Abstract
Problem and purpose. Of the myriad of problems that face small, rural school districts, the issue of administration is one of the most pressing. Few administrative candidates are adequately prepared for the rigors of rural systems, leading to high administrator turnover, which results in district leadership instability. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of the superintendent/principal, the school board president, and the district secretary/administrative assistant with regard to the superintendent/principal's level of involvement in specific duties and responsibilities associated with, (a) the superintendency, and (b) the principalship. An additional purpose was to develop a profile of currently practicing elementary superintendent/principals, based on the perceptions of the respondents. Methodology. The study employed a descriptive research design, namely, measures of location and variation. The researcher developed a questionnaire, piloted and validated by the three pilot districts, with gathered the data for the study. The questionnaire used a six-point Likert scale on twenty-one items, to measure perceptions of level of involvement in typical site-based and district duties and responsibilities. The sample population included superintendent/principals, board presidents, and secretary/administrative assistants from 143 of California 236 K-8 school districts which employ a superintendent/principal. Findings and conclusions. Superintendent/principals perceive themselves as involved in district and site duties and responsibilities to a very high degree. School Board Presidents perceive the superintendent/principal as involved in district-level responsibilities to a very high degree, but to a lesser degree in site-level duties and responsibilities, where a high degree of involvement is the norm. Secretary/administrative assistants perceive the superintendent/principals as involved in district and site-level duties to a much lesser degree then either for the other two respondents. Their perceptions, on average, range from moderate to high levels of involvement on the part of the superintendent/principal. A profile of current elementary superintendent/principals shows that the typical individual is a married, Caucasian male with two children; between 45 and 49 years of age; holds an MA from a California State College or University; has held an elementary superintendent/principalship between 1 and 5 years; has been in his present position between 1 and 5 years; and perceives himself as successfully balancing the dual role of the position. The perceptions of the secretary/administrative assistants point to the fact that they consistently function as quasi-administrators in a number of areas within the school district, either as support for the administrator, or as the responsible party. Recommendations. School Boards should adopt job descriptions of the position of superintendent/principal to clarify and delineate multiple duties and responsibilities. Colleges and Universities should design administrative training programs which are relevant to the administration needs of small, rural schools. Further studies should be conducted in small, rural unified and high school districts to assess how administrators discharge their responsibilities at those levels and grade configurations. An individual case study, or a series of case studies should be undertaken to provide in-depth information on time management constraints and strategies with regard to the dual role function of the elementary superintendent principal. Finally, a replication study should be considered in the future among small, rural elementary school districts in California. Such a study could be used to validate the findings of this study, and/or to contrast it with current social, economic, demographic, and educational conditions at the time.