A descriptive survey of overseas secondary schools for American missionaries' children applying regional accreditation standards

The purpose of this study was to survey the overseas schools for American missionaries' children, and to identify those factors that had prevented United States regional accreditation of the secondary divisions.

A survey approach was used to locate 98 schools for missionaries' children and gather basic information about them This information exposed the fact that less than 5 percent had attained United States regional accreditation. Four questionnaires were developed based on the accreditation requirements of the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Western Association of Colleges and Schools. After these questionnaires were approved by the various associations, they were sent to the schools within each association's regional area. It was found that the schools were very small and had very y limited secondary programs. The lack of qualified specialized personnel such as administrators, librarians and counselors was also apparent. The survey indicated that the overseas secondary schools for American missionaries' children are generally below United States regional accreditation standards.