Management practices in public school custodial programs

The major purpose of the study was directed toward improvement of administration of public school custodial programs. The study was designed to: (1) provide Indiana custodial administrators with an overview of perceptions of Indiana custodial administrators generally regarding use and soundness of selected custodial management practices; (2) provide information that would be beneficial in developing or revising custodial program policies and administrative procedures; (3) provide information about custodial management practices employed in school corporations of comparable size; (4) provide information concerning the impact of employee union affiliation on the use and soundness of custodial management practices; and (5) provide institutions which prepare administrative personnel with information regarding current custodial management practices.The literature was reviewed concerning the management functions of planning, organizing, controlling, coordinating, directing, staffing, and evaluating. Literature was also reviewed concerning custodial management practices and then integrated under appropriate management functions. A list of selected custodial management practices was developed, validated, modified, and finally placed in questionnaire format.The questionnaire was distributed to sixty-selected Indiana school corporations categorized as large, medium, and small. Respondents reported use, non-use, or questioned use to each of eighty-five practices. Secondly, respondents reported each practice to be sound, unsound, or of questioned soundness. Thirdly, respondents reported reasons for non-use of practices judged to be sound but not used.Major conclusions drawn from the study included:1. Broad usage of custodial management practices described in the questionnaire was observed.2. Over 75 per cent of the selected custodial management practices were judged to be sound by school administrators.3. There was a strong relationship between size of school districts and the degree to which custodial management practices were used.4. There was a strong relationship between size of school districts and the degree to which custodial management practices were judged to be sound.5. Large school districts used more selected practices and judged more practices to be sound than medium and small school districts.6. Lack of time to implement practices was the reason reported most often for practices not used but judged to be sound.7. There was a significant relationship between union affiliation and use and soundness of selected custodial management practices.Several implications were suggested:1. Careful assignment of time priorities can improve the managerial process related to custodial programs.2. Small and medium school districts might improve custodial programs by adopting practices used by large school districts.3. Efficiency of custodial programs might be increased by utilizing cost control measures.4. Institutions that prepare administrators might improve long-range administration of custodial programs by devoting instructional efforts to management theory, organizational behavior, and business management functions.Several recommendations were made:1. Appropriate state agencies should provide leadership in procuring and disseminating information concerning the need for providing efficiency in operation of custodial programs.2. Appropriate state agencies should provide leadership in developing methods, techniques, and procedures to facilitate the improvement of custodialprograms.3. College and university professors of educational administration should provide leadership in designing programs aimed at preparing administrators who can dealeffectively and efficiently with management of custodial programs.4. The inquiry instrument should be refined and improved for use in further research at local, state, and national levels to enhance the improvement of the administration of custodial programs in educational institutions.Thesis (D. Ed.