Attitudes of school administrators in the southern region of the United States toward agriculture education

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of school administrators toward vocational agriculture education and toward recommendations for vocational agriculture education from the National Assessment of Vocational Education and from Understanding Agriculture: New Directions for Education. The study also measured the relationships between experience in vocational education as a student and/or teacher and attitudes toward vocational agriculture education or recommendations from the national studies. The administrators were asked to indicate their attitudes through a written survey. The research sample consisted of 350 principals, 303 superintendents, and 297 vocational education directors. A 72% response rate was obtained.;School administrators as a group are supportive of vocational agriculture and the recommendations from the two national studies for vocational agriculture education reform. Significant differences were found to exist among principals, superintendents, and vocational education directors attitudes toward vocational agriculture education and the recommendations of the national studies. Although all administrators were generally supportive of vocational agriculture education and the recommendations for reform of vocational agriculture education, vocational education directors were the most supportive of vocational agriculture. Negligible to low relationships were found between experience as a student and/or teacher of vocational education and attitudes toward vocational agriculture education or recommendations for vocational agriculture from the national studies.