Search

PROGRESS IN THE OPERATION OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IS REPORTED. THE PROJECT DREW HEAVILY ON THE IDEAS AND THINKING INCORPORATED INTO TWO EARLIER PROGRAMS CONDUCTED AT THE UNIVERSITY. CONCERN WAS CENTERED ON THE IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION OF INDIVIDUALS IN VOCATIONAL AND TEACHING EDUCATION WITH POTENTIAL LEADERSHIP ABILITIES. THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE RECRUITED, NOMINATED, INTERVIEWED, AND TESTED FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM. AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS ESTABLISHED, COMPOSED OF SIX GRADUATES OF THE ORIGINAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM HELD ONE YEAR EARLIER. A COMMITTEE MEETING WAS THEN HELD, ELICITING SUGGESTIONS FOR STRENGTHENING SUMMER WORKSHOPS, INTERNSHIPS, FIELD EXPERIENCES, AND EVALUATION TECHNIQUES. FOLLOWON ACTIVITIES TO BE CONDUCTED WERE THUS REPORTED. PLANS WERE INCLUDED FOR--(1) THE PREPARATION AND DIRECTION OF AN 8-WEEK SUMMER WORKSHOP, (2) IMPROVING THE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES THROUGH COOPERATIVE EFFORTS BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY AND A PARTICULAR INTERN'S EMPLOYING SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND (3) REFINING THE EVALUATIVE INSTRUMENTS PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED FOR IMMEDIATE AND FOLLOWUP STUDY OF BOTH INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS AND THE OVERALL PROGRAM. (JH)

The vocational education leadership behavior of graduates from an 8-week summer workshop who completed a year-long internship was observed to evaluate the training program and to develop an objective formula for selection of personnel for effective leadership roles. The 71 graduates for the school years 1964-67 were compared with the 48 member control group which consisted of men interviewed but not selected for training. The leadership scores obtained indicated that the trained groups improved at a greater rate on the leadership variables measured than the control groups. It was impossible to separate the effects of training from the effects of selection when accounting for this improvement in leadership behavior. A prediction equation was developed which accounted for 25 percent of the variation in the leadership behavior measured. Some study highlights were: (1) An objective and quantitative measure of leadership behavior was obtained, (2) The selection procedure and training program accounted for impressive gains in leadership behavior, and (3) The combination of the 8-week summer workshop and the year-long internship was superior to the internship alone. (DM)

AS PART OF A 3-YEAR STUDY OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN MICHIGAN, 10 PROBLEMS WERE ARRANGED IN RANK ORDER OF IMPORTANCE BY AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE. ONE PROBLEM WAS "TO DETERMINE THE NEED FOR AND FEASIBILITY OF AREA VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN." THIS REPORT REPRESENTS A REVIEW OF LITERATURE RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM. INCLUDED ARE A DEFINITION OF TERMS, THE HISTORY OF AREA VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN, RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE U.S. OFFICE OF EDUCATION, EXAMPLES OF AREA VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN MICHIGAN, AND A DISCUSSION OF AREA VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN RELATION TO THE NEEDS OF EMPLOYMENT-BOUND YOUTH IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT MOST HIGH SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN ARE TOO SMALL TO PROVIDE A DIVERSIFIED PROGRAM OF SPECIALIZED TRAINING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF EMPLOYMENT-BOUND YOUTH. ASSUMING THAT A HIGH SCHOOL WOULD NEED AT LEAST 1,000 STUDENTS TO PROVIDE A VARIETY OF OFFERINGS TO MEET THE SPECIALIZED NEEDS OF EMPLOYMENT-BOUND YOUTH, FEWER THAN 20 PERCENT OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN COULD QUALIFY. IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT FURTHER STUDY BE GIVEN TO THE AREA CONCEPT OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH AND ADULTS. (PS)

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT WAS TO DEVELOP A PROGRAM FOR THE PREPARATION OF PERSONS TO BE EMPLOYED IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION. IDENTIFYING AND SELECTING PERSONS IN MICHIGAN WITH LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL AND A BACKGROUND IN VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL EDUCATION, AND THEN PREPARING THEM TO FUNCTION AS ADMINISTRATORS WERE THE MAJOR PROBLEMS OF THE PILOT PROGRAM. MALE CANDIDATES WERE SELECTED ON THE BASIS OF AGE, WORK EXPERIENCE, TEACHING EXPERIENCE, AND EDUCATION. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SUBMITTED 254 NAMES. OF THE 166 INTERESTED CANDIDATES, 99 MET ALL REQUIREMENTS AND WERE INTERVIEWED AND TESTED. FROM THIS GROUP, 40 CANDIDATES AND 7 ALTERNATES WERE NAMED. A COMBINATION OF MATCHING AND RANDOM METHODS WAS USED TO ESTABLISH GROUPS A AND B. GROUP A ATTENDED AN 8-WEEK SUMMER WORKSHOP AND A 1-YEAR INTERNSHIP WHILE GROUP B PARTICIPATED ONLY IN THE 1-YEAR INTERNSHIP. SOME CONCLUSIONS WERE -- (1) ADMINISTRATOR INVOLVEMENT WAS USEFUL DURING INTERNSHIP, (2) MUCH IS YET TO BE LEARNED ABOUT THE VALUE OF STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR SELECTION PURPOSES, AND (3) OTHER STATES ARE VITALLY INTERESTED IN SUCH PROGRAMS. IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT (1) THE PROGRAM BE CONTINUED, (2) AN EXTENSIVE FOLLOWUP OF PARTICIPANTS BE MADE, (3) THE LONGITUDINAL STUDY BE CONTINUED IN ORDER TO VALIDATE SELECTION CRITERIA, AND (4) FURTHER RESEARCH IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP BE ENCOURAGED. FURTHER DATA ON PARTICIPANTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GIVEN IN THE APPENDIX. (EM)

THIS STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN IN CENTERVILLE, MICHIGAN, A COMMUNITY WITH 2,500 STUDENTS, IN HIGH SCHOOLS, EVENLY DIVIDED BETWEEN BOYS AND GIRLS. THE SURVEY DISCUSSES THE STEPS IN PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF THE IMAGE OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND SUGGESTS METHODS OF USING THE IVE. PARENTS OF ELEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS, EMPLOYERS LOCATED IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND SCHOOL PROFESSIONALS CONTRIBUTED TO THE STUDY. IN TODAY'S WORLD, EMPLOYERS HAVE BECOME MORE SELECTIVE, PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING A CURRICULUM FOR THE EMPLOYMENT-BOUND STUDENT NEED TO KNOW HOW PARTS OF THE POPULATION FEEL ABOUT VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS ARE AWARE THAT LESS THAN HALF OF THE STUDENTS AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL WILL ATTEND COLLEGE, BUT THESE STUDENTS NEED AN INTENSIVE PROGRAM OF STUDIES. HOWEVER, MEANINGFUL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES FOR THE REMAINING PUPILS MUST BE GIVEN. ACCOMPANYING THE TEXT ARE FIGURES, DATA-COLLECTING FORMS, STATISTICAL TABLES, AND FORMULAS (LIKERT-TYPE SCALE AND THE SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL).