| The purpose of the study was to contribute to a better understanding of the importance and necessity of advisory councils, and school community relationships. More specifically, the study attempted to analyze the relationship between advisory councils and agricultural education program status.;A combination of causal-comparative and correlational studies were used. The population for the study included all high school agriculture education programs in Illinois. The Good News Survey, and Application for Supplemental Funds for Agricultural Education questionnaires were used to gather the data. The two questionnaires were mailed to all high school agriculture teachers in Illinois by the Illinois FFA Center at Roanoke, and Illinois Department of Adult, Vocational and Technical Education respectively. Permission to use the data was sought and approved. The data were analyzed using correlation and regression analyses.;Findings of the study showed that: (1) The existence of agriculture advisory councils (ADV) has a relationship with agriculture teachers' contracts (CON), teachers' professional development activities (PRO), agriculture student enrollment (ENR), FFA membership (FFA), supervised agricultural experience program (SAEP) participation (SAE), and number of students graduating from agriculture programs (GRA), except agriculture teachers' salaries (SAL) and agriculture education program budget (BUD). (2) There is a relationship between the number of meetings of advisory council (MEE), and agriculture education program budget (BUD, CON, PRO, ENR, FFA, SAE, and GRA, except agriculture teachers' salaries (SAL). (3) The best single predictor of agricultural education program status score was the existence of operational agriculture advisory councils.;Based on the findings the following recommendations were made: (1) Agriculture teachers should establish agriculture advisory councils for their programs. (2) Agriculture teachers should urge their advisory councils to meet at least four times a year. (3) Agriculture teachers should examine carefully the advice, ideas, and suggestions of the advisory councils, and implement only those items or ideas which they deem appropriate. |
