What Parents Think of Their Schools and What They Know About Them

Abstract

The University of Florida-CPEA Project has had as its purpose the description of how principals work with others—parents, teachers, and pupils—and how variations in these working patterns have differential consequences in such phases of school operations as attitude of parents, human relations among pupils and teachers, teaching methods stressed by teachers, program development within schools, and pupil achievement. Claims for certain types of administrative behavior have been evaluated against consequences in practice and the evidence indicates thus far, that how the principal does his job does make a difference. This article is a report on a part of the results of this project. The November 1956 issue of THE BULLETIN contains another report on this project. It is entitled "What Makes a Good Principal?" With a supplementary grant from the Kellogg Foundation, a new study is underway to test. out the consequences of a program of leadership train ing embodying recent advances in personality theory, perception psy chology, group process, and leadership research findings to see whether or not the more effective behavior patterns which have been identified can be developed among a group of principals.