This study was conducted to assess the quality of school programs of selected schools in Nueva Vizcaya. Hence, this study aimed to determine the socio-demographic profile of the preschool administrators and teachers of Nueva Vizcaya and to determine the administrator-teacher respondents profile in terms of age, gender, civil status, educational attainment, teaching experiences in preschool education, professional training, faculty development programs and activities undertaken by administrators, level handled, number of pupils enrolled in their classes, years of experience as preschool administrator and special training in preschool education.

Fourteen different schools throughout Nueva Vizcaya were visited with interviews done and survey forms passed out to and collected from fourteen administrators and thirty-three teachers. The survey distribution and collection was done over a period of fifteen days.

The statistical tools included descriptive statistics in the form of frequency count and percentage on the personal-professional profile of the respondents and computation of the weighted mean to determine the assessment of teachers and administrators view of their success or shortcomings in meeting their mandated goals in providing quality preschool education programs. The same statistical tools were used to assess anddetermine the problems and difficulties encountered by the administrators and teachers in the implementation of their programs.

The general result of the study indicates that in general, administrators were married, 40-65 years of age, female, and Bachelor of Science graduates, who were or presently are preschool teachers with special preschool training. The administrators responded that they felt that their stated objectives of their preschool programs were being fulfilled "very adequately" in that the learning experiences of their students, activities, and physical environment of their preschools is "very adequate" to achieve the learning experience desired for each of their pupils. Concurrently, inadequate optimum school facilities, "lack of support from parents" and "inadequate school services" were amongst the common shortcomings communicated by the administrators and teachers.

Considering the teacher respondent survey results, the study indicates that most of the preschool teachers are in middle adulthood, female, married, BEED graduates, relatively young in the teaching profession, handling two sessions a day with an average of 30 pupils in their class. Most had special training in preschool education and enjoyed faculty development programs and activities. There was no significant difference between the teachers' and administrators' assessment on the adequacy of provisions for learning experiences, activities and physical environment conducive to a positive learning atmosphere for their pupils.

In the light of the overall positive assessment and evaluation by both the administrator-respondents and teacher respondents, a few common recommendations were discovered that are significant. There is a need to encourage young education students intending to teach at the preschool level, to enroll in the specific degree courseintended for that aim rather than just the mere common Bachelor in Education which most enroll in. In addition, there should be more seminars and training conducted here in Nueva Vizcaya for preschool teachers. Most teachers feel that the school administrators should exert a more concerted effort in providing faculty-training programs. In some cases, overloading of students in certain sections was discovered, hence the recommendation that class size should not be allowed to exceed 30. School administrators should continually improve their skills and educational professionalism by enrolling themselves in appropriate master or doctoral level degree programs and attending special training or seminars on preschool education. Finally, preschools should continue to strive to improve their classrooms, update their buildings and overall facilities to provide a more quality educational environment for their pupils and staff. It is advisable that more researched of this kind be done on a wider scale to discover an even broader scale picture of the present status of Nueva Vizcaya preschool system and how to effectively improve the quality of preschool education in this province.

Thesis (Master of Education - Educational Administration)

Includes appendices and bibliographical references.