Browsing by Subject "Public schools -- Texas"
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Item A study of the development of the rural free school system in Texas(Texas Tech University, 1931-05) Summerhill, Joseph ArthurNot availableItem Determinants of policy-making orientation of school board members in Texas(Texas Tech University, 1995-05) Murdock, Janice TScholarly attention to the role of boards of education has been intermittent, fragmented, and generally more concerned with details of practice than policy. It has been only since the middle of the 20th century that research has been focused on the governance of schools. From a normative perspective, school boards set policy and leave the daily management of the school district and individual schools to the professional administrators, teachers and staff Often times, however, school boards become involved in the administrative function as well as policy-making. The policy perspective that a school board assumes in exercising its legal responsibilities is referred to as its policy orientation. Research indicates that the policy-making orientation of school boards is two-dimensional: professional and political. Although these two dimensions have dominated the limited amount of research in the area of school board decision-making, a priori reasoning, as well as insights gained from interviews with school board members, suggested that there may be, at least, a third dimension; i.e., personal judgment. A two-dimension construct of policy-making orientation may be limiting given the complexity of the decision-making process engaged in by school board members. It is thought that the policy-making orientation of school board members is dependent upon specific demographic variables and may be situational based on the issues of curriculum, finance and personnel. Therefore, this study attempted to answer the following research question: Is the policy-making orientation of individual school board members dependent upon the demographic variables of age, gender, race, level of education, size of community, presently (or in the past) having children in the district from which they are elected, length of time served on the board, and method of election with respect to the policy issues of curriculum, finance, and personnel? The data were collected using the "School Board Policy-Making Orientation Instrument" and were analyzed to determine if the policy-making orientation of Texas school board members was dependent upon the specified demographic variables. It was hypothesized that the policy-making orientation of Texas school board members was independent of the specified demographic variables with respect to the policy issues of curriculum, finance and personnel. Independent variables were: age, gender, race, level of education, size of community, presently (or in the past) having children in the district from which they are elected, length of time served on the board and method of election. The dependent variable was policy-making orientation (professional, political, and personal judgment). A chi-square statistical procedure was used to analyze the data in order to test for independence. The study found that the policy-making orientation of school board members is independent of the demographic variables and is, indeed, situational, based upon curriculum, financial and personnel issues. Implications for further study include examining value variables including attitudes and beliefs about specific policy issues. It is recommended that the investigation of demographic variables be abandoned.Item Impacting Texas public schools through a student servant-leader model: a case study(Texas Tech University, 2003-05) Hardin, FredLeadership is a widely discussed, yet seldom taught component in the public schools of Texas. Students are elected to leadership positions each year, yet little training accompanies the election process. Specifically, there is extremely limited information in the area of servant-leadership as it pertains to high school age students. This dissertation provides the first in-depth analysis of the impact a servant-leader model can have on high school students. The servant-leader model is consistent with the symbolic frame of cognition as described by Bolman and Deal (1993) as well as the symbolic force of Sergiovanni (1984). The servant leader model is consistent with five characteristics outlined as integrity/trust, love/respect, service, listening, and the higher calling/values. The review of the literature focuses on the servant-leader model from the areas of business, educational leadership, and finally from a student servant-leadership perspective. A pragmatic approach to the literature is also included due to the limited research literature available on the servant-leader model. The data was collected and analyzed from a case study approach. The data was collected from two separate case study locations at different geographic locations within the state of Texas. Students attended a three-hour workshop on the servant leader model and the study focused to see whether short-term leadership perceptions held by students could be altered after exposure to the servant-leader model. Triangulation was achieved through a mixed methods approach to data collection and analysis. A survey instrument was utilized to measure perceptional changes from a quantitative approach. The qualitative tools of interviews and participant observations were used to discover the meaning behind the survey results. This study provided evidence that students' short-term perceptions about leadership can be altered through a three-hour workshop on the servant leader model. Educational leaders should pursue opportunities to both expose and educate their students on the merits of the servant leader model so that public school systems and the stakeholders within can maximize their full potential. By doing this, public school educators have an opportunity to build school communities that are centered on the development of values and beliefs that take on sacred or cultural characteristics. Educational leaders should strive for excellent schools that are built on a foundation of values and beliefs rather than popularity and power. Educational leaders can impact the student leadership in schools across Texas by allowing these students an opportunity for exposure to the servant-leader model.Item Janitorial service in Texas public schools for the scholastic year 1932-1933(Texas Tech University, 1933-08) Speer, James BryanNot availableItem Religious right involvement in Texas public education, 1963-1989(Texas Tech University, 1992-12) Durham, James RNot availableItem The history and present legal status of independent school districts created by general law in Texas(Texas Tech University, 1933-05) Caldwell, James BoyceNot availableItem The modernization of Texas public schools: World War II and the Gilmer-Aikin laws(Texas Tech University, 2004-08) Preuss, Gene BWorld War II focused people's attention on preserving Democracy, building a stronger military, and opposing radicalism. Public education presented a conduit to accomplish these goals. The war also created a stronger federal presence and infrastructure within the states, including better transportation and communication, which made educational changes possible. After the war, Texas took part in a national effort to reorganize its public school system to meet what reformers perceived to be the needs of the nation, which included greater efficiency, a reduction in segregation, increased standardization and professionalism of teachers. Rural schools were especially targeted as isolated, inefficient, and ineffective. Texas' Fifty-First Legislature passed the Gilmer-Aikin laws in 1949 to meet these goals. The dissertation will explain how the Gilmer-Aikin laws evolved from concerns educators, reformers, politicians and the public had about the Texas public school system after World War II. It will also explore the changes in national expectations for public schools, and the changes in racial attitudes after the war. The study will also address other changes urged by Texas educators, reformers, and politicians throughout the state's historyItem The organization of public school publicity in Texas(Texas Tech University, 1935-08) Huggins, Thomas FredNot availableItem The perceived effectiveness of six practicing Mexican-American public school principals in Texas: a case study(Texas Tech University, 2004-08) Olibas, Lezlie DNot available