A study of the implementation process of new accreditation standards in fifty selected Nebraska secondary schools

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the impact of implementing the newer and more demanding Rule 15 accreditation regulations imposed on small school districts in the state of Nebraska. More specifically, the purpose of the study was to determine (1) if there was a correlation between the attitudes of superintendents and the extent new accreditation regulations were implemented, (2) if there was a correlation between the size of a school and the extent new accreditation regulations were implemented, (3) if there was a correlation between the per pupil assessed valuation and the ability to implement new accreditation regulations, (4) if there was a correlation between the per pupil expenditure and the extent to which new accreditation standards were implemented, and (5) if there was a difference in the ability and ease of implementation of new revisions between North Central Association and non-North Central Association schools. Fifty small schools with seven through twelve student populations of between 65 and 198 were selected for the survey. The sample also included 25 NCA schools and 25 non-NCA schools. The superintendents of these small schools were asked to complete the survey. All 50 schools responded to the survey; however, one survey was not usable. Analysis of the responses indicated that the attitudes of the superintendents, the size of the schools, the per pupil valuation, and the per pupil expenditure did not affect the schools\u27 ability to implement the new accreditation requirements. There was, however, an indication schools that were members of the North Central Association had less difficulty implementing the new accreditation regulations than non-NCA schools