Identifying a Difference between Teachers' and School-Based Administrators' Perceptions of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' Chapter 1 Preschool Program.

This study was conducted to identify a difference between preschool teachers' and school-based administrators' perceptions of critical issues and the numerical ranking assigned to those issues in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' (North Carolina) Chapter 1 Preschool Program. The study tested three hypotheses, and sought to ascertain what teachers and administrators understood to be critical issues in Chapter 1 education, the difference between rankings of the issues, value placed on the program, and the relationship between length of experience with the program and value assigned to it. The study involved administering 2 surveys based on the Delphi Technique to 34 preschool teachers, 11 principals, and 12 assistant principals. The rate of return of usable surveys for each round of mailings was 57 and 56 percent, respectively. Analysis of the responses found that there was a difference between the responses of the 2 groups and that of 10 issues, only 2 were ranked the same by teachers and administrators. Overall, it appears that teachers have a micro-level perspective focused on individual classroom concerns. Administrators have a macro-level perspective, evaluating prioritized needs of all program components. Included are an appendix containing samples of the correspondence, forms, and instruments used; and 40 references. (JB)