NEA Research Memo

September 1980

SURVEY OF SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES-1980

This 1980 survey of school systems regarding some of their programs and practices was sent to 805 school systems. The school systems were selected to be representative of the approximately 11,600 public school systems in the United States with 300 or more students. Exactly 508 usable questionnaires were returned for a 63.1 percent response. The standard error for population estimates is 5 percent or less and for estimating population differences is 10 percent

or more.

Each topical area includes highlights of the responses plus a more detailed analysis of each question by region and by size of school system. The topical areas are as follows:

Numbers of students and teachers

School organization patterns

Curriculum

Instruction in special areas

Student evaluation

Student discipline

Financing

Censorship

Handicapped students

Professional development

Teacher evaluation

Discrimination

Specialists

The states comprising each region are as follows:

Northeast: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Southeast: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Middle: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North
Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mex-
ico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

School systems by stratum are Small: 300-2,999 students; Medium: 3,000 to 24,999 students;
Large: 25,000 or more students.

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Numbers of Students/Teachers

School systems in the Southeastern and Western regions are generally larger than
school systems in the Northeastern and Middle regions-in fact, more than twice as
large on the average.

Almost two-thirds (66 percent) reported that student enrollments have decreased
over the past three years (ie., since 1976-77). More school systems in the
Northeastern and Middle regions reported a decrease than did school systems in the
Southeastern and Western regions.

Decreases in the number of teachers (reported by 41 percent) were accomplished
primarily by normal attrition (81 percent) rather than by reduction in force (10
percent).

About half felt that the number of students (52 percent) and number of teachers (48
percent) should decrease within the next three years (i.e., by 1982-83). Only about
one-sixth (17 percent) felt the number of students and teachers should increase.
Northeastern and large school systems were more likely to think that the number of
both students and teachers would decrease in the next three years.

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8

School Organization Patterns

One-fourth (25 percent) of the school systems reported a 6-3-3 school organization
for grades 1 through 12. 5-3-4 and 6-2-4 organizations were reported by about
one-sixth (15 and 19 percent, respectively).

The 5-3-4 and 6-3-3 organizations were most common in the Northeastern region, and the 6-3-3 organization most common in the Southeastern region, and the 6-2-4 or 6-3-3 organization most common in the Middle and Western regions.

The larger school systems were more likely to have a 6-3-3 organization, with a
significant number having a 6-2-4 organization, whereas the smaller school systems
were more likely to have a 6-6 organization, with a significant number having a
6-2-4 or 8-4 organization.