Abstract

A needs assessment pertaining to the smaller schools of the nation was conducted in the fall of 1981 by the staff of the National Center for Smaller Schools at Texas Tech University. A statistical sample of the defined schools was drawn, stratified by five geographic regions: Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, and West. The superintendent of each sample school district was requested to complete a questionnaire and to ask one principal and three teachers to complete a similar questionnaire. The survey was categorized into three parts: Curriculum and Instruction, Administration, and Professional Preparation and Development. Over 770/0 of the items on the survey were perceived both to be important and to be well performed in reality. On the other hand, 12 items were found to be definite areas of need, 10 of which were from the professional preparation and development category. The top five needs were (I) the development of strategies to motivate students; (2) the provision of training in fostering positive student self-image; (3) the identification of strategies for dealing with teacher burnout; (4) the provision of some type of incentive program for professional development, such as college credit, release time, or monetary compensation; (5) the provision of programs for gifted and talented students.

How to Cite:

Beckner, W., (1984) “Needs in Smaller Schools of the United States”, Journal of Research in Rural Education 2(4), 141–145.

Rights: Copyright