ROLE EXPECTATIONS HELD FOR THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT S'UPERINTENDENT IN MICHIGAN Thesis Ior flu; Degree oI Ed. D. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LaVerne Henry Boss 1963 THEN: IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIII 3 1293 10474 This is' t9 certify that the thesis entitled ROLE EXPECTATIONS HELD FOR THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL: DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTI‘IN M‘I‘CHIGAN ”presented by La‘Vern’é Henry 8055 has been accepted towards fulfillment ' of the requirements for Ed.D degree in gducation flame/036W Majorjfu'oiessor Date August IL}, I963 0-169 LIBRARY Michigan State University a ..._.4v5-C-— g..- —- . III \. II IiIlnllill‘IlIII‘ I ABSTRACT ROLE EXPECTATIONS HELD FOR THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT IN MICHIGAN by LaVerne Henry Boss The Problem The purpose of this study was an attempt to determine the perception intermediate school district superintendents, board of education members, and selected knowledgeable indi- viduals have regarding various aspects of the role of the superintendent of schools for the intermediate school districts in the State of Michigan. Role expectations of the respondent groups were compared and convergence and di— vergence of Opinion were noted. Procedure A seventy—five item instrument concerning various expectations held for the intermediate school district super- intendent's role was constructed. These items were grouped into the following three sub-categories: (l) characteristic, LaVerne Henry Boss (2) performance, and (3) participation items. The instrument was submitted to the superintendent and two board of education members selected at random from each of the eighty—three intermediate school districts in Michigan, and to eight persons recognized as knowledgeable in this area of research. A total of 197 instruments or 76.7 per cent were returned. Arbitrary values were assigned to the five responses that could be made to each item and scores were computed. Intraposition or within group differences were tested by com— puting the variance and the interposition or between group differences were tested by the chi-square test of significance. Findings The analysis of the data supported the hypothesis that incumbents of the office, board of education members, and recognized knowledgeable individuals hold different and sometimes conflicting expectations regarding the various selected aspects of the intermediate school district super- intendent's position. The investigation indicated that potential role con— flict was probable in over one—third of the items analyzed. LaVerne Henry Boss The greatest divergence of Opinion existed in the sub-category of superintendent participation items. Sixty per cent of the items in the participation area indicated a possibility of role conflict. Approximately one-third of the items in both the characteristic and performance categories were classified as potential role conflict areas. Six of the seventy—five items indicated nearly com- plete convergence of expectations held for the intermediate school district superintendent's position. Board of education members were in disagreement more frequently among themselves on the various items than any of the other respondent groups. A comparison of selected personal variables of the relevant groups with regards to expectations held failed to support the assumption that systematic relationships would exist. Also, an analysis based on the comparison of frequency response to the five point scale between various sub-groups of role definers and the total samples on selected items failed to show significant convergence or divergence. LaVerne Henry Boss Recommendations Adequate channels of communication between the inter- mediate school district superintendent and his board of edu- cation should be maintained if there is to be an increase in convergence with regard to role expectations. These findings could be the basis for bringing about convergent expectations if studied and reviewed in an in- service training program. This could be planned for area superintendents, as well as board of education members. The jury of experts that was chosen as interested and knowledgeable in this area of study could register their concern over these areas of divergent expectations. Means are available to them through personal contacts and their offices to encourage and promote greater agreement between intermediate school district superintendents and their respective boards of education. ROLE EXPECTATIONS HELD FOR THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT IN MICHIGAN BY LaVerne Henry Boss A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION College of Education 1963 SI 2?04& I/s’I/é’I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to express his sincere appreciation to the chairman of his guidance committee, Professor Donald J. Leu, for his assistance in this study and for his en- couragement, interest, and guidance throughout the entire graduate program. He is also indebted to Professor Buford L. Stefflre for his valuable suggestions and sincere interest. A similar word of appreciation is extended to Professor William H. Roe and Professor David G. Moore for their cooperation and help- ful recommendations. The writer also is deeply indebted to his wife, Norma, and Jane, Bob, and Bill, who must at times have felt themselves bereft of husband and father. ii Chapter I. II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE III. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . Introductory Statement Statement of the Problem Basic Hypothesis Inportance of Study Sc0pe and Limitations Definitions of Terms Outline of Study Introduction Role Theory Related Research Development of the Intermediate Unit Intermediate Unit in Michigan Present Status Summary PROCEDURE AND METHODOLOGY Introduction General Methods of the Study Development of the Instrument Pretesting the Instrument The Sample Method of Analysis Treatment of Data Summary iii 18 18 18 26 32 34 44 50 51 51 51 53 55 56 59 61 62 Chapter IV. PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA . . Introduction The Instrument Presentation of the Data Analysis Analysis Analysis Analysis Summary V. SUMMARY AND BIBLIOGRAP APPENDICES Summary of Characteristic Items of Performance Items of Participation Items of Selected Personal Variables CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . Conclusions Recommendations Implications HY . Appendix A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Page 63 63 64 65 85 91 103 108 113 116 116 120 125 127 129 136 136 149 LI ST OF TABLE S Table Page 1. Number of usable returns . . . . . . . . . 65 2. Classification of school board members to age, sex, and experience on county board of education . . . . . . . . . . . 67 3. Classification of school board members according to educational level, in- come, and school teaching experience . . 68 4. Classification of school board members according to their occupational characteristics as compared to Michigan's work force, last decennial census . . . . 69 5. Per cent of questionnaires returned by sub-groups of superintendent and board of education members compared to the per cent of school enrollment . . . . . . 71 6. Classification of intermediate school district superintendents according to experience as a county superintendent, other administrative experience, and classroom teaching . . . . . . . . . . . 72 7. Classification of superintendents according to education level and salary . . . . . . 72 8. Classification of selected characteristic I items relevant to the role of the inter- mediate school district superintendent's position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Table 10. 11. 12. l3. 14. 15. 16. Page Classification of selected performance items relevant to the role of the inter— mediate school district superintendent's position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Classification of selected participation items relevant to the role of the inter- mediate school district superintendent's position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Percentage of items in the three role cate— gories yielding significant chi-squares . 83 Percentage of items in the three role categories having consensus within each of the samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Responses, mean, variance, and chi-square test of significance on characteristic items relevant to the role of the inter- mediate school district superintendent's position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Comparison of responses to item 50 (be educationally 'conservative') between various sub-groups with the samples . . . 90 Comparison of responses to item 56 (be a person that has great drive and is personally ambitious) between various sub-groups with the samples . . . . . . . 91 Responses, mean, variance, and chi—square test of significance on performance items relevant to the role of the intermediate school district superintendent's position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Vi Table 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. Comparison of responses to item 26 (promote and iad the election of board of education members sympathetic to his thinking and philosophy) between various sub—groups with the samples . Responses, mean, position . . . Comparison of responses to item 5 (work with state professional groups to im— prove public education) between various sub-groups with the samples Comparison of percentage responses of school board members according to occu- pational classifications on item 17, "enroll or participate in a college or university professional improvement pro- gram at least every three years." Comparison of percentage responses of superintendents and school board mem- bers according to educational level on "be the scholarly, item 9, lectual type." Comparison of percentage responses of superintendents and school board mem- bers according to educational level on "give time on committees sponsored by professional educational item 20, organizations." variance, vii and chi-square test of significance on participation items relevant to the role of the inter- mediate school district superintendent's the intel- Page 102 104 108 109 110 111 Table Page 23. Comparison of percentage responses of school board members according to years of experience on the county school board on item 23, "take direction from individual intermediate district school board members." . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 24. Comparison of percentage responses of school board members according to years of ex- perience on the county school board on item 26, "promote and aid the election of board of education members sympa- thetic to his thinking and philosophy . . 112 25. Comparison of percentage responses of superintendents according to years of experience as the intermediate district's superintendent on item 49, "refuse to permit members of his board of education to give direction to subordinates with— in his office." . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Introductory Statement This study was designed to identify and clarify the role of the intermediate school district superintendent. Role perception data were gathered from Michigan intermediate school district superintendents and their Board of Education members, as well as selected knowledgeable people interested in and closely associated with this particular office. In recent years the educational needs as perceived by educators and parents of school—aged children have changed greatly. The rapid urbanization in Michigan, especially since the end of Werld war II, has brought additional respon- sibilities to the schools for develoPing programs and various curricula suitable for our youth under these modified conditions. An alert and interested citizenry, as well as dedicated and able educators, are desperately needed to meet the challenge. Progress has been made; various programs, such as the deve10pment of instructional aids and tools, use 1 of supervisory personnel, and the training of exceptional children, have made the greatest gains in recent years. Tradition and actual practice throughout the nation demonstrate the established concepts of the quality of Oppor— tunity for all. This concept in its broad, general form is found in the Constitution. However, the document does not make specific provision for education. At this point it be- comes clear that education is considered a function of the state. Therefore, the function of the state is to provide equal, adequate educational Opportunities for all youth. In Michigan this responsibility is fulfilled through an organi- zation of three levels: the state, the county and the local district. The local district, created and given authority by the state, implements the program of education on the local level. Operating under those powers vested in it, the locally autonomous district is an instrument of the people and con- sidered a quasi-corporation. Because of the size and particularly because of the length Of Michigan, the state finds it necessary to grant authority for the coordination Of education and service functions to a county or intermediate unit. For the fore- seeable future this need in all probability will continue, since to eliminate this level of education within the state would leave the state agency for education the sole co- ordinator for all local districts. The state agency then could conceivably become the sole agency for education with- in Michigan. In Michigan the office of the county superintendent of schools has been the intermediate unit of administration, that office or agency in an intermediate position between the state educational agency and the local school districts. With the movement of people from the large urban school districts into the smaller KrlZ or primary districts usually located on the periphery, it was soon noted that services and Opportunities were not always equal. As the needs and services within a county might vary, so it was soon noted that services between counties varied. Many times the reasons for this inequality were the diverse size of the counties, the inability of the county educational leaders to offer comprehensive programs for all the boys and girls within their jurisdiction. It is an accepted fact that in all school systems the superintendent of schools is an important Official. He, more than any other person, has the Opportunity to determine the nature and extent of the educational enterprise. Frank W. Cyr, Professor of Education, Teachers College, Columbia Uni- versity, states that the intermediate superintendency is an essential part of the total educational structure. The National Education Association, through the De- partment of Rural Education, in a recent publication con- cluded as follows: But we also conclude with convictions. we believe that eyery_ghild and eyery community should have ac- cess to a comprehensive program Of educational Op- portunity. We believe that control and responsi— bility should be kept as close to peOple as possible without interfering with effective Operation. We believe in the community school. But we believe that most community schools will not be able to provide the comprehensive program Of Opportunities desired. we believe the intermediate unit is necessary.2 This intermediate Office in Michigan is a necessary and important avenue of contact between the local district and the State Department of Public Instruction. Rather in- frequently, but occasionally,the intermediate superintendent is the connecting link between the teaching staff and the 1National Education Association, Department of Rural Education, "Rural Education--A Forward Look.“ Yearbook 1955. washington, D.C.: The Association, 1955. p. 259. 2National Education Association, Department Of Rural Education, The Community School and the Intermediate Unit. Yearbook 1954. Washington, D.C.: The Association, 1954, pp. 218-219. local board of education. Harlan D. Beem and H. Thomas James,3 as well as Colon L. Schaibly,4 working independently in the study of the intermediate unit Of school adminis- tration in Michigan, arrive at similar conclusions that though the functions performed by the Office may not always meet the needs, it is concluded that the intermediate unit of administration is essential in Michigan school operation. In fact, the county school superintendency is one of the most important leadership positions at the county level of government. The views, values, and purposes held by the county board of education and their superintendent have considerable influence upon the development Of a county's youth. Their agreement or lack of agreement on issues affecting education can have a tremendous influence upon the actions Of all 3Harlan D. Beem and H. Thomas James, Report of the Michigan Committee for the Study Of the Intermediate unit Of School Administration. Chicago, Illinois: Midwest Adminis- tration Center, University Of Chicago, 1956, p. 60. 4Colon L. Schaibly, "A Study of Selected Functions Of the County School Office in Michigan" (Unpublished Ed. D. Thesis, Michigan State University, 1956. pp. 204-210. 5Harrison Calvin Godfrey, “A Comparative Study Of County School Superintendents' Roles under Elective and .Appointive Systems of Selection" (unpublished Ed. D. Thesis, Auburn University, June 2, 1961L p. 1. school personnel, whether they work at the county or local district level of operation. COOper and Fitzwater comment as follows: There is no more important factor in the Operation Of any administrative unit, whether it be a small common school district that Operates but a single one-teacher school, a large metropolitan school system, or a county unit, than the board of edu- cation. Creating and sustaining unity in the board Of education is one Of the most important problems faced by county units Of school adminis- tration. The county unit is an overall secondary type of community based on the relationships in- volved in providing the governmental services needed.6 Statement of the Problem The general problem of this study was to determine the expectations and differences in expectations that inter- mediate district superintendents, Board of Education members, and knowledgeable people related to this Office have for the selective aspects of the superintendent's position. The research was based on the premise that the above groups hold different expectations, and that because of the different expectations, there is conflict Of Opinion, confusion, and misunderstanding regarding the duties and responsibilities 6Shirley Cooper and C. O. Fitzwater, County School Administration (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1954). p. 200. of the intermediate school district superintendent. If this were not the case, then any problem encountered by the super- intendent in the fulfillment of role requirements and expec- tations would be the result of personal inability to meet these requirements and expectations. However, when consensus of expectations is assumed, then the focus of inquiry is diverted from the study of role conflict. Rinehart comments on this as follows: There is one particular assumption which has blocked fruitful inquiry of the concept of role. It has been assumed that consensus exists among the members Of society or among groups Of role definers as to what is expected Of individuals who occupy particular positions in social systems. It was held that both the role definers and the individuals whose positions are being defined are in essential agreement con- cerning the role behavior apprOpriate to a given situation. Biddle, while discussing differences in teacher role states the following: If. consensus is not the case and there is a signifi- cant amount Of cognitive disparities between and with- in positions related tO the teacher role, the impli- cations are very different. The problems encountered by the teacher might very well be the result of 7James W. Rinehart, "An Analysis of Selected Role Conflict Variables" (Unpublished M.A. Thesis, Michigan State University, 1961) p. 2. converging incompatible cognitions in areas crucial to the teacher role.8 It is believed that the above statement regarding teacher role applies in like manner to the superintendent role at the intermediate unit of administration. Therefore, the various facets of the superintendent's position were divided into role parts. These role parts revealed the total percieved and currently held images that the respondents had of the office of intermediate superintendent of schools. Regardless of what the superintendent does or does not do, it is unlikely that any given act in a situation will be perceived by all respondents and groups in like manner. However, by defining more clearly areas of agreement and dis- agreement concerning the role expectations held by relevant groups, recommendations for the reduction of role conflict can be made. An understanding of the areas of potential role con- flict is necessary, as well as knowledge Of the generalized role of the superintendent. This is necessary to provide an apprOpriate basis for constructive, dynamic leadership in the various intermediate units. 8Bruce J. Biddle, Howard A. Rosencranz, and Earl F. Rankin, Jr., "Positional Differences in Teacher Role," Studies in the Role of the Public School Teacher. Volume 3, Social Psychology Laboratory; The University of Missouri, June, 1961. p. 1. Basic Hypothesis The basic testable hypothesis may be stated as follows: Superintendents of schools, board of education members at the intermediate school office level of adminis- tration, and selected knowledgeable individuals hold dif- ferent expectations for the role of the intermediate super- intendent of schools. Several secondary or subhypotheses are inherent in the above hypothesis. Therefore, selected personal variables of the superintendent and board of edu- cation members were hypothesized to be systematically related to role expectations held for the intermediate school district superintendent. Importance of the Study The general problem of the study has been indicated in the preceding introduction. It was suggested that be- cause Of conflicting expectations, the youth of the State of Michigan might not receive the complete educational program that is so badly needed today. A recent issue of the American School Board Journal contained the following statement: Recent events point to what appears to be a growing incidence of conflict between school boards and super- intendent . . . each program situation seems to 10 include a common element: a lack Of agreement on the role and function of the board and the superintendent. William C. Bruce writing in this same publication, states: The quality of performance of the superintendent of schools is governed, in large measure, by the con- cept of the position held by the school board. The duties of the superintendent are determined more 0 often by the board than by statute. The chief school officer of the intermediate unit needs to understand the role or roles that members of his board Of education expect him to assume in his office. He needs to understand the role as each other identifies it. Clearly defined roles for each is mandatory in the areas of duties and purposes of the school system. The need for more . . 1 clearly defined roles was p01nted out by Anderson 1 when he stated that some county superintendents have been fortunate to understand and perceive their responsibilities in the light Of expectations held for them by their boards of 9Donald D. Woodington and Robert W. Brydon, "A Firm Foundation for School Board--Superintendent Relationships," The American School Board Journal, Vol. 143, NO. 4 (October, 1961), p. 15. 0William C. Bruce, "Quality of School Board Service," The American School Board Journal, Vol. 142, NO. 4 (April, 1961). p. 38. 11Fred W. Anderson, "The County Superintendency in Nebraska--Current States and Possible Future? (Unpublished Ed. D. Thesis, University of Nebraska, 1959). p. 23. 11 education. Others have found the working relationship incom— patible and have sought employment elsewhere, thereby making it increasingly difficult for various counties to obtain or keep qualified candidates for the position. The need for greater clarification of the role of the county superintendent is pointed out by Donald J. McCarty when he states, “The role of the administrator is de- fined by board Of education members in markedly different fashion."12 In recent national research on the intermediate unit, William P. McLure has this to say regarding a need for more study: . . . there is no 'pat solution' to fit all situ- ations. . . . These divergencies suggest that this question of role of the intermediate district has not been studied very thoroughly.13 Scope and Limitations The professional roles, as well as the personal at— tributes Of the county superintendent, were defined. Various 2 . 1 Donald J. McCarty, "On Better Board-Superintendent Relations." ThegAmerican School Board Journal, Vol. 141, NO. 1 (July, 1960), p. 8. 13William P. McClure, The Intermediate Administrative Igghool District in the United States. Bureau of Educational‘ Research, University Of Illinois, urbana, Illinois, February, 1956, p. 80. 12 selected aspects of his position, ranging from specific duties to broad responsibilities and functions, were deter- mined: along with these the personal attributes that an in- cumbent of the Office should possess were analyzed. The study utilized an Open-ended questionnaire and interviews administered to incumbents Of the office, board of education members, local school district administrators, the Department of Public Instruction personnel assigned to the area of the intermediate school district, and college of education professors, and was devised to identify personal characteristics and various facets of professional roles. From these preliminary methods a formalized questionnaire was developed. Of course, this study is subject to all of the limitations inherent in the use of a questionnaire admin- istered by mail as a data-gathering instrument. Data col- lected in this manner must necessarily be subject to certain assumptions among which are the following: that the re- cipients are literate and sufficiently conversant with the content Of the instrument to understand the implications of the alternate responses provided, that the recipients under- stand the manner in which they should indicate their re- sponses, and that they are sufficiently interested in having their responses reflect their true judgments to give adequate 13 consideration to each item. Further, the mailed question- naire is limited by the self—selectivel4 factor in the deter- mination of which instruments are returned. Finally, it must be assumed that each person who returns the instrument responds in complete sincerity and honesty. The data col- lected in the formal instrument were restricted to the re- sponses to the questionnaire and generalized only to the population. The data were concerned with role conflict possibilities, and did not indicate the depth or cause of the conflict. The role conflict possibility items, however, furnished a starting point for role clarification. Although the county superintendent interacts with many persons and groups within and without the school system, this study was limited to the county superintendent and the board Of edu- cation members within the selected counties in the state of Michigan during the 1962-63 school year. Definition Of Terms Role. Although role will be more fully discussed in Chapter II, for the purposes Of the study role is broadly de- fined as follows: far 14Marie Jahoda, Morton Deutsch and Stuart W. Cook, Reseagch Methods in SocialgRelations - Part One: Basic Process. New York: The Dryden Press, 1958, pp. 159-160. 14 Accordingly, to include all aspects of role requirements, we must define social role as an organized pattern of ex~ pectancies that relate to the task, demeanors, values, and reciprocal relationships to be maintained by persons occupying specific membership positions and fulfilling desirable functions in any group.15 The functioning form the individual assumes in the specific moment he reacts to a specific situation in which other persons or Objects are involved. The symbolic representation of this functioning form, per- ceived by the individual and others, is called the role. The form is created by passing experiences and cultural patterns of the society in which the individual lives, and may be satisfied by the specific type of his productivity.l6 Expectations. An expectation will be defined as an evaluative standard applied to an incumbent of a position. Three levels of expectations are defined by Brookover: (lI‘ Members Of any group have role expectations of any actor in a broadly defined situation. (2) Members Of any group have expectations Of any actor in a particular position or situation. (3) Any group may have expec— tations Of a particular actor in a specific situation.17 County School Office. This term sometimes shortened to "county office", and occasionally to the "county". identifies the entire scope Of activities and functions 15E. L. Hartley and R. E. Hartley, Fundamentals Of Social PsychOquy (New York: Alfred A. KnOph, 1952) p. 486. 16Bruno Solby, "The Role Concept in Job Adjustment," Sociometry, Vol. 7 (1944), p. 224. 7Wilbur Brookover, “Research on Teacher and Adminis- trator Roles," Journal of Educational Sociology, Vol. 29 (September, 1955), p. 3. 15 performed by, or carried out under, the auspices of the educational authority. Intermediate Units. The intermediate unit of school administration is defined more fully in Chapter II and is used synonymously with “the county school office." It re- fers to the unit of school administration which stands be- tween, Or in an intermediate position with regard to, the state education authority and the local school district.18 prartment of Public Instruction. This is the highest level of school administration in the state and may be referred to as the state education authority. It is dis- tinguished from the county or intermediate unit and the local school district unit.19 Board of Education Member. This person will be dis- cussed more fully in Chapter II. He is an elected member with specific responsibilities and duties and is charged with the formulation of policy governing the Operation of the intermediate school Office. 18The Community School and the Intermediate Unit, 92. Egg., p. 38. 19The legal authority and responsibility Of the Superintendent Of Public Instruction are defined in various statutes. See especially Act 269, Public Acts Of 1955, State Of Michigan, Part 1, Chapter 7, Sections 251-272, Inclusive. 16 Role Conflict. Any situation in which the incumbent of a focal position perceives that he is confronted with in- compatible expectations. Chief School Officer. "County superintendent" or "superintendent" may be used synonymously and refers toia person appointed for a term generally of two to five years, to perform various duties and functions relating to the supervision and management of all schools within the inter- mediate unit. Outline of the Study In Chapter I, the background for the study has been described and the rationale behind the study has been out- lined in some detail. The problem as well as the basic hy— pothesis has been stated. The scope and limitations of the study were briefly outlined and a list of definitions of terms was included. Chapter II contains a review of related and pertinent literature in role theory, role analysis, and a description of the intermedicate school Office. 20Gross, Neal C., Mason, Ward S. and McEachern, A. W., Exploration in Role Analysis (New York: Wiley, 1958), p. 248. 1Carter V. Good, Dictionary of Education (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1945), p. 399. 17 In the third chapter, the methodology and instrumen- tation used in conducting the study are presented. In ad- dition, the statistical design and basic assumptions under- lying the design are discussed. The data are analyzed in Chapter IV and are presented in tabular form. The results of the analysis are discussed in the chapter. Chapter V contains the summary and conclusions Of the study. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Introduction The review of literature for this study concentrated in two major areas Of writing--role theory and research re- lated to role analysis from the social-psychological reference, and authoritative literature which described the historical basis from which duties and responsibilities Of the chief school Officer were gleaned. Role theory and role analysis information was re- viewed first and the historical setting and description of the position were reviewed in the latter part Of this chapter. Role Theory Because the study is concerned with role expectations, it is important to review the literature concerning role theory, particularly as applied to this research. There are a number Of comprehensive reviews Of the literature in role 18 l9 theory. One Of the latest dealing with role analysis in an educational setting is a comprehensive study by Gross, Mason and McEachern.l Although the study is not particularly de- signed as a review, it nevertheless contains many helpful bibliographic references. Another source is Sarbin's2 article in the Handbook Of Social Psychology which covers the develOpment of and the research in role theory. A descriptive study of the teaching profession by Waller3 in 1932, pointed the way for modern empirical research of role analysis. Brookover4-5-6 has published several articles on role theory and research on the role of teachers and administrators. Such articles con- tain numerous references to work that has been done in the lGross, Neal C., Mason, ward S. and McEachern, A. W., Explorations in Role Analysis, (New York: Wiley, 1958). 2Theodore R. Sarbin. "Role Theory," Handbook Of Social Psychology, Vol. I. G. Lindzey, editor. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1954. pp. 223-258. 3Willard Waller, The Sociology of Teaching (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1932). 4Wilbur Brookover. "Public Images and Expectations Of Teachers," College Of Education Quarterly, Michigan State University, 3:4 7-12, 1957. 5 . "Research on Teacher and Administrative Roles," Journal of Educational Sociology, 29: pp. 2-13, 1955. 6 . A Sociology Of Education. (New York: American Book Company, 1955). 20 field. In addition to the above, Nieman and Hughes7 have re- viewed the historical development of role theory from 1900 to 1950, and Hoffman8 has included a comprehensive review of the literature in his doctoral thesis on role expectancies for elementary school special area teachers. One of the most recent and complete reviews of role theory was done by Cowan9 in 1960, when he reviewed the role of the Flint building director. Neiman and Hughes come to the conclusion that "In spite Of the confusion and lack of consensus, the concept role is an integral part of sociological vocabulary."lo In his review of the literature, Doyle states as follows: Current. definitions for the term 'role' range from the term as a substitute for the concept 'status' to a 7L. J. Neiman and J. W. Hughes, "Problems of the Concept Of Role--A Resurvey of the Literature," Social Forces, 30: 141-49, 1951. 8James D. Hoffman, "A Study Of the Perceptions That Administrators, Elementary Teachers, Consultants, and Special Area Teachers Have Of the Elementary Special Area Teacher and Consultant Role," (Unpublished Ed. D. Thesis, Michigan State University, 1959). 9Alton W. Cowan, "The Flint Building Director: Role Expectations Held by Relevant Groups," (Unpublished Ed. D. Thesis, Michigan State University, 1960). 10Neiman and Hughes, pp. cit., p. 149. 21 descriptive termlfor highly personalized styles Of indi— vidual behavior. This was also stated by Ralph Linton in 1936, while discussing status and role: A role represents the dynamic aspects of status--when (the individual) puts the rights and duties which con- stitute status into effect, he is performing role.12 In Linton's later work related to this aspect, role apparently has reference not to actual behavior of an occupant of a position but to behavioral standards. It consists of: Attitudes, values, and behavior to any and all persons occupying this status. . . . in so far as it represents overt behavior, a role is the dynamic aspect of a status: what the individual has to do in order to validate his occupation of the' status.13 Bates departs from the above rationale of Linton in that he says, "Social role is normative and structural in character and not behavioral."l4 llDoyle,.9_p. cit, p. 11. . 12Ralph Linton, The Study of Man (New York: Appleton- Century Company, 1936), p. 114. 13Ralph Linton, The Cultural Background Of Personality (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1947). p. 77. 4Frederick L. Bates, "Position, Role, and Status: A Reformulation Of Concepts," Social Forces, VOl. 34, NO. 4 (May, 1956), p. 314. 22 Stogdill in a comprehensive review of role theory concludes: We have noted that function and status are attached to a position rather than to the occupant of the position. The function and status of a position may remain es- sentially unchanged in the expectations of the members over long periods of time during which several dif- ferent persons may occupy the position. If the role concept is to have any meaning which differs from the concepts of status and function in combination, then it seems necessary to assume that role expectations are attached to the person rather than to the position he occupies.15 Endeavoring to find a rationale for the conflicts and the divergence of professional roles in the industrial- management field, Coates and Pellagrin stated as follows: Executive success, like leadership and success in other occupational fields, is sub'ect to situational and environmental variability. ' They conclude: "It would seem logical to appraise their (the executives) 'looking-glass selves' and the role Of 'gener- alized others'--their own personal attributes, in contrast 15Ralph M. Stogdill, Individual Behayior and Group Adhievement (New York: Oxford University Press, 1959), p. 128. 16 . Charles H. Coates and Ronald J. Pellegrin, "Executives and Supervisors Contrasting Self-Conceptions and Conceptions Of Each Other," American Sociological Review, Vol. 22, NO. 2 (April, 1957), p. 218. 23 with those of others in their own or similar occupational - ..17 enVIronments. Getzels notes in Administrative Theory in Education that, A role has certain normative obligations and responsi- bilities, which may be termed "role expectations," and when the role incumbent puts these obligations and re- sponsibilities into effect, he is said to be performing his role.18 In the review of the literature, Gross, Mason and McEachern refer to the problem of semantics thusly, What Linton and Newcomb define as role, Davis defines as a status; what Davis defines as a role, Newcomb calls role behavior, and Sarbin, role enactment.19 The writer is indeed grateful to authors such as Sarbin, Linton, Brookover, and Gross for having helped de- velop concepts pertaining to role and to practical research tools, particularly in applying role to problems of an educational nature. A paradigm Of role and related concepts was develOped by Brookover which divides the concept "role" into seven categories: Ibid., p. 220. 18Jacob W. Getzels, "Administration as a Social Process," Administrative Theory,in Education, Edited by Andrew W. Halpin, Chicago, Illinois: Midwest Administration Center, University of Chicago, 1958, p. 153. 9 . Gross, pp. c1t., p. 17. 24 General status -- others' expectations of any actor in a broadly defined position, i.e. teacher. Status in situation -- others' expectations of any actor in a particular situation. Role -- others' expectations of a particular actor in a particular situation. Actor -- the individual as he enters the situation with his previous experience in related situations, person- ality needs, and the meaning of the situation for him. Self involvement -— actor's image of the ends anticipated from participation in the status as he projects his self image in the role. Definition -- actor's definition Of what he thinks others expect of him in the role. Behavior in interaction —- actor's behavior in inter- action with others. This is determined by definition and role but also continually redefines them.20 While Brookover defines role in terms of status and status in situation, Newcomb describes role in terms of positions. He states: The ways Of behaving which are expected of any indi- vidual who occupies a certain position constitute the role associated with that position. A position . . . is something static; it is a place in the structure recognized by members Of the society and accorded by them to one or more individuals. A role, on the other hand, is something dynamic: it refers to the behavior of the occupants of a position-—not all their behavior, as ersons, but what they do as occupants of the position. 1'.— 20Brookover,"Research on Teacher and Administrator Roles," pp. cit., p. 3. 21Theodore M. Newcomb, Social Psychology (New York: Dryden Press, 1950), p. 280. 25 Gross, Mason and McEachern's definition of position and role parallels that of Newcomb when they state position is defined as "a location of an actor or class of actors in a system of social relationship"22 and role as a "set of expectations-- or a set of evaluative standards applied to incumbents of a particular position."23 The subjective character of role definition provides the background and rationale for the present study. We are concerned with the perception the actor (county superin- tendent) has in a social working situation with another. actor (board of education members). we proceed on the theory that roles are particularly defined in terms of the ex- pectancies which the actor holds for others who are acting in the situation with him. In this case, we are interested in the general expectancies which board of education members hold Of the working role Of the county superintendent. The roles are also partially defined by the actor's own thinking of how he perceives the role and how he thinks others per- ceive it. Much of the definitive material. type of 22Gross,gp. cit., p. 58. 231bid., p. 60. 26 questionnaire and scale for this study were obtained from the 2 research of Gross, Mason and McEachern. Related Research There have been a number of studies involved with an empirical use of role theory as an analytical tool in dealing with role expectations for actors in various educational positions. Waller25 analyzed the role of the teacher as re- lated to students and community expectations and based his study on Observations and insight rather than upon statistical methodology in the conceptualization of roles as it is viewed today. Bidwell studied teacher role expectations and administrator role perceptions. He hypothesized that a teacher's role expectations as they converged or diverged toward an administrator and his perceptions of the teacher's behavior would be related to the teacher's job satisfaction. He mailed questionnaires to 368 teachers in five school systems. From a return of slightly over 50 per cent, he concluded that: Ibida ' Pp. 102-104. 25Willard Waller, 2p. cit. 27 Convergence of teachers' role-expectations toward the administrator and their perceptions Of his behavior will be accompanied by an expression by these teachers of satisfaction with the teaching situation. Divergence Of teachers' role expectations toward the administrator and their perceptions Of his behavior will be accompanied by an expression by these teachers of dissatisfaction with the teaching situation. Doyle27 studied the expectancies which elementary teachers, administrators, school board members, and parents have of the elementary teacher's roles. He sampled 96 teachers from three northwestern Michigan communities and his study was conducted by submitting a checklist to elementary teachers, administrators, board members, and parents. Sig— nificant differences were found in the elementary teacher's role as defined by the teacher and as defined by the adminis- trators, parents, board members, and students. 28 . . Getzels and Guba report one study dealing With role conflict among public school teachers. They designed an instrument based on interview data to measure feelings Of 26Charles E. Bidwell, "The Administrative Role and Satisfaction in Teaching," Journal of Educational Sociology, Vol. 29 (September, 1955), p. 47. 27 I . Doyle, gp. Cit., pp. 158-162. 28Jacob w. Getzels and E. G. Guba, "The Structure of Roles and Role Conflict in a Teaching Situation," Journal Of Educationa1_§9ciology, Vol. 29, (September, 1955), p. 40. 28 role conflict in three areas: the social-economic role, the citizen role, and the professional role. Their instrument was submitted to 344 elementary and secondary school teachers in 18 schools from six systems. Returns of slightly less than 50 per cent indicated that the teacher is defined by both common core expectations, and by varied expectations that are a function Of local school and community conditions. Further, some expectations attached to the teacher role are inconsistent with expectations attached to other roles the teacher may occupy. Such role conflict indicates that the teacher role is imperfectly integrated with other roles. Expectations held for the role of the enrollment Officer at Michigan State University were studied by Eldon Nonnamaker.29 A random sampling of seven campus groups was chosen. An instrument concerning various expectations held for the enrollment Officer's role was constructed. A 60- item schedule was mailed to 189 subjects with a return of over 80 per cent. It was concluded that there is no one set Of expectations held for the enrollment Officer. However, all groups expressed areas Of agreement for many areas of 29Eldon R. Nonnamaker, "The Role Of the Enrollment Officer at Michigan State University" (Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Michigan State University, 1959). 29 the role. The researcher found several significant dif— ferences in expectations held for the role by counselors. The duties and responsibilities of the enrollment Officer consequently should be more clearly defined. Cowan3O studied expectations held for the role Of the building director at Flint, Michigan. A questionnaire con- taining 75 statements of expectations that could be answered in terms Of agreement or disagreement or no expectation held was administered to 189 Flint teachers, principals and adult education coordinators. From a return of 139 question- naires, it was concluded that the building director is in a position of built-in conflict and that his professional roles must be more clearly defined. A better understanding is needed of the normative expectations which relate to aspects Of the building director's position. It was also concluded that for the building director to be more effective, he must have a greater understanding of the expectations held for him by various relevant groups. In a depth study involving most school superintendents in Massachusetts, Gross, Mason and McEachern31 explored the problems Of consensus on role definition, conformity to 11 u .‘ v- V 30Cowan,.gp. cit., PP. 134:139. lGross,_gp. cit. 30 expectations and resolution of role conflict. Tested were many theoretical hypotheses involving expectations and the behavior Of incumbents of position in educational social systems. Depth interviews of board members and superin- tendents were the main tools of research for this emperical study Of role definition. Consensus of role definition was measured within groups and between groups. Examined also were some areas of major role conflicts with which the super- intendents were confronted. Role consensus was used as a variable in this study. The roles of the elementary special area teacher and the elementary consultant were studied by Hoffman.32 Except for the substitution of mailed questionnaires for the inter- views, he used methods and scales similar to Gross and his associates. Seventeen school districts in Michigan were chosen in which conflicting expectations held by educators concerning this role were analyzed. Questionnaires were sent to teachers, administrators, and special area teachers and consultants. Hoffman received a return of 76 per cent on his 62-item questionnaire. In the selected items, it was shown that there was inconsistency in role perception held 32Hoffman,.gp. cit., p. 110. 31 for the various roles. Possibilities of Open role conflict were established. A comparative study by Godfrey in role concepts held by two categories of chief school Officers in five south- eastern states, as perceived by state department of in- struction personnel and university educators, indicated there is little agreement as to the specific duties this Office should embrace. He interviewed 64 county superintendents, 50 department of public instruction personnel and 26 univer- sity educators on 84 specific items. Conclusions reached are as follows: County school superintendents idealized a role that would attach above average importance to administrative behavior described as democratic leadership, average importance to activities bearing on maintenance, management and control Of the school system, with be— low average value placed upon measures tO effect re- forms, and least value assigned to functions classified as professional services. . . . the county school superintendent is viewed with much disappointment by both state department and uni- versity personnel. . . . they (county school superintendents) have a tendency to comply with the role they perceive the county board Of education and influential citizen groups assign to them.33 In summary, the literature seems clear that research on role in its theoretical framework has been under critical 33Godfrey,_qp. cit., p. 101-102. 32 review in recent years. Many empirical studies regarding role perceptions and expectations have been completed and pro- cedural insight has been gained. Instruments and scales have been reviewed and areas of convergence and divergence have been compared and evaluated. In all Of these the great need for role clarity has been Observed. Development of the Intermediate Unit Schools with us, as with the older European countries from which our early settlers came, arose largely as children Of the church. From instruments Of religion, they have changed gradually into important instruments of the state.3 Thus has Cubbley commented concerning the background and de- velOpment of the system of education which we have in the United States. He goes on to say that: SO important was this New England evolution and contri- bution and so fully did it fit in with the changing conditions Of the period, that by the time our national government and the different state governments were established, the states were becoming ready in princi- ple at least to accept the theory thus gradually worked out in New England that schools were institutions and should be regarded as instruments of the state.35 ‘ I c l _ r —' w O 34Ellwood P. Cubberley, gablic Education in the united States (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin company, 1934), p. 12. 35Ellwood P. Cubberley, State School Administration (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1927), p. 6. 33 Education began in the colonies as a purely local undertaking. Lay boards of trustees performed the adminis- trative functions relating to the provision of buildings and materials, arranged for the collection of fees and taxes, and employed teachers to conduct the classes for the pupils. The educational needs were simple. The communities were well defined with the inhabitants clustered in small villages and towns. As the lands to the west and south were settled and develOped, it became obvious that the pattern of life was different from that established along the eastern seaboard. Instead of living in clusters, the population was housed on widely scattered farmsteads. The town, as it was known in New England, did not exist. The towns and villages existed fundamentally, not as places of residence, but as service centers where the rural inhabitants could sell the products they raised and Obtain others which they were unable to pro- duce themselves. Communities were still well defined, but they covered a much wider area. In general, the service area Of each town was limited by the "team haul," the distance which a farmer could drive his team and return in a day.36 36COOper,p_p. cit., p. 12. 34 It soon became obvious that some form Of supervision of the schools beyond that exercised by the lay trustees was desirable. Also the concept of free universal education was beginning to become established, so the people turned to the state as a unit of government which should assume ultimate responsibility for education. At the same time, however, they maintained their desire to retain as much local control as possible. Intermediate Unit in Michigan The intermediate school district in Michigan is es- tablished and regulated by statutes which assign authority, duties, and responsibilities to both the county board of education and the county superintendent. Although the county superintendent is appointed by and responsible to the county board Of education, he is granted authority and charged with various responsibilities which are not subject to the authority of the county board. Traditionally, the county superintendent and the intermediate unit were virtually synonymous terms. Many Of the provisions pertaining to the establishment, authority, and functions Of the intermediate unit are found in the 35 School Code, which is Act. No. 269 Of the Public Acts of 1955, State of Michigan.37 Chapter VIII of the School Code, entitled "County School Districts", which includes Sections 291 to 337 in— clusive, deals exclusively with the county school office, but additional provisions are found in various other sections Of the act and in other statutes. In the following discussion, matters not otherwise identified by footnotes are paraphrased from Chapter VIII of the act. This statute provides that, following the election of the first county board Of education, each county in the state shall constitute a county school district. The Office of county superintendent came into being in Michigan by the passage Of Act 55 in 1867. As you trace the develOpment Of this office which found its expression in the legislation in 1867, it is necessary to go back to the first Of the territorial laws dealing with the organization Of common schools. An act for the establishment of common schools adOpted by this territorial government Of Michigan, April 12, 1872, provided for the establishment of schools in townships containing fifty or more families or householders. 37Act 269, Public Acts Of 1955, (Revision through the 1962 Session, Michigan Legislature), State Of Michigan. 36 The practice of placing an intermediate Office between the state and the local level of school administration was not peculiar to Michigan. In most Of the midwestern states, this original intermediate Office was the township. As this Office failed to exercise its school functions properly, the new Office of county superintendent Of schools was created. Often all the duties Of an intermediate nature were not taken from the township officials with the creation of the new intermediate Office. In fact, in Michigan, the town- ship authorities retained jurisdiction Over boundary changes until 1947. Clair Taylor, Superintendent of Public In- struction in Michigan, in reviewing the develOpment of the county school Office, stated that early territorial laws directed five discrete persons should work with a commissioner Of common schools in each township.38 This was the beginning Of what might be termed a board of educatiOn working with a superintendent in the direction and administration Of local schools within a particular area. Many changes took place between those early days and the Office as it exists today. Oramel Hosford. Superintendent 38 . Clair L. Taylor, "Development Of the County School Administration," Michigan Education Journal, Vol. 32 (February, 1955), p. 251. 37 of Public Instruction for the state of Michigan, in his re- port to the legislature in 1866, stated, At a meeting Of State Superintendents Of Public In- struction, held in washington, in February last, con- siderable time was spent in discussing the question Of county superintendency. In many of the states represented, this system Of school supervision has been in Operation for many years, and the unanimous testimony was that the system was most successful in its working, and all had come to feel that this was a fixed and absolutely necessary part of their school system. Believing, as I do, that the best interests Of our schools are suffering for the want Of vigorous super- vision, and knowing that the present system fails to meet this want, I most earnestly recommend to the consideration of the present legislature the prOpriety Of adopting the system of county superintendency. As stated earlier, the formation of the Office Of county superintendent was by the passage of Public Act 55 in 1867. The law authorized counties having at least ten school districts to elect a county superintendent. The term of Office was two years and the Office was to be located in the county seat. The law prescribes the following duties for the county superintendent: TO examine all candidates for certificates, to revoke certificates for cause, to visit 39Ibid., p. 252. The factual material regarding the 'historical development Of the intermediate unit in Michigan has been drawn largely from this article, pp. 250-252 and 263-264. 38 each school in the county at least once a year, to counsel with teachers and local boards of education, to note con— ditions of buildings and library facilities of the districts and townships, and to sponsor teachers' institutes. In addition to these duties, he was required to collect various reports for the State Department Of Public Instruction. The criticisms of the new Office were so many that an investigation was made by the House Committee on Education. Objectors to the law contended that the system was too ex- pensive and a common complaint was that the higher standards for teachers certification enforced by certain county super— intendents had caused teachers' wages to go up and created a shortage of teachers. The House Committee found that in many cases the law was effective and the Committee felt that the fault did not lie with the newly formed county system but with their elected superintendents and appointed boards of education, or inspectors as they were called in those days. The Committee on Education in 1871 stated as follows: .After a thorough investigation, and upon the best infor- mation your committee could Obtain, they are unanimous in the Opinion that the present system is correct in theory and successful in practice . . . they fear its repeal would be a step backward, change in our educa- tional system should be made with great care and caution and only when one system is clearly a failure or another clearly superior. 39 The positive stand by the House Committee did not quiet the many criticisms of the county Office. Therefore, in 1875, the legislature repealed the law establishing the county superintendent of schools and returned to virtually the same act that had been in force before. Under this law, the township board of education or school inspectors could appoint a visitor who was in effect a township superintendent of schools. This system lasted but a few years, for by 1881 the legislature was trying to find a method of administration which would Operate in an area larger than the township. In that year, it created a county board Of school examiners by the passage Of Act 164. In 1887, the legislature provided for the appointment of a secretary Of the Board of County Examiners and made it his duty, among others, to inspect the schools in the county at least once a year. He also could appoint assistant visitors whenever necessary. It is inter- esting to note that Public Act 266 passed by the Michigan legislature in 1887 fixed the annual salary of the county superintendent at $1,500. The legislature in 1891 created the Office Of county commissioner of schools and in 1901 pro- vided for the pOpular election by ballot of the county com- missioner for a term of four years. 40 Public Act 217, as passed by the legislature in 1949, provided for county school offices with a superintendent of schools and a board of education for each Of the 83 counties. The county board of education was to have five members serving for six-year terms. Membership would be elected at a biennial meeting held on the second Monday in June. The law also named the county board to be the legal successor to all Of the duties pertaining to schools which had been held by the township boards.'IThe county superintendent was to be selected by the county board and to serve as its executive Officer, replacing county commissioners chosen by popular vote. The law had required the upgrading of the county superintendent to a point where it was necessary for him to be a graduate of a college or university and hold at least a Bachelor Of Science degree. He was further required to be a holder of a teaching certificate and to have taught in public schools in the state for a period Of at least forty-five months. 3 A study conducted in 1955 by Edward J. Ernatt sought to determine the nature and extent Of instructional services provided school districts in the state Of Michigan by the county school Office. The number of available research personnel, number of teachers, pupils served, the cost of 41 these services, the availability Of instructional equipment, and materials furnished from the county Office were used as measures of service. This 25 page questionnaire covering 40 different services was mailed to all 83 county superintendents, and a return of 63 instruments was received. Some conclusions reached were as follows: 1. County superintendents tend to supervisions Of ele- mentary education with the allotment of 10 to 15% of his time in this area. 2. Services such a curricular research and pilot pro- jects did not receive much attention from the county school superintendents. 3. Generally services Offered by the county Office varied in direct prOportion to the wealth of the county. 4. More clerical assistance was needed by most of the Offices surveyed.4O Schaibly did a descriptive study in 1956 of the current status of the intermediate Office in Michigan. He investigated the need for the intermediate Office in terms Of service which should be provided by the Office. Some conclusions reached by Colon Schaibly are as follows: 40Edward J. Ernatt, "Instructional Services Rendered by County School Offices in Michigan and Related Factors:' Available Personnel, Number Of Teachers and Pupils Served, Expenditures Per Pupil Served, and Available Equipment and Materials“ (Unpublished Ed. D. Thesis, University Of Michigan, 1956), pp. 157-167. 42 1. Inequalities Of educational Opportunities exist among school districts which might be reduced through the intermediate unit. 2. That the direct control Of the intermediate adminis- trative unit should be vested in a board of education representative of the area it serves. 3. Need for additional secretarial and clerical as- sistances in many of the county Offices--this study showed that a total of eleven and one half secre- taries and clerks were employed in twenty county Offices of the sample. 4. He also came to the conclusion that the Department of Public Instruction should be the logical agency in the state to provide the leadership in de- veloping functional intermediate units, because of the legal powers and duties given to the superin- tendent Of public instruction. About this same time Harlan Been and Thomas James working with a committee interested in the future of the county school district attempted to determine whether or not there should be an intermediate unit structure in Michigan and, if so, what should be its nature. A report was prepared that reviewed the past, described the present, and set forth tentative conclusions and recommendations. Some Of the relevant findings are as follows: 1. The develOpment Of an intermediate structure capable V Of adaptation to meet increased demands on local districts is an essential to the retention Of local control. 41Schaibly,,gp. cit., pp. 204-209. 43 2. The intermediate district must not stand as a vesteds interest in the way of develOpment of better ways of doing things, or in the path Of greater local autonomy. 3. Administration and control should be as close tO the! peOple as possible. -As rapidly as local districts become able to take responsibilities, they should be encouraged to assume them. ' 4. The intermediate Office will develOp to its greatest V potential only when there is general recognition Of need for services which are not now being rendered by local districts. 5. It must be recognized, however, that there is some conflict possible in an Office which attempts to be a cooperative and coordinating service unit. 'Be- cause of such potential conflict, this is an area which should be studied continuously.42 Carroll Munshaw in his study of the county Office in Wayne County, Michigan, makes the following statement re- garding the need for agreement between the county board of education and the county superintendent Of schools, stating as follows: Although many Of the duties and responsibilities Of the county school Office are prescribed by law, considerable latitude is permitted in discretionary functions, par- ticularly in the sc0pe and extent Of services which may be made available to local districts. ‘Also, the manner in which the required functions are carried out is sub- ject to wide variation. Prescribed duties, many Of them Of the routine reportorial type, can be performed in a perfunctory and arbitrary manner with the emphasis on the authOrity which is delegated to the county Office 42Beem,gp. cit., pp. 47-52. 44 as an arm Of the department Of public instruction. On the other hand, the emphasis can be predicted upon a philosophy of service with the authority aspect kept in the background except in unusual instances. The policies which determine both the scope Of the service program tO the local district and the manner in which the prescribed duties are performed depend largely upon the insight of the members of the county board of education. If the county board member believed, for example, that the primary concern of the county school Office should be the rural non-superintendency schools and that whatever funds can be made available by the county should be used to augment the educational programs in these schools, the services to the larger schools in the county are likely to be severely limited or non-existent. If, on the other hand, county board members view the county school Office as a service agency for all schools in the county, regardless of size, a different program emphasis should result. ' Present Status Presently, there are 83 county units in Michigan, each Operating with a chief school Officer and a separate board Of education. Although Michigan law in Section 302 of Act 269, Public Acts of 1955, permitted counties to combine into larger intermediate units, no such combinations have oc- curred at this writing. It is hoped that the drastic revision of the county school district Act 269 by passage Of Act 190 during the 1962 session Of the Michigan Legislature will 43Carroll L. Munshaw, "The Extent Of Agreement and Disagreements Among Selected School Officials Regarding the Role of the County School Office in Wayne County, Michigan" (Unpublished Ed. D. Thesis, Wayne State University, Michigan, 1958). pp. 135-136. 45 encourage change. This act, which became effective in the spring 1. of 1963, contained the following major provisions: The board of the intermediate school district shall succeed to the powers and duties of the county board Of education. The intermediate school district must have at least 5,000 pupils in the membership in the local school district. (Thirty seven county school districts have fewer than 5,000 students as of January 1963). Members of the board may continue to be elected by a popular vote; however, the county electorate, by a petition signed by a majority Of the school boards representing 50 per cent of the children, may vote to adOpt the election method of selecting board members. In a reorganized intermediate district there shall be 7 members on the board. The Officers of the intermediate board are a presi- dent, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. The superintendent serves as the executive Officer of the board. The secretary and treasurer need not be members Of the board. The budget Of the intermediate school board shall be submitted on or before March 1, to a meeting Of one school board member representative Of each con- stituent school district. These representatives Of constituent districts shall determine, by majority vote the maximum amount Of budget. The budget shall be submitted to the county tax allocation board which shall allocate a tax rate for the support Of the intermediate school district by the same procedure as is used in allocating rates to the several local school districts, townships and county unit of government.44 44 Act 190, public Acts of 1962, State of Michigan. 46 As already indicated, the intermediate unit began largely as a data gathering and reporting agency. Later, the supervision of teachers in the rural schools was added. Still later, intermediate units began to provide specialized services other than supervision of rural and, sometimes, the small town and village schools. Today, intermediate units are adding a great variety Of additional services which are used in many cases by large, as well as small, local dis- tricts, by city, as well as rural, districts. Some of the more important statutory duties the intermediate board of education shall perform are listed as follows: 1. Perform such duties as required by law and by the superintendent of public instruction. 2. Prepare the annual general budget On or before March 1 of each year. 3. Prepare a map Of the intermediate district annual as Of July 1, showing by distinct lines thereon the boundaries of each constituent school district. 4. Furnish services on a consultant or supervisory basis to any constituent school district upon request Of that district. 5. Direct, supervise, and conduct cooperative educational programs in behalf Of the constituent school districts which request such services. 6. Conduct cooperative programs mutually agreed upon by the boards Of not more than 3 intermediate school districts. 47 When directed by the board Of supervisors, establish, if the board deems necessary, a school for those persons of school age who are housed in children's homes Operated by the juvenile court or who are living at home but assigned to such school by a juvenile court. Smittle in a recent publication, lists these addi- tional duties the board of education shall or may perform. 1. Shall select a superintendent of schools who serves as the executive Officer Of the board. (The inter— mediate superintendent in many ways, serves as a local superintendent in primary districts and in fourth class districts not employing a superin- tendent Of schools. He may be employed for a term Of no more than four years.) Shall take the annual school census in certain school districts Of the county. May employ, at its discretion, teachers for serving speech defective children, hard Of hearing children, and homebound children. Such action is subject to approval by the superintendent of public instruction. Shall conduct elections and serve as board of election inspectors in all districts Operating less than 12 grades when two or more districts desire to consolidate and the board within 5 days after ef- fective date of consolidation shall appoint quali- fied electors to membership On the local board of education. Shall detach territory from one district and attach it to another district, at its discretion when re- quested by a board of any district whose boundaries would be changed, or when petitioned by two-thirds Of resident owners of land to be transferred, pro- vided the territory is contiguous and comprises less 45Sec. 298, Act 190, Public Acts Of 1962, State of Michigan. the 48 than 10 per cent of the taxable valuation of the district from which it is detached. Shall Operate a Special Education Program on a County Wide Basis when authorized by vote Of electors. Two or more adjoining counties may jointly sponsor such special education program. Some of the more important statutory duties vested in intermediate district superintendent are as follows: 1. Put into practice the educational policies of the state and of the board. Recommend in writing all employees and suspend any employee for cause until the board considers the suspension. Supervise and direct the work Of assistants and other employees Of the board. Recommend in writing all teachers to the board of education in constituent districts not employing local superintendents. In constituent districts not employing local superin- tendents suspend any teacher for cause until the board of education of the district employing the teacher considers the suspension. Classify and control the promotion Of pupils in con- stituent districts not employing local superintendents. Supervise and direct the work of the teachers in con- stituent districts not employing local superintendents. Receive the institute fee provided by law, if ap- proved by the board, and pay the same to the treasurer. 46W. Ray Smittle, The Effective School agard Member, Clawson, Michigan: Oakland Education Press, 1963, pp. 60-61. 49 9. Examine and audit the books and records Of any con- stituent school district when directed to do so by the superintendent Of public instruction. 10. Act as assistant conductor of institutes appointed by the superintendent of public instruction, and perform such other duties pertaining thereto as said superintendent shall require. 11. Receive all forms and communications which may be sent to him by the superintendent of public in- struction, dispose of the same as directed by the superintendent Of public instruction, and make re- ports as may be required by the superintendent of public instruction. 12. Examine the certified COpy of statement Of moneys prOposed to be raised by the constituent districts required by law to be filed with the township clerk and the board of supervisors at the October session of the board, and notify the secretary of the board Of education of any local distriCt that fails to file such statements as are required by law or that has failed to qualify for aid under the general ap- prOpriating act made for the purpose Of aiding in the support of the public school districts of the state, of failure.4 Some additional duties assigned to the superintendent Of the intermediate school district were recently Outlined by Smittle as follows: 1. Receive census reports from local districts having less than 3,000 pOpulation. 2. Determine the validity Of signatures on petitions for consolidation Of two or more constituent school districts. r. 47Sec. 301, Act 190, Public Acts Of 1962, State of Michigan. 50 3. Submit proposals for consolidation of constituent school districts to the state superintendent for approval. 4. Within 30 days Of receipt Of approval by state super- intendent prepare petitions for circulation by qualified electors. 5. Give notice of date, place or places, the prOpo- sition to be submitted, and hours polls will be Open in all districts not Operating 12 grades. 6. Call meeting of members Of the board appointed by the intermediate board for the purpose of organizing. ‘ Summary In this chapter, a review of role theory and a re— view Of role theory as applied to education and related re- search have been presented. Empirical research was reviewed in terms Of relationship to methods and techniques used and analysis Of role expectations as applied in the present study.> Finally, a portion of the chapter has been devoted to the development Of the intermediate school Office and the duties and functions of its chief school Officer. CHAPTER III PROCEDURE AND METHODOLOGY Introduction The major purpose of this study was to test dif- ferences in the expectations that board of education members, superintendents, and authorities in the area under study hold for the role of the superintendent of schools Of intermediate school district units in the state Of Michigan. A second purpose was to compare role expectations held by superin- tendents with the expectations held by board of education members and recognized authorities in this field. The study was aimed at noting divergence and/or con- vergence in the role perceptions Of the respondent groups. General Methods Of the Study The first step in conducting this study was to re- view the literature to learn what was known of the problem, and to secure suggestions and ideas to implement the research. The writer during the past several years, attended one 51 52 national, three state, and two regional conferences that were relevant to the role of the intermediate school district superintendent. Furthermore, the writer worked in and be- came well acquainted with the Operations of four different intermediate districts in the state of Michigan. Also, much Of the time spent by the writer at recent educational confer- ences was devoted to discussing the various aspects of the superintendent's position. It soon became apparent that a study of the position of the superintendent of schools at the intermediate level of administration would prove worth— while. Many informal interviews with retired superintendents, past board of education members, local district superinten- dents, and professors of school administration at the uni- versity level Of education, were held in an effort to de— termine areas and aspects of the position under study. This information was cross checked with the contacts and Obser- vations and the review of the pertinent literature. ~After analyzing the type Of information desired and the questions to be answered, it seemed logical that the questionnaire method would be the one to use to collect the data. This method would permit greater participation in the study and more uniformity in question interpretation by the various respondents. 53 Development of the Instrument Prior to the actual construction of the questionnaire, it was necessary to set up some guides to follow so that the resulting instrument would be correct in design and would actually measure that which it was planned to measure. The main reference used in this connection was Goode and Hatt. In their chapter on constructing questionnaires, they give several points which aided in setting up the instrument for this study. Any questionnaire must be limited in its length and . scope. . . . Self-administered questionnaires should not, usually, require more than 30 minutes to com- plete, and an even shorter period is desirable. The important thing for the student to bear in mind here is that every item . . . ideally constitutes a hypothesis, or part Of a hypothesis, in itself . . . (and) every item should be defensible. This Obviously requires the fullest possible knowledge Of the area in which he is working. . . . the researcher should first lay out tentatively the logical implications Of his problem . . . and then draw upon his own experience and the litera- ture . . .‘At this point, the researcher should con- sult colleagues, friends, and acquaintances to get their thinking on his problem. NOW the researcher. . . (has) merely a list Of areas to be covered and per- haps rough formulations Of some Of the questions . . . Ulthmately, a preliminary set Of refined questions is arranged. . . . The next step should be tO submit this list to experts both in the field Of the problem and in related fields. With each consultation the same changes occur: S4 (1) the list Of possible questions grows. (2) the number Of areas which are of interest increases: (3) the number of areas which the research can cover must be decreased: (4) ambiguities, biases, poor phrasing, etc., are cor- rected gradually; and (5) a closer logical relationship develOps between the parts Of the schedule. Whether the final research plan will use a highly structured set of questions for a questionnaire, or a set of relatively Open-ended questions for an interview guide, the researcher will find it necessary to carry out a number Of unstructured exploratory interviews . . . For maximum efficiency, the pretest is suggested, since both the general research design, the interviewing technique, and the schedule itself are thus checked for errors.1 A preliminary set Of statements relevant to the superintendent's role was outlined using the above suggestions as guides. Included were all those items which were felt to have a value in providing answers for the problem and hypo— thesis of the study. At this point, the questionnaire was lengthy, and in many cases, ambiguous, and contained many different and various type items. The next step was to discuss these items with faculty members of the Colleges of Education at Michigan State University, members of the Department of Public In- struction, several superintendents, and the directors Of lGoode, William J., and Hatt, Paul K. Methods Of Social Research (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1952). pp. 134-169. 55 both national and state organizations providing extensive services to the intermediate unit. Finally, after much re- vision which included the deletion and addition of items, the content of the questionnaire was judged to be consistent and as accurate as conditions would permit. The format of the revised questionnaire included seventy-five statements Of expectations that could be answered in terms of a scale used by Gross, Mason and McEachern,2 Nonnamaker,3 and Hoffman.4 This scale, consisting Of five points ranging from absolutely must, to preferably should, to may or may not, to preferably should not, to absolutely must not, was deemed adequate for this study. Each item could, therefore, be marked with a varying degree Of intensity. Pretesting the Instrument As was stressed in the literature, a pretest is recommended to check the questionnaire. Through this tech- nique, the researcher can find out, for example, if there is a high proportion Of unanswered items, if the respondents do 2Gross,gp. cit., p. 102. 3Nonnamaker,.gp. cit., pp. 44-45. 4Hoffman,_qp. cit., pp. 50-51. 56 not understand certain items, or if there is a lack of order or continuity in the items.5 The pilot study or pretest was conducted with five willing and interested persons. This pilot study included two former superintendents and three board of education members, none of whom were included in the sample. The school board members represented metrOpolitan,I suburban and rural areas. The interviews and the written re- actions from these persons proved to be helpful in clarifying certain statements. Based on the pretest several revisions were made in the instrument. Thegaample The sample included all the intermediate school district superintendents in Michigan, forty per cent of the board Of education members and a group Of recognized know1-' edgeable peOple closely related to the work and goals of the intermediate school Office. Questionnaires were mailed to 83 county superintendents, 166 board Of education members, and 8 recognized authorities. Board of Education members were stratified so that two were selected at random for each Of the 83 intermediate board Of education units. As was 5Goode,gp. cit., pp. 157-161. 57 stated in Chapter II, all intermediate units in Michigan had a membership of five. The eight individuals chosen as the jury of experts or knowledgeable peOple representing the current thinking and trends relevant to the role of the intermediate school dis— trict superintendent were selected from a much larger group. The writer, with the help Of three superintendents, compiled a list of peOple recognized as being familiar with the area Of school administration. This list was reduced to a point where the three superintendents, two members Of the Department Of Public Instruction, and two university professors agreed that the selected individuals met the following criteria: 1. Someone familiar with the functions Of the inter- mediate unit of school administration in Michigan. 2. Individuals representative Of various groups or organizations associated with the Office. 3. Someone who occupies a position of leadership most likely to influence the Opinions Of other school personnel and citizens. 4. Individuals sufficiently interested in this investi- gation to give careful consideration to the study. The individuals recognized as meeting the above cri- teria and cooperating in the study are as follows: 1. Dr. Julius Barbour, Executive Director, Michigan rAssociation of School Boards, East Lansing, Michigan. 58 Mr. Max W. Cochran, Consultant Research Services, De- partment of Public Instruction, Lansing, Michigan. Dr. Charles 0. Fitzwater, Chief, Local School Adminis- tration Section, Office Of Education, U.S. Department Of Health, Education and welfare, Washington, D. C. Dr. Ed Pfau, Dean of Education, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan. Mr. E. George Schutt, Consultant, Administrative Services, Department Of Public Instruction, Lansing, Michigan. Dr. W. Ray Smittle, Professor Of Education, College Of Education, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Roland Strolle, Assistant Dean Of School of Education, Western Michigan university, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Dr. Fred Vescolani, Associate Professor, College of Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. An envelOpe containing a covering letter, a COpy of the questionnaire,6 and a stamped, self-addressed return envelOpe was sent to each Of the selected persons in the three groups. The questionnaires were sent to the Office of each Of the superintendents and recognized authorities and tO the home address of each board Of education member. A follow-up letter was sent approximately three weeks after the initial mailing. 6Appendix A.. pp. 140-148. wi SC SE be 59 Method of Analysis To study any differences that the group might have with respect to expectations for the role of the intermediate school district superintendent, it was necessary to use several statistical tools. Basic to the analysis of the data is the distinction between the within or intraposition consensus, that is, con- sensus among all the respondents within the particular group, i.e., superintendents, school board members, or the jury Of experts; and the between or interposition consensus, that is, consensus between two groups of role definers, i.e., superin- tendents and school board members. latraposition Consensus. Through the use of a five- pOint scale Of intensity, running from “absolutely must" to “absolutely must not", it was possible to total the frequencies in each category and to arrive at a mean for each item. Thought was given to greater use of the various means but due to the nature Of the instrument and lack Of definite equal intervals it was decided not to use statistical measures em- ploying greater use Of mean scores.* It was decided that the instrument used which allowed for a series Of distributions Obtained from a set Of responses * The assumption of equal interval in computing the variance was recognized but there was no reason to feel this would significantly affect the conclusions. 60 .Of a sample to a single expectation item, could best be ana- lyzed with the variance of the distribution as the measure of the within sample consensus. Variance for each sample On each item was computed by a standard Operational variance formula.7 The variance employs squared deviations, and it seemed desirable to magnify extreme deviations, particularly in view Of the fact that the check list included variations in intensity. Differences between adjacent categories such as "absolutely must" and "preferably should" measure differ- W‘ ***** ences in degree to which the role Obligation is felt to be Obligatory, whereas differences between nonadjacent cate- gories appear to measure far more important conflicts of viewpoint. '.;nterposition Consensus. The chi-square test for two independent samples was chosen because the two major groups are definitely independent, and because the item re- sponses under study are frequencies in discrete categories. In all hypotheses to be tested by use Of theX2 there will be two samples (superintendents and board Of education 2 _ N(>:x2) - (2:02 nun-1) 8Sidney Siegel, Nonparametric Statiaticayfo; the Be- havioral Sciences (New York: ,McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1956), p. 104. 61 members). The 75 items tested with chi-square used four de- grees of freedom as derived by a standard formula.9 The .05 level Of significance was accepted as indicating a lack of consensus between superintendents and school board members. Levels of significance at the .01 and .001 level were also noted. Treatment of Data The questionnaire was constructed to utilize IBM processing procedures. This method was considered most ef- ficient because of the number of questions and the kind Of analysis desired. The data were scored and coded for machine tabulation. Responses were tabulated for the three groups of respondents according to the frequency of selection of each item by each group. The per cent of agreement on all 75 items in the questionnaire was calculated from the responses by the three groups. In addition, the data were processed through the use Of a digital computer, MISTIC(Michigan State Illiac Computer). d.f. = (r - l)(k — l). 62 Summary In this chapter, the general methods of the study have been described, and the persons participating in the study have been identified. The questionnaire construction, scaling method, and pretesting were Outlined, as well as procedures followed in the analytical framework develOpment. CHAPTER IV PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA IntroductiOn The major focus Of interest in the analysis Of the data collected in this study is the agreement and disa- greement among three sets of role definers; namely, incum- bents of the intermediate superintendency position, incum- bents Of the intermediate school board member position, and the selected jury of experts. Each group's response to individual items was analyzed. This was done from the within or intrapositiOn extents of agreement, as well as the between or interposition consensus. It was hypothesized that selected independent vari- ables as they regard both the intermediate school district superintendent and board Of education would significantly affect the expectations held for the incumbent Of the inter- mediate school district superintendency. 63 64 The Opinions being compared were concerned with the intermediate school district superintendent's role expec- tations as expressed by each relevant group. The Instrument The basic instrument used in this investigation here— in described was a survey form consisting of seventy-five statements. The respondent was given the choice of five possible degrees of expectations, viz., absolutely must, preferably should, may or may not, preferably should not, or absolutely must not. The frequency of response on individual items for each group of role definers was determined. The seventy five items which are possible obligations ascribed to the intermediate school superintendent can readily be grouped into three major sub-groups or categories. The sub-groups are: 1. Characteristics: These range from items that deal with age to others which deal with educational qualifications to some which are descriptive Of general personality characteristics or inter- mediate personal skills. The following 17 numbered items were placed in this category: 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 29, 31, 33, 34, 35, 39, 50, 54, 55, 56, and 60. 2. Performance: These items were designed to describe a behavior in which the superintendent may or may not be expected to engage as the chief administrator of the intermediate school Office. Some items are of a general nature while others tend to be more 65 specific. However, they all deal with things a superintendent may do as a superintendent of the intermediate district. This was planned as the largest category and it contains 48 items which are numbered as follows: 2, 3,LQ 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52. 57, 58, 59. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73. 74, and 75. 3. Participation: These items were placed in the in- strument to determine to what extent a superintendent of the intermediate district might be expected tO re- late tO specific groups in the community. Most of these items are probably peripheral to the function Of administering the intermediate school district, but they are nearly all concerned With his re- lationship to other systems in the environment in which a school system functions. The following 10 numbered items were placed in this category: 5, 6, l6, 17, 19, 20, 28, 32, 53, and 70. Presentation of the Data The number of usable questionnaires returned during the specified allowable time is described in Table 1. Table l.-—Number Of usable returns. Group Number Sent Returned Per Cent School Board Members ' 166 - 122 73.5 Superintendents 83 67 80.7 Experts ‘ .8 . 8 100.0 257 197 '76.? 66 Table 2 classifies the board of education members ac- cording to age, sex, and experience on the county board of education. Educational level, income, and experience as a school teacher are indicated in Table 3. The occupational characteristics of school board members have been classified in Table 4. These can be com- pared tO figures in Michigan's employed work force as stated in the last decennial census. As indicated by the response from 122 board Of edu- cation members, 26.7%, the largest single category, are farm owners and managers while the smallest single category in Michigan's work force is farm owners and managers, 2.3%. However, board of education members least characteristic occupational group of 1.7% is the semi-skilled category; the Michigan work force category in semi—skilled workers is the largest at 23.2%. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that board Of education members.are not representative of Michigans total work force. In an effort to Obtain the perception and also to Observe the degree of divergence and convergence Of these U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau Of Census, United States Census of Population, 1960 Michigan, Detailed Characteristics," U. S. Government printing Office, Washington D. C., 1962 P. C. (l), H.C., pp. 474-479. 67 H HO>O I am mm HO>O I am am cm I HA we oc.I Hm mm OH I c mm om I as mm m I m as mamsmm m ov.I Hm ca m I H mos cams . H cm I am .. coflumooom mo oumom . . . . chfisz wucoou co mocmfluwmxw munch HODEOZ Mom HOQESZ msoum mom co oocwflnmmxm ppm .vnOm .cOHumoopm mo pumon mucooo .mmm OD meDEOE oumon Hoosom MO coflum0flmammmHUIl.m panda 68 N Hm>o I ooo.mm m mmummp mumnouoon ca ooo.m~ I Hoo.ma c mmummc .a .2 mm ooo.mH I Hoo.oa ma mcummc .e .m on ooo.oH I Hom.cm km ccnmmc ommaaoo away when so cc km oom.k I ooo.mm mm cumscmum Hoonum scam mm mm» ms coo.mw nmccs cm Macadam Hoonom amen cosy whoa .Oz wocwflnmmxm EoouwmmHU .Oz mEOocH waflfimm .Oz Hm>ma Hmcofiwmosom .moccaummxm mewsommu Hoonom ocm .mEoocH .HO>OH Hmcoflumospm Op mafipuooom mHmQEmE pnmon Hoonum mo :OflumoHMHmmmHUII.m magma 69 Table 4.--Classification of school board members according to their occupational characteristics as compared to Michigan's work force, last decennial census. Occupation Study Respondents Michigan's WOrk Force Number per cent V per cent Professional and Technical 20 16.7 12.0 Farm Owners and Managers 32 26.7 2.3 Managers and PrOprietors (ex- cluding farmers) 28 23.3 7.7 Clerical and Sales 9 7.5 22.3 Craftsmen and Foremen 8 6.7 16.1 Semi-skilled 2 1.7 23.2 Service workers and Laborers 8 6.7 16.5 Homemakers 7 5.8 Retired 6 5.0 NO response 2 perceptions, the intermediate units in Michigan were divided into three categories. arrived at after careful study and review of the intermediate unit's program. The classification Of all units was Among selected individuals closely associated 70 with the intermediate office there was consensus on placing five units into Group I--those units having a highly developed and organized program serving and adequately meeting the needs of education in their respective units. Group II con- tained those units that had moderately develOped prOgrams or were units that in recent years had endeavored to meet the needs and responsibilities placed upon the office. .This group contained 16 intermediate units. All other units were placed in Group III--those units that had not given indi- cation of changing the program substantially to better meet the needs of education. Table 5 classifies the intermediate units into three categories, e.g., Group I, II, and III, and compares the questionnaire returns for superintendent and board Of edu- cation members with the public school enrollment for the units within the particular group. The above table indicates that in both superintendents and school board sub—groups the returns were evenly dis- tributed among the three groups. The incumbents of the position being studied were asked to reply to several personal characteristics. These were classified in Table 6 and Table 7. 71 .moma .mm umnEmummm mo mm maoonom OHHQSQ m.cwmflnoaz cfl mucmosum ooh.mmh.a mo ucmEHHoucm pcuapomcb an m.m> 5.0m o.ooa mm >.Hh v.55 m.mm Nb HHH. N.Hm m.nm m.¢m 0H HH o.oh o.ooa N.mm m H mHODEOZ mpcopcou Demo Hem HOQEOZ pumom Hoonom Icfiuomsm aucwEHHOHcm Hoosom muHcD moouonnsm pmcusumm Demo mom weaned Hence oumapmfiuoucH .ucwEHHOHcO Hoosom mo Demo Hem OLD cu pmummEoo mHoQEmE coaumoopo mo pumon pcm ucopcmucflummom mo mmsOHmIQom an omcnoumn monamccoaumwsg mo Demo Hmmll.m manna 72 Table 6.—-Classification of intermediate school district . superintendents according to experience as a county superintendent, other administrative experience, and classroom teaching. Years Of Experience Years County Super— Other Adminis- Classroom intendency trative areas Teacher Number NUmber Number None 0 l7 0 1 - 2 10 4 3 3 - 5 14 9 l3 6 - 10 l9 l6 13 ll - 20 15 16 25 21 - over 9 5 ll The educational level and current (1962—63) salary are indicated in Table 7. Table 7.--Classification Of superintendents according to education level and salary. Educational Current Level NO. Salary NO. B.A. 10 Under $7,000 17 M.A. 53 $7,001 - $9,000 26 6 Years 2 $9,001 - $11,000 11 Ed.D or Ph.D 2 ,yover,$13,000, 6 73 The seventy-five items were categorized into three classifications for analysis. These included the items rele- vant to work performance, personal characteristics, and areas of participation. Table 8.--Classification Of selected characteristic items relevant to the role Of the intermediate school district superintendent's position. 17 Items HEEEEE I ‘ 13am 1. Have at least some local school district administrative ex- perience. 4. Be someone over 45 years of age.‘ 7. Be a good public speaker. 8. Be well-informed on educational issues and trends. 9. Be the scholarly, the intel- lectual type. 11. Be an active church member. 29. Be outspoken on issues affecting education. 31. Keep his personal life above re- proach or question. 33. Be skilled in public relations. 34. Be able to express ideas clearly. 74 Table 8.--Continued 17 Items Number Item 35. Have demonstrated ability to work effectively with others. 39. Be a firm disciplinarian. 50. Be educationally "conservative." 54. Have a wife or husband that shares his or her ambition. 55. Have an attractive personal appearance. 56. Be a person that has great drive and is personally ambi— tious. 60. Be a teetotaler. 75 Table 9.—-C1assification of selected performance items rele- vant to the role of the intermediate school district superintendent's position. 48 Items Number 10. 12. l3. 14. 15. 18. Items Have approval power Of local district's building plans. Maintain and coordinate teacher recruiting program for all schools in the county. Take the leadership in providing Opportunities for a compre- hensive educational program for all students in the county. Be concerned about the handi- capped child who has not been provided for in the regular school program. Encourage and assist in the establishment of an adult edu— cation program if none is available at the local level. Be flexible and able to vary the scope Of his services as changing events demand. Assume the responsibility tO plan and promote systematic occasions for local district administrators tO discuss and study important educational issues. Keep abreast of trends in edu- cation practices. Table 9.—-Continued 76 48 Items Number 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 30. Items Establish regular channels of communication with local news- papers. Occasionally compromise with local citizens pressure groups. Take direction from individual intermediate district school board members. Give consideration to local values or feelings regarding race, religion and national origin in recommending indivi- duals for vacant positions. Encourage and work toward ade- quate K-12 districts. Promote and aid the election Of board Of education members sympa- thetic to his thinking and philOSOphy. When called upon, actively sup- port the local district in passage of bonding and millage prOposals. Listen to complaints regarding local district Operations as pre- sented by citizens of that district. 77 Table 9.--Continued 48 Items Number Items 36. Actively seek support for im- proving equal educational Op- portunities for all students within the county. 37. Actively seek to consolidate small inefficient and inadequate high school districts. 38. Coordinate and provide services on'a cost basis to local districts requesting them. 40. Make regular visits to local school superintendents and their schools. 41. Remain aloof from community issues not affecting his Office. 42. See that minimum subject matter standards are maintained in the various grades of schools within the county. 43. Lead fight against critics of education. 44. Arrange Opportunities and Oc- casions that could lead to im- proved administrative procedures in local schools. 45. Reprimand staff members for going directly to board Of education members, thereby by-passing the superintendent. 78 Table 9.--Continued 48 Items Number.) 46. 47. 48. 49. 51. 52. 57. 58. 59. Items Keep county board posted on educational conditions within the county. Maintain continuous contact with key legislative groups. Encourage and establish working agreements between local school districts. Refuse tO permit members Of his board of education to give direction to subordinates within his Office. Assist new board of education mem— bers in orientation to their responsibilities. Be the foremost educational leader in the county. Seek ways to work directly with local school district patrons in the improvement Of financial sup- port Of schools. Actively seek support of service clubs and citizens groups for the county educational program. Continuously evaluate the ef- fectiveness of county staff activities. 79 Table 9.--Continued 48 Items Number ‘ Items 61. Be present at all board of edu- cation meetings except meetings when his contract is under consideration. 62. Leave the impression at all times that in local school systems the local district superintendent is the chief administrator. 63. Actively seek the allocation of a portion of the property tax to support educational services that is needed in his intermediate district. 64. Actively support, while a member Of the county allocation board, the local school district millage requirements over county govern— mental needs. 65. Provide ways in which local district superintendents may evaluate the county program and services. 66. Help identify problems which are common within the county. 67. Offer his or her personal Opinion to community or civic groups with- in the county concerning signifi- cant local school problems. 80 Table 9.--Continued 48 Items Number Items 68. Enforce all Board of Education policies whether he agrees with the policy or not. 69. Be familiar with the educational program carried on by the local school districts. 71. Enlist the aid Of businessmen in providing materials and supplies for various educational activities, such as TV dealers furnishing sets or antennas. 72. Take the initiative in securing the local radio or TV stations to sponsor educational—type public relations programs. 73. Solicit advice in a systematic way from citizens and professional groups regarding specific educa- tional issues confronting the intermediate district. 74. Follow the direction Of a local district superintendent on a matter directly affecting the local district, such as aid in securing certification Of marginal teachers. 75. Inform the president Of the local board Of education in the event that the local district superin- tendent fails to submit required information and reports to the intermediate district Office, such as the registration of teacher certificates. 81 Table lO.——Classification Of selected participation items relevant to the role of the intermediate school district superintendent's position. 10 Items 16. 17. 19. 20. 28. 32. 53. Items WOrk with state professional groups to improve public education. Look to the Department Of Public Instruction for guidance and direction. Attend and actively participate in professional teacher-oriented organizations. Enroll or participate in a college or university professional im- provement program at least every three years. Give time on committees sponsored by the Department Of Public In- struction. Give time On committees sponsored by professional educational organ- izations. Cooperate willingly with the De- partment Of Public Instruction and researchers who are attempting to advance knowledge in his field. Be active in community and county- wide civic organizations. Actively participate in local, regional, state, and national professional educational organi- zations. 82 Table 10.--Continued 10 Items Number Items 70. Know personally the recognized leaders in business, civic, and social agencies within the county. As indicated in the preceding chapters, 257 indivi- duals were asked to respond to a seventy-five item instrument which had a five point scale. The scale is as follows: Scale value 5 ----- absolutely must .gcale value 4 ----- preferably should ‘ggale value 3 ----- may or may not ‘§ca1e value 2 ----- preferably should not .ggale value 1 ----- absolutely must not Before the three role categories as defined in Tables 8, 9, and 10 are analyzed, it seemed pertinent to ex- amine the percentage Of items in each Of the sub groups on which there is disagreement between the superintendent and board of education member samples. This was done according to the chi square criterion and is presented in Table 11. 83 cc.mH I soc x mm.MH I so x cc.m I mo x a I .c.c m m m m.km o.c~ a.oH p.c me uccssuumcH Hence o.oc 0.0m c.o~ o.oH 0H coacmmaoncucc m.mm m.ma m.m m.c we cocceuocnmc m.mm c.ks m.HH m.m as onumaumuomumco mo. ccce mo. ccc Hoe Ho. ccc soc. Hoo. acne msmuH moon Hmuoe cmmzumm comBumm when ufl mo, muomwpmo meuH mo wmmucmoumm Honeoz oHom. ucmoHMHcmHm mcfloamwx mmfluommumo mach cons» .mmnmsvmlfiso may CH mEouH mo mmmucmohcmll.aa manna 84 On slightly less than two thirds (62.7 per cent) Of the role expectation items there is no significant difference. This suggests a tendency toward consistency between the two samples. However, the fact that on 37 per cent of the ex- pectation items there is a significant difference between the two distributions, significant at least at the .05 level, indicates there is a reasonable possibility toward strained relationships between intermediate school district superin- tendents and their board Of education members. A more detailed examination Of the total instrument through the three sub-groups or role~categories is necessary. Relevant to this is the intraposition consensus Of the three respondent groups. The cutting point selected was a variance score over .750-which would indicate a tendency toward a lack Of agreement within the role defining group. The school board members per cent Of agreement among themselves is lower than either of the other two groups. On only thirteen Of the items was there lack Of agreement with- in the jury Of experts group. 85 Table 12.--Percentage of items in the three role categories having consensus within each of the samples. Percentage of Items Role Number Category of School Board Superin- Items Members tendents Experts Characteristic I 17 82.4 94.1 94.1 Performance 48 56.2 62.5 77.1 Participation 10 90.0 100.0 90.0 Total Instrument 75 66.7 74.7 82.7 Analysis of Characteristic Items The statistical information relevant to the seventeen items characteristic role category part Of the instrument is presented in Table 13. In this table the individual items are analyzed separately according to percentage responses, mean, variance and the chi-square test of significance. It is demonstrated by the chi-square test that on five items a significant difference exists between superin- tendents and board of education members. Two of these items are at the .01 level of significance while three are between the .01 and .05 level. The greatest divergence of Opinion occurred in Items 50 and 56 on whether or not the superin- tendent should "be educationally conservative" and whether or 86 HmN. oo.m o mH me mH o m ON.S mom. mm.m o 0 me me n m m mum. No.m o N we mm mH mm .mmH. mm.c o o o mH mm m OH.H omH. mm.o o o o mH mm m w HmN. mh.o H o H 0H mm mm «Hm. mk.m o 0 mm mm o m NH.m OMN. mh.m o o eN mm m m h mom. mm.m o H MH mm mH mm mem. mm.N mH mm 0m 0 o m mm.m moo. om.N m w mm b m m e emm. NH.m N m Hm ON N mm CNN. mo.v o o 0 mm mm m NN.H coo. mH.e H H NH Nm mm m H mum. MN.e H H NH we 0e mm 22¢ 2mm 22: mm :2 m N. mV0 N omcomwmm mo Ommucmoumm msouw EODH A8 3: E 2; A3 A: .coHDHmom m.ucopcoucHHmmsm DOHHume Hoosom cumemEHoucH can mo OHOH can on ucm>wHOH mEouH OHumHuouomumno co OOCMUHMHcmHm mo Dmmu oumoomIHno pom .OUCMHHO> .cmmE .momcommmmll.mH OHQMB 87 H0.hH mm.HH 00.0 mo.0 Hv.H 0H.H oh.m N GOO 000 QC) 000 QC) 000 mm mm 0H 030 00 OO CO CO 000 mm mm om 00H mm om 000 H 00 mm mm HN 00H mm mm 0 mo mm MH mm mm MH mo do mm mm H0 mm mm 0m mm 0m mm No mm (\N 00 m0 N0 00 mo om 0m 0o om m0 NS 00 mm NH Hm m mm [1.] mm mm [1.] mm mm 0m mm mm om mm Hm 0N HH NIU:.H~—nh .IIIh-LABPVIII% N INN-- 88 .0v.mH OH HO>OH cccu ucm Ho. can cam m~.mH mH Hm>wH DLOO HOm H OLD .mv.m mH OULOUHMHLOHO mo HO>OH DLOO uOm m OLD um EOUOOHM mo mOOHmOp Hsom LDHB OhmsvaHLo mo mOon> HOOHDHHO .mmsoum HOLEOE UHOOL HOOLOm ocm uLOpcOucHuOmsm OLD mo Low IHHOQEOU OLD now pOcHOuLO OumoumIHLo .EODH LOOO now mooum LOOO mom mOmcomm IOH mo LOHDOLHHDOHU OLD mo OocmHum> .Am mm 22¢ pcm .v we me .m mm 222 .m mm mm .H mm cmusmez see aan LOOO How mmooum OLD m0 OmcommOH COOS Amy Amy Lev pcm OH AmHOLEOE pHOOL HOOLOOV mm mo ONHm .moHlooH.mm .4 MHUCOQQ< OOm DLOESHDOLH no: nos 6H UH .mEOuH OEOO mo Ommo OLD CH 00H Eoum mHuLmHHO mOumH>Oo OOHuom IODOO OmcommOn O>Hw OLD How HODOD OLD .mcoHumEonnmmm Ohm mOmmucOoHOm Ooch .0 OH Amqume mo whenv m DmoE SOLO Doc SOLO umoE >HODDH0mLm >HLOHOMOHm mmfi no he: NHLOHOMOHN wHOuoHOmnfl .mm OH AmuCOUCOuCHHOmdmv m ANV OLD co EODH LUOO m0 HXOD OLD mom AHV IIIII 00.m o 0 00H 0 0 m 0v.0H omm. om.m N 0 N0 mm m m 00 mom. mo.m m m me hm NH mm HmN. 00.o o 0 MH mm mH m mm.MH ems. em.m 0 0 pm Nm 0 m 0m MNm. mo.m H m em Nb 0 mm OHv. mm.m 0 o mN mo MH m 0m.H mom. 00.¢ 0 0 0 mm 0H m mm oHo. no.o H 0 NH mo HN mm OhN. mm.m 0 0 m0 mm 0 m mm.H Nom. mm.m 0 H me Hm m m em MNo. 0m.m N H me me N mm 22¢ me ZZZ mm Ed a m c... N N OmcommOm mo OmchOoHOm moouw EODH A60 Aev Amy ANV AHV ccscHucOOII.MH mans 89 not he should "be a person that has great drive and is personally ambitious." Convergence of expectations held for the superinten- dent of the intermediate district was greatest in the fOl- lowing four areas: Item 8 - Be well-informed on educational issues and trends. Item 31 - Keep his personal life above reproach or question. Item 33 — Be skilled in public relations. Item 35 — Have demonstrated ability to work effectively with others. The jury of experts had complete agreement on the following three items: Item 11 - Be an active chUrch member. _Item 39 - Be a firm disciplinarian. Item 60 - Be a teetotaler. On 6 of the 14 other items they had consensus by at least six members or 75% Of the group. Item 29, “Be out- spoken On issues affecting education" was the only item on which they failed to get 50% agreement. In Table 14 which classifies responses to a character- istic role expectation, the superintendents and school board 90 members in Sub-Groups I and II (the more highly developed intermediate units) appear to be more divergent in their ex- pectation than the respondents in Group III. However, super- intendents in Groups I and II are more in agreement with the jury of experts than any of the other sub-groups. Table l4.--Comparison of responses to item 50 (be educa— tionally 'conservative') between various sub— groups with the samples. Sub-Groups Sample Percentage of Response (Size) AM PS MMN PSN AMN I, II, and SB(122) 7 33 34 19 8 III (Total) S (67) 2 9 52 26 12 E (8) 0 O 38 63 0 I and II SB(33) 6 50 31 6 6 S (19) 0 0 53 26 21 III SB(89) 7 26 35 24 8 S (48) 2 13 51 26 9 In Table 15 the superintendents and school board members in Sub-Groups I and II are in greater accord with the jury Of experts than both the superintendent and school board member respondents in Group III. Variance which indicated the amount of agreement within a sample was generally greater for school board mem- bers. This was true on 9 items; superintendents were in 91 Table 15.-—Comparison of responses to item 56 (be a person that has great drive and is personally ambitious) between various sub-groups with the samples. Sub-Groups Sample Percentage of Response (Size) AM PS MMN PSN AMN I, II, and SB(122) O 72 24 3 1 III (Total) S (67) 6 52 36 6 O E (8) 13 75 13 O O I and II SB(33) O 82 18 O 0 S (19) 0 58 37 5 0 III SB(89) 0 69 27 4 l S (48) 9 49 36 6 0 greater divergence of opinion on 4 items while the jury of experts indicated greatest divergence on only one item. In the area of consensus as indicated by a low variance score the jury of experts were in agreement on eleven items, superintendents on four items, and school board members were in greatest agreement on only one. Analysis of Performance Items The performance role category part of the instrument is presented in Table 16. Forth-eight items are statistically analyzed for areas of convergence and divergence of the role expectations for the superintendent of the interim school district as viewed by the respondent groups. In Table 16 the 92 MNH. mm.o C C C mH mm m Cv.N NHN. CN.¢ C C C Cm CN w vH HmN. mm.o C C N mm CC mm mNH. MH.o C C C mm mH m vC.N CNe. HC.v C H CH mm NN m mH Nmm. mm.m C H MN NC vH mm CNN. mo.e C C C mm mm m mm.C HNN. mo.v C C C Hm mm m NH CmN. mo.o C C H mm em mm CNN. mm.v C C C mm mm m mm.m Nmm. Hm.v C C m Hm Co m CH com. Cm.o C m m Cm No mm Cmm. MH.N mm MH Cm C C m mm.o mom. NN.m o MH Nm mm m m m Com.H CN.m CH CH MN mm HH mm CNN. mm.H mm mm C C C m Ce.o NmC.H NC.N vH mm NN eN H m N ¢NH.H Cv.N NN mm CN «H N mm 22¢ 2mm 22: mm 2d NV“ Nm HM OmcommOm mo OmchOODOm QSODO EODH ACO Amy Lev Amv NV :0 .cOHDHmOm m.DcOocODLHDOmom DUHDDOHU HOOLom ODOHOOEDODLH OLD mo OHOD OLD OD Dcm>OHOD mEODH OOLOEDOHDOQ co OocmonHcmHm wo DmOD ODOOOOIHLO ocm .OOLOHDO> .cmOE .mOmcommOMII.CH OHLOB 93 mH.0H gm.¢H Hm.N oH.o mo.m 0N.m mm.o NN.0 Nm.N mNm. 000. omm. wNm. Hem. mom. MNH. mNo. mom. 0Ho. 00¢.H mom.H 0N.N Nmm.H Nmm.H 0NN. 0H0. N00.H 0NN. NNm. mHm. MNH. 00H. MON. 0NN. 00m. mHm. 00.o 0N.m Hv.m 0m.H 0H.N 00.H mm.v mm.v 0N.¢ mm.m mo.m 0N.m 0m.N mH.N N0.N m0.N 00.m 0N.N m©.v mv.v HN.v mm.v Hm.o 0N.o mm.o Nm.v MN.¢ v—I H00 000 r-IOO mmo 0H HH mN om om LOKOO r-IN Hmm NNv-I r—Imm Mr—Im O r-IOO 000 HO mN NN Nm MH 0m oH 0H mm NH NH mN 0H HN m0 mo om OKOO r-IOO OLOO 0m No we mH vN mm mm No No MH mH mN 0H mm mo mm MH 0H NN m0 Hm Hm mN om 00 ON Nm MH HH MH mm d'v-IO mm NN 0N mN om MN NN HN mH mH 94 NmN. mN.N mN CN CC C C m CH.HH CHC. Hm.N CH Hm No NH C m Ho emN.H mm.N HH CH mo NH HH mm 0mm. mm.m C 0 CC NH mm m CH.m Com. Hm.m H o oN No mN C CO CoN. NC.¢ C m CH Co Cm mm CNN. mC.o C C 0 mm MC m HC.mH Coo. mm.o C H N No mo m mm CCC. Ho.o N H NH mm mN mm CNN. MC.v C C 0 mm mC m Hm.HH Cme. em.v C C CH me me C Nm CCH.H Nm.m m HH MH No Hm mm IIIII CC.C C C C C CCH m CC.C va. Cm.e C C N NH NC m Cm va. mm.o N C m CN NC mm Com. mm.m C CN MH mC C m Hm.mH NNC. NC.m C N mm Co CH C Cm vmm. CC.o N m CH mm mm mm 22¢ 2mm 22: mm z< t. N... m OmcommOm mo OmODcOUDOm moouw EODH 03 Amy NV :0 cmscHucoOII.cH cans 95 0M.H mm.M Mm.o NM.m vN.N CV.HH Mm.m CC.mH CM.NN HCN. 00v. VCM. CCM.H ¢C¢.H Cmm.H CVC. MOM. mHm. 0Hv. CNM. ovN. MNH. 0CH. 0MH. Cfim. 000.H vCC.H 0NN. 0Ho. CHM. CNN. vNC. CCV.H vom.H 0HN.H ovC. Nm.v om.¢ Nm.¢ CN.¢ o0.o Nm.M CM.¢ N¢.¢ 0N.¢ MH.o NM.¢ N0.¢ mm.¢ mm.v vm.¢ MC.M HC.M CN.M CM.¢ MM.¢ CN.o CM.M MC.M HN.M HN.N CN.M C¢.o H H 0100 Ov—IO v-Iv-IO OOO MOO NOOKOLDOHv-IO r-I r-IKOO 000 who OOO r-IOO OOOr—Ifi'm 000 H o si‘ H LO LO N N MH HN CH MH MH CH OM OM mN MC N? CM VH HN m? CM N¢ MH CH NN CM Nm Nm MC om me MH NH CH CM HM HN MC HC HC CM CM MN MV 0% MM Nm HC Cm MC NC Cv 0m me MM CN NC NM CC NC em MH 0M NN CM NM CM NH NH NN 0C HC 0% mo Nd Co mfi ow Mw No 96 CNM. CM.o C C MH MN mC m CH.N NCN. CC.¢ C C M CN CC C MC COM. NM.¢ H N M MN NC CC wwm.H Mm.c MH 0 o mH MN m CN.C CCC. CC.¢ H M O CH HC C NC MHM.H CN.v C m M CH HC CC MNH. CC.¢ C C C MH CC C Nm.C HCN. CC.o C C M MN NN C HC Com. CC.¢ H C N MN NN Cm MNH. CC.¢ C C C MH CC C CM.HH MCM. CN.o C N 0 MN MN C MM CHo. Ne.o C N M Co No CC MNH. MH.¢ C C C CC. MH m MN.N NHM. CC.¢ C C NH CC ON C CM CMN. CC.M N o HN MM NH CC NNN.H MH.M C C MN MN MH m vN.m MNm. CC.M M o HN Mo NN C NM mvN. CC.M e M HH CC CH Cm CNM. CM.M C C MC MN MH m MM.M NNM. NC.e C C MH MC NN C NM CHM. em.M C. N eN .MM HN CC 22¢ 2mm 222 mm Ed Nww m MM N OncommOm mo OmmDLOUDOm moouo EODH ACO AMC Lev HMV ANV AHC mwscHDcOOII.CH cans 97 0¢.¢ CN.M MM.NH OM.CH CM.M MN.¢ C0.0 vv.0 MC.C ONN. MCM. NON. ONN. Odd. CHM. OCC. CNC. MOM. MNH. MOM. MON. MNH. CMv. OHC. OCC. ONO.H 0HN.H NHN. OMN. vCM. HCN. NON. MNM. HCN. ONO.H CNH.H CM.¢ CO.M MN.M MC.M NC.M CN.M CC.N HM.M NO.M CC.¢ O¢.¢ HN.v CC.¢ NM.¢ mo.¢ MH.M vM.M Nv.M MN.¢ m¢.o NN.o OM.¢ NN.¢ ON.v 00.6 NO.M CN.M VI'LOO GOO 000 [‘00 N00 000 ano NOO MOO N LOLOO OOO v-IOO COLD MOO 000 ,_I MC CM NM MC NM NC MN CM CN MH OM ON MH 0M ON CM HM HO MN HM OM OM CC 0C MN MM CC Mv HN CC HC CC NH CH MN CO NM 0M HM MM MH MH ON MN NN HN CC CC NC CC MC VC 98 .Co.CH OH HO>OH ucco Don Ho. can 6cm m~.mH OH HmccH DcOo DOQ H OLD .mo.m OH OULOOHCHLOHO mo HO>OH DLOU DOQ M OLD DO EOpOODm mo OOODmOp Doom LDH3 ODOOUOIHLU mo OOOHO> HOOHDHDU .Omsoum DOLEOE CHOOL HOOLOO paw DcOocODcHDOQOO OLD mo LOO IHDOQEOO OLD Dom COLHODLO ODOOUOIHLO .EODH LUOO Dom msoum LUOO Dom OOOcomO IOD mo LOHDOLHDDOHC OLD mo OocmHDm> AM Om 22¢ pen .o On 2mm .M Op 222 .m mm mm .H mm emDsmHms say .EODH LUOO DOM Omsoum OLD mo OOcOmOOD COOS LCC HMO Lev Doc DOSE NHODOHOOL¢ I 22¢ Doc CHOOLO NHLODOHODN I 2mm Doc NOE HO NOS I 222 pHsOLO NHLODOMODN I mm DOsE NHODOHOOL¢ I z¢ .OEODH OEOO mo OOOO OLD OH OCH Eonm NHDLOHHO OODOH>OC OOHDOO IODOO OOcOmOOD O>Hm OLD Dom HODOD OLD .OLOHDOEHMODQQO OHM OOOODLOUDOQ OocHC .C OH AODDOQMO mo Mushy m can .NC OH AODLOCLODLHHOQOOV C .NNH OH AODOLEOE CHOOL HOOLOOV CO CO ONHO .CVHIOVH.O¢ s¢ prcOmm¢ OOO DLOEODDOOH OLD co EODH LUOO mo DxOD OLD Dom HMO ANV AHC CCm.H MC.N MN MN MN MH MH m CN.Mm MCM.H CC.N CM CH MM NH N O MN CNC. em.o N M CM MM CC CCO. CC.N MH MH OM MN O m CC.N CCH.H MH.M . m MH NM OM m C oN CCH.H CN.M N NH CN CM OH mm 22¢ 2mm 222 mm 2¢ NK NO M. _ OOcomOOm mo OOODOOUDON macaw EODH ACO HMO Lev HMO 2N0 2H0 WOSCMUCOUII . OH O HLOB 99 individual items are analyzed separately according to per- centage responses, mean, variance and the chi-square test Of significance. It is demonstrated by the chi-square test that on 16 Of the 48 items a significant difference exists between super— intendents and school board members. Three of the items are at the .001 level of significance and are as follows: Item 42 - See that minimum subject matter standards are Item 43 - Item 75 - the .001 follows: Item Item Item maintained in the various grades Of schools within the county. Lead fight against critics of education. Inform the president of the local board of education in the event that the local district superintendent fails to submit required infor— mation and reports to the intermediate district Office, such as the registration of teacher certificates. Four additional performance role items lie between and . 26 - 30 - 38 - 01 level of significance and they are as Promote and aid the election Of board of edu— cation members sympathetic tO his thinking and philosophy. Listen to complaints regarding local district Operations as presented by citizens of that district. Coordinate and provide services on a cost basis to local districts requesting them. 100 Item 69 - Be familiar with the educational program carried on by the local school districts. The remaining items in this section on which there is a divergence in views below the .05 level of significant difference are as follows: Item Item Item Item Item Item Item Item Item 22 27 37 57 59 66 71 Occasionally compromise with local citizen pressure groups. When called upon, actively support the local district in passage of bonding and millage prOposals. Actively seek to consolidate small inefficient and inadequate high school districts. Remain aloof from community issues not affecting his Office. Reprimand staff members for going directly to board Of education members, thereby by-passing the superintendent. Seeks ways to work directly with local school district patrons in the improvement of financial support of schools. Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of county staff activities. Help identify problems which are cOmmon within the county. Enlist the aid of businessmen in providing materials and supplies for various educational activities, such as TV dealers furnishing sets or antennas. Agreement as to expectation Of role held for the superintendent as perceived by school board members and 101 incumbents of the office was greatest in the following seven areas: Item 12 - Be concerned about the handicapped child who has not been provided for in the regular school program. Item 15 - Assume the responsibility to plan and promote systematic occasions for local district ad- ministrators to discuss and study important educational issues. Item 18 — Keep abreast of trends in education practices. Item 46 - Keep county board posted on educational condi- tions within the county. Item 51 - Assist new board of education members in orientation to their responsibilities. Item 61 - Be present at all board of education meetings except meetings when his contract is under consideration. Item 65 - Provide ways in which local district superin- tendents may evaluate the county program and services. The jury of experts found it possible to have complete agreement on only one item, Item 36, "Actively seek support for improving equal educational Opportunities for all students within the county". They did have consensus by at least six members on 14 of the 48 items in this section of the analysis. However, on 6 items, 12.5% of the performance items, they failed to get consensus at the 50% level. Table 17 classifies the responses from superintendents and school board members in Sub-Groups I, II, and III with 102 Table l7;--Comparison of responses to item 26 (promote and aid the election of board of education members sympathe- tic to his thinking and philOSOphy) between various sub-groups with the samples. Sub-Groups Sample Percentage of Response (Size) AM PS MMN PSN AMN I, II, and SB(122) l 4 14 24 57 III (Total) S (67) l 6‘ 30 34 28 E (8) 0 0 13 25 63 I and II SB(33) 0 6 16 22 56 S (19) 0 O 21 42 37 III SB(89) l 3 13 25 57 S (48) 2 8 33 31 25 the sample response. It appears that in Item 26 superinten- dents in Groups I and II are more in agreement with the jury of experts than any other sub—group. All sub-categories of school board members vary only slightly from one another, indicating divergence of views at the various levels. Careful analysis of the respOnses by various sub- groups tO items numbered 42, 43, and 69 indicated no major shift in direction on the scale by any of the sub-group respondents. Item 75 proved to be interesting when analyzed, not because Of role expectation expectancies by various sub- groups, but because superintendents felt very strongly that 103 they should not bypass the local superintendent and go directly to the president of the local school board on matters affecting education at the local level, while school board members indicated the circumventing of the local superinten- dent would be acceptable. Lack of consensus by the jury of experts must also be noted. Variance within a sample indicating a lack of intra- position consensus was generally greater for school board members. This was true on 29 of the 48 items. Superinten- dents were in the least amount Of agreement on only 8 of the items. Consensus as indicated by a low variance score was highest among the jury of experts. They indicated most agree- ment on 69% of the items. Analysis of Participation Items The statistical analysis Of the ten items contained in the participation role category is presented in Table 18. In this table the individual items are analyzed separately according to percentage responses, mean, variance and chi- square test Of significance. In the chi-square test of significant difference at the .05 level Of significance, 60% of the items give 104 CNN. CM.O C C C MC CM 2 CC.MH NNM. OC.O C H NH NC OH O CN COO. OC.M H M OM OM N CO CHO. MH.O C C MH MC MN m NM.HH CCM. CN.O C C N NM CM O OH COO. OO.M C H MN OM CN CO HCN. CM.M C O CM CM O m NM.CH MNM. CN.M C C CN OC N O NH OHO. MM.M O H HM HO N CC NHN. MN.O C O C MN MN m CC.M NCO. NC.O C H MH CM MN C CH NON. CC.M N M HN CM ON CC NON. MN.M C C CM MN MN m MC.M CCM. CN.O O O N NM CM C C MOM. MH.O H H CH CO OM Cm MNH. CC.O O O C MH CC C MN.CH CON. CN.O C C H NN NN O M ONC. MN.O H H O CO CO CO 22¢ 2mm 222 mm 2¢ NON mm m OOcomOOC mo OOODLOUDOO msouw EODH ACO HMO LOO HMO ANC 2H0 .LOHDHOOQ O.DLOCLODLHDOQOO DOHDDOHC HOOLOO ODOHCOEDODLH OLD mo OHOD OLD OD Dcm>OHOD OEODH LOHDmmHOHDDmm co OocmonHcOHO mo DOOD ODOOOOIHLO paw .OOLOHDO> .LOOE .OOOLOOOOCII.CH OHLOB 105 .cc.mH mH Hc>cH Dcco can 20. OLD CLO CN.MH OH HO>OH DLOO DOQ H OLD .OO.O OH OULOOHHHLOHO mo HO>OH DLOO MOO M OLD DO EOpOODm CO OOODO IOU Doom LDH3 ODOOOOIHLU mo OOOHO> HOOHDHDO .OQOODO DOLEOE CDOOL HOOLOO COO DLOULODLHDOQOO OLD mo LOO IHDOOEOO OLD Dom COLHODLO ODOOOOIHLU .EODH LOOO Dom OOODO LOOO DOC OOOcOmO IOD mo LOHDOLHDDOHC OLD mo OOLOHDO> .AM Om 22¢ CLO .O OO 2mm .M OO 22: .m mm mm .H mm cchchz ZOO scuH LOOO DOC OOOODO OLD HO OOLOOOOD LOO2 ACO HMO HOV DOL DOSE Doc CHOOLO Doc CHSOLO DOSE NHODOHOOL¢ NHLODOHODO NOE Do 2O2 NHLOHOCODO NHODOHOOL¢ .OEODH OEOO mo OOOO OLD OH OCH Eoum NHDLOHHO OODOH>OC OOHDOO IODOO OOLOQOOD O>Hm OLD Dom HODOD OLD .OLOHDOEHMODOQO ODO OOOODLOODOQ OOLHC .C OH HODDOOMO mo mushy m CLO .NC OH HODcOpLODLHDOQOOV O OH AODOLEOE CDOOL HOOLOOV CO CO ONHC .COHICOH .22 .¢ prcOmm¢ OOO DLOEODDOLH OLD Lo EODH LOOO m0 DxOD OLD Dom AHV 22¢ me 222 mm 24 .NNH 2M0 2N0 ONN. CM.O O mO.HH MOM. MH.O O OHM. OC.M O HCN. OM.O 0 HN.NH COM. MN.O O CMC. CC.M N OHO. MH.O O OC.N HCN. N0.0 O CMM. MC.M O NHN. MN.O O CO.N OON. HC.O 0 OOO. NM.O H 000 000 N00 H00 0 MC O OC NN OC 0M OC NM MC NN CO MN OM CO CM NN C OM MM ON MN CH mO MN HC mO m C mm m C mm m m mm m m mm 0N MM NM CN 106 indication of a divergence of expectations held by superinten- tendents and school board members for the intermediate school district superintendent. One of the items is significant at the .001 level of significance, indicating disagreement on Item 5, "Work with state professional groups to improve public education"; an- other item, Item 20, "Give time on committees sponsored by professional educational organizations", is significant at the .01 level. Four items indicate a significant difference between the .01 and .05 level of significance. They are these items: Item 17 - Enroll or participate in a college or univer- sity professional improvement program at least every three years. Item 19 — Give time on committees sponsored by the De— partment of Public Instruction. Item 53 — Actively participate in local, regional, state, and national professional educational organi- zations. Item 70 - KhOw personally the reCOgnized leaders in business, civic, and social agencies within the county. COnvergence of expectations held for the superinten- dent of the intermediate district was greatest in the fol- lowing two areas: Item 6 — Look to the Department of Public Instruction for guidance and direction. 107 Item 16 - Attend and actively participate in professional teacher—oriented organizations. However, the jury of experts were in greatest agreement on Item 5, "Work with state professional groups to improve public education", and on the nine other individual items had agree- ment in expectation for the role at least the 50% level. Lack of agreement within the respondent groups in the participation role section was negligible. The participation role aspect as Viewed and perceived by respondent groups finds its greatest divergence and con- vergence in this area of role expectation. Here we find the greatest within or intraposition agreement and also the greatest between or interposition disagreement. The two items on which there was greatest divergence were analyzed by both total sample and sub—groups. Table 19 compares responses by sub-groups to Item 5. Item 20 indicated no greater convergence by any of the sub-groups. In fact, school board member responses in Sub—Groups I, II, III, and the total sample were on the scale continuum in nearly like manner. Superintendents in Sub-Groups I and II in Table 19 are nearly in complete agreement with the experts. School board members in this same sub-group have a greater tendency 108 Table l9.-—Comparison of responses to item 5 (work with state professional groups to improve public education) between various sub-groups with the samples. sub-Groups Sample Percentage of ReSponse (Size) AM PS MMN PSN AMN I, II and SB(122) 40 48 9 1 1 III (Total) S (67) 72 27 l 0 0 E (8) 88 13 0 0 0 I and II SB(33) 42 55 0 0 3 S (19) 89 ll 0 0 0 III SB(89) 39 46 12 l l S (48) 65 33 2 O 0 toward the role expectations held by superintendents and ex- perts than do those in Sub-Group III. Analysis of Selected Personal Variables Selected items for both the superintendents and school board members were compared to various independent variables regarding the intermediate school district super- intendency. The expectations held were compared to discover any differences which might be related to the particular personal characteristic. Responses to Item 17, whether or not the intermediate school district superintendent should enroll or participate in an improvement program periodically, was compared to the 109 responses from school board members according to occupation classification. It was hypothesized that those with more skill or training as necessary for their particular occupation would see merit in this approach. Table 20 indicates that no Observed difference is indicated. Table 20.--Comparison Of percentage responses of school board members according to occupational classifications on item 17, "enroll or participate in a college or university professional improvement program at least every three years." Percentage Response Occupation Number AM PS MMN PSN AMN Professional and Technical 20 5 4O 55 0 0 Farm Owners and Managers 32 3 41 53 3 0 Managers and Proprietors (excluding farmers) 28 10 41 48 0 0 Clerical and Sales 9 0 50 50 0 O Craftsmen and Foremen 8 0 38 63 0 0 Semi-skilled 2 0 0 100 0 0 Service workers and Laborers 8 38- 25 38 0 0 Homemakers 7 14 57 29 O 0 Retired 6 0 67 33 0 O 110 Table 21 compares responses on whether or not the in- cumbent of the superintendent's position should be the scholarly and intellectual type and Table 22 classifies re- sponses on whether or not the superintendent should give time on committees sponsored by professional and educational organizations. The hypothesis that individuals with the greater amount of formal educational training would view significantly differently the need for a scholarly and intellectual adminis- trator willing to serve on professional committees was not substantiated. Table 21.--Comparison Of percentage responses Of superinten- dents.and school board members according to educational level on item 9, "be the scholarly, ‘the intellectual type." Educational Group Percentage Response Level (Size) AM PS MMN PSN AMN High school SB (55) 17 34 49 0 0 graduate or S (0) 0 0 0 0 0 less One year college SB (55) 13 35 51 2 O to B A degree S (10) 20 30 50 O 0 M A degree . SB (6) 33 50 17 0 0 S (51) 2 43 55 0 0 6 years training SB (6) 0 50 50 0 0 to doctorate I S (6) 0 100 0 0 0 111 Table 22.--Comparison of percentage responses Of superinten- dents and school board members according to educational level on item 20, "give time on committees sponsored by professional educational organizations. Educational Group Percentage Response Level (Size) AM PS MMN PSN AMN High school SB (55) 13 47 33 6 2 graduate S (0) 0 0 O 0 0 or less One year college SB (55) 4 60 35 2 O to B A degree 8 (10) 10 80 10 0 0 M A degree SB (6) 0 50 50 0 0 S (51) 18 69 14 O 0 6 years training SB (6) 0 67 33 0 0 to doctorate S (6) 50 33 17 0 O Tables 23 and 24 compare responses by school board members according to the number of years' experience on county or intermediate unit boards of education. It was be- lieved that a significant difference would be Observed among school board members and their expectation Of the superin- tendent's role regarding "taking direction from individual school board members” and "promoting the election of members sympathetic to his thinking." The following two tables fail tO indicate this supposition. Responses to Item 49, whether or not the intermediate school district superintendent should refuse to permit 112 Table 23.--Comparison of percentage responses of school board members according to years of experience on the county school board on item 23, "take direction from individual intermediate district school board members." Percentage Response Years of Experience Number AM PS MMN PSN AMN 1 - 2 l6 0 0 25 19 56 3 - 5 33 0 O 9 27 64 6 - 10 33 O 9 18 24 48 ll - 20 39 3 5 10 26 56 21 or more 1 O 0 0 0 100 Table 24.--Comparison of percentage responses of school board members according to years of experience on the county school board on item 26, "promote and aid the election of board of education members sympa- thetic to his thinking and philOSOphy." Percentage Response Years Of Experience Number AM PS MMN PSN AMN l - 2 16 0 l3 13 50 25 3 - 5 33 6 3 21 18 52 6 - 10 33 3 9 24 15 48 ll - 20 39 5 13 23 21 38 21 or more 1 O 0 0 O 100 a; members of his school board to give directions to subordinates Within his office, was compared to the responses from 113 superintendents according to years of experience as the chief school Officer at the intermediate level of adminis- trator. It was hypothesized that those with more experience would object to this more strenuously. Table 25 indicates that there is no significant difference in expectation. Table 25.--Comparison Of percentage responses Of superin- tendents according to years of experience as the intermediate district's superintendent on item 49, "refuse to permit members Of his board of education to give direction to subordinates with- in his Office." Percentage Response Years Of Experience Number AM PS MMN PSN AMN 1 - 2 10 50 10 30 10 O 3 - 5 14 57 21 21 0 0 6 - 10 19 47 ll 37 0 5 ll - 20 15 53 27 7 7 7 21 or more 9 56 ll 0 11 22 Summary An analysis was made of the data to determine areas of convergence and divergence of expectations held by super- intendents, school board members, and the jury of experts. Significant differences regarding the role expectations held for the intermediate school district superintendent were studied. 114 The seventy-five items on the questionnaire were classified and placed in three distinct sub-groups, i.e., characteristics, performance, and participation role cate- gories. A group of 252 individuals composed of 83 superin- tendents, 166 school board members, and 8 peOple considered knowledgeable in the area of school administration were asked to respond to the questionnaire. Of this number 76.7% returned useable questionnaires. These findings and their implications and conclusions are generalized only to this population in Michigan. The basic hypothesis that there is significant dif— ference between expectations held by the incumbents of the intermediate school district superintendent's position and relevant others was accepted for 27 of the 75 selected items. Therefore, it can be concluded that not all groups hold ex- pectations to the same extent and that some conflicting expectations are held. There was no group of respondents which consistently perceived the roles with divergence or convergence. Instead, there was inconsistency in differences or similarities of expectations held for the position. When variables were analyzed, the conclusion was drawn that, for the sample tested and the items analyzed, the years \ 115 of experience, educational level, and occupational classifi- cation, do not affect, at least to a great degree, the manner in which these role definers view the role of intermediate school district superintendent. It should not be overlooked that significant agreement in expectations exists for many of the seventy-five selected items on the questionnaire. Knowledge of these recognized areas of agreement and also disagreement concerning selected aspects of the intermediate school district superintendent's position should serve as a starting point for role clarifi- cation and also the reduction of potential areas of conflict. CHAPTER V SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Summary This study is an attempt to determine the perception of intermediate school district superintendents, board of education members, and selected knowledgeable individuals in this field of intestigation. Perceptions in role exPecta- tions were sought on seventy-five statements that may affect the function of the intermediate school district superinten- dent's Office. Congruency in role expectation by individuals and groups relevant to the superintendency position, as well as the position incumbents, is essential for effective admin- istration Of the Office. As indicated in a previous chapter, human behavior is influenced by expectations individuals hold for themselves or which others may hold for them. The empirical complexities Of "degrees Of consensus" on role expectations have been examined. The "degree Of 116 117 consensus" on each of the seventy-five items relevant to the position was carefully analyzed from several possible avenues. The intraposition or within agreement was analyzed by use of a standard variance formula. This method determined if sig— nificant differences existed between individuals within a particular group for each of the items on the instrument. The chi-square technique was employed in testing and comparing the pattern of responses of the superintendents and board of education members. This between or interposition analysis was computed for each of seventy-five items in the instrument, Selected personal variables and characteristics of the role definers were hypothesized to be systematically re- lated to the role expectations held. Several sub—groups within the samples were defined and classified, and their responses analyzed to determine possible causes for variations in the degree of consensus, Similar reasoning prompted the classification of each of the seventy-five items on the instrument used into three sub- categories. The direction and intensity of the expectation held by each respondent was measured on a five-point scale. This 118 study did not purport to determine the causes of conflict. Although the intermediate district superintendent interacts with many persons and groups, this study was limited to expectations held by superintendents, board of education members, and experts in the intermediate unit of state school administration. The investigation was conducted in all 83 counties in the State of Michigan during the 1962-63 school year, The initial approach was to identify the professional roles of the superintendent's position. Many basic Operations and responsibilities as determined by legislative mandate were not included, whereas, other characteristics and roles as determined by interviews, on-the-job observations, and the review of pertinent literature was included, A check list type of questionnaire was developed re- garding selected aspects of the position. This instrument and related information and instructions were mailed to 83 superintendents, 166 school board members, and 8 knowledgeable individuals on February 14, 1963. The questionnaire was sent to Office address, except in the case Of the board Of education members when it was sent to their home address. A follow-up letter was sent three weeks later to encourage nonrespondents to return the instrument. 119 The questionnaire was constructed to utilize machine processing procedures. The data were scored and coded for IBM tabulation and, in addition, processed through the use of a digital computer, Michigan State University's MISTIC. Responses were tabulated in each of the three reSponse cate— gories according to the selection frequency for each group and for each item, Total group responses also were tabulated, The percent of agreement on all 75 items on the questionnaire was calculated from the responses by the three groups. There were two major limitations to this study: The questionnaire technique imposed a fundamental limitation-- that of interpretation of written communication. It is debatable whether a questionnaire is interpreted by respondents as its author intended. The investigator attempted to overcome this limitation by conducting a pilot study in which subjects in each of the pOpulations studied were interviewed personally and asked to comment on the clarity of the questionnaire. Since the ques- tionnaire was tested in a private study, and since the investi— gation included returns from a reasonably large number of individuals, the biasing factor was thought to be diminished. 120 It is difficult to generalize beyond the populations studied. Although the differences in perceptions between superintendents, board of education members, and the jury of exPerts might well be found in other groups similarly interested in education, such a generalization is only hypothesized; it would have to be tested by examining the expectations held for the seventy-five individual items in the instrument by other groups of individuals. (Conclusions The evidence found in the statistical analysis led to several conclusions. An initial premise of this study was that intermediate school district superintendents, board of education members, and knowledgeable individuals in this area Of investigation would hold different and sometimes conflict- ing expectations regarding the selected aspects of the superintendent's position. This hypothesis was supported by the evidence. Results of the investigation indicate that potential role conflict exists in over one-third of the items analyzed. The chi-square test of significance as demonstrated at the .05 level indicated that divergent views are held on 27 of the 75 items in the instrument. 120a Consensus between intermediate school district super- intendents and the jury of experts regarding the by—passing of the local district superintendent was observed. Both groups felt the local superintendent should be consulted, whereas 89% Of the board of education members stated that the local district superintendent preferably should not or abso- lutely must not be consulted in certain instances. The in- cumbents of the office and the jury of experts were in more general agreement regarding this by-pass aspect in role ex- pectancies than were the board Of education members. The board of education group differed more greatly from an intra- position consensus point Of view than did any Of the other groups. This indecisiveness points to the apparent need for the Department of Public Instruction to take a leadership role in assisting board of education members to interpret their responsibilities in the formulation of Operational poli- cies regarding the intermediate unit Of school administration. Board Of education members were much less willing to have the intermediate unit school district superintendent work with the Department of Public Instruction and other pro- fessional groups engaged in research and the improvement of education than was the jury of experts group. Incumbents of position were in the middle but in much closer agreement with the experts than the board of education members. 120b Role expectancy items relevant to the general Oper- ation of the Office were usually more clearly perceived in similar manner by intermediate school district superinten- dents and jury of experts than board of education members. Board of education members had a tendency to confine the incumbents of the position to the more clerical, house- keeping, or menial type work activities. The majority of the respondents in this group felt the superintendent of the inter- mediate school district should be readily available to mem— bers of local districts, see that minimum subject matter stand- ards are maintained, and other duties usually reserved for and accepted by the local district superintendent. It should be noted that a program supported by the Department of Public Instruction in recent legislative ses- sions which sought to consolidate small inefficient and inade- quate school districts was given near unanimous support by intermediate school district superintendents and the jury of experts, whereas less than three-fourths Of the board of edu- cation members responding indicated they were not willing to support it. This again points to the need for greater clarifi- cation and understanding of the educational needs in this level of school administration. Specific items in the instrument in which divergence and convergence was Observed are stated in subsequent para- graphs of this chapter. 121 Areas in which there was a divergence of the perceived role for the intermediate school district superintendent are noted below.‘ Those with the greatest divergence as indicated by the chi—square test of significance at the .001 level are as follows: 1. Work with state professional groups to improve public education. See that minimum subject matter standards are maintained in the various grades of schools within the county. Lead fight against critics of education. Inform the president Of the local board Of edu- cation in the event that the local district superintendent fails to submit required infor— mation and reports to the intermediate district Office, such as the registration of teacher certificates. Seven areas indicated divergence at the .01 level of significance as obtained from the chi-square test. They are as follows: 1. Give time on committees sponsored by professional educational organizations. Promote and aid the election Of board Of education members sympathetic to his thinking and philos- Ophy. Listen to complaints regarding local district Operations as presented by citizens of that district. 122 Coordinate and provide services on a cost basis to local districts requesting them. Be educationally "conservative.” Be a person that has great drive and is personally ambitious. Be familiar with the educational program carried on by the local school districts. Those areas which indicated divergence at the .05 level of significance as obtained from the chi-square test are as follows: 1. 2 Be someone over 45 years of age. Enroll or participate in a college or university professional improvement prOgram at least every three years, Give time on committees sponsored by the Depart— ment of Public Instruction. Occasionally compromise with local citizen pressure groups. When called upon, actively support the local district in passage of bonding and millage proposals. Actively seek to consolidate small inefficient and inadequate high school districts. Be a firm disciplinarian. Remain aloof from community issues not affecting his office, Reprimand staff members for going directly to board of education members, thereby by—passing the superintendent. 123 10. Actively participate in local, regional, state, and national professional educational organi- zations. 11. Seeks ways to work directly with local school district patrons in the improvement of financial support of schools. 12. Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of county staff activities. 13. Be a teetotaler. 14. Help identify problems Which are common within the county. 15. Know personally the recognized leaders in business, civic, and social agencies within the county. 16. Enlist the aid of businessmen in providing materials and supplies for various educational activities, such as TV dealers furnishing sets or antennas. The percentage of items in which divergent views were found between the superintendents and the board of education members were very similar for both the characteristics and performance role category items. Expectations held for super- intendents in the participation role category demonstrated the greatest degree Of divergence. In this category 60% of the items failed to have consensus between the two groups. Areas in which.there was agreement or a convergence Of the perceived role for the intermediate school district superintendent are listed below. Those with the greatest 124 convergence as indicated by the chi—square test of significance at the .90 level are as follows: 1. Be concerned about the handicapped child who has not been provided for in the regular school program. 2. Keep abreast of trends in educational practices. 3. Be skilled in public relations. 4. Be able to express ideas clearly. 5. Be present at all board of education meetings except meetings when his contract is under consideration. 6. Provide ways in which local district super- intendents may evaluate the county program and services. .An analysis of variance revealed that the variance within the three samples in all three categories of the instrument was greatest for the board of education members. The highest degree of consensus within the samples as indi- cated by a low variance score was noted for the jury of experts' sample. An analysis based on the comparison of frequency response to the five—point scale between various sub-groups of role definers and the total samples on selected items failed to show consistent significant convergence or divergence. 125 The various groups of role definers were compared according to the expectations held for selected key items and for certain personal variables hypothesized to be relevant. NO significant relationships were established between the personal variables and the degree Of expectation held for the items analyzed. Recommendations The results of this exploratory study point out several recommendations and avenues for further research. The difference in expectations held as to the relevant importance of the various statements implies that there is a need for better communication among and between professional educators and the lay citizens who constitute the boards of education Of the intermediate unit. If there is to be an increase in convergence Of role expectations, adequate lines Of communication must be maintained. ,A similar study might be conducted with the same populations but with additional role expectation items and categories added tO the present instrument. .A replication of the study might be made by using other groups and/or organizations concerned with the Operation 126 of the intermediate school Office, i.e., local school district administrators, teachers, members of civic organizations, and Department of Public Instruction personnel. An instrument which included only those items showing a high percentage Of response Of "absolutely must" and "absolutely must not," by anyone Of the three groups, might be submitted to a wider population from which the study was drawn for further comment and analysis. Further research could be aimed at determining not only the expectations held for the position incumbent but the actual performance as viewed by the role definers and the perception of the role definers' expectations as perceived by the position incumbent. Those role categories or individual items showing significant difference in expectations held either in the between or the within group perception should be studied further to learn the basis for them. The main instrument Of this investigation was a paper - pencil type questionnaire. Blind spots might be revealed if the rOle definers and incumbents of the position were submitted to depth interviews. 127 Implications The quality of our educational program depends in large measure upon the perceptions these three groups hold concerning what constitutes effective school administration at the intermediate office level. Therefore, the fact that this investigation disclosed statistically significant differences in the ways school board members, superintendents, and knowledgeable people in the field perceive these 75 factors has important implications for all three groups. It seems readily apparent that attempts should be made to assist superintendents and board of education members reach agreement in defining the superintendent's professional roles. A better understanding is needed of the normative expectations which relate to the intermediate school district superintendent's position. The knowledge that there is a significant relation- ship between the group and the individual was a member of and his perception of the 75 items should be of importance to the individuals and/or organizations concerned with the quality of educational administration at the intermediate Office level. Individuals responsible for the educational program at this level Of school administration have further 128 evidence to demonstrate the need of understanding the divergent attitude and values held by individuals. Educational leaders who are aware of the perceptions held by the various publics concerning factors which affect the quality of an educational program are most likely to give consideration to these per— ceptions when planning and Operating this level of school administration. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson, Fred W. ”The County Superintendency in Nebraska—- Current Status and Possible Future.” Unpublished Ed.D. Thesis, University of Nebraska, 1959. Bates, Frederick L. ”Position, Role and Status: A Reformu— lation of Concepts," Social Forces, Vol. 34, NO. 4 (May, 1956). Beem, Harian D. and Thomas James, Report of the Michigan Committee for the Study of the Intermediate Unit of School Administration. 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" APPENDIX A LETTERS AND INSTRUMENT USED IN THIS STUDY 137 o/ finsmdias écléool’ c74c6nin£sbcatou Michigan thfl Isaac Grove, Prm'dau Dr. William Ememn, Vic: Praidem Claude Elmore, Secretary-Trauma o.v H' .PtP '4 mac Inc! 4! "”"" February 1’4, 1953 Dear Board of Education Member: Would you take a few minutes of your time to respond to a questionnaire prepared by Mr. LaVerne Boss, Superintendent of Northview Public Schools, Grand Rapids, Michigan? This study was unanimously endorsed at the winter meeting of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators. A check-list type questionnaire has been prepared which covers selected aspects of the county or intermediate school district superintendent's position. Your response will not be identified in any form. In fact, your name or the area you represent is not required. You can rest assured that your confidence will be respected. We would like to complete our analysis of the data as soon as possible. Therefore, would you please complete the questionnaire and return it in the stamped, addressed envelope provided before February 28, I963. You may be interested to know that you are one of two board of education members selected at random from your county. We are anxious to have you respond to the various statements contained in the questionnaire and if you desire, we will gladly send you a statistical compilation of the responses you and others have given. We would also like to express our appreciation for your participation and cooperation in this study. I Sincerely yours, \\ - 1 / \ "\~/’ 1 x /-—- 3 Isaac Grove, President Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators LaVerne H. Boss Study Coordinator 138 of finemdzae cS‘a/z’ool’ awaiting)“, Michigan Association Isaac Grove, President Dr. William Emerson, Vite Pruidem Claude Elmore, Secretary-Trauma G.V ceH' ,P 31’ 'd I an Imw 4' "”9" February l“, l963 Dear Intermediate School District Superintendent: I am taking this opportunity to introduce you to a study being under- taken by Mr. LaVerne Boss. At the winter meeting of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, the organization unanimously endorsed the need for this research and recognized the necessity for your participation. A check-list type questionnaire has been prepared which covers selected aspects of your position. This same questionnaire is being sent to two members of your board of education that have been selected at random. Responses will not be identified in any form. In fact, your name or the area you represent is not required. You can rest assured that your confidence will be respected. We would like to complete our analysis of the data as soon as possible. Therefore, would you please complete the questionnaire and return it in the stamped, addressed envelope provided before February 28, I963. If you desire, we will gladly send you a statistical compilation of the responses you and others have given. We would also like to express our appreciation for your participation and cooperation in this study. Sincerely yours, ‘4’ * ‘Q ~ / Isaac Grove, President Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators JMW LaVerne H. Boss, Superintendent Northview Public Schools Grand Rapids, Michigan Study Coordinator 139 NORTHVIEW PUBLIC SCHOOLS 3860 PLAINFIELD AVENUE, N. E. GRAND RAPIDS S, MICHIGAN Your name was suggested by several of your colleagues in the area of education and the Department of Public Instruction as a person familiar with the intermediate school districts in Michigan. This winter, the Michigan Association of Intermediate School District Administrators unanimously endorsed and agreed to cooperate in a study which I am undertaking. My area of research is in role expectations for the intermediate school district superintendent as perceived by himself, board of education members, and knowledgeable people in education. A checkrlist type questionnaire has been prepared which covers selected aspects of the county or intermediate school district superintendent's position. Questionnaires are being sent to the superintendents and two board of education members from each intermediate school district in Michigan. I am anxious to have you respond to the various statements contained in the questionnaire and, if you desire, I will gladly send you a statistical compilation of the reSponses which you and others have given. A stamped, self-addressed envelope is provided for the return of the questionnaire. Permit me to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for completing the questionnaire. Sincerely yours, LaVerne H. Boss, Superintendent Northview Public Schools Study Coordinator Lflazekw Enc. q. f. s 'l- I a _ a- i. I I ll - I . Cl 140 BACKGROUND INFORMATION - BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER The following background information is needed for statistical analysis of the data. This information will be held in strict confidence. I. Please check your approximate age group: 2l-30 ; 3l-h0 ; hI-SO ; Sl-6O ; 6] or over 2. What is your occupation? 3. Your sex: Male ; Female A. Are you a member of a P.T.A. group? Yes ; No 5. How many years have you been a member of the county board of education? l-Z yrs. ; 3-5 yrs. ; 6-I0 yrs. ; ll-20 yrs. ; 2i yrs. or more . 6. What was the last grade you completed in school? Less than l2 High school diploma l~3 years of college Bachelors degree Masters degree Doctorate degree 7; What was your total family household income from all sources last year? Under $5,000 $59OOOT$73500 $7,SOI-$l0,000 $I0,00l-$I5,000 $15,001-$25,000 Over $25,000 8. Do you have children attending school in the county? Yes ; No 9. Have you ever been a school teacher? Yes - ; No 141 BACKGROUND INFORMATION - SUPERINTENDENT The following background information is needed for statistical analysis of the data. This information will be held in strict confidence. l0. ll. Years as county superintendent: l-2 yrs. ; 3-5 yrs. ; 6-l0 yrs. ; ll-ZO yrs. ; 2] yrs. or more Years of administrative experience (do not include years as county superin- tendent): l-2 yrs. ; 3-5 yrs. ; 6-I0 yrs. ; lI-ZO yrs. ; 2i yrs. or more Years of teaching experience (do not include any administrative experience): l-2 yrs. ; 3‘5 Yrs. ; 6-l0 yrs. , II-20 yrs. ; 2] yrs. or more . Have you worked at the county level of administration in other than your present position? Yes ; No Indicate highest degree or level of education attained: 4 yrs. - B.A. or 8.5. 5 yrs. - M.A. or M.S. 6 yrs. of training 7 yrs. - Ed.D. or Ph.D. Indicate your current salary: Under $7,000 $7.00l “$9,000 $9,001-$11,000 $ll,00l-$l3,000 Over $l3,000 Did you attend the last meeting of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators at Grand Rapids? Yes ; No . Did you attend the last meeting of the National Association of Intermediate School Administrators at Wichita, Kansas? Yes ; No How many professional magazines do you usually read (reading at least fifty per cent of the articles) per month? I- 2“ ; 3 5m ,6 7_ ; Over 8 How many professional books have you read this past year? l-2 ; 3-5 ; 6-7 ; 8-l0 . ; Over lO Did you write at least one article for a local newspaper or professional magazine this past year? Yes ; No 142 Characteristics and Performances of Intermediate School District Superintendents in Michigan Directions: The following statements refer to selected aspects and characteristics of the county or intermediate school district superintendent and his or her professional role. Please indicate the degree ygg expect him or her to comply with the separate statements. Begin each item with, ”The intermediate school district superintendent.“ Then choose the response you think best expresses your expectation for the particular statement. You are given the following five responses from which to choose. AM - Absolutely Must PS - Preferably Should MMN - May or May Not PSN - Preferably Should Not AMN - Absolutely Must Not Would you respond by checking the column that best expresses your expectation. Sample: Let us assume that you feel the intermediate school district superintendent absolutely must not have approval power over the employment of all local district superintendents. Then you would complete that statement as follows: AM . PS .MMN __ PSN AMN l l . / Have approval power over the employ~ ? E ,KK ment of all local district superin- b i l l " tendents. * ‘k ‘k ‘1'? * ‘k 3" THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTEMDENT: AM PS MMN PSN AMN I. Have at least some local school district administrative experience. 2. Have approval power of local district's building plans. 3. Maintain and coordinate teacher recruiting program for all schools in the county. h. Be someone over #5 years of age. 143 THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT: AM PS MMN PSN AMN AM Absolutely Must Preferably Should May or May Not Preferably Should Not Absolutely Must Not PS MMN PSN AMN n.-.‘ —.—-~q Work with state professional groups to improve public education. .— .. --—~ Look to the Department of Public Instruction for guidance and direction. Be a good public speaker. m..--vo- —-~...——n Be well-informed on educational issues and trends. Be the scholarly, the intellectual type. Take the leadership in providing opportunities for a comprehensive educational program for all students in the county. ll. Be an active church member. l12. Be concerned about the handicapped child who has not been provided for in the regular school program. Encourage and assist in the establishment of an adult education program if none is available at the local level. .4soc-sc-su Hum Be flexible and able to vary the scape of his services as changing events demand. _....-..-.-—-..-——o--..-_- . Assume the responsibility to plan and promote systematic occasions for local district administrators to discuss and study important educational issues. Attend and actively participate in professional teacher-oriented organizations. .H .r u. ... “- -1.... 144- THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT: AM PS MMN PSN AMN AM Absolutely Must Preferably Should May or May Not Preferably Should Not Absolutely Must Not PS MMN PSN AMN Enroll or participate in a college or university professional improve- ment program at least every three years. Keep abreast of trends in educational practices. Give time on committees sponsored by the Department of Public Instruction. 20. Give time on committees sponsored by professional educational organizations. . l IZI. I l Establish regular channels of communication with local newspapers. 322. Occasionally compromise with local citizen pressure groups. :23. Take direction from individual intermediate district School board members. -.‘._ -— *Zh. Give consideration to local values I I I . I I l or feelings regarding race, religion? and national origin in recommending individuals for vacant positions. I I I I l .25. Encourage and work toward adequate K-l2 districts. :26. Promote and aid the election of board of education members sympathetic to his thinking and philosophy. Isl- .--.————.—.-—-— - -—~—- 27. When called upon, actively support the local district in passage of bonding and millage proposals. 28. Cooperate willingly with the Department of Public Instruction and researchers who are attempting to advance knowledge in his field. --.--——-.-———— -- 145 THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT: AM PS MMN PSN AMN AM Absolutely Must Preferably Should May or May Not Preferably Should Not Absolutely Must Not PS MMN PSN AMN 29. Be outspoken on issues affecting education. I 30. Listen to complaints regarding local district Operations as presented by citizens of that district. 3i. Keep his personal life above reproach or question. 32. Be active in community and county- wide civic organizations. 33. Be skilled in public relations. 34. Be able to express ideas clearly. 35. Have demonstrated ability to work effectively with others. 36. Actively seek support for improving equal educational opportunities for all students within the county. 37. Actively seek to consolidate small inefficient and inadequate high school districts. 38. Coordinate and provide services on a cost basis to local districts requesting them. 39. Be a firm disciplinarian. 40. Make regular visits to local school superintendents and their schools. kl. Remain aloof from community issues not affecting his office. .. ---.... -noo—unvve» » — 0.. . _--. ------ .w— mm p-.- “9‘- 42. See that minimum subject matter standards are maintained in the various grades of schools within the county. AM - Absolutely Must PS - Preferably Should MMN - May or May Not PSN - Preferably Should Not AMN - Absolutely Must Not AM PS MMN PSN AMN 146 THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTzl 1+3. Lead fight against critics of education. (41+. Arrange opportunities and occasions that could lead to improved administrative procedures in local schools. .. u... .. ——...-.——_.— _—-._..~. >—-—-—.——- _ ._--—-.‘.-.- 345. Reprimand staff members for going directly to board of education members, thereby by-passing the superintendent. l Keep county board posted on educational conditions within the county. Maintain continuous contact with key legislative groups. .. rm”... Encourage and establish working agreements between local school districts. Refuse to permit members of his board of education to give direction to subordinates within his office. ~...--—_. “—- n---- -_- .. Be educationally ”conservative.” Assist new board of education members in orientation to their responsibilities. .- --—-.—~ s-..- .—. £52. I Be the foremost educational leader in the county. i53. Actively participate in local, regional, state, and national professional educational organi- zations. -..__. a-.. - .- .lflmwwfl . 351+. Have a wife or husband that shares his or her ambition. a"-.. a- I...— «“~_- .--—...r...--.- p-- .- _. '55. Have an attractive personal appearance. ——- ——¢—- a...— _~a———.-- o————. .. -_.. -.~<-—.4. —--— -..-—.. . .~... 147 THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT: AM PS MMN PSN AMN AM Absolutely Must Preferably Should May or May Not Preferably Should Not Absolutely Must Not PS MMN PSN AMN 56. Be a person that has great drive and is personally ambitious. -oo--‘ m—"mc‘ P'-'—."_ - 57. Seeks ways to work directly with local school district patrons in the improvement of financial support of schools. .-.-——--. <~‘C — -4—o---- 58. Actively seeks support of service clubs and citizen groups for the county educational program. ".4. 59. Continuously evaluate the effective- ness of county staff activities. 60. Be a teetotaler. I6I. Be present at all board of education meetings except meetings when his contract is under consider—. ation. -. -___ .. -..———.— _-. .. 62. Leave the impression at all times that in local school systems the local district superintendent is the chief administrator. . H---—~. '_ ..___ .. L63. Actively seek the allocation of a portion of the prOperty tax to support educational services that are needed in his intermediate district. .._p-4_-— A ——~.-.. - I €64. Actively support, while a member of the county allocation board, the local school district millage requirements over county govern- mental needs. -- . - >—.-- ..._ Provide ways in which local district superintendents may evaluate the county program and services. . .n.’ .—.-“M_ --.-—.-.._ -_1~. _ Help identify problems which are common within the county. L .v. _.. m»:- 148 THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT: AM PS MMN PSN AMN AM Absolutely Must Preferably Should May or May Not Preferably Should Not Absolutely Must Not PS MMN PSN AMN 67. Offer his or her personal opinion I to community or civic groups within the county concerning significant local school problems. -. pa--.»- .Q--r—-— 68. Enforce all Board of Education Policies whether he agrees with the policy or not. 0‘ \O Be familiar with the educational program carried on by the local school districts. o-.. - Q.-. .. ....-. \l 0 Know personally the recognized leaders in business, civic, and social agencies within the county. -w-m - ... —-—- -1... V .I‘ O Enlist the aid of businessmen in providing materials and supplies for various educational activities, such as TV dealers furnishing sets or antennas. .-.-— -—-—-.—-..~.—..— 0...) < r— -----—o— Take the initiative in securing the local radio or TV stations to sponsor educational-type public relations programs. 73. ,._'. —.—-—-‘o ---,_....— -_-.—..——.-. Solicit advice in a systematic way from citizens and professional groups regarding specific educational issues confronting the intermediate district. .i-i-w_.,- b..- ~—.—o-~. ~.——- -.- .. .._.... w...u.-.-JL.. .- ........_.- ...—.— - Ap-.—.-- .. ‘74. ~4—n——--- .- Follow the direction of a local district superintendent on a matter directly affecting the local district, such as aid in securing certifi- cation of marginal teachers. .. _.--.o—.'-.--.c—..a-s. -‘v - —..-— .9“- - 75. Inform the president of the local board of education in the event that the local district superin- tendent fails to submit required information and reports to the intermediate district office, such as the registration of teacher certificates. A P P E N D I X B ORIGINAL DATA 150 TABLE B-l Frequencies for Individual Items on the Instrument. Legend: The frequency in each cell for individual items on the instrument was noted in this table. In the table SB equals school board members, S superintendents, and E experts. In the expectation columns the AM equals absolutely must, PS preferably should, MMN may or may not, PSN preferably should not, and AMN absolutely must not. Some item responses did not total the number of questionnaires returned as all respondents did not mark each item. Each item began with, "The intermediate school district superintendent." SAMPLE SB(122) . EXPECTATIONS ITEM S (67) - E (a) AM as MMN [PSN “AMN 1.Have at least some local SB 48 ,56 15 l l\\\\ sdhool district adminis- S 22 35 8 l 1 trative eXperience. E 5 3 O O 0 2.Have approval power of local SB 3 17 32 42 27 district's building plans. S 1 16 18 22 9 E O 0 O .3 5 3.Maintain and coordinate .SB 14 48 .28 20 12 teacher recruiting program S 3 26 25 9 4 for all schools in the county. E O O 4 1 3 151 APPENDIX B, TABLE B-l (continued) SAMPLE SB(122) . EXPECTATIONS ITEM S (67) E (8) AM PS MMN PSN . AMN 4.Be someone over 45 years SB 3 24 86 6 2 of age. S 2 5 50 4 6 E O O 4 3 1 5.Work with state professional SB 49 59 11 1 2 groups to improve public S 48 18 l O 0 education. E 7 1 O O 0 6.Look to the Department of SB 42 59 19 1 1 Public Instruction for S 24 38 5 O O guidance and direction. E 2 2 4 O O 7.Be a good public speaker. SB 16 89 16 1 O S 2 49 16 0 O E O 6 2 O 0 8.Be well—informed on edu- SB 100 20 1 O 1 cational issues and trends. S 56 10 O O O E 7 l O O O 9.Be the scholarly, the SB 18 43 58 3 0 intellectual type. S 5 29 33 0 O E O l 6 1 O 10.Take the leadership in SB 51 61 6 4 0 providing opportunities for S 27 34 6 O O a comprehensive educational E 3 5 O O 0 program for all students in the county. 11.Be an active church member. SB 8 71 43 O O S 2 28 37 O O E O O 8 O 0 12.Be concerned about the handi- SB 78 43 l O 0 capped child who has not been S 46 21 O O 0 provided for in regular E 5 3 O O 0 school program. 152 ~APPENDIX B, TABLE B-l (continued) SAMPLE SB(122) EXPECTATIONS ITEM 8 (67) g E (8) AM PS MMN PSN AMN 13.Encourage and assist in the SB 17 76 28 1 O establishment of an adult 8 15 39 12 l 0 education program if none E 1 7 O O O is available at the local level. 14.Be flexible and able to vary SB 73 46 2 O O the sc0pe of his services as S 46 20 O O O changing events demand. E 7 1 O O O 15.Assume the responsibility to SB 45 63 12 l 1 plan and promote systematic S 29 34 4 O 0 occasions for local district E 3 5 0 O O administrators to discuss and study important educational issues. 16.Attend and actively partici- SB 29 6O 25 4 3 pate in professional teacher- S 17 39 10 l O oriented organizations. E 2 6 O O O l7.Enroll or participate in a SB 9 50 62 l 0 college or university pro- S 5 43 19 O 0 fessional improvement program E O 4 4 O O at least every three years. 18.Keep abreast of trends in SB 94 27 1 O 0 educational practices. 8 54 13 O O O E 7 l O O O 19.Give time on committees SB 25 66 3O 1 0 sponsored by the Department S 24 38 5 O O of Public Instruction. E 2 5 1 O O 20.Give time on committees SB 9 66 42 4 1 sponsored by professional S 13 45 8 l 0 educational organizations. E 3 5 O O O 153 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 APPENDIX B, TABLE Bul (continued) SAMPLE SB(122) EXPECTATIONS ITEM S (67) E (8) SM PS MMN PSN AMN 21.Establish regular channels SB 43 64 12 l 1 of communication with S 33 30 4 O 0 local newspapers. E 5 3 O O O .Occasionally compromise SB 5 21 41 37 15 with local citizen S 1 18 31 10 5 pressure groups. E O O 5 3 0 .Take direction from individ- SB 5 ll 26 26 54 ual intermediate district S 2 10 11 19 25 school board members. E l l 2 l 3 .Give consideration to local SB 13 52 21 18 18 values or feelings regarding S 5 28 8 17 8 race, religion and national E l 5 2 O O origin in recommending in- dividuals for vacant positions. .Encourage and work toward SB 62 4O 12 3 3 adequate K~12 districts. S 47 16 3 1 O E 7 1 O O 0 .Promote and aid the election SB 1 5 17 3O 69 of board of education members S 1 4 20 23 19 sympathetic to his thinking E O O l 2 5 and philOSOphy. .When called upon, actively SB 10 54 39 14 5 support the local district S 16 28 15 7 1 in passage of bonding and E 2 4 2 O O millage proposals. .Cooperate willingly with the SB 55 59 7 O 1 Department of Public Instruc- S 41 26 O O 0 tion and researchers who are E 6 2 O O O attempting to advance know- ledge in his field. 154 APPENDIX B, TABLE B-l (continued) SAMPLE SB(122) EXPECTATIONS ITEM S (67) E (8) AM PS MMN ,PSN “AMN 29.Be outspoken on issues SB 38 43 26 12 3 affecting education. S 11 33 18 4 O E 3 2 3 O O 30.Listen to complaints regard- SB 47 48 19 6 2 ing local district operations S 10 30 22 5 O as presented by citizens of E O 5 1 2 O that district. 31.Keep his personal life above SB 83 36 O 2 O reproach or question. S 48 19 O O O E 5 3 O O O 32.Be active in community and SB 12 77 32 O 0 countywide civic organizations.S 12 48 7 O O E 2 5 1 0 O 33.Be skilled in public SB 42 75 5 O O relations. S 27 39 1 O O E 4 3 1 O O 34.Be able to eXpress ideas SB 66 54 2 O 0 clearly. S 33 33 l O O E 7 l O O O 35.Have demonstrated ability .SB 76 46 O 0 O to work effectively with S 42 25 O O 0 others. E 7 1 O O O 36.Actively seek support for SB 82 34 4 0 2 improving equal educational S 54 11 l O 0 opportunities for all students E 8 O 0 O 0 within the county. 37.Adtively seek to consolidate SB 38 51 16 13 4 small inefficient and inad— S 30 30 7 O 0 equate high school districts. .E 5 3 O O 0 155 APPENDIX B, TABLE B-l (continued) SAMPLE .SB(122) EXPECTATIONS ITEM S (67) E (8) AM PS MMN ,PSN 38.Coordinate and provide SB 130 67 21 1 .2 services on a cost basis to S 33 28 .5 1 0 local districts requesting E 5 3 0 O 0 them. 39.Be a firm disciplinarian. SB 26 63 29 2 2 .S 6 30 »23 6 E 0 O 8 0 40.Make regular visits to local ,SB 44 49 23 6 school superintendents and S 19 28 16 3 their schools. E 3 l 4 O 41.Remain aloof from community SB 13 21 .52 22 issues not affecting his S 0 8 27 20 office. E O O 4 2 42.See that minimum subject SB 72 39 5 2 ‘2 matter standards are main—'. 8 18 27 14 4 4 tained in the various grades E 0 3 1 l 2 of schools within the county. 43.Lead fight against critics SB ‘21 28 44 14 of education. ‘ _S 8 .23 31 4 E 0 .3 5 O 44.Arrange opportunities and SB 41 74 7 0 occasions that could lead to S 25 41 0 0 improved administrative pro— E 3 5 O 0 cedures in local schools. 45.Reprimand staff members for SB 27 25 34 22 going directly to board of S 20 .21 .20 5 education members, thereby E l 3 4 0 by-passing the superintendent. O 156 APPENDIX B, TABLE B-l (continued) SAMPLE _SB(122) EXPECTATIONS ITEM S (67) E (8)_ AM ”PS MMN _PSN AMN 46.Keep county board posted on SB 103 19 O O O educational conditions within .S 58 8 l O O the county. IE 7 l O O O 47.Maintain continuous contact SB 38 59 19 l 3 with key legislative groups. S 28 36 3 O 0 E 2 5 l O 0 48.Encourage and establish work- SB 40 7O 10 O 2 ing agreements between local S 30 35 2 O 0 school districts. E 4 3 l O O 49.Refuse to permit members of SB 55 26 l8 l3 7 his board of education to S 35 ‘ 11 14 3 4 give direction to subordin— E 5 l 1 1 O ates within his office. 50.Be educationally "conserva- SB 8 39 41 23 9 tive." S 1 6 34 17 8 E O 0 3 5 O 51.Assist new board of education SB 68 51 2 O 1 members in orientation to _. L.S 41 23 2 O 1 their responsibilities. E 4 3 .0 O O 52.Be the foremost educational SB 26 64 29 2 0 leader in the county. S 15 42 10 O O E l 2 5 0 O 53.Active1y participate in local, SB 25 63 30 2 2 regiona1,state,and national S 22 4O 5 O 0 professional educational organ-E 4 ' 4 O O 0 izations. 54.Have a wife or husband that SB '3 59 56 l 2 shares his or her ambition. S 2 34 30 l O E O 3 5 O O 157 APPENDIX B, TABLE B-l (continued) SAMPLE SB (122) . . EXPECTATIONS ITEM S (67) E (8). AM PS MMN PSN ”AMN 55.Have an attractive personal SB 26 8O 15 O 1 appearance. S 12 49 6 O O E 1 5 2 0 O 56.Be a person that has great SB 0 84 28 -3 1 drive and is personally S 4 34 24 4 O ambitious. E l 6 1 O O 57.Seeks ways to work directly SB 19 81 13 4 5 with local school district S 18 .30 14 3 2 patrons in the improvement E 1 2 2 3 O of financial support of schools. 58.Actively seeks support of ser- SB '21 67 26 5 3 vice clubs and citizen groups S 13 45 8 O O for the county educational E 1 7 O 0 0 program. 59.Continuously evaluate the SB 58 55 4 2 O effectiveness of county staff S 49 17 O l 0 activities. E 7 1 O O 0 60.Be a teetotaler. .SB 14 44 52 4 6 S 2 22 41 O 1 E O 0 8 O O 6l.Be present at all board of .SB 88 .31 2 O 1 education meetings except S 48 .17 .2 O 0 meetings when his contract E 7 l O O O is under consideration. 62.Leave the impression at all SB 73 23 6 ll 7 times that in local school .S 54 7 .3 2 1 systems the local district E 6 l 0 0 l superintendent is the chief administrator. 158 APPENDIX B, TABLE B-l (continued) SAMPLE SB(122) EXPECTATIONS ITEM S (67) E (8) AM PS MMN PSN AMN 63.Actively seek the alloca— SB 82 31 6 2 1 tion of a portion of the S 46 19 2 O 0 property tax to support edu— E 5 2 1 O O cational services that are needed in his intermediate district. 64.Active1y support, while a SB 35 41 32 7 5 member of the county alloca- S 10 22 27 3 4 tion board, the local school E l 6 l O 0 district millage requirements over county government needs. 65.Provide ways in which local SB 42 72 7 O 0 district superintendents may S 21 53 3 O O evaluate the county program E 4 4 O O O and services. 66.Help identify problems which SB 39 72 10 1 O are common within the S 33 34 O O 0 county. E 6 2 O O O 67.0ffer his or her personal SB 19 49 32 12 9 opinion to community or civic S 8 21 28 6 4 groups within the county con- E O 3 3 2 O cerning significant local school problems. 68.Enforce all board of education SB 82 24 9 4 2 policies whether he agrees S 41 20 6 O O with the policy or not. E 7 1 O O O 69.Be familiar with the educa- SB 87 35 O O O tional program carried on by S 29 36 2 O O the local school districts. E 7 l O O O 70.Know personally the recog- SB 10 84 27 l O nized leaders in business, S 15 46 6 O O civic, and social agencies E 3 5 O O 0 within the county. 159 APPENDIX B, TABLE B-l (continued) SAMPLE SB(122) EXPECTATIONS ITEM S (67) . E (8) AM .PS MMN PSN AMN 71.Enlist the aid of business- SB 0 34 67 14 6 men in providing materials S 5 24 27 9 2 and supplies for various edu- E O 2 3 3 O cational activities, such as TV dealers furniShing sets or antennas. 72.Take the initiative in SB 11 75 30 3 2 securing the local radio or S 10 35 22 O 0 TV stations to sponsor edu— E O 5 3 O O cational—type public relations programs. 73.Solicit advice in a system- SB 17 68 25 6 4 atic way from citizens and S 15 36 14 2 0 professional groups regarding E 3 5 O 0 0 specific educational issues confronting the intermediate district. 74.Follow the direction of a SB 12 45 33 20 8 local district superintendent S 6 20 25 10 6 on a matter directly affecting E 0 2 4 1 1 the local district, such as aid in securing certification of marginal teachers. 75.Inform the president of the SB 64 44 6 4 3 local board of education in S 5 8 22 12 20 the event that the local «E l l 2 2 2 district superintendent fails to (submit required information and reports to the intermediate district office, such as the registration of teacher certificates. ”V” I“