A descriptive study of the instructional supervisor's major tasks in an open concept school

The research was undertaken to identify the major tasks of instructional supervisors in open concept schools and to compare them with the tasks of instructional supervisors in traditional schools. Data for the study were gathered by reviewing the literature, surveying instructional supervisors in selected geographic areas, and by conducting an intensive case study of the supervisory practices in one open concept school district. Educational literature and research depict the supervisor as the instructional leader whose major responsibility is to coordinate the instructional program of the school. The instructional supervisor is often perceived as a change agent whose role is that of fostering curricular and instructional revision to provide students with meaningful learning experiences. The instructional supervisor is expected to provide leadership in the securing of and utilization of appropriate materials and equipment to meet the educational goals of the school. The 1961 study conducted by the Texas Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development influenced the nature of the research and the development of the survey instrument. Data for the 1961 study were gathered in a state wide survey of 206 instructional supervisors. Ten major tasks of instructional supervision were identified. The findings of the 1961 study provided the structure for examining present day supervisory tasks. [...]