Basic assumptions of educational administration

Abstract

It has been generally concluded that educational administration has lacked a definitive theory and has neglected conceptual research. Education, as a profession, and as a concept of personal growth, has appeared equated to a concept of democracy. Educational administration appeared weak in the formulation of principles of organization and procedure consistent with democratic dogma and administrative know-how. Assumptions or principles of educational administration were implied, but not always stated. This research study posited that public educational administration, public health administration, or public welfare administration would be related to certain basic assumptions of public administration. Indeed, some of the assumptions of public administration were acceptable in this study. Among these were: (1) Administration is an art, but there is an effort to utilize scientific method; (2) the study of administration might start from the base of management, but the foundation of law must remain foremost in administrative activity; and (3) Administration is a single process, substantially uniform in its essential characteristics, and therefore need not be studied as municipal, state, or federal administration. This latter assumption was of particular importance for the present study, inasmuch as no great effort was made to separate public school administration into state and local processes. The research was directed, therefore, toward an inquiry and interpretation of some of the basic assumptions of educational administration. An intensive survey of the professional literature, the opinions of several authorities in the field of educational administration, and a questionnaire response of members of the American Association of School Administrators were the means used to ascertain some of these basic assumptions.