The Political Consequences of School Closings: A Comparison of the Procedural Viewpoint and the Lutz-Iannaccone Theory of Dissatisfaction in Selected Illinois School Districts
Van Lear, Clarence E., Jr.
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/68897
Description
Title
The Political Consequences of School Closings: A Comparison of the Procedural Viewpoint and the Lutz-Iannaccone Theory of Dissatisfaction in Selected Illinois School Districts
Author(s)
Van Lear, Clarence E., Jr.
Issue Date
1984
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Educat.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Administration
Abstract
The major purposes of this study were to explore some political consequences of school closings on public school districts and analyze the disagreement concerning such closings between the Lutz-Iannaccone model of dissatisfaction and the procedural viewpoint proposed by the practitioner journals during the 1970's.
The population of this study included all 147 elementary school districts in the northern Illinois counties of Cook and DuPage, excluding the city of Chicago, as listed by the State of Illinois in 1976-77.
Information was gathered concerning school board election results and categorized according to several definitions of incumbent change and incumbent defeat. Additional information was obtained on superintendent turnover, assessed valuation, average daily attendance, size of district by number of buildings, and school closings. Prior instances of incumbent change and defeat were also determined.
Hypotheses One and Two were proposed to explore the relationships among the several definitions of incumbent change and/or defeat and superintendent turnover. Hypothesis Three was used to analyze the relationships between school closings and the definitions of incumbent change and/or defeat on a single year basis. Hypothesis Four was used to explore the relationships between school closings and the definitions of incumbent change and/or defeat over a four-year period. Chi-square tests were used to determine significance, and contingency tables were constructed specifying each of the variables.
Only the analysis of Hypothesis Four resulted in a rejection of the null hypothesis. The antecedent variable of SIZE, defined as the number of buildings in a district, produced the only consistent significant relationships (.05 level of significance) between school closings and incumbent change and defeat.
A possible pattern, a dynamics of largeness, appeared to be functioning in the districts that closed schools. The number of buildings in a district seems to influence the positions taken by a district superintendent and school board when faced with closing a school building.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
