Author: C. O. Fitzwater

Publisher:

Published: 1953

Total Pages: 57

ISBN-13:

Few educational responsibilities have greater far-reaching importance to the people of a State than the establishment of a sound local district structure for administering the schools. Keeping that structure adapted to changing conditions in society by reorganization of small ineffective districts into larger administrative units more capable of providing needed educational services has for many years been a persistent problem in American education. It is also one in which much progress has been made, especially during the past 10 years when the total number of local school districts in the Nation has been reduced by more than one-fourth. Although that reduction has been accomplished by means of various procedures, a major portion of it has come as the result of State programs of local school district reorganization providing for the active participation of local people in developing local reorganization plans and delegating to them the responsibility of establishing new districts proposed in such plans. Since 1940 a number of State programs of this nature have been initiated while others having the same general characteristics of local participation and decision have been in operation considerably longer. This report is an outgrowth of a study conducted by the Office of Education for the purpose of providing information concerning some of the major characteristics of reorganized districts established in recent years and of indicating some of the most noteworthy educational changes resulting from their establishment. The second part of the study, dealing with educational changes in reorganized districts, will be made the subject of a separate report. This study has been a cooperative undertaking throughout the various stages of its development. The chief State school officers in each of the eight states (California, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, and Washington) approved the study as one which should be undertaken and in each instance designated a staff member to assist in conducting it. These State school officials assisted in the development of data-gathering schedules used for collection of information, and also designated the districts to be included in the study. An appendix presents the items from the inquiry form on which this report is based. (Contains 19 tables and 1 footnote.) [Best copy available has been provided.].