A DESEREP‘FWE ANALYfiS 0F THE EVQLWNQ RGLE OF THE SCHOOL - COMMUNITY AGENT RN THE DETROIT GREAT CITIES SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT Thesis for the Dogma of Ed. D. M£CHIOAN STATE UNEVERSITY Hush J. Scott 1966 LIBRARY Michigan State University This is to certify that the thesis entitled ' A Descriptive Analysis of the Evolving Role of the School-Community Agent in the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project presented by Hugh J. Scott has been accepted towards fulfillment g of the requirements for ; __£D_'D__degree in Educa; ion Date J/'/9’66" 0-169 ABSTRACT A DESCRIPTIVE.ANAEYSIS OF THE EVOLVING ROLE OF THE SCHOOL-CCMIUNITY AGENT III THE DETROIT GREAT CITIES SCHOOL DIFROVEIEIT PROJECT by Hugh J. Scott Problem This study focused on the 27 schools in the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project (GCSIP) which have social workers, namely School~Community.Agents, assigned to their staffs as full-time profes- sional staff members. Each of the schools in the GCSIP is located in a neighborhood that is classified as disadvantaged. This investigation had for its major purposes a descriptive analysis of the functions of School~Community.Agents in order to indicate the educational implica- tions of such personnel for Detroit and other school systems with similar problems and to make recommendations for future utilization of such personnel. Procedure Through the use of questionnaires, interviews, and documents data were Obtained and analyzed from.School-Community.Agents, Principals, the JDirector of the GCSIP, the Coordinator of Agents, and other key persons 'whose past and present involvements with functions of Agents enabled them to provide valuable insights into the relationships, effectiveness, Hugh J. Scott and impact of Agents in the schools and communities served by the GCSIP. Assumptions The following assumptions permeated the study: 1. 2. 3. h. 30 The function of the school is to raise appreciably the stand- ard of living in the community. Educators must understand the community in order to plan constructively for its improvement in educationally signifi- cant ways. The prOblems presented in educating children from disadvantaged areas must be met by the involvement of parents, the community, and social agencies in a coordinated effort with the school to solve these problems. The School-Community.Agent, as demonstrated in the GCSIP, represents a significant approach to the involvement of the school in the problems of the community. Findings following are the major findings of the study: There is general agreement that the Agent's role is not defined clearly in terms of specific duties and responsibilities in the school and community. There has been only a partial acceptance, understanding, and support of the.Agent's role in the various echelons of the Detroit Public Schools. ‘ There is general agreement that.Agents should devote their major duties and responsibilities to community develOpment and organization activities, but that most.Agents devote the greatest prOportion of their time to programming activities. Agents, as a group, have not been a success or a failure and are not functioning as well as they might or could be, but they are functioning. There is a critical shortage of social workers trained and skilled in the techniques and rationale of community organiza- tion and develogment. 7. l. 30 5. 7. Hugh J. Scott The supervision, orientation, and in—service training of Agents needs to be improved and to involve an intensive and extensive program of community development and organization techniques and a program designed to develOp a sound under- standing of the role and nature of public education and public schools. The specific duties and responsibilities carried out by Agents are often the result of compromise and/or conflict between the expectations for the.Agent's role deemed essen- tial by the Staff of the GCSIP, the Principals, and the Agents. Recommendations The School-Community.Agent's role should be truly profes- sionalized in terms of specific duties and responsibilities in the schools and cemmunities and in terms of specific criteria by which to measure the relative effectiveness of an.Agent or Agents. The major duties and responsibilities of Agents should be those related directly to activities of community develop- ment and organization. Professional social workers, who are highly skilled and knowledgeable in techniques and rationale for community deve10pment and organization, should continue to be pre- ferred and sought for positions as.Agents. The professional relationships of.Agents to the various social service agencies should be investigated and evalu- ated jointly in an effort to deve10p closer and more prof- itable relationships between.Agents and.Agencies. The Detroit Public Schools should jointly with a School or Schools of Social work develOp a program of academic and practical experiences to prepare and to produce competent school social workers. Research related to the effectiveness and to the impact of Agents should be continued or initiated in order to provide realistic assessments of the efforts of Agents and to pro- vide guidelines for the future conceptualization of the Agent's role. Agents should receive a salary equivalent to that of teachers ‘with equal academic attainment and with an apprOpriate increase in salary for the additional two months of employment. 8. Hugh J. Scott Workshops and other practical experiences should be estab- lished or increased to assist teachers and administrators in the deve10pment of an understanding and acceptance of the Agent's role in an attempt to promote an awareness of the mutual benefits each can derive from the services of the other. A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EVOLVING ROLE OF THE SCHOOL~COMMUNITY AGENT IN THE DETROIT GREAT CITIES SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT By ‘Q -( vi‘ Hugh J? Scott A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION College of Education 1966 ACKNOWL EDGIGEI‘ETS The author acknowledges gratefully the support and guidance of the chairman of his doctoral committee, Dr. Donald.Leu. Appreciation is extended also to the other members of his committee, Mr. William.B. Hawley, Dr. Ernest O. Melby and Dr. William Faunce. Special indebtedness is acknowledged to Dr. Louis D. Mbnacel and Miss Betty Deshler for the helpfulness always extended in the concep- tualization and deve10pment of the study. The cooperation extended by Dr. Eugene Litwak, Dr. Carl L. Harburger, Mr. Harold R. Johnson, and mr. Richard Simmons, Jr. is also much appreci- ated. The author acknowledges a debt of high gratitude to the School- Community Agents and Principals whose assistance made the study possible. To the secretaries of the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project and of the Mbtt Institute for Community Improvement a warm appre- ciation is extended for their help in many ways to the author. To Hr. Robert marsh and Er. Peter Trumbull a sincere thanks for their editing services. To my wife, Florence and my daughter, Harvalisa go my respect fer their personal sacrifices and their patience. August, 1966 Hugh J. Scott ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACK l‘lOl‘aaEm’I'ENTS O O O O O O O O 0 O O O O O O 0 LIST OF LIST OF Chapter I. II. III. IV. TM 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O APPEI‘EDICEISoooooooooooooo II‘JTm WCTION O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Statement of the Problem . . Significance of the Problem . . . Statement of the Objectives . . . Statement Of ASSUIl’lptions o o o o 0 Definition Of Tems o o o o o o o QueStionS to be Answered. 0 o o o 0 ml! OF LITEPMATURE O O O O O O O O O IntrOdUCtion o o o o o o o o o o The Disadvantaged o o o o o o 0 Education and the Disadvantaged The R019 Of the SChOOl o o o o 0 Summary 0 o o o o o o o o o o o DEIG N O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 88173316000000.0000... Characteristics of'Project Schools . . . . Characteristics of School~Community Agents ResearCh InStmmentS o o o o o o o o o o 0 Sources Of Data 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o ResearCh I'lethOdS o o o o o o o o o o o o o EMWHFINDINGSOQooooooooooooo IntrOdUCtionoooooo0.0.0.0000 iii \)O\O\U't-F"“ "" \0 39 39 40 40 43 43 TABLE OF commas (CONTINUED) Chapte; PART ONE - ORIGIN AND BACKGROUND DETAILS . Philosophical Rationale . Recruitment 0 o o o o o o o o o o seleCtion o o o o o o o o o o o 0 Screening and Selecting . . . . . Criteria for Selection . . . . . Placement o o o o o o o o o o o o TranSferS o o o o o o o o o o o o Orientation and In_Service Education Evaluation Of Agents 0 o o o o o Dismissal o o o o o o o o o o o 0 Salary SChedUle o o o o o o o o 0 Funding 0 o o o o o o o o o o o 0 ‘PART TMO - RELATIONSHIPS IN THE SCHOOL Agents and Principals . . Agents and. TeaCherS o o o o o o 0 Agents and the GCSIP o o o o o 0 Agents and Programming . . . . . Tdork SChedlIle o o o o o o o o o 0 PART THREE - COEEMNITY AND AGENT RELATIONSHIP . . . . commit}, and Agent contaCtS o o o o o o o o o 0 PART FOUR - CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE AGENT'S ROLE . . The searCh o o o o o o o o o o o Agent's I'lajor FurlCtions o o o o 0 R019 Definition 0 o o o o o o o 0 Agent Preparation . . . . . . . . V. SUM? , CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, IPPLICATIONSooooooooooooo summooooooooo COHClllS ions 0 o o o o o o o o o 0 Recommendations 0 o o o o o o o 0 Educational Illlplications o o o o BIHJImRAPIIY O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O APPEI‘IDICES.................. iv AND EDUCATIONAL O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 105 105 107 115 117 120 126 EEELQ I. III. IV. V. LIST OF TABLES Responses to: Principals Generally Have a Good Understanding of the Functions of an Agent . . ReSponses to: The Work of an Agent Has a Direct and Indirect Effect on the Academic Program OfthGSChOOl0000000000000... Responses to: Agents Should Become Involved in Implementing Educational Pregrams in the 301100100000coco-00000000.. ReSponses to: Agents Have a Wide Margin of Freedom in Carrying out Their mties and ReSponSibilitieS............... Responses to: Agents Should be Directly Respon- sible to the Principals for Their Actions . . ReSponses to: Principals are Generally Cooperative with Agents ReSponses to: Agents are Generally Accepted by Teachers as an Integral Part of the SChOOIStaffoooooooooooo00000 Responses to: Most Teachers Who Are Concerned About the Disadvantaged Would Make Good School-Community Agents Fig 70 7O 71 71 71 75 75 Appendix A. B. C. D. E. F. I. J. P. LIST OF APPENDICES Description of the Detroit Great Cities School ImprovementProject. o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Questionnaires Submitted to Agents and Principals . Data Obtained From Agent Background Questionnaire . Statements Obtained From Interview with Dr.LouisD.I'ionacel.............. Statements Obtained From Interview with MissBettyDeShler............... Statements Obtained From Interview with Dr.CarlM.Marburger... 0 on... to o. o Statements Obtained From Interview with Dr.EugeneLitwak................ Statements Obtained From Interview with Hr. MChard SimonS, Jr. 0 o o o o o o o o o o o Statements Obtained From Interview with I'h'o Harold JOhnSOn o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 Overview of Agent's Role by the GCSIP . . . . . . . School-Community Agent Job Announcement . . . . . . 1965 Salary Schedules for Agents and Principals . . Composite Tabulation of the ReSponses of Agents and Principals to Perceptions of School- Community Agent's Role Questionnaires . . . . . . Selected ReSponses of Teachers to 1964 GCSIP Study . Consolidated Report of After-School Involvement in Programs of the 7 Original Schools of the GCSIP O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Agent Comments Extracted From 1965 Semester Reports vi 126 137 145 149 156 164 166 169 171 173 175 178 182 217 222 221+ CEaPTER I IHTRODUCTICN Statement of the Problem With some notable exceptions, schools have existed in a Sphere more or less removed from contact with the real problems of community life. Too frequently, schools have concentrated their attention on the teaching of skills of literacy and citizenship in an academic atmoSphere, with little emphasis on problems or programs aimed directly at the solution of social problems or the meeting of social needs. The essence of the educational problems of schools in disadvantaged areas is the gap between the programs of the schools and the needs of commun- ities. Most of the large cities across the nation, Detroit included, have large concentrations of families whose children are handicapped severely in their schooling by a complex of community, home, and school conditions. In 1950, one out of every ten students in the large urban communities of this nation was considered to be a student with a disad- vantaged background. By 1960, this figure had risen to one out of every three; and the projection for 1970, is one out of every two.1 In the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project (GCSIP), an attempt has been made to bridge the gap between schools and the 1Figures used are based on statements made by Frederick Shaw in P” Dblta Kappan XLV, (Hovember, 1963), p. 91. disadvantaged communities they serve. A series of programs have been instituted by the GCSIP as a means of improving the educational experi- ences offered by its member schools and as a means of improving life in the disadvantaged communities. A major operational assumption of the GCSIP is that what happens in the community has a direct influence on what happens in the school and vice versa. The various programs of the GCSIP are attempts at breaking down the "iron curtain" that often exists between many of the disadvantaged communities and schools in such areas. A major approach of the GCSIP, in its efforts to guide the imple- mentation of realistic and significant educational experiences and ser- vices for disadvantaged communities, is the utilization of School- Community Agents, school social workers, in each of the member schools of the GCSIP. This use of School-Community Agents in the GCSIP schools represents a significant extension of the services offered to the com. .munity by the Detroit Board of Education. The use of Specific personnel to enhance the school's role as a force for social action and service in the school community is not uncomp man today in many large urban cities faced with the problem of having increasing numbers of its public school population classified in the disadvantaged category. Cities such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New York City, New York; and Flint, Michigan have personnel in their public school systems who perform functions similar to those of School-Community Agents in the Detroit Public Schools system. Although these cities have personnel who perform tasks similar to those performed by Detroit's School-Community Agents, there are differences. Phildelphia employs lay-personnel from the local school community as school social workers. Flint uses physical education majors on a part-time and full-time basis. flew York City, like Detroit, seeks the services of experienced social workers. hone of the four cities gives the same title to its personnel. There are also differ- ences in how each of the four school systems utilizes the daily services of their personnel in their capacities as school social workers. DeSpite such differences, each of the four cities has in common certain basic purposes for assigning personnel to local schools in roles as school social workers. These four school systems, through the use of such personnel, attempt to perform the following tasks: 1. 2. 3. a. To keep the community orientated and informed about the school and its program. To keep the school staff informed about the composition, dis- tinctive needs, and concerns of the community. To develop and to support programs designed to engage the comp munity in home-school related programs. To assist families to understand and to use school and commun- ity services and facilities. In the large urban public school systems across this nation, there appears to be a trend to augment the instructional staffs of schools in disadvantaged areas with personnel who are responsible for promoting com- munity organization and service. The trend is motivated, in part, by the realization by educators that schools in disadvantaged areas cannot oper- ate in isolation from life in the communities they are to serve. Related to this belief is the awareness that schools in disadvantaged areas must reach out and accept direct and indirect responsibilities for the improvement of community life. This implies more than a commitment to improving the academic status of the community. This study is an examination of the utilization of School- Community Agents in the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Pro- ject. The major purpose of this study is to attempt to depict the role that School-Community Agents have played in their efforts to close the gap between schools and the communities in disadvantaged areas. This study necessitates an exploration of the practices, pro- cedures, and programs directed by Agents to provide services for the disadvantaged and to promote community organization and development. Related factors, such as the criteria used for the selection of and placement of Agents, the manner in which Agents have been able to implement the goals of the GCSIP in their reSpective schools, are areas investigated in this study. Significance of the Problem America, whose philosophical foundation and design continues to serve as an inSpirational guide for many of the emerging nations of the world, has allowed social class status and the stigma of racial segregation to operate in such a manner that an increasingly signifi- cant number of its citizens are set apart from the social, economic, and political life of the nation. In this, the most affluent society in the history of mankind, we find that a considerable segment of that society is underdeveloped, disadvantaged, and perhaps disenchanted. Americans should not and cannot tolerate the conditions in this society which tend to perpetuate a cycle of life which, for the most part, pro- duces generation after generation of Americans who feel that the American dream cannot become a reality for them. If we do not begin to improve greatly the educational experiences of the young and old members of our population who are labeled the dis- advantaged, we will be faced with a greater number of Americans who will be socially isolated and perhaps alienated from the mainstream of soci- ety. Such a disadvantaged populations will require increased numbers of trained personnel to handle them through welfare and correctional insti- tutions. Although there are many factors that combine to produce a disadvan- taged citizenry, education is the basic ingredient that must combine with other forces to alleviate and/or eliminate the factors in our society that have created what is commonly referred to as "the other America." This education cannot be more of the same which has, by and large, failed; it must have for its focus the specific and general needs and.problems of a segment of the American population that has for too long been viewed as lost or undeserving. Statement of the Objectives The objectives of this study are the following: 1. To delineate the factors that led to the establishment of the role of the School-Community Agent. 2. To describe the evolution of the School-Community Agent's role in the GCSIP. 3. To describe School-Community Agent involvement with adminis- trators, teachers, parents, the community, and social agencies. 7. 8. The 1. 2. Key 1. To examine the criteria used for the selection, placement, orientation, in—service education, evaluation, and.utiliza- tion of School-Community Agents. To describe modifications in school organization, administra- tion, and philosophy that are the result of the utilization of'School-Community Agents. To describe School-Community Agent invdlvement with those fac- tors of a disadvantaged environment that impede the educa- tional purposes of the school. To make recommendation for future selection, placement, and utilization of Agents in the Detroit.GCSIP. To identify and relate those practices and procedures in Detroit's use of the School-Community Agent which have educa- tional implications for other school systems with related problems. Statement of Assumptions following were the assumptions that permeated this study: The function of the school is to raise appreciably the stand- ard of’living in the community. The school must understand the community in order to plan constructively for its improvement in educationally signifi- cant ways. The problems presented in educating children from disadvan- taged homes must be met by the involvement of parents, the community, and social agencies in a coordinated effort with the school to solve these problems. The School-Community Agent, as demonstrated in the GCSIP, rep- resents a significant approach to the involvement of the school in the problems of the community. Definition of Terms terms used in this study are listed below. Community: 'Whenever any group, small or large, lives together in such a way that they share not this or that particular interest, but the basic conditions of common life, we call that group a community. The mark of a community is that one's rela. tionships may be fOund within it. 2. 6. Community School: The community school is viewed as a school that has two distinctive emphases: Service to the entire com- munity, not merely to children of school age, and the dis- covery, development, and use of the resources of the community as part of the educational facilities of the school. Administration: Administration is defined as the processes of leadership and management involved in achieving satisfactory evolution, operation, and evaluation of the pregram itself. Qrganization: Organization is viewed as the framework and the machinery for carrying out the school's program. School-CommunitygAgents: These individuals in the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project who are hired to organize adult and youth classes, interpret the school to the community and the community to the school staff, and to promote community organization. Disadvantaggd: Persons who demonstrate or live in areas that exhibit many of the following characteristics: A. High rate of family disorganization a. Very low rate of economic productivity C. Physical defects and poor health habits D. Poorly educated adult population B. High degree of transiency F. High crime rate G. High drop-out rate from school H. High failure rate in school I. Overage in various school grades or levels J. Poor physical structures of most homes K. Inadequace of communicative skills L. Large number of aid recipients Questions to be Answered This study provides answers to the following questions: Based on evaluative data of the GCSIP, how is the role of Agents perceived by administrators, teachers, parents, and Agents? What are the criteria used for the selection, placement, orientation, and dismissal of Agents? What are the duties and reSponsibilities of Agents in the various schools in the GCSIP? What is indicated by the evaluative data on School-Community Agents for the future utilization of Agents in the Detroit and other school systems with similar problems? What were the philosophical reasons for the inception the School-Community Agent? CHAPTAR II ”HJLA 0F LITEAATUAE Introduction Attempts to comprehend the educational significance of the various approaches used in programs of compensatory education in disadvantaged areas-~programs which are designed to combat those forces and conditions which tend to impede the goals of education-~must be preceded by an investigation of those factors in our society that combine to produce the disadvantaged status. This chapter provides a rationale for view- ing the general conditions of the disadvantaged and those factors which produce such conditions. These socio-economic conditions and forces are related to their effects on the educational pursuits of those indi- viduals classified as disadvantaged. The socio-economic conditions of the disadvantaged described in this chapter are, in general, very similar to those conditions encountered by School-Community Agents in Detroit as they attempt to carry out their day-to-day reSponsibilities in the com- munity and in the school. The Disadvantaged Detroit has conditions that are typical of most large cities in America. These conditions are concomitant with the assimilation of great segments of humanity--mainly unskilled workers and their families-- shifted in the last few years from.predominantly rural backgrounds to an urban environment. These urban disadvantaged, along with their rural 10 counterparts, comprise those Americans that are sometimes referred to as "the other America." fiho are the disadvantaged and how did they get in such a state? Ben. H. Bagdikian answers this question, in part, when he states: For the most part these men and women, and children are not made so differently from their fellow Americans. But they have had the bad luck to be born in a poor region, or in a dying automating industry, or on a small farm. They mgy have dark skin color. They may be sick. Or they may have lost their jobs after they were forty years old--too old to find a new steady job but not old enough to die. Or like the American Indian and the small farmer, they may merely be born into an obsolete culture. In his book, The Other America, which is often referred to as the book that helped launch the war on poverty, hichael Harrington presented the following characteristics of the disadvantaged: . . . the other America is become increasingly popu- lated by those who do not belong to anybody or any-thing. They are no longer participants in an ethnic culture from the old country; they are less and less religious; they do not belong to unions or clubs. They are not seen, and because of that they themselves cannot see. Their horizon has become more and more restricted; they see gne another and that means they see little reason to hope. Such expressions as "culturally deprived," "culturally different," and "culturally disadvantaged" are commonly used to describe those indi- viduals who dwell in "the other America." Each of these expressions, to some degree describes a significant number of attributes of those identi- fied. Realizing some inherent difficulties in using any single expres- sion to refer to those Americans who have been cut off from the mainstream 1Ben H. Bagdikian, in the Midst g; Plenty (Boston: Beacon Press, 1964) 9 Po 13. 2Michael Harrington, The Other America (New York: Nacfiillian.Comp pany, 1962), p. 18. 11 of American culture, the term disadvantaged is used. On this subject, Fritz Redl states: I don't like the term 'disadvantaged.' I think it has an awful odor--to phrase it politely. However, we are stuck with it, and most other labels smell no sweeter, so at least we ought to remember each time we use it--or its relatives--that we should look twice to be sure we know what we are talking about--or what another means when using the term. The disadvantaged in this study are those persons in our society who live in areas which demonstrate or who personally exhibit the fol- -lowing characteristics: 1. 2. 10. 11. 12. High rate of family disorganization Very low rate of economic productivity Physical defects and poor health habits Poorly educated adult population High degree of transiency High crime rate within the community Inadequace of communicative skills School drop-out rate is high Overage in various school grades or levels School failure rate is high Poor physical structure of most homes Large number of aid recipients 3 Fritz Redl, "Disadvantaged--and What Else?" in Urban Education and Cultural DEprivation (ed.) C. N. Hunnicutt (New York: Syracuse University Press, 195E), p. 63. ”Characteristics are based on items selected from various docu- ments put out by the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project and do not necessarily apply to an individual or group in total. 12 As America has shifted from an agrarian nation to a nation based on technology and science, there has been a continuous movement of people away from the farms into the cities, an increased complexity in our social institutions, and a change in many of the social distinctions of a former era. These phenomena of modern American life are most vis- ible in the metropolitan areas which now stretch over large segments of the American landscape and are steadily replacing or incorporating the isolated rural areas and small towns. Out of a total population of 180.7 million in 1960, 115.7 million Americans lived in metrOpolitan areas which represented a 26.5 per cent increase in such areas since 1950. Slightly more than half of those in metropolitan areas, 58.4 million to be exact, lived in central cities while the remainder inhabited outlying areas socially and economically linked to these cities. From a population which comprised 30.1 per cent of the total population in 1920, the farm.population had decreased to only 7.1 per cent in 1963.5” As the middle and upper income persons increasingly move into sub- urbia from the central city, their places are currently being taken by rural migrants who can no longer find employment on the modern mechan- ized farm. As a consequence, the central city is increasingly inhabited by the rural poor who, in addition to problems imposed by economic 5a Sources: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, 0, S, Census 9§_ngulation: 1960, Vol. 1 Current ngulation Reports, Series p. 23, no. 10; Department of Agriculture, Economic nesearch Service, Farm Po u- lation Estimates for 1910-62; and (jointly with the Department of Com. merce, Bureau of Census) Estimates pi 131.12 Farm Population in 3.1.13 United States, April, 1963. 13 deprivation, have the problems of adapting a rural way of life to an urban environment. 1he south nern Appalachian white, the southern American Aegro, and the Puerto Rican constitute the largest groups of urban newcomers.6 Whether they be white or Segre, the urban poor or disadvantaged are largely invisible as persons to those for whom the route into the central city is by modern superhighway or railroad track. "The regular, prOSperous Americans have become accustomed to living with unassimilated groups of people in their midst about whom they know in a distant and general way that they are very poor."7 Host disadvantaged members of our society today did not "achieve" poverty; they were born poor. "They have remained impoverished in Spite of increasing productivity and the creation of a welfare state. That fact alone should suggest the dimensions of a serious and basic situa- tion."8 There needs to be a recognition of the fact that there is no longer much connection between the willingness and ability to work and getting a job. This is most evident at the bottom levels where there is both poverty and unemployment.9 6a ror discussions of the movement of national ethnic groups into large urban communities, see the following: hathan.Glazer and Daniel P. hoynihan, Beyond the bieltipg_ Pot (Cambridge: M.I. T. Press, 1963), pp. 91-99; Stanley Lieberson, Ethnic Patterns in American Cities (Aew York: Free Press of Glencoe, 1903); Lilton H. Gordon, Assimilation ip_American Life, (Aew York: Oxford University Press, 19 7Gunnar Myrdal, "The hatrix," in Poverty ip'Plent (ed.) George H. Dunne, S. J. (Aew York: P. J. Kennedy & Sons, 19 o P. 119. 8 9This point is elaborated in Dwight MacDonald's "The Aow Visible Poor," in Poverty: 1.}; Plenty. Harrington, 220 Cite, p. 190 1U "Only a few years ago the majority of Americans were blind to the very existence of the problem of poverty. The great fact of 1964 is not that we have a program to abolish povertya-because we do not-~but that we have Opened our eyes."10 The present, "war on poverty," with its emphases on the "pockets" of poverty does not accurately connote the true depth and sc0pe of poverty in this country. Poverty, which fosters the stigmatic socio-economic conditions that, to a large degree, create the disadvantaged segments of our society, is not to be found only or primar- ily in isolated "pockets," but in nearly all areas of this land and in a strangling form in the larger urban communities. Alton Linford discusses the scope of poverty and the progress being made against poverty in America when he states: We have made progress against poverty. In 1935, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Spoke of 1/3 of our nation being ill housed, ill clothed, and ill fed. In comparable terms, about 20 percent of our nation is in these straits today. But this is not enough progress. Although studies may vary, concerning the total number of Americans whose economic status is such "That their incomes are below the levels required to support those minimum objective standards of consumption of food and clothing, housing and education and medical care and rewarding leisure;"12 there is general agreement that there is an alarming number 10 .Hichael Harrington, "Poverty and Politics," in Poverty‘inglenty, p. 48. 11Adapted from a speech by Alton Linford, Dean, School of Social ‘Work, University of Chicago, before the Workshop on Working with.Low; Income Families, Sponsored by the American Home Economics Association in Chicago, march 1965. 1ZILeon H. Keyserling, "Key Questions on the Poverty Problem," Poverty it; Plenty, p. 95. 15 of Americans who have not been able to participate in the American dream. The following statement provides some indication of the scope of the problem: we are inclined to think that this happens only to the physical and psychological cripples, that they suffer in small numbers in isolated geographical pockets. But the poor are everywhere. There are at least 20,000,000 in the United States and depending on how hungry and unhealthy you call 'poor' perhaps as many as 54,000,000. Avery city and every region has them and in l few unfor- tunate places there is scarcely anyone else. 3 Richael Harrington offers the following comments on a survey of poverty in America conducted by the AEL-CIO: It found that 36,000,000 Americans were living in households of two persons or more with 1958 incomes of less than $3000. Another 5,500,000 individuals were liv- ing on incomes of under $1,500 (which is less than $29 a week before taxes). Thus the AEL-CIO statisticians would argue that there were h1,500,000 Americans-~24 percent of the population--who had demonstrable substandard incomes. Life within those areas classified as disadvantaged is noted for its diversity.15 Within the lower socio-economic neighborhoods of the urban communities are those persons who are striving for and those who have achieved "reSpectability." They live among those who have abandoned any attempt to do so. Illegal activities may flourish in settings of otherwise legitimate businesses. Both cooperative relationships and vio- lence occur. The welfare client lives on the same street or in the same 13Bagdikian, pp. 255..., p. 13. 1Ll'nichael Harrington,lgp.‘gig., 1962, p. 176. 15Studies of the diversity of values and conditions found in disad- vantaged areas can be found in the following works: Herbert J. Gan,‘2hg Egban Villagers, (New York: The Free Press of Glencoe, 1962); St. Clair Drake and Horace R. Cayton, Black Hetropolis (Aew York: Harper Torchbooks, 1962), 2 Vols.; Oscar'Lewis, Thg_Children gf Sanchez (Sew York: Random House, 1961). 16 building as the self-supporting individual. The streets, schools, and other public facilities must be shared by the law abiding majority, as well as by the delinquent or criminal minority. Keeping in mind the diversity of attitudes and conditions of individuals in disadvantaged areas, the following four statements are presented as general character- istics of disadvantaged persons: 1. Aifectional deprivation--the person is deprived of an adequate amount of affection, love, or emotional support. 2. Mbdel:person deprivationp-the absence of persons in the child's life who are good examples for the child to imitate as he grows up. 3. Intellectual deprivation--the lack of home environment in which books, politics, music, or similar intellectual activities. 4. Nutritional depgivation--the child is not getting an adequate amount of food.15 The disadvantaged are, in general, notably deficient in cultural and academic strengths.17 The latter characteristic is usually, but not always, a consequence of the first factor. Bernard.Kappan states: The parents in the disadvantaged areas have been unable, for the most part, to provide the quality of background, out- look, initial grounding, and readiness for formal learning that middle-class upper-class parents are able to prOVide for their children. 4 16Taken from the Journal of Negro Education, V01. 31 (Spring. 1965). 1 2. 17Charles w. Hobart, "Underachievement Among Minority Group Students," Phyion. Vol. 24, No. 2, (1963), 84-96 presents the following four demen- sions of the problem: (1) A damaged self;concept; (2) in-adequate motiva- tion; (3) an'unawareness of job opportunities to which he could aSpire; (4) resistance by peers and community to selfeadvancement. 18Bernard A, Kappan, "Issues in Educating the Culturally Disadvan- taged," gh_i_ Delta Kappan, XIV (1963). 71. 17 In his article, "The Role of the School in the Urban Setting," Mel Ravitz presented the following description of conditions in a dis- advantaged environment: Many of the children of the depressed areas come from home situations that are deplorable, where the primary need is for the services of a nurse, a dentist, a dietician, where there is abject poverty, where there is much.physical overcrowding in poor housing, where many kinds of psycho- logical problems beset members of the family. Often too, the family is split, with the mother assuming responsibil- ity for both parents. Even if the family is not Split, the controls that once applied in the rural setting have been broken in an urban setting that is hostile, uncaring, anonymous, and which has forced the reconstructuring of the family. The parental images the children see are igages of despair, of frustration, and of enforced idleness. "The problem of the disadvantaged is principally a social problem and not a racial problem. ‘Ne are dealing with a social class problem that is seriously aggravated and complicated by racial discrimination."20 A large number of Negroes are likely to be classified as being disadvan- taged. "However, it is likely that as many as one-third of the Negro children in the large cities of the United States are at least the equal of the white norms fer educational development."21 The problem of the disadvantaged must be viewed as a social class problem.which has received dramatic attention from the rearrangement of whites and Negroes in the large cities, with regard to place of residence and school attendance. 19Mo1 Ravitz, "The Role of the School in the Urban Setting," (ed.) A. Harry Passow, Education E W Age}; (New York: Columbia Uni- versity Press, 1963), p. 17. 20Patricia Sexton, Education.gpg_lncome (New York: Viking Press, 1961), p. 16. "" """‘ “—— 21Benjamin Bloom, Allison Davis, and Robert Hess (eds.% Co ensato Education for Cultural Deprivation (New York: Helt, Rinehar SEE WIfiEEEn, no.9 1%”, p. O 18 The technological and scientific changes in American life have affected all Americans.22 These changes have brought a new era of abundance and increased opportunity for most Americans to participate in the economic and social benefits of such transformations. These technological and scientific transformations in our society have for the disadvantaged brought a social displacement which has created problems of adjustment to our contemporary society. These problems confront the poor wherever they are located but are eSpecially evident among those disadvantaged citizens in the urban areas. Our society, for the most part, has failed in meeting the challenges which are pre- sented to our democracy in "the other America." This failure, to a large degree, results from the failure of many Americans to perceive the socio-economic effects of poverty and its related conditions, not only on the disadvantaged, but on the nation itself. On this subject, Gunnar Ayrdal states: Aside from economic relations, Americans cannot afford to remain, of all rich countries, the one which has the highest rate of unemployment, the worst and biggest slums, and which is least generous in giving economic security to its old people, its children, its Sick people and its invallds. 3 Related to the nation's failure to perceive the totality of the problem of the disadvantaged, Ben H. bagdikian states: 22This subject is discussed in detail in John.K. Aorton, Chagging Demands 2p;Education‘gpd Their Fiscal Implications a report prepared for the National Committee for the Support of Public Schools, (washington, D. 0.: National Committee for the Support of Public Schools, 1963) pp.3-18. 23Gunnar hyrdal, "The Eatrix," Poverty ip’Plenty, p. 141. 19 One reason that we have failed is that we are not yet convinced that there is truly a world inside our society in which the American dream is dying, when it rains at night everyone gets up to move beds away from the leaks. 'hhere there is no electricity but discarded refrigerators are valued to keep food safe from rats . . . ‘Where students drift hungry and apathetic through school and their parents die ten 3r twenty or thirty years earlier than their counp trymen.2 Education and the Disadvantaged The behavior of the child in the school is the consequence, not only of what happens in school but also what happens outside the school. "From a social psychological point of view the basic problem of the dis- advantaged is that children who receive their initial training in one subculture are expected to behave satisfactorly in a different one."25 Children from the disadvantaged environments come to school with a set of pre-school experiences which are different from those of children from middle-class homes, and the expectations of the schools must take into consideration these differences in environmental influences on learning. The degree to which any learner accepts a lesson is determined by the degree in which the learner understands th oe lesson, by what it means to him, and above all by the way he feels toward the people who have imposed, deganded, coerced, punished him and explained things to him. Those who attempt to assist the disadvantaged must become aware of the values, attitudes, and interests of the disadvantaged and those factors V' wBen H. Eagdikian, 93. cit., p. 13. 25Lloyd 3. Lueptow, "The Disadvantaged Child: Primary Group Train- ing for Secondary Group Life," The Teachers College Journal Indiana State University, XXIII (Octooer, 19655, p. 5. 26.Jdna Ambrose and Alice hiel, Children' 5 Social Learnin~s: L li- cations 2£_Hesearch_ and 3} art Stud U.ashington: Association for super- vision and Curric um Deve opz1en , 958), p. 52. I 20 :hich have produced their values, attitudes, and interests. It is through the intelligent use of such factors that meaningful educational objectives can be established and implemented. ho child learns his mores, social drives, and values--his basic cul- ture-~from his books. The child learns his particular culture and moral system from those peOple who exhibit various behavioral patterns and values in their frequent relationships with the child. The child from the dis- advantaged environment learns the culture of his lower socio-economic environment because his intimate associations are with children and adults from this environment. "The poor have learned to behave the way they do. what we are asking them to do is to unlearn that behavior and learn some- thing new. This is often a difficult process."27 The limited interaction of disadvantaged individuals with persons of different socio-economic status leads to a formation of a social class. In his definition of a social class, Martin B. Loeb states: In the simplest terms, a social class may be said to be a segment of society, members of which socially participate more within that segment than in others and within which their relations are more frequent and more intense. Behavior of class members is more nearly alike and hence, different from behavior of peOple of other classes. In a sense, then, each class is a cultural entity with its own particularities of motivations and satisfactions. "A child from any circumstance who has been deprived of a substan- tial portion of the variety of stimuli which he is maturationally capable 27Taken from an adaptation of a speech by Allison Davis, Professor of Education, University of Chicago, before the'workshOp on'working with Low-Income Families, sponsored by the American home Economic Association in.Chicago, harch, 1965. 28hartin B. Loeb, "Implication of Status Differentiation of Personal and Social Development," Harvard Educggignal Review, XXIII, (1953), p. 168. 21 of responding is likely to be deficient in the equipment required for learning."29 A child is critically dependent upon his environment for his growth and development. The cultural environment of the child and groups with which the child from the disadvantaged environment inter- acts affects the learnings that the child acquires from his experiences in both his natural and social worlds. The conditions of a disadvan- taged environment may thwart the individual's purposes and inhibit the satisfaction of his natural drives, and may often lead to an inadequate approach to his outer and inner worlds. On the subject of environmental influences on learning, Allison Davis states: Just as soon as the teacher understands anything about the child or adolescent as a member of his family or play group, as a learning organism in a particular environment, the teacher begins to see the pupil's behavior in an entirely new light. Then for the first time, the 'teaching' situation becomes a realityasituation, in which the teacher can.plan her own efforts with reference to some known points in the pupil's behavior. Only then does she begin to discover what her words mean to him, what he has to unlearn, find what learn- ing experiences are pleasant or painful to him. Each individual is stimulated to act or refrain from acting by the anticipated reaction of the particular social class he represents to that particular act. The actions of a social class generally represent the attitudes, values, and beliefs of the society of which the individual is a member. The values, beliefs, and attitudes of the disadvantaged often 29hartin.P. Deutsch, "The Disadvantaged Child and the Learning Process," Education in Depressed Areas (ed.) A. Harry Passow (lew York: Columbia University Press, 19535. p. 168. 30Allison Davis, Social Class Influences Upon Learning (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 19597, p. 2. 22 interfere with their acceptance of information which might alter their accepted values, beliefs, and attitudes. On this subject James Olsen states: 'He are at the threshold of a revolution in our educa- tional thinking in this country. The major part of this revolution lies in our realization that all children in the United States do not have the same opportunities to develop and exploit their capacities and talents. Since cultural and economic differences among groups profoundly influence how a child see himself as a person and as a learner, what he hopes to get out of school, what he wants to do--or not do--after he leaves school, the people he values and models to be emulated, and perhaps even how he learns, educators need to study class differences and then translate the insights they gain from that study into curricular and organizational modification. How does the individual from the lower socio-economic neighborhood, who has very little or no intimate association in any form with "middle" or "upper" classes and who is stigmatized and avoided by the "respectable" people in the lower middle class, differ from those who choose to avoid him or ignore him? In his article, "Education and the Social Class in the United States,"'fiilliam H. Burton states: The social classes differ materially in approving or stigmatizing certain beliefs, values, and behaviors in their regard for education. hiddle classes and upper classes par- ticularly stigmatize, in the lower classes what the upper classes call laziness, shiftliness, irreSponsibility, igno- rance, ' morality. Within the lower classes, however, some of these are accepted ways of behavior, possessing background and rationale. The lower classes are likely to resent in the upper classes what lower class individuals call 'snooti- ness' or snobbery, good manners, proper language, lack of aggressiveness, or willingness to fight.“ 31James Olsen, "The Challenges of the Poor to the Schools," Phi Delta.Kapoan, XLVII (1965), p. 84. 32sfilliam H. Burton, "Education and the Social Class in the United States," ggrygrd Educational Review, XXIII (1953), p. 247. On the subject of values and habits in the lower class environ- ment, which are the guides for acceptable behavior in each of the social groups, Allison Davis states: Because the slum individual is usually reSponding to a different physical, economic, and cultural reality from that which the middle-class individual is trained, the slum individual's habits and values also must be different if they are to be realistic. The behavior which we regard as 'delinquent' or 'shiftless' or 'unmotivated' in slum groups is usually a perfectly realistic, adaggive, and in slum life respectable response to reality. "The disadvantaged child enters the school inadequately prepared to produce what the school demands and his initial failures are almost inevitable, and the school experiences become negatively rather than positively reinforced."3u host disadvantaged children, with the possible exception of those in rural areas, Spend less time in direct interaction with their parents than middle class children do. In addition, their parents, generally do not have the skills or the language to effectively use the time they Spend with children to foster the language and cogni- tive development which will help their children in school.35 Some edu- cators even consider the language of many of the disadvantaged to be a separate dialect related to but distinct from standard English.36 33Allison Davis, 92, git., 1949, p. 11. Bulviartin Deutsch, 22. 933., 1963, p. 165. 35The effects of the disadvantaged environment on language and cognitive development are discussed in Ethel Tomilinson, "Language Arts Skills Needed by Lower Class Children," Elementary English, XXXIII (1956), pp. 278-283 and B. chandless, "Environment and Intelligence," American Journal gf'fiental Deficiency, LVI (1952), pp. 674-691. 36This subject explored in werner Cohn, "Language of Lower-Class Children," School Heview Vol. 67, (Hinter, 1959), pp. 435-440. 24 To learn words children must try them.out in new situations and receive corrections and extensions of their vocabulary and idea. The language deficiences of the disadvantaged children are probably due to the ways in which language is used in the home and to the amount of practice children have in using language in the home. The acquisition of abstract and integrative language seems to be hampered by the living conditions in the homes of disadvantaged children.37 On this subject, hartin Deutsch states: In the child's home there is a scarcity of objects of types, but eSpecially of books, toys, puzzles, pencils, and scribbling paper. It is not that the mere presence of such materials would necessarily result in their productive use, but it would increase the child's familiarity with the tools he'll be confronted with in school. Actually, for the most effective utilization of these tools, guidance and explana- tions are necessary from the earliest time of exposure. Such guidance requires not only the presence of aware and educated adults, but als time-~a rare commodity in these marginal circumstances. Since our schools tend to stress verbal demonstrations of intelli- gence, the disadvantaged child does not measure up to the expectations of the school and usually is made well aware that his language tools are very inadequate. Eunice S. Eewton states: Frequently his verbal ineptness is so comprehensive that it is characterized by functional inadequacy in speaking and listening as well as in reading and writing. dis language problems act as a veritable barrier that thwarts his attainmggt of even minimal academic goals in our verbal schools. 37VeraP. John, "The Intellectual DeveIOpment of Slum.Children," American Journal 2;,Orthgpsychiatry, KXKIII (1963), pp. 813-822. 38 Eartin Deutsch, 22, cit., 1963, pp. 167-168. 39dunice 8. Newton, "The Culturally Deprived Child in Our Verbal Schools," Journal‘gf Negro Education, XXII (Spring, 1962), p. 184. If the child deSpairs of his personal equipment, his ego boundaries suffer and he abandons hope for the ability to identify with others who a y o o o a. 9 [4'0 " qk 1 I o J- are aole to apply themselves to his dlfllCUlthSo The Child with a negative view of self is a child who will not be able to profit much from a. school. Once the chil is convinced that school is irrelevant to his inaediate needs and future goals, the task of education becomes almost 11 impossible.”* The disadvantaged student, generally, does not share the middle class attitude toward school attendance. James Olsen states: gather the lower-class person has a kind of 'bread and butter' approach to education. he does not eSpecially value intellectual activity per se. Lut he does want vocational improvement through education because he knows that such 0 O I O C r improvement will give him better consumer life. ~ Children from disadv ntaged environments, for the most part, are not presented with the necessary experiences and social interactions to prepare them for the tasks to be done in the majority of schools in America. The objects and persons in their homes, the amount of parental interest in learning, and the amount of practice and encouragement they are given in conversation and general learning have been found to be significant influences on language and cognitive development, the devel- opment of interest in learning, the attention Span, and of motivation. There is not the necessary pre-school orientation to prepare the child 40. . .r .- , ,1 . Discussed further in xilbur J. :rookover and Thomas ohailer, "Self-Concept of Ability and School Achievement," Sociology 2_ dducation, XLKVII (Spring, 1964), pp. 271-273. 4 . -- . 1Jean D. Grambs, "The Self-Concept: BaSis for Re-education of negro Youth," Degro Self-Concept (Jew York: thrawahill Eook Company, 1905) , PO 230 42 James Olsen, pp, c1t., p. 81. 26 a well inculcated expectation of reward for performance, eSpecially for successful task completion. "The lack of such expectation, of course reduces motivation for beginning a task and, therefore, also makes less likely the self-reinforcement of activity through the gaining of feeling of competence."43 Life in the disadvantaged environment is not conduc- ive to producing those qualities which stimulate and encourage the behav- ior and learnings expected and projected by most schools in America. The mole of the School The formal education of the urban poor, the disadvantaged, repre- sents the most discussed and investigated problem in contemporary American education. "Any society which is to remain viable and dynamic must exploit and use constructively high intellectual potential wherever it is to be found."L'LLL Professional educators and the public schools have been intensively scrutinized and criticized for their failure to provide an adequate education for the majority of urban children and youth who live amidst conditions of poverty in large cities. "The schools have been judged, once again, to be the primary vehicle for the improvement of undesirable social and economic conditions. America can no longer afford to show its poor a different face from the one it shows the major- ity of its citizens."u5 “aviartin Deutsch, pp. g_i_t_., 1963, p. 172. 44Kenneth B. Clark, "Educational Stimulation of Racially Disadvan- taged Children," Education{ig,Depressed Areas, p. 144. 45James W. Guthrie and James A. KellMDncompensatory Education--50me Answers for a Skeptic," Phi Delta Kappan, ALVII (October, 1965), p. 74. 27 The Educational Policies Commission of the Lational Education Association views the goals of education for the disadvantaged as no idifferent from those for other Americans. The goals are to enable each child to play a constructive, reSpected role in society and to lead a life which to him will be satisfying.46 Our society has tra- ditionally looked to education as a means by which the poor could acquire the skills necessary to become socially and economically mobile in order to overcome the disadvantages of social origin. "Edu- cation is one means, if not the chief means through which the indi- vidual may improve himself and his social status."47 Education is increasingly becoming the chief determiner of sta- tus and economic opportunity; the completion of a secondary school program is rapidly becoming the minimal requirement for successful entry into the larger society. The individual who is not able to comp plete secondary school is denied admission to an ever increasing sec- tor of the occupational system. On this subject, Joseph A. Kahl states: The importance of formal education grows. Before people are allowed to show what they can do, they must display diplomas that indicate what they have learned. .00...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO000......OCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0.0.0.0000... Consequently, the school system has become the major institution not only for training people but also for selecting and placing them. A man starts in the occupational world according to thfiQlevel he has achieved in the educational world. U 46m mducational Policies Commission, American Education and the Search for §gual Opportunity (Jashington: AEA, 1905 . 47 Joseph A. Kahl, The American Class Structure (Lew York: Iolt, 48 :{inehart and lfinston, 19655, pp. 293.294.w William H. Lurton, 22, cit., p. 247. 28 Students from the lower socio-economic environments are somewhat out of the main stream of American life and come to the school with deficiencies or differences in value development. In schools, they must learn new values and unlearn many old values. Teachers must approve evidence that new learning is taking place and must disapprove any evidence that previously learned values are persisting. "American public school systems support the values of the dominant social class ' ' . 0 13" -“ "V o o of their constituents' communities." 9 w. L. warner, in an article discussing social status in American education, states: "Social-class research demonstrates that our educational Systems performs the dual task of aiding social mobility and, at the same time, working effec- tively to hinder it."50 In his discussion of the relationship of the school to social class, William H. Burton comments: First, it is important to know that the children in our schools are drawn from the social classes in approxi- mately these percentages: Three percent from the upper- class, thirty-eight from the middle-class, and fifty-eight from the lower-class. Second, the teaching body, in contrast, is drawn largely from the middle-class. hany teachers simply can- not communicate with lower-class children and have no idea of the beliefs and motives of the children. The children in turn trying to communicate are abashed at criticism of their language and behavior which is quite acceptable within their own social group. 49%. W. Charters, Jr., "Social Class Analysis and the Control of Public Education," Harvard Educational. 393mm, XXIII, (1953), p. 268. 50%. L. Warner, Marchia Meeker and.Kenneth Eells, "Social Status in Education," Phi Delta fiappan, KKK, (1948), p. 117. 29 my inird, the school has generally been.geared to the aims, ambitions, morals or ethical standards of the white, prosperous middle-class, Protestant, Anglo-Saxon.popula- tion. Fourth, the school is not organized to capitalize upon the non-verbal types of intelligence often found among children who have not had access to or constant con- tacts with books. The school often does not recognize the emergence of high intelligence and creative behavior in forms other than the abstract verbal type long fostered by the school.51 The limited living experiences that individuals from disadvantaged environments have and their failures to communicate verbally at the social level of the middle class environment has fostered the belief, at times perpetuated by schools, that individuals from disadvantaged envi- ronments are lacking in intelligence.52 Allison Davis in his article, "Poor People Have Brains, Too," comments: Half the ability in this country goes down the drain because of the failure of intelligence tests to measure the real mental ability of the children from lower socio-economic groups, and because of the failure of the schools to recog- nize and train this ability. This country cannot survive as the leading world power unless we learn how to discover, recruitS and train more of the brains in the lower income groups. Shifts in urban pepulations have had a marked effect on the school population. The middle-class and the lower-middle class still account for a sizeable proportion of the school children, but they are found mainly in the outlying districts of the urban communities. The propor- tion of disadvantaged children attending schools in urban areas is 5LNilliam H. Burton, 22, cit., p. 248. t: “Zhenneth Bells, "Some Implication for School Practice of the Chicago Studies of Cultural Bias in Intelligence Tests," Harvard Educational Review XXIII, (1953). pp. 284-297. 53 ison Davis "Poor People Have Brains, Too," Phi Delta Kappan m. (19'? . pp. 294-é95. 30 increasing. "In 1960, the proportion had risen to one out of three. Some authorities believe that by 1970 it may be one out of two."54 Miriam L. Goldberg offers the following comments on this shift in urban pepulation which effects the schools: In the core areas the school population is composed in part of the residues of former migration waves who, though long residents in the cities, did not move too far up the socio-economic ladder as did their brighter or more ambitious or more fortunate compatriots. For the rest, the school children come from families of recent in-migrants who are not only economically disadvantaged but, because of their ethnic and/or racial membership, present rather unique problems even within the general designation of low socio-economic status. It was largely due to the great increases of these latter groups that city schools were prompted to take a harder look at their educational pro- cedures. Cozrr enting on the occurrences which in recent decades have created unique and urgent problems for the schools of large urban communities, Dr. Goldberg offers the following factors: 1. The changing nature of the city pepulation resulting from the out migration (to non-city school districts) of middle-class families and the in—migration of low- income groups. 2. Th 1e raised school-leaving age and the need for ade- quate secondary school provision for presently unmo- ti vated and uninterested pupils. 3. The ethnic and racial membership of the present in- migrants, which create problems of caste as well as of class that affect both educational aSpirations and employment opportunities. qurederick Shaw, "Educating Culturally Deprived Youth in Urban Center 5," Pm Delta Kapnan KLV, (hovember, 1963), p. 91. 5.4.4. 55AiriamIL. Goldberg,‘ Factors Affecting Educational Attainrient in Depressed Urban Areas," Ltu cation in )coressed areas, p. 71. 4. The changing job market with its decreasing demand for unskilled and semi-skilled labor and its increasing need for people who can fill occupations which require higher levels of educational training.30 If the American schools are to provide the disadvantaged child with an alternative to the self-defeating style of his family and his environment, they must provide programs that are realistic to the con- ditions and educators who understand the problem. Schools must over- come in the m'rds of many of the disadvantaged the belief that school and learning are high-risk ventures for them--with high probabilities of failure. Commenting on the challenge to our schools and to school administrators, Jame J. Guthrie and James A. Kelly state: To involve the people of these neighborhoods in the total educational effort, the first step must be to per- suade professional educators that it is the task of the schools to exercise such leadership. Apparently teachers in many communities do not feel that this is a legitimate function.57 Schools in disadvantaged areas, in general, have kept themselves aloof from the social needs of the environment. when the rate of social change could be measured in generations, the failures of the school to adjust itself was not noticeable. Today the rapidity of change demands that the school shall §§ep in close touch with contempo- rary social processes. The school, in seeking to serve the community, must address itself directly to those problems of community welfare where it can be of direct use. 561bid., p. 77. 57James N. Guthrie and James A. Kelly, 223‘git., p. 74. 58Edward G. Olsen, The Schogl.and Community Reader (Lew York: Eacmillian Company, 1963), p. 11. This The 32 implies that school programs will attempt to study and to meet squarely these forces or elements that are tending to frustrate the best life and the highest standard of living for all members of the community. The forces in the disadvantaged environment which tend to impede the school and community objectives must be met by modifications in the school's programs, practices, and procedures. "The schools have been judged once again, to be the primary vehicle for the improvement of undesirable social and economic conditions."59 On this subject, the Educational Poli- cies Commission of the Lational Education Association states: The problems in disadvantaged areas are many and severe, and cannot be handled by the teacher alone. Thus the school has Special needs for remedial teachers, coun- selors, psychologists, nurses, and school social workers to observe and to work with children and to provide Spe- cialized help to teachers. The importance of parent edu- cation cannot be over-stressed. The school should esta lish cooperative relationships with community agencies. The school in its total program must function, as far as it is able, as an agency of social reconstruction. The problem then, is to understand the community well enough to plan constructively for its improvement in educationally significant ways. John Hershey states: To deal squarely with poverty, it will probably be necessary to reorganize our schools at every point of their functioning. ‘He will have to get poor children younger and keep them both a longer school day and a longer school year. We will have to turn curriculum instructional materials, teaching methods, and teacher training inside out. We will have to spend money on new buildings, even new kinds of buildings.01 59James w. Guthrie and James A. Kelly, 9g. 93., p. 77. 60 Educational Policies Commission, Education and the Disadvantaged (Washington: hational Education Association of the United States, 19557 p. 15. 61John Hershey, "Education: An Antidote to Poverty," Journal of the American Association‘gf'University_women, Vol. 58, (nay, I§055 p:_155. Again on the subject of the school's role in the community, Kenneth Clark states: There are aSpects of the problem of raising the level of educational achievement among deprived children which cannot be solved by the public schools and teachers without the help and understanding of the total community and our teacher training institutions. Certainly the community and its leaders must come to understand the importance of pro- viding adequate education for all children and must, through this understanding, be prepared to pay the cost of socially effective and democratic education. It can be demonstrated that this would be more economical than the cost of delin- quency, crime, bigotry,(%nd other symptoms of personal and social disorganization.J The nature of the community is determined, to a large degree, by what goes on in the schools. The American belief that tax-supported com- pulsory public schools should serve to ameliorate social and economic differences by insuring that the poor will become self-supporting and contributing members of society has not been a reality for the disadvan- taged. "One of the realities of the contemporary world is the fact that the destiny of one group of children is tied to the destiny of all other groups of people."63 Earl C. Kelley clearly states the choice Americans have the power to make regarding their schools: I have heard peOple who are earnest, good friends of youth say that we simply cannot afford the burden of good schools. This is nonsense. The people of the richest country in the world buy what they want. It is only a ques- tion as to what they value. I believe that we in education should not concede that the American peOple cannot afford a well educated teacher and an attractive classroom for each 62Kenneth 15. Clark, pp. cit., p. 160. 63mm. , p. 161. k0 .‘.. twenty-five of our own young. he just have to care more about that than something else.0br Summary It is tragic and ironic that this great nation--which in the past and to the present has been reSponsible for the economic lifeblood of citizens of many of the large and small nations of the world--has not been able to provide a satisfactory social and economic existence for millions of its own citizens. Those citizens whose substandard socio- economic conditions cause them to be described accurately as the dis- advantaged. America, the most affluent nation in the history of mankind, has inexcusably failed, not only to meet successfully the irreducible needs of a dangerously large segment of the American pOpulation, but has, for the most part, failed to comprehend fully the scope and significance of the psychological, economical, and sociological effects of poverty on those individuals found in "the other America." The significant challenge to democracy in this country, and per- haps in the world, is not to be found solely or primarily in a threat of a foreign ideology. An equally significant challenge is found in the domestic conditions of our society which permit an increasing number of citizens to exist in socio-economic environments which isolate and often alienate them from opportunities to participate actively in the main- stream of American culture. 6“Earl C. Kelley, In Defense 2f Youth (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 19627: p. 155. 35 The disadvantaged members of our society, by and large, live in large urban communities of this nation. They can be found in greatest preportions in the inner cores of this communities. This inner city population is predominantly composed of recent in-migrants from the South and of not too recent in-migrants from the South who have not been able to acculturate into the surrounding areas of the inner city. 5ecause of years of isolation in cultural and racial enclaves, the disadvantaged are viewed as being different and unacceptable by the middle-class segments of our society. Underlying the current interest in the education of the disad- vantaged is the realization on the part of some Americans that social changes have created problems for the disadvantaged and the non- disadvantaged that did not formerly exist. These changes are primar- ily those that have accompanied the transformation of America from an agrarian nation, noted for its isolated farming areas and small towns, into the modern industrial society. The metropolitan areas have now become the dominant form of community life with scientific and techno- logical advancements being the basis for such transformations. It is these transformations in our society that provide the social context within which the relationship between the disadvantaged and formal education of the poor is currently being re—examined. The adult population in disadvantaged areas are generally unskilled or semi-skilled with little formal education. They often live in physi- cal environments that are characterized by filth and dilapidation. hany of the disadvantaged see little or no hOpe for themselves or their chil- dren. The disadvantaged have limited access to and an even more limited 36 acquaintance with the social graces and the tangible manifestations of middle-class culture such as art exhibits, concerts, and good litera— ture. Because of parental attitudes and backgrounds and a generally inadequate income of their parents, many children frdm disadvantaged areas stay close to home; this does not permit many Opportunities to experience, eitherdirectly or vicariously, those aspects of life which make for the readiness for formal education and the develOpment of high incentives. Traditionally, the American public school has been the one place where society has pooled its funds and established an institution which can redound to the benefit of all. It is primarily through our schools that society hopes to develop people that are competent to meet the demands of life adequately and to be capable of good citizenship. Our democratic society places in our schools a major responsibility for the task of producing the desired outcomes needed to perpetuate the American way of life. The failure of public school education to meet successfully'the challenges presented by persons from disadvantaged environments can be traced to many factors. Our educational systems, like society, have been slow in perceiving the true nature and significance of the ed- ucational plight of the disadvantaged. Our schools, like our society, are guided by a middle-class value system.which governs and controls their actions or inactions. In short, education has failed signifi- cantly to provide realistic and meaningful experiences and services to 37 the disadvantaged because the schools have not fully comprehended the problem and our schools have been traditionally rather slow in adopt- ing ways and means to cOpe with crucial social problems. If American education is to be of benefit to persons from dis- advantaged environments, some change in the philOSOphy of our schools is in order. The changed philosophy must be reflected in different approaches to curriculum.design, different attitudes, and under- standings by teachers and administrators, and different involvements and concern for the affairs of the local community. The disadvantaged peOple must be convinced that the school is sincere in its attempts to help them.he1p themselves. Education.must work to bring about positive changes in community life which can only be implemented by schools when school staffs compre- hend the unique prOblems of communities and those factors that have combined to produce those problems. The disadvantaged must be able to look successfully to education for help and for Opportunities to imp prove their socio-economic status. Schools must cease being one of the major influences that tend to produce and to perpetuate the detrimental conditions and the inferior status of the disadvantaged. CHAPTER III DESIGN Cross-sectional characteristics of the study group, the research instruments and other sources of data, and the research methods applied in this study are discussed in this Chapter. Sample This study has for its focus, the 31 School-Community Agents, who are assigned to the 27 member schools of the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project. A description of this Project is presented in Appendix A. Characteristics of Project Schools The following represent some of the significant characteristics of the 27 member schools of the GCSIP. 1. All 27 schools are located in disadvantaged areas of the City of Detroit. 2. All 27 schools are located in the inner city area of the City of Detroit. 3. All 27 schools have at least one School-Community Agent assigned to their staffs. 1+. There are 2 senior high schools, 3 junior high schools and 22 elementary schools in the GCSIP. 5. Collectively, the school pepulation of the 27 schools is racially integrated, but with the largest racial group being Negro. 38 39 Characteristics of School-Community Agents The following information represents some of the significant cross-sectional data gathered about School-Community Agents. Addi- tional cross-sectional data on Agents are found in Appendix C. 1. There are 10 white and 21 iegro School-Community Agents covered in this study. 2. There are 17 male and 14 female School-Community Agents covered in this study. 3. The School-Community Agents covered in this study range in age from 24 years to 52 years. 4. Twenty-three of the Agents are married. Six have not been married; one Agent is separated. and one Agent is divorced. 5. Twenty-eight of the Agents lived in Detroit prior to their assignments as Agents. Twenty-seven of the Agents now live in Detroit. 6. All of the Agents are college graduates. 7. Twelve of the Agents have received graduate degrees. 8. The Agents vary in their prior work experiences, training, and college majors. 9. The Agents have received their undergraduate degrees from 24 different universities or colleges. 10. Seventeen of the Agents have listed their graduate work in a subject area related to their present job. Research Instruments Three questionnaires were designed and utilized to obtain data pertaining to School-Community Agents and their roles in the GCSIP schools. Copies of these questionnaires are found in Appendix B. The purposes of these questionnaires are presented below: Q0 1. School-Community Agent Questionnaire: This questionnaire was given to all of the Agents covered in this study. The reSponses of the Agents to this questionnaire provided the basic data on the personal history, college preparation and employment history of Agents. 2. Agents' Perceptions of Role Questionnaire: This questionnaire was given to all of the Agents covered in this study. The reSponses to this questionnaire provided insights into the perceptions that Agents have of their duties and reSponsibil- ities. Agents were provided with Opportunities to make recom. mendations related to their roles as Agents and to comment on their relationships with principals, teachers, parents, pupils, agencies, and the community. 3. Principals' Perceptions of Agent's Role Questionnaire: This questionnaire was submitted to all of the principals in the 27 schools in the GCSIP. Questions and statements in this ques- tionnaire are related to the questions and statements found in the similar questionnaire presented to the Agents. Sources of Data Additional data have been collected from the following sources: 1. Descriptive and evaluative documents from the files of the GCSIP and the Detroit Board of fiducation. 2. Interviews with Agents and Staff personnel of the GCSIP. 3. Interviews with persons associated with the GCSIP on a pro- fessional basis. 4. Coordinating social agencies working with the GCSIP. 5. Survey of books and periodicals related to the problems of schools in disadvantaged areas. 6. Personal experience and observations based on six years of direct and in-direct involvement with the programs of the GCSIP. Research Methods Because of the fact that very little research data had been col- lected and only a minimum amount of descriptive data had been completed LA on the role of the School-Community Agent, a considerable amount of time had to be devoted to collecting, organizing, and examining the various documents in the files of the GCSIP office which have relevance to this study. A major task in this study has been locating documents that could provide insights into the evolutionary role of Agents in the GCSIP. Exist- ing documents pertaining to the role of the School-Community Agent have been investigated and their implications for the role of the Agent noted in this study. Interviews have been conducted with persons whose past and present relationships with the GCSIP have enabled them to provide insights per- tinent to the evolutionary history of Agents in the Detroit Public Schools. These interviews have served to bind together and fill in gaps presented by the limited data that was available. Interviews were conducted with the Director of the GCSIP and the Coordinator of Agents. Also interviewed were the immediate past Director of the GCSIP and the person who has served as a consultant to the GCSIP for work related to School-Community Agents. These interviews are recorded in the Appendices and have served as an invaluable source for information and understanding of the problems, plans, and procedures related to the past and present functions of Agents. The following is a listing of those persons that have been formally interviewed. Others have been interviewed on a less formal basis in order to gather additional insights: 1. School-Community Agents 2. Principals in the GCSIP 3. Dr. Louis D. Honacel, Director of the GCSIP 42 4. Dr. Carl L. harburger, Assistant Superintendent for Special Projects and former Director of the GCSIP 5. hiss petty Deshler, Coordinator of Agents 6. Dr. Eugene Litwak, School of Social Work, University of hdchigan 7. hr. Richard Simmons, Jr., Field Director, Detroit's Total Action Against Poverty Program 8. hr. harold R. Johnson, Assistant Director, Eeighborhood Ser- vice Organization Questionnaires were designed and submitted to Agents and Princi- pals in an effort to gain their perceptions of School-Community Agents in regard to: 1. Areas of Agent's effectiveness and ineffectiveness 2. Status of Agents in the school and community 3. decommendations for changes in the Agent's role 4. Line-staff relationships of Agents The documents that have been analyzed; the questionnaires that were designed, submitted, and analyzed, and the personal observations 1 ne presentation .I. and experiences of the researcher have all gone into t 0.? 1.1" C; 5 study and into the conclusions drawn and the recommendations made. CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDINGS Introduction With the opening of school in.September, 1959, the Detroit Board of Education, along with 13 other major cities in America, began its active participation in the Great Cities School Improvement Project (GCSIP).1 Three schools, one junior high school and two feeder elemenp tary schools, were the first Detroit schools to participate in Detroit's initiatory program.of compensatory education for pupils attending schools in.disadvantaged areas of the city. The establishment of the GCSIP in Detroit marked the entrance of’the SchoolaCommunity'Agent in.the Detroit Public Schools. In the seven year history of Agents in the GCSIP, Agents have been asked to perfOrm a variety of duties and re5ponsibilities as professional staff members of schools in the GCSIP. The following represent six gen- eral areas of reSponsibility assigned to School-Community Agents: 1. Assist school personnel, parents, children, community and comp munity agencies to provide experiences which will help to improve the total competencies of children and youth. 2. 'Work toward establishing fruitful understandings of relation- ships between school and community toward the end of mutual goals for the benefit of children. 1A description of the GCSIP can be found in Appendix A and addi- tional information on the establishment of the GCSIP in Detroit can'be found in Carl L. Marburger, "Considerations for Educational Planning," Education in ressed Areas (ed.) A. Harry Passow (NGW'Ybrk: Columbia vers yffiress, , pp. 298-321. “3 44 3. Establish working relationships with agencies in the commun- ity such as churches, social service agencies, etc. 'Work toward the restructuring of organizations that currently do not effectively meet the needs of children and youth. 4. ‘Work with the school staff through group meetings and con- ferences in an attempt to have staffs benefit from.your knowledge. This would include interpretation of the commun- ity and its needs, the economics of the community, the societal forces that play on the disadvantaged child, etc. 5. Duties will also involve contact with community councils, block clubs, adult education classes, recreational programs, after-school programs. and any agency existing in the local community. These duties presume great flexibility in terms of skills and needs of the school and community. 6. The school in which the School-Community Agent works will embrace the community-school concept. Thus, the School- Community Agent will assume duties of program director for some agpects of the after-school, evening classes and active ities. The assignment of School-Community Agents in select public schools in disadvantaged areas of Detroit, in an effort to bring the schodl and community together in harmony and coordination, has affected the educa- tional philosophy, school organization and services of these schools. Since its establishment in 1959, the role of the School-Community Agent has undergone many changes in its evolution. These changes are a reflection of the searching efforts of those concerned to determine the direction Agents should follow in their intermediary reles between the school and the community. This chapter has for its focus a descriptive analysis of the establishment and the involvement of School-Community Agents in the 2Extracted from "The School-Commnity Agent in the Detroit Public Schools," a document written by Miss Betty Deshler, Coordinator of School~Community Agents, on February, 1965. The complete document is found in Appendix J. 45 Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project. Special attention is given to the impact Agents have made on the educational philosophy, services, and organization in schools in disadvantaged areas. PART ONE ORIGIN AN) BACKGROUND DETAILS Philosophical Rationale The philosophical rationale for the establishment of School-Com- munity Agent's role in the GCSIP schools has been recorded in various documents of the DetroitrPublic Schools and in the writings and comments of those persons who have played a major role in the determination of the Agent's role. This philoSOphical rationale is directly related to the problems faced by the disadvantaged in their day to day lives and to the role that education can and should.p1ay in effecting improvements in those conditions that impede successful living. This philosoPhical rationale has its roots in an educational philosophy that has a commit- ment to the social force role of education. This social force role commitment of the GCSIP in its utilization of the services of the School-Community Agent is stated in the follows ing manner: In this Project the school considers its services essential as an agent to bring into a common focus all the impinging forces which can have a constructive and elevat- ing influence upon the lives of these people who are out of adjustment with the ongoing current of modern living-- economic, social. and ethical.3 3Detroit Board of Education, "Great Cities Program for School Improvement: A.PilotrProject in Three Schools in Areas Where Pupils Have Limited Background," (1959-1960), p. 2. #6 1+7 _ ._ _ __ — — _— _ --.--- School improvement and community improvement active ities in these areas must operate simultaneously and involve citizens, pupils, and teachers if teacher effec- tiveness is to be significant and lasting. Dr. Louis D. Mbnacel, the present Director of the GCSIP, reaffirms the dedication of the GCSIP to a social force role in its member schools. He states: It is time to re-examine the whole structure of ale- mentary and secondary school education that serves disadp vantaged children. As we re-examine this structure, we look at the many school organizational needs and the fabu- lous need to inter-act more carefully and profitable with the local school community. If’you examine this further, at least in the direc- tion of our’Project, we seem to think that we need somebody to intervene cn.behalf of the school for the community. ‘We came up with the concept of the School-Community Agent--a person who can relate to the community and to the school and involve the faculty in a grass roots action orientaged movement toward the true concept of a community school. Recruitment The first School-Community Agents--who were originally called School-Community Coordinators--were selected from the ranks of’Class- room teachers in the Detroit Public Schools. The three teachers selected for this new role were all fermer physical education instruc- tors. The recruitment and selection of these three persons was accom- plished in an informal manner. Few persons associated with the Detroit “Detroit Public Schools, "Increasing the Competence of‘CulturaIky Different Pupils by Improving Teaching and Community Services," February 39 1961. p. 20 5Extrsctcd from interview with Dr. Louis D. Monacel on March 23, 1966. Complete test of interview is found in Appendix D. #8 Public Schools were informed about the need fer three persons to fill a new and unique role in three select schools in disadvantaged areas of the city. As the Great Cities School Improvement Project in Detroit expanded from three schocls to seven schools in 1960, the need for additional Agents developed.6 This need for additional Agents and some significant changes in the conceptualization of the Agent's role necessitated a broader and more sophisticated recruitment procedure and policy. Announce- ments of openings fer the position.of’School-Community Agent with the related duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of that position were distributed throughout the Detroit School System and to local uni- versities and colleges, as well as to local social agencies and organi- zations. Funds were allocated for the payment of travel expenses of certain candidates to come to Detroit to be interviewed.7 This granting of funds to cover travel expenses of select candidates fer the position of a School~Community Agent, was the first instance that the Personnel Depart- ment had ever initiated such a policy at this level of employment. The need and search for qualified personnel to fill vacancies and to meet the personnel requirements for new positions, and the shortage of 6The Coordinator of Agents has stated; Applications for positions as Agents have tapered off in numbers. There is a need for a broader recruitment area and a more deliberate means of interviewing candidates. Much of the present recruitment is done by word of mouth. (See Appendix E). In an attempt to gain.qualified social workers to work as Agents, the Coordinator of Agents went to Chicago in.May, 1966 to recruit pro- fessional social workers at a social worker's convention. 7Dr. Carl L. I-Iarburger. former Director of the GCSIP, has stated: This was a significant change in personnel procedures for the Detroit system at this level of recruitment. (See Appendix F) 49 such.personne1 in the Detroit and surrounding areas, has produced the following recruitment needs: 1. Additional funds for recruitment of Agents 2. Nationwide recruitment of Agents 3. Advertisement for Agents in key journals and periodicals used by professional social workers h. Recruitment at major conventions of professional social workers Selection The selection.process and the criteria for the selection of Agents has changed through the years in an effort to keep pace with the various changes that have occurred in the rele expectations for Agents in the GCSIP. As the GCSIP re-examined and re-evaluated not only the personnel previously selected for Agents, but also their duties and reaponsibil- ities in their various schools and communities, new insights were gained in regard to specific qualities and characteristics to be sought in pro- spective candidates and in the criteria to be used in the selection of such persons. The first School-Community Agents--then called School-Community Coordinators-dwere selected by the Director of the GCSIP primarily on the basis of his personal knowledge of their skills, commitments and availability for the new positions. These first Agents were teachers who had previous professional experiences in the Detroit School System. Teachers continued to be recruited and selected for Agents until 1960. In 1960, a significant change in the conceptualization of the Agent's role was formulated. Dr. Marburger comments: 50 The conceptualization of the role of an Agent in a social work orientation began in effect with the entrance of Drs. Eugene Litwak and Henry Meyer into the picture as consultants gram the University of Michigan, School of Social‘work. This conceptual change, in not only the role of the Agent but also in the personnel being recruited and selected for the rele, is further clarified by Dr. Louis D. Monacelz I think that our approach, as to what is the best utilization of the School-Community Agent, has moved quite strongly over the past six years. In the beginning, we were looking mostly at the whole settlement house approach to inter-action.with the community. In the earlier days, as we sought to provide long range benefits for children in a.local school setting, we looked to Flint, Michigan and the kind of settlement house approach of the Elint programs. ‘wo were not particularly interested, at this time, in whether or not a teacher or social worker could best handle the re5ponsibilities of a School-Community Agent. As we became more sophisticated, we abandoned the notion that this was a role for a teacher. This is a rele for a different kind of professional person. Out of the social work field comes the most fruitful avenues for this kind of worker. 'we, at this time, are looking only toward the professional social worker with credentials in commun- ity organization, group work, and etc. to do our job. ‘we need this kind of personnel because we have moved several steps beyond the Flint concept.9 This shift from.the utilization of teachers as Agents to the utilization of non-certificated personnel, with academic backgrounds and work experiences more suited and related to the duties and reSpon- sibilities assigned to Agents, was the result of continual efforts by 8Extracted from an interview with Dr. Carl L. Marburger, former Director of the GCSIP, on March 22, 1966. Complete text of the inter- view is found in Appendix F. 9gp. £13., Appendix D. 51 the staff of the GCSIP to determine what the rdle of an Agent should be and what personnel are best suited for the established tasks. The employs ment of non-certificated.personnel to work in a.professional capacity on the staff of a.local school represented a major personnel innovation by the Detroit Board of Education. Screening and Selecting Applicants for employment as School-Community Agents have their applications screened by the Director of the GCSIP and the Coordinator ongents.1O This screening process is primarily designed to eliminate those applicants who do not meet the academic and/or work experience requirements. These applicants who are successful in passing the initial screening process are interviewed by the five-member Selection Committee. The Selection Committee consists of the following members: 1. Director of the GCSIP 2. Coordinator of Agents 3. One person from.the Personnel Department 4. One Principal selected from a GCSIP school 5. One School-Community Agent Each member of the Agent Selection.Committee has one vote and that vote is indicated in writing. The Agent Selection Committee members have three possible choices to make in voting on a candidate's qualifications: 10The Coordinator of Agents stated: An attempt is made to pre- interview applicants prior to their formal Selection Committee interview. This is done to explain to the applicants just what is expected from.them and to attempt to eliminate applicants who are not qualified or committed to the tasks to be performed. I have interviewed about fifty people this year'prior to their formal selection Committee interview. (See Appendix.E) 52 excellent, satisfactory and doubtful. Any candidate receiving two doubt- ful votes is automatically eliminated from further consideration. The Coordinator of Agents--a former Agent-comments on her experiences with an Agent Selection Committee: 'When I applied for a job as an Agent in 1959, I was interviewed by a committee which consisted of the Great Cities Project Director, several of the Assistant Superintendents, and one or two of the District Admin- istrators. It was clear that the fpmmittee did not know what type of question to ask. The Agent Selection Committee does not necessarily have for its predetermined.purpose, the selection of an equal number of candidates to match the available Openings, or the selection of candidates to place on a waiting list for future needs.12 The present Agent Selection Committee tends to concentrate on the Specific qualities found in the candidates being interviewed rather than rating the candidates on the basis of the number of openings for placement. Miss Deshler states: There is a stress on quality rather than quantity in the selection of Agents. 'we try not to be influenced in our selection of candidates solely by the number of positions available. There is not a list made up of’perb sons waiting to be placed as Agents. The Personnel Department has wanted us to select our total needs from the available candidates who are applying and have reached the interview stage. 11Extracted from an interview with Miss Betty Deshler, Coordina- tor of Agents, on.March 23, 1966. Complete text of interview is found in Appendix E. 12Commenting on the selection of‘personnel for Agents, Richard Simmons, Jr.. Field Director for Detroit's Total Action Against Poverty, stated: There are not enough skilled.persons available to fill the needs for'persons trained and experienced in community organization and develop- ment. (See Appendix H for additional comments.) 53 At present, this is not our policy, but as our needs increase, we may have to formulate a list of candidates waiting to be placed. The available number of qualified social workers is rather limited and this wili present problems in future recruitment and placement. 3 Criteria fOr Selection Through the years, the criteria applied to the selection of School- Community Agents have reflected the continuous efforts of the Staff of the GCSIP to determine appropriate role expectations for Agents. There has been a sustained movement to provide greater sophistication and a more definitive rationale for the criteria used for the selection of Agents and for the selection.process. This pursuit of definition has led.to the acceptance of certain factors in the academic and work experience back- ground of’proSpective Agents.1u The Director of the GCSIP and the Coorb dinator of Agents consider the following factors essential in the selec- tion of Agents: 1. An acadendc background in one or more of the following areas: sociology, anthropology, psychology and related fields. 2. work experience in community organization and/or group work. 3. Methods and techniques in the social work field. 4. Demonstrated ability to work independentby. 1392. gilt" See Appendix E. iuDr. Eugene Litwak of the University of Michigan, School of Social work-who has served as a consultant to the GCSIP-~comments on the academic background needed by an Agent. He states: It may or may not take a Master's Degree in.Social'Work to prepare social workers to perform the tasks of a School-Community Agent. It may or may not take a.person that has earned a college degree. 'What may be indicated is an extensive sixh month to one-year course in which individuals are schooled in dealing with the communit at the rass roots level. 'we are now e loring th train- ing procedurzs at thegUniversity of Michigan. (See Aggendix DY} 54 5. A commitment to goals of the GCSIP. 6. A Master of Social work Degree is viewed as highly desirable. The Director of the GCSIP offers the following insights into the qualities deemed important in the selection of candidates for placement as Agents. He states: I think that we have some guide lines that seem to be fairly effective in selecting Agents. As I describe what we want, we may seem arrogant, in that we are judgmental and that we know exactly who the right persons are for this type of role. If you use the base of university work in the direc- tion of social work, with a strong liberal arts background in anthropology, sociology, psych010gy, etc., as well. as methods and techniques in the social work field--particulary in group work and in community organization—this represents a good example of the academic and methods base we want in Agents. If a candidate, not only has the university training and some field ezqaerience and we feel from the interview that we have a person with vitality and commitment to the goals of the Project; then, this is the type of person we look for. If a person has all of the educational training and exhibits a rather conservative approach to the problems of the disadvantaged, we would tend to by pass this type of person. If you put Agents on a continuum of liberality versus conservatism, then what I am really saying is that along with all the academic training and field work there must come heavy dosages of a liberal view point. A liberal view- point in terms of value system about our society and about the needs of a disadvantaged community. This is about the way we look at cgdidates in terms of who will or will not become an Agent. Placement Once a candidate for the position of School-Commity Agent is recommended for employment by the Agent Selection Committee and employed 1522. $13!... see Dr. Monacel's intemew in Appe a. D. 55 by the Detroit Board of Education, the sole determiners of the Agent's placement in one of the schools in the GCSIP are the Director of the GCSIP and the Coordinator of Agents. These two persons have complete control over the placement of Agents.16 Critical areas considered in the placement of Agents are the following; the prior training and work experience of an Agent, and the personality and capabilities of an Agent. The unique needs of particup lar schoels and communities are also taken into consideration. The limited number of positions available for placement of Agents has tended to gear placement to schools in need of Agents. The Agents, who have most recently been employed, have not had a wide variety of schodls opened to them.for possible placement. On this subject, the Coordinator of Agents states: The available opening is the major factor in the place- ment of a newly assigned Agent. The Director and I wish that this was not the case. The determination for placement is very superficial. It has to be. wo try to place people where we are weak. 'wo are a lot stronger in.our knowledge of the principal and his style and the school setting, and even t neighborhood, but we are not always right about the Agent. Transfers Although.School-Community Agents can request transfers to other member schools of the GCSIP, no Agent has as yet requested transfer. The relatively small number of schools available for placement and the 16Tho Coordinator of Agents stated: The principal has nothing to say about the placement of an Agent in the school. He takes what he gets. That may be right or wrong. (See Appendix E.) 17Ibid., See Appendix E. 56 limited senority of most Agents has worked to reduce possible transfer requests. Efforts are made by the Staff of the GCSIP to re-adjust pre- viously assigned Agents to schools and communities that best complement their professional skills. "I do not believe in just plunking the per- son down. The Agent has some rights. We sometimes place Agents in one spot and wait for openings to develop in order to transfer Agents."18 Any School-Community Agent who receives an unsatisfactory rating from the principal of his assigned school during the Agent's three year probationary period, is automatically transferred to another school within the GCSIP. Four School-Community Agents have been transferred as a result of receiving unsatisfactory ratings from their principals. Orientation and In-Service Education The development of a sound program of orientation and in-service education for Agents has presented the Staff of the GCSIP with some critical problems. These problems are directly related to the follow- ing: (1) the uniqueness of the role of the Agent; (2) the uncertainty as to what the role of an Agent should be; (3) the number and frequency in which new Agents have been selected and placed; (1+) the varied edu- cational and work experience backgrounds of Agents; (5) the different approaches of Agents to their resPective positions. These factors pro- vide a guide to an understanding and an evaluation of past and present procedures for the orientation and in—service education of Agents. 181bid.. See Appendix E. 57 The first Agents received little or no formal orientation in order to prepare them for their duties and re5ponsibilities. This was true, in part, because of the high.level of'uncertainty that existed at the time as to what Agents should do or should not do in schools and commune ities in disadvantaged areas. The rele of the Agent acquired more defi- nition when.professional social workers began to replace teachers as Agents. This shift from teachers to social workers as Agents repre- sented a significant change in.the conceptualization.of the Agent's rele ‘which brought new demands for programs of inpservice education and orientation of Agents. Dr. Eugene Litwak and Henry Meyer, of the School of Social'work, University of Michigan, were brought in as consultants to assist the Staff of the GCSIP in the development of a program of inpservice educap tion for Agents and in the development of a conceptual framework for the role of the School-Community Agent. Together with the Staff of the GCSIP, the two consultants are holding periodic meetings with Agents. One of the products of these joint meetings has been the Schoel Commun- ity Agent's Maggal. This manual has been designed to provide Agents with a rationale in social work related to the schodls. The orientation of newly assigned Agents is generally handled by the Coordinator of Agents. The Director of the GCSIP and Dr. Litwak attend some orientation sessions. Newly assigned Agents are given an orientation period of one week prior to their placement in the GCSIP. It is during this initial orientation.period that Agents are presented with their first formal explanation of the role of the Agent. 58 Following the initial period of orientation, further orientation and in-service education sessions are conducted. All Agents are required to attend the monthly general meetings and to attend one of the three regional meetings scheduled for the Agents by geographical areas. The regional meetings are designed to provide the Agents and the Coordinator of Agents with opportunities to concentrate on more Specific local prob- lems. Tied in with the various monthly meetings are visits made by Agents to the office of the GCSIP and frequent contacts made by the Coordinator of Agents to Agents in the field. The Coordinator of Agents states: I think that Agents need more effective supervision. 'When.you have such a nebulous role and a new thing for a school system, you need regional or some kind of geographic field supervision. I hope to have this someday. .At pres- ent, I have the Agents divided by regions for meetings with me, but whft is really needed is one field supervisor for each group. 9 Richard Simmons, Jr., Field Director of Detroit Total Action Against Poverty, states the following: 1. There is a tremendous need to train and to re-train Agents in the practical methods of community organization. 2. The present in-service training of Agents tends to be too theo- retical. 3. Personnel can be trained to handle the skills of community organization. ‘What is needed is greater supervision and inp service education. #. The Great Cities Project 38aff needs to provide more definition to the role of the Agent. 19Ibid., See Appendix E. 20 . - a. n. Easimammetxgaat massages. i4:33;; Haggai mm Complete text is found in Appendix H. 59 Evaluation of Agents Upon their initial placement in the Detroit Public Schools, Agents are required to serve a three year probationary period. It is during this period that decisions must be made about the relative principals. Those Agents that receive satisfactory or excellent ratings during the probationary period are granted tenure with the Detroit Public Schools. Depending on their probationary stages and previous ratings, Agents on probation who do not receive acceptable ratings from their principals are transferred or dismissed. Unacceptable ratings from two different 2 principals during the probationary period are grounds for dismissal. 1 The Coordinator of Agents states: I use the semester reports that Agents turn in as a means of evaluating Agents and will soon begin an experi- mental plan in one school to measure the effectiveness of an Agent in the community. I, as the Coordinator of Agents, do not rate the Agents. Only the principal gives an evaluative rating on an Agent. The Project Director does not have a personnel action form.for the rating of Agents. The Project Direc- tor places his signature on the form that principals are given to rate Agents in order to indicate that he has read the rating. I do not have any authority and neither does the Project Director. ‘we operate like we have authority, but we do not. If there is a disagreement over a rating given by a principal for an Agent--this has not happened-~then the Director and I file a written statement to the Personnel Department. An unsatisfactory rating means movement on the part of the Agent to another school or dismissal. So, some action has to be taken by this office.22 21There is almost complete agreement among Agents and Principals that there is not a sound system.for evaluating the work of Agents. Bizaéags'stagnggasaamgtimesmgeffeasipfls and W“ ’°° AW- 220 . 533., See Appendix E. 60 Dismissal The Agent who receives an unsatisfactory rating while on.proba- tion is transferred. If during the second placement an unsatisfactory rating is again received, the Agent is dismissed. On this subject, the Coordinator of Agents states: There have been four Agents transferred on the basis of unsatisfactory ratings. Of these four, two have taken leaves of absences; one a transfer, and the other was dis- missed. Incompetency is the major reason for a person to be dismissed. One Agent was dismissed because of being incompetent. This Agent could not work independently and had a.lack of initiative in planning and following up what the Agent had to do. This Agent did not project these weaknesses at the time of the selection interview; Prior to being dismissed, the Agent was transferred to another school. At the second school, the Agent received an unsatisfactory rating.2 Salary Schedule The Salary Schedule for School-Community Agents is best illus— trated by comparing it with the Salary Schedule established for teachers in the Detroit Public Schools. The Salary Schedule for Agents and Teachers is found in Appendix L. The following facts are drawn from a comparison of the two Salary Schedules: 1. Pro-rated on a 10 month pay period, the starting salary for Teachers and Agents is the same at each of the salary cate- gories. 2. The Salary Schedule for Teachers at most categories has 11 increment steps. There are 12 increment steps for those Teachers possessing the Doctorate. The Salary Schedule for Agents had 9 increment steps at all categories. 2323. 21.3., See Appendix E. 61 3. Although Agents have always been employed on a 12 month pay period, their Salary Schedule has always been programmed for 10 months. (The 12 month Salary Schedule for Agents has been worked out in Appendix L.) 4. Agents receive an additional 10 percent increase in salary for each of the two months not listed in Salary Schedule figures released by the Detroit Public Schools. 5. ‘Teachers are granted up to 5 increment steps on the Salary Schedule for prior professional experience. Agents are granted up to # increment steps on the salary Schedule for prior’pro- fessional experience. As a part of their employment with the Detroit Public Schools, School-Community Agents receive all of the fringe benefits that Teachers receive. Being 12 month employees, Agents receive a paid vacation of approximately one month. This is true for all 12 month.professional employees of the Detroit Public Schools. The coordinator of Agents believes that the maximum salary offered to Agents compares quite favorably to what Agents could earn in other related fields of social work. A few of the Agents have had to take a reduction in salary in order to work for the Detroit.Public Schools. The Coordinator of Agents believes that Agents should be granted up to the seventh increment step on the Salary Schedule for’prior'professional experiences, and that this increase would place the school system in a much better bargaining position for skilled social workers. Funding The sources of funds which finance the various programs of the GCSIP are also the sources of funds for the salaries of Agents. At its inception, the GCSIP was financed solely from funds provided by the Detroit Board of Education. In 1960, with Ford Foundation help, the GCSIP was expanded to include seven schools. 'With the emergence of the 62 Economic Opportunity Act in 196#, the GCSIP was expanded to include twenty- seven schools. (Twenty of these schools were financed through the Office of Economic Opportunity funds, and seven were financed by Board of’Educa- tion funds.) Future funding and extension of the GCSIP will depend on Detroit's willingness and capability to finance the GCSIP. The Federal Government's role in financing compensatory education programs in the future will also have an effect on the possible continuation or expansion of the programs of the GCSIP. PART TWO RELATIONSHIPS IN THE SCHOOL Introduction The School-Community Agent's rule in a.particular school and com- munity is greatly determined by the general and Specific duties and reSponsibilities that are assigned to and/or assumed by the Agent. The duties and reSponsibilities handled by Agents vary from.school to school. These variations are the result of many factors which interact to deter- mine the Agent's functional role in a.particular assignment. Perhaps the most influential factor in determining the Agent's role in a school is the professional relationships that the Agent is able to develop and to maintain between himself and the various individuals and groups of professional educators that work in the school or with the school staff. Part Two of this chapter has for its focus the internal duties and responsibilities handled by School-Community Agents in the 27 schools of the GCSIP. Related to the Agent's duties and reSponsibilities in the schoel are the professional relationships that the Agent establishes with the principal, teachers and the Staff of the GCSIP. These relation- ships and their effect on the Agent's role in the school and community are explored in this section. 63 Agents and Principals Influence of Principals The local school principal has and exercises the most significant influence in the determination of what the Specific role of the Agent will be. "The Agent is directby reSponsible to the principal of the school."24 It is the principal, by and large, who establishes the pro- fessional climate in which the Agent must Operate. The degree of sup- port or lack of support given to the Agent by the principal not only influences the general acceptance of the Agent by the professional staff of the school as a valuable contributing colleague. On this subject, the Director of the GCSIP states: The principal is often the key to this development. If the principal by his own behavior--not only overt but the subleties in his behavior-clearly establishes the status of the Agent as a professional and as an extension of his staff, I think that this enables and enhances the chances for healthy relationships.25 Factors Affecting Relationships To promote the best utilization of the Agent's services, a certain degree of interdependence must be observed and demonstrated by Agents and principals. To function with the greatest degree of efficiency, Agents need the help and support of principals. To increase their knowledge and understandings of communities and to provide additional services for those communities, principals need the Specialized knowledge, skills, and services of competent Agents. Principals must be convinced anee Betty Deshler interview in Appendisz. 255ee Dr. Louis D. Monacel interview in Appendix D. 65 that Agents can interact in schools and communities in disadvantaged areas in such a manner that schools can derive direct and indirect benefits from such interactions. Agents must be convinced that prin- cipals see Agents as assets to the professional staffs of schodls in depressed areas and that principals demonstrate such beliefs in their relationships with Agents. Any factors which tend to impair the Agent-Principal relationship must be viewed as being detrimental to the effectiveness of the Agent in the school and community. The following represent some of the basic areas of Agent-Princi- pal relationship which require a satisfactory degree of mutual clari- fication and acceptance in order to provide the best possible climate for professional relationships between Agents and Principals: 1. Defining Agent's Role 2. Community Contacts 3. Programming Activities 4. Administrative and Supervisory Tasks 5. Agent-GCSIP Relationship 6. Contacts with Teachers 7. Agent Evaluation 8. Agent's Work Schedule School~Community Agents have their general duties and responsi- bilities in schools and communities Spelled out for them by the Staff of the GCSIP. The Specific duties and reSponsibilities assigned to Agents in schools and communities are often the result of a compromise or a conflict between the Agent's rele expectations deemed essential by the Staff of the GCSIP, the Principals in the GCSIP, and the 66 School-Community Agents. These three forces, either collectively or in some combination, determine what the Specific duties and responsibil- ities of Agents are in schools and communities in disadvantaged areas. The following are those factors which provide the major influences in the determination of the role that Agents play: 1. The assessments made by the Staff of the GCSIP and by the Principals of the role of the Agent. 2. The assessments made by the Staff of the GCSIP and by the Principals of the individual capabilities of the various Agents 0 3.~ The assessments made by the Staff of the GCSIP, by the Principals, by Teachers, and by Agents of the problems and needs of reSpective schools and communities. 4. The acceptance and commitment to the goals and objectives of the GCSIP demonstrated by'PrincipalS and Agents. 5. The degree to which Agents are accepted as professionals and as individuals by Principals, Teachers and the Community. 6. The degree of professionalism.established and maintained between Principals and the Staff of the GCSIP. 7. The personalities and professional skills and understandings of Agents. Administrative Tasks All of the Agents perform tasks in the schools that can be classi- fied in the realm.of administrative functions. These tasks are assigned and/or delegated to Agents by the Staff of the GCSIP and by the Princi- pals. Some of the administrative tasks performed by Agents tend to pro- duce varying degrees of discord between Agents and.Principals and/or serve as a base for something other than the development of the best possible professional relationships between Agents and Principals. 67 "Many principals still regard the Agent as a threatening force to their administrative functions and power in the community."26 Generally the major administrative tasks performed by Agents are directly related to the responsibilities that Agents have for the development of after- school programs for adults and youths. The Coordinator of Agents states: The Agent does manage the building at night and I think that this contributes to his being viewed as an administrator. The Agent is like a night school prin- cipal. The regular school principal is quite happy to delegate the reSponsibility and this is what produces this dichotomy. He delegates the reSponsibility to the Agent for the supervision of the building and yet he does not want to view the Agent as an administrator. As an administrator, the Agent presents a threat to the principal.2 Commenting further on the relationships of Agents and Principals in regard to administrative responsibilities of Agents, Dr. Monacel states: 'We have never looked upon the Agent as a bonafide administrator or a supervisor in any meaningful direc- tion. Certainly, as you extend the curriculum, as you extend the school day far into the late afternoon, as you keep a building opened in the evenings and on Saturdays when necessary, and as Agents handle reports, records and hire sub-professionals--this really smacks of quasi-administrative functions for Agents. ‘We have pre- sented the Agents with many quasi-administrative func- tions. We do not deny this. We do not admit it as being a major problem. It is only a problem when the anxious educational administrator wonders about the dissipation of his role as an administrator, as he delegates administrative reSponsibilities to the Agent. This sometimes represents a problem in some of our local school situat ons. But in effect, these are not long ranged problems. 26366 Dr. Carl L. Marburger interview in Appendix F. 2792. git" See Appendix E. 28op. cit., See Appendix D. 68 Dr. Monacel does not perceive of any significant educational prob- lems related to the delegating of administrative functions to Agents that pertain to the academic endeavors of the school. He states: As we develop an after-school program for children.- coordinated and really developed by the Agent--some prinp cipals have become concerned. They raise such.points as the fellowing: Hey, this is an educational endeavor! 'Why do we have Agents running it? 'We agree. If we can afford to have some school person coordinate and supervise an afteruschool program, we do. If we cannot afford to do so, we see no real harm in the Agent taking on this function- not really in the direction of supervision of an educa- tional program, but in a coordinating role. The conflict that develOps is really the conflict of: Do you delegate to a person in another profession, educational administrative authority? I think that this is a silly little argument. Traditionally, principals have gone home for the day and left building reSponsibil- ities to the schoel janitor-who is certainly not an administratorh-with no harm done. I think that this problem can be easily resolved.29 A'. p". Statements on AgentAPrincipal Relationship Based on an analysis of the professional relationships of Agents and Principals in the GCSIP schools, the following statements appear to have some validity: 1. There is a belief among Agents, which is shared by many of the Principals in the GCSIP, that Principals do not have a good understanding of the Agent's role. 2. Most Agents and many Principals perceive the Agent's role in the school and community as having a direct and indirect effect on the academic program of the school, but many'prinp cipals do not believe that Agents should implement educa- tional programs. 29220 £2.30, See Appendix D. 69 3. Most Agents and Principals believe that the Agent has a wide margin of freedom in carrying out the Agent's duties and reSponsibilities. Many principals however, see a need for greater supervision of the Agent. 4. Although most principals do not share a similar belief, most Agents believe that the Agent should not be directly reSponp sible to the Principal for the Agent's actions. 5. Although there are individual exceptions, some of the admin- istrative functions handled by Agents tend to hamper and/or create barriers between Agents and Principals. 6. Agents and.Principals tend to desire a reduction in the admin. istrative tasks performed by Agents. 7. In general, the AgentAPrincipal professional relationship has not been a mutually satisfactory one. The Agenthrincipal professional relationship in the schools of the GCSIP is generally not a mutually satisfactory one. Certain reSponses by Agents and Principals in their respective questionnaires revealed a varying degree of discord between Agents and.Principals. Statements made during the process of interviewing Agents and Principals, the Staff of the GCSIP, and by those other persons whose statements are found in the Appendices provided additional SVidence of conflict. The following state- ments are examples of some of the comments that were used to describe the Agenthrincipal relationship: The Agent's role needs more definition; Agents are performing too many tasks in the schools; Principals do not understand the Agent's role; Principals need to change their attitudes toward the disadvantaged; Agents have too much freedom.and need more supervision, and.Principals want Agents to Spend too much of their time in programming activities. Additional comments related to the Agent- Principal relationship can be found in Appendix M. 70 The following responses shown in Tables I-VI were obtained from questionnaires submitted to Agents and Principals: TABLEI RESPONSES TO: PRINCIPALS GENERAILY HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE FUNCTIONS OF AN AGENT Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agents 0 O 17 13 Principals 1 4 1O 3 TABLE II RESPONSES TO: THE WORK OF AN AGENT HAS A DIREIIT AND INDIRRT EFFEIIT ON THE ACADEI‘iIC PROGRAM OF THE SCEDOL Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agents 5 15 7 3 Principals 7 8 3 1 TABLE III RESPONSES TO: AGENTS SPDULD BECOME INVOLVED IN IMPLEMENTING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAI‘B IN THE SCEDOL Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agents 1 3 20 6 Principals 4 3 7 5 71 TABLE IV RESPONSES TO: AGENTS HAVE A WIDE MARGIN OF FREEIDM IN CARRYING OUT THEIR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Dis agree Agents 5 1 5 9 1 Principals 10 9 . 1 - 0 TABLE V RESPONSES TO: AGENTS SIDULD BE DIRI'ETLY RESPONSIM TO THE PRINCIPALS FOR THEIR ACTIONS Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agents 2 3 13 12 Principals 11 6 O 1 TABLE VI RESPONSES TO: PRINCIPALS ARE GENERALLY COOPERATIVE WITH AGENTS Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agents 0 11 12 5 Principals 2 12 u 1 72 Agents and Teachers Teacher Influence Second only in importance to the professional relationships which Agents are able to establish with Principals are the relationships which Agents are able to establish with Teachers. The maximum.use of the skills and understandings possessed by School-Community Agents dictates the necessity for Teachers and Agents alike to understand and to accept the rele that each can.play in the betterment of conditions for children and adults in depressed areas. "Agents cannot function in a purposeful manner in iselation from.positive contacts with Teachers. The Agent's ability to function in the school and community is enhanced greatly by the full understanding, c00peration and acceptance of the teaching staff." This implies not only an acceptance and an understanding of the Agent's role, but also an acceptance of the Agent as a.person. The nature of the AgentATeacher relationship in the GCSIP schools and the importance of the Agent-Teacher relationship is discussed by the Coordinator of Agents: The Agent pretty much has to make the contacts with teachers on his own. There are some cases where the teachers have come to the Agents. After the Agent has been established in the school for a while, the teachers generally come to understand a.little better his function. He will make contacts with teachers to bring about inter- nal change in the school. One way to do this is to help the teacher to really understand and internalize their understanding of the community and the kinds of problems that are playing on the child and how these forces effect ‘what he does or does not do in the school. The Agent has to build a way of communication with teachers. This is done by word of mouth, some written communications to teachers, and by frequenting the lunch- room.or other gathering places. The Agent injects himself 73 into the social patterns of the school in order to gain some degree of acceptance so that he can try to bring in his specialized information and service to the teaching- staff. Teachers generally look on the Agents as outsiders. I don't know how they equate Agents. In some particular instances, they equate him as a quasi-administrator because of the nature of his work and the things they bring to Agents to do. The Agent is often viewed as an easier source to bring problems by a teacher than the principalj These problems are generally not of a curricular matter. The Director of the GCSIP offers his views on the Agent-Teacher relationship: I think that it is difficult to answer how teachers see Agents. In effect, we do not have a 27 school Great Cities Project, but 27 different Great Cities Projects. The impact of the Agent's acceptance and status or lack of status in the schools of this Project will vary from school to school. Certainly, the Agent must establish solid report in relationships with faculty and must gain status and respect through inter-action with the faculty on a professional level; if he is to achieve part of his reSponsibilities-- interpreting the community to the school, developing better understandings of children based on a better knowledge of 'what makes the community what it is, determining the deprivation of the community, and ascertaining the real leaders of the communitya-the Agent must inter-act profes- sionally with the faculty. The Agent must have a healthy relationship with the members of the faculty.” The most thorough evaluation of the perceptions that Teachers have, in regard to the role of the School~Community Agent, was accomplished in June, 1964. The June, 1964 study was an evaluation of the effects of the total programs of the GCSIP after five years of operation in select schools and communities in disadvantaged areas. The GCSIP at the time 3°22. pit" (See Appendix E.) 3123. p_i_t_., (See Appendix D.) 74 of the June, 1964 study consisted of seven schools. Data which have a direct and indirect relationship to the services offered by Agents have been extracted for this study and placed in Appendix N. The following represent some conclusions drawn from the June, 1964 study which can be attributed to the efforts of School-Community.Agents as well as to the total programs of the GCSIP: 1. 2. 7; A significant number of teachers know more about the parents of their pupils than they did prior to the GCSIP. Mest teachers stated that greater numbers of’parents had been involved in the school program and that the schoel offered parents more opportunities to improve their competencies. Host teachers indicated that schools have exercised leader- ship in working with parents. Most teachers viewed Agents as full fledged members of the faculty and indicated that Agents have helped to involve more parents in the school program. Most teachers indicated that the work of Agents helped to improve the effectiveness of the school program through.paren- tal involvement. Most teachers indicated that the school is better accepted in the community as a result of some of the efforts othgents. Most teachers indicated that the school-parent organization had been strengthened because of the Agent's work. Since the June, 1964 study, the GCSIP has been increased from seven schools to twentybseven schools, therefore, a thorough analysis of the present perceptions that teachers have in regard to School-Commun- ity Agents has yet to be instituted. Some insight into the Agent- Teacher relationship can be gained from.statements made by Agents and Principals in their reSponses to their reSpective questionnaires. These responses can be found in Appendiij and, in part, in Tables VII-IX. 75 TABLE VII RESPONSES TO: AGENTS ARE GENERAILY ACCEPTED BY TEACHERS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SCI-IDOL STAFF Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agents 0 O 17 13 Principals 1 4 1O 3 TABLE VIII RESPONSES TO: TEACHERS GENERAILY HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE FUNCTION OF AN AGENT Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agents 0 2 18 10 Principals 1 3 10 4 TABLE IX RESPONSES TO: TDST TEACHERS WHO ARE CONCERNED AEDUT THE DISADVANTAGED WOULD MAKE GOOD SCHOOL- COMMUNITY AGENTS Strongly Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agents 2 4 1 6 7 Principals 3 3 1+ 10 76 Agents and the GCSIP Search for Definition The role of the School-Community Agent in select Detroit Public Schools is still in its embryonic stage. The relatively recent estab- lishment of the Agent's role and its unique function in disadvantaged area schools and communities has not been conducive to the develoPment of firm guidelines to govern line-staff relationships. The continual search for appmpriate and a more defensible conceptualization of the Agent's role has tended to frequently leave the ”door opened" for Agents and Principals to apply their own interpretations of what the line-staff relationships should be among Agents. Principals and the Staff of the GCSIP. The lack of clarity surrounding the Agent's role has served to facilitate some overlapping by Principals and the Staff of the GCSIP into the other's line-staff domain in their relationships with Agents. Dr. Carl L. Marburger comments on the vagueness associated with the line-staff relationships of Agents to Principals: The line-staff relationship of the Agent to the Project and to the Principal was rather hazy because of the Principals' expectations of the Agent's role in the school. Principals, in general, view the Agent as having to operate in a certain time and place schedule and with various means of checking the in and out movements of Agents. There was a conflict between the Agents' inter- pretations of their roles and the Principals' views of the Agents' roles. Some Principals were anxious about Agents being in the community with freedom to Operate as they saw fit.32 3293.. 933., (See Appendix F.) 77 In respect to the line-staff relationships of’Principals and the Staff of the GCSIP to the Agents, Principals have line or administrative contrdl over Agents and the GCSIP has staff or supervisory control over Agents. The Agent is viewed by the Staff of the GCSIP as an essential member of the professional staff of the local school. "The Project Staff views the Agents as an integral part of the total school staff and we want Agents to view themselves that way."33 The present Director of the GCSIP, a former administrator in a Project school, provides the position of the GCSIP on the line-staff relationships of Agents to Principals and Agents to the GCSIP: At this time the relationships of the Agents to the Project are rather curious. The relationships between this staff and the Agents and the schools are on.paper much the same as for any other professionals that work in the school system. The direct head or direct boss of the Agent is the administrative head, the school principal. The Agent has a staff relationship to the Director of the Project and to the Coordinator of Agents. In that this is a nebulous new role-new even though some aSpects of it have been going on for five or six.years-the tendency is for the Agents to relate more quickly and more carefully and with a greater degree of loyality to this Project and the Project Staff. The reports that Agents have to complete initiate from this office. The methodology and strategy by which Agents can.work successfully in a school or community initiates from this office. It is perfectly natural for Agents to look to the Project office; but Agents are well aware that their superior officer is that school principal. Once again, this is different from school to school in the Project. In many schools, there is an excellent, healthy ralationship between the school principal and the Agent and between the principal and this Project staff. In other schools, there is a conflict between the 3322. $3., (See Appendix F.) 78 intentions of this Project, as seen by the Project Direc- tor and his staff, and between what is actually going on in the Project schools?+ Therefore, it becomes a conflict in who works for whom. Agents and Programming Scope of'Programming The major single endeavor of most School-Community Agents is the administration and supervision of after-school program activities for adults and youths.35 Every Agent has some assigned duties and reSponp sibilities related to programming. Agents, when asked to estimate the amount of their time that is and that should be devoted to programming, estimated that 37 percent of their time is and 22 percent of their time should be devoted to programming. Individual estimates ranged from a low of 5 percent to a high of 80 percent of an Agent's time being devoted to programming. The individual estimates of Agents as to how much of their time should be devoted to programming ranged from a.low of zero to a high of 35 Percent. The administration and supervision of afterbschool and Summer activities for adults and youths in the community represents the Agent's major endeavor in the internal affairs of the school. It is in large measure through the direction of such activities that most Agents conduct 3493. 93.3., (See Appendix D.) 35Principals and agents were in general agreement regarding the amount of time Agents are devoting and should devote to programming. many Agents indicated that programming was their most successful endeavor. The Coordinator of Agents has expressed the concern that if the present trend continues Agents will become programmers rather than devoting the major percentage of their time to community organization and development activities. (See Appendix M for a complete breakdown of the reSponses of Agents and.Principals to matters related to programming.) 79 their most frequent contacts with teachers, adults, and youths. The perceptions that teachers and principals develop about Agents are shaped considerably by what they see and think of Agents as programmers. Programming Rationale The programming reSponsibilities attached to the Agent's role are related to a long established philOSOphy of the GCSIP that: The Agent is reSponsible for implementing the ideals of the community or neighborhood school, serving children, parents and interested neighbors alike. Agents utilize staff and layman as volunteer and paid after-school and evening instructors and leaders. The Agents work with staff in developing a comprehensive enrichment-remedial- recreational summer pregram. They coordinate the work of community agencies in the school, and develop.md renew in appropriate ways community leadership and interest in and use of the school. OOOIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.000...00...... The public school is the most logical facility in which the total community may participate in preparing its children for life. In.GCSIP schools reinforcement of pupil growth much like that found in a middle-income community is made possible through estensive-intensive use of everyone who can, will, or should be involved in school pregrams--parents, volunteer and paid staff, public and private agencies, college and university students 8nd professors, business concerns, and interested.laymen. The after-school activities for adults and youths in disadvantaged communities are viewed by the Staff of the GCSIP as a necessary step in the process of bridging the gap between schools and communities in dis- advantaged areas.37 This gap between school and community is thought to 36The Great Cities School Improvement Project, "Improving the Com. petence of Children with.Limited Backgrounds," (Detroit: Karch 15, 1962). pp- 6-7- 37For select comments by Agents on their programming activities and some statistical reports on teacher, student, and adult involvement in programs, see Appendix P and Appendix 0 respectively. 80 be reduced by involving members of the community in informal and formal activities Sponsored by the school. Activities which are designed to have educational and recreational purposes. The following statements present an internal view of the activities offered by schools in the GCSIP for those persons in disadvantaged communities. ‘With some overtones of the 'settlement house,' the schools have served well as a social and intellectual 'hub' for the adult community. The schools have served adults in many ways. They have offered short-term courses, enrichment experiences, and offered themselves as club and activities centers. School-orientated parents and many so-called 'hard- to-reach' parents have been reached through the device of keeping the school open and provgging some form of profes- sional staff and lay leadership. Clubs and classes have been taught by teachers and by lay persons from the local community and from the total met- ropolitan area. In addition, many youths from the community have been used as baby sitters, teacher's aides and assistants for afternoon and evening classes and clubs. Each school has had to organize after-school and evening activities in terms of its own community and the needs of that community. Some schoels have emphasized enrichment programs for youth in the afternoon. Others have emphasized adult programs in the evening. ‘We have reached not only typically"PTA' parents but also many of the so-called hard-to-reach parents. All of these activities--5pecial personnel and afterbschool proggams --contribute to the functioning of the community school. Programming Concerns The amount of time that Agents devote to the supervision and adminp istration of after-school activities for adults and youths is an area of 38Detroit Public Schools, "Materials and Proposals Related to City of Detroit Total Action Against Poverty Program," (Exhibit 4, Section a-1, AuguSt, 1964). p. 30 39Charles Mitchell, Staff“Writer GCSIP, ”Program Summary: The Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project," (1964), p. 10. 81 concern to the Staff of the GCSIP. The Coordinator of Agents states: I think that building management and.program devel- opment take a disproportionate amount of the Agent's time. I think that the Agent should initially be the one to help establish programs but he should gradually phase himself out of the supervision and administration of the after- school programs, but always stay related to the planning aspects. Right new programming is taking a large percen- tage of the Agent's time. O0.000COOOOOCOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0.00......OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO If the present trend continues in the schools, the Agents will become program directors. Records submitted by Agents indicate this trend. It is alarming to me. In some cases nearly 85 percent of the Agent's time is devoted to programming aspects: administration, supervi- sion, publicity, and development. It is a grave danger. It becomes confortable for an Agent to devote his time to programming. YOu are busy but you do not need CONh munity organization person to do the programming. 'Work Schedule Freedom and Flexibility In general, School-Community Agents are permitted a.large degree of freedom and flexibility in the establishment of their work schedules.”1 The many necessary contacts and commitments that Agents must secure in V the community do not judiciously allow Agents to enact and to maintain work schedules that are consistent and uniform. The operational freedom implied by the Agent's duties and reSponsibilities necessitates that the Agent have ". . . a demonstrated ability to work independently."u2 4022, cit., (See Appendix.E for interview statements by the Coorb dinator of Agents.) ”inset Agents and.Principals indicated that Agents have a wide margin of freedom in carrying out their functions. Agents indicated that this was one of the better features of their jobs. Principals indicated a desire for more supervision being attached to the Agent's role. (See Appendix M for reSponses.) 42This is one criterion that the Coordinator of Agents seeks in candidates applying for positions as Agents. (See Appendix E.) 82 Because of the many late evening commitments and reSponsibilities Agents have in the after-school programs of their schools and in their communities, most Agents attempt to begin their official work day around the noon hour. Their expectations for completing their work day some- where between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. are not often real- ized. morning meetings with such persons as teachers, principals, adults, students, agency personnel, and the Staff of the GCSIP are often scheduled to discuss or to negotiate various problems or situations. Added to these morning commitments are the meetings held on Saturday or Sunday which also serve to lengthen the work schedules of Agents. These factors all combine to reduce the possibilities of Agents' being able to establish a.uniform work schedule by which to regulate their operational activities in the school and in the community. PART THREE COKMUNITY AND AGENT RELATIONSHIP Community and Agengy Contacts Agent's Primary Function The Agent's direct contacts with the disadvantaged community and with agencies and organizations that can provide services fer such a community are viewed by the GCSIP Staff and others as comprising the most important and potentially the most beneficial elements in the Agent's role in the GCSIP. The following statements attest to the sig- nificance that is attached to the Agent's community and agency contacts: If I had my way in regards to changes and we are now in the process of seeking changes, I would suggest the following: Agents be allowed to function as community organizers. Agents should be freed to carry out and deveIOp the kinds of relationshfigs needed in the com- munity to reinforce the school. _ “_— _‘_ —- --—————— — — — — ———— — — —— ~ I would like to see the primary function of the Agent become that of a community organizer who directs his actions on the problems that face the community in their attempts to develop a better socio-economic status. This means that Agents must be allowed to tackle all factors in the environment which tend to impede the progress of the community in bettering its living standards. If this means the school Kguld have to come under attack and scrutiny, so be it. “322. 233., (See Appendix E.) 44 pp. pit” (See Appendix F.) 83 84 _ _4‘ An.‘ — ~— —— — — — — — — — — —- —-— —— —————— I would advocate clarifying and strengthening the conceptualization as a means of guaranteeing that Agents act as communitg communicators, organizers, interpreters, analysts, etc.“ __ __ _. _ ‘— —_—— .— _ —— —--v —— —— ———— His primary functions are develOpment of'lay leader- ship, organization and coordination of community groups and councils, active cooperative involvement 8g public and private agencies within the school area . . . — —_ _‘ —— __ _ _ __ _ _._ — —— ——— w—— — -— ~— — — ——— — —— —— ww— '— The success of a communityaschool venture in a cul- turally disadvantaged area depends in.large measure on 2:; concentzitiontfif’puZiifiignd piivite :ggnfiy resources personn on e co y'sc oo ne . Approaches to Tasks At the communityaschool level, Agents are assigned the tasks of lending their professional skills and knowledge to the development of community organization.and.lay leadership in areas that arejprimarihy noted for their'lack of such organization and.leadership. Associated with this immense responsibility, Agents are asked to coordinate and to initiate services for disadvantaged communities by the various pub- lic and private organizations and agencies who can and/or do provide services needed by these communities. The skills utilized and the Operational rationale developed by Agents to accomplish these tasks ”persisted from statements submitted by Harold R. Johnson, Assistant Director of Neighborhood Service Organization. (See Appenp dix I for complete text.) 46Detroit Public Schools, "Increasing the Competence of Cul- turally Different Pupils by Improving Teaching and.Community Services," Project Preposal submitted to the Ford Foundation, (February 3, 1961), p. 10. ”Charles Mitchell, Staff Writer GCSIP, "Program Summary: The Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project," (1964), p. 9. 85 will in a large measure determine the nature of the impact that Agents will have on the various communities and social service agencies and organizations. The rele Of schools and the services offered by schools in dis- advantaged areas are viewed, in general, with a certain amount Of ignorance and apprehension by the disadvantaged. Many schools in disadvantaged areas Operate with a considerable amount of misapprehension and a number Of misconceptions about the dis- advantaged adults and youths that they serve. It is in.such a climate that the School-Community Agent attempts to Operate in such a manner that both the schoel and the community can benefit from his services. The community organization and the coordination Of the agency service functions Of the Agent requires that the Agent be cognizant Of such factors as the fellowing: 1. The attitudes and Opinions develOped by the members of the professional staff Of the school in regard to the problems and needs of the community and possible solutions to such problems and needs. 2. An awareness and.understanding Of the school's program and its relationship to the problems and needs Of the community. 3. The attitudes and Opinions deveIOped by the community in regard to the professional staff Of the school and the total school program. 4. An accurate identification and assessment of the existing and potential roles of various social service organizations and agencies for the needs and problems Of the community. 5. An accurate identification and assessment of the existing and potential rOles of various social service organizations and agencies for the needs and problems Of the community. 6. An accurate identification and assessment Of the community's perceptions of its problems and needs and possible solutions to such problems and needs. 86 7. An accurate identification and assessment Of the existing leadership in the community and of the potentialities for leadership development. Relating to this need of Agents to acquire a thorough knowledge and understanding Of their respective communities, the Coordinator of Agents states: The Agent should know the community thoroughly. I am not speaking about a superficial demographic study which anyone can do. I am talking about knowing the feel- ings and problems of the community. An elementary school area is really ideal for this purpose. Because of its relatively small area, the Agent should be able to even- tually know most of the families in the school community. In getting to know the members Of his community, the Agent is sometimes making the first contacts with persons in the community by a member Of the school staff. Community Contacts Describing the Agent's community contacts and the Agent's profes- sional relationship to the school and to the community in such contacts, the Director of the GCSIP states: If the Agent has to build organization in a commun- ity, to build solidarity, to build block clubs, to work with organizations and to develop a sort of unity in the community toward these goals; then, this the Agent must do. If alleys need more servicing, if garbage collection is bad, and if we have to Offer leadership through the Agent, we will. Hopefully, lay leadership will eventually take over this leadership role. Any good Agent abandons a leadership role as quickly as indigeneous leadership can be identified and nurtured. But Often, as these organizations are built and the com. munity becomes articulate of its own destiny; sometimes the school is looked to as the handiest and first institu- tion to attack. The community begins to ask questions about 489p. cit., (See Appendix E.) tacts 87 curriculum, about teaching and about learning situations. This sometimes puts us educators in a frightening posi- tion. What we have learned is that this type Of articula- tion is healthy, and in the long run, has excellent bene- fits for public education. But to teach a local school principal that an attack on his school is healthy, is a different matter. From where the principal stands, it does not seem healthy and he becomes quite fearful. I think that this is normal and not unusual. I think that our school administrators are competent people who have much to learn about involvement with the real community. Involvement with the grass roots-hard core people is something we still have to learn about.1+9 The Coordinator of Agents comments on the Agent's parental con- in the community: Agents do perform some Of the specific task work like providing clothing and shoes or getting a parent to the infirmary. I do not view this as a major function of their role. If it is a major part of their role, than they are negating their role. Their contacts with par- ents, first of all, have tO be on a positive basis. It cannot be on a disciplinary basis. It has to be couched in a positive sense. They may make a few home calls in reSponse to referrals made by teachers and the principal. These calls should be used as a means to other things. The Agents devise their own means to initiate home calls. Another kind of contact with parents is through the community organizations that exist, like block clubs and community councils. Agents do assist in organizing block clubs. 'Ne believe that if the reSponsibility, then the parent will encourage the child to do better in school. Teachers don't seem tO understand this approach to the academic role Of the school. I think that this is our own fault. It is a nebulous notion and we do not sell %8 enough. I think that it is the principal's fault also. #922, git,, (See Appendix D.) 5922, cit., (See Appendix E.) 88 The Director of the GCSIP is of the belief that School-Community Agents have a positive image in disadvantaged communities and that the Agent's role has the potential for being the most effective social work orientated role in such comrmmities.51 He states: Being opinionated, the most effective social worker in existence in Detroit's inner city today is the School- Community Agent. I am not referring to those Agents who are incompetent and inadequate-~we probably have a few. I am referring to those Agents who are competent. The competent Agent is the most effective action person in disadvantaged communities. Agents serve in a positive fashion in a community. ‘We teach them not to identify themselves as social workers to the community. 'We want to avoid rejection patterns that so many disadvantaged persons have toward social workers in terms of their experiences with other agencies. Agents have a positive image in the community. They are excellent referral agents for other services across the agency service system in the city. Agents offer many avenues to local community people, both in the direction of the school and its activities and in the direction of whatever needs are indicated. many Agents have been key persons in referring and getting services for health, dental, housing, and other broad kinds of needs our families have. I think that Agents have made a positive impact on the community. They are well accepted across the city in the agency structure of leading social work people. All in all, I think that Agents are a very healthy group cf people in an inner-city community. 51Dr. Honacel's regard for the image and effectiveness of Agents in disadvantaged communities is not shared in total by two representa- tives from two leading social service agencies which serve the commun- ities effected by the GCSIP. This point will be discussed along with the tepic of the Agent's relationship to social service agencies and organization. 5292. 223., (See Appendix D.) . . v . . . . Aw - . t . N v s, l a I.i ” l I. v . I s D ‘ I . I . I I. II I . . . I c . . . t ,. . . .0, . s . n V C i o . v I . . us. .‘ .. . . ., s. n I n v | I .u u. , y . . .. - i . .0 . . . .1 I y . ~ ., y e t I . o. . 89 Agent-Agency Contacts The quality of the professional relationship that Agents are able to establish with the various public and private social service agencies is most important to their attempt to provide and to coordinate such services by these agencies for the members of disadvantaged communities that Agents serve. The Agent-Agency contacts provides Agents with Opportunities to interact professionally with their peers. The collec- tive impressions formulated in such interactions do have an affect on the effectiveness of all parties to meet the needs of the disadvantaged. An investigation of the School-Community Agent's relationship with two of the most important social service agencies in the city of Detroit, provided the following insights into the Agent-Agency relationship as viewed by select agencies:53 1. While some Agents have established good working relation- ships, most Agents have done very little to relate profes- sionally to these agencies. 2. Kbst Agents devote more of their time and energy to pro- gramming activities for adults and youths in the school than in community organization and development activities. 3. Each agency felt that its personnel were more effective in disadvantaged communities than Agents. a. There is an extreme shortage of social workers trained in the skills of community organization and development and most of the personnel who are Agents are representative of this critical shortage. 53hr. Harold R. Johnson of Neighborhood Service Organization and Er. Richard Simmons, Jr. of Detroit's Total Action Against Poverty Program were interviewed. Both men indicated that there are Agents who are extremely competent and are excellent community organizers, but were basing their Opinions on viewing Agents as a group. A.lack of definition in the Agent's role and the over involvement with programming activities were presented as the principal reasons for their less-than- positive views of Agents. 9O 5. Agents need more supervision and in-service education to better prepare them for community organization reSponsibil- ities o 6. The role of the Agent needs to be redefined in order to place more stress on community organization and development. The Coordinator of Agents clearly establishes the primary reSponp sibilities that Agents have for coordinating social services rather than providing such services for the members of the community. She states: The school and the Agent should not perform any ser- vice that can be performed by an existing agency. If we see a need for a Specific service and there is an agency designed for that service, we would first make the contact and ask the agency to come into the community and.provide the service. If this does not happenp-some agencies have vested interests--and the service is urgently needed, we would provigfi the service ourselves but only on a tempo- rary basis. The reSponsibilities that Agents have in the communities are con- sidered to be their most important; these reSponsibilities are also the most difficult facing the Agents. Agents and.Principals alike indicated that community contacts were the most difficult part of the Agent's duties. Many Agents also indicated that their community contacts gave them the least amount of satisfaction in their jobs.55 These opinions expressed by Agents and Principals, when combined with views of selected social service agencies, indicated that Agents are faced with some major problems in their attempts to quell these forces in disadvanp taged communities that work to reduce the chances for successful living. saga. £1.20, (See Appendix E.) 55See Appendix M.for a complete breakdown of the reSponses of Agents and Principals to their respective questionnaires. PART FOUR CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE AGENT'S ROLE The Search It is generally recognized and accepted by those who have been closely associated with the establishment and the develOpment of the role of the School-Community Agent in the GCSIP that the role was created in response to a critical need in disadvantaged areas. Schools serving disadvantaged areas are faced a critical need to identify and to respond more deeply and more resourcefully with the problems and needs of such communities. Cognizant of the fact that something had to be done in disadvantaged areas but not being certain as to the what or the how schools could provide additional and revised services, the role of the Agent was established and is viewed as a step in the right direction. After more than a year of experimenting with the use of teachers as Agents in a "settlement house" approach to reaching the total com- munity, the approach and the role of personnel were modified. Teachers, for the most part, were phased out of their positions as Agents and replaced by persons with academic and work experience backgrounds related to social work occupations. The use of social-work-orientated and trained personnel as Agents was designed to implement best the realization of the GCSIP that the school must move beyond the "settle- ment house" approach and go actively into the community to provide 91 92 assistance in community organization and deve10pment. The present Direc- tor of the GCSIP regards the community organization and community devel- opment functions as being the most important functions of the Agent.56 The search for a realistic and defensible conceptual base from which to deve10p a definitive rationale fer the Agent's role in the GCSIP continues. The goal of this search is to obtain the right blend of educational and social work perSpectives in the Agent's role. A blend which will accept the best of each discipline and, at the same time, permit the Agent to operate in a professionally acceptable manner in the school and community. There is general agreement that the Agent's role in the school and community is not clearly defined.57 There is some disagreement as to why the Agent's role is ill defined and as to when steps should be taken to structure specifically the Agent's role. Some individuals con- sider the lack of definition in the Agent's role as being a major source of many of the problems encountered by Agents. Others, while agreeing with this view, also see the lack of definition in the Agent's role as being a major factor in the increasing amount of time that Agents are devoting to programming activities. There is also the view that the lack of definition associated with the Agent's role does create problems, Fl 56Statements made by the Director of the GCSIP and the Coordinator of'Agents indicated that community organization and deve10pment were the npst important tasks Agents could perform. 57All of the persons interviewed for this study agreed that the .Agent's role was ill defined. Check Appendices for various interview statements. 93 but the Agent's role must be allowed to develop and to grow free from restrictive specifications in order to permit the true nature of the Agent's role to emerge. Agent's Major Functions 'While the GCSIP Staff continues its probe for a realistic and significant rationale with which to establish the Agent's role, Agents continue to function in schools and communities in disadvantaged areas. Often what duties and responsibilities Agents are permitted to carry out, represent the combined views of what Agents and others consider to be the most important functions of an Agent. A study of the various functions of Agents highlights the following as being the major ones: 1. Resource Person 2. Administrator and Supervisor 3. Service Person ’4. Liaison Person 5. Community Organizer and Developer The Agent's function as a resource person is based primarily on the belief that the Agent has specialized knowledge and expertise to com- bine with his mobility in the school and the community which can be beneficial to the school staff. The Coordinator of Agents states: The Agent must act as a resource person to the school staff. He should provide the teachers with something to see in regards to his efforts. The Agent can bringsgesource persons into the school to enhance a.unit of study. The administrative and supervisory functions which are delegated to and/or assumed by Agents are in large measure directly ralated to their 58Betty Deshler Interview, (See Appendix E.) 94 duties and responsibilities for the programming of after-school activ- ities for all members of the community. These administrative and superb visory tasks tend to increase proportionately as the Agent's duties and responsibilities, related to programming activities, are increased.59 The fbllowing are representative of the administrative and supervisory functions handled by Agents: 1. Finding, selecting and dismissing sub-professionals and lay personnel for staff positions in after-school activities. 2. Complete or partial reSponsibility for the organization and supervision of after-school activities. 3. Processing personnel records and forms for all personnel in staff or instructional positions in the afterbschool activ- ities o 4. Processing forms related to social service needs of members of the community. 5. Compiling statistical reports related to community use of school, agency involvement and field trips. 6. Nmnaging the school plant during the after-school activities. 7. Submitting salary classification reports-~a detailed account of all salaries paid out to personnel involved in after- school activities--to GCSIP. The work loads of'public and.private agencies that provide ser- vices for the social, mental, and physical problems and needs of the dis- advantaged are extremely heavy. School-Community Agents are often called upon to assist the disadvantaged in obtaining the specialized services of the various agencies. ‘When such services are delayed or non-existent, 59The fact that Agents are devoting more and more of their time to activities related to after-school programming is a matter of concern to the Staff of the GCSIP. 95 Agents are frequently obligated to provide such services on a temporary basis. The following are examples of the types of social services that Agents provide for the members of disadvantaged communities: 1. Arranging for and carrying persons to medical, dental, psy- chological, and welfare centers. 2. Obtaining clothing, food, and shelter for needy families. 3. Assisting adults with.personal and family problems. 4. Providing baby sitting and child care services. 5. Assisting adults with.problems related to language or reading difficulties. The Agent's liaison function in the community is closely related to his function as a resource person to the school staff. This liaison function requires that the Agent develop the skills, understandings, and techniques necessary to be able to communicate in a positive fashion with both the school staff and the members of the community. To communicate successfully with both parties, it is important that the Agent be perb ceived by each group as a readily accessible, knowledgeable, and underb standing intermediary. The school staff and members of the community are expected to look to the Agent as a constantly available channel in which to transmit their reSpective inquiries and grievances when other channels appear to them to be nonpreceptive or inappropriate. In such situations, Agents are expected to exercise their highest professional skills in reducing problems and promoting better mutual c00peration and understand- ing between school and community. The establishment of the GCSIP in Detroit was based on some major assumptions about the power of education and the role of the school in 96 disadvantaged areas. One of these assumptions is that the school must work as an integrated part of its educational efforts to improve commun- itylife.6O It was primarily to implement properly such an assumption that social-work-orientated personnel were used as Agents to replace teachers who are generally not equipped with the expertise to promote community organization and development. Dr. Monacel states: "We are in the business of developing attitudinal change on the part of the comb munity."61 The School-Community Agent is assigned a major role in.pro- moting the involvement of the school in the life of the community in order that more positive attitudes toward the school can'be developed by all members of the community. The fellowing are some of the tasks handled by Agents as they perform their duties and responsibilities associated with community development and organization: 1. Developing lay-leadership 2. Werking with and developing Block Clubs and Community Councils 3. Developing and promoting channels of communication in the comp munity h. Coordinating and promoting the efforts of community leaders 5. Coordinating and initiating agency services to members of the community Role Definition The belief held by those persons interviewed in this study is that the School-Community Agent's role is not clearly defined in terms of 60566 the Director of the GCSIP comments on this subject in Appenp dix D. 61113101. 97 Specific duties and responsibilities expected of an Agent in the school 62 and community. This belief is supported by the following statement by the Director of the GCSIP: "we have given the Agent too many roles. Too many hats to wear."63 Commenting on why the Agent's role is not more clearly defined, Dr. Monacel states: If we believe in the autonomous school determining the needs and curriculum, then we cannot have a packaged School-Community Agent. The Agent has to remain flexp ible: if indeed, each individual school is to be unique. I do not think that we should in the next few years or so highly define the Agent's role. I think that we should in the future. ‘We need help. we need help from.sxperts --university'pe0ple, leaders in social work and all kinds of expertise, as well as our own internal school knowl- edge of this role in the inner city. I think that we have some hunches, but I would not want to write them down at this time. 'We are not at the stage and deliberately so, where we can provide a definite statement of the Agent's role. The job specifications for the Agent's role are very nebulous. This is done deliberately. we are not ready at this time to list the functions of an Agent. I think that listing the functions of an Agent might lead to some tragic mistakes and isolate the potential of the role. ‘We do not yet know what the emphases should be. Until we do, we will keep the role in a nebulous situa- tion. This makes igudifficult for the school and diffi- cult for the Agent. 62Agents and.Principals were in general agreement that the func- tions of an Agent are not clearly Spelled out by the GCSIP. (See data in Appendix M.) The various statements by those interviewed in this study also indicated a lack of definition in the Agent's role. 6393. 933., (See Appendix D.) 64Lbid., The Coordinator of Agents concurs with Dr. Monacel's desire to keep the Agent's role nebulous. She states: "We can be more Specific about the Agent's role in the school and community, but I would rather not be Specific except in the case of individual schools and communities." (See Appendix E.) 98 Dr. Litwak comments on some of the effects which he thinks are the result of not having specified criteria by which to measure the Agent's role and he offers some suggestions: Like most teachers who teach in disadvantaged area schools, Agents are middle-class persons who, for the most part, have to work with persons of a lower social elass having differences in orientations. This differ- ential in orientation and status presents the Agents with problems in the development of intimate contacts with disadvantaged persons at the grass roots level unless the job Specifically legitimates such contacts as part of the Agent's professional duties. The criteria for job expectations for the Agent's role are poorly defined in terms of meeting with parents in their homes and outside of the school. Given this lack of job definition and the real status differences, Agents, in general, do not feel inclined to go out into the com. munity and work with the people. This situation is generally true in most social work positions in which the duties and responsibilities are not clearly defined and understood.- such as meeting the clgent in his home and in a relatively informal sociable way. 5 Since the establishment of the rele of the School-Community Agent in the Detroit school system via the GCSIP, Harold R. Johnson has been directLy and indirectly associated with and concerned about the concep- tual deve10pment of the Agent's role. Mr. Johnson offers his views on the conceptualization of the Agent's role and some thoughts on the use of Agents. He states: Basically, the conceptualization of the role of the School-Community Agent is adequate to allow a person to perform the important and relevant tasks. However, because Agents frequently get pushed into unimportant and irrele- vant roles, and because many Agents seek irrelevant and more comfortable roles, I would advocate clarifying and strengthening the conceptualization as a means of guaran- teeing that Agents act as community communicators, 6522- SEE-o (366 Appendix G.) 99 organizers, interpreters, analysts, etc. In other words, a highly motivated and well directed person can presently perform these tasks--however, other persons lacking such motivation and direction can easily rationalize other styles of service. ‘What I am advocating is reconceptual- izing the role as a means of limiting the number of Options Open to persons and thus guaranteeing the notion of School-Community linkage services. I would not advocate the general deployment of Agents. Some principals perform this role faultlessly. Other principals are good 'inside' men and need help with the community. Further, there are some areas where the role can be more effectively played by someone other than a school administrator. I believe the Agent can be a useful person to assist the schools to upgrade their ser- vices and to assist communities to improve their environ_ mental circumstances. Agents should be used on a selec- tive basis, depending on 386 competence of other personnel and community conditions. Dr. Marburger states: "There are not, at the present, any hard statistics to prove that the Agent has been successful in impeding the factors of a disadvantaged environment. . ."67 The judgments, related to the effectiveness and the impact Agents have had in disadvantaged area schools and communities, by and large, are those based on the perh sonal professional assessments made by individuals who are directly involved with and affected by the activities of Agents. The most definitive study related to the effectiveness and impact of Agents (June, 1964) did not involve most of the present Agents and schools in the GCSIP. 66Extracted from statements submitted by Harold R. Johnson, Assis- tant Director of Neighborhood Service Organization, on the role of the School-Community Agent. Complete text of Mr. Johnson's statements can be found in Appendix I. 67See Statements by Dr. Carl L. Marburger in Appendix F. 100 An analysis of the statements made by those persons interviewed in connection with this study in regard to the effectiveness and impact of Agents indicates that Agents must be assessed individually as well as collectively. It was also indicated that the Agent's role must be evaluated: not only in looking at its present status, but also as to the future potentialities of the Agent's role. The following are some evaluative questions which require investigation in any eval- uative study of the Agent's role: 1. 6. In what areas have Agents been effective and/or ineffective in their total reSponsibilities and duties in disadvantaged area schools and communities? What are the significant differences in approaches used by Agents to their duties and responsibilities? ‘Nhat factors have worked to increase or to decrease the effectiveness of Agents? 'What are the possible potentialities for services to disad- vantaged area schools and communities in the use of social work personnel in the role of Agents? 'What forms ijpre-preparation and in-service education are needed to develop personnel that can work effectively as School-Commnity Agents? ‘What existing pattern or patterns appear to be developing in the Agent's role? Dr. Mbnacel has expressed the Opinion that the competent Agent is the most effective social worker in disadvantaged communities, and that Agents are well accepted in the social service agency structure. He has also stated that it is difficult to assess the perceptions that 101 teachers have of Agents.68 Data collected for this study related to the Agent-Principal relationship indicated that Agents and.Principals have generally not established a mutually satisfactory professional relationship and understanding. A survey Of the opinions related to the effectiveness and impact of Agents in disadvantaged area schools and communities tends to support the conclusion that Agents are not as effective and as accepted as some would believe and not as ineffective and.unacceptable as others would believe. Some contrasting points of view can be observed in the following statements in regard to how Agents are perceived: I think that Detroit will continue to support finan- cially the Agent's role with or without the help of fed- eral funds. At present, eight of the schools with Agents are supported by local funds. This is a recognized role. Recognized favorably in the school system. The Agent's role has the strong support of the superintendent. This is a nationally recognized role in many of the major and smaller cities of the nation, as they begin to develop programs for disadvantaged children and adults. These cities often come to us to gain information and direction in terms of what the Agents are doing. How do we get Agents? How have they proved themselves? Agents are recognized as an integral part of the school system and by the professional schools 0% social work. I think the Agent's role is here to stay. 9 68Dr. KOnacel'S perceptions of the Agent's acceptance in social service agency structure are not completely shared by representatives of two important social service agencies in Detroit. The position taken by these two representatives is that, as a group, Agents are Spending too much time in programming to be effective social workers. Statements in Appendix H and Appendix.I provide some re-inforcement to conversations held with these representatives of social service agencies. Also, the Coordinator of Agents has expressed some concern about the reception Agents have received in the school system. 6922,‘g;§., (Complete text of Dr. hbnacel's statements can be found in Appendix D.) 102 -C~---..-------.-"------------~-------.-- _ _=—-‘ “_ _‘ : — The Agent has not been accepted by the school system as an integral part of its staff and services. The super- intendent is highly supportive but not all of the assis- tant superintendents seem to clearly understand what the function of the Agent in the school should be. The Field Executives have not fully accepted the Agents. At the local school level, teachers and principals do not accept Agents as fall status staff members.70 Dr. Litwak believes that it is difficult and too premature to evaluate the effectiveness of Agents. He states: It is too premature to judge the Agent's role as to whether or not it has been a success or failure. School- Community Agents are functioning in the schools and com- munities. Agents are not functioning as well as they might or Should be but they are functioning. Our studies indicate that Schools in the Great Cities School Improvement Project in Detroit have more contacts with parents and the community than similar schools that are not in the GCSIP. ‘What is needed for the Agent's role is the establishp ment of certain criteria for success which will require and enable Agents to work with peOple outside the building as well as inside in an informal knowledgeable way. The establishment of such criteria would permit Agents, Princi- pals, and the GCSIP Staff to measure the relative effective- ness of each Agent and Agents in general.7 Agent Preparation The Staff of the GCSIP stresses a need for specialized academic and practical experience background to prepare adequately persons to perform the duties and reSponsibilities of a School-Community Agent. At present, the Master of Social WOrk Degree is considered the best 7022, git,, (Complete text of Miss Deshler's statements can be found in Appendix E.) 7193. git... (See Appendix G.) 103 Single base from which to find candidates with the skills, techniques, knowledge, and philosophical rationale needed to become Specialists in community organization and development. Harold R. Johnson discusses this subject and others as he provides the following views on Agent preparation and utilization: At the present time there is not one academic Special- ization that will prepare a person for the role of an Agent. Social work is getting closer and therefore I suppose this is the degree we should look for. However, more importantly, persons employed as Agents should have training and experi- ence in community analysis, they Should embrace a philosophy of 'reaching out' to people, they should understand the cul- ture of the poor, they Should be familiar with citizen organizational strategies, they should have the capacity to form.quick and positive relationships, etc. much of the Agent's armament is an 'art form!--it cannot be readily defined and measured. In my opinion to bureaucratize the selection process of such personnel almost guarantees the mediocrity of the program. There needs to be a more free ‘wheeling approach to peggonnel selection with a deemphasis of academic credential. There is a recognized shortage of persons who are equipped with the qualities that the Staff of the GCSIP considers to be highly desire able in those candidates accepted for positions as Agents. This shortaged of skilled social workers, who are Specialists in community organization and develOpment, has focused attention on the needs of in-service train- ing and pre-service training for Agents and future Agents. Dr. Litwak states: The traditional approach in the training of social workers may not be satisfactory for the duties and responsibilities of a School-Community Agent. Specialized training may be the answer. 7222. 5339., (see Appendix I.) 10# It may or may not take a Master of Social Work degree to prepare social workers to perform the tasks of a School- Community Agent. It may or may not take a person that has earned a college degree. 'What may be indicated is an extensive sixemonth to one-year course in which individuals are schooled in dealing with the community at the grass roots level. ‘We are now exploring with training procedures at the University of Michigan. The specific kind of training needed by future School- Community Agents will depend on the job definition that is finally established for an Agent's role. The Agent's role has to be detailed in terms of Specific criteria that per- mits evaluations of outside community work. As of now, the goals are to reach the outside community but the criteria of evaluation have only to do with the programs on the inside of the school building, e.g. numbers of people who come in. 7322.- QE-o (See Appendix G.) CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS Summary While serving to provide a means of unprecedented affluence for the majority Of Americans, the scientific and technological transfor- mations in our society have tended to serve as major instruments in the exclusion of millions of’less fortunate Americans from full or par- tial participation in and enjoyment of this affluence. Related to these tranSfOrmations in our society, is the mass upheaval and in- migration of millions of Americans from their former predominantly rural settings to the large urban communities of the major cities of America. It is in such urban communities that these recent and non- too-recent inpmigrants find themselves socially, politically. and economically isOlated and Often alienated from the mainstream of American life in racial and social enelaves. Not possessing the skills, backgrounds, and Opportunities in sufficient quantities and combina- tions to participate readily and totally in the more rewarding socio- economic structures of the nation, these unfortunates are Often referred to and viewed by such terms as "the other America," "the invisible poor," "pockets of poverty," "the culturally deprived," and "the disadvantaged." The scientific and technological transformations in our society have not only placed increased importance on the pursuit and the 105 106 attainment of a high degree of formal education, they have also placed a tremendous responsibility and burden on education in America. As the importance of formal education increases, the school's role as a determiner of socio-economic status increases prOportionately. Schools are becoming the major instruments not only for training people, but also in selecting and placing them for positions in our society. Our society must and has to look to the schools as a major means by which the poor can acquire the skills and understandings needed to become socially and econom— ically mobile in order to overcome the disadvantages of social origin and condition. In Detroit, the Great Cities School Improvement Project, through its various programs in schools in disadvantaged areas, is attempting to bridge the gap that has long existed between the schools and communities in disadvantaged areas. Of the educational assumptions which have contributed to the establishment of the GCSIP, two assumptions have the most relevance to this study. One of these assumptions is that schools must become involved directly in the improvement of community life in order to meet properly and ade- quately the educational needs and problems of communities. The other assumption is that what happens in the community is related directly to and has a direct effect on what occurs in the school and vice versa. The establishment of the role of the School- Community Agent with duties and responsibilities for community 107 organization and develOpment represents, at least, one practical application of the philosophical rationale implied in these two assump- tions. Historically, the role Of the School-Community Agent has been in a state of metamorphosis and uncertainty. Today, the typical School-Community Agent is generally a person with an academic and work experience background in some phase of social work. This Agent is assigned to one of the member schools of the GCSIP by the Staff of the GCSIP and, upon placement, is expected to perform a variety of duties and responsibilities in the school and community. The Specific nature of these tasks are dependent upon many factors, but generally are the result of an interpretation or interpretations by key individ- uals as to what constitutes or does not constitute the best utiliza- tion of the Agent's skills, knowledge and service to the specific problems and needs of the school and community. ‘What the individual School-Community Agent can do and cannot do to handle those forces which impede the goals of the school is greatly influenced by the per- ceptions that principals and teachers have of the potentialities of the Agent's role. Conclusions The conclusions presented in this chapter are those that are in keeping with the purposes and scope of this study and that are'based on the valid information which could be Obtained and investigated. Some areas were revealed during the course of this study which will necessi- tate additional or initial research to explorsfbesttheir relationships 108 with and possibilities for the role of the School-Community Agent. Therefore, the conclusions presented in this chapter are those that have relevance to the purposes and scope Of this study and those for which.valid information was available and investigated. The following are factors which supported the establishment of the role of the School-Community Agent: 1. 2. 3. 5. A need to re-examine the whole structure and the role of elementary and secondary education in disadvantaged areas. A need for schools to interact more carefully and more profitably with members of disadvantaged communities. A need for schools to engage in grass roots community organ- ization and development activities in disadvantaged areas. A need fer specific personnel to intervene on behalf of schools in order to interpret the Schools to the disadvan- taged and to interpret disadvantaged communities and perb sons to the schools. A need to identify and to develop layaleadership and to increase community participation in.programs of schools in disadvantaged communities. The philOSOphical, financial, and administrative support Of the Detroit Public Schools and the Superintendent of Schools. The philOSOphical and financial support Of the Ford Founda- tion. The conceptualizations of the Community-School Director's role in the Flint Community Schools and the School-Community Coordinator's role in the New York City Public Schoels. The following conclusions are based on an analysis of the recruit- ment, selection, placement, orientation, in-service education, evaluation, and dismissal of School-Community Agents: 1. 2. 3. 7. 109 The shortage of available personnel with academic and work experience backgrounds in community organization and devel- Opment has reduced the opportunities of the GCSIP to employ such personnel as Agents. The GCSIP is attempting to expand its area of recruitment and to develOp techniques and materials that can reach and attract the best available social work personnel in the nation. The following are considered the essential factors in the selection of candidates for positions as School-Community Agents: A. An academic background in sociology, anthropology, psya chology, or related fields. B. Work experience in community organization and develop- ment. C. Methods and techniques in the social work field. D. Demonstrated ability to work independently. E. Commitment to the goals of the GCSIP. F. Master of Social WOrk degree (highly desirable). Although the present emphasis of the Agent Selection Commit- tee is On quality rather than quantity in the selection of candidates, this emphasis may change if an increased demand for Agents cannot be matched by an availability of quality personnel. Four of the five members of the Agent Selection Committee are directly involved with and related to the work of School- Community Agents in the GCSIP. Although the available opening is the major factor in the placement of a newly assigned Agent, the GCSIP does make an effort to match the Agent's capabilities with the unique problems and needs of a school and community. While the Staff of the GCSIP can and often does confer with principals on the placement Of Agents, the GCSIP has the sole responsibility for the determination of the placement of Agents. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 130 110 The Staff of the GCSIP solicits the aid and the expertise of colleges, universities, social work agencies, and the internal aid and expertise of the Detroit Public Schools in the development of the conceptualization of the Agent's role and in the orientation and inpservice education of Agents 0 The criteria by which Agents are evaluated is not well defined and the procedures for the evaluation of the merits and effectiveness of Agents reflect this lack of Specific Criteria. Although Agents receive their methodology and strategy for Operating in Schools and communities from the Staff of the GCSIP, principals are assigned by the Personnel Department the tasks of completing the sole official rating form on the merits and effectiveness of Agents. In general, principals have sought the advice and counsel of the Director of the GCSIP and the Coordinator of Agents in their attempts to assess the merits and effectiveness of Agents. School~Community Agents are required to complete the same three year period of probationary status required of teachers and are granted tenure upon satisfactory comple- tion of the probationary period. The inability of an Agent to work independently in the school and community is considered by the GCSIP to be the major reason for an Agent receiving an unsatisfactory rat- ing or being dismissed. The following represent the major duties and responsibilities of School-Community Agents in schools and communities served by the GCSIP: 1. 2. Resource Persons: Agents use their Specialized skills, knowledge, and mobility to help School staffs and adminis- trators to utilize the services of community resource per- sons and places, and to provide information about and to promote understanding of the problems and needs of schools and communities. Serygge Eersgns: Agents initiate, coordinate, and, at times, provide agency services for the social, mental, and physical needs and problems of the disadvantaged. 3. 111 ngison.Persons: Agents attempt to serve as channels of come munication and information between schools and communities in order to provide both.parties with a means of keeping abreast of school-community conditions, developments, and problems and to provide both parties with a means to transmit their respective inquiries and grievances when other channels appear to them to be nonpreceptive or inappropriate. Administrators and Supervisors: Agents have complete or par- tial reSponsibilities for the administration and supervision of after-school activities and programs for adults and youths. Community Organizers and Developers: Agents are directed to participate in and to initiate activities and organizations that seek to identify, to develop, and to coordinate lays leadership and the improvement of life and conditions in.dis- advantaged communities. The following represent the significant modifications in school organization, administration, and philosophy that have resulted from the utilization of School-Community Agents in the schools of the GCSIP: 1. 2. Schools in the GCSIP remain Open beyond the traditional school day for community use and to provide facilities and services for members and groups in the various communities. In many schools, the after-school activities and other involve- ments of the community in the school are regarded as an integral part of the educational efforts of schools. The administrative reSponsibilities and duties of principals have been extended to include the activities related to the after-school programs and the direct invelvements of the schools in community affairs and problems. many members of the professional staffs of schools in the GCSIP have extended their hours and places of contacts with students and adults beyond that of the traditional school day and beyond that of the school plant. host schools in the GCSIP have encouraged and increased their community participation in the problems and programs of schools and have attempted to increase their understanding and aware- ness of the problems and needs of the communities they serve. 6. 7. 112 many'layapersonnel, sub-professionals, and other professionals have been encouraged and invited by schools to participate directly and indirectly in the planning and Operation of pro- grams and activities of the schools. In many schools, administrators and teachers have diSplayed a greater regard for democratic procedures for planning, Oper- ating, and evaluating the programs and practices in the schools. The fbllowing represent the most Significant areas in which.School- Community Agents, as a group, attempt to impede and to eliminate those forces which hamper or cut off Opportunities for successful living in disadvantaged areas: 1. 2. Agents initiate, coordinate, and provide services needed by all members of disadvantaged communities in the areas of social, mental, and medical needs. Agents organize and supervise after-school activities and programs aimed at upgrading and improving the Skills, Self; images and self-concepts of adults and youths in.disadvanp taged communities. Agents keep school personnel and public and private agency personnel alerted to and informed of community conditions, developments, and problems. Agents identify, stimulate, and develop layaleadership and work to increase community participation in and understand- ing of the problems and needs of the schools and communities. Agents assist those concerned with the development of and approaches to improved interbgroup relations. Agents work with parents and other members of communities to develop interest and participation in the educational programs for and achievements of youths and adults. The following conclusions are based on an analysis of the effec- tiveness and impact of School-Community Agents in schoels and commun- ities in disadvantaged areas and of the professional relationships established by School-Community Agent with educators and select social work agencies: 2. 7. 9. 10. 113 There is general agreement among those interviewed and sur- veyed for this study that the School-Community Agent's role is not clearly defined in terms of the Specific duties and responsibilities of an Agent in a school and community. There is general agreement that the lack of definition asso- ciated with the School-Community Agent's role creates prob- lems for Agents and for those that work with Agents. The specific duties and responsibilities carried out by Agents in schools and communities are Often the result of a compromise and/or conflict between the expectations for the Agent's role deemed essential by the Staff of the GCSIP, the Principals, and the Agents. There has only been partial understanding, acceptance, and support of the School-Community Agent's role in the various echelons of the Detroit Public Schools. The Agent-Principal professional relationship has not been a mutually satisfactory one. In respect to line-staff relationships, Agents have a staff relationship to the Staff of the GCSIP and have a line rela» tionship to Principals, but Agents tend to relate to the Staff Of the GCSIP in both line and staff relationships. The representatives of two major social work agencies in Detroit believe that, as a group, Agents have not estab- lished a good professional relationship with their reSpec- tive agencies. The Director of the GCSIP and the Coordinator of Agents believe that the role of the School-Community Agent is not at the stage in its development where Specific duties and reSponsibilities can be established for all Agents and if such were done, this might lead to some tragic mistakes and might lessen the potentialities of the Agent's role. The Director of the GCSIP, the Coordinator of Agents, and significant others agree that the major functions of Agents Should be in the areas of community organization and develop- ment activities, but the present trend in the Agent's role indicates that Agents are devoting most of their time to programming activities. The Agent-Teacher relationship is second only to the Agent- Principal relationship as a factor in the determination of the Agent's ability or inability to function successfully in the school and community. 114 11. In the absence of prior research designed to measure the effec- tiveness and the impact of School-Community Agents in the schools and communities served by the GCSIP, the information obtained during the course of this study indicates the follows ing: A. Agents devote most of their time and have been most effec- tive in programming after-school activities fOr adults and y'OUthS o B. The programming activities of Agents are viewed as a major factor that contributes to the ineffectiveness of Agents as community organizers and developers. C. There is some question as to whether or not Agents, as a group, have the expertise to execute prOperly their duties and reSponsibilitieS as community organizers and develOpers. D. There is a belief that Agents need more supervision and inpservice training in order to direct their activities to and to improve their activities in community organiza- tion and development. E. Agents are handicapped by not having definitive criteria by which to direct and to measure their duties and reSpon- sibilities in schools and communities. F. The conflict between Agents and.Principals tends to reduce the effectiveness of Agents in their work in schools and communities. G. The full potentialities of the School-Community Agent's role have not been realized. ’,x H. School-Community Agents have not been accorded.full pro- Jq fessional status and acceptance in the Detroit Public ‘ " Schools system. I. The Director of the GCSIP believes that Agents have made ' a positive impact in disadvantaged areas and are well accepted across the social service agency structure in mtrOito J. The Director of the GCSIP believes that the competent School-Community Agents is the most effective social worker in existence in disadvantaged areas in Detroit. 115 K. The Coordinator of Agents believes that Agents are treated like "outsiders" by teachers and that Agents have not been accepted as an integral part of the staff and services of the Detroit Public Schools. L. Dr. Eugene Litwak, a consultant to the GCSIP, believes that it is too premature to judge the Agent's role and that, although the Agents are not functioning as well as they might or could be, they are functioning. M. Mr. Richard Simmons, Jr., Field Director of Detroit's Total Action Against Poverty Program, believes that many Agents do not know their communities and do not concentrate on activities at the grass roots level in communities. M. Mr. Harold R. Johnson, Assistant Director of the Neigh- borhood Service Organization, believes that Agents fre- quently get puShed into unimportant and irrelevant roles and that many Agents Seek irrelevant and comfortable roles. Recommedations An analysis Of the philosophical rationale, the activities, and the relationships associated with the role of School-Community Agents in the schools and communities served by the GCSIP has revealed a vari- ety of problems, needs, conflicts, failures, and successes. The recommendations which fellow are presented in the hope that they can, in some measure, point the way to the establishment of practices, pro- cedures, and rationale which will enable School-Community Agents to improve and to increase their effectiveness in schools and communities in disadvantaged areas. These recommendations are also presented in an effort to provide guidelines which will enable School-Community Agents to gain greater professional understanding and acceptance of their duties, responsibilities, problems, and needs from.professional educators and from their peers in professional social work. 1. 2. 7. 9. 116 The School-Community Agent's role should be truly profes- sionalized in terms of specific duties and reSponsibil- ities in the Schools and communities and in terms of specific criteria by which to measure the effectiveness and the impact of an Agent or Agents. The major duties and responsibilities of School~Community Agents should be predominantly in the area of community development and organization activities. The administrative tasks performed by School~Community Agents Should be only those that are related directly to their duties and reSponsibilities for community develOp- ment and organization. Professional social workers, who are highly Skilled and knowledgeable in techniques and rationale for community development and organization activities, should continue to be preferred and sought fOr positions as School- Community Agents. The Detroit Public Schools Should jointly with a School or Schools of Social WOrk develop a program of academic and practical field experiences to prepare and to produce competent School social workers. School-Community Agents Should be provided a more exten- sive and intensive program of orientation and in-service training to prepare them with an understanding and con_ ceptualization of the nature and the role of’public edu- cation and public schools. WOrkShOpS and other practical experiences Should be . established and/or increased to assist teachers and admin- istrators in the development of an understanding and acceptance of the Agent's role in an attempt to promote awareness of the mutual benefits each can derive from the services and knowledge of the other. The Detroit Public Schools Should allocate sufficient funds to finance an extensive and an intensive recruitment pro- gram for candidates for positions as School-Community Agents on a nationwide basis and to explore new techniques and materials to support a sophisticated nationwide recruitment program. School-Community Agents should receive a salary equivalent to that of teachers with equal academic attainment and with an appropriate increase in salary for the additional two months of employment. 117 10. An appropriate member of the Staff of the GCSIP should jointly with the appropriate principal evaluate the merits and effectiveness of an Agent during the probationary period. 11. The professional relationships of School-Community Agents to the various social service agencies should be investi- gated and evaluated jointly in an effort to develop closer and more profitable relationships between Agents and Agencies. 12. Research related to the effectiveness and the impact of School-Community Agents Should be continued or initiated in order to provide realistic assessments of the efforts of Agents and to provide guidelines fer future concep- tualizations of the Agent's role. 13. ‘A professional educator, preferrably with the rank of assistant principal, should be appointed by the Detroit Public Schools to administer and supervise all phases of the after-school classes and activities for adults and youths with the Agent serving in an advisory capacity for such functions. Educational Implications The consistent failures of schools to develop educational pro- grams which are related realistically to the problems and needs of the disadvantaged have literally forced our schools to analyze their short- comings and to explore new and different rationales, methods, and materials to meet the challenges presented by the economical, sociolog- ical, and psychological limitations of life and learning in.disadvan- taged areas. The disadvantaged have represented a mirror by which concerned Americans could view the reflective strengths and weaknesses of American education. Mbny Of the present programs of compensatory educations-programs which have been established to counteract the tide Of increasingly large segments of Americans being mis-understood, miseused, and mis-directed 118 by schools in disadvantaged areas-~have revealed their Shallowness and failures to comprehend the depth and importance of the educational problems and needs of the disadvantaged. Such.programs, hopefully, will pass or have passed from.the educational scene to their inglorious burials. A few programs of compensatory education in the nation will demonstrate and be recognized for their unique merits and.potential- ities for the education of the disadvantaged. Such meritorious pro- grams can quite possibly bear innovations or modifications in educa- tional organization and thinking which could revelutionize and re-shape the role and goals of American education. Schools in disadvantaged areas, not only should involve them- selves directly in efforts to improve community life, they are com. pelled to do so. The problems presented in the education Of the disadvantaged cannOt be met realistically or successfully in an atmos- phere of iselation and alienation. ‘What occurs in the environments of children from disadvantaged areas will affect their capabilities and motivations for learning. Any educational program initiated by the school which attempts to appraise realistically and to alleviate Sig- nificantly the problems and needs of the disadvantaged must focus on a joint school-community approach to the problems and needs or the school and community. The Great Cities School Improvement Project in Detroit has in the role of School-Community Agents a role that has great potential and Significance for the problems of the disadvantaged-- social, economical, political, psychological, and educational. 119 The role of School-Community Agents in.Detroit is suffering from growing and exploratory pains, but as Dr. Monacel has stated, the potential for a significant contribution to education in Detroit and in America is there. This potentiality has been indicated in the work of the more competent of the SchoolpCOmmunity.AgentS. It remains to be seen just how successful the GCSIP Staff will be in guiding the Agent's role towards and to its greatest service and educational poten- tial for schools and communities in disadvantaged areas. The realiza- tion of the high potential inherent in the Agent's role will depend on the critical selection of skilled and dedicated professional social workers, a clear definition of the.Agent's role which will demand full participation in community develOpment and organization activities, and an acceptance, understanding and support of the Agent's role by pro- fessional educators and social workers. In Detroit and in other communities with similar personnel and Similar problems, school social workers must be freed from restrictive duties and responsibilities which reduce or destroy their effectiveness and need to participate directly and forcibly in community develOpment and organization activities. 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"Factors Affecting Educational Attainment in Depressed Urban Areas," Education ip Depressed Areas. (ed.) A. Harry Passow, New York: Columbia University Press, 1963. Gomberg, William and Shostak, Arthur B. N93 PerSpectives pp Poverty. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1965. Gordon, Milton M. Assimilation :13 American Life. Garden City: Doubleday Anchor Book, 1957. Grambs, Jean D. "The Self-Concept: Basis for Re-education of Negro Yogth," Negro SelfAConcept. New York: MbGraw-Hill Book Company, 19 5. Guthrie, James W. and.Kelly, James A. "Compensatory Educationp-Some Answers for a Skeptic," Phi Delta Kappan. XLVII (October, 1965). Harringtgn, Michael. Ipp'Other America. New York: Mackillian.Compamy, 19 2. Haubrich, Vernon P. "The Culturally Different: New Context Teacher Education," Journal p§,Teacher Education. Vol. 1a, No. 2. (June, 1963 . 123 Havighurst, Robert J. "Social Class Influences on American Education," Sixiety Yearbook. Washington: National Society for the Study of Education, 1961. Hershey, John. "Education: An Antidote to Poverty," Journal pfuppg American Associationlpg’University‘Women. Vol. 58, No. 4. (May, 1965 . Hobart, Charles W. "Underachievement Among Minority Group Students," Phylon. Vol. 24, No. 2. (1963). Jencks, Christopher. "Slums and Schools," The pr;Republic. (September, 1962). Johns, Vera P. "The Intellectual Development of Slum.Children," American Journal p£_Orth0psychiat§y. Vol. 33 (1963). Johnson, Harold R. "Statements on the Role of the School-Community Agent," (May 26, 1966). Journal p§.Negro Education. Vol. 31, (Spring, 1965). Kahl, Joseph A. The American Class Structure. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1965. Keller, Suzanne. "The Social Werld of the Urban Slum Child," paper pre- sented at the American Orthopsychiatric Association, march, 1962. Keyserling,.Leon H. "Key Questions on the Poverty'Problem,".Poverty‘ip Plenty. (ed.) George Ho me, So J. New York: P. J. Kennedy and Sons, 1964. Kvaraceus, William. Negro Self-Concept: Ipplications fpp.3chool and Citizenship. New York: McGrawaHill Book Company, 19 5. Landes, Ruth. Culture in American Education. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1965. Lewis, Oscar. Five Families. New York: Basic Books, 1959. Lieberson, Stanley. Ethnic Patterns ip’American Cities. New York: The Free Press of Glencoe, 1963. Litwak, Eugene. "Statements on the Role of the School-Community Agent," June 15, 1966. and Meyer, Henry J. SchoolaCommunity Agents Manual. Detroit: The Detroit School System Great Cities Project, 1964. 124 I-iarburger, Carl L. "Interview Statements on the Role of the School- Community Agent," March 22, 1966. May, Edgar. The Wasted Americans. New York: Harper and Row, 1964. McCandless, B. "Environment and American Intelligence," Journal 93 Mental Deficiency. Vol. 56. (1952). Mitchell, Charles. "Program Summary: The Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project," 1964. . "Improving the Competence of Children with Limited Backgrounds," Detroit: Harch 15, 1962. . "The Culturally Deprived--A Matter of Concern," reprint from Childhood Education. Vol. 38, No. 9. (May, 1962). Eonacel, Louis D. "Interview Statements on the Role of the School- Community Agent," March 23, 1966. Nyrdal, Gunnar. "The Matrix," Poverty 1:}; Plenty. (ed.) George H. Dunne, S. J. New York: P. J. Kennedy and Sons, 1964. Newton, Eunice S. "The Culturally Deprived Child in Our Verbal Schools," Journal p_1_‘_ Negro Education. Vol. 31 (Spring, 1962). Norton, John K. Changing Demands 933 Education in}; Their Fiscal Implica- tions. Washington: National Committee for the Support of Public Schools, 1963. Olsen, Edward G. 1113 School and Community Reader: Education 1p PerSpec- tive. New York: Nachfillian Company, 19?. __ . (ed.) School p.134 Community. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1954. Olsen, James. "Challenge of the Poor to the School," Phi Delta Kgppan. XLVII (October, 1965). Passow, A. Harry. (ed.) Education in Depressed Areas. New York: Columbia University Press, 1962. Pettigrew, Thomas. A Profile o_f_ 1:113 Negro American. Princeton, New Jersey: D. Van Nostrand Company, 1964. fig; Delta Kappan. XLV (November, 1963). . XLVII (October, 1965). 125 Pierce, L., Merrill, Edward, Wilson, 0., Kimbrough, R. Community Lead- ership £9; Public Education. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1955. Rasschaert, William M. Open Forum 213 the Detroit Great Cities Program. Detroit: Great Cities Project, October 23, 1961. Ravitz, Mel. "The Role of the School in the Urban Setting," Education ip Depressed Areas. (ed.) A. Harry Passow, New York: Columbia University Press, 1963. Redl, Fritz. "Disadvantaged-«and What Else?" Urban Education EH31 Deprivation. (ed.) C. W. Hunnicutt, New York: Syracuse Univer- sity Press, 1964. .t Riessman, Frank. [1113 Culturally Deprived Child. New York: Harper and Row, 1962. Sexton, Patricia C. Education and Income. New York: The Viking Press, 1961. Shaw, Frederick. "Educating Culturally Deprived Youth in Urban Centers," P_h_i_ Delta Kappan. (November, 1963). Simmons, Richard, Jr. "Statements on the Role of the School-Community Agent," May 27, 1966. Tomilinson, Ethel. "Language Arts Skills Needed by Lower Class Children," Elementapy English. XKXIII (1956). Warner, W. L., Marchia, Meeker and Eells, Kenneth. "Social Status in Education," Lb; Delta Kappan. XXX (1948). APPENDIX A DESCRIPTION OF THE DETROIT GREAT CITIES SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT Background of Project In 1957, at the American Association for School Administrators Convention in Atlantic City, superintendents and board members of fourteen.large-city (600,000 plus) school Systems1 met and concluded that immediate steps should be taken to find ways to improve the edu- cation of culturally deprived city children. From this beginning has grown a now nationpwide educational experiment called the Great Cities School Improvement Project. The prototype of all these programs was the Higher Horizons Project of New YOrk City, and many of the direc- tions and insights of that pioneering venture are incorporated in the Great Cities Demonstration.Projects. Detroit's Pilot Project began in August, 1959 and ran to June, 1960 and was supported entirely by funds from the Detroit Board of Education. This first Great Cities Project in Detroit involved three schools--two elementaries and one junior high. The pilot project has been conducted in an area which involves two elementary schools and an adjoining junior high school. ‘While the two elementary schools are adjacent, they serve communities which differ markedly. One of these elementary schools serves one of the most transient neigh- borhoods of the city. Statistically it approaches a 100$ 1Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angles, Nilwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington. 126 127 turnover in its pupil population each year. This school has a majority of white children. The other elementary school, slightly larger, serves a pupil population which comes almost exclusively from the largest public housing project in Detroit. It is almost 100% Negro and the population is relatively stable. The junior high serves these two areas plus several more with a relatively cos- mopolitan population--many nationalities and several races--representing generally a low economic and social Class. In September, 1960, the Detroit Great Cities Project added four additional schools to the Project.3 This involved uzo school person. nel and 10,400 children and their families. The Project prior to September, 1960 was financially supported by Detroit Board of Education funds alone. But in 1960 the Project was jointly funded by funds from the Ford Foundation and the Detroit Board of Education. The Ford Foundation financial obligation to the Project from 1960-1961 was $135,000 and from July 1, 1961, to June 30, 1961, the total financial support was $400,000. Detroit's financial support of the Project up to June, 1964, was $726,200. The Detroit Board of Education in July, 1964 assumed the full financial support of the seven schools in the Project. The total expenditures represent an increase of less than 10 per cent above normal per pupil costs in the seven schools. In September, 1964, the Detroit Great Cities Project expanded from seven to twentyaseven schools. Federal funds from the Economic Opportunity Act provided the financial support of the additional twenty ZDetroit Board of Education, Great Cities Program :23; School Iyprovement: A Pilot Project y; Three Schools 3.}; Areas Where Pupils Have Limited Backgrounds, 1252-1260, p. 1. 3Burton Elementary, Couzens Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Marcy Elementary, Barbour Junior High School, Jefferson Junior High School, Eastern High School. 128 schools with the Detroit Board of Education continuing the financial support of the existing seven Project schools. The Detroit Great Cities Project now involves 1,250 school personnel and 32,250 students and their families. The 10 per cent above normal per pupil cost--an aver- age increase, in staff and services, of approximately $50,000 per school year is maintained. Future plans for the Detroit Great Cities Project cover the addition of more schools into the Project and additional ser- vices and personnel to meet the needs of the disadvantaged. Project Goals The following are the stated goals of the Detroit Great Cities Project as outlined by the former Project evaluator, Dr. William M. Rasschaert: 1. To determine how teaching and the school can be more effec- tive o 2. To develop programs in which teachers can utilize their abil- ities more fully. 3. To enlist more optimum reinforcement and support from parents whose children we are teaching. 4. To investigate and/or develop more appropriate patterns of school organization. 5. To analyze and develop (where necessary) more effective teach- ing materials. 6. To discover more precisely what constitutes adequate staff in schools and adequate service personnel. 7. To create a more systematic functioning, cooperative relation- ship with community agencies so that their assistance can best compliment school serXices to meet the needs of culturally handicapped children. 1+WilliamlM. Rasschaert, Project Evaluator, Open Ferum,pp;the Great 93.22%}, M £2; m Immvement, presented before the MetrOpolitan Detroit Social Studies Club, Wayne State University, October 23, 1961. 129 Operational Hypotheses The following are the stated operational hypotheses of the Detroit Great Cities Project: 1. School staffs need to be much more effective in meeting the needs of children and youth whose environment and background have not provided them with culture patterns and value sys- tems upon which most school programs are based. Schodl staffs, therefore, need to examine and revise their school programs and their activities as an important part of making school programs for these children more effective in develop- ing skilled, productive and discriminating citizens. 2. Mobilization of the constructive forces of home and communp ity, which have a bearing on the attitudes and motivations of children, is essential to reinforce the efforts of teachers in securing acceptance and adoption of better self images, higher levels of aspiration, greater scholastic achievement, more regular school attendance, and longer school careers. 3. An intensified program of group and individual conferences between teachers and parents, home visitations by teachers, field trips, and short-term evening courses for adults will produce more effective teaching and values, attitudes, and behavior patterns in parents which will result in increased concern and action for the education and welfare of their children. 4. A relatively small addition to each school staff (e.g., one coaching or remedial teacher, one school-community coordina~ tor a part-time visiting teacher, and a part-time clerical employee) will result in much greater effectiveness and efficiency of the entire school staff in securing educa- tional achievement, social growth, and economic literacy on the part of pupils, and improved citizenship on the part of parents. 5. A more appropriate and effective expenditure of funds to realize the social and educational of the public schools in problems areas will result from a thorough analysis and care- ful study of needs of children with limited backgrounds, with subsequent implementation of resulting insights applied to (a) preparation of teachers, (b) in—service education of school staffs, (c) curriculum adaptations, (d) school organi- zational adjustments, (9) teaching materials and methods, (f) use of community resources, (g) involvement of parents. 5Detroit Board of Education, Great Cities Program 393 School Improve- ment: A;Pilot Project ip,Three Schools ip'Areas Where Pupils Have Limited BaCkEround. 12é2-12 o p. E. 130 Special Approaches The schools in the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project use seven major approaches to meet the needs of the disadvantaged. The approaches are through: 1. 2. 3. 4. Intensive orientation and continued in.service training of the entire staffs of the schoOls concerned; Extensive involvement of parents of the children concerned; Concentrated use of available public and private agency person. nel and resources; Organizational and curricular modifications will be made to provide more appropriate and diversified instructional settings for the teaching of reading. Intensive diagnostic and remedial assistance in reading and arithmetic will also be provided to teachers at all levels in regular and summer schodls: A nominal increase in the staff of each school to provide coora dination of home-community, agency and school resources, cleri- cal service, and remedial teaching: Use of specialists and consultants in adapting curriculum, school organization and educational services to the particular needs of the pupils during the period of the project, but not in the long run: Development of new instructional materials, particularly in the field of reading, which are based upon the apperceptive backgrounds of children with different cultural experiences. Project Activities The Project attempts only those activities which appear to be feas- ible and possible for continuation with local resources after the with, drawal of Ford Foundation support. 6Data taken from the Detroit Public Schools Project Preposal in the Great Cities School Improvement Program, "Increasing the Competence of Culturally Different Pupils by Improving Teachisg and Community Services," 1 submitted to the Ford Feundation, February 3. 1 ,p. 20 131 Activities Involvipg Classroom Teacher 1. 2. 3. 5. Short term workshops will be provided for the solution of Specialized subject area problems. An intensive one-week workshop will be provided the faculties of newly added schools and teachers new to the project schools. In-service activities and projects of teachers will be con- tinued in the development of instructional materials as well as in the examination of evaluative instruments. School workshOps under university staff direction will con, tinue and be expanded to help staffs examine their communities and the unique needs of their children and parents. Continuous curriculum and organizational appraisal will be conducted by small groups and committees in each of the project schools. Activities Involvipg Children Activities involving children will vary somewhat according to age and grade level and according to the identified needs of the children concerned. The ones listed are typical, but others may be added as experiences with the children in the project may suggest. 1. 2. Differentiation of instruction: a. Identification of individual talents as well as deficien. cies. b. Small group and individual assistance. c. Use of more evaluative devices and case study techniques. d. Provision of more appropriate learning materials in many subjects and different age and grade levels. 6. ApprOpriate large group instruction and utilization of resources that will free teacher time to work more with small groups and individual pupils. ’ Deve10ping of broader base of experience: 132 a. Story-hours (after school) for primary children. b. After-school clubs and interest groups (science, photog- raphy, Junior Audubon, conservation, dramatics, Scouts, City 4-H Clubs, etc.). o. Greater use of public library. d. 'Work with parents to help children in selection of read- ing materials, television programs, and creative recrea- tional activities. e. More effective guidance program based on more complete knowledge of the child and his potentialities. 4. Field trips and greater utilization of cultural resources of the city in connection with school activities. Activities Involving_Parents The following descriptive data on the activities and the special personnel of schools in the Great Cities Project in Detroit were extracted from: Detroit Public Schools, Project Proposal pgflpppnfigpi Foundation, February 3, 1961: Much of the work will continue to be adult education at a very elementary level. These adults tend to be unskilled in group processes and apprehensive about group participation. They are frequently sensi- tive about their apparel, Speech and lack of education. Indigenous leadership is rarely present but the potential exists and is amenable to encouragement and stimulation. The important thing is to help these parents realize the importance of the home in support of school in relationships with pupils and the significance of parent-child relation- ships as it bears upon the education of the child and his growth and development toward maturity as an individual. Effective work with 133 parents has started and is growing in relation to its own success. In this phase we are attempting to retrieve one generation in order to salvage the next. It is proposed that activities such as the following will be continued and expanded: 1. Room mother organizations in each elementary school. 2. Informal parent clubs and activities involving evening use of all school buildings, viz, sewing, childcare, typewriting, sports, discussion groups, furniture repair, etc. 3. Leadership training programs for den mothers, scout leaders, 4-H club leaders, etc. 4. Actual instruction classes in the evening for adults in such subjects as reading, arithmetic, child psychology, consumer education, parliamentary procedure, etc., with.particular emphasis on basic training in language skills. 5. Continue classes in the schools in swimming, basketball, skating, etc. in cooperation with the City Parks and Recrea- tion Department. 6. Further formation of block clubs and community councils. 7. Develop a strong democratic parent council for each school. 8. Establish "job-upgrading" centers in schools to help youth and adults learn how and where to apply for jobs, qualify for better jobs, and work toward their economic advancement. Activities Involving Community égencies and Personnel Detroit has a multitude of social agencies and civic organizations and their energies are Spent to a large extent in the underprivileged areas of the city. Agencies are providing and indicate their continued willingness to provide (within the limits of their resources) such ser- vices as: 134 Instructors for leadership training courses (Scouting, 4-H, First Aid, Health, etc.). Speakers for use in schools on various subjects. Special clinic services--Family Service, child guidance, psy- chiatric, physical therapy and health services. Priority assignment of staff to Project areas. Activities PrOposed for Summer Months 1. 2. 3. Provision of remedial and booster classes for over-age children and slow learners in the language and arithmetic areas. Provision of "story-hour" experiences for young children. Use of Audio-Visual materials with large groups, instruc- tional and informational films, records, and tapes to broaden interests and perceptions. Field trips, walking and by bus, to acquaint children with the educational and cultural aspects of their city and which they might otherwise not come to know. Cooperation with City Parks and Recreation Department in the provision of recreational activities: a. Arts and Crafts be I‘hlSic c. Dramatics d. Club activities of various kinds Use of specialized Personnal The School-Community Agent The school-community agent will continue to serve as staff as liaison person between the school and the community. His primary func- tions are development of lay leadership, organization and coordination of community groups and councils, active cooperative involvement of 135 public and private agencies within the school area, and organization of classes and clubs for adults and youth in after school and evening sessions in the school and neighborhood facilities. Further, they have the reSponsibility of interpreting to school staffs the changing patterns of neighborhood and family relationships. The agents will continue to be recruited from sources other than the teaching profession, as their agency and social work background have enhanced their effectiveness in fulfilling their roles. The Coaching Teacher An important part of the coaching teacher's job is remedial work in the language arts and arithmetic. In addition, however, the coaching teacher may be expected to work with children to develop con- fidence, to motivate and to stimulate, and to help pupils meet the tasks they may be expected to face with some degree of success. The coaching teacher may work with individuals or with small groups in which children have similar problems. Because of the nature of their work, as well as Michigan's cer- tification requirements, these coaching teachers must be certified teaching personnel. The Visiting Teacher The visiting teacher, or school social worker, is particularly concerned with children who Show emotional disturbance. As nearly full- time personnel in the project schools, (as Opposed to approximately one day a week in non-project schools) these persons have been able to 136 define their role as a member of an individual school staff, to estab- lish more effective referral service for children and their parents, and to establish their effectiveness in long range continued contact with multi-problem families and emotionally disturbed children. APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRES SUBNITTED TO AGENTS AND PRINCIPALS Community-School Agent Background Questionnaire I. Personal Histopy No. U. S. Citizen: Yes No Age: Sex: ML F Race Do you now live in Detroit? Yes Nq___ Did you live in Detroit prior to taking an assignment as an Agent? Yes No marital Status: Single Married ‘Widowed Divorced Separated II. College work and Preparation List in chronological order all colleges or universities attended whether degrees were earned or not: Specific * Month Institution From To Degree Granted Year City State Majors Ninors Term or Semester hrs 137 138 Specific Month Institution From To Degree Granted Year City State Eajors Kinors Term or Semester hrs Specific Month'— Institution From To Degree Granted Year City State ‘—— Majors Ninors Term or Semester hrs III. Emplgyment History Years as an Agent Years in present assignment In how many different schools have you worked as an Agent? Check the type of school in which you work as an Agent. Elementary Junior High School Senior High School Last previous position of employment: Job __ ______ From To Years Months Second previous position of employment: Job __fiFrom Tofi_r Years Honths Third previous position of employment: Job From To Years fi__NonthS no a 139 School-Community Agents' Perceptions of the Agent's Role Questionnaire The responses to this questionnaire will be collected and organ- ized for the purpose of ascertaining how School-Community Agents view certain aspects of their job. At no time will an individual Agent's comments be compiled or reported in such a manner as to reveal his or her comments on this questionnaire. A. B. C. D. In reference to the duties and reSponsibilities of an Agent, what four aSpects of your job give you the most satisfaction? 1. 2. 3. 4. In reference to the duties and reSponsibilities of an Agent, what four aSpects of your job give you the least satisfaction? 1. 2. 3. 4. List two areas in which you feel that you have been the most suc- cessful in meeting the duties and responsibilities of an Agent. 1. 2. List two areas in which you feel that you have been the least suc- cessful in meeting the duties and reSponsibilities of an Agent. 1. 2. E. F. H. 140 What do you consider as being the two most difficult tasks of an Agent? 1. 2. What two changes would you make in the present role of an Agent? 1. 2. Using a base of 100, estimate the percent of your working time per month that is devoted to the following areas: After-school programs _____Contacts with Agencies Contacts with Parents _____Contacts with the Project Staff _____Contacts with Principals and Teachers _____Other contacts in the School-Community Other contacts Using a base of 100, estimate the percent of your working per month that you would prefer to devote to the following areas: After-school programs Contacts with Agencies Contacts with.Parents Contacts with the Project Staff Contacts with Principals and Teachers Other contacts in the School-Community Other contacts I. 141 On the basis of your experiences as an Agent, please select the reply that comes the closest to representing your view. (1) Strongly Agree (2) Agree (3) Disagree (4) Strongly Disagree 1. There is a sound system for evaluating the work of Agents. 2. Agents are generally accepted by teachers as an integral part of the school staff. 3. The duties and reSponsibilities of an Agent are clearly spelled out by the Project Staff. 4. Most Agents enjoy their job. 5. Principals are generally cooperative with Agents. 6. Agents are required to perform too many tasks in the school. 7. Agents should not become involved in implementing educational programs of the school. 8. There is a satisfactory system for orientating new Agents. 9. Agents have an almost impossible task to perform in the School and community. 10. Most Agents are very similar in their approaches to their duties and reSponsibilities. 11. Principals generally have a good understanding of the function of an Agent. 12. Teachers generally have a good understanding of the function of an Agent. 13. Agents should be directly responsible to Principals for their actions. 14. Nest teachers who are concerned about the disadvantaged would make good Agents. 15. The work of an Agent has a direct effect, as well as indirect effect, on the academic program of the school. 16. A social work experience background is the best prepar- ation for becoming an Agent. 17. Agents have a wide margin of freedom in carrying out their duties and responsibilities. 142 Principals' Perceptions of the Role of the School-Community Agent Questionnaire No. Permission has been granted.by the Detroit Public Schools and the Great Cities Project Staff to conduct this survey. This question- naire is related to a Descriptive Analysis Study of the Role of the School-Community Agent in the Great Cities Project Schools. The purpose of this questionnaire is to gather some insights and perceptions of'Principals in regard to the role of the School-Community Agent. At no time will an individual Principal's comments be complied or reported in such a manner as to reveal his or her comments on the questionnaire. A. B. C. D. 143 ‘What do you consider the two most difficult tasks of an Agent? 1. 2. 'What two changes would you make in the present role of an Agent? 1. 2. Using a base of 100, estimate the percent of time that the Agent devotes to the following areas: After-school programs Contacts with Agencies Contacts with Parents Contacts with Project Staff Contacts with Principal and Teachers Other contacts in the School Community Other contacts Using a base of 100, estimate the percent of time that the Agent should devote to the following areas: After-School programs Contacts with Agencies Contacts with Parents Contacts with Project Staff Contacts with Principal and Teachers Other contacts in the School Community Other contacts T“ be 144 On the basis of your experience with an Agent, please select the reply that comes the closest to representing your view. (1) Strongly Agree (2) Agree (3) Disagree (4) Strongly Disagree 1. There is a sound system for evaluating the work of Agents. 2. Agents are generally accepted by teachers as an integral part of the school staff. 3. The duties and responsibilities of an Agent are clearly Spelled out by the Project Staff. 4. Nest Agents enjoy their job. 5. Principals are generally cooperative with Agents. 6. Agents are required to perform too many tasks in the school. 7. Agents should not become involved in implementing educational programs of the school. 8. There is a satisfactory system for orientating new Agents. 9. Agents have an almost impossible task to perform in the school and community. 10. host Agents are very similar in their approaches to their duties and reSponsibilities. 11. Principals generally have a good understanding of the function of an Agent. 12. Teachers generally have a good understanding of the function of an Agent. 13. Agents should be directly reSponsible to Principals for their actions. 14. Most teachers who are concerned about the disadvantaged would make good Agents. 15. The work of an Agent has a direct effect, as well as indirect effect, on the academic program of the school. 16. A social work experience background is the best prepar- ation for becoming an Agent. 17. Agents have a wide margin of freedom in carrying out their duties and reSponsibilities. I. II. III. APPENDIX C DATA OBTAINED FROM AGENT BACKGROUND QUESTIONNAIRES Cross-Sectional Data On Agents From School-Community Agent Questionnaire Age Distribution of_Agents* 2" 33 35 26 3" 35 30 34 35 31 34 36 31 35 37 32 35 37 First Degree Granted 20 Bachelor of Arts Degrees 7 Bachelor of Science Degrees 2 Bachelor of Science Degrees in Education 1 Bachelor of Business Administration Degree 1 Bachelor of Music Degree Second Degree Gpgnted (1) Master of Public Administration (1) Bachelor of Divinity (4) Masters of Arts (5) Masters of Social Work (1) Master of Education 145 38 38 3B 39 39 41 43 52 52 *Three did not give their ages rim -‘ in h 1 w“. an: A 146 IV. Site of First Deggee (6) Wayne State University (2) Detroit Institute of Technology Alabama State University of Chicago Lincoln University Earygrove College Tennessee State Chicago Teachers College Virginia Union University West Virginia Scared Heart Seminary University of Nebraska South Carolina State College Langston University University of Toledo Brooklyn College University of Michigan Miami University (Ohio) Talladego College Queens College Northern Michigan University Carnegie Tech. Howard.University Bonnet College V. Undepgraduate Major and Minor and.Graduate Major Undergraduate Major Undergraduate Minor Graduate Major Social Studies Physical Education Social WOrk Political Science Public Administration Public Administration Humanities Social Science History-Philosophy Physical Education Social Studies PhiIOSOphy EnglishéLatin Theology Family Life Education Social Science Child Development & Care Educational Psychology Elementary Education Social Studies Guidance BiolOgy-Chemistry Social Studies Education 147 V. Undergraduate Ngjor and Minor and Graduate Ngjpr (Continued) Undergraduategfigjpp Piano Social Work Home Economics SociolOgy Sociology SocioIOgy Liberal Arts Social Administration Hath. Education Music Psychology Sociology English Psychology Humanities Physical Education Sociology Psychology History-Political Science English Economics Sociology-English Undergraduate Minor English Psychology Social Work Psychology English Psychology Psychology Human Behavior Sociology Sociology Economics Sociology Languages Biology Sociology Sociology- Psychology Sociology Insurance History gpgggate Majg: Group'Work Dietetics Social'Work “ Psychology Educational Guid. L. Social Wbrk ' . ‘ ,V - ‘ . . v ' n A .. A I ' l ‘ v ‘ —.—-"p wfiflfir 91 Social Work Social'Work Christian Education Psychiatric Social Work Sociology Language Recreational Leadership Social Work Community Organization Social Work 148 Agents' Last Previous Employment Group Worker and Community Organizer Housing Aide Wayne County Bureau of Social Aid Counselor-Aid to Dependent Children N.M.C.A.-Secretary Field Advisory Girl Scouts Child Welfare Worker Community Organizer Y.W.C.A. Program Director 'Welfare Investigator Recreation Instructor Mayor Youth Employment Project Director of Community Development Community Organization Coordinator Teacher Aid to Dependent Children Case Worker Total Action Against Poverty Home Management Advisor District Field Director--Camp Fire Girls Recreation Supervisor Department of Public Welfare Community House Supervisor Group Worker Case‘Worker Community Service Assistant Metropolitan Teen Age Coordinator Worker Mobilization for Youth Recreation Instructor Detroit Department of Public Welfare Y.W.C.A. Teen Age Director Associate Director of Adult Activities Girl Scouts Urban Renewal Coordinator Urban League APPENDIX D STATES-OBITS OBTAINED FROM IIJTER‘J'IEV WITH DR. LOUIS D. I-DI'C‘ACEL The following statements were obtained from a taped interview on March 23, 1966 with Dr. Louis D. Monacel, Director of the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project. Conditions Leading_to Establishment of Agents If we are in the business of attempting, in all possible ways, of improving the competencies of children, then, the rationale is always an educational philosophy or at least a philOSOphical intention. If as a result of superintendent Brownell's thinking and the think- ing of other big city school superintendents, the plight of the big city, as it works with maybe a third of its pupil population--who are, at least, educationally disadvantaged--presents a critical problem. Then we have found out what we have been doing for decades with disadvantaged children is not producing the teaching-learning, the basic skills, the identity in the community and meaningful citizenship as adults. It is time then to re-examine the whole structure of elementary and secondary school education that served disadvantaged children. As we re-examine this structure, we look at the many school organizational needs and the fabulous need to inter-act more carefully and profitably with the local school community. If you examine this further, at least in the direction of our Project, we seem to think that we need somebody to intervene on behalf of the school for the community. 'We came up with the concept of the School- Community Agent--a person who can relate to the community and to the school and involve the faculty in a grass roots action orientated move- ment toward the true concept of a community school. -J The School-Community Agent role should be looked upon as a natural outgrowth of the elementary and secondary school needs in a big city. 149 150 Early_Histg;y I think that our approach, as to what is the best utilization of the School-Community Agent, has moved quite strongly over the past six years. In the beginning, we were looking mostly at the whole settle- ment house approach to inter-action with the community. In the earlier days, as we sought to provide long range benefits for children in a local school setting, we looked to Flint, Michigan and the kind of settlement house approach of the Flint Programs. we were not particu- larly interested, at this time, in whether or not a teacher or a social p_=7;”; worker could best handle the reSponsibilities of a School-Community ,' I3g’< Agent. ” .F As we became more sophisticated, we abandoned the notion that this was a role for a teacher. This is a role for a different kind of ’ .,__*‘€ professional person. Out of the social work field comes the most fruit- ' _f7}x ' ful avenue for this kind of worker. ‘wc, at this time, are looking only -"«' 7- toward the professional social worker with credentials in community organization, group work and etc. to do our job. ‘We need this kind of personnel because we have moved several steps beyond the Flint concept. -wc want involvement on other terms. ‘wc are in the business of developing attitudinal change on the part of the community, as well as some fruitful production in terms of learning for the adult community through inter-action with the local school, particularly in the even- ing; But this is not our major goal. Changing attitudes of the com- munity toward the institution, school, is really what we are about. This forces us to focus on a true professional for this job. Certainly, a teacher can program for children and adults, but we need more depth knowledge of about many areas of social work that not many teachers would be able to handle. Administration 'We have never looked upon the Agent as a bonafide administrator or a supervisor in any meaningful direction. Certainly, as you extend the curriculum, as you extend the school day for into the late after- noon, as you keep a building Opened in the evenings and on Saturdays when necessary, and as Agents handle reports, records and hire sub- professionals--lay people, indigenous to the community--this really smacks of quasi-administrative functions for Agents. We have presented the Agents with many quasi-administrative functions. wc do not deny ,~, this. ‘We do not admit it as being a major problem. . f It is only a problem when the anxious educational administrator wonders about the dissipation of this role as an administrator, as he delegates administrative responsibilities to the Agent. This some- times represents a serious problem in some of our local school situa- tions. But in effect, these are not long range problems. 151 Conflict with Administrators We have given the Agents too many roles. Too many hats to wear. If we could have more professional help, we would certainly not have the dilemma we now have. As we develop an after-school program for children--coordinated and really developed by the Agent--some principals become concerned. They raise such points as the following: Hey, this is an educational endeavor! Why do we have Agents running it? We agree. If we can afford to have some school person coordinate and supervise an after- school program, we do. If we cannot afford to do so, we see no harm in the Agent taking on this function--not really in the direction of supervision of an educational program, but in a coordinating role. The conflict that develops is really the conflict of: Do you delegate to a person in another profession, educational administrative authority? I think that this is a silly little argument. Tradition- ally, principals have gone home for the day and left building reSpon- sibilities to the school janitor--who is certainly not an administrator-- with no harm done. I think that this problem can be easily resolved. Teachers Perceptions onggents I think that it is difficult to answer how teachers see Agents. In effect, we do not have a 27 school Great Cities Project, but 27 dif- ferent Great Cities Projects. The impact of the Agent's acceptance and status or lack of status in the schools of this Project will vary from school to school. Certainly, the Agent must establish solid rapport in relationships with faculty and must gain status and respect through inter-action with the faculty on a professional level: if he is to achieve part of his responsibilities--interpreting the community to the school, developing better understandings of children based on a better knowledge of what makes the community what it is, determining the deprivation of the com- munity, and ascertaining the real leaders of the community--the Agent must inter-act professionally with the faculty. The Agent must have a healthy relationship with the members of the faculty. The principal is often the key to this develOpment. If the prin- cipal by his own behavior--not only overt but the subtleties in his behavior--clearly establishes the status of the Agent as a professional and as an extension of his staff, I think that this enables and enhances the chances for healthy relationships. If the princi al of the school is somewhat anxious about the Agent's role, is not sure a out this role, is not trusting of this role, andi the principal reveals this in his behavior; then, I think the chances for relationships are diminished. 152 Line-Staff Relationships At this time the relationships of the Agents to the Project are rather curious. The relationships between this staff and the Agents and the Agents and the schools are on paper much the same as for any other professionals that work in the school system. The direct head or direct boss of the Agent is the administrative head, the school principal. The Agent has a staff relationship to the Director of the Project and to the Coordinator of Agents. In that this is a nebulous new role--new even though some aSpects of it have been going on for five or six years--the tendency is for the Agents to relate more quickly and more carefully and with a greater degree of loyality to this Project and the Project Staff. The reports that Agents have to complete initiate from this office. The methodology and strategy by which Agents can work successfully in a school or com- munity initiate from this office. It is perfectly natural for Agents to look to the Project office; but Agents are well aware that their superior officer is that school principal. a - _ a - ’ . A Once again, this is different from school to school in the Project. In many schools, there is an excellent, healthy relationship between the school principal and the Agent and between the principal and this Project staff. In other schools, there is a conflict between the intentions of this Project, as seen by the Project Director and his staff, and between what is actually going on in the Project schools. Therefore, it becomes a conflict of who works for whom. Parents E g .C Being opinionated, the most effective social worker in existence in Detroit's inner city today is the School-Community Agent. I am not referring to those Agents who are incompetent and inadequate--we prob- ably have a few. I am referring to those Agents who are competent. The competent Agent is the most effective action person in disadvantaged communities. Agents serve in a positive fashion in a community. We teach them not to identify themselves as social workers to the community. We want to avoid rejection patterns that so many disadvantaged persons have toward social workers in terms of their experiences with other agencies. Agents have a positive image in the community. They are excellent I referral agents for other services across the agency service system in - * the city. Agents offer many avenues to local community peOple, both in the direction of the school and its activities and in the direction of whatever needs are indicated. Many Agents have been key persons in referring and getting services for health, dental, housing, and other broad kinds of needs our families have. 153 I think that Agents have made a positive impact on the community. They are well accepted across the city in the agency structure of lead- ing social work people. All in all, I think that Agents are a very healthy group of people in an inner city community. Social Force Role If the Agent has to build organization in a community, to build solidarity, to build block clubs, to work with organizations and to -1_',nr. develop a sort of unity in the community toward these goals; then, this ‘1. “=" the Agent must do. If alleys need more servicing, if garbage collec- tion is bad, and if we have to offer leadership through the Agent, we will. Hopefully, lay leadership will eventually take over this leader- ship role. Any good Agent abandons a leadership role as quickly as indigenous leadership can be identified and be nurtured. But often, as these organ- izations are built and the community becomes articulate of its own des- tiny; sometimes the school is looked to as the handiest and first insti- tution to attack. The community begins to ask questions about curriculum, about teaching and about learning situations. This sometimes puts us as educators in a frightening position. What we have learned is that this type of articulation is healthy, and in the long run, has excellent benefits for public education. But to teach a local school principal that an attack on his school is healthy, is a different matter. From where the principal stands, it does not seem healthy and he becomes quite fearful. I think that this is normal and not unusual. I think that out school administrators are competent people who have much to learn about involvement with the real community. Involvement with the grass roots- hard core peOple is something we still have to learn about. If the Agent's long range goal is increasing the competencies of children in all directions in the total notion of an educational philos- ophy, this ought not to be at odds with the same goal that a faculty and its leadership hold. Where major and minor conflicts develop are in the means that the Agents and the school, itself, employ for the same ends. Here we do have conflict. I maintain that most of this conflict has to be. 'Where ,'. there is no conflict, I wonder if we are really pushing anything with ‘ 7‘. vigor, vitality, and freshness of approach. ‘We are not afraid in the " school system of conflict that arises out of the pursuit of goals, the same goals, but the utilization of different means to obtain these goals. 154 Agent's Role If we believe in the autonomous school determining the needs and curriculum, then we cannot have a packaged School-Community Agent. The Agent has to remain.flexible; if indeed, each individual school is to be unique. I do not think that we should in the next few years or so highly define the Agent's role. I think that we should in the future. We need help. We need help from experts--university people, leaders in social work and all kinds of expertise, as well as our own internal school knowledge of this role in the inner city. I think that we have some hunches, but I would not want to write them down at this time. We are not at the stage and deliberately so, where we can provide a definite statement of the Agent's role. The job Specifications for the Agent's role are very nebulous. This is done deliberately. We are not ready at this time to list the functions of an Agent. I think that listing the functions of an Agent might lead to some tragic mistakes and isolate the potential of the role. ‘We do not yet know what the emphases should be. Until we do, we will keep the role in a nebulous situation. This makes it difficult for the school and difficult for the Agent. Type of Person I think that we have some guide lines that seem to be fairly effec- tive in selecting Agents. As I describe what we want, we may seem arro- gant, in that we are judgmental and that we know exactly who the right persons are for this type of role. If you use the base of university work in the direction of social work, with a strong liberal arts background in anthropology, sociology, psychology, and etc., as well as methods and techniques in the social work field--particularly in group work and in community organization-- this represents a good example of the academic and methods base we want in Agents. If a candidate, not only has the university training and some field experience and we feel from the interview that we have a person with vitality and commitment to the goals of the Project; then, this is the type of person we look for. If a person has all of the educational training and exhibits a rather conservative approach to the problems of ‘ the disadvantaged, we would tend to by pass this type of person. .' If you put Agents on a continuum of’liberality versus conservatism, then what I am really saying is that along with all the academic train- ing and field work there must come heavy dosages of a liberal viewpoint. A liberal viewpoint in terms of a value System about our society and about the needs of a disadvantaged community. This is about the way we look at candidates in terms of who will or will not become an Agent. 155 Future of Agents I think that Detroit will continue to support financially the Agent's role with or without the help of Federal funds. At present, eight of the schools with Agents are supported by local funds. This is a recognized role. RecOgnized favorably in the school system. The Agent's role has the strong support of the superintendent. This is a nationally recognized role in many of the major and smaller cities of the nation, as they begin to develop programs for disadvantaged children and adults. These cities often come to us to gain information and direction in terms of what the Agents are doing. How do we get Agents? How have they proved themselves? Agents are recognized as an integral part of the school system and by the professional schools of social work. I think the Agent's role is here to stay. The superintendent has expressed the wishful thought that he would like to see Agents in all schools. Certainly with different functions and different roles based on the needs of the school and community. I have every hope that Agents are a permanent part of the educational scene. Recommendations 1. Teachers need an in-service education program directed toward receiving the services of an Agent. 2. Teachers need to know more about the caste and class structures in our society and their implications for education. 3. School-Community Agents should not get trapped in the total role of coordinator of programs in the school. 4. If we could afford it, we would add coordinators for programming to each of the Project's schools. APPEIDIX E STATEl-ENTS OBTAIECED FROM INTERVIEVJ WITH KISS BETTY DESHLER The following statements were obtained from a taped interview on Karch 22-23, 1966 with hiss Betty Deshler, Coordinator of School- Community Agents in the Detroit Great Cities Schodl Improvement Project. Selection Criterig I look to the academic preparation for the concepts needed by an Agent, and a demonstrated ability to work independently. An ideal candidate for an Agent position would have a Easter of Social Work degree with a community organization background or public housing or administration. I also look for course work in sociology and psychology and related fields. Kethod of Selection The general procedure for the selection of Agents is the same or quite similar to that used for the selection of teachers. The applicant files an application and receives an interview with a selection committee. Through the years the committee method of selecting Agents has not changed but the specific personnel who sit on the committee have changed. When I applied for a job as an Agent in 1959, I was interviewed by a committee which consisted of the Great Cities Project Director, several of the Assistant Superintendents and one or two District Administrators. Itkwas clear that the committee did not know what type of questions to as . The first three Agents selected were chosen by the Principals involved and the Project Director. There were no Principals on the selection committee that selected the first non-certificated Agents. I am not certain about the number of applicants there were for the seven positions as Agents when the recruitment shifted toward selecting persons with social work training and experience. 156 157 Present_£nterview;§rocedures An attempt is made to pre-interview applicants prior to their for- mal Selection Committee interview. This is done to explain to the applicants just what is expected from them and to attempt to eliminate applicants who are not qualified or committed to the tasks to be per- formed. I have interviewed about fifty people this year prior to their formal Selection Committee interview. There is also a screening process in which the applicants have their records investigated to determine whether or not they meet the minimum qualifications. The Project Director and myself used to do the screening, but now he leaves this up to me. In cases where there is reasonable doubt as to whether or not a candidate should or should not be interviewed, I consult with the Project Director for his advice. Applications for positions as Agents have tapered off in numbers. There is a need for a broader recruitment area and a more deliberate means of interviewing candidates. Much of the present recruitment is done by word of mouth. There is a stress on quality rather than quantity in the selection of Agents. We try not to be influenced in our selection of candidates solely by the number of positions available. There is not a list made up of persons waiting to be placed as Agents. The personnel Department has wanted us to select our total needs from the available candidates who are applying and have reached the interview stage. At present, this is not our policy, but as our needs increase, we may have to formulate a list of candidates waiting to be placed. The available number of qualified social workers is rather limited and this will present problems in the future in recruitment and placement. The new Superintendent, when selected, will have to make a deter- mination about the future need for Agents. The present Superintendent is very supportive. The thinking, at the present, is that there should be an Agent in every school in Detroit. At present, there is an Agent assigned to a middle-class neighborhood school. Placement The available Opening is the major factor in the placement of a newly assigned Agent. The Director and I wish that this was not the case. The determination for placement is very superficial. It has to be. 'We try to place peOple where we think they will be the most success- ful. Our determination is based on our knowledge of the school setting and the principal and what we think we know about the Agent. This is where we are weak. ‘We are a lot stronger in our knowledge of the prin- cipal and his style and the school setting, and even the neighborhood, but we are not always right about the Agent. 158 I do not believe in just plunking the person down. The Agent has some rights. We sometimes place Agents in one Spot and wait for Open- ings to develop in order to transfer Agents. The principal has nothing to say about the placement of an Agent in the school. He takes what he gets. That may be right or it may be Vfrongo It is possible for an Agent to be transferred but we have never transferred an Agent except in cases of an unsatisfactory rating by the principal. There have been four Agents transferred on the basis of .flg . unsatisfactory ratings. Of these four: Two have taken.leaves of absences, ‘ ‘_ ..F1 one a transfer, and the other was dismissed. ” " The Reasons for Dismissal .j“t-,'fi Incompetency is the major reason for a person to be dismissed. One Agent was dismissed because of being incompetent. This Agent could not work independently and had a lack of initiative in planning and fol- lowing up what the Agent had to do. This Agent did not project these weaknesses at the time of the selection interview. Prior to being dis- missed, the Agent was transferred to another school. At the second school, the Agent again received an unsatisfactory rating. Je are rather wobbly in the area of evaluating Agents. There really is not a method. Administrative Resoonsibilities A major set of administrative responsibilities are built primarily around the Agent's relationship to the program, the after school and evening program of the school. They have a great need, particularly initially, when they first start to build a kind of relationship between themselves and the staff to develop programs in the school. The Project Staff views the Agents as an integral part of the total school staff and we want Agents to view themselves that way. ‘We want Agents to work to get themselves accepted on that basis and not as an appendage. The administrative reSponsibilities of an Agent are reflected in his program reSponsibilities. The Agent also has the responsibility to work to legitimatize his role in the school System. The Agent is directly responsible to the principal of the school. The Agent must act as a resource person to the school staff. He should provide the teachers with something to see in regards to his efforts. The Agent can bring resource persons into the school to enhance a unit of study. 159 Hiring and Firinfi The principal has the ultimate reSponsibility in the hiring and firing of personnel for the programs offered by the school. If the Agent is responsible for programming (in five or six schools another person has this reSponsibility for the Children's programs), then he is responsible for picking the staff. Every personnel action form initiated by the Agent has to be signed by the principal. Therefore, the principal still has the ultimate control. If the principal wants to exercise this control, he has it. The paper work is done by the Agents. The idea that the Agent does the paper work does not bother the ‘ Principals. They are probably delighted to have someone to do this, but they do not think of the Agent as an administrator. This is where the difference comes. many, not all, view Agents with a kind of sus- picion of trying to take over their job. The Administrative aspects of the Agent's job are those that the principal is quite willing to delegate. Project Administrative Requirements "We require a monthly statistical report that covers all aSpects of programming in the building. This monthly report includes data on program develOpment, agency involvement in the building, field trips, and any other kinds of involvements after school or at night which require the use of the building. These reports come to us once a month and are the responsibility of the Agent. Another form is the salary classification report that has to be filed with the Project Office at the same time the payroll is submitted. Another payroll is submitted in addition to the regular payroll for certificated employees. Sometimes the office clerk does this report but it is usually done by the Agent. The salary elassification report is a duplication of the payroll and is the Project Office's way of checking the budget. Also required of all the Agents is a narrative report three times each school year. This is done by the semesters and during the summer. This is a rather new requirement which started last year. The Agent provides a description of what has happened at his school during the time period covered in the narrative following an outline proposed by A, me ! o: C ntacts with Teachers _. The Agent pretty much has to make the contacts with teachers on his own. There are some cases where the teachers have come to the Agents. * 160 After the Agent has been established in the school for a while, the teachers generally come to understand a little better his function. He will make contacts with teachers to bring about internal change in the school. One way to do this is to help the teacher to really understand and internalize their understandings of the community and the kinds of problems that are playing on the child and how these forces effect what he does or does not do in the school. The Agent has to build a way of communication with teachers. This is done by word of mouth, some written communications to teachers, and by frequenting the lunchroom or other gathering places. The Agent injects himself into the social patterns of the school in order to gain some degree of acceptance so that he can try to bring in his Specialized information and service to the teaching staff. mam-urn: 'rzfl Teachers generally look on the Agents as outsiders. I don't know how they equate Agents. In some particular instances, they equate him as a quasi-administrator because of the nature of his work and the things they bring Agents to do. The Agent is often viewed as an easier source to bring problems by a teacher than the principal. Parental Contacts Agents do perform some of the Specific task work like providing clothing and shoes or getting a parent to the infirmary. I do not view this as a major function of their role. If it is a major part of their role, then they are negating their role. Their contacts with parents, first of all have to be on a positive sense. They may make a few home calls in reSponse to referrals made by teachers and the principal. These calls Should be used as a means to other things. The Agents devise their own means to initiate home calls. Another kind of contact with parents is through the community organizations that exist, like block clubs and community councils. Agents do assist in organizing block clubs. 'we believe that if the par- ent develops a better self-image and civic responsibility, then the par- ent will encourage the child to do better in school. Teachers don't seem to understand this approach to the academic role of the school. I think that this is our own fault. It is a nubulous notion and we do not sell it enough. I think that it is the principal's fault also. hanagigg the School Plant The Agent does manage the building at night and I think that this contributes to his being viewed as an administrator. The Agent is like a night school principal. The regular school principal is quite happy 161 to delegate this reSponsibility and this is what produces this dichotomy. he delegates the responsibility to the Agent for the supervision of the building and yet he does not want to view the Agent as an administrator. As an administrator, the Agent presents a threat to the principal. I think that building management and program development take a diSproportionate amount of the Agent's time. I think the Agent should initially be the one to help establish programs but he should gradually phase himself out of the supervision and administration of the after- school programs, but always stay related to the planning aSpects. might new programming is taking a large percentage of the Agent's time. School Facilities for Agents The facilities in the school set aside for Agents ranges from extremely adequate to an Agent being housed in a closet or in another building which is isolated from the main part of the school's activities. This condition of the Agents not being properly housed is not the fault of principals but is due to a critical shortage of Space in the schools. The Communigg The Agent Should know the community thoroughly. I am not Speak- ing about a superficial demographic study which anyone can do. I am talking about knowing the feelings and problems of the community. An elementary school area is really ideal for this purpose. Because of its relatively small area, the Agent should be able to eventually know most of the families in the school community. In getting to know the members of his community, the Agent is sometimes making the first contacts with persons in the community by a member of the school staff. The school and the Agent Should not perform any service that can be performed by an existing agency. If we see a need for a Specific service and there is an agency designed for that service, we would first make the contact and ask the agency to come into the community and pro- vide the service. If this does not happen--some agencies have vested interests--and the service is urgently needed, we would provide the service ourselves but only on a temporary basis. EvaluatinggAggnts The principal is reSponsible for filling out a rating form on the Agent each year for a three year period. The form, in my opinion, is inadequate. It is an evaluative form used for all non-instructional 162 I personnel. This form does not apply to the work being done by Agents. It is simply a report on tardiness and absences and quantity and quality of work. I use the semester reports that Agents turn in as a means of eval- uating Agents and will soon begin an experimental plan in one school to measure the effectiveness of an Agent in the community. I, as the Coordinator of Agents, do not rate the Agents. Only the principal gives an evaluative rating on an Agent. The Project Director does not have a personnel action form for the rating of Agents. The Project Director places his signature on the form that principals are given to rate Agents in order to indicate that he has read the rating. I don't have any authority and neither does the Project Director. 'We operate like we had the authority, but we do not. The Agent has line reSponsibility to the principal. we built this in ourselves and we may have been wrong. If there is a disagreement over a rating given by a principal for an Agent--this has not happened--then the Director and I file a written statement to the Personnel Department. An unsatisfactory rating means movement on the part of the Agent to another school or dismissal. So, some action has to be taken by the office. College Preparation of Agents Academically, I believe, we would still stand the best chance with an Agent that has a Master's Degree in Social work with community organ- ization specialization. There are not many of these type persons around. There academic preparation gives them an action orientation at the comp munity grass roots level which is what we are looking for in Agents. I cannot say that those who are now Agents who have the M.S.w. are the best. I look more at the work experience of the applicant more so than the academic training. ‘We can help with in-service training for those who have a need for additional training. Trends and Recommendations If I had my way in regards to changes and we now are in a process of seeking changes, I would suggest the following: 1. Agents be allowed to function as community organizers. 2. Agents Should be totally released from supervision and adminp istration of programming. 163 3. Agents ought to be involved at all levels of the total imple- mentation of the concept of the community school. 4. Agents should not have the reSponsibility for administration of the school plant. 5. Agents should not have the administrative reSponsibilities of hiring and firing of personnel. 6. Agents should be freed to carry out and develop the kinds of relationships needed in the community to re-inforce the school. We can be more specific about the Agent's role in the school and community, but I would rather not be Specific except in the case of indi- vidual schools and communities. If the present trend continues in the schools, the Agents will become program directors. Records submitted by Agents indicate this trend. It is alarming to me. In some cases, nearly 85 percent of the Agent's time is devoted to programming aspects: administration, super- vision, publicity, and development. It is a grave danger. It becomes comfortable for an Agent to devote his time to programming. You are busy but you do not need a community organizations person to do the programming. I think that Agents need more effective supervision. 'When you have such a nebulous role and a new thing for a school system, you need regional or some kind of geographic field supervision. I hope to have this someday. At present, I have the Agents divided by regions for meet— ings with me, but what is really needed is one field supervisor for each group. The Agent has not been accepted by the school system as an integral part of its staff and services. The superintendent is highly supportive but not all of the assistant superintendents seem to clearly understand what the function of the Agent in the school Should be. The field execu- tives have not fUlly accepted the Agents. At the local school level, teachers and principals do not accept Agents as fUll status staff members. I would like to see the Agents get their names and school phone numbers in the school directory. I think that this will help to legiti- matize the role and make it visible to members of the school System. The salary schedule of Agents is still listed along with nonrelated personnel on a ten months basis and Agents have never been on a ten months basis. This is another way of legitimatizing the role of an Agent. I think that the Agents need two additional increment steps that are given to teachers which Agents do not get. APPEHDIX F STATEMENTS OBTAINED FROM INTERVIEW PJITH Dio GAE Lo I‘ZAIEUFGER The following statements are based on statements made by Dr. Canl L. harburger in an interview on March 22, 1966. The enclosed summary statements from this interview were submitted to Dr. Harburger for his editing and approval. Dr. harburger is a former Director of the GCSIP in Detroit. At the time of the interview, Dr. Harburger held the posi- tion of Assistant Superintendent for Special Projects in the Detroit Public Schools. Dr. Samuel Brownell designed the concept of the School-Community Agent as established first in the Detroit Public School System. He based his conceptualization, in part, on the Community School Director in Flint, Michigan. Two of the first three Agents were gym teachers (Physical Educa- tion Instructors). The third was an attendance officer. There was a problem of the first three Agents being orientated toward the programming function rather than community organization. The first Agents were highly dedicated persons but were faced with the problems of long hours and different reSponsibilities which, as teachers accustomed to certain hours and work schedules, proved to be centers of concern in their personal lives. A realization was formed that Agents should be trained and possess backgrounds in social work with emphases on community organization and action. Thus, the emphasis began toward recruiting social workers to replace the departing Agents. The conceptualization of the rdle of an Agent in a social work orientation began in effect with the entrance of Drs. Eugene Litwak and Henry Meyer into the picture as consultants from the University of Michigan, School of Social Work. 164 V ' . ' ‘ ' ~ ~ ~ ~ I » ' .. I A I . I . ' _ i“ ‘ v‘ I ' ‘ ' _ ‘ t ‘ , ' w ._ t ‘ - . - . . \ . ’ . . .‘. I‘ - . ‘ -. . , » . ‘ '. u ‘ . < ' t ‘ ‘ a I . ‘ ' A I . ‘ A‘ | , I. ‘ . . o _ _ l _ ‘ “ v . . . - n, _ . . . u , , i ' __ _ , . ‘ . n0 ._ . _ A', iv A' .‘ ' - . a ‘ v ‘ .‘ ‘ . ', ‘ ' - ‘. . . a ‘ ' J5. . - j . - \ . ‘._ _.~ ‘ ‘ ‘ ' ‘ ‘- -_ ._ .‘A. . / I, , \ I _ . , . "liVfii—r—q ¢_. I . ._. .r 165 Agents were hired at one pay step below that of teachers, but Since they are employed for twelve months, their pay is above that of teachers. Some funds were allocated for the paying of the expenses of cer- tain persons to come to Detroit in order to be interviewed for a posi- tion as an Agent. This was a Significant change in personnel proce- dures for the Detroit system at this level of recruitment. The line-staff relationship of the Agent to the project and to the Principal was rather hazy because of the Principals' expectations of the Agent's role in the school. Principals, in general, view the Agent as having to operate in a certain time and place schedule and with various means of checking the in and out movements of Agents. There was a conflict between the Agents' interpretations of their roles and the Principals' views of the Agents' roles. Some Principals were anxious about Agents being in the community with freedom to Operate as they saw fit. Some Agents became program directors, for the most part, because of a variety of reasons. Perhaps the major reason being that the administrator was able to keep a better tab on the Agent when he was organizing in the school rather than outside the school. There is a continuum from a free detached community organizer to the person who devotes the vast majority of his time to developing pregrams in the school. I would like to see the primary function of the Agent become that of a community organizer who directs his actions on the problems that face the community in their attempts to develOp a better socio-economic status. This means that the Agents must be allowed to tackle all fac- tors in the environment which tend to impede the progress of the commun- ity in bettering its living standards. If this means the school would have to come under attack and scrutiny, so be it. Many Principals still regard the Agent as a threatening force to their administrative functions and power in the community. There are not, at the present, any hard statistics to prove that the Agent has been successful in impeding the factors of a disadvan- taged environment and significantly helped parents and the community to a better life. The Agent has been successful in most schools in similar or different areas depending on the problems of the area and the Skills of the Principal and the Agent. - ' I. .' _ . - - o . ' ‘ , ' . V -V iv v . r a . U . ‘ vi v ‘ - I I \ . ‘ ._ .- .r ‘. .- . _ mwxfmxw i APPEKDIX G smmmms OBTAINED FROM INTERVIEH ".IITH DR. EUGENE LIE-{AK The following statements are based on statements made by Dr. Eugene Litwak in an interview on .hnua 15, 1966. The enclosed summary state- ments from this interview were submitted to Dr. Litwak for his editing and approval. Dr. Litwak is a Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work, University of Michigan. Dr. Litwak has served as a consultant to the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project and has had a close association with School-Community Agents in the develOpment of their role in the school and community. Status Like most teachers who teach in disadvantaged area schools, Agents are middle-class persons who, for the most part, have to work with per- sons of a lower social class having differences in orientations. This differential in orientation and status presents the Agents with problems in the development of intimate contacts with disadvantaged persons at the grass roots level unless the job specifically legitimates such con- tacts as part of the Agent's professional duties. The criteria for job expectations for the Agent's role are poorly defined in terms of meeting with parents in their homes and outside of the school. Given this lack of job definition and the real status difb ferences, Agents, in general, do not feel inclined to go out into the community and work with the peOple. This situation is generally true in most social work positions in which the duties and reSponsibilities are not clearly defined and understood-~such as meeting the client in his home in a relatively informal socialable way. 166 . . n . . . . . ‘ ‘t . . u I . . . ‘ L - _ yo . ‘ .. ' ".' . ————‘ f1L_~*§ :: ; 16? Personnel Top notch social workers generally do not tend to go into ill defined roles that depart so radically from the current ideal image of what it takes to be a social worker, e.g. psychiatric case worker. This makes it difficult to consistently attract the best available personnel for School-Community Agent positions. It is extremely difficult to evaluate the work of a School- Community Agent because of the ill defined role of an Agent. Host of the present Agents are average hard working people. As such they have, by and large, taken the approach to their job which conforms to their immediate superior, the principal. This generally means programming activities for children and adults in the school building and not going into the community. Traipipg The traditional approach in the training of social workers may not be satisfactory for the duties and reSponsibilities of a School- Community Agent. Specialized training may be the answer. It may or may not take a Master of Social work degree to prepare social workers to perform the tasks of a School-Community Agent. It may or may not take a person that has earned a college degree. What may be indicated is an extensive sixpmonths to one-year course in which individuals are schooled in dealing with the community at the graSs roots level. We are now exploring with training procedures at the University of Michigan. The Specific kind of training needed by future School-Community Agents will depend on the job definition that is finally established for an Agent's role. The Agent's role has to be detailed in terms of Specific criteria that permits evaluations of outside community work. As of now, the goals are to reach the outside community but the criteria of evaluation have only to do with the programs on the inside of the school building, e.g. numbers of people who come in. Agents and Principals Principals feel that they have to justify the Agent's role to their superiors and to other principals. But principals do not know what the Agents are supposed to do in the school and community because of the lack of definition associated with the Agent's role. This fac- tor tends to push principals toward the direction of getting Agents to establish in the building after-school programming as their most important function. Agents, in general, bow to the wishes and pres- sures of Principals and concentrate their major efforts primarily on programming. 168 Agents are led to believe that the criteria for judging the suc- cess of Agents are directly related to the establishment of a vital program for adults and children in the school building. Overview It is too premature to judge the Agent's role as to whether or not it has been a success or failure. School-Community Agents are functioning in the schools and communities. Agents are not function- ing as well as they might or could be but they are functioning. Our studies indicate that schools in the Great Cities School Improvement Project in Detroit have more contacts with parents and the community than similar schools that are not in the GCSIP. What is needed for the Agent's role is the establishment of certain criteria for success which will require and enable Agents to work with peOple outside the building as well as inside in an infor- mal knowledgeable way. The establishment of such criteria would per- mit Agents, Principals, and the GCSIP Staff to measure the relative effectiveness of each Agent and Agents in general. APPEEDIX H STATE-TENTS OBTAINED FROM I}: EPNIEW WITH RICHARD SIIfl-‘DEZS, Jd. The following statements are based on statements made by hr. Richard Simmons, Jr. in an interview on Bay 27, 1966. The enclosed summary statements from this interview were submitted to Mr. Simmons for his editing and approval. Mr. Simmons is the Field Director for Detroit Total Action Against Poverty Program (TAP). hr. Simmons views the Agent's rdle as a liaison person between the school and community with stress on community development and organization. He offered the following views on the effectiveness of Agents in the community: 1. 2. Agents have too many tasks to perform in their present func- tions and are Spread too thin in the performance of their duties and reSponsibilities. Agents, in general, are performing a settlement house con- cept of service to the community. Principals often do not cooperate with Agents. Some teachers resent the Agent's autonomy and freedom in the school. Many Agents do not know their communities or the resources in their communities. Agents tend to concentrate on formal organized groups in the community rather than placing their primary emphasis at the grass roots level. Agents become too involved in programming rather than commun- ity organization and development. 169 170 He offers the following views in relation to personnel to use as Agents: 1. There are not enough skilled persons available to fill the needs for persons trained and experienced in community organization and development. 2. Teachers do not have the skills to successfully promote community organization and development. 3. A social worker is a person who possesses the Easter of Social Work degree. he offers the following views on the relationships of Agents to TAP: 1. The COOperation of School-Community Agents with TAP person- nel is almost nonexistent. 2. There have been little efforts to engage the c00peration and services of the TAP program by Agents. 3. Two of the original School-Community Agents are persons with whom we have the best relationship. he offers the following views on in-service education for Agents: 1. There is a tremendous need to train and to re-train Agents in the practical methods of community organization. 2. The present in-service training of Agents tends to be too theoretical. 3. Personnel can be trained to handle the skills of community organization. 'Nhat is needed is greater supervision and in- service education. 4. The Great Cities Project Staff needs to provide more defini- tion to the role of the Agent. APPENDIX I STATEHEI S OBTAIRED FROM K'ERVIEW WITH HAROLD R. JOHZJSON The following statements are based on statements made by Mr. Harold R. Johnson in an interview on Kay 26, 1966. The enclosed summary state- ments from this interview were submitted to hr. Johnson for his editing and approval. hr. Johnson is the Assistant Director of the Neighborhood Service Organization (£80) and has had a direct and in-direct relation- ship with the develOpment of the School-Community Agent's role in the Detroit Great Cities School Improvement Project. Conceptualizatiop Basically, the conceptualization of the role of the School-Community Agent is adequate to allow a person to perform the important and relevant tasks. However, because Agents frequently get pushed into unimportant and irrelevant roles, and because many Agents seek irrelevant and more comfortable roles, I would advocate clarifying and strengthening the con- ceptualization as a means of guaranteeing that Agents act as community communicators, organizers, interpreters, analysts, etc. In other words, a highly motivated and well directed person can presently perform these tasks--however, other persons lacking such motivation and direction can easily rationalize other styles of service. What I am advocating is reconceptualizing the role as a means of limiting the number of options open to persons and thus guaranteeing the notion of School-Community’link- age services. Preparation At the present time there is not one academic Specialization that will prepare a person for the role of an Agent. Social work is getting closer and therefore I suppose this is the degree we Should look for. However, more importantly, persons employed as Agents Should have train- ing and experience in community analysis, they should embrace a philosophy 171 172 of 'reaching out' to peOple, they should understand the culture of the poor, they Should be familiar with citizen organizational strategies, they should have the capacity to form quick and positive relationships, etc. Much of an Agent's armament is an 'art form'--it cannot be readily defined and measured. In my opinion to bureaucratize the selection process of such personnel almost guarantees mediocrity of the program. There needs to be a more free-wheeling approach to personnel selection with a deemphasis of academic credentials. gpployment of Aggnts <;PiiT I would not advocate the general deployment of Agents. Some prin- cipals perform this role faultlessly. Other principals are good 'inside' men and need help with the community. Further, there are some areas 4;. where the role can be more effectively played by someone other than a 133;)”L school administrator. I believe the Agent can be a useful person to “‘ assist the schools to upgrade their services and to assist communities to improve their environmental circumstances. Agents should be used on a selective basis, depending on the competence of other personnel and community conditions. APPEKDIX J OVERVISN OF AGEKT'S ROLE fiY THE GCSIP A COPY The School-Community Agent in the Detroit Public Schodls At the inception of the Great Cities Project in the Detroit Pub- lic Schools five years ago, a rather unique role was created to help attain the Project goal of increasing the competencies of children. The need for a competent liaison person to interpret the school to the community, and the community to the schodl gave rise to the birth of the School-Community Agent. The Agent is a trained social worker assigned to a specific school and charged with the general task of building a bridge between the school and the community. This involves getting out into the neighborhood proper (churches, community councils, block clubs, etc.) to spread understanding of the common goals of school and community for the benefit of children. The major premise on which the role is based is the principal of educating the "whole" child. If we are to truly educate the whole child, we must be aware of all the forces that play on the child, all the hours of the day; not just when he is with.us in school. This theory legitimatizes another function of the Agent, that of reporting back to the school staff the dynamics of that community--its needs, its economics, its culture-~indeed all its societal forces. To draw a Specific picture of the role of the School-Community Agent is impossible. We have no job description for the Agent; only the following six general areas of reSponsibility. 1. Assist school personnel, parents, children, community and community agencies to provide experiences which will help to improve the total competencies of children and youth. 2. Work toward establishing fruitful understanding of relation- ships between school and community toward the end of mutual goals for the benefit of children. 3. Establish working relationships with agencies in the commun- ity such as churches, social agencies, etc. werk toward the 173 174 creation of community organization does not exist. 'Work toward the restructuring of organizations that currently do not effectively meet the needs of children and youth. A. Work with the school staff through group meetings and con- ferences in an attempt to have staffs benefit from your knowledge. This would include interpretation of the com- munity, the culture of the community, the self-image needs of the community, the societal forces that play on the dis- advantaged child, etc. 5. Duties will also involve contact with community councils, block clubs, adult education classes, recreational programs, after-school programs, and any agency existing in the local community. These duties presume great flexibility in terms of skills and needs of the school and community. 6. The school in which the School-Community Agent works will embrace the Community-School concept. Thus, the School- Community Agent will assume duties of program director for some aspects of the after-school, evening classes and activities. It is our expectation that we will never have a more Specific description because we feal strongly that the dynamics of the local school and that school community will determine the approach that the Agent will employ, and the direction that he will go. February, 1965 Great Cities Project hiss Betty Deshler, Coordinator School-Community Agents . u . o ‘ ‘o o . _ . ‘ . APPEI‘IDIX K SC hOOL-COW'L’IUITY AGEl‘IT JOB Alvl'JOUIIC ELEAT A COPY PLEASE POST PLEASE GIVE APPROPRIATE PUBLICITY TO THE FOLLOWIEX} OPEI'JII'JG '1 3‘7 oi‘ROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS M-FI‘IOUI‘FCE‘IENT OF EICPLOE-ENT OPENIITGS TIT E OF POSITION School-Community Agent (12 months) In order to assist children and youth with limited backgrounds to become useful and effective persons in the total community while retaining those cul- tural uniquenesses which add strength and richness to a democratic society, the role of School- Community Agent has developed as an important force in school-community relationships. SALARY Bachelor's Degree: _ Minimump-$63OO Increment--5360 Maximump-S92u0 Master's Degree: hinimum--$666O Increment--$36O Maximum--$96OO Beginning salary will be determined by the experience of the applicant. QUALIFICATIONS Education. Candidates for this position must possess a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. Preparation should include Systematic study in several of the following areas: 175 DUTIES AND RESPOHSISILITIES 7. 8. 9. §§perience. Candidates should have had experience in some of the following areas: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 176 Social'Work a. Community organization b. Group work Guidance and Counseling Services Personnel Administration Public Administration Applied Psychology Occupational and Vocational Information Sociology Mental Hygiene . j£,fi Human Dynamics ‘-*:’- Public and/or private agencies Public housing Social services in community or private agencies Public administration Personnel work in business, industry, or in school systems The School-Community Agent will be assigned to a Specific school and will be expected to work with school staff and administration in the following activities: 1. 2. Assist school personnel, parents, children, com- munity and community agencies to provide experi- ences which will help to improve the total com- petencies of children and youth. Work toward establishing fruitful understanding of relationships between school and community toward the end of mutual goals for the benefit of children. Establish working relationships with agencies in the community such as churches, social service agencies, etc. Work toward the creation of com- _ munity organization where such organization does ,' . not exist. Work toward the restructuring of - I, organizations that currently do not effectively " meet the needs of children and youth. Work with the school staff through group meetings and conferences in an attempt to have staffs bene- fit from your knowledge. This would include ESTHOD OF APPLICATIOE CLOSIRG DATE FOR.APPLICATIOKS 177 interpretation of the community and its needs, the economics of the community, the societal forces that play on the disadvantaged child, etc. 5. Duties will also involve contact with commun- ity councils, block clubs, adult education classes, recreational programs, after-school programs, and any agency existing in the local community. These duties presume great flexi- bility in terms of skills and needs of the school and community. 6. The school in which the School-Community Agent works will embrace the communitysschool concept. Thus, the School-Community Agent will assume duties of program director for some aSpects of the after-school, evening classes and activities. Candidates meeting these qualifications should write immediately to Er. Larry D. Cook, Detroit Public Schools, 5057 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, I'Iichigan #8202, indicating their desire for consideration and their qualifications. Applications for the position of School-Community Agent will be accepted in the office of the Per- sonnel Division through September 25, 196A. APPENDIX L 1965 SALARY scmrmas m3 AGE-ITS AIED TEAC 3333* Agent and Teacher salary Schedules at Less than Easter's Increment Teacher Agent Agent Step 10 months 10 months 12 months 1. $ 5,500 $ 5,500 $ 6,600 2. 5,800 5,800 6,960 3. 6,100 6,100 7,320 4. 6,600 6,600 7.920 5. 6,900 6,900 8,280 6. 7,200 7,200 8,640 7. 7,500 7,500 9,000 8. 7,900 7,900 9,480 9. 8,300 8,300 9,960 10. 8,700 11. 9,000 *Salary schedules figures are taken from Detroit Schools, Vol. 26, lo. 9, December 16, 1965. Schedule is figured out at 10 percent per each additional month. Additional 2 months for Agent's Salary 179 Agent and Teacher Salary Schedules at haster's or Equivalent :23“th $833311. 1* 635m. 86%.. 1. $ 5,800 $ 5,800 $ 6,960 2. 6,100 6,100 7,320 3. 6,400 6,400 7,780 4. 6,900 6,900 8,280 5. 7,200 7,200 8,640 6. 7,500 7,500 9,000 7. 7,800 7,800 9,360 8. 8,200 8,200 9,840 9. 8,600 8,600 10,320 10. 9,000 11. 9,300 Agent and Teacher Salary Schedules at Master‘s Plus 30 Hours Increment Teacher Agent Agent Step 10 months 10 months 12 months 1. $ 6,100 $ 6,100 $ 7.320 2. 6,400 6,400 7,680 3. 6,700 6,700 8,040 4. 7,200 7,200 8,640 5. 7,500 7,500 9.000 180 Agent and Teacher Salary Schedules at Kaster's Plus 30 Hours (Continued) Increment Teacher Agent Agent Step 10 months 10 months 12 months 6. $ 7,800 $ 7,800 $ 9,360 7. 8,100 8,100 9,720 8. 8,500 8,500 10,200 9. 9,300 8,900 10,680 10. 9,600 11. 10,000 Agent and Teacher Salary Schedules at Doctorate Increment Teacher Agent Agent Step 10 months 10 months 12 months 1. $ 6,400 $ 6,400 $ 7,680 2. 6,700 6,700 8,040 3. 7,000 7,000 8,400 4. 7,500 7,500 9,000 5. 7,800 7,800 9.350 6. 8,100 8,100 9,720 7. 8,400 8,400 10,280 8. 8,800 8,800 10,560 9. 9,200 9,200 11,040 10. 9,600 181 Agent and Teacher Salary Schedules at Doctorate (Continued) Increment Teacher Agent Agent Step 10 months 10 months 12 months 11. $ 9.900 12. 10,300 A. APPENDIX 1.; COL-POSITE TABULATIOI‘J OF TIE RESPOL‘