| Regional educational service agencies (RESAs), service units located between the state education agency and local education agency, provided the focus for this two-level study. In the comparative level, programs and services and delivery of services of RESAs were scrutinized nationally, as well as in Indiana. In the evidence of satisfaction, the governance and finance patterns were investigated nationally and a determination made of satisfactory patterns. A national survey conducted by Stephens Associates and an Indiana survey of superintendents were used to determine the current status of both national and Indiana trends, respectively.;Indiana RESAs, in this study, were categorized as Cooperative RESAs and developed from permissive legislation. Indiana RESAs offered approximately half as many programs and services as the other permissive, as well as the other thirty, RESA networks nationally at or above the 50 percent level. Indiana had eight areas with no offerings, whereas the other networks offered all areas. Within the Indiana school corporations, RESA and non-RESA members showed similar offerings and effectiveness results. However, small corporations offered three areas at a 90 percent level compared to large corporations with ten; they also were reported least effective in their offerings. In delivery of services, national results were inconclusive; however, in Indiana, the regular school setting was the most utilized method.;Governance patterns, usually established by legislation, consisting of elected governing boards, of appointed executive officers, and of one permanent advisory committee were the most prevalent trends. The most common finance patterns were state and federal money usage, state mandated budget calendar, and prescribed accounting and auditing procedures. RESAs had little taxing authority. It was found that the nationally determined satisfactory patterns of governance and finance were more predominant in Special District RESAs.;In conclusion, at the national level the enabling legislation was the primary vehicle for establishing RESA networks with mandatory legislation extensive in Special District and Regionalized RESA networks. There did not appear to be a strong relationship between the type of network and the programs offered. Indiana offerings were much lower than national trends thus indicating the need for more emphasis on the expansion of offerings. Within Indiana, RESA membership was insignificant as to offerings; but the size of school corporation, the smaller and less effective were the offerings. Also, it was determined that RESA networks legislatively mandated with involuntary membership exhibited the most satisfactory governance and finance patterns.;Nationally, thirty-one RESA networks were studied from twenty-six states. It was found that nineteen of the networks were mandated to be established, mainly through legislation. RESAs were categorized as Special District RESAs (providing services for both the state education agency and constituent local education agencies), Regionalized RESAs (delivering services for the state education agency), and Cooperative RESAs (providing services exclusively to local education agency members). Mandatory/involuntary legislation predominated in Special District RESAs. In Regionalized RESAs, the establishment was divided between involuntary and voluntary/mandatory legislation. In Cooperative RESAs, permissive legislation prevailed. Twelve of the twenty-six programs and services pursued were offered by a majority of the participating networks. There was minimal variation between the three types of networks and program and service offerings. |
