A forecast of future critical tasks for special education administrators

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to identify and rate critical tasks for the special education administrator for the time period I (0 to 5 years) and II (10 to 20 years), and to prioritize the tasks based on consensus so that the highest ranked critical tasks could be identified. A Delphi study was conducted to accomplish the above purpose. A panel of 19 experts in the field of special education administration was nominated and selected to participate in the study. Round One of the study sought the identity of critical tasks in each of the time periods by panel members. The respondents were asked to rate each of the 94 tasks for each time period in Round Two. A 4-point scale from 4 - very important (high priority) to 1 - unimportant (low priority) was used. Upon the completion of Round Two, the mode (consensus) was determined for each of the tasks. In Round Three, respondents were provided the results of Round Two, to include both their individual and group ratings for each task. Each respondent was then requested to provide a statement, known as the minority report, explaining why he/she would not change a specific task rating to achieve consensus. The minority report was requested when the respondent was more than one unit away from the group consensus in any task. Twenty-eight conclusions resulted from this study, among them were: in both time periods, the categories of administration and professionalism were highly ranked with public relations being the most highly ranked; recognized as important was reducing the boundaries between regular and special education; and there was much consistency in ratings between rounds and time periods. Recommendations emanating from the study were to develop a professional journal, develop advisory committees; create a national job description, and to combine certification in both special education and administration. Implications for further research included exploring the similarities in public relations and personnel development between special education administrators and their respective colleagues.