The relationship between implementation of middle school criteria and management systems of middle school principals

Purpose. The middle school concept recognizes the importance of adapting education to the special needs of emerging adolescents by combining the child-centered features of elementary school with a more sophisticated discipline-based inquiry into subject matter for the purpose of helping the individual build a better self-concept and greater selfconfidence as the student moves towards a productive position in society. This educational philosophy implies the need for an open, participative system of management most congruent with the elements of the middle school concept. The purpose of this investigation was to study the management systems of middle school principals in relation to: (a) the middle school concept, and (b) school-community factors. The three foci were: to make a national assessment of management systems in middle schools; to determine the relationship between implementation of the middle school concept and perceived management systems; and to determine the relationship between the variables of school size, ethnicity, locality, and funding and perceived management systems. Theoretical Framework. The study was based on the premise that the degree of leadership openness in the middle school is directly related to the implementation of the middle school concept and is not influenced by demographic variables. The theoretical framework for the study evolved from Likert's (1967) continuum of management systems and elements inherent in the middle school concept. Research Procedures. The study was conducted among a random sample of 80 principals and 800 professional school personnel affiliated with the National Middle School Association in the states of Texas, Florida, Michigan, and Colorado. Likert's Profile of Organizational Characteristics (1967) was used to assess professional staff perceptions of management systems. Principals' perceptions of the level of implementation of middle school criteria were assessed through the use of the Intermediate and Middle School Inventory, adapted from Billings' Texas Intermediate and Middle School Inventory (1973). A School Profile Sheet was designed to gather demographic information. The Likert linear scale was used to determine the existence of an identifiable management system in the middle school principalship. To determine the relationship between the management system and the middle school concept, the total number of middle school criteria implemented at the high-partial and full level was correlated with the perceived management systems using the Pearson product-moment method. An analysis of variance was used to determine the relationship of the four demographic variables to the perceived management systems. Findings. The open, participative management hypothesized to be complementary to the implementation of the middle school concept was confirmed. A mean score of 13.33, interpreted as System 3, Consultative Group on the Likert continuum, was computed to describe the perceived management in the national assessment. A significant relationship was found between the implementation of the true middle school concept and the perceived management system. The three demographic variables of size, ethnicity, and funding were not found to be related to the perceived management system. Management system scores were significantly lower in rural schools than in metropolitan schools, indicating a relationship between the perception of school management and school locality. Conclusions and Recommendations The basic hypotheses were supported. The middle school does tend to have an open, participative organizational structure, which is clearly related to the extent of the implementation of the true middle school concept and which is not generally related to school-community factors. Recommendations include selection of and specific educational programs for middle school administrators, emphasizing open, participative leadership.Education, College o