SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION: ADVISEMENT VERSUS CONTROL

Abstract

The study examines superintendents' attitudes toward community participation at the advisory and control levels in four areas of educational policy making: curriculum, student policy, finances, and personnel. Three hypotheses were posed: (1) superintendents' attitudes toward community advisement would be more favourable than their attitudes toward community control; (2) attitudes would differ on four selected school issues; (3) five independent variables (size, ethnic composition of system geographic location, geographic setting, and type of community involvement practiced) would influence the superintendents' attitudes toward advice and control. The names of superintendents with student populations over 15,000 were obtained from the Educational Directory. Superintendents' attitudes toward community participation at the advisory and control levels were measured on the Community Participation—Community Control Attitudinal Inventory. The results support hypotheses (1) and (2). For hypothesis (3), only size (over 50,000/under 50,000) and school setting (suburban/city) were significant independent variables. The larger the system the more favourable the superintendents' attitudes toward community advisement on curriculum issues, student policy issues, and personnel issues. However, they held less favourable attitudes toward community control of school finances than superintendents from smaller school districts. On community advisement re student policy issues, superintendents from city school districts held more favourable attitudes than their suburban counterparts; they held, however, less favourable attitudes on community control of school finance issues than suburban superintendents.

Citation

TALMAGE, H. and ORNSTEIN, A.C. (1976), "SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION: ADVISEMENT VERSUS CONTROL", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 162-175. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb009751