- Collection:
- Atlanta University and Clark Atlanta University Theses and Dissertations
- Title:
- A study of the selection and preparation of principals for the middle school, 1975
- Creator:
- Fannin, Anne W.
- Date of Original:
- 1975-05-01
- Subject:
- Degrees, Academic
Dissertations, Academic - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- theses
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- In the past decade Americans have witnessed many changes in their schools. One of the most obvious is the rise of the middle school as the second phase of American intermediate schools. Surveys by professional organizations and educators report a proliferation of middle schools throughout the country. The purpose of this study was to provide a meaningful description of the selection and preparation processes of principals for the middle school by identifying (1) current certification requirements established by chief state school officers for middle school principals, (2) the selection criteria utilized by chief school administrators in selecting principals for the middle school, (3) curriculum and/or course requirements for middle school principals established by graduate schools that offer training in educational administration, and (4) the formal educational preparation, and educational experiences that practicing middle school principals considered pertinent to their effectiveness in middle school administration The descriptive-survey method of research was used in the study. The procedures used to obtain data for the research report included the mailing of letters of inquiry to (1) all chief state school officers requesting certification requirements for middle school principals, and names and addresses of chief adninistrative officers of school systems, (2) randomly selected school superintendents throughout the country requesting a listing of schools in school systems designated as middle schools (any combination of grades in the 5-8 range), and criteria used in the selection of principals for the middle school, if any, and (3) all graduate schools of education offering training in educational adminis-tration requesting information relative to the provision of special cur-riculum and/or courses and internship experience for middle school prin-cipals. Questionnaires were designed and sent to randomly selected school superintendents throughout the country to collect information concerning the criteria used in the selection process for middle school principals, and to randomly selected practicing middle school principals throughout the country to determine what formal training and educational experiences were perceived by them as relevant to the administration of middle schools. Selected Findings 1. The majority of the chief state officers reported that official certification requirements had not been established specifically for middle school principals. 2. A majority of the graduate schools do not offer a planned program of study nor a course(s) specifically designed for the preparation of middle school principals, and most graduate schools do not require internship experience for middle school principal trainees. 3. The majority of the school superintendents sampled indicated that written criteria specifically designed for use in the selection of principals for the middle school are not provided. 4. The majority of the school superintendents rank ordered five criteria as being "absolutely essential" in the selection of principals for the middle school as follows: (a) ability to work with members of the professional staff, students and members of the community to develop and carry out the total program at the middle school level, (b) successful teaching experiences, including classroom experience, (c) the ability to execute effectively the management responsibilities associated with the support of the total middle school program, (d) possession of various intellectual skills in reading, thinking, problem solving, and appropriate habits of behavior, and (e) advanced formal training and successful administrative experience. Conclusions The recognition of the middle school as a distinct unit of school organization cannot be found in the certification practices of most of the states. Preparatory programs for the principal ship had no special emphasis at the middle school level. The selection process for the middle school principal had no explicitly written criteria. The need for the middle school principal to be knowledgeable about problems peculiar to transescents was a distinctive trait identified by practicing principals as primary in importance to successful middle school administration. It was seen that courses directly related to the middle school principal's job as an educational adninistrator were considered to be more essential than those that treat education more broadly. By a very large margin, duty as an assistant principal of the middle school was judged to be the most important assignment prior to assuming the principal ship.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:1975_fannin_anne_w
- Rights Holder:
- Clark Atlanta University
- Holding Institution:
- Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
- Rights:
-
