osophy of school administration it seems appropriate to discuss briefly an assumption which is generally implicit in the statements cited thus far. This assumption is that schools, colleges, and departments of education have primary responsibility for the development of suitable programs of professional education for school administrators. This would account for the fact that a considerable number of institutions apparently have confined their deliberations, researches, and studies to their own faculty groups and have called upon representatives of other interested extra-mural groups and agencies more for the purpose of providing a check upon their own deliberations and conclusions than for the purpose of involving these groups and agencies in a joint responsibility and participation in any vital way in all stages of the process. The fact that the problem of developing programs of teacher education in the past has generally been left in the hands of the teachers colleges and the universities would account for the prevalence of the assumption referred to. More recent developments, however, have brought this assumption into question. Some State departments of education, for example, in the development of certification requirements have set these up in terms of specific subject matter areas and courses. Such requirements place a compulsion upon the colleges to provide such preparation and thus freeze into the educational pattern certain prescribed emphases and content. More recently the interests of professional groups of practitioners in administration are being given expression in ways that suggest the development of professional activities and controls comparable to those developed by the older professional groups. It would seem, in the light of possible conflicts of interest and concern and resultant confusion growing out of these varied activities and approaches to the problem, that the whole issue can best be resolved by waiving considerations of primacy of interest and responsibility and the adoption of an approach which gives due recognition to all interests and involves all groups and agencies concerned, actively, in a cooperative attack upon the total problem. Such an approach and formula for activity is exemplified in the cooperative activities now under way under sponsorship of the Teacher Education Commission. It is to be hoped that the soundness of these efforts will be established undisputably and will become common practice when the support of the Teacher Education Commission is no longer available. One practical question remains unanswered at this point, namely, where rests the responsibility for taking the initiative in setting in motion such a process of cooperation in any given situation? The Teacher Education Commission activities referred to were set up in response to invitations extended by the Commission. Several 422000°-42-2 of the activities described by respondents in this study were initiated by the universities and colleges. In some cases State departments of education have initiated cooperations of the kind described. The answer seems to be that responsibility and power of initiative rests within that group or agency or institution where consciousness of need and urgency, and the will to do, are most acute. The important consideration is not so much who starts the ball rolling, but rather that once it starts to roll everybody concerned does his part in the process of keeping it rolling. Chapter 2 The Preparation and Competence of the Graduate Teaching Staff for Discharging Responsibilities Related to the Education of School Administrators THE QUESTIONS asked under this heading were directed toward one major aspect of a problem which normally would offer a number of lines of inquiry. It seemed that, basic to any other consideration, was the extent to which there is evidence of agreement with respect to certain distinctive qualifications essential to effective service in this field. Because of its bearing upon this question, reaction was sought also to a proposal offered by a school administrator who stands high in the counsels of his professional associates and which has been seconded by several of them. And finally, because the problem of establishing effective working relationships between the socalled academic and professional teaching personnel so clearly conditions effectiveness of programs, and because the ability to promote and improve such relationships is, or should be, recognized as at least one index of staff competence, respondents were asked to describe "success" in establishing such working relationships. The questions asked and an analysis of replies follows: 1. Have any specific conclusions been reached in your institution with respect to what the most distinctive equipment of professional instructors in the field of education for school administration should be? To this question, 38 affirmative and 24 negative responses were received. 2. What in general are the specifications, if any? Of the 38 institutions responding affirmatively to question 1, above, 34 filed statements of specifications. A categorical listing of the various items or qualifications contained in these statements with figures to indicate the frequency with which they were mentioned is offered first for whatever value it may have. The various items have been somewhat arbitrarily grouped under six general headings for convenience of analysis. EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND SHOULD PROVIDE OR COVER: Good broad general education foundation____ Good foundation in social sciences. Research training----- Knowledge of personnel management.. Knowledge of functional educational psychology. COMMAND OF Knowledge: Sound "American" philosophy of education... Dynamic philosophy of place and function of administration.. Established scholarship in school administration_. 18 Specialized experience in the teaching area.... 888 6 1 Maintain close contacts with current problems and schools_ Should engage in research.. Writing and other productive work... Ability to foresee the development of school problems.. PERSONALITY FACTORS: Personality Fitted in basic personal philosophy Social understanding_-_. 1 The proposition that no school can be better than its teachers is, of course, so fundamental as to make any statement of it seem trite. The development of, and experimentation with, a wide variety of "new" teaching procedures and techniques are making increasingly varied demands upon the competences of the teaching personnel as a teaching, leadership group. The fact that only 16 of the 33 statements submitted specifically mention formal degree requirements would indicate that there is no uniform emphasis upon these as being of major importance. There is some evidence, such as the reported employment of successful administrators, that the doctorate is not required in all cases when instructional personnel is selected. The frequency with which experience factors are mentioned with special reference to "practical field experience" is evidence of an encouraging trend, as is the relative importance given to "on the job skills" as contrasted with "recognition" and scholarship in scholastic fields. The fact that teaching ability as such is specifically mentioned only twice is somewhat softened by the emphasis upon a functional command of knowledge and demonstrated capacity in practical situations. This discussion, centered about the question of factors related to the competence of the instructional staff, leads very logically to a consideration of the practical proposal involved in the next question. 3. A successful, large city, school superintendent proposes that professors of education should be "practicing" professors, analagous to members of medical school faculties; that they should be part-time employees of school systems from time to time. a. Are any members of your staff so employed? There were 35 affirmative responses made to this question. Analysis of qualifying statements and expressions of opinion concerning the general proposal, however, revealed that the question was not interpreted literally in many cases. Fourteen of the respondents referred to the fact that practicing administrators were brought in as instructors at summer sessions or through the academic year, in regular or evening sessions. Seven institutions gave an affirmative answer but provided no further clue to their interpretation of the question. Fifteen institutions gave an affirmative answer based, apparently, upon a literal interpretation and obviously meant to indicate that certain members of the staff were actually employed by schools or school systems on a part-time basis from time to time in varying capacities. The nature of these reported part-time employments was not in all cases described but the following responsibilities were indicated: Direction of research and attendance in the public schools; direction of curriculum laboratories in the schools; research and planning activities; special consultant activities; reorganization of special services to the public schools administrative staff; school surveys. The practice of having staff members engage in consultative, survey, and similar activities on some cooperative basis with the personnel of schools and school systems was reported by a substantial majority of the institutions canvassed. There also seems to be pretty general utilization of the services of selected practitioners in the field as instructors at summer sessions and in extension activities. On the whole, it seems that rather close working relationships are being maintained by schools and colleges of education with the on-going school program in the field. b. Comment briefly on this proposal. Comments on the proposal contained in question 3a, above, came in from 41 institutions. Twenty-two gave unqualified approval, |