The topic and title for this proposal is: Perceptions of the Los Angeles Unified School District Administrators on the Effects of Decentralization of Special Educating Programs. Research findings point out that the more people involved in the decision-making and planning of programs, the more effective efforts will be. Thus decentralization has the goal of site-based management that includes shared decision making of multiple parties. Possible obstacles related to decentralization include a history of bureaucracy and centralization with resistance toward change and a lack of appropriate training related to school-based shared decision-making for individuals at the participating sites and the district administrators. In addition, decentralization with shared decision-making can be time consuming and labor intensive. The effects of decentralization remain to be seen. A study is needed to determine perceptions of administrators regarding the effects of this decentralization on special education programs.
For the current study, administrators of the Los Angeles Unified School District will be surveyed regarding their perceptions of the effects of decentralization on special education programs. The survey will also determine participant demographic information that will be used to test hypotheses.
The research question is as follows: what are the effects of decentralization on special education programs? The hypotheses are as follows:
Hypothesis 1. There will be a difference between males and females regarding perceived effects of decentralization on special education programs.
Hypothesis 2. There will be a difference between age groups regarding perceived effects of decentralization on special education programs.
Hypothesis 3. There will be a difference between highly experienced, experienced, and less experienced administrators regarding perceived effects of decentralization on special edu
...