The perceptions of principals in Kansas public high schools relative to death education and factors contributing to the inclusion of this subject in the curriculum

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of high school principals relative to death education, to assess the status of death education as a curriculum component, and to determine what factors contribute to death education's curriculum inclusion. Data was obtained from 253 principals who responded to a 103-item mailed questionnaire.;The absence of death education was primarily attributed to the failure of school officials to perceive it as an academic priority. The principals considered parents, assisted by religious institutions, to be the best source for educating children on death.;The following factors (as perceived/reported by the principal) were tested by discriminant analysis for their contribution to death education's curriculum inclusion: (1) importance placed on death education, (2) the school as an appropriate institution for providing death education (school legitimacy), (3) significant others' support for death education (normative beliefs), (4) implementation obstacles, (5) number of deaths impacting on the school and, (6) number of student suicides impacting on the school.;Results showed school legitimacy and approving normative beliefs as the primary predictors for death education's curriculum inclusion, suggesting that death education is normatively regulated and dependent on the purpose and priorities of education.;In general, the principals recognized the importance of educating youth on death and dying. Nevertheless, the majority of schools (77%) did not include death education in the curriculum. In those schools where death education was included, it was generally integrated into an existing course, most often home economics/family living. In six schools however, death education was formated as a separate course and up to 90 hours of instruction was provided.;This study also explored the following: school responses to deaths; death-related programs and in-service training; the principals' approval of death-related curriculum topics; the relationships between religious conservatism and one's own death education to support for school death education. Suggestions for further research were given and implications for educational policy and practice were discussed.