities to attend college. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 has been very well interpreted to local school systems. If more materials to assist in interpreting the Vocational Education Act of 1963 to my community had been available earlier, my school system would have been able to take better advantage of the funds available under the Vocational Educa- tion Act of 1963 for fiscal 1964-65. A great deal of emphasis and a high priority for funds should be assigned to the construction of area vocational-technical school facilities. More consultative services should be provided by the Division of Vocational Education to develop programs in Adult Educa- tion as a result of increased emphasis in this area under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. More consultative services should be provided by the Division of Vocational Education in program development for the dis- advantaged to help implement this provision of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Vocational education is inappropriate at the secondary level since students are too young and immature to make a vocational choice. _ a _ Part III DIRECTIONS: Pant ill t4 destgned to meatune the adequacy wtth whtch the DtutAton 06 Vocattonat Educatton pnovtded an tntenpnetatton 06 the pnoutbtona 06 the Vocattonat Educatton Act 06 1963 to Aupentntendenta. The statementé tn thtA sectton ane etthen tnue on gatae. Pteaae ctncte the appnopntate anawen. Voun scone wttt be a.meatune 06 how wett the Dtutaton 06 Vocattonat Educatton dtachanged ttt netponatbtttty and does not tn any way nefitect upon the nebpondent. In the event you fleet you have not been gtven Aufifitctent tnfionmatton to nebpond to a panttcutan Atatement, pteate ctncte the "I" whtch denoteb Indufifitctent Infionmatton. T F I 1. In Office Education, single courses as well as a series of courses are now reimbursable under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. T F I 2. Post-high school vocational education facilities receiving federal funds under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 must admit drop- outs as well as high school graduates. T F I 3. Distributive education courses as provided for under older federal legislation are no longer reimbursable as a result of the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. T F I 4. As a result of the Vocational Education Act of 1963, some Office Education courses are now reimbursable. T F I 5. Local matching funds are not required in the work—study program until after fiscal year 1965-66. T F I 6. Existing programs of agricultural education will no longer qualify for reimbursement as a result of the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. T F I 7. Industrial Arts education is now reimbursable as a result of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. T F I 8. Any student who is enrolled in a school which offers vocational ed- ucation programs is eligible to participate in the work-study programs T F I 9. Only those programs for adults who are available for full-time study can be reimbursed under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. T F I 10. One of the major advantages of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is the fact that, unlike older federal legislation in vocational education, it is written so that programs can change in accordance with the labor market needs. T F I 11. Only those Vocational Home Economics courses defined as leading to a wage—earning occupation are reimbursable with funds provided under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. T F I 12. Federal funds available under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 can be allocated to post-high school vocational and technical ed- ucation institutions so long as programs receiving reimbursement lead to a baccalaureate degree or are professional in nature. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 230 24. 25. 26. 27. - 9 - The Vocational Education Act of 1963 encourages research and experi- mental programs which give particular attention to the needs of young persons living in economically depressed communities and having academic, socio—economic or other handicaps that prevent them from succeeding in regular vocational education programs. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 requires state or local match- ing funds be provided at whatever level the state determines. Funds available under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 may not be used to purchase initial equipment when constructing new facilities. Local educational agencies can now receive reimbursement for personnel providing placement services under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Single courses which would provide training or retraining for adults already in the labor market are reimbursable under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 provision has been made for reimbursement of many more types of programs and facilities than were available under old legislation. Federal legislation has not demanded minimum curriculum standards in area vocational-technical schools. A certain proportion of all Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds has been earmarked for areauvocational-technicalschools or for the development of vocational programs for post-high school youth. One of the major provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 was the pooling of all federal vocational education funds under the regulations of the new Act. Adult education under the 1963 Act is designed for those people who have already entered the labor market but desire retraining or job upgrading. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 will not necessarily affect the curriculum of existing vocational agriculture programs. Youths identified as having special educational needs may be assisted with Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds even though they are not enrolled in courses leading to a wage-earning occupation. Post-high school education under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is designed for high school graduates or those who have left school but are available for full-time enrollment. As a result of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 and amendments to existing legislation, funds are now earmarked to provide programs in Home Economics which are both wage earning and non-wage earning in nature. The work-study program is a student assistance program which requires the employment of students in jobs related to their educational objectives. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35- 36. 37- 38. 39- 40. 41. 42. 43. - lO - Youth with special needs may be handicapped academically, socially, emotionally or mentally. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 has provided for more flexi- bility by allowing reimbursement for courses which are not them- selves vocational but which correct educational deficiencies in persons preparing for a vocation. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 earmarks a certain preportion (Iffunds available under its provisions for research studies. The three-hour time requirement for day-trade courses in Vocational Trade and Industrial Education has been eliminated as a result of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 and amendments to existing legislation. As a result of the 1963 Act, existing legislation was amended to pro- vide a great deal more flexibility in program planning and occupa- tional objectives in existing agricultural education programs. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 requires cooperation between local educational agencies and the state Employment Security Com- mission. Office education and distributive education are synonymous terms as used in the Vocational Education Act of 1963. The focus of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 differs from older vocational education legislation in that the new Act is more concern- ed with groups of people than with the categories of vocations for which they will prepare. First year courses in Office Education now qualify for reimbursement as a result of the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 makes it mandatory for local educational agencies which receive funds from this Act to evaluate their vocational education programs. One of the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 was to provide a great many more funds earmarked for the expansion of Dis- tributive Education than have ever before been available. In Vocational Trade and Industrial Education, courses leading to a cluster or family of occupations are now reimbursable even though some of them are defined as "related courses" and are not necessarily vocational in nature. Area vocational—technical schools can be of either a secondary or post-secondary nature or both. Federal funds under older vocational education legislation (Smith- Hughes Act, George-Barden Act) may not be Combined with funds available under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 nor used for the same purposes. The majority of the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 are temporary authorizations. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 will not affect the type of APPENDIX B COPY OF FORM SUBMITTED TO PANEL OF JURORS T0: Division of Vocational Education Staff FROM: William F. Pierce SUBJECT: Evaluation of Statements for Proposed Dissertation A portion of the attached statements will be used to con- struct a questionnaire for my dissertation. The study will attempt to determine if certain pre-selected factors within a superintendent or his environment influenced his decision to submit an application for new or expanded pro- grams of vocational education under the Vocational Educa- tion Act of 1963. In addition, certain questions relative to the superintendent's perception of the duties and re- sponsibilities of the Division of Vocational Education re- sulting from the provisions of the new Act will be asked. Mr. Winger has given me permission to request the members of the Division of Vocational Education to act as a panel of jurors to assist me in developing the questionnaire. There are three types of statements included in the at- tached questionnaire: 1. Those that will attempt to measure the superin- tendent's perception of the role vocational edu— cation should assume in the total curriculum, 2. Those that will attempt to measure his under- standing of the 1963 Act, and, 3. Those that will attempt to determine what super- intendents feel the staff of the Division of V0- cational Education should do as a result of the provisions of the new Act. On the final questionnaire, all opinion statements will be answered as to the amount of agreement or disagreement felt toward the statement. For example, one statement might read: 288 289 SA A D SD For the first time in educational history, the Vocational Education Act of 1963 will allow schools to realistically meet many of the vo- cational needs of a large percentage of sec- ondary students. The respondent will circle one of the four choices pro- vided. (SA 2 strongly agree, A 2 agree, D 2 disagree, SD 2 strongly disagree.) The statements pertaining to the superintendent's under- standing of the Act will all be on a true or false basis. In order not to alienate the superintendents, the explana- tion for making the statements true or false will be worded in such a way as to indicate that any lack of understanding is due to a lack of information provided by the Division of Vocational Education and not a result of any personal in- adequacies on the part of the superintendent. In addition, statements will be assigned to the final ques- tionnaire in a random manner. Therefore, types one and three as listed above will be mixed randomly throughout the first part of the questionnaire. Type two statements will be randomly mixed in part two of the questionnaire without regard to the section of the Act to which the statement pertains. You are, of course, under no obligation to assist me in this endeavor but your help will be greatly appreciated. INSTRUCTIONS Even though the statements will be mixed on the final ques- tionnaire, they are grouped on the attachment according to intent. You will note that some statements express the same thought as others in the same section. This was done purposefully to determine if one way of stating a point was more clear and concise than another. When this occurs, please select the one you favor (if you select either) and discard the other. The following fifteen statements are designed to measure the superintendent's perception of vocational education. Please rate the ten you feel best accomplish this purpose by either checking or numbering the ten you select. Num— bering does ppp_need to indicate how you would rank the statements selected. Space has been left for any comments or suggestions. If you feel there are not ten statements which measure the superintendent's perception, please in- dicate this in the comments section. Your constructive criticism is being solicited. 10. 11. 12. 13. 290 Vocational education should be available to all people of all ages in all communities. Vocational education is best suited to the low achiever. Vocational education is not meant for, and has limited or no value to, a student who has the academic capa- bilities to attend college. To be most effective, the curriculum should include academic courses having application to vocational edu- cation subjects. Vocational education should continue to be focused on the four major historical disciplines (that is, agri- culture, trade and industrial education, business and homemaking). Vocational education is far too costly and benefits far too few to be justifiable at the secondary level. Because of the complexity of needs of industry and business today, comprehensive high schools are in— capable of offering realistic programs of vocational education. ’ Because of the complexity of needs of industry and business today, vocational education should be pro- vided in specialized area vocational-technical educa- tion school facilities or at the post-high school level. Every student should have the benefit of a well rounded liberal education and vocational education at the sec- ondary level does little to strengthen this concept. The educational system in this country has been geared, far too long, toward the college preparatory student to the detriment of providing realistic programs of vocational education. Every student, regardless of ability, should be exposed to the realities of the world of work; every student Should therefore be encouraged to take some courses in vocational education to assure a well rounded educa- tional experience. The high unemployment rate in this country can be at least partially attributed to the lack of a realistic vocational education program in most secondary schools. The vocational education program has been adequate to meet the needs of most communities. 291 14. Vocational education is inappropriate at the secondary level since students are too young and immature to make a vocational choice. 15. Vocational education is not a school responsibility. It can and should be provided by employers after workers enter the labor market. Comments: The following group of statements is designed to measure the superintendent's understanding of the provisions of the 1963 Act. The first fifteen are of a general nature. Please select ten as directed above. Space for comments has been provided. Part of all the statements pertaining to understanding has been purposefully made false in an attempt to increase the measurement of the respondent's understanding of the Act. General Information Questions 1. Federal funds under older vocational education legis— lation (Smith-Hughes Act, George-Barden Act) may now be combined with funds available under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 and used for the same purposes. 2. Completely equipped residential schools are one of the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. 3. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 requires state or local matching funds at no less than fifty per cent. 4. Under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 provision has been made for reimbursement of many more types of programs and facilities than were available under old legislation. 5. One of the major advantages of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is the fact that, unlike older federal leg- islation in vocational education, it is written so that programs can change in accordance with the labor mar- ket needs. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 292 The focus of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 dif- fers from older vocational education legislation in that the new Act is more concerned with groups of peo- ple than with the categories of vocations for which they will prepare. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 has provided for more flexibility by allowing reimbursement for courses which are not themselves vocational but which correct educational deficiencies in persons preparing for a vocation. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 earmarks a cer- tain proportion of funds available under its provi- Sions for research studies. Funds available under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 may not be used to purchase initial equipment when constructing new facilities. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 establishes more distinct categories of people to be served than was true under older vocational education legislation. The majority of the provisions of the Vocational Edu— cation Act of 1963 are temporary authorizations. All the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 were experimental in nature and authorization was therefore approved by Congress for only a four year period. Funds authorized under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 increase from $60 million in 1964 to $225 million by 1967. For all intents and purposes, the Vocational Education Act of 1963 will abolish existing programs of voca- tional education authorized under older federal legis- lation. One of the major provisions of the Vocational Educa- tion Act of 1963 was the pooling of all federal vo- cational education funds under the regulations of the new Act. Comments: 293 The remaining statements pertaining to understanding are listed under ten separate headings. At least five ques- tions have been provided. Please select what you feel to be the best three. Space for comments has once again been provided. ' Youth witthpecial Needs 1. The term "youth with Special needs" as found in the Vocational Education Act of 1963 refers primarily to the mentally handicapped. Youth with special needs may be handicapped academ— ically, socially, emotionally or mentally. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 encourages re- search and experimental programs which give particular attention to the needs of young persons living in eco— nomically depressed communities and having academic, socio—economic or other handicaps that prevent them from succeeding in regular vocational education pro- grams. Youths identified as having special educational needs may be assisted with Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds even though they are not enrolled in courses leading to a wage earning occupation. Mentally handicapped students are not considered to be "youth with special needs" as defined in the Voca- tional Education Act of 1963. Comments: Area Vocational—Technical Schools 1. 2. State and federal regulations put virtually no restric- tions on area vocational-technical school construction. Federal legislation has demanded minimum curriculum standards in area vocational-technical schools. 3. 294 A certain proportion of all Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds has been earmarked for area vocational- technical schools or for the development of vocational programs for post-high school youth. All school systems are approved to build and conduct area vocational-technical schools if they so choose. Area vocational-technical schools can be of either a secondary or post-secondary nature or both. Federal legislation demands a broader curricula in area vocational—technical schools in a post-high school facility than in a high school facility. Comments: Business 1. As a result of the Vocational Education Act of 1963, more courses in Business Education are reimbursable than ever before. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 provided a greater amount of funds earmarked for Business Edu- cation than ever before. All first year courses in Business Education now qualify for reimbursement as a result of the provi- sions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Distributive and office education courses as pro- vided for under older federal legislation are no longer reimbursable under the provisions of the V0- cational Education Act of 1963. In Business Education, single courses as well as a series of courses such as Distributive Education are reimbursable under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. 295 Comments: Agriculture 1. The 1963 Act continues to require instruction in agri- cultural education to lead to an occupation of farming even though this occupation declines in importance in the labor market each year. Funds from the 1963 Act are not available to agricul- tural education since vocational agriculture does not fit the definition of "wage earning" as defined by the Act. As a result of the 1963 Act, existing legislation was amended to provide a great deal more flexibility in program planning and occupational objectives in ex- isting agricultural education programs. Existing programs of agricultural education will no longer qualify for reimbursement as a result of the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 will not neces- sarily affect the curriculum of existing vocational agriculture programs. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 makes it manda- tory to discontinue providing a certain proportion of federal funds for vocational agricultural education. Comments: 296 Homemaking 1. As a result of the Vocational Education Act of 1963, Vocational Home Economics programs are no longer re- imbursable. Only those Vocational Home Economics courses defined as leading to a wage earning occupation are reimbursable with funds provided under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. As a result of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 and amendments to existing legislation, funds are now earmarked to provide programs in Home Economics which are both wage earning and non-wage earning in nature. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 will not affect the type of course offerings in Home Economics educa- tion. Because of the wording and focus of the Vocational Education Act of 1963, Home Economics is no longer considered a vocational course. Comments: Trade and Industrial Education 1. The three-hour time requirement for day-trade courses in Vocational Trade and Industrial Education has been eliminated as a result of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 and amendments to existing legislation. Industrial Arts education is now reimbursable as a result of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. In Vocational Trade and Industrial Education, courses leading to a cluster or family of occupations are now reimbursable even though some of them are defined as "related courses" and are not necessarily vocational in nature. 297 Under the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963, it is possible to construct a new facility devoted entirely to technical training of a non-pro- fessional nature and which does not lead to a bacca- laureate degree. One of the advantages of the new Act is the provision whereby costly equipment in Trade and Industrial Edu— cation courses can be partially financed with federal funds. Comments: Placement and Follow-Up 1. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 makes it manda- tory for local educational agencies which receive funds from this Act to soon begin evaluative studies of their vocational education programs. Occupational placement services are now reimbursable as a result of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 makes provisions for local educational agencies to make use of the ser- vices provided by the state Employment Security Com— mission. Local educational agencies receiving funds under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 must provide informa- tion on graduates of vocational education programs to the state Employment Security Commission. Local educational agencies can now receive reimburse- ment for personnel providing placement services under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Comments: 298 Post-High School Vocational and Technical Education 1. Post-high school vocational education facilities re- ceiving federal funds under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 must admit dropouts as well as high school graduates. 2. Federal funds available under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 can be allocated to post-high school voca- tional and technical education facilities so long as programs receiving reimbursement do not lead to a bac- calaureate degree or are not professIBHal in nature. 3. Post-high school education under the Vocational Educa- tion Act of 1963 is designed for high school graduates or those who have left school but are available for full-time enrollment. 4. One of the weaknesses of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is the provision that the only portion of post-high school technical programs for which reim- bursement can be requested is the eligible instructor's salary. 5. To be reimbursable under the Vocational Education Act of 1963, post-high school vocational or technical edu- cation must be in two year course sequences which lead to an Associate of Arts degree or its equivalent. Comments: Vocational Education for Adults 1. Adult education under the 1963 Act is designed for those people who have already entered the labor mar- ket but desire retraining or job upgrading. 2. Only those programs for adults who are available for full-time study can be reimbursed under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. 299 Single courses which would provide training or re- training for adults already in the labor market are reimbursable under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. "Vocational Education for Adults" and "Post-High School Vocational and Technical Education" are syn- onymous phrases as used in the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Vocational Education for Adults is reimbursable only if offered at an educational agency whose adult classes are technical one or two year terminal courses. Comments: Work-Study Program 1. 2. The work-study program is a student assistance program requiring employment of students in a public agency. As a part of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 the work-study program is a permanent appropriation. Local matching funds are not required in the work— study program until after fiscal year 1965-66. Any student who is enrolled in a school which offers vocational education programs is eligible to partici- pate in the work-study program. After fiscal 1966, local educational agencies wishing to participate in the work-study program must provide one dollar of local or state funds for each three dollars of federal funds. Comments: 3OO The final group of statements is designed to obtain a meas- ure of the superintendent's beliefs and perceptions about what the responsibilities of the staff of the Division of Vocational Education should be as a result of the provisions of the 1963 Act. The specific question being asked is listed at the top of the page and is underlined. Listed below the Specific ques- tion are at least ten statements which attempt to answer the underlined question. Please select five of the ten or more statements provided for each underlined question. How do superintendents perceive the Vocational Education Act of 1963 as affecting public schools? l. The provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 will help schools provide a more realistic educational program to far more students than can be assisted through local efforts alone. 2. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 is an inequity since it will benefit, at best, twenty to thirty per cent of the secondary school enrollment. 3. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 was designed to aid in-school youth, out of school youth, disadvantaged youth and adults. In practice, however, it will prob- ably provide little more aid to these classes of indi- viduals than have historical vocational education pro- grams. 4. For the first time in educational history, the Voca- tional Education Act of 1963 will allow schools to realistically meet many of the vocational needs of a large percentage of secondary students. 5. The greatest advantage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is its provision for helping disadvantaged youth. 6. The most positive aspect of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 in terms of the local school system is the ability to provide more comprehensive adult edu- cation programs. 7. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 will be most beneficial to the local school system as a result of the provision to help dropouts and/or students who have graduated and desire post-high school education. 8. Even though the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is designed to serve people in four different stages of educational need, it will be of most benefit to sec- ondary school students. 10. 301 The greatest benefit derived from the Vocational Edu- cation Act of 1963 is the fact that costly vocational education programs can be partially financed with fed- eral funds thereby leaving significantly more local funds to improve programs in general education. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 will have no sig- nificant impact on public education. Comments: What kinds of informational materials should the state office be developing to assist superintendents in implementing the Act? 1. 2. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 has been very well interpreted to local school systems. The Division of Vocational Education should prepare: a. Curricular guides for training in the new and emerging occupations in the labor market which are now reimbursable under the Vocational Educa- tion Act of 1963. b. Guidelines which would assist local educational agencies in the development of sound vocational education programs as provided for in the Voca- tional Education Act of 1963. c. A philosophy of vocational education in Michigan which is in keeping with the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. d. A booklet outlining the services it performs and explaining how these services can be obtained in order to best implement the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. e. Periodic reports on labor market trends in Michigan to assist schools in designing realistic instruc- tional programs under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Comments: 302 Guidelines which would assist local educational agencies in program development in Agriculture, Homemaking, Business Education and Trade and In- dustrial Education in light of the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Materials which would be used in conjunction with placement services resulting from one of the pro- visions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Labor market analyses of each area of the state. A booklet outlining the goals and objectives of vocational education in Michigan under the Voca— tional Education Act of 1963. What kinds of consultative services at the state level are most needed by superintendents to assist them in implementing the Act? 1. Consultative services available from the Division of Vocational Education are adequate to properly admin- ister the Vocational Education Act of 1963 at the local level. More consultative services should be provided in: 8.. Agricultural education to properly administer these pro rams under the Vocational Education Act of 19 3. Area vocational school programs to assist super- intendents in the establishment and operation of such schools. Homemaking to assist local educational agencies in developing courses and programs leading to wage earning occupations. Business Education as a result of possible program expansion under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. 303 e. Trade and Industrial Education to assist in pro- viding realistic Trade and Industrial programs under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. f. Guidance to assist in implementing the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. g. Research to assist schools in developing research studies as provided for under the Vocational Edu- cation Act of 1963. h. Work-Study program now available under the Voca- tional Education Act of 1963. 1. Program development for the disadvantaged to help implement this provision of the Vocational Educa- tion Act of 1963. j. Program development for programs in Adult Educa— tion as a result of increased emphasis in this area under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. k. Program development for programs for the dropout and the graduate needing post-high school educa- tion as a result of increased emphasis in this area under the Vocational Education Act of 1963. 3. Contacts with consultants from the Division of Voca- tional Education have been, for the most part, unin- formative or contradictory or both in respect to the provisions of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Comments: Are superintendents prepared to adequately interpret the Act to their communities or does the Division of Vocational Education need to prepare more factual materials? 1. It has been possible to interpret the VOcational Edu- cation Act of 1963 to my community with the materials available to me. 10. 304 It has been unnecessary to attempt to interpret the Vocational Education Act of 1963 to my community. There is a very real need for more prepared materials to assist me in interpreting the Vocational Education Act of 1963 to my community. A well written presentation of the Vocational Educa- tion Act of 1963 which is easily understood by the layman would be very helpful to me in interpreting the Vocational Education Act of 1963 to my community. A well written presentation of the Vocational Educa- tion Act of 1963, which was easily understood by the layman, would have been helpful to me earlier but would be of little value to me now. The implications of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 are too uncertain for the administrator to grasp thoroughly and therefore, an interpretation of the Act to my community would be a futile undertaking. If more materials to assist in interpreting the Voca- tional Education Act of 1963 to my community had been available earlier, my school system would have been able to take better advantage of the funds available under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 for fiscal 1964-65. The U. S. Office of Education, not the State Depart- ment of Public Instruction, should be responsible for providing interpretative materials on federal legis- lation affecting education. More information is available relative to the Voca- tional Education Act of 1963 from various types of news media than from the Division of V0cational Edu- cation. An analysis of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 and its relationship to other new federal Acts re- lating to education is badly needed by local educa- tional agencies. Comments: 305 Do superintendents view the Act as increasing national and state control? 1. 10. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 is just one more indication of the growing problem of state and federal control of education. Although the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is an- other example of increased state and federal control, the benefits to young people far outweigh its disad— vantages. The Vocational Education Act of 1963 does not increase state and national control of education. Any controls of vocational education imposed on schools by the Vocational Education Act of 1963 are necessary and justified in that they assure the most equitable allocation of funds to all children of the state and nation. Since federal funds are in essence only state funds being returned to the state, I do not view federal legislation aimed at expanding vocational education as a threat to local autonomy. Although in practice I might accept federal funds available under the Vocational Education Act of 1963, in principle I object to federal aid to vocational education and would refuse such aid if equal funds were available from a local source. Due to the high cost of vocational education, federal aid as provided in the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is the only realistic source of funds. Under the concept of local autonomy, local educational agencies have been unable to provide adequate voca- tional education and consequently the State should in- crease its leadership and control in order to provide adequate programs. A reduction in programs of vocational education is preferable to a loss of local autonomy. Superintendents should recommend to their boards the refusal of federal funds when their acceptance becomes a real threat to local control. Comments: 306 Are current application forms used to reguest funds satisfactory? 1. 10. Application forms develOped by the Division of Voca- tional Education and sent to schools for matching funds requests for fiscal 1964-65 were unnecessarily detailed. Application forms developed by the Division of Voca- tional Education and sent to schools for matching funds requests for fiscal 1964-65 and the attached explanation were informative and easily understood. Some of the information requested on the application forms is unrealistic Since it is often unavailable and only estimates can be provided. Application forms developed by the Division of Voca- tional Education and sent to schools for matching funds requests for fiscal 1964-65 were another indi- cation of the increased control being exerted by state and federal regulations. Application forms developed by the Division of Voca- tional Education and sent to schools for matching funds requests for fiscal 1964-65 were sketchy and uninformative. The application forms and informational materials re- ceived for fiscal 1965—66 are a decided improvement over those provided for fiscal 1964-65. The application forms developed by the Division of Vocational Education and sent to schools for matching funds requests for fiscal 1965-66 are too inclusive and contain far too much detail. All things being equal, the 1965-66 application forms and instructional materials are far superior to those provided for 1964-65. Neither the application forms nor the informational materials provided for either fiscal year 1964-65 or 1965-66 were informative or inclusive enough. Due to the complexity of the current program available in vocational education, application forms and informa- tional material cannot be adequately interpreted with- out the benefit of regional informational meetings con- ducted by personnel of the Division of Vocational Edu- cation. 307 11. To adequately plan for program improvement, local school systems should be given a minimum of two months between the receipt of applications and the due date. Comments: Do most superintendents view the matching fund reqpirement as a serious obstacle to program development? 1. The matching funds provision of the Vocational Educa- tion Act of 1963 makes it possible for schools to finally provide an adequate program in vocational education. Even though funds available under the Vocational Edu- cation Act of 1963 were, in most cases, used to re- imburse program develOpment at a fifty per cent level, local schools cannot normally provide the additional fifty per cent necessary to develop a program of vo- cational education which adequately meets their needs. A reimbursement rate greater than fifty per cent should be strongly discouraged from the standpoint that it would tend to reduce local effort. A fifty per cent reimbursement rate is still not suf- ficient to allow my district to provide a vocational education program of the scope and quality we would like to offer. A reimbursement rate as high as fifty per cent has a tendency to reduce local autonomy. A flat reimbursement rate for all phases of vocational education is unrealistic. Reimbursement rates should vary according to a district's ability to provide local funds. Program development in vocational education will never be adequate until federal and/or state funds are pro- vided on the basis of an outright grant to schools based on State Equalized Valuation. lo. 308 Special millage or bond issue tax elections are justi- fiable means of securing matching funds to provide new or expanded programs of vocational education. Program development in vocational education will never be adequate until federal and/or state funds are pro— vided on the basis of an outright grant to schools based on some equitable method of allocation. The requirements of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 for local schools to match federal funds at at least fifty per cent works a greater hardship on small school systems than on the large systems. Comments: Do spperintendents feel more state financial aid should be provided to satisfy the matching fund requirement? 1. Additional state money should be made available to assist the local school district in procuring its fifty per cent matching share of the total program of vocational education. Additional state money should not be made available to vocational education. Federal funds for this pur- pose are adequate and thereby release more state money for program development in "General" education. State funds Should only be provided When they assist all students. I would therefore be opposed to addi- tional state funds for providing expanded programs of vocational education. If additional state funds were provided, they should be available for use at the discretion of local school districts based upon greatest need and not earmarked for improving the vocational education program. Additional state money is not necessary to assist schools in providing their share of the vocational education program. 10. 309 State funds have historically been inadequate to assist expansion of vocational education to any degree. This Situation Should be corrected through the addition of a substantial amount of state money earmarked for the expansion of vocational education programs. Education agencies receive an adequate amount of state financial assistance for vocational education. There should be a substantial increase in state funds for all educational programs. Unless a state income tax is instituted, there can never be sufficient state funds to meet the vocational education needs of my community. Since realistic vocational education programs should be developed on the basis of state as well as local manpower needs, the state should assume greater finan- cial responsibility in providing such programs. Comments: Are teacher certification requirements realistic in light of the new Act? l. The provisions of the new Act make state teacher certi- fication requirements for vocational education unreal- istic. Increased flexibility in curriculum development pro- vided under the Vocational Education Act of 1963 should not be used as a rationale for reducing current vocational education teacher certification standards. Many of the new courses now possible under the VOca- tional Education Act of 1963 will not be offered be- cause of rigid vocational education teacher certifica- tion requirements. lo. 310 I would never recommend that a course be offered in my district which could not be staffed with a teacher meeting all the requirements for vocational education teacher certification. The only way for school districts to take full advan- tage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 is for teacher certification requirements to be relaxed to such an extent that a non-certified person could be employed to teach in his or her area of speciality. To my knowledge there has been no effort to date to attempt to relax teacher certification standards for vocational education. A specially certified teacher should be employed only if he or she can meet state teacher vocational educa- tion certification requirements within a specified period of time. It is unrealistic to withhold needed instruction by demanding that every vocational education teacher be certified or even certifiable if he or she possesses skills which no certified teacher possesses or if no certified teacher is available for employment. I would never allow a non-certified teacher to teach a general academic course but due to the problems of unemployment, advanced technology and so forth, I would employ a non-certified vocational education teacher in my district if such an act were legal ac- cording to Michigan school laws. I would never allow a non-certified teacher to teach either an academic course or a course in vocational education in my district even if such an act were legal in accordance with Michigan school laws. Comments: 311 Do spperintendents view vocational education as training for a single skill or a family of occupations? 1. 10. The needs of students in today's labor market can best be met if students in vocational education are trained for a single skill rather than a "cluster" of "family” of occupations. With the advanced technology in this country and the continued change in the employment picture, training for clusters or families of occupations rather than for a single skill is the most realistic approach. Additional funds available under the Vocational Edu- cation Act of 1963 will allow school systems to pro- vide training in families or clusters of occupations rather than in a single skill. School districts generally do not have the funds, the student population or the teaching staff to provide training in families or clusters of occupations. Vocational education in families or clusters of occupa- tions can only be provided in any realistic manner in an area vocational education facility or a community college. The need for vocational education in families or clus- ters of occupations and the difficulty of providing realistic vocational training at the secondary level are strong arguments for not providing vocational edu- cation until the post-high school level. Vocational education should be provided in families or clusters of occupations at the secondary level so that high school graduates will be equally prepared to enter the labor market or pursue advanced training at the post-high school level. Public schools can never offer realistic job training programs. Industry and business and not the educational system should assume the responsibility for vocational training. Realistic vocational education must be offered at the secondary level in order to assist all students to be- come productive members of society. Comments: 312 Do superintendents feel the priorities established for 1964465 best met the needs of their school inpparticular and the state in general? l. 10. The priorities established for the use of Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds for fiscal 1964-65 were realistic in light of the limited amount of money available. The priorities established for the use of Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds for fiscal 1964-65 were unrealistic. A great deal of emphasis and a high priority for funds should be assigned to the construction of area voca- tional—technical school facilities. Due to the uniqueness of each local situation, no one purpose, in terms of priorities, Should receive any more weight or a higher priority for Vocational Edu— cation Act of 1963 funds than another. Reimbursement of instruction Should receive the highest possible priority. The Division of Vocational Education has the responsi- bility of establishing priorities on the allocation of funds to assure the best possible program on a state- wide basis with the amount of money available. The purchase of equipment Should have received the highest priority for funds for fiscal 1964-65. The priorities established for Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds during fiscal 1964-65 clearly favored the larger school districts. The priorities established for Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds during fiscal 1964-65 appeared too arbitrary and had no realistic purpose. The priorities established for Vocational Education Act of 1963 funds during fiscal 1964—65 clearly favored the establishment of new programs or the expansion of old ones almost to the exclusion of maintaining cur- rently operating programs of vocational education. Comments: APPENDIX C ORIGINAL COVER LETTER 1405 F Spartan Village East lensing, Michigan JUly 2 y 1965 Dear Educator: Since the passage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963, the vocational portion of our educational system has received considerably more emphasis than ever before. Because of this increased emphasis, the state level agencies responsible for administering Federal Acts must have some concept of the beliefs and needs of local administrators before they can develop realistic policies and procedures. As a result of the findings on the en- closed questionnaire, an attempt will be made to correlate what educational leaders in Michigan think about vocational education with certain suggestions for needed operational changes at the state level. The questionnaire is composed of three parts. Part one is devoted to bio- graphical data about the respondent and data pertaining to certain pertinent facts about his school system. The biographical data will hopefully help to identify any correlations between background and personal opinions and beliefs. Part two is designed to obtain the respondent's personal beliefs about voca- tional education in general and about certain operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Education in particular. Part three is devoted to factual questions pertaining to the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Your responses to the third part will assist in de- termining whether the Division of Vocational Education has adequately ine terpreted the provisions of the 1963 Vocational Education Act to administra- tors so that they have been able to take full advantage of all available funds. Although the third part appears to be a "test," it is a test of the adequacy of information provided and not of the respondent. You will note an identification number in the upper right hand corner of the questionnaire. Its purpose is to identify experimental and control groups and not individuals. No name is required and no attempt will be made to identify the individual respondent. The code number will only be used to identify which sample strata, if any, need followbup requests for responses. I would greatly appreciate your taking the time to complete and return the questionnaire. Hepefully, the results of the study may one day have specific implications for your school system. Thank you very much for your assistance. Sincerely yours, ‘;:) (ure/at j: at at William F . Pierce 313 -.'L ”,1 o , ~ . . s s uh IQ . a.“ a n u \ . . . . . ‘ ... .qu MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION LYNN M. BARTLETT, STATE SUPERINTENDENT DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION P. 0. BOX 928, LANSING, MICHIGAN APPENDIX D EDGAR L. GRIM . ROBERT M. WINGER WU" SUPER'NTENDENT ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT TION FOR INSTRUCTION FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCA SECOND COVER LETTER July 2, 1965 Dear Superintendent: The enclosed questionnaire is the data-collecting instrument for a doctoral dissertation being conducted by Mr. William 1?. Pierce. Although Mr. Pierce is a member of the State office staff, the study is an independent undertaking and is not being financed by the State Department of Education. However, in reviewing the instrument and the purposes of the study, it is felt that the findings will be of significance to the State Department of Education. Since the results of the study could ultimately affect the Operational procedures of vocational education in Michigan, we would appreciate it if you would complete and return the enclosed questionnaire. Inasmuch as the study is not a part of the regular Departmental research program, my request is made as a result of a belief that educational research is one of the tools we, as educators, should support. Sincerely yours, we. % AMA): Alexander J. Kloster Acting Superintendent of Public Instruction Enclosures 31AL APPENDIX E FIRST FOLLOW-UP LETTER MhOS F Spartan Village East Lansing Michigan August 2, l9é5 A short time ago you shduld have received a research questionnaire entitled Vocational Education Qpinion , Invento of School.Superintendents. As you may recall, the resfiIte of this study cofiIE‘EITimately affect the operational procedures of the Division of Vocational Education and, as such, may one day have specific impli- cations for your school system. If you have already returned the questionnaire, I would like to thank you for your invaluable assistance. If, however, the normal busy schedule has prevented you from finding the time to respond, I am once again asking for your assistance. .Although I have received as high as an eighty percent return.in.some strata, which is very gratifying, the returns from other strata are not yet sufficiently large enough to obtain an accurate measure of the opinions of Michigan.superintendents. Consequently, to assure that the results of the study are as meaningful as possible, I should have a greater cross section of responses in your stratum. The receipt of your completed questionnaire would therefore be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your assistance. Sincerely yours, William F. Pierce 315 Ll'. APPENDIX F FINAL FOLLOW-UP LETTER 607 Virginia Avenue East Lansing, Michigan October A, 1965 Dear In early July, copies of the attached materials were sent to you as one of a group of randomly selected superintendents. The returns have been extremely gratifying but in cer- tain strata I am in need of additional responses. Since the replies were anonymous I have no way of knowing which superintendents have responded. I am therefore resub- mitting the original materials to everyone selected in some of the strata. If you have returned your questionnaire, I would like to express my thanks for your assistance and ask that you ignore this request. If you did not have an opportunity to return the questionnaire, I would certainly appreciate it if you would fill out the enclosed copy and return it to me. Sincerely yours, William F. Pierce 316 APPENDIX G PANEL OF JURORS - DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION General Administration Leon J. Alger Glenn E. Smith Agricultural Education Charles L. Langdon Elmer A. Lightfoot Harry E. Nesman Edwin St. John Business Education John C. Brickner Richard Shupe Lawrence T. Thomson Homemaking Education Marguerite Lofink Barbara Gaylor Thelma Graper Rex Todd Withers Trade and Industrial Education John J. Harris Lloyd V. Johnson Earl W. Miller Lottie Waterman 317 III 174 5171 III 3 I 3 1293 I" U"0 H