THE INTERMEDIATE UNIT OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION.

A 2-YEAR STUDY IN WISCONSIN WAS MADE TO DETERMINE IF AN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT BETWEEN THE STATE AND LOCAL DISTRICTS WAS NEEDED, IF NEEDED, WHETHER THEIR COUNTY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT STRUCTURE WAS ADEQUATE, AND TO DEVELOP CRITERIA FOR THE TYPE OF INTERMEDIATE ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT NEEDED IF THEIRS WAS INADEQUATE. NINE ASSUMPTIONS FOR THE STUDY WERE LISTED. DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM THE LITERATURE ON THE INTERMEDIATE UNIT OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND BY PERSONAL INTERVIEWS AND QUESTIONNAIRES FROM ALL COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS, ALL ADMINISTRATORS OF LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHICH EMPLOYED THREE OR MORE TEACHERS, ALL MEMBERS OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION WHO HAD A SPECIFIC RELATIONSHIP TO PUBLIC SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION, AND A SELECTED GROUP OF LAY CITIZENS. THE STUDY INDICATED THAT AN INTERMEDIATE ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT WAS NEEDED, BUT THAT THEIR COUNTY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENCY WAS NOT ADEQUATE. NINE CRITERIA FOR DEVELOPING SATISFACTORY INTERMEDIATE ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS IN WISCONSIN WERE LISTED. THE AUTHOR STATED THAT THE STUDY HAS RELEVANCE FOR MANY OTHER STATES HAVING SIMILAR PATTERNS OF SCHOOL ORGANIZATION. THIS ARTICLE IS PUBLISHED IN THE "ADMINISTRATOR'S NOTEBOOK, " VOLUME 8, NUMBER 2, OCTOBER 1959. (RB)