University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Adopt-a-School Programs: A Descriptive Study in Selected Elementary Schools With Implications for the Building Principal

Diedrich, Irene Marie

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/69120

Description

Title
Adopt-a-School Programs: A Descriptive Study in Selected Elementary Schools With Implications for the Building Principal
Author(s)
Diedrich, Irene Marie
Issue Date
1987
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 purposes of this thesis are to provide information which may be helpful to school administrators in formulating positions on the issue of business involvement in schooling, and to inform and improve the practice of elementary school principals engaged in or considering adopt-a-school programs.
  • This thesis investigates the involvement of business in education, focusing particularly on adopt-a-school programs at the elementary school level. The first part of the thesis is a review of the literature, which traces the history of involvement, explores the reasons for the current renewal of business interest in education, describes the scope of present involvement, and presents a typology describing the types of current initiatives. The literature review concludes with a description of adopt-a-school programs.
  • The second portion of the thesis is a descriptive study of five adopt-a-school programs in elementary schools located in Chicago and Evanston, Illinois. The multi-site study was conducted using field research techniques including nonstandardized interviews, nonparticipant observation, and artifact analysis. Site summaries of the programs studies are included in the thesis. Data analysis occurred in cycles intertwined with data collection. Final analysis techniques included building a site-level summarizing display, which lead to the creation of an unordered meta-matrix. The matrix, then, was analyzed for frequency and themes.
  • Findings are reported regarding the structure, activities, attitudes, behaviors, and effects recurrent in programs from the school, business, and system perspectives. Emerging themes relate to the diversity of programs, the importance of relationships among participants, and the entrepreneurial nature of the principalship.
  • The thesis concludes with specific recommendations regarding the formulation of a philosophical position on the issue of business involvement in schooling, and on the initiation, implementation, and evaluation of adopt-a-school programs at the elementary level.
Graduation Semester
1987
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/69120

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