THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHARACTERISTICS OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARD EDUCATIONAL DESEGREGATION By Elizabeth Canady A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfiTTment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY C011ege of Education 1979 © Copyright by ELIZABETH CANADY 1979 ABSTRACT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHARACTERISTICS OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARD EDUCATIONAL DESEGREGATION By Elizabeth Canady The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of school administrators toward desegregation. Lansing, Michigan, was selected as the site for the study because the school system has undergone a voluntary school desegregation program and is a member of the Middle Cities Education Association which is representative of a group of mid-sized school districts involved in desegregation efforts. The school administrators in the Lansing district expressed willingness to participate in the study, an important consideration since research shows that administrators have limited close scrutiny of their impact on school desegregation. The school principal was chosen for the focus of the study because of their potential as the change-agent in the desegregation process. The modern principal must demonstrate executive leadership skills, rather than charismatic traits as frequently used in the past. Yet, he or she must assume the leadership of a school staff "team." The principal's work is unpredictable: It is affected by national and local issues. The principal's behavior is frequently Elizabeth Canady held up as a model for the community. The principal is also the superintendent's "eyes on the school." In this study several aspects of the principal/administrator were analyzed. The fixed variables of age, race, and sex were considered. The acquired variables of area of training, level of training, and years of teaching were included in the analysis. The contact of the administrator with persons of other races was also considered. Questions designed to assess such racial contact included the administrator's experiences with minority persons during his or her own schooling, the frequency with which the administrator invites members of other races to his or her home and the degree of comfort in doing so, the use of multicultural materials, and the administrator's perceptions of children's, parents', and colleagues' views on desegregation. A thirty-one question survey instrument was distributed to all administrators of the Lansing School District. The sample included forty-five elementary school administrators and thirty- four secondary school administrators. Sixteen of the elementary administrators and eight of the secondary administrators were minority group members. The characteristics of the administrators were correlated with attitudes they held toward desegregation. Administrators' attitudes toward desegregation were generally positive; however, they differ on such issues as the role of the court in the desegregation process and whether learning and social relations Elizabeth Canady were improved by school desegregation. Findings reached through the correlations include the following: Age and race, which were two of the fixed variables, were significant. The differences between males' and females' desegrega— tion attitudes were not significant. The acquired variables were not significant; that is, the administrators' areas and levels of training and years of experience were not significantly correlated with their attitude toward desegregation. The administrators' personal contacts with members of other races proved to be more significant than "feelings" expressed about being with others. In other words, the administrators' experiences with childhood class mix in junior high school, with minority administrators during their own educational careers and their current social contacts with persons of other races were significantly related to their attitudes toward desegregation. Whether or not the administrators felt "comfortable“ with members of other races did not correlate with attitudes toward desegregation. The administrators' perceptions of teachers' and students' support of desegregation were not significantly correlated with their own attitudes toward desegregation. But there was a signifi- cant correlation between administrators' attitudes and their percep- tions of weak support of desegregation by parents. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer would like to acknowledge the encouragement and support of the following people: Dean Robert Green for providing continued assistance as dissertation director. Dr. Green's knowledge of the educational process and his direction made the completion of the dissertation both challenging and rewarding. Drs. Paul Slocum, Matthew Prophet, Robert Griffore, and Donald Nickerson, members of the doctoral guidance committee, for providing a professional atmosphere conducive to advanced study. My mother, TexAnna Kennedy, for continually providing the understanding, patience and support that is essential to succeeding. Dr. Robert R. Turpin, my very best friend and advocate, for his discerning and perceptive posture all along the way. Two friends, Dr. Bonita Dostal Neff and Katego Sorlas, who have provided assistance at various stages in the preparation of this document. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES Chapter I. II. III. IV. INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM . School Desegregation in Lansing, Michigan . Need for the Study . Definition of Terms . Limitations of the Study REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Administrative Leadership in the Desegregation Process Importance of Administrative Leadership in the Desegregation Process . Fixed Variables Acquired Variables Summary METHODS AND PROCEDURES Sample Measures . Hypotheses Analysis . ANALYSIS OF THE DATA AND RESULTS . The Attitudes Toward Desegregation . Hypothesis One. Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Administrators' Ages Hypothesis Two. Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Sex of Administrator Hypothesis Three: Differences in Desegregation Attitudes among Black, White and Chicano Administrators . . . . . . . . . Hypothesis Four: Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Their Level of Training iii Page 44 45 Chapter Page Hypothesis Five: Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Years of Teaching or Administrative Experience . . . . 46 Hypothesis Six: Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Racial/Cultural or Desegregation Workshops or Courses Taken . . . . 49 Hypothesis Seven: Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Levels of Education Completed . . . 5l Hypothesis Eight: Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Racial Mix of Schools the Administrators Attended as Children . . . . . 52 Hypothesis Nine: Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Number of Minority Administrators in Administrators' Childhood Schools . . . . . 55 Hypothesis Ten: Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Frequency of Inviting Persons of Other Races to Their Homes . . . . 58 Hypothesis Eleven: Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Degree of Comfort in Inviting Persons of Other Races to Their Homes . . . . 59 Hypothesis TWelve: Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Support of the Use of Multicultural Materials in Classes . . . . . . . . . . . 6O Hypothesis Thirteen: Administrators' Desegregation Attitudes and Their Perceptions of Students', Teachers', and Parents' Attitudes Toward Desegregation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Additional Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 A. Cover Letter and Questionnaire to Administrators . 84 B. Follow-Up Letter to Administrators . . . . . . 9l iv Table £0meme 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. LIST OF TABLES Value of Types of Preparation and Experience . Fixed and Acquired Variables of Administrators in the School District of Lansing, Michigan . . Distribution of Sample Population According to Age Areas of Background Training of Administrators Teaching Experience Administrative Experience Inservice-Coursework . Inservice-Workshops Level of Education Administrators' Childhood Class Mix in Elementary Administrators' Childhood Class Mix in Junior High School . . . . . . Administrators' Childhood Class Mix in Senior High School . . . . . . . . . . Proportion of Racial Mix of Administrators in the Administrators' Elementary Schools Proportion of Racial Mix of Administrators in the Administrators' Junior High School Proportion of Racial Mix of Administrators in the Administrators' Senior High School . . Frequency of Contact by Administrator with Minority Persons . . Comfort Level of Administrator Inviting Minority Persons to Home . . . . . . . . . Page 23 36 43 46 47 48 49 SO 52 53 53 54 56 56 57 58 59 Table Page l8. Administrators' Support for Using Multicultural Materials over Traditional Materials . . . . . . 6l 19. Textbook Usage with Multicultural Emphasis for Two Year Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6l 20. Administrators' Perception of Support from Teachers for Desegregation . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 2l. Administrators' Perception of Support from Students for Desegregation . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 22. Administrators' Perception of Support from Parents for Desegregation . . . . . . . . . . . 63 vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Extensive research has been conducted regarding the attitudes of teachers, students, and parents toward school desegregation, but very little attention has been given to the principal's attitude toward desegregation. Such variables as educational level, teaching. administrative experience, age, sex, and race have not been investi- gated as they relate to the administration of the desegregation of public schools. This is significant because these variables are viewed as being important in administrative leadership. Research on educational leadership has shown that certain characteristics of administrators are key to producing a stimulating and progressive learning environment. It has been generally accepted that the length of teaching experience and educational preparation are strongly related to administrative leadership and the need to achieve. An administrator with a rich background of multicultural training, for example, would have a greater understanding of the com- plexities of the desegregation issues. Proper exposure, training, and educational experience in multicultural areas should serve as key determinants in the development of a type of an administrator that could handle and appreciate the experience of desegregation. It is important to identify the ways in which these experiences translate 1 into administrative leadership decisions. A study of administrators in a five-day institute designed to affect attitudes of participants on desegregation was successful in producing change "in attitudes about concepts thought important to resolving racial and student unrest."1 The results of this study suggest that other key educa- tional and teaching experiences would produce similar results in regard to attitudes toward desegregation. In addition, the sex and race of the school administrator may play an important role in the overall success of desegregation programs. It has been argued for years that females were dispropor- tionately involved in leadership roles at the elementary school level; hence there has been an effort to provide more male administra- tive models for elementary school children. This fact is important because in a matriarchal culture a youngster needs to see male models in leadership roles.2 In fact, children of all races would benefit from seeing minority male role models. A child seeing models of leadership might come to expect male and female minority individuals to be achievers. It is important for a child to have a model of effective integration that will influence his or her own attitudes and perspective of an interracial society.3 School Desegregation in Lansing, Michigan In school desegregation, one of the critical variables is minority administrative leadership. When the Lansing School District attempted to integrate its teaching staff in l949 by hiring Negro teachers, the members of the Board of Education prevented this 4 desegregation effort. The first black teacher was subsequently hired in l95l, but desegregation in the district was essentially at a stand-still after that year. In October l966 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) entered into legal procedures on behalf of black parents and students in the Lansing district. It is interest- ing to note that just in the prior decade, Dr. John Porter, the first black state superintendent of public instruction in Michigan, was working as an elementary school janitor, although he was a certified public school teacher.5 In addition to the impetus toward desegregation which the NAACP involvement provided, other factors which facilitated the drive toward a desegregation effort in Lansing were changes in administra- tive policy and leadership within the school system. The Michigan Department of Public Instruction's publication on the "Treatment of Minority Groups in Textbooks" was adopted in l964 as a "building philosophy." Administrative support for the desegregation effort was enhanced when Hortense G. Canady was elected the first black member of the Lansing Board of Education five years later.6 In l97l a big push for educational desegregation was actively initiated with the selection of Carl Candoli as the Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Candoli was chosen unanimously by the Board because of his disposition toward equality and quality educational experience for all students.7 In 1964 Lansing began the implementation of a voluntary desegregation program. The plan was running smoothly until l972, when the citizens recalled the school board and attempted to put a halt to desegregation in the city. At this point, the court stepped in, ordering desegregation to proceed. The initial voluntary desegregation effort in Lansing allowed the development of potential administrative leadership and was further supported by a concerted effort to retain minority teachers and administrators when tight budgets necessitated dropping staff. In other words, when blacks were fired on a wholesale basis as a result of the northern seniority system, Lansing was circumventing this prob- lem through a policy of retaining minorities.8 For the Lansing minorities the "pink slip" syndrome and the old adage "the last hired and the first to be fired" did not apply.9 The Lansing school system, therefore, is an ideal system for study of school administrators' attitudes toward desegregation since the administrators in the system include both minority and non- minority personnel with various degrees of experience in school administration and in administration of the voluntary desegregation program. Need for the Study_ Little attention has been given to the characteristics of the administrator relative to desegregation in educational settings. A limited number of studies have recognized that the administrator is an important leader in affecting attitudes, but they have not studied administrative leadership relative to desegregation. In a report prepared by Forehand, Ragosta, and Rock, the following statement supports the absence of study on administrative leadership relative to desegregation: Many efforts to understand and deal with desegregation, in both research and policy terms, have strangely neglected the role of the school: what happens in the classrooms, corridors, gymnasiums, cafeterias, and principals' offices. Much emphasis has been placed on the undeniably important roles of community politics, economic conditions, public policy, and the leadership and social history of the majority and minority communities. But education, effective or otherwise, takes place in the schools. So, the primary impact of integration on students will come not through community politics but through instruction and practice in the schools.10 But in general, the literature on desegregation concludes that the "principal is the most important person in successful integration,"]] primarily because the principal serves a dual role as educator and. executive. The literature further suggests the principal's attitude "is significantly related to the racial attitudes of the students in the schools."12 But the degree of generality present in the litera- ture suggests that a careful study of the administrators' attitudes is needed. This study will fulfill a current gap in the desegrega- tion studies by identifying the degree to which administrators' characteristics are related to their attitudes about school desegre- gation. The present study will identify the extent to which admin- istrative variables are associated with attitudes toward desegrega- tion. The variables will include demographic characteristics, formal experience and training, personal experience in related areas, communication and expectation in regard to staff, perceived attitudes of others toward desegregation, and the amount of and quality of multicultural exposure. Identifying the variables asso- ciated with positive attitudes toward school desegregation may help in developing guidelines for selecting administrators who will pro- mote successful desegregation. Identifying such variables may also suggest some ways in which training and inservice programs for administrators can positively affect school desegregation. The present study will address the following questions: l. Is there a significant correlation between administrators' desegregation attitudes and their ages? 2. Is there a significant difference between male and female administrators' desegregation attitudes? 3. Are there significant differences in desegregation attitudes among black, white, and Chicano admin- istrators? 4. Is there a significant difference in desegregation attitudes as a function of administrators' levels of training? 5. Are there significant correlations between desegregation attitudes and the number of years of teaching or administrative experience? 6. Are there significant correlations between atti- tudes toward desegregation and the number of credits of minority coursework taken, the number of desegregation workshops attended, or other desegregation activities in which administrators have participated? 7. Is there a significant correlation between atti- tudes toward desegregation and the level of education completed? 8. Is there a significant correlation between atti- tudes toward desegregation and the proportion of black students in the elementary, junior high, and senior high schools the administrators attended as children? 9. Is there a significant correlation between desegre- gation attitudes and the number of black administra- tors in the elementary, junior high, and senior high schools the administrators attended as children? 10. Is there a significant correlation between atti- tudes toward desegregation and the frequency with which administrators invite members of another race to their homes? ll. Is there a significant correlation between administrators' attitudes toward desegregation and their feeling comfortable about inviting members of another race to their homes? l2. Is there a significant correlation between administrators' support of the use of multi- cultural materials in classes and their attitudes toward desegregation? 13. Are there significant correlations between administrators' attitudes toward desegregation and their perceptions of students', teachers', or parents' attitudes toward desegregation? 14. Is there a significant correlation between attitudes toward desegregation and inter- racial attitudes? Definition of Terms Attitude. The viewpoint one holds toward an idea or process. In the context of this study, the respondents"viewpoint toward racial mix in their personal life styles and their position on the use of multicultural approaches in a school system was the attitude of importance. Elementary administrator. A person in charge of a K-4 facility, K-5-6 facility, or a K-6 facility. Fixed variables. Characteristics of the subject which form a permanent part of his or her existence. In this study the sex, race and age of the school administrators were the fixed variables considered. Lansing administrators. Elementary or secondary school principals and assistant principals who have the responsibility of managing a school population and are in direct contact with students in the areas of curriculum, management, and/or discipline. Leadership expectation. The support and encouragement of the administrator for those on his or her staff as needed for com- pletion of goals or success of a program; i.e., generally the guidance and support expected of a leader by his or her staff. In this particular study, leadership expectation refers to the admini- strators support and encouragement of his or her staff's efforts to successfully implement the desegregation program, including support for the use» of nmlticultural materials in the classroom. It also refers to his or her leadership in the desegregation effort in encouraging the community as a whole--teachers, students, and parents--to accept desegregation as a positive process. Multicultural. Racial and/or ethnic diversity within a given context or situation. In this study, "multicultural" is used to describe textbooks and other instructional materials which examine or take into account the history, culture, and experience of various groups within society.13 It is also used to describe educa- tional and personal experiences of school administrators which involve persons of more than one race. Perceived attitudes. The viewpoints which one believes are held by another whether or not the second party in fact holds those viewpoints. In the context of this study, perceived attitudes are those which school administrators believe to be held by teachers, parents, and students. Secondary administrator. A person having the responsibility of a 7-9 grade facility or a 9-l2 grade facility. This includes assistant principals. Training. The experiences one obtains from a structured course of learning. Formal education, inservice, and on-the-job learning experiences are the types of training referred to in this study. The primary effort here will be to identify the multi- cultural dimension of training which may make a difference in desegregation attitudes. Limitations of the Study_ This study has two limitations. First, the subjects have been taken from one school district, and this may limit somewhat the ability to generalize to other institutions and regions. More- over, the respondents were employed in a system which voluntarily desegregated--hence, their responses may not be easily compared with the responses of administrators in cities undergoing court-ordered desegregation. However, there are several arguments for confining a study to a single school system. An intensive examination of a single school system "gives some assurance that staffing, curriculum, and other policies are roughly similar in schools of various racial mixes, though it is probably impossible even within a single system to equate exactly the quality of schools serving different popula- 14 tions." Furthermore, the Lansing School District represents the 10 size of district most frequently involved in desegregation and may reflect similar demographic characteristics found in other school districts experiencing desegregation. Lansing is similar in size and population to the fifteen other cities in the Middle Cities Education Association. The Middle Cities Education Association is an organiza- tion of cities, which because of size and other characteristics, have similar needs for resources and problems in obtaining adequate fund- ing. The Association seeks legislative contacts to maintain the information flow which would assist these cities which are smaller than Detroit and larger than most small towns in Michigan. There are similarities in the racial make-up of cities in the Middle Cities Education Association and the policies guiding decision making in these cities are comparable. Having a pool of cities bound together by need and policy is helpful when relating the findings of this study to other cities in the nation. Thus, the findings of the present study may also be applicable to cities such as Dayton, Ohio, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.15 The second limitation involves the degree of accuracy and honesty with which the respondents completed the questionnaire, since the variables were, in some cases, personal by nature. In addition, the respondents were acquainted with the investigator. The effect of all these variables is difficult to measure and may place some unidentified bias on the results. CHAPTER I: FOOTNOTES 1Steven A. Heller, The Effects of a Five-Day Institute on the Attitudes of Black and White Public School Participants: An Occasional Paper (Knoxville: Tennessee University, l97l), p. 40. 2Daniel Patrick Moynihan, "Employment, Income, and the Ordeal of the Negro Family," The Negro American, ed. Talcott Parsons and Kenneth B. Clark (Boston: Beacon Press, l966), pp. l49-15l. 3Garlie A. Forehand and Marjorie Ragosta, A_flandbook for Integrated Schooling_(Princeton, N.J.: Educational Testing Service, l967), p. 5. 4Hortense G. Canady, "Cooperative Community Efforts Leading to Equal Educational Opportunity in the Lansing School District, with Special Emphasis on the Role of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People" (East Lansing: Michigan State University, 1978), p. 4. 5Robert Griffore, Casandra A. Simmons, Patricia L. Herbert and Sylvia C. Smith, "Lansing, Michigan," Integrateducation (November-December, 1977): 28-32. 6Canady, p. l6. 71bid. 8Roger D. Stephon, "An Affirmative Personnel Retention Program: The Education Association Vantage Point," Desegregation and Beyond, Conference Proceedings and Forum Series PapersTTAnn Arbor: Program for Educational Opportunity, School of Education, University of Michigan, 1975), pp. l51-l55. 9 Ibid. 10Garlie A. Forehand, Marjorie Ragosta, and Donald A. Rock, School Conditions and Race Relations (Princeton, N.J.: Educational Testing Service, l977), p. l. 11 12 Forehand and Ragosta, p. l3. Ibid., p. 4l. 11 12 13111111., p. 1. 14Nancy St. John, School Desegregation: Outcomes for Children (New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., l975), p. 11. 1soavid I. Bednarek, "Milwaukee," Integrateducation, 15 (November-December, I977): 36-37. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE The role of administrative leadership in educational desegre- gation may be more crucial than research has reported. While the administrator is often needed to correct misconceptions about desegregation, the techniques and skills he or she needs to do this have not been studied. Thomas Minter, in his paper "How Does a District Mobilize for Desegregation?" stresses that the quality of human leadership is one of the determinants of whether a desegrega- tion effort will be peaceful or not.1 The attitudes and competencies of superintendents and top administrators of schools are critical for planning the desegregation movement within the sociopolitical con- text.2 "In relationships with both students and faculty, the principal is the most effective and visible model for and facilitator of good race relations," is proclaimed in a study supported by the U.S. Office of Education. The social climate an administrator provides should reflect a caring educational environment. Bernard Watson maintains that the administrator must provide a school climate which meets the children's 4 And one of the obvious weaknesses in school climate is the needs. lack of minority educators in positions of decision-making authority to provide models for children. 13 14 Robert Griffore reinforces this need by stating that in each city, school desegregation is unique. Some commonalities, however, can be identified in each experience. Griffore stresses that although the superintendent may have the quality of being the one viewed to be "in concert with the school board, desegregation lawyers, the press, and social scientists, another administrator may be similarly 'blessed,' for example, the principal."5 The role of the administrator is too frequently overlooked when one realizes the potential persuasive power he or she may possess. In times of extreme stress during desegregation, an administrator may be the symbol of calm, in the eye of the storm. An aware principal 6 Examples may provide "ancillary relief" through special programs. of this include strategies for monitoring discipline procedures, pro- viding inservice training for teachers and other personnel, reforming biased curriculum, and correcting the misuse of standardized tests. When media coverage of desegregation programs is negative, the administrator may have the ability to counteract the influence of the media.7 When a school district can join parents in suing other school districts, such as in the Wilmington, Delaware school district case, then the persuasiveness of the administrator is very powerful. Or perhaps the school district may listen to some key leaders as a result of the administrator identifying those leaders in the desegregation 8 effort. Research has hardly begun to study the impact of the administrator on the desegregation process. 15 For many years people viewed the desegregation problem as primarily a southern problem. But experiences over the past few years suggest that there are tremendous difficulties with desegrega- tion in the northern part of the country as well. The discovery that desegregation presented a comparable problem in the northern states and in the South has resulted in a greater awareness of how complex the desegregation process is. The problems with desegregation in the North need more research. Some people believed that segregated schooling would begin to disappear following the 1954 court decision.9 However, this was not the case. Dentler notes that "if the public schools in the North were placed on a scale from all-white to all-Negro, the great 10 majority of them will cluster at the far extremes." Bouma and Hoffman stated that "the picture for nationwide school desegregation remains as bleak in the 19705 as it was in the fifties and sixties."n The role of the administrator in a situation which is highly segregated is of great interest. It is important to note that "in absolute numbers, children who are attending segregated schools in "'2 The the North have greatly increased in the last nineteen years. leadership in the North which has encouraged this movement should be examined more closely in light of the continuing efforts to establish desegregated environments.13 Previous studies have focused on the relationships of parental, pupil, and teacher attitudes to desegregation. One of the major obstacles to the study of administrators has been their reluctance to serve as subjects in such a study. 16 Administrative Leadership_in the Desegregation Process Even the most authoritative studies on desegregation have ignored the role of the principal. In the l968 study, The Politics of School Desegregation, the conclusions indicated that the school board and superintendent make the policy decisions regarding desegre- 14 gation. The Coleman report, Equality of Educational Opportunity, points to family background and race ratio as critical factors in a child's achievement.15 The Report of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission on Racial Isolation in the Public Schools emphasizes race ratio among teachers as the most important factors in integration.16 These major studies overlook the contributions of the principal. It was not until the study by Martha Turnage which looked at the principal as a change-agent in desegregation that the principal was given any major consideration in research.17 Her statewide survey in Virginia established the principal as the key in the desegregation effort, noting particularly the principal's role in human relations. An example of this can be drawn from the Cain study which looked at the success of the community groups through interviews with the principal. Jack Culbertson discusses one major reason why the principal ‘8 Often has not been noted as a key person in school desegregation: the principal is more successful in working behind the scenes. The principal is viewed as a helper and thus not a dynamic leader of change. This quiet approach may be the very reason the principal is so successful. 17 The Tumin study views the principal, teamed with the right teacher, as the strongest combination possible. A poor principal will frustrate good teachers and diminish greatly the chances of successful desegregation.19 Perhaps one of the most important reasons why the principal has been ignored in studies is that the "defensiveness of principals has resulted in the lack of evaluation of their role in structuring the racial climate of the school."20 Nancy St. John has noted that the principal has power to deny study of administrators and thus can effectively avoid the thrust of research. Importance of Administrative Leadership in the Desegregatifih Process Few realize how much the process of desegregation redefines the principal's position. In most cases, the principal is untrained for the new reSponsibilities. Furthermore, few principals are given the power to do the job properly, few are consulted by the decision maker in the school system, and support of their efforts from the 21 state level is uncertain. It is amazing that many principals succeed in the desegregation effort despite all these restrictions.22 The principal operates as a change-agent in a larger con- struct than the school system. He or she is part of a social move- ment which is nationwide. The pressure groups for and against desegregation efforts and the increased funding necessary for desegregation efforts disrupt every part of life in the school system. The principal is no longer responding to the needs of the 18 school but to the demands placed upon him or her by concepts the school may not support generally. The principal as change-agent is no longer operating in a school where daily routine can be predicted. The principal may be leading in a variety of ambiguous directions. He or she may not always understand clearly why something has to be done but must have the leadership ability to carry through the task. The principal as a change-agent must approach the running of the school more as an executive directing a team effort than as a charismatic personality who is identified with the school. The principal must have skills to bring diversified people together and help them to work through difficult tasks. The ease with which the principal performs the role of change-agent in the community is very dependent upon racial criteria. The white principal is seen as the leader in the white community, a model for the attitudes the community is expected to espouse. The black principal, meanwhile, has a more difficult time, having the need to deal with more issues within the community. The principal as a change-agent also has a key position in the power system. The higher level administrators rely on the principal's perceptions of the implementation of desegregation. The degree to which the principal shares these perceptions with the other administrators has impact on the success of the desegregation effort.23 These expectations of a principal as a change-agent emphasize the importance of training for principals. Although most principals survive and are successful, training would make the process easier 19 by developing skills and providing exposure to experiences that are key to the desegregation effort. Fixed Variables Age, Sex, Race. Age, sex, and race are determining factors for the population being studied. While desegregation has focused heavily on obtaining a better balance of the fixed characteristic of race among administra- tors in a school district, the desegregation effort has not changed dramatically the sex bias in the decision-making group. Although the majority of teachers are women and administrators are chosen from these ranks, few women become administrators. In fact, the pro- portion of women in administrative positions is steadily declining. In l928, fifty-five percent of elementary principals were women, but forty years later only twenty-two percent were in administrative positions.24 The professional associations and teacher unions have other priorities, usually salaries and, in some cases, teaching con- ditions. Another factor operating in the desegregation environment is the goal of placing more male minority persons in key decision- making positions.25 The male minority model is greatly lacking in administration. This increase in male minority representation will occur at the expense of the white female and not change much the percentage of white males in the decision-making hierarchy. The change will not be very dramatic on the key decision- making levels. There will be some increase in male and female 20 minority administrators, a decrease in white females, with the white male holding status quo. Obviously it is difficult to discuss the sex of those in the decision-making group without discussing the racial composition and age representation of the group. If white females are represented in key decision-making roles they will usually be older white females. Occasionally an older black woman will surface, one who perhaps has worked her way up through the teaching ranks to be selected as a pioneer or a token black on the middle management scene. The number of minority males will be increasing during the desegregation effort but they will be primarily young administrators. The Hispanic minority, although 26 and the nation27 remains the having substantial numbers in Lansing smallest group among the decision-making ranks, partly because the general public is not aware of the growth of this population and partly because the Hispanic cultural expectations for women tend to not encourage the Hispanic female to pursue decision-making roles. Age or seniority is an additional factor that retards promo- tion and advancement for women. Women lose seniority and often positions due to sex-linked discrimination practices, the result of marriage and maternity breaks.28 Heller suggests such biases in determining the balance of sex, race and age of administrators has an impact on attitudes.29 In a study of professional staffs, blacks, for example, tended to be more favorably disposed toward desegregation than whites. Fixed 21 characteristics of a decision making group are critical, then, in facilitating or hindering the process in desegregation. Acquired Variables Training. The principal's training is key to the development and understanding of the need for desegregation. There are two seg— ments of training: the principal's basic educational training and later inservice training received in the school system. Basic education. There has been much criticism of the principal's training for administrative leadership. Several sources indicated that principals are trained in the wrong model and need a training model, instead, that emphasizes the clinical experience and a more general liberal arts philosophy.30 The cognitive skills should be emphasized more than the mechanical. Most importantly, the comptency goals related to human relations, communications, and the ability to encourage self- improvement should be a major part of the training.31 Robert Katz suggests that there are three basic competencies or skills; technical, human, and conceptual. He defines these as: Technical skill involves specialized knowledge and a facility in the use of specific tools and techniques. Human skill is primarily concerned with building cooperative effort within the human organization the administrator leads. Conceptual skill relates to recognizing the interrelationships of the various factors and to taking that action which achieves the maximum good for the total organization.32 Whatever the model should be, there are some specific char- acteristics (acquired variables) of administrators that must be discussed in terms of basic education. They are: 22 Years of experience. Women outnumbered men in every age group in a teacher survey conducted by the National Education Asso- ciation. The same survey found that women have more teaching experience than men. The mean computed years of teaching experience was ll.8 years for the total group, male and female. The mean for women was l3.l years.33 Area of experience. The administrator's training is most likely to be in educational administration. "From seventy-six to seventy-nine percent of all principals and superintendents have selected education administration as their major field of concentra- tion."34 Again, most have teaching experience in addition to administrative experiences. Level of education. Almost all administrators have advanced degrees. Ninety percent of the administrators have masters degrees. The trend is toward graduate work beyond the masters degree. The doctorate is more likely to be held by the superintendent. Inservice training, The preparation of an individual for the principalship may be varied. A survey of principals established those factors which contributed most to preparing them for their positions (see Table l).35 However, those factors which prepare the principal for the desegregation effort are entirely a different matter. If teachers' experiences have been in a nonintegrated environment, their years of teaching experience would be of little value for implementing desegregation. If the on-the-job experience is not multicultural, then a principal has little opportunity to become a confident leader of a desegregation plan. Inservice 23 TABLE l.--Value of Types of Preparation and Experience. Much Some Little No Value Value Value Response Graduate Education 36.0% 5l.3% 6.l% 6.6% Experience as Teacher 84.8 9.8 0.7 4.7 Experience as Assistant Principal 39.3 22.3 4.2 34.2 Inservice Programs 23.9 45.9 9.7 20.5 On-the-Job Experience 84.7 5.6 0.5 9.2 State and National Principals' Meetings l3.4 47.5 22.0 l7.l Internship 26.2 28.9 7.8 37.l training, then, may be of great value in assisting the principal in facilitating the desegregation process. Having principals switch environments may be a very over- whelming task. Providing inservice training which would focus on the concepts critical to a desegregation effort may be the best answer to facilitating the desegregation of schools. Concepts extremely important in relationship to climate and achievement in schools in Michigan are giving students a sense of . . feeling they have control over their mastery of the academic work and that the system is not stacked against them . . . that teachers care about their academic success and that the teachers and students offer reinforcement for high academic performance . . . that high expectancy and teachers' commitments are expressed in the instructional activities which absorb most of the school day . . . that much time is devoted to instructional activity . . . and 24 that teachers consistently reward students for their demonstrated achievement in the academic subject.35 It is primarily through inservice training that the administrators can be most easily reached. Inservice training, too, can shorten the experience factor by concentrating on the critical factors in regard to desegregation. Robert Green, in "Public Schools and Equal Educational Opportunity,” suggests a two-pronged approach to preparing school staffs for school desegregation. Green suggests that an effort be made to re-educate the existing teaching force, and teacher- 37 The latter is much more training programs be completely overhauled. complex and would be a difficult if not impossible task for the immediate desegregation efforts. One factor, which is almost the reverse side of the coin, is the situation of those administrators who are already in economically deprived areas. Inservice here can offer inspiration and dedication. Schools where the leadership has given up on youngsters may need revitalization for a successful desegregation effort.38 Inservice training is needed to rectify the many shortcomings of traditional curricula. The traditional curricula relate almost exclusively to white middle-income experience. This type of cur- riculum has been shown to foster anxieties among poor and minority persons about their own culture and backgrounds.39 The administrative staff of the Pontiac school system was surveyed after the desegregation effort and the respondents indicated that pre-service or inservice training would have been very useful in helping them cope with the desegregation. The Pontiac staff 25 indicated that the lack of sufficient training (and experience), adequate time to plan, and a good understanding of black culture were serious handicaps to the desegregation process.40 The conclusions of a variety of studies indicate that in- service is needed to overcome the bias in our teacher and administra- tor training programs. Furthermore, on-the-job training is needed to cope with the process of desegregation. There has been some discussion among administrators about the need for desegregation. The possibility of educators being hypocrites and not practicing what they believe has been proposed. The preferred idea is that educators are culturally deficient. To overcome this deficiency, there needs to be a program established for the educator. This would be a multi-faceted program with the following phases: The first phase would be designed to develop the educators' awareness of cultural diversity. Differences among cultures would be identified and the implications of cultural con- flicts discussed. The second phase would look at teaching styles and at the needs and resources of the school.41 The third phase would look at the logistics for implementation of multicultural education. At this point another checklist of management plans emerges--the management of multicultural education. Once the educators' cultural deficiencies are corrected, there are many specific steps outlined in the literature which would be helpful to an administrator. Briefly these are as follows: 26 l. Set program goals of responsibility and accountability, and effective systems for monotoring performance. 2. Establish points of responsibility, accountability, and effective systems for monitoring performance. 3. Identify personal and organizational behaviors that impede progress toward achieving goals. 4. Motivate and direct staff to increase their awareness and to change negative attitudes and behaviors. 5. Marshal and direct money, time, and personnel to respond to the needs of the program. 6. Seek to educate all elements of the school community (to insure support of the program). 7. Invite, direct, and support a continuing examination of school curricula, materials, and teaching strategies. 8. Encourage and assist constructive efforts to expedite, to innovate, and to change. 9. Define critical indicators of progress toward achieving goals. l0. Supervise and evaluate the performance of faculties and staff; establish patterns of accountability for reach- ing goals in multicultural education.42 Thomas K. Minter, former Superintendent of Wilmington Public Schools in Delaware, suggests that a different curriculum is needed. It is most important that the child know that his background is different but of equal importance in the contribution to heritage and culture. Black painters and writers hold as much importance, for example, as all those who traditionally have been included in 43 Bernard Watson, an academic vice president of the history of art. Temple University in Philadelphia, states that it is important that the knowledge is taught by teachers and administrators in a caring 27 environment.44 Again, it is inservice training that is most likely to produce the change needed to make desegregation work. Interracial contact. One's interracial contact is a frequent facilitator in changing attitudes toward desegregation. Robert Green states: Of course, there is no guarantee that contact between dif- ferent groups will provide a necessary and sufficient domination for improving attitudes; but if contact alone is not a sufficient condition, it is certainly a necessary one. The factors that have long been considered important for improving interracial attitudes are (l) prolonged contact, (2) the pursuit of common goals, and 33) the sanction of powerful authority figures . . . . 5 The Kerner Commission had a sharper warning. The Commission strongly stated that unless children of different races had the opportunity to interact in the educational setting, the racial atti- tudes produced by three centuries of myth, ignorance and bias would be perpetuated.46 Thus, an administrator's life-style should be an important statement in regard to the desegregation effort. Approval of multicultural approaches. There appear to be three levels of administrative decision making crucial to multi- cultural educational approaches. The administrator's commitments, awareness, and conceptual strategies are of most importance. An administrator who supports multicultural approaches has an existing time line to assure that these areas are implemented. The responsi— bilities for managing the multicultural program are assigned. The priorities among these areas are assigned. The administrator has provided for time to plan and the suggested areas of planning include: Sequential (one event relates to the next), conserving 28 resources, personnel availability, resource availability, political factors, and special events (allowing for any opportunity to facili- tate the event). A good multicultural program will fit well into the time frame of the school year. The test of a multicultural program includes accountability, evaluating, monitoring, counseling, and adjusting.47 Viewpoint. The degree to which the administrator is cogni- zant of the opinions of others toward desegregation is related to the degree of leadership that principal is willing to put forth. It is important for the principal to recognize that desegregation shifts the principal's function from that of primary concern with being an instructional leader to that of emphasizing interpersonal and organizational processes.48 In a pilot study which revealed the importance of a princi- pal's human relations skills, these specific observations were made: It was observed that those principals who made the greatest effort to admit and recognize their own prejudices are more able to function effectively and to deal with ambiguities of desegregation than the principals who firmly declared that they have no prejudices.49 Perhaps this observation fits into the basic premise about the need for educating the educator. One apparently cannot deal with the multicultural needs until one can understand them.50 The need for establishing multicultural training in teachers' training programs is obvious. Until this need is met the administra- tor may be viewing the desegregation process, including the percep- tions of colleagues, students, and parents on desegregation, with lack of knowledge and defensiveness. The principal does not come 29 equipped to deal with such complexities and training in human rela- tions can alter greatly a person's viewpoint. In addition, inservice training should be expanded to include a socio-political dimension. Principals have been trained for routine management of school affairs. Issues which derive from those outside of the system are usually in areas that do not relate directly to the training of the principal. In a paper entitled "Educational Reform and the Plight of the Nation's Poor," Robert Green recommends that the first task of educators should be to become informed about the political domain. The example given is that of legislation which would improve living conditions of the people. Such improvements in turn have significance for the quality of education.51 Summar The comprehensive literature review indicates that the following findings are important to educational desegregation: l. Administrative leadership plays a very important role in the educational process, in fact, the administrator is considered to be a key person. 2. Moreover, the literature points to a positive relationship between minority racial status and attitudes toward educational desegregation. CHAPTER II: FOOTNOTES 1Thomas K. Minter, "How Does a District Mobilize for Desegregation?" School Despgregation, Makipg It Work (East Lansing: Michigan State University, College of Urban Development, l976), p. 42. 2Ibid., p. 44. 3Forehand, Ragosta, and Rock, p. 6. 4Bernard C. Watson, In Spite of the System (Cambridge: Ballinger Publishing Co., l974), pp. 96-99 5Robert Griffore, "A Model for the Successful Implementation of School Desegregation. A Reaction to 'How Does a District Mobilize for Desegregation,’ by Thomas K. Minter." Presented at the Invitational Conference at Michigan State University on Successful Implementation of School Desegregation, July 9, l976. 6Robert L. Green, "The Impact of the Brown Decision on America's Education System--Elementary School Through University: Personal Observations and Comments on National Trends," Negro Educational Review, 30(2-3) (April-July l979):l21. 7 p. A-S. 8 The State Journal, August 22, 1978, Lansing, Michigan, Minter, p. 52. 9Robert L. Green, "Northern School Desegregation: Educa- tional, Legal, and Political Issues," Uses of the Sociology of Education, 73rd Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education (Chicago: National Society for the Study of Education, 1974). p. 216. 1D Ibid. 1]Donald H. Bouma and James Hoffman, The Dynamics of School Integration and Approaches in a Northern City (Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Erdman's Publishing Co., l968l, p. l4. 12Meyer Weinberg, Desegregation Research: An Appraisal (Bloomington, Ind.: Phi Delta Kappan, l970), p. 8. 30 31 13Green, "Northern School Desegregation," p. 2l8. 14Robert L. Cain, The Politics of School Desegregation (Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company, 1968), pp. l31-l33. 15James S. Coleman, et al., Egualitypof Educational Oppor- tunity (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, U.S. Office of Education, l966), p. 325. 16U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Racial Isolation in the Public Schools (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, l968), pp. lO3-lOB. 17Martha Turnage, The Principal: Change-Agent in Desegrega- tion (Chicago: Integrated Education Associates, 1972). 18Jack Culbertson, "Changing the Schools," Theory Into Practice, 2 (December l963): 249-25l. 19Melvin Tumin, "The Process of Integration," The National Elementary Principal, 45 (February l966): l4. 20 21 22 St. John, pp. l20-12l. Turnage, pp. 8-9. Ibid., p. 1. 23Ibid., p. 15. 24Alice S. Rossi, "Job Discrimination and What Women Can Do About It," Discrimination Against Women, Part II. U.S. Congress House of Representatives, Committee on Education and Labor, Hearings Before the Special Subcommittee on Education, 9lst Congress, 2nd Session 805 of HR, l6098 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, l97l), pp. 929-930. 25 Forehand and Ragosta, p. 40. 26County and City Data Book l977, A Statistical Abstract Supplement (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977), p. 684. 27Statistical Abstract of the United States 1978 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, l978), p. 32. 28Jacqueline Parker Clement, Sex Bias in School Leadership (Evanston, Ill.: Integrated Education Associates, 1975), p. 35. 32 29 30Training Educational Leaders: A Search for Alternatives, Report of the Leadership Training Institute on Educational Leader- ship, 1969-1975 (Washington, D.C.: George Washington University), pp. 5-7. 31 32Robert L. Katz, "Skills of an Effective Administrator,“ Harvard Business Review (January-February 1955): 33-42. 33The American Public School Teacher, NEA Research Division Research Report l967-R4 (Washington, D.CTE National Education Association, 1965-66), p. 12. 34Ronald F. Campbell, et al., Introduction to Education Administration (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1971), p. 377. 35William L. Pharis and Sally Banks Zakariya, The Elementary_ School Principalship in 1978: A Research Stugy_(Arlington, Va.: National Association of Elementary School Principals, 1978), p. 29. 36 Heller, pp. 28-29. Ibid., p. 102. Minter, p. 45. 37Robert L. Green, "Public Schools and Equal Educational Opportunity," Journal of Non-White Concerns in Personnel and Guidance (Julyl974): 200. 38Robert L. Green, Significant and Unique Problems Facing Blacks in American Education (East Lansing: Michigan State University,ll973), p.l151 39Robert L. Green, The Urban Challenge--Poverty and Race (Chicago: Follett Publishing Company, 1977), p. 215. 40David Kasen and Alfred Pavlish, The Views of Pontiac School Principals on the Process of Desegregation,lPontiac, Michigan (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Office of Education, 19727Tl 4lMadelon Stent, et al., Cultural Pluralism in Education (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1973), pp. 77-83. 42Price M. Cobbs and Diane K. Winokur, Education for Ethnic and Racial Diversity (Los Angeles: University of Southern Caliiornia, The Far West Teacher Corps Network, 1977), p. 7. 43 Minter, p. 45. 44Ibid., p. 47. 33 45Robert L. Green, "A Social Scientist's View of School Desegregation: National Politics, Attitude Change and School Achievement," School Desegregation--Making it Work (East Lansing: Michigan State University, College of Urban Development, 1976), pp. 20-21. 46Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1968), p. 238. 47Cooos and Winokur, pp. 6-13. 48Turnage, p. 3. 4glbid., p. 3. 5OStent. pp. 77-73. 5‘Robert L. Green, "Educational Reform and the Plight of the Nation's Poor, A Political Approach for Education" (East Lansing: Michigan State University, 1974), p. 11. CHAPTER III METHODS AND PROCEDURES The sample for this study was selected from the Lansing School District. Several fixed and acquired variables of administra- tors were measured with a survey instrument. The analysis focused on the correlations of these variables with the administrators' attitudes toward desegregation. Sample The subjects for this study are administrators in the Lansing School District employed as principals and assistant principals during the 1977-78 school year. The Lansing School District was selected for study for the following reasons: 1. A certain richness of data is to be found in the Lansing School District because the original Lansing desegregation effort was a product of voluntary school board and staff commitment, unlike many other districts which have been involved in court-ordered desegregation. School administrators have had to make decisions in a working relationship that developed with community groups. The role of these administrators has never been examined closely and a closer look may clarify the administrator's role during the voluntary desegregation process. 34 35 2. The Lansing schools set a desegregation precedent when the NAACP Education Committee issued an edict in the early 1960s. One of the major assumptions made by the NAACP in the edict was that minorities in administrative roles provide much needed role models for children. One of the goals was to have minorities placed in administrative positions. This resulted in minorities being in key decision-making positions prior to the major court-ordered efforts in desegregation. The minority populations are well represented in Lansing and have been thoroughly involved in desegregation. Having a number of minority persons in leadership positions during the desegregation process is an important dimension of the study. 3. Lansing is a member of the Middle Cities Education Association. This fact offers a basis of comparison with cities in Michigan with comparable sized school districts involved in desegre- gation. Elementary administrators are principals in charge of a K-4 facility, K-5-6 facility, or K-6 facility. One administrator in the survey has the responsibility of a special education facility that houses kindergarten through twelfth grade programs for mentally- impaired youngsters. The secondary administrators are principals or assistant principals having the responsibility of a 7-9 grade facility or a 10-12 grade facility. The sample is comprised of thirty-four secondary school administrators and forty-five elementary school administrators. The sample includes twenty-five male and twenty female elementary school 36 administrators, and twenty-five male and nine female secondary school administrators. Sixteen of the elementary administrators are minority persons while eight of the secondary school administrators are minority group members. A total of seventy-nine questionnaires was distributed by mail to Lansing administrators, of which sixty-two questionnaires were returned for 78.5 percent return. A reminder was sent to maxi- mize the return responses (see Appendix for sample). Those not returning questionnaires were primarily white, male administrators. It is important to note that the minority response rate was high because the population was not large to begin with. Comparison of the characteristics of all Lansing administrators with those in the sample for the school district, in terms of race, sex, age, and years of experience, is shown in Table 2. TABLE 2.--Fixed and Acquired Variables of Administrators in the School District of Lansing, Michigan. Average Ethn1 c Groups Sex vilegergagef Age White Black Chicano M F’ Experience Total Population 44.4 56 19 4 53 26 17.7 Sample P0pulation 43.7 42 16 4 40 22 21.7 *This information was furnished by the Personnel Division of the Lansing School District, Lansing, Michigan. 37 Table 2 indicates that the sample population concentrates somewhat more on the administrators with slightly greater experience. The responses are representative of the breakdown between white and minority, and proportionate for the two sexes. Measures The questionnaire used in this study was a thirty-one item questionnaire. Before distributing the questionnaire to the administrators in the Lansing School District, the questionnaire was pilot tested with seven central administrators within the Lansing School District. These administrators, by title, included: Director of Elementary Education Director of Secondary Education Director of Pupil Personnel Deputy Superintendent for Instruction Quadrant Principal Director of Adult Education Director of Organizational Development These central administrators were chosen because each had previously served in the capacity of an elementary or secondary administrator. Additionally, each currently has the responsibility of an extensive segment of the educational program in the Lansing School District. The field test established that the format and the content of the questionnaire were acceptable. A few semantic comments were made as were a few minor suggestions for rewording some questions and for expanding the possible responses of others. The final version of the questionnaire was constructed on the basis of the pilot study. 38 Hypotheses The research hypotheses tested in this study were as follows: Ho 1: There is no significant correlation between administrators' desegregation attitudes and their ages. Ho 2: There is no significant difference between male and female administrators' desegregation attitudes. Ho 3: There are no significant differences in desegregation attitudes among blacks, whites, and Chicanos. Ho 4: There is no significant difference in desegre- gation attitude as a function of administrators' level of training. Ho 5: There are no significant correlations between desegregation attitudes and the number of years of teaching or administrative experience. Ho 6: There are no significant correlations between attitudes toward desegregation and the number of credits of minority coursework taken, the number of desegregation workshops attended, or other desegregation activities in which administrators have participated. Ho 7: There is no significant correlation between attitudes toward desegregation and the level of education completed. Ho 8: There is no significant correlation between attitude toward desegregation and the propor- tion of black students in the elementary, junior high, and senior high schools the administrators attended as children. Ho 9: There is no significant correlation between desegregation attitude and the number of black administrators in the elementary, junior high, and senior high schools the administrator attended as a child. 39 Ho 10: There is no significant correlation between attitudes toward desegregation and the fre- quency with which administrators invite members of another race to their homes. Ho 11: There is no significant correlation between administrators' attitudes toward desegregation and feeling comfortable about inviting members of another race to their homes. Ho 12: There is no significant correlation between administrators' support of the use of multi- cultural materials in classes and their attitudes toward desegregation. Ho 13: There are no significant correlations between administrators' attitudes toward desegregation and their perceptions of students', teachers', or parents' attitudes toward desegregation. Analysis The data were subjected to correlational analysis and analysis of variance in order to address the hypotheses. If the administrator failed to respond to two or more items in the inter- racial attitudes cluster, the response was dropped out of the sample. If three or more questions were not answered in the desegregation attitudes cluster, the response was dropped. No questionnaire was dropped for failure of response. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF THE DATA AND RESULTS Analyses were conducted to investigate the relationships between the variables of interest in the present study and desegre- gation attitudes. Because there was no variation on items measuring interracial attitudes, no analyses were conducted using this variable. The Attitudes Toward Desegregation Several questions were asked about desegregation to establish the respondent's attitude toward desegregation. The questions with a brief discussion of the results follow: 0: Should schools be racially desegregated? A: Approximately ninety-one percent of the group felt that schools should be racially desegregated. Only six of a population of sixty-two felt that the schools should not be desegregated. The conclusion here indicated the group believed in racial desegregation and continued to support this position throughout the remainder of the questionnaire concerning desegregation. Q: Will school desegregation allow students to learn better? A: Further support for desegregation was indicated on the responses to this question. Only two people felt that students 40 41 would not learn better. For the first time, however, a middle ground was formed and much of the "yes" response shifted to "unsure." This reduced the previous "yes" on support for racial desegregation to seventy percent when asked if desegregation assisted learning. 0: Will school desegregation allow all children, regardless 6f race, to get along better with each other ih school? A: The response pushed many of the people back to the "yes" when asked about "getting along better." Eighty-six percent felt the students would get along better. The respondents seemed to hope that learning would improve with desegregation, but were not certain. They seemed to feel strongly, however, that interpersonal relationships should improve. 0: Are you in favor of court-ordered desegregation? A: Surprisingly, court-ordered desegregation drew seventy percent support. A greater surprise was that eighteen percent answered a definite "no," rather than "unsure." Only nine percent had been recorded in the previous questions as against any aspect of desegregation. Q: In the long run, do you think the desegregation plan will positively affect the quality of’education for Lansing childrehi A: The gain on the previous question about enhancing learn- ing was reinforced here. The respondents indicated that learning might improve and thus foster a long-range positive gain for the Lansing children. Eighty percent of the respondents indicated "yes" 42 on this question. Some of the middle ground of "unsure" did shift to clear support for learning in the long run. Q: Do you support desegregation? A: Ninety-eight percent of the respondents supported desegregation. Only one person was unsure and no one responded "no." This response clearly indicated the administrators were supportive of desegregation as a basic idea. Hypothesis One There is no significant correlation between administrators' desegregation attitudes and their ages. The average age of the sample population was forty-three years. The youngest administrator was twenty-seven years old and the oldest was sixty-two years old, a range of thirty-five years. Table 3 lists the distribution in regard to age for the group. The administrators were evenly distributed along this range with approximately three percent clustering for each year. The sample was almost evenly divided between young administrators and the older group who could be close to retirement. The analysis resulted in a significant Pearson correlation .24 (p_ <.03) between an administrator's age and desegregation attitude. Therefore theis hypothesis was rejected. The literature suggests that in a desegregation effort a policy is made to add more male and female minority personnel to the staff.1 The entry level would usually encourage the younger 43 TABLE 3.--Distribution of Sample Population According to Age. Age Number Percentage ddww.‘ dam-aw wdhw-h wwhwm (nu—nona- moommm maioomoo NNWNU‘I canvas—too OSOSNNO‘ (JD-‘00 O O 0 Nail“) TOTAL .5 Ch 0‘! N lN-dN duh-“N N-JOJNOO mmwmg DN-‘mw —'-‘NN-‘ .—.a o O o 44 minority persons to seek employment in an administrative capacity. It would seem likely then, that the younger group would be more favorably disposed toward desegregation because minority representa- tion is greater in that group. Hypothesis Two There is no significant difference between male and female administrators' desegregation attitudes. This hypothesis cannot be rejected, since no significant difference was found [F(l,59) = .29, p_< .30]. The absence of any significant difference between females and males is not surprising since desegregation does not change sex bias in employment of women. The sample population is dominated by males with sixty-six percent of the respondents being male and thirty-four percent female. The white female population then is more likely to be in the older decision-making group. The young Hispanic female is not likely to be represented. Generally cultural expectations do not prepare the Chicana for administrative work. The older black woman is likely to be a token and not provide leadership in the area of desegregation. Since few females are represented in the sample, chances of finding sex differences in the sample are somewhat diminished. Hypothesis Three There are no significand differences in desegregation attitudes among blacks, whites, and Chicanos. As a result of analysis of variance this hypothesis was rejected [F(2,59) = 3.15, p_‘<.05]. There was a significant 45 difference in attitude toward desegregation among the three racial groups of black, white, and Chicano. The group as a whole was very positively oriented toward desegregation. The differences probably arose in terms of the means and effects of the desegregation process. Blacks had a somewhat higher mean than whites and Chicanos. Hypothesis Four There is no significant difference in desegre- gation attitude as a function of administrators' area of training. As a result of analysis of variance this hypothesis was not rejected [F(4,56) = .34, p <:.84]. The original question about area of training resulted in greater diversity than expected when respondents indicated they had received training in such combined areas as elementary and secondary education, elementary education background with emphasis in curriculum or reading, and secondary education with emphasis in administration. Only elementary education, with administrative training, had more than five respondents (actually nine) and a new category was created. The distribution according to background is outlined in Table 4. Although there is general agreement that administrators are not prepared adequately for their positions, this did not appear to affect attitudes toward desegregation. The group as a whole favored desegregation and thus probably learned human relations, communica- tion skills and the ability to encourage self-improvement as part of the process of implementing the plan. There did not seem to be any 46 TABLE 4.--Areas of Background Training of Administrators. Number Percentage Elementary 17 27 Secondary 6 10 Administration 21 34 Other 8 13 Elementary Administration 9 15 No Response _l__ ._l_. TOTAL 62 100 indication that one particular background was more helpful than another in establishing a positive attitude toward desegregation. Hypothesis Five There are no significant correlations between desegregation attitudes and the number of years of teaching or administrative experience. The correlation on acquired traits in terms of teaching and administrative experience was not significant with correlations of (.11, p_<:.l9) and (.13, p_< .16), respectively. Therefore, this hypothesis was accepted. Just as the ages of the administrators were distributed over a large range with little clustering, so were their years of teaching and administrative experience. Tables 5 and 6 clearly indicate the fact that the ages, teaching and administrative experience are so similarly dispersed 47 TABLE 5.--Teaching Experience. Years Frequency of Response Percentage in Category 2 l 1.6 3 4 6.5 5 5 8.1 6 4 6.5 7 6 9.7 8 l 1.6 9 3 4.8 10 6 9.7 11 3 4.8 12 1 1.6 13 4 6.5 14 2 3.2 15 3 4.8 16 2 3.2 17 1 1.6 18 2 3.2 19 3 4.2 20 2 3.2 21 1 1.6 22 2 3.2 23 l 1.6 24 l 1.6 29 1 1.6 30 2 3.2 41 _l_ 1.6 TOTAL 62 100.0 makes the few responses in opposition to racial desegregation of little consequence. The teaching experience averaged twelve years with the most frequent teaching background being seven years of experience. There was a spread of thirty-nine years with the least amount of experience being two years up to a total of forty-one years of experience. 48 TABLE 6.--Administrative Experience. Years Frequency of Response Percentage in Category 1 4 6.5 2 6 9.7 3 1 1.6 4 6 9.7 5 3 4.8 6 3 4.8 7 9 14.5 8 3 4.8 9 4 6.5 10 3 4.8 11 2 3.2 12 4 6.5 13 3 4.8 15 4 6.5 16 l 1.6 18 l 1.6 20 l 1.6 22 l 1.6 24 1 1.6 27 1 1.6 29 _l_ 1 6 TOTAL 0‘ N _J O o o The administrative background was similar in profile. The mean of nine years was a younger average but the most frequent year of experience, seven, was the same for both groups. The range was shorter (twenty-eight years) beginning with one year and the maximum being twenty-nine years, but most administrators start out as class- room teachers. The years of administrative experience ranged from a minimum of one year to a maximum of twenty-nine years. 49 Hypothesis Six There are no significant correlations between attitude toward desegregation and the number of credits of minority course work taken, the number of desegregation workshops attended, or other desegregation activities in which administrators have participated. Two questions were designed to measure the extent of the respondents multicultural educational background. The respondents were asked to record the number of credit hours in minority studies course work and list the total number of hours devoted to workshops on desegregation. In neither case was there extensive background in multicultural studies as Tables 7 and 8 graphically indicate. TABLE 7.--Inservice-Coursework. Credits Frequency of Response Percentage of Response 0 12 19.4 3 3 4.8 4 l 1.6 6 5 8.1 9 l 1.6 10 l 1.6 12 2 3.2 15 1 1.6 18 1 1.6 20 1 1.6 30 1 1 6 No Response §§_ 53.2 TOTAL 62 100.0 50 TABLE 8.--Inservice-Workshops. Hours Frequency of Response Percentage of Response 0 6 9.7 3 l 1.6 4 2 3.2 6 2 3.2 8 l 1.6 9 1 1.6 10 5 8.1 12 3 4.8 15 2 3.2 18 1 1.6 20 6 9.7 25 l 1.6 30 l 1.6 35 l 1.6 40 3 4.8 45 1 1.6 48 l 1.6 50 5 8.1 88 l 1.6 99 1 1.6 No Response 11 27.4 .a O O 0 TOTAL 62 The number of credit hours in multicultural studies was minimal. Forty-five individuals had taken no coursework related to minority studies. An additional nine had had at the most two courses. The situation is not that much different in the number of desegregation workshops attended. One-third of the sample, or twenty- three administrators, attended no workshops. Another five had, at the most, a one-day workshop. This is nearly half without training. din 11.! call. 51 The correlation between desegregation attitudes and inservice training was not significant (-.02, p < .44 for workshops, and .18, p < .12 for credits). Therefore this hypothesis was not rejected. This does not necessarily imply that inservice training could not be very valuable in building positive attitudes toward desegregation. It is more important to realize that the quality of university offerings and workshops may need to be examined more fully. Further- more, there were several who did not receive any formal training and this factor needs to be examined more fully. Hypothesis Seven There is no significant correlation between attitudes toward desegregation and the level of education completed. There was no significant correlation (.11, p_< .19) between desegregation attitudes and level of education. Therefore this hypothesis was not rejected. The categories for level of education included: (1) B.A. or B.S. degree, (2) additional work beyond B.A. or B.S. degree but less than M.A. or M.S. degree, (3) M.A. or M.S. degree, (4) additional work beyond M.A. or M.S. degree but less than doctorate degree, and (5) doctoral or professional degree. It is not surprising to find that the level of education was not a significant factor in a group which had already expressed a high level of agreement on desegregation and very similar require- ments for their positions. The fact that the majority of these respondents rank very high in terms of level of education (additional work beyond M.A. or M.S. degree but less than a doctoral degree) may 52 TABLE 9.--Leve1 of Education. Number Percentage B.A. or B.S. Degree None -- Work beyond B.A. or B.S. 2 3.2 M.A. or M.S. Degree 15 24.2 Work beyond M.A. or M.S. 39 62.9 Doctoral or Professional Degree _§_ 9.7 TOTAL 62 100.0 suggest that these individuals already have attained exposure to a more general liberal arts philosophy with competency goals related to human relations, communications, and the ability to encourage self-improvement. Hypothesis Eight There is no significant correlation between attitudes toward desegregation and the pro- portion of black students in the elementary, junior high and senior high schools the administrators attended as children. This question focused on the proportions in the following categories for each level (see Table 10). More than seventy-two percent of the principals attended elementary schools which were primarily white, including one which reflected almost an even mix of black and white. The hypothesis was not rejected (r = .16, p <:.1l) for the relationship between the 53 TABLE lO.--Administrators' Childhood Class Mix in Elementary. Mix Number Percentage All White 24 38.7 Mostly White 20 32.3 Even Mix 1 1.6 Mostly Black 4 6.5 All Black 12 19.4 Missing _1_ __lg§__ TOTAL 62 100.0 attitudes toward desegregation and proportion of black students in the administrators' elementary school. TABLE 11.--Administrators' Childhood Class Mix in Junior High School. Mix Number Percentage All White 18 29.0 Mostly White 25 40.3 Even Mix 4 . 6.5 Mostly Black -- -- All Black 9 14.5 Missing _6_ 9.7 TOTAL 62 100.0 54 TABLE 12.--Administrators' Childhood Class Mix in Senior High School. Mix Number Percentage All White 1 2.4 Mostly White 28 45.2 Even Mix 5 8.1 Mostly Black 2 3.1 All Black 9 14.5 Blank _l_ _ 1.6 TOTAL 62 100.0 The junior high schools attended by the administrators were like the elementary schools, predominantly white. Note, however, that six cases are missing. These cases probably were respondents who attended schools which did not have junior highs and this information was recorded in the elementary or senior high categories. Although this hypothesis which correlated administrators' desegrega- tion attitudes with the proportion of blacks in their junior high schools was rejected the missing cases may have made a difference. A Pearson correlation of (r = .23, p_< .05) established a significant relationship for this hypothesis. The racial mix of schools which the administrators attended did not change in high school. Once again, these schools were pre- dominantly white. The hypothesis was not rejected (.12, p_s:.l7). 55 Generally, there had not been much mixing of minorities with whites in the United States prior to desegregation. However, there may have been other contributing factors in the environment which would have influenced greatly the later positive attitudes toward desegregation expressed by the subjects in the present study. One factor examined is the impact of minority administrative leader- ship during the administrator's attendance at his or her childhood schools. Hypothesis Nine There is no significant correlation between desegregation attitude and the number of black administrators in the elementary, junior high, and senior high schools the administrator attended as a child. The question focused on the proportion of minority administra- tors in the schools attended by the administrator in his or her child- hood. The relationship here was significant for all levels. The clustering of the proportions toward extremes of all black or white suggests the gap in blacks attaining administrative positions. Opportunities were open in all-black schools and, of course, there were not as many elementary schools for blacks. At the elementary level, a Pearson correlation of (.34, p_< .003) was obtained. The childhood experience of having a minority as a model had a definite impact on administrators' later attitudes toward desegregation. The positive attitude toward desegregation by members of this group suggests that they feel contact with another race in administrative positions is a key influence in one's life. A 56 TABLE 13.--Proportion of Racial Mix of Administrators in the Administrators' Elementary Schools. Mix Number Percentage All White 48 77.4 Mostly White 3 4.8 Even Mix -- -- Mostly Black -- -- All Black 10 16.1 Missing _1_ _ 1.6_ TOTAL 62 100.0 similar effect continues for the junior high and senior high school levels presented in the following two tables. TABLE l4.-~Proportion of Racial Mix of Administrators in the Administrators' Junior High School. Mix Number Percentage All White 45 72.6 Mostly White 4 6.5 Even Mix -- -- Mostly Black -- -- All Black 7 11.3 Blank 6 _g_._z_ TOTAL 62 100.0 57 TABLE 15.--Proportion of Racial Mix of Administrators in the Administrators' Senior High Schools. Mix Number Percentage All White 49 79.0 Mostly White 4 6.5 Even Mix -- -- Mostly Black 1 1.6 All Black _§_ 12.9 TOTAL 62 100.0 The hypothesis related to the junior high level had a Pearson product moment correlation of (.29, p_‘<.01). The hypothesis for the senior high level had a Pearson product moment of (.30, p_< .008). Since significant correlations were found for all three levels, Hypothesis 9 was rejected. Again, the experience of having a model in an administrative position during childhood influenced greatly the administrators' attitudes toward desegregation. The positive feel- ings toward desegregation by this group of Lansing school administra- tors suggests that having an even mix of administrators is felt to be very important to future racial relations and learning experiences. 58 Hypothesis Ten There is no significant correlation between attitudes toward desegregation and the fre- quency with which administrators invite members of another race to their homes. The frequency of interracial contact in one's own home is one way to measure the degree of contact administrators have with minorities. Although the minority persons represent less than one- third of the administrators in the present study, the contact is quite high. Ninety-three and one-half percent of the respondents had contact "sometimes" to "often." Table 16 outlines the contact for all respondents. TABLE 16.--Frequency of Contact by Administrator with Minority Persons. Contact Number Percentage Often 12 19.4 Very Frequently 11 17.7 Sometimes 35 56.5 Very Infrequently _jL 6.5 TOTAL 62 100.0 The negative correlation between frequency of contact and desegrega- tion attitudes (-.22, p_< .04) would seem to contradict a papularly held and intuitively correct notion that contact is positively correct notion that contact is positively related to desegregation attitudes. Therefore, this hypothesis was rejected. 59 Hypothesis Eleven There is no significant correlation between administrators' attitudes toward desegregation and feeling comfortable about inviting members of another race to their homes. The question was "How comfortable would you feel about inviting someone of a different race to your home?" In general, responses were extremely positive with no responses indicating dis- comfort. This result is not surprising for a group so positively oriented toward interracial contact. TABLE 17.--Comfort Level of Administrator Inviting Minority Persons to Home. Comfort Number Percentage Very Comfortable 57 91.9 Somewhat Comfortable 4 6.5 Neutral 1 1.6 Somewhat Uncomfortable -— -- Very Uncomfortable -- -- TOTAL 62 100.0 The correlation between the administrator's comfort in inviting a person of a different race to his or her home and the administrator's desegregation attitudes was not significant (.18, p_s<.07). Therefore, the hypothesis cannot be rejected. Most administrators indicated that they felt "very comfortable" inviting 60 persons of other races into their homes--a very positive response in terms of desegregation attitudes. Yet, this attitude is not clearly correlated to a number of factors, such as the administrator's beliefs that schools should be racially desegregated, that children learn and get along better in desegregated schools, and administra- tors favoring the use of multicultural teaching materials. Comfort with someone in a home may be a necessary factor in making desegrega- tion work, but other factors in the desegregation process have many different degrees of acceptance and would have some effect on a correlation in terms of the clustering of an attitude. Hypothesis Twelve There is no significant correlation between administrators' support of the use of multi- cultural materials in classes and their attitudes toward desegregation. The questions which focused on the multicultural concept asked for opinion as well as an indication of administrator's support through usage of texts with minority representation. More than ninety percent of respondents supported using multicultural material over traditional materials, as indicated in the following table (Table 18). The correlation between support for multi- cultural material and attitudes toward educational desegregation was (.62, p_<=.006). Therefore the hypothesis was rejected. The positive support for usage of multicultural materials is supported by the actual usage of these materials in the classroom for the year the survey was taken and the previous year (see Table 19). 61 TABLE 18.--Administrators' Support for Using Multicultural Materials over Traditional Materials. Position Number Percentage YES 56 90.3 yes 1 1.6 unsure 3 4.8 no -- -- NO _j; 3.2 TOTAL 62 100.0 TABLE l9.--Textbook Usage with Multicultural Emphasis for Two Year Period. This Year Previous Year Usage Number Percentage Number Percentage All 12 19.4 6 9.7 Most 30 48.4 23 3.1 Some 10 16.1 17 27.4 Few l 1.6 7 11.3 None 1 1.6 l 1.6 B1ank 8 12.9 8 12.9 62 The eight respondents who did not complete the questions on usage of multicultural material felt as administrators their positions removed them from decision making involving textbook usage. The first important item to note is the high usage of multicultural materials for both years. The administrators not only state that multicultural materials are a good idea but implement their belief. The increased usage of texts with minority representation in the second year is a sign of continual support for the concept. The correlation of usage with attitudes was not significant for current year desegregation (.01, p_i<.47) and significant negatively (-.20, p_:<.07) for prior year. Therefore the hypothesis was not rejected. Hypothesis Thirteen There are no significant correlations between administrators' attitudes toward desegregation and their perceptions of students', teachers', or parents' attitudes toward desegregation. The administrators' perceptions of teachers', students', and parents' support of school desegregation were indicated in their responses to three questions asking for the intensity of support perceived from each group. A summary of these responses is reported for each group (see Tables 20, 21 and 22). More than seventy-five percent of the respondents perceived support from the teachers and students. Their perception of parental support, however, was not as positive with a shift of thirty-three percent to "no." 63 TABLE 20.--Administrators' Perception of Support from Teachers for Desegregation. Position Number Percentage YES 22 35.5 yes 25 40.3 unsure 12 19.4 no 2 3.2 NO ._1 1.6 TOTAL 62 100.0 TABLE 21.--Administrators' Perception of Support from Students for Desegregation. Position Number Percentage YES 22 35.5 yes 26 41.9 unsure 13 21.0 no 1 1.6 NO 1;, __::_ TOTAL 62 100.0 TABLE 22.--Administrators' Perception of Support from Parents for Desegregation. Position Number Percentage YES 8 12.9 yes 18 29.0 unsure 15 24.2 no 14 22.6 NO 6 9.7 Blank _1_ 1.6 TOTAL 62 100.0 64 There was no significant correlation between administrators' desegregation attitudes and their perception of support from teachers (-.18, p_<:.08) and students (-.18,.p,< .08). There was, however, a significant correlation between the administrators' atti- tudes toward desegregation and their perception of somewhat weak support among parents for desegregation (-.33, p_<<.005). This suggests that if administrators are supportive of desegregation and perceive parents to be not as supportive, there will be more effort by the administrators to focus on interpersonal and organizational processes. Administrators may then become less effective instruc- tional leaders due to their redirected efforts into the interpersonal and organizational spheres. CHAPTER IV: FOOTNOTES 1Forehand and Ragosta. 65 CHAPTER V SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Summar The purpose of this study was to identify and correlate the characteristics of school administrators with their attitudes toward educational desegregation in the Lansing, Michigan, School District. Attitudes of the administrators were measured by asking their opinions on whether schools should be desegregated, whether there should be court-ordered desegregation, whether desegregation leadS' to improved quality of education and better social relationships and whether educational desegregation has long-range benefits. The atti- tudes thus expressed were studied in relation to such fixed variables as the sex, age, and race of the administrators and such acquired variables as the administrators' levels of education achieved, years of teaching and administrative experience and personal relationships with members of other races, both as adults in their current posi- tions and as children in elementary, junior, and senior high schools. A comprehensive review of literature has identified the tremendous need for studying administrative leadership in educa- tional desegregation. The history of desegregation in Lansing offers an opportunity to explore administrative characteristics and attitudes in a situation where the desegregation effort was volun- tary and where there are a number of minority personnel in 66 67 administrative positions. In addition, Lansing school administrators expressed willingness to participate in the study. Research has revealed that the power an administrator holds to approve or dis- approve studies of his or her attitudes or behavior has hindered research greatly in the area of educational desegregation. Yet studies show that the administrator can make the difference in a successful desegregation effort. The administrator (in this particular study the principal) is identified as the change-agent in the desegregation setting in the sense that school activity is no longer routine. He or she needs to exercise executive leadership skills and cannot depend on personal charisma as was frequently possible in the past. The race of the administrator makes leadership more difficult because he or she is forced to deal with more diverse issues. The communication of the principal with other administrators is also an important factor in the success of desegregation pointing out the need for training to prepare the administrator for the complex administrative experience. The fixed and acquired variables of the administrators as discussed in the literature established the parameters of the study. Research of the literature established the importance of the principal in providing leadership. It is from this theoretical base that the hypothesis is proposed that the fixed and acquired variables have impact on the attitudes of administrators toward desegregation. 68 Questions on desegregation attitudes were developed and tested for reliability and validity by faculty in the College of Urban Development, Michigan State University. The survey was piloted with Lansing School District administrators in the central office before being given to the administrators throughout the district. Seventy-nine administrators were sent the survey and sixty-two administrators returned the survey. The respondents represented proportionately the ethnic groups in the total population. A number of hypotheses were developed from the literature and were subjected to correlational analysis and analysis of variance. The hypotheses tested for analysis of variance included those with the fixed variables of age, sex, race, and area of training. Those variables tested for analysis of correlations included teaching and/ or administrative experience, the amount of minority inservice train- ing, levels of education completed, and exposure to minority students and administrators as a youngster in the schools, the frequency with which the respondents asked minorities to their homes, the degree of comfort in inviting someone of another race to their homes, the support of use of multicultural materials, and the respondents' perceptions about the attitudes of parents, students, and teachers toward desegregation. 69 Findings Hypothesis One The ages were distributed evenly over a range from twenty- seven years to sixty-two years of age. The analysis of this hypothesis indicated that there was a significant correlation of age with attitude toward desegregation. Age therefore was a fixed variable which had some impact on attitude toward desegregation. Hypothesis Two There were fewer women in the sample. The affirmative action guidelines adopted by the Lansing Board of Education in 1975 also suggested that new employees would tend to be minority males rather than women; therefore, the sample for women is not as well repre- sented. The women administrators in the older age brackets will probably have attitudes closer to white, older male administrators. Sex was not a significant factor in terms of desegregation attitudes and the hypothesis was therefore not rejected. Hypothesis Three The racial composition of the sample was twenty-six percent black, sixty-eight percent white, and six percent Hispanic. The group as a whole was very positively oriented toward desegregation. The significant differences among the racial groups were in terms of means and effects of the desegregation process. The respondents were saying desegregation was a good idea but the implementation process, for example, could be better. It was generally found that blacks had somewhat higher means than whites or Chicanos. 7O Hypothesis Four The area of training for the respondents ranged from ele- mentary and secondary education, elementary education background with an emphasis in curriculum or reading, and secondary education with administrative training. There was no significant difference among the areas of training in terms of attitude toward desegrega- tion. Hypothesis Five The years of teaching or administrative experience were dispersed over a large range. Years of teaching ranged from a minimum of two years to a maximum of forty-one years. The administra- tive experience of the administrators ranged from a minimum of one year experience to a maximum of twenty-nine years. The years of experience were not significant, however, in terms of educational desegregation attitudes. Hypothesis Six The respondents were surveyed for credit hours and workshop hours in multicultural studies. There was very low participation in these areas. There was no significant correlation for either area with educational desegregation attitudes. Hypothesis Seven The level of education completed ranged from B.A. through the doctoral level. The majority of the respondents had work beyond the master's level. The education level was not a significant 71 factor in terms of expressed attitudes toward educational desegrega- tion. Hypothesis Eight The elementary, junior high, and senior high schools attended by the respondents as children generally were mostly uniracial. No significant relationship was found between this exposure as a child and the attitudes toward desegregation. Hypothesis Nine As children, most respondents attended elementary, junior high, and senior high schools where the administrative staff was either all black or all white. A significant relationship was found at all levels between desegregation attitudes and the racial mix of the schools that the respondents attended. Hypothesis Ten The frequency of contact by the administrator with a member of another race, primarily through contact in his or her own home, was asked. Most had contact "sometimes." There was a significant negative correlation with frequency of contact and attitude toward educational desegregation. Hypothesis Eleven The frequency of contact was explored further by asking the respondent to indicate the degree of comfort in these contacts. All but one responded favorably. The relationship to educational desegre- gation was almost significant. 72 Hypothesis Twelve The respondents were asked to indicate the degree of support for multicultural curriculum materials in the classroom. The respon- dents overwhelmingly supported the usage of multicultural materials. This correlation was significant. The respondents were surveyed to determine actual usage for the last two years. During this period there was a clear shift to increased usage of multicultural materials. Hypothesis Thirteen The respondents were asked their perceptions of students', teachers', and parents' support of school desegregation. The respondents believed that students and teachers supported desegrega- tion, but were "unsure" of support from parents. A significant correlation was found between administrators' desegregation attitudes and their perceptions of parental support for desegregation. Additional Findings The following additional findings are relevant to the study: (1) administrators' interracial attitudes were uniformly very posi- tive; (2) the overall attitudes were similarly very positive and, therefore, little analysis was possible; and (3) prolonged and positive interracial contact is important in improving interracial attitudes. Conclusions The literature suggests there are key characteristics of an administrator who would be successful in a desegregation environment. 73 These characteristics identify the administrator as a change-agent, operating as an executive, in an environment that is ever-changing. He or she is exposed to problems beyond the school district. For the minority administrator, the situation is a greater burden, especially with a mixed constituency. The fixed variables which were significantly related to attitudes toward desegregation were age and race. It was not possible to discriminate between male and female respondents on attitudes toward educational desegregation. In regard to age, there was enough difference on responses to desegregation questions to significantly identify a pattern of difference even though the ages of the administrators varied widely. In regard to race it would seem that the minority persons would be found predominantly in the younger age groups, with this being particularly true for Chicanos. It would seem then that the differences of opinion on educational desegregation would be primarily between the younger minority and the older white administrators, essentially white males. The questions which proved to be the most discriminating were: 1. Should schools be racially desegregated? 2. Will school desegregation allow students to learn better? 3. Will school desegregation allow all children, regardless of race, to get along better with each other in school? 4. Are you in favor of court-ordered desegregation? 74 5. In the long run, do you think the desegregation plan will positively affect the quality of education for Lansing children? 6. Do you support desegregation? Although the group, as a whole, held favorable attitudes toward desegregation, the questions which would probably bring most diverse response would be the impact of desegregation as measured by learning and better social behavior. The court-ordered approach brings in a particularly tense issue in desegregation. The conclusions stress that the younger administrator sees more hope for educational improve- ment through desegregation, even if court-ordered. It may be that the older administrator would have more reservations, yet supports the concept of desegregation stressing that different approaches or techniques might have been equally or more successful. The acquired variables were not statistically a significant factor in this study. These variables, as measured by area of training, years of teaching and administrative experience, inservice traning, and the level of education, were not significantly related to attitude toward educational desegregation. Generally, the reason for this may be that these factors had little variance unlike age. Furthermore, the entire group was low in inservice training (both credit hour and workshops). Again, the group was very homogenous in terms of education with most having obtained training beyond master's degree work. The next set of variables focused on personal contact with minorities both currently and in childhood school experiences. The 75 literature has stressed that the youngsters' exposure to minority leadership is critical in terms of later attitudes toward minorities, in this case measured by the concept of educational desegregation. The results of this study would seem to suggest that youngsters in the junior high area are particularly sensitive to minority inter- action. The fact that having minority administrators at all levels of schooling was significant and makes a strong statement for the need of minority leadership as a model. Likewise, the exposure that continues through adulthood as measured by frequency of interracial contact is more indicative of attitude toward desegregation than the general feelings of "comfort" in interracial contact. Feeling "comfortable" in interracial situa- tions does not necessarily indicate that one would be more inclined to favor desegregation. Again, the questions which focus on actual behavior are more likely to be useful in determining attitudes toward educational desegregation, hence the question on usage of multicultural material was asked in addition to the question con- cerning the administrators' belief in its use. Finally, it would be of interest to explore further the relationship of the administrator's attitude toward desegregation and his or her perceptions of parents' attitudes toward desegrega- tion. The literature suggests the minority administrator will have more difficulties in working with the community, thus his or her perceptions of the community, particularly of parents, are no doubt significant factors. 76 Recommendations This study is helpful in identifying significant factors relating to attitudes toward educational desegregation for the following future areas of research: 1. There is a need to continue to study the importance of age and race, as key fixed variables of administrators as they relate to educational desegregation attitudes. It is equally important to gather as much information about the differences between males and females although in any system this sample population mix is diffi- cult to find. Studies should be designed to shed more insight on the impact an administrator's sex has on desegregation. 2. There is a need to continue to study the acquired vari- ables. Again, there are some given characteristics of administrators which may create difficulties in obtaining significant differences. For example, for one to become an administrator, an advanced degree is usually required. Thus it would be hard to find a range of educa- tional levels. Perhaps one of the more important directions in acquired characteristics is the type and amount of inservice train- ing in the area of desegregation. This study did not offer enough difference among the respondents because of the general low level of credits and workshops. Administrators receiving more extensive training might have additional thoughts about the impact of desegre- gation socially and on learning as well as the quality of education. 3. The most significant area in the present study was con- tact with minorities. The more significant areas seem to be actual 77 contact and not "feelings" or "thoughts" about being with someone who is a minority. Additional research on interracial contact may be useful. Districts undergoing school desegregation can be the laboratory needed to study the effects of contact among different races over time. 4. Further relationships between the racial desegregation of the administrator and his or her attitude toward desegregation should be analyzed to determine the interaction between race and attitude toward desegregation. 5. This study should be replicated in a school district that has a staff that is either opposed to educational desegregation, or in which a broad range of attitudes is found. 6. Further study in the entire desegregation area of attitudes should continue. Educational desegregation is in a state of flux. Many cases are still pending, such as the Cincinnati, Ohio, Case and the Benton Harbor Case. Congress recently attempted to pass a bill to deter bussing for desegregation purposes. BIBLIOGRAPHY 78 BIBLIOGRAPHY American Public School Teacher, The. N.E.A. 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Griffore, Robert. "A Model for the Successful Implementation of School Desegregation. A Reaction to 'How Does a District Mobilize for Desegregation,‘ by Thomas K. Minter." Presented at the Invitational Conference at Michigan State University on Successful Implementation of School Desegregation, July 9, 1976. Griffore, Robert; Simmons, Casandra A.; Herbert, Patricia L.; and Smith, Sylvia C. "Lansing, Michigan." Integrateducation (November-December, 1977). 81 Heller, Steven A. Ipe Effects of a Five-Day Institute on the Attitudes of Black and White Public School Participants: An Occasional Paper. Knoxville: Tennessee University, l97T. Kasen, David, and Pavlish, Alfred. The Views of Pontiac School Principals on the Process of Desegregation, Pontiac, Michigan. WaEhington, D.C.: U.S. Office of EdUcation, 1972. Katz, Robert L. "Skills of an Effective Administrator." Harvard Business Review (January-February, 1955). Minter, Thomas K. "How Does a District Mobilize for Desegregation?" School Desegregation, Making It Work. East Lansing: Michigan State University, College of Urban Development, 1976. Moynihan, Daniel Patrick. "Employment, Income, and the Ordeal of the Negro Family." The Negro American. Edited by Talcott Parsons and Kenneth Bi Clark. 86ston: Beacon Press, 1966. Pharis, William L., and Zakariya, Sally Banks. The Elementary School Principalship in 1978: A Research Study, Arlington, Va.: NationSTIAssociation of Elementary Sch061 Principals, 1978. Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printihg Office, 1968. Rossi, Alice S. “Job Discrimination and What Women Can Do About It." Discrimination Against Women. Part II. U.S. Congress House oflRepresentatives, Committee on Education and Labor, Hearings Before the Special Subcommittee on Education, 9lst Congress, 2nd Session 805 of HR, 16098. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971. State Journal, The. Lansing, Michigan (August 22, 1978). Statistical Abstract of the United States 1978. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1978. Stent, Madelon, et a1. Cultural Pluralism in Education. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1973. Stephon, Roger D. "An Affirmative Personnel Retention Program: The Education Association Vantage Point." Desegregation and Beyond. Conference Proceedings and Forum SeriéélPapers. Ann Arbor: Program for Educational Opportunity, School of Education, University of Michigan, 1975. 82 St. John, Nancy. School Desegregation Outcomes for Children. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1975. Training Educational Leaders: A Search for Alternatives. Report of the Leadership Training Institute on Educational Leadership, 1969-1975. Washington, D.C.: George Washington University. Tumin, Melvin. "The Process of Integration." The National Elementary PrinCipal, 45 (February, 1966). Turnage, Martha. The Principal: Change-Agent in Dese regation. Chicago: Integrated Education Associates, 9 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Racial Isolation in the Public Schools. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Prihting Office, 1967. Watson, Bernard C. In Spite of the System. Cambridge: Ballinger Publishing Co., 1974. Weinberg, Meyer. Desegregation Research: An Appraisal. Bloomington, Indiana: PhilDelta Kappan,ll970. APPENDICES 83 APPENDIX A COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE TO ADMINISTRATORS 84 Dear Fellow Administrator: Attached is a copy of a brief survey that I plan to use in obtaining data to assist me in the completion of the require- ments for obtaining a Ph.D. This research has been approved by Dr. Ed Remick, Director of Research and Planning. Please take a few minutes from your busy schedule and respond to the survey questions. Your honest and candid responses would be appreciated. You need not identify yourself. It is not the purpose of this study to report individual findings, but rather the composite data of Lansing administrators as a group. All responses will remain anonymous and confidential. Your attention and response to the survey is very important. In order to maintain the established time line, the survey should be returned to me by June 16th. I plan to compile the data during the summer. The attainment of this goal is only possible with your help. Please return the completed survey to me at Cumberland School. Your cooperation in this endeavor is gratefully acknowledged. Sincerely, Elizabeth Canady Attachment 85 ADMINISTRATOR QUESTIONNAIRE Please indicate the correct answer to the first five questions by writing the answer in the space provided or circling the appropriate number. 1. What is your sex? 1. Male 2. Female 2. What is your age? 3. To what race or ethnic group do you belong? 1. Black 2. White 3. Chicano 4. Other 4. How many years of teaching experience have you? 5. How many years have you been an administrator? Please answer the following questions as honestly as you can by circling the appropriate number beside your answer. 6. What is the highest level of education you have completed? B.A. or B.S. degree Additional work beyond B.A. or B.S. degree but less than M.A. or M.S. degree M.A. or M.S. degree Additional work beyond M.A. or M.S. degree but less than Doctorate degree Doctoral or professional degree. 7. What was your major area of study? 01 #00 N—‘ o o o o o 1. Elementary education 2. Secondary education 3. Administration 4. Other (Specify: ) 5. Elementary and Administration 8. What additional educational background did you have? 1. Minority studies coursework? (No. of credits: ___) 2. List the total number of hours devoted to workshops on desegregation: 86 87 Read each question. As soon as you finish reading a question, decide how you want to answer it. if_you are really sure that you want to say yes, then circle "YES" to the right of the question. if_you have trouble deciding between yes or no but finally decide that you want to say yes, then circle "yes“ to the right of the question. iE_you can't decide, then circle "unsure" to the right of the question. if_you have trouble deciding between yes or no but finally decide that you want to say no, then circle "no" to the right of the question. if. you are really sure that you want to say no, then circle "NO" to the right of the question. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Is it a good idea to get to know people of other races? Is it a good idea for students to attend school with students of other races? Is it a good idea for people of different races to live in the same neighborhood? Is it acceptable for people of different races to intermarry? Should schools be racially desegregated? Will school desegregation allow students to learn better? Will school desegregation allow all children, regardless of race, to get along better with each other in school? 00 you believe that teaching multicultural material is more favorable than traditional material? YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes unsure unsure unsure unsure unsure unsure unsure unsure no no no no no no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO 88 17. Are you in favor of court YES yes unsure no NO ordered desegregation? 18. Do teachers in your school YES yes unsure no NO generally support school desegregation? 19. Do students in your school YES yes unsure no NO generally support school desegregation? 20. 00 parents in your school YES yes unsure no NO neighborhood generally support school desegregation? 21. In the long run, do you think YES yes unsure no NO the desegregation plan will positively effect the quality of education for Lansing children? 22. Do you support desegregation? YES yes unsure no NO 23. Have you established YES yes unsure no NO desegregation goals? Read each question carefully. Answer each question by circling the number beside the statement which you think best answers the question, or write in the appropriate answer. 24. How frequently do you invite someone of another race to your home? 1. Often 2. Very frequently 3. Sometimes 4. Very infrequently 25. How comfortable would you feel about inviting someone of a different race to your home? Very comfortable Somewhat comfortable Neutral Somewhat uncomfbrtable Very uncomfortable macaw—- o o o o o 26. 27. 28. 29. 89 How comfortable would you feel about assigning students of different races to work together? macaw—- Very comfortable Somewhat comfortable Neutral Somewhat uncomfortable Very uncomfortable How many of the textbooks you are using this year contain minority characters/ U‘l-fiQN-d o o o o o All Most Some Few None How many of the textbooks you used prior to this year contained minority characters? macaw-a o o o o o All Most Some Few None When you were in school was the school you attended: Elementary mth-H o o o o o All white Mostly white About an even mixture of black and white students Mostly black All black Junior High m-bWN-fl O O O C All white Mostly white About an even mixture of black and white students Mostly black All black Senior High m-wa—n o o o o o All white Mostly white About an even mixture of black and white students Mostly black All black 30. 31. 90 Were the administrators in the school you attended: Elementary All white Mostly white About an even mixture of black and white administrators Mostly black All black U'l-D (ON-d Junior High All white Mostly white About an even mixture of black and white administrators Mostly black A11 black 01-h DON—i Senior High 1. All white 2. Mostly white 3. About an even mixture of black and white administrators 4. Mostly balck 5. A11 black On the line below indicate the number of desegregation activities such as workshops, discussion groups with resource people or visitations to desegregated school districts you have initiated in the past three (3) years in your building? APPENDIX B FOLLOW-UP LETTER TO ADMINISTRATORS 91 Dear Co-Worker: A thank you is in order to those of you who responded so promptly to my questionnaire. An advance thank you to those of you who haven't had the opportunity to respond yet. It's not too late, the questionnaire will still be accepted. Hope this has been a good year for you. Have a safe and fun-filled summer. P.S. If per chance you've misplaced your copy, I'll be glad to furnish you with another. 92 MICHIGAN STATE UNIV. LIBRARIES 1111111111111111“11"”)1111111111111WI 31293100639510