An assessment of the attitudes of selected respondents toward the standards of quality for public education in Virginia

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of local school board members, division superintendents, local elected officials, state department of education personnel, and state legislators towards the approach taken to improve the public schools in Virginia by the enactment of state mandated standards of quality. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to all division superintendents in Virginia, all the members of the General Assembly, those state department of education personnel responsible for the standards of quality, and random samples of school board members and local elected officials. The questionnaire was designed to determine the respondents' attitudes on the improvement effected by the implementation of the standards of quality, the loss of local control involved, and the attendant increases in local expenditures. Respondents who perceived an improvement were asked if they believed the improvements were worth the costs involved.