Information sources utilized by secondary school principals to implement selected mandates

The purpose of the study was to determine sources Indiana secondary principals used to gather and utilize information to comply with eight selected mandates associated with school improvement during the years 1983 through 1988. In addition, the study was to determine the most frequently used information sources, and to examine the judgments of principals regarding the quality of the various resources. Further, the study was to survey what relationships existed, if any, between selected demographic factors and the sources used and the time spent implementing selected policy decisions.Five research questions were developed to analyze the judgments of principals about information sources used to implement the eight selected mandates. Seven categories of information sources were listed on a questionnaire sent to selected Indiana secondary school principals. Respondents recorded the sources most frequently used among the categories, rated the quality of each information source, and selected the amount of time required to implement each mandate in relation to time spent on other administrative tasks.Selected Findings1. Principals identified seven categories of information as being most useful in developing strategies to implement eight state-imposed mandates. The sources of information were Department of Education, Professional Journals and Newsletters, Superintendent's Office, Colleagues, Personal Resources, Professional Consultants, and Other, a category for specific individual preferences.2. The Department of Education was the most frequently used resource for the greatest number of mandates and was judged most valuable in quality by the respondents.The Superintendent's Office, Colleagues, and Professional Journals and Newsletters also were judged frequently as important resources.3. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated no relationship between selected demographic factors and the sources used in gathering information to implement selected policy decisions with one exception. A subsequent univariate analysis and a Scheffe multiple comparison test showed respondents of schools of 1000-1999 students used the Superintendent's Office significantly more as an information source to implement mandates than did respondents of schools under 1000 students. Respondents of schools over 2000 students were found to use Professional Consultants significantly more as an information source to implement selected mandates than did respondents of schools of 1000-1999 students.Thesis (D. Ed.