Organization and administration of student body government in the elementary school

71 Pages·03.044 MB·English

by  Hoffman, Kenneth H

:ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION
OF STUDENT BODY GOVERNMENT IN
THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A Project
Presented to
the Faculty of the School of Education
The University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Science in Education
by
Kenneth H« Hoffman
June 1950
UMI Number: EP45874
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This project report, written under the direction
of the candidate’s adviser and approved by him,
has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty
of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of Master of
Science in Education.
Date .....—-
Adviser
Dean
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PACE
I. THE PROBLEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Importance of the problem • • • • « . . • 1
Scope of this project • • . . « • • • • • . 2
Related literature and investigations .. ., 2
Method of procedure . .. .. • .. •. *. *, .. .. .. 3
II. AIMS OF STUDENT GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS.. ., 4
Training for citizenship 4
Relieving teachers of discipline. . .... 7
Character building. • • • • • • • • • • • 7
Preparation for high school life. . . . . 8
Developing self-control • • • • • • • • • 8
Developing a sense of responsibility. ... 8
Development of good leadership ........... 8
Development of fellowship • • • . » • . « * . 9
III. VALUE OF STUDENT BODY GOVERNMENT ....... 10
Administrative value . . • • • • • • • • • 10
Educational value ...... • . . . . • • • 11
IV. PLANS FOR STUDENT GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS . 13
The safety committee plan . ... ...... ., . 13
Duties.. .. .. .. ., ., .. ., ... ... * . 13'
The pledge . *. . • 15
The reward .. . * 16
CHAPTER PAGE
The city government plan . • . • . . .. *,. ... . 17
The charter or constitution . • • • ... 18
Duties of the officers • 19
Meetings. • . .. • 22
The national government plan • • • « • • • . 24
The merit or service point system ......... 25
The service point system. • • • • * • • . 25
Critique of plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
V. SUGGESTED ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN FOR AN EIGHT YEAR
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Constitution. .*,.••• 30
Organization and administration of plan . . 41
Adoption of the constitution • • • • • • . . 45
Election of officers . . . . . . . . . . •• 44
s
Selection of the student council. • • • • • 46
Selection of the safety council • • • • • • . 47
Selection of judge, clerk, and jury . . . . 47
Responsibilities and duties of regular
student body officers • « • • • • • • • • 47
Responsibilities and organization of the
safety council # . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Responsibilities and organization of the
student council # 49
Responsibilities and organization of the
CHAPTER PAGE
student court • 50
Frequency of meetings . . . . . . . . . 52
VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . .. . .. .. . 53
Recommendations • . • * • • ■ • • • • • • • . 54
BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
APPENDIX A. Copy of Questionnaire used with
Interview .. 57
CHAPTER I
. .THE PROBLEM
Importance of the problem* Some of the chief rea­
sons why this problem is important ares
1, Citizenship training to better fit the child to
take his place as a good citizen in a democratic nation is
the primary goal of the school*
2* Any problem which will contribute to making the
public schools more democratic in operation and.In function
has value;
3* There is a real need for teacher and student
cooperation in the handling of problems of discipline and
of - control ;
4* This project is for the organization of a student
government organization in a specific school but is readily
adaptable to any other system set up under the eight four
plan, or to a junior•high school• With mod1fication it
could be used in a.six grade elementary school as well*
5. No school, regardless how good itsorganization
or how excellent its administration, is free from the con­
stant ever changing problem of student body direction; con­
trol; and management;
6* Of paramount interest to a democratic nation is
the need for its children to learn the value and necessity
of self-direction and self-control. This training cannot
begin at"too early- an’ age;
7, Effective organization and administration of
student body government will lessen the duties of teacher
and administrator,,
8, Student participation in a plan of self govern­
ment, if properly handeled, will develop the pupils' interest
and appreciation in the school and its activities.
Scope of this project. Primarily written for a
particular school situation, the organizational plan for
student government set forth could, with minor changes,
be used in any school situation working with children between
kindergarten and the ninth grades The particular school
for which this study was conducted has between eight and
nine hundred children in the grades from kindergarten to
and including the eighth grade.
This study includes an examination and statement of
the alms, objectives, and proceedures used in the organi­
sations and administration of student government in the
elementary schools of Orange County, California,
Related literature and-Investigations. Considerable
material can be found dealing with the problem of student
government in high school’and in junior high school.
While much of this is not applicable to the elementary school,
being too far advanced for the age and maturation level of
elementary children, it could be used as a starting point,
from which a suitable organizational plan could be evolved*
This is particularly true of the books and magazines and
magazine articles dealing with the junior high school pro­
blems, as many elementary schools include the seventh and
the eighth grades*
Printed material includes thesis, reports from edu­
cational periodicals, books bearing in whole or in part on
the study, and materials printed by the various schools. ,•
Method of procedure. Plans and practices of eight
elementary school districts in Orange Gounty were obtained
by a combination of the interview and questionnaire methods.
By taking the questionnaire around personally one hundred
per-cent response to the questionnaire was obtained. Also
there was the importance and the important advantage of
being able to clarify both the questions on the form and
the statements and answers made in reply to them.
Aims and objectives of a student government organi­
zation are taken largely from the sources mentioned under
“Related literature and investigations,M as well as from
the questionnaire and personal interview data.
A copy of the questionnaire used may be found in
the appendix.
CHAPTER II
AIMS OF STUDENT GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
Training for citizenship* One of the main objectives
is that of training for citizenship. Student government
provides a laboratory for the study and practice of desir­
able citizenship procedures. The school"program should
I
be organized in such a way as to provide the student with
the maximum opportunity to actively use what he is learning.
A democratic way of life must rely on an informed
people in order to continue. The learning of factual mate­
rial is not enough. Pupils in public schools must be given
an opportunity to practice democratic living in their every
O
day relationships in order to become capable of successful
group living.
C/
The following conclusions were brought out by Ger­
main, ^ in her study on MPupil Participation,J :
1. The fundamental aim of education thus becomes
the preparation of the youth for successful group
living.
2. But happy and effective group living is a matter
of having learned to make, easily and happily, certain
desirable social adjustments.
3. Children learn to make these wholesome adjust­
ments in exactly the same way they learn to read and
Edith Gayton Germaine, Character Education (New
York: Silver Burdette & Company. 1929)> P* 1&2.