LIBRARY 


BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


6—1132 


BtiiiSTiitti.I  CF  liETilTB, 

EDIIGATJG.i.  A®  WELFARE  UBRARX 
MAR  3  "1961 


I  ///  3  9io 

-A3  REPORT 


Commissioner  of  Education 

) 

FOR  V  /5 


THE  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1918 

*<U«a4  Un/ 


MAR  3  '  1961 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1918 


THE  UNITED  STATES 

BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 

Created  as  a  Department  March  2,  1867. 

Made,  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869 . 


COMMISSIONERS. 


Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D., 

March  H,  1867 ,  to  March  15 ,  1870. 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 

March  16 ,  1870 ,  to  August  5,  1886. 

Nathaniel  H.  II.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D., 
August  6 , 1886 ,  to  September  3,  1889. 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 

*  September  12, 1889 ,  to  June  30, 1906. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  1,  1906,  to  June  30,  1911. 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  8,  1911,  to  date. 


CONTENTS. 


Page- 

Letter  of  transmittal .  5 

I.  Some  aspects  of  education  in  the  United  States: 

Higher  education .  9 

The  Federal  board  for  vocational  education .  20 

Vocational  training  in  Army  hospitals .  25 

The  students’  Army  training  corps . - . .  26 

Medical  education  and  the  war .  27 

School  hygiene  and  physical  education .  32 

The  public  schools  and  the  war .  37 

Americanization  through  education .  42 

Educational  legislation .  46 

Rural  education . 50 

Teacher  training .  54 

Educational  work  of  the  churches .  55 

Library  activities .  56 

Porto  Rico .  60 

Hawaii .  62 

Canal  Zone .  63 

Virgin  Islands .  63 

Philippine  Islands . : .  64 

II.  Education  in  certain  foreign  countries: 

England . 65 

France .  74 

Movements  and  tendencies  in  Italian  education .  78 

The  Scandinavian  countries .  84 

Russia . * _  88 

Germany .  92 

III.  Activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Education: 

The  campaign  for  school  attendance .  102 

Editorial .  113 

Lessons  in  community  and  national  life .  118 

Statistics .  121 

Higher  education .  122 

Rural  education .  123 

Agricultural  education .  124 

Vocational  education  and  home  economics .  125 

United  States  school  garden  army.,. . . .  128 

Americanization . 132 

Community  organization .  134 

School  hygiene  and  physical  education .  136 

Commercial  education .  137 

School  administration .  137 

Surveys .  138 

Negro  education .  139 


3 


4  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 

III.  Activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Education — Continued.  Page. 

Alaska .  141 

Kindergarten  education .  144 

Home  education . ; .  145 

Civic  education . 146 

Library .  149 

Meetings  and  addresses .  150 

Correspondence .  151 

Index . * .  152 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 
Washington,  October  15,  1918. 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  herewith,  as  required  by  law,  the 
report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the  fiscal  year  ended 
June  30, 1918. 

This  report  consists  of  two  parts:  (1)  A  condensed  statement  of 
the  activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  and  (2)  a  very  brief  inter¬ 
pretative  survey  of  the  progress  of  education  in  this  and  some  other 
countries  within  the  last  two  years. 

A  fuller  statement  of  the  work  of  the  bureau  is  contained  in  the 
Annual  Statement  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to  the  Secre¬ 
tary  of  the  Interior,  and  a  much  more  comprehensive  account  of 
educational  progress  in  this  and  all  other  culture  countries  of  the 
world  will  be  given  in  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  within  the 
period  1916-18,  to  be  published  in  two  volumes  early  in  the  calendar 
year  1919. 

The  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  fiscal  year  1918  might 
be  more  clearly  stated  under  four  heads : 

1.  Efforts  to  maintain  the  schools  and  all  other  agencies  of  education 
as  nearly  as  possible  at  their  normal  efficiency  during  the  war. 

2.  Cooperation  with  the  Department  of  War,  the  Department  of 
Labor,  the  Treasury  Department,  the  F ood  Administration,  the  Coun¬ 
cil  of  National  Defense,  the  Bureau  of  Public  Information,  and  other 
governmental  agencies  in  various  forms  of  war  work  to  be  done 
through  the  schools  or  of  special  interest  to  school  officers,  teachers, 
and  children. 

3.  The  ordinary  functions  of  the  bureau  in  collecting  and  dissemi¬ 
nating  information  in  regard  to  education,  advising  State,  county, 
city,  and  institutional  educational  officers,  and  assisting  in  the  promo¬ 
tion  of  educational  legislation  and  school  improvement. 

4.  Studies  necessary  to  the  reconstruction  or  readjustment  of  edu¬ 
cation  after  the  war. 

In  all  these  the  bureau  has  done  what  it  could  with  its  limited 
means.  As  the  end  of  the  war  approaches,  studies  for  readjustment 
become  relatively  more  important. 

Because  of  the  deliberation  with  which  we  entered  the  war  and 
the  very  hearty  cooperation  of  the  Federal  Government  with  State, 

5 


6 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


county,  municipal,  and  institutional  officers  and  the  fine  response  of 
the  people  at  large,  our  schools  have  suffered  much  less  than  the 
schools  of  most  other  countries  engaged  in  the  war.  Very  few  schools 
were  closed  during  the  }Tear.  Full  reports  for  the  j^ear  are  not  yet  in, 
but  apparently  there  was  a  larger  attendance  in  both  the  elementary 
schools  and  the  high  schools  than  in  the  last  previous  year,  though 
the  increase  in  attendance  was  less  than  the  normal.  The  increase 
in  enrollment  in  the  elementary  schools  seems  to  have  been  approxi¬ 
mately  1J  per  cent,  as  against  a  normal  increase  of  2J  per  cent;  in 
the  high  schools,  2J  per  cent,  as  against  a  normal  increase  of  more 
than  9  per  cent.  Reports  indicate  that  in  boarding  schools  for  boys 
and  girls,  in  some  parts  of  the  country  at  least,  attendance  was  much 
larger  than  usual.  This  was  due,  of  course,  to  the  fact  that  parents 
breaking  up  their  homes  because  of  war  emergencies  found  it  con¬ 
venient  to  place  their  sons  and  daughters  in  schools  in  which  they 
might  have  temporary  homes.  Attendance  of  women  in  normal 
schools,  colleges,  and  universities  was  little  less  than  the  normal;  in 
some  cases  it  was  much  above  the  normal. 

Immediately  after  our  entrance  into  the  war  in  April,  1917,  young 
men  in  college  began  to  volunteer  for  service  in  the  Army,  and  the 
exodus  was  large.  During,  the  summer,  fall,  winter,  and  spring  the 
demand  for  men  and  women  of  higher  education  and  training  for 
service  in  the  Army,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  in  the  departments 
at  Washington,  and  in  the  war  industries,  continue  to  increase  and 
became  so  large  that  both  students  and  instructors  left  the  colleges, 
universities,  and  technical  schools  in  large  numbers.  Before  the  end 
of  the  school  year  the  attendance  at  these  institutions  was  reduced 
25  per  cent  or  more.  The  exact  figures  will  be  given  in  the  Biennial 
Survey. 

Both  students  and  teachers  in  schools  of  all  kinds  and  grades  have 
responded  in  the  finest  spirit  of  loyalty  and  patriotism  to  all  the 
demands  of  the  Government  and  have  volunteered  their  services  and 
hearty  cooperation  in  every  movement  for  the  good  of  the  country, 
for  the  welfare  and  comfort  of  our  soldiers  and  sailors,  and  for  the 
relief  of  suffering  caused  by  the  war  both  at  home  and  abroad.  No 
other  class  of  our  people  has  shown  finer  spirit.  In  this  service  the 
schools  of  all  grades  have  justified  themselves  as  democratic  institu¬ 
tions  and  have  won  still  more  fully  the  confidence  and  support  of 
the  people. 

In  many  places  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  readjust  the  courses 
of  study  and  school  calendars  to  industrial  needs.  This  has,  how¬ 
ever,  been  done  always  with  the  purpose  of  interfering  as  little  as 
possible  with  the  regular  school  work.  Everywhere  the  people  have 
manifested  a  desire  to  comply  with  the  President’s  request  that  no 
boy  or  girl  should  have  less  opportunity  for  education  because  of 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


7 


the  war.  The  labor  laws  and  school- attendance  laws  have  been  en¬ 
forced  in  the  interest  of  the  children  and  the  future  welfare  of  the 
country.  Our  people  have  been  willing  to  make  all  necessary  sacri¬ 
fices  for  the  winning  of  the  war,  but  they  have  not  been  willing  to 
sacrifice  the  education  of  their  children,  nor  have  they  believed  it  to 
be  necessary. 

The  need  for  these  readjustments  and  the  demand  for  certain  kinds 
of  training  to  meet  the  war  emergencies  have  served  to  call  attention 
to  certain  weaknesses  in  our  systems  of  education,  which  will  no  doubt 
be  kept  in  mind  during  the  period  of  readjustment  upon  which  we 
are  now  entering.  The  experiences  of  other  countries  will  also  be 
enlightening.  It  is  quite  phain  that  we  must  include  in  our  curricula 
more  of  the  things  that  make  for  industrial  efficiency  and  for  physi¬ 
cal  health,  but  it  will  be  still  more  important  that  we  include  those 
things  that  make  for  intelligent  and  virtuous  citizenship  in  the  period 
of  reconstruction  and  in  the  new  world  of  democracy  and  freedom 
in  which  our  country  must  play  a  most  important  part.  That  there 
may  be  no  duplication  of  effort  and  no  loss  of  energy  in  the  great  task 
of  education  for  individual  development,  industrial  efficiency,  social 
happiness,  and  civic  and  political  welfare,  there  must  be  a  better 
organization  and  closer  coordination  of  all  our  agencies  of  education. 
School  officers,  legislators,  and  the  people  at  large  seem  to  be  fully 
aware  of  this. 

Schools  in  other  countries  actively  engaged  in  the  war  have  suf¬ 
fered  much.  Attendance  in  institutions  of  higher  learning  is  only  a 
small  fraction  of  what  it  was  before  the  war.  In  some  of  these  coun¬ 
tries  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  enforcement  of  child-labor  laws 
and  other  laws  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  children  were  much 
relaxed.  However,  the  people  soon  became  aware  of  their  mistake 
and  have  since  done  what  they  could  to  remedy  it.  The  advice  of  all 
those  who  have  gone  abroad  to  study  conditions  during  the  war,  as 
well  as  of  those  who  have  come  to  this  country  from  the  countries 
with  which  we  are  associated  in  the  war,  has  been  unanimous  to  the 
effect  that  we  should  not  neglect  the  education  and  other  interests  of 
our  children. 

Reports  from  Germany  during  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  the 
war  seem  to  indicate  that  the  schools  of  this  country  were  maintained 
better  than  the  schools  of  other  European  countries  at  war,  but  re¬ 
ports  for  the  last  year  indicate  that  their  schools  have  suffered  much. 

In  all  countries  on  either  side  education  will  no  doubt  receive  much 
consideration  in  the  period  of  reconstruction.  Already  England  and 
some  other  countries  have  taken  important  steps.  The  Fisher  bill, 
recently  enacted  into  law  in  England,  is  very  comprehensive  and  will 
be  very  carefully  studied,  no  doubt,  in  all  countries  including  our 
own.  A  full  report  of  this  act  will  be  made  by  this  bureau. 


8 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


Studies  now  being  made  by  tliis  bureau  and  by  other  agencies  in 
this  country  will,  it  is  believed,  be  helpful  not  only  to  our  own  States 
in  their  work  of  educational  reconstruction  but  to  other  countries 
as  well. 

Through  the  next  decade  the  most  important  task  in  this  and  all 
other  countries  will  be  the  building  of  systems  of  education  which 
will  give  to  all  children  full  and  equal  opportunity  for  that  kind 
and  degree  of  education  which  will  fit  them  for  life  and  citizenship 
in  the  new  world  of  freedom  and  democracy  which  will  emerge  out 
of  the  destruction  of  the  old  world  of  subjection  and  privilege.  In 
this  task  the  Bureau  of  Education  of  the  United  States  should  play  a 
large  part.  To  enable  it  to  do  this  worthily  and  well  it  will  need 
much  larger  support  than  it  has  ever  yet  had. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

P.  P.  Claxton, 

Commissioner, 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION. 


I. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED 
STATES. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION  PRECEDING  THE  WAR. 

The  declaration  of  war  on  Germany  by  the  United  States,  April 
6,  1917,  brought  suddenly  to  a  close  an  important  epoch  in  the  his¬ 
tory  of  higher  education.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
American  colleges  and  universities  have  developed  with  a  rapidity 
and  freedom  characteristic  of  American  individualism.  Within  re¬ 
cent  years  the  broad  and  liberal  system  of  elective  studies  has 
reached  the  limits  of  its  evolution,  a  reaction  having  already  taken 
place  as  evidenced  by  the  general  adoption  of  the  group  system  and 
other  definite  controls  of  elective  subjects.  The  quantitative  stand¬ 
ards  of  both  entrance  and  college  requirements  have  been  well  de¬ 
fined  and  are  now  agreed  to  by  nearly  all  degree-granting  insti¬ 
tutions. 

One  of  the  important  problems  in  higher  education  just  before  the 
war  concerned  the  improvement  in  the  articulation  of  high  school 
and  college  curricula.  A  number  of  leading  colleges  and  universities 
have  begun  to  develop  a  groundwork  of  prescribed  studies  which 
tend  to  weld  the  secondary  school  and  college  curriculum  into  more 
coherent  relationship  without  losing  the  benefits  of  the  elective 
system. 

THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  SURVEY  MOVEMENT. 

Increasing  interest  has  been  shown  in  the  study  of  administrative 
problems  of  higher  education.  The  growing  appreciation  of  the 
value  of  college  education  in  the  life  of  the  people  has  led  a  number 
of  States  voluntarily  to  submit  their  higher  educational  institutions 
to  expert  criticism  in  order  to  determine  their  needs  with  more  scien¬ 
tific  precision.  Such  surveys  in  the  past  have  been  determining  fac¬ 
tors  in  improving  the  influence  of  colleges  on  the  environment  and 


10 


EDUCATION-  REPORT,  1918. 


in  bringing  a  more  intelligent  and  helpful  attitude  of  the  general 
public  to  higher  education. 

Three  States  have  recently  conducted  surveys  of  their  State- 
endowed  institutions  of  college  grade  under  the  supervision  of  the 
United  States  Commission  of  Education.  The  surveys  of  Nevada 
and  Arizona  were  completed  in  1916,  being  followed  by  South  Da¬ 
kota  in  1917.  A  brief  report  of  the  Nevada  survey  has  already  ap¬ 
peared  in  Vol.  I  of  the  Commissioner’s  Report,  1917.1  The  reports 
of  the  Arizona  and  South  Dakota  surveys  are  in  press. 

Up  to  the  present  the  bureau  has  stood  for  the  principle  of  con¬ 
solidation  where  practicable  and  it  has  also  discouraged  the  separa¬ 
tion  of  a  college  or  other  technical  divisions  from  the  main  body  of 
the  university  and  to  establish  it  at  another  place. 

The  adoption  of  the  principle  of  major  and  services  lines,  where 
two  or  more  colleges  are  unnecessarily  duplicating  courses,  has  also 
been  emphasized. 

THE  SUPREME  COURT  SETS  ASIDE  THE  HARVARD-TECHNOLOGY  AGREEMENT. 

In  order  to  avoid  the  evils  of  excessive  duplication  of  effort,  Har¬ 
vard  University  and  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  had 
maintained  for  nearly  three  years  a  successful  scheme  of  cooperation. 
In  the  words  of  President  Maclaurin,  “  the  educational  power  both  of 
the  institute  and  the  university  has  been  greatly  strengthened.  Men 
taking  institute  courses  have  had  the  benefit  of  contact  with  eminent 
professors  of  the  university,  whose  influence  they  would  not  other¬ 
wise  have  enjoyed,  and  men  taking  Harvard  courses  have  similarly 
benefited  by  their  association  with  professors  of  the  institute.  Un¬ 
fortunately,  however,  the  funds  that  the  university  has  at  its  disposal 
for  the  promotion  of  the  great  science  of  engineering  is  almost  wholly 
dependent  upon  the  income  from  the  Gordon  McKay  endowment, 
and  the  supreme  court  has  decreed  that  this  income  can  not  be 
applied  in  the  manner  indicated  in  the  agreement.”  The  breaking  of 
these  relations  is  in  the  minds  of  leader  educators  one  of  serious  mo¬ 
ment,  as  the  agreement  was  an  act  of  unusual  importance  to  the  large 
constituency  which  supported  these  institutions. 

PREPARATION  FOR  TI£E  WAR. 

While  the  normal  problems  of  higher  education  were  under  discus¬ 
sion  and  solutions  were  being  found,  several  discerning  university 
authorities  foresaw  the  inevitableness  of  America’s  entry  into  the 
world  struggle  and  commenced  to  adapt  their  programs  to  meet  the 
situation.  Courses  in  military  science  and  tactics  were  offered  to 
those  who  looked  forward  to  national  service.  As  the  crisis  ap- 


1  For  a  complete  report  of  the  Nevada  survey,  see  Bulletin,  1917,  No.  19. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


11 


proached,  the  patriotic  impulses  of  all  colleges  and  universities  were 
greatly  increased. 

THE  IMMEDIATE  EFFECTS  OF  TIIE  WAR. 

Scarcely  had  Congress  voted  for  wTar  when  a  large  proportion  of 
the  senior  students  all  over  the  country  immediately  offered  their 
services  to  the  Nation,  sacrificing  academic  honors  for  those  of 
greater  moment.  College  authorities  not  only  encouraged  enlist¬ 
ments,  but  duly  rewarded  those  men  who  had  gone  into  service, 
granting  them  their  diplomas  on  the  basis  of  their  records  up  to  the 
time  of  leaving  college.  Many  college  professors  and  instructors 
volunteered  for  service  also. 

Students  not  only  enlisted  in  the  Army  and  Navy,  but  also  entered 
the  ranks  of  agricultural  and  war  industries.  Nearly  200  institu¬ 
tions  granted  leave  of  absence  to  faculty  members  for  the  period  of 
the  war. 

Unfortunately,  in  the  anxiety  and  rush  to  get  into  immediate  ac¬ 
tion,  many  men  capable  of  higher  forms  of  service  were  doing  duty 
where  others  less  qualified  could  have  done  the  work.  In  a  measure 
this  country  was  about  to  repeat  the  serious  mistake  of  the  allies  in 
Europe,  which  had  allowed  their  colleges  to  be  decimated.  The  short¬ 
age  of  officer  material  and  technically  trained  students  has  been 
keenly  felt  in  England,  France,  and  Canada. 

EFFORTS  AT  POLICY  FORMING. 

About  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  Columbia  University 
had  prepared  a  valuable  service  blank  in  order  to  determine  with  ac¬ 
curacy  its  available  resources  in  the  faculty,  graduates,  and  students. 
The  Bureau  of  Education  reprinted  this  blank  and  distributed  it  to 
the  colleges  and  universities.  The  data  thereby  obtained  was  of  great 
value  in  the  work  of  the  organizations  which  were  studying  the 
policies  of  higher  education  and  the  war. 

Fully  realizing  the  critical  conditions  developing  in  the  colleges 
and  universities,  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  through  its  com¬ 
mittee  on  engineering  and  education  of  the  advisory  commission, 
called,  on  May  3,  1917,  a  meeting  of  the  presidents  of  the  National 
Association  of  State  Universities,  the  Association  of  American  Agri¬ 
cultural  Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations,  the  Association  of  Ameri¬ 
can  Universities,  the  Association  of  American  Colleges,  and  the  In¬ 
stitutional  Committee  of  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineer¬ 
ing.  This  committee,  under  the  leadership  of  Hollis  Godfrey,  Sc.  D., 
sought  to  establish  a  medium  of  communication  between  the  higher 
institutions  and  the  departments  of  the  Government  which  were 
carrying  on  the  war. 


12 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


It  also  proposed  to  secure  the  opinion  of  a  conference  of  college 
representatives  as  to  the  policy  presented  by  the  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities  with  regard  to— 

(a)  Immediate  utilization  of  their  resources  for  the  Government  service. 

(&)  Possible  modification  of  curricula  to  fulfill  the  need  for  men  trained  in 
the  technical  branches  and  in  military  science. 

(c)  Maintaining  and  improving  institutions  of  higher  education  for  the 
training  of  the  youth  of  the  Nation  to  meet  the  more  difficult  conditions  of 
living  which  will  follow  the  war. 

The  conference  was  held  in  Washington,  May  5,  1917,  and  was  at¬ 
tended  by  representatives  of  187  institutions. 

The  first  principle  stated  by  the  college  representatives  on  May  5 
was  that  men  below  draft  age  should  continue  their  college  training. 
The  second  principle  urged  the  modification  of  calendars  and  cur¬ 
ricula.  The  third  principle  established  by  the  university  representa¬ 
tives  was  that  students  in  applied  science  should  be  allowed  to  finish 
their  college  courses  before  being  called  to  active  service.  The  com¬ 
mittee  has  continually  urged  this  matter  upon  the  War  Department. 
The  fourth  principle  declared  the  desirability  of  giving  military 
training  in  all  colleges  having  sufficient  enrollment.  Whether  in¬ 
fluenced  or  not  by  the  publicity  given  this  matter  by  the  committee, 
a  large  percentage  of  the  colleges  of  the  country  have  adopted  mili¬ 
tary  training.  The  fifth  principle  related  to  the  medium  of  publicity 
through  which  the  Government  should  reach  the  colleges  and  urged 
that  the  Bureau  of  Education,  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior, 
and  the  States  Relations  Service,  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
be  used  for  this  purpose. 

Thus  far  all  the  circulars  and  published  letters  of  the  committee 
have  been  issued  through  the  Bureau  of  Education.  Finally,  the 
college  and  university  representatives  urged  the  dissemination  of 
information  concerning  the  war  and  the  interpretation  of  its  issues 
by  colleges  as  one  of  their  major  tasks.  Reports  which  have  been  re¬ 
ceived  indicate  that  a  number  of  institutions  have  already  been  ren¬ 
dering  this  service  effectively. 

On  July  3  and  4, 1917,  the  committee  on  engineering  and  education 
held  an  important  conference  to  which  were  invited  representatives 
of  the  leading  universities  of  Canada. 

As  a  result  of  its  study  and  conference,  the  committee  made  the 
following  recommendations,  carrying  out  more  specifically  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  the  resolutions  adopted  at  the  conference  of  May  5,  to  the  end 
that  their  students  may,  before  entering  active  service,  reach  the 
point  of  highest  military  efficiency  and  that  the  supply  of  trained 
and  educated  men  may  not  be  cut  off  more  than  is  necessary  either 
during. the  war  or  after  its  close: 

First,  that  each  college  endeavor  to  induce  its  students  to  continue 
their  studies  at  least  until  the  age  of  conscription  and  that  students 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


13 


above  that  age  who  are  not  called  to  special  service  and  who  have  not 
completed  their  education  should  be  urged  to  do  so. 

Second,  that  each  college  make  provision  by  any  available  means 
for  military  drill  for  all  of  its  students  who  are  physically  fit. 

Third,  that  at  a  point  approximately  one  year  before  the  military 
age  provision  be  made  wherever  possible  for  a  course  in  military 
science  and  tactics,  such  course  to  be  substituted  for  one  of  the  regu¬ 
lar  studies  and  to  be  given  equivalent  credit. 

The  work  of  the  engineering  schools . — A  still  further  development 
of  the  work  of  the  Advisory  Commission  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense  was  a  study  of  the  relation  of  engineering  schools  to  the 
National  Government  during  the  war.  In  accordance  with  a  resolu¬ 
tion  of  the  institutional  delegates  at  a  meeting  of  the  Society  for 
the  promotion  of  Engineering  Education  held  in  Washington,  July 
7,  a  committee  was  appointed  for  consultation  with  the  heads  of  the 
various  bureaus,  departments,  and.  divisions  of  the  Department  of 
War  and  the  Department  of  the  Navy.  It  rendered  a  preliminary 
report  as  to  the  probable  need  of  scientifically  technically  trained 
men  in  connection  with  the  military  operations.  This  committee 
recommended  that  an  engineer  familiar  with  the  equipment  and  ca¬ 
pacity  of  the  higher  technical  institutions  of  the  country  be  com¬ 
missioned  in  the  Army  and  assigned  the  task  of  coordinating  the 
needs  of  the  Army  for  technically  trained  men  with  existing  facili¬ 
ties.  As  a  result  of  this  recommendation  a  general  staff  officer  was 
appointed  to  work  with  the  committee.  This  arrangement  finally 
led  to  the  permanent  organization  known  as  the  Committee  on  Edu¬ 
cation  and  Special  Training  of  the  War  Department. 

Shortly  previous  to  this  time,  the  Commissioner  of  Education 
issued  a  statement  encouraging  a  full  enrollment  of  the  colleges  at 
the  opening  of  the  fall  term.  This  statement  was  followed  by  a 
letter  of  Secretary  Lane  to  President  Wilson,  who  immediately  re¬ 
sponded.  A  strong  campaign  was  directed  from  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  in  behalf  of  a  large  enrollment  in  all  schools  throughout  the 
country. 

THE  SCHOOL  YEAR  OF  1917-18. 

As  this  war  is  primarily  one  of  college-trained  men  and  scientists 
of  experience,  it  is  apparent  that  the  immediate  induction  into  the 
ranks  of  young  men  who  show  immediate  promise  of  becoming  tech¬ 
nically  qualified  is  a  mistake.  The  letters  and  statements  of  the  Presi¬ 
dent,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  the  Commissioner  of  Education, 
and  other  officers  of  importance,  have  continually  urged  high-school 
graduates  and  undergraduates  to  continue  their  education  until  they 
were  called  by  the  Government.  This  counsel  was  seconded  by  lead¬ 
ing  British  and  French  military  authorities  who  had  found  them- 


14 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1913. 


selves  seriously  handicapped  at  a  critical  moment  by  the  loss  of 
qualified  college  men  who,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  would 
have  been  available  in  the  replacing  of  officers. 

Although  the  cpllege  year  of  1917-18  opened  with  an  excellent  en¬ 
rollment  all  over  the  country  it  wras  not  long  until  the  stirring  ap¬ 
peals  of  military  and  naval  service  caused  a  great  falling  off  in  at¬ 
tendance,  the  losses  on  an  average  more  than  20  per  cent  in  over  300 
colleges  of  the  country.  While  uniform  effort  was  impossible,  the 
colleges  vied  with  each  other  in  genuine  patriotic  endeavor,  and  did 
important  service  in  awakening  the  country  to  the  real  needs  of  the 
war.  There  had  also  been  established,  under  the  provisions  of  the 
National  Defense  act,  units  of  the  Reserve  Officers  Training  Corps 
in  the  land-grant  colleges  and  in  leading  State  and  privately  en¬ 
dowed  institutions.  The  Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps  gave  op¬ 
portunity  to  a  considerable  number  of  young  men  of  ability  to  pre¬ 
pare  themselves  for  commissions  in  the  Army  or  in  the  Navy.  Not¬ 
withstanding  the  patriotic  attitude  of  the  colleges  and  the  many  op¬ 
portunities  offered,  students  became  restless,  and  scholarship  deterio¬ 
rated  on  account  of  the  uncertainty  created  by  the  prospects  of  the 
immediate  drafting  of  all  men  from  18  to  45  years  of  age.  All  the 
colleges  have  been  placed  in  a  trying  position  through  the  loss  of 
teachers  and  pupils.  The  situation  was  made  still  more  embarrassing 
by  the  lack  of  financial  support  caused  by  the  withdrawal  of  students 
and  by  a  decrease  in  many  endowments  which  normally  might  have 
been  expected.  The  colleges  and  universities  faced  the  problem  of 
then*  existence. 

Fortunately,  the  experience  of  the  Army  in  training  college  men 
warranted  a  more  extended  adoption  of  this  method  in  view  of  the 
great  demands  for  officers  in  manning  the  new  Army  of  1918-19. 
The  adaptability  and  earnestness  of  college  students  in  gaining  pro¬ 
ficiency  as  military  and  naval  officers  has  been  such  as  to  create  a 
deep  sense  of  satisfaction  and  appreciation. 

At  this  time  the  committee  on  education  and  special  training  put 
forward  the  plan  by  which  all  properly  equipped  colleges  of  the 
country  could  cooperate  with  the  War  Department  in  giving  mili¬ 
tary  training  to  all  students  of  draft  age,  who  are  qualified  for  regu¬ 
lar  work  in  college.  This  plan,  if  properly  carried  out,  will  supply, 
within  a  reasonable  time,  a  large  percentage  of  the  necessary  officer 
personnel  for  the  rapidly  increasing  needs  of  the  Army.  While  this 
plan  is  yet  in  its  formative  stages,  the  response  of  the  universities 
and  colleges  has  been  very  satisfactory.  The  Bureau  of  Education 
has  ascertained  by  general  inquiry  that  only  10  out  of  400  colleges 
and  universities  raised  the  slightest  objection  to  the  plan,  the  objec¬ 
tion  in  these  crises  being  of  secondary  consideration. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


15 


GENERAL  CONTRIBUTIONS  OF  THE  COLLEGES  TO  THE  GOVERNMENT. 

During  the  first  year  of  the  war  nearly  100  colleges  and  universi¬ 
ties  offered  their  plants  and  equipments  to  the  Government  which 
was  beginning  a  series  of  extensive  and  exhaustive  experiments  in 
the  fields  of  chemistry,  physics,  and  engineering  relating  to  the  war. 
The  results  of  this  offer  have  been  far-reaching.  In  the  first  place, 
the  withdrawal  of  the  leading  research  scholars  from  the  principal 
universities  and  colleges  in  order  to  carry  on  the  research  work  of 
the  Government,  practically  eliminated  the  usual  post-graduate  and 
research  work  from  the  regular  program. 

The  universities  of  Harvard,  Columbia,  Chicago,  and  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Michigan  lost  nearly  all  of  their  leading  professors  of 
physics.  The  University  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  University  of 
Cincinnati  have  also  suffered  the  loss  of  the  greater  part  of  their 
chemical  staffs,  the  regular  work  being  carried  on  by  the  assistants. 
Likewise,  the  leading  professors  of  geology  and  geography  have 
been  inducted  into  the  National  service.  Perhaps  no  branch  of 
scientific  learning  has  suffered  so  severely  as  psycholog}7".  It  has 
been  estimated  by  the  authorities  of  the  War  Department  that  re¬ 
search  work  in  this  subject  has  been  reduced  at  least  75  per  cent. 

ORGANIZED  EARLY  CONTRIBUTIONS  OF  COLLEGES  TO  THE  GOVERNMENT. 

THE  INTERCOLLEGIATE  INTELLIGENCE  BUREAU. 

One  of  the  most  effective  organizations  established  by  the  colleges 
was  the  Intercollegiate  Intelligence  Bureau,  directed  by  Dean  Wil¬ 
liam  McClellan,  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl vania. 

By  means  of  its  agencies,  it  was  unsually  successful  in  obtaining 
for  the  Government  the  right  type  of  specialists  and  experts  needed 
by  the  Government  in  working  out  its  special  war  problems.  Per¬ 
haps  no  organization  has  done  so  much  for  the  advancement  of  the 
idea  that  this  war  is  a  war  of  scientists  and  specialists  whose  organ¬ 
ized  cooperation  is  indispensable  in  order  to  obtain  victory. 

THE  NATIONAL  RESEARCH  COUNCIL. 

The  National  Research  Council  which  is  a  creation  of  the  Council 
for  National  Defense,  is  the  central  agency  by  which  the  vast  pro¬ 
gram  of  scientific  research  has  been  so  successfully  carried  on  for 
Government  departments  of  war  service.  Having  availed  itself  of 
the  best  talent  of  the  Nation,  the  council  has  assigned  to  at  least 
25  leading  educational  institutions  the  study  of  problems  related  to 
military  optics,  ordnance,  munitions,  topography  and  food  con¬ 
servation. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  important  contributions  has  been  that  of 
psychology — the  latest  of  the  sciences — to  the  problems  concerned 


16 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


with  the  selection  of  the  right  men  for  the  different  kinds  of  service 
required  in  the  Army  and  Navy.  The  methods  applied  by  the 
psychologists  have  almost  completely  revolutionized  the  methods  of 
organizing  Army  and  Navy  personnel. 

Among  the  great  number  of  problems  now  under  investigation  may 
be  mentioned  the  following,  which  concern  food  conservation,  wheat 
and  flour  substitutes,  gas  defense,  dye?,  devices  for  the  Navy,  high 
explosives,  electrical  problems  connected  with  wireless,  methods  of 
preserving  edible  fish,  powder  research,  smoke  screens,  utilization  of 
wood  waste  to  produce  acetic  acid,  a  very  light  military  bridge,  gas 
engines,  optical  problems  relating  to  gun  sights,  analysis  of  sus¬ 
pected  foods,  lignite  coal  for  war  purposes,  sugar  beets,  porous  basalt 
for  concrete,  detection  of  submarines,  making  cellulose  from  pine 
straw,  testing  of  steel,  bronze  and  wood,  testing  of  automobile  parts, 
testing  of  paints  and  varnishes  and  oils,  special  research  in  pathology 
and  military  research  and  special  testing  in  naval  tank.  Other  im¬ 
portant  technical  studies  have  been  carried  on  successfully. 

LATER  EFFORTS  AT  COORDINATION  OF  THE  COLLEGES  AND  THE  GOVERNMENT. 

THE  EMERGENCY  COUNCIL. 

Notwithstanding  the  excellent  progress  of  the  work  of  the  organi¬ 
zations  designed  to  bring  close  cooperation  between  the  colleges  and 
the  Government,  the  need  of  a  more  adequate  medium  of  communi¬ 
cation  between  the  institutions  of  higher  education  and  the  war 
service,  led  to  the  establishment  in  January,  1918,  of  the  Emergency 
Council  on  Education  (now  the  American  Council  on  Education). 
The  American  council  is  composed  of  nearly  all  the  leading  asso¬ 
ciations  of  colleges,  universities,  and  technical  schools  of  the  country. 
The  chairman  of  the  council  is  Donald  J.  Cowling,  president  of 
Carleton  College  ;  the  secretary-treasurer,  P.  L.  Campbell,  president 
of  the  University  of  Oregon;  the  executive  secretary,  K.  L.  Kelly, 
ex-president  of  Earlham  College.  The  American  council  has  proved 
successful  in  developing  closer  contacts  between  the  colleges  and  the 
Government  and  is  now  giving  some  attention  to  the  promotion  of 
more  cordial  relations  between  the  universities  of  the  allies  and  the 
United  States. 

THE  COMMITTEE  ON  EDUCATION  AND  SPECIAL  TRAINING  OF  THE  WAR  DEPARTMENT. 

On  February  18,  1918,  the  War  Department  appointed  a  perma¬ 
nent  committee  to  conduct  the  special  program  of  military  educa¬ 
tion  in  the  colleges  of  the  United  States.  At  present  the  committee 
is  composed  of  four  members,  representing  the  General  Staff,  The 
Adjutant  General’s  Office,  the  Provost  Marshal  General’s  Office,  and 
the  War  College.  With  the  committee  is  associated  an  advisory 
board  of  six  members  representing  the  educational  interests. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


17 


THE  STUDENTS’  ARMY  TRAINING  CORPS. 

In  September.  1918,  the  Committee  of  Education  and  Special 
Training  of  the  War  Department  carried  out  the  plan  of  establish¬ 
ing  students’  army  training  corps  in  all  colleges  and  universities 
which  offered  a  minimum  enrollment  of  100  students-  above  high- 
school  grade.  This  task  of  transforming  over  500  institutions  of 
higher  learning  into  institutions  of  military  training  was  accom¬ 
plished  quickly  and  with  a  minimum  amount  of  friction.  By  a  single 
stroke  the  colleges  of  the  country  were  saved  from  almost  virtual  ex¬ 
tinction,  while  the  Nation  was  able  to  provide  at  a  moment’s  notice 
the  highest  type  of  instruction  necessary  in  training  the  host  of  new 
officers  for  the  Army  of  1918-19. 

THE  AlM  AND  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  STUDENTS’  ARMY  TRAINING  CORPS.1 

Purpose. — The  primary  purpose  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  is  to 
utilize  the  executive  and  teaching  personnel  and  the  physical  equipment  of  the 
educational  institutions  to  assist  in  the  training  of  our  new  armies.  Its 
aim  is  to  train  officer  candidates  and  technical  experts  of  all  kinds  to  meet 
the  needs  of  the  service.  This  training  is  conducted  in  about  550  colleges, 
universities,  professional,  technical,  and  trade  schools  of  the  country. 

Vocational  and  collegiate  sections. — The  corps  is  divided  into  two  sections. 
The  collegiate  or  “  A  ”  section  and  the  vocational  or  “  B  ”  section  were  formerly 
known  as  National  Army  training  detachments.  They  aim  to  train  soldiers 
for  service  as  trade  specialists  in  the  Army.  As  the  program  for  vocational 
training  is  now  virtually  completed,  few,  if  any,  new  units  of  this  type  will  for 
the  present  be  added. 

The  “  A  ”  or  collegiate  section,  which  will  be  inaugurated  October 
1,  is  open  to  registrants  who  are  members  of  some  authorized  col¬ 
lege,  university,  or  professional  school.  Students  of  authorized 
institutions  may  join  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  by  volun¬ 
tary  induction  into  the  service.  They  thus  become  members  of  the 
Army  on  active  duty,  receiving  pay  and  subsistence,  subject  to  mili¬ 
tary  orders,  and  living  in  barracks  under  .military  discipline  in 
exactly  the  same  manner  as  any  other  soldier. 

The  housing,  subsistence,  and  instruction  of  soldiers  in  both 
branches  of  the  Students’  Army  Traning  Corps  is  provided  by  edu¬ 
cational  institutions  under  contract  with  the  Government. 

Choice  of  service. — The  members  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  are 
voluntarily  inducted  into  the  service,  and  are  ordinarily  allowed  to  choose  the 
branch  of  the  service  for  which  they  wish  to  be  prepared.  This  freedom  of 
choice,  however,  is  not  absolute.  It  depends  upon  the  individual’s  qualifica¬ 
tions  and  upon  the  needs  of  the  service  at  any  particular  time. 

Opportunities. — The  status  of  a  member  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps 
is  that  of  a  private.  Members  of  a  collegiate  or  “  A  ”  section  who  show  by 

Adapted  from  War  Department  General  Circular. 

87370° — 18 - 2 


18  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 

tlieir  rating  in  academic  and  military  work  that  they  have  unusual  ability  may 
be — 

(a)  Transferred  to  a  central  officers’  training  school. 

(b)  Transferred  to  a  noncommissioned  officers’  school. 

(c)  Assigned  to  the  institution  where  they  are  enrolled  for  further  intensive 
work  in  a  specified  line,  as,  for  instance,  in  engineering,  chemistry,  or  medicine. 

Those  members  of  a  collegiate  section  whose  record  is  such  as  not  to  justify 
the  Government  in  continuing  their  collegiate  training  may  be — 

(a)  Assigned  to  a  vocational  training  section  for  technical  training  of  mili¬ 
tary  value. 

(b)  Transferred  to  a  cantonment  for  duty  with  troops  as  a  private. 

Members  of  a  vocational  section  who  show  exceptional  fitness  or  promise 

may  be  recommended  for  officers’  schools,  or  may  be  continued  at  institutions 
for  more  advanced  study. 

Relation  to  draft. — Members  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps,  having 
already  been  inducted  into  the  service,  will  not  come  under  the  operation  of  the 
selective-service  law.  It  is  expected  that  the  members  of  collegiate  sections 
will  be  transferred  from  institutions  every  three  months  in  age  groups,  the  20- 
year-old  men  going  first,  the  19-year-old  men  going  next,  and  the  18-year-old 
men  last,  roughly  corresponding  to  the  period  at  which  men  of  these  ages  will 
be  called  under  the  selective-service  law.  As  these  groups  leave  the  colleges 
their  places  will  be  taken  by  new  contingents  obtained  by  individual  induction, 
or,  if  necessary,  in  depot  brigades.  Students  of  such  subjects  as  engineering, 
chemistry,  and  medicine  may  be  required  to  finish  their  courses  where  the  needs 
of  the  service  make  this  desirable. 

Members  of  vocational  sections  will  ordinarily  remain  at  the  institution  for 
two  months  and  will  then  be  assigned  to  various  branches  of  the  service  in  which 
technicians  are  needed  . 

It  is  impossible  to  say  absolutely  how  long  the  training  of  any  particular 
man  will  continue,  since  this  will  depend  upon  the  capacity  of  the  individual 
and  upon  the  changing  needs  of  the  service. 

Curricula. — In  addition  to  11  hours  per  week  of  military  training,  the  course 
of  study  of  the  men  in  the  collegiate  section  of  the  Students’  Army  Training 
Corps  will  consist  of  the  ordinary  college  or  technical  course,  grouped  and  modi¬ 
fied  in  such  ways  as  are  necessary  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  War  Department 
Students  in  colleges  of  liberal  arts  will  have  as  much  free  election  as  it  is 
possible  to  give  them.  Technical  students  will  have  an  intensive  course  mapped 
out  for  them  by  their  institution,  following  directions  from  the  War  Department. 

Members  of  vocational  sections  will  pursue  such  subjects  as  auto  driving, 
auto  repair,  bench  woodwork,  sheet-metal  work,  and  electrical  work,  etc.,  in 
addition  to  13£  hours  per  week  of  military  training. 

Members  of  both  sections  will  attend  courses  on  the  issues  of  the  war. 

The  following  paragraphs,  taken  from  the  descriptive  circular 
issued  by  the  War  Department,  explain  clearly  the  purpose  of  tbe 
new  corps,  besides  giving  other  information  of  value. 

CHANGES  IN  COLLEGE  CURRICULUM.1 

Under  the  war  program  all  curricula  are  based  on  quarterly  courses  with 
terms  of  12  weeks  each,  including  examination  periods.  It  is  planned  that 
each  term  be  a  unit  in  itself,  so  that  students  of  approximate  age  may  be 
withdrawn  at  the  end  of  any  term.  The  new  program  will  be  adjusted  to 


Adapted  from  General  Circular  of  War  Department. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


19 


meet  the  needs  of  the  different  age  groups.  Students  who  have  reached  the  age 
of  20  (on  September  12,  1918),  whether  previously  in  college  or  not,  may  have 
but  a  single  term  of  12  weeks  in  college,  and  are  expected  to  devote  practically 
their  whole  time  to  the  special  programs.  There  are  five  programs  which  are 
especially  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  different  types  of  service,  namely : 
I.  Infantry  and  Artillery ;  II.  Air  Service ;  III.  Ordnance  Corps  and  Quarter¬ 
master  Corps;  IV.  Engineer  Corps,  Signal  Corps,  Chemical  Warfare  Service; 
Y.  Motor  Transport  and  Truck  Service. 

Students  who  have  reached  the  age  of  19  (on  September  12,  1918),  whether 
previously  in  college  or  not,  may  have  but  two  terms  in  college,  and  should 
therefore  complete  the  essential  subjects  in  two  terms. 

For  all  other  students,  whether  previously  in  college  or  not,  curricula  will  be 
prepared  so  that  the  essential  subjects  may  be  distributed  over  three  terms. 

The  remaining  time  will  be  available  for  such  additions  from  the  list  of 
allied  subjects  as  may  be  selected  by  their  respective  educational  institutions. 

The  essential  subjects  required  of  every  member  of  the  Students’  Army 
Training  Corps  who  is  preparing  to  become  an  infantry  or  artillery  officer,  and 
who  has  not  had  equivalent  training,  are  war  issues,  military  law  and  prac¬ 
tice,  hygiene  and  sanitation,  surveying  and  map  making. 

The  allied  subjects  which  may  be  elected  by  members  of  the  Students’  Army 
Training  Corps  are  as  follows :  English,  French,  German,  Italian,  mathematics, 
physics,  chemistry,  biology,  psychology,  geology,  geography,  topography  and 
map  making,  meteorology,  astronomy,  hygiene,  sanitation,  descriptive  geometry, 
mechanical  and  freehand  drawing,  surveying,  economics,  accounting,  history, 
international  law,  military  law,  and  government. 

Permission  may  be  granted  for  the  recognition,  as  an  allied  subject,  of  not 
more  than  one  subject  outside  the  above  list,  provided  that  it  occupies  not 
more  than  three  hours  per  week  in  lectures  and  recitations  with  corresponding 
time  for  study. 

CHANGES  IN  METHODS. 

It  is  evident  from  a  study  of  the  new  curricula  that  new  and  inten¬ 
sive  methods  of  study  and  recitation  will  be  adopted,  the  results  of 
which  may  be  of  far-reaching  significance  in  college  education.  The 
abolition  of  the  secondary  activities  in  colleges  and  universities,  such 
as  athletics,  fraternity  life,  and  student  activities,  will  give  oppor¬ 
tunity  under  the  inspiring  stimulus  of  war  aims  to  gain  a  spirit  of 
concentration  and  scholarship  seldom  if  ever  equaled. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  will  be  little  if  any  chance  for  genuine 
reflective  or  productive  thinking  with  the  sole  exception  of  the  tech¬ 
nical  students  who  may  be  allowed  to  continue  and  complete  their 
specialized  studies. 

It  is  also  evident  that  nonmilitary  subjects  will  have  relatively  lit¬ 
tle  chance  during  the  war,  especially  in  those  groups  which  are  only 
in  school  for  one  or  two  terms.  The  classics  will  be  left  to  the  few 
who  are  not  members  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps. 

Whatever  the  influence  on  the  future  program  and  methods  the 
present  plan  may  have,  it  is  clear  that  higher  education  has  given 
itself  soul  and  body  to  the  national  service.  It  has  devoted  volun¬ 
tarily  its  splendid  organization  to  the  winning  of  the  greatest  war 


20 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


in  the  history  of  the  world,  and  has  for  that  reason  adapted  its  pro¬ 
gram  to  meet  the  emergency. 

INTERNATIONAL  RELATIONS  IN  HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

One  of  the  happy  results  of  the  war  has  been  the  closer  entente 
between  the  allied  nations.  In  order  to  further  closer  relationship 
and  mutual  understanding,  a  mission  of  leading  university  officers 
of  Great  Britain  was  invited  to  visit  this  country  in  the  early  fall. 
The  response  on  the  part  of  the  British  authorities  was  favorable, 
resulting  in  the  sending  of  the  following  group  of  educators : 

Dr.  Arthur  Everett  Shipley,  vice  chancellor  of  the  University  of  Cambridge. 

Sir  Henry  Miers,  vice  chancellor  of  University  of  Manchester. 

Rev.  Edward  Newburn  Walker,  fellow,  senior  tutor  and  librarian,  member  of 
the  Hebdomadal  Council,  Queens  College,  Oxford  University. 

Sir  Henry  Jones,  professor  of  moral  philosophy,  University  of  Glasgow. 

Dr.  John  Joly,  professor  of  geology  and  mineralogy,  Trinity  College,  Dublin. 

Miss  Caroline  Spurgeon,  professor  of  English  literature,  University  of  Lon¬ 
don. 

Miss  Rose  Sidgwick,  professor  of  ancient  history,  University  of  Birmingham. 

This  distinguished  educational  mission  will  be  the  guests  of  the 
principal  officers  of  the  Government,  the  presidents  of  many  of  the 
leading  universities  and  colleges,  as  well  as  a  group  of  influential 
citizens  of  the  country.  Without  doubt  the  interchange  of  ideas  and 
the  deeper  acquaintances  gained  through  the  visit  of  the  mission  will 
be  of  lasting  benefit  to  the  allied  nations. 

THE  FEDERAL  BOARD  FOR  VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION. 

Under  the  Smith-Hughes  Act  Federal  appropriations  ultimately 
aggregating  over  $7,000,000  per  annum  have  been  made  available  for 
cooperation  with  the  States  in  the  promotion  of  vocational  education 
in  agriculture,  in  trades  and  industries,  and  home  economics,  includ¬ 
ing  the  preparation  of  teachers.  The  principle  of  Federal  aid 
through  the  States  to  education  in  institutions  of  subcollegiate  grade 
has  been  established. 

Its  early  enactment  was  strongly  urged  by  President  Wilson  in 
addressing  Congress  in  December,  1916,  as — 

of  vital  importance  to  the  whole  country  because  it  concerns  a  matter  too  long 
neglected,  upon  which  the  thorough  industrial  preparation  of  the  country  for 
the  critical  years  of  economic  development  immediately  ahead  of  us  in  very 
large  measure  depends.  *  *  *  It  contains  plans  which  affect  all  interests 

and  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  I  am  sure  that  there  is  no  legislation  now 
pending  before  the  Congress  whose  passage  the  country  awaits  with  more 
thoughtful  approval  or  greater  impatience  to  see  a  great  and  admirable  thing 
set  in  the  way  of  being  done. 

As  an  expression  of  educational  policy,  the  new  act  embodies  some 
important  departures  from  previous  legislation.  It  makes  provision 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


21 


for  the  training  within  the  schools  of  a  large  group  of  our  population 
unreached  directly  by  the  Federal  Government.  On  the  other  hand, 
by  offering  instruction  along  vocational  lines  and  of  subcollegiate 
grade,  it  supplements  the  Morrill  Act,  the  expressed  purpose  of  which 
is  to  maintain  colleges  “  to  teach  such  branches  of  learning  as  are 
related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts  *  *  *  in  order  to 

promote  the  liberal  and  practical  education  of  the  industrial  classes 
in  the  several  pursuits  and  professions  of  life.”  On  the  other  hand, 
since  it  contemplates  a  system  of  training  in  the  schools,  it  also  sup¬ 
plements  the  Agricultural  Extension  act  of  1914,  in  wdiich  the  serv¬ 
ice  provided  is  “  the  giving  of  instruction  and  practical  demonstra¬ 
tions  in  agriculture  and  home  economics  to  persons  not  attending  or 
resident  in  State  colleges  in  the  several  communities.”  Since  it  im¬ 
poses  definite  requirements  as  to  the  training  of  teachers,  it  also  rep¬ 
resents  a  material  extension  of  authority  over  the  purely  permissive 
provisions  of  the  Nelson  amendment  of  1907. 

The  Smith-Hughes  Act  creates  a  Federal  Board  for  Vocational 
Education.  This  board  consists  of  seven  members,  including  the 
Secretaries  of  Agriculture,  Commerce,  and  Labor,  and  the  United 
States  Cofhmissioner  of  Education,  ex  officio,  with  three  members 
appointed  by  the  President  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  ultimately 
for  a  term  of  three  years  each.  One  of  the  appointed  members  is  a 
representative  of  the  manufacturing  and  commercial  interests,  one 
of  the  agricultural  interests,  and  the  third  of  those  of  labor.  The 
board  selects  its  own  chairman  each  year. 

The  Federal  board  is  charged  with  the  administration  of  the  act, 
the  details  as  to  the  care  of  funds,  the  certifying  of  the  States,  etc.,  in 
general  plan  resembling  the  legislation  for  the  agricultural  colleges 
and  experiment  stations.  In  addition  it  is  empowered  to  make,  or 
have  made,  investigations  and  reports  to  aid  the  States  in  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  vocational  schools  and  classes  and  in  giving  instruction 
in  agriculture,  and  the  trades  and  industries,  commerce  and  com¬ 
mercial  pursuits,  and  home  economics.  These  studies  include  agri¬ 
culture  and  agricultural  processes  and  the  requirements  upon  agri¬ 
cultural  workers,  similar  studies  as  regards  the  trades,  industries, 
and  commerce,  home  management,  domestic  science,  and  the  study 
of  related  foods,  and  the  principles  and  problems  of  administration 
of  vocation  schools  and  of  courses  of  study  and  instruction  in  voca¬ 
tional  subjects.  In  the  discretion  of  the  board,  the  studies  concerning 
agriculture  may  be  made  in  cooperation  with  or  through  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Agriculture.  Similar  cooperative  arrangements  may  be 
made  with  the  Departments  of  Labor  and  Commerce  for  industrial 
subjects,  while  the  studies  of  the  administration  of  vocational  schools, 
curricula,  and  methods  of  instruction  in  vocational  subjects  may  be 
taken  up  in  cooperation  with  or  through  the  Bureau  of  Education. 


22 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


An  appropriation  of  $200,000  per  annum,  available  from  the  date  of 
passage  of  the  act,  is  made  to  the  board  for  its  expenses. 

To  cooperate  with  the  Federal  board  in  carrying  out  the  act,  each 
State  when  accepting  its  provisions  is  to  designate  a  State  board  of 
at  least  three  members.  The  State  board  of  education  or  some  board 
having  charge  of  the  administration  of  public  education  or  of  any 
kind  of  vocational  education  may  be  designated  as  the  State  board, 
or  an  entirely  new  board  may  be  created. 

The  State  board  is  to  prepare  plans  for  the  approval  of  the  Fed¬ 
eral  board,  showing  the  details  of  the  work  for  which  it  is  expected 
to  use  the  appropriations.  These  plans  it  is  specified  must  show  the 
kinds  of  vocational  education  contemplated,  the  kinds  of  schools  and 
equipment,  courses  of  study,  methods  of  instruction,  and  the  quali¬ 
fications  and  the  plans  for  the  training  of  the  teachers  and  agricul¬ 
tural  supervisors.  In  all  cases  the  work  must  be  conducted  under 
public  supervision  and  control. 

The  plans  of  expenditures  for  salaries  in  agricultural  and  indus¬ 
trial  subjects  must  show  that  the  controlling  purpose  of  the  education 
is  to  fit  for  useful  employment,  that  the  training  is  of  less  than  col¬ 
lege  grade,  and  that  it  is  designed  to  meet  the  needs  of  persons  over 
14  years  of  age  who  have  entered  upon  or  who  are  preparing  to  enter 
upon  agricultural  or  industrial  work. 

The  Federal  appropriations  to  the  States  are  divided  into  three 
distinct  groups,  providing  respectively  for  the  payment  of  salaries 
of  teachers,  supervisors,  or  directors  of  agricultural  subjects;  for  the 
payment  of  salaries  of  teachers  of  trade,  home  economics,  and  indus¬ 
trial  subjects;  for  the  preparing  of  teachers,  supervisors,  or  directors 
of  agricultural  subjects,  and  of  teachers  of  trade  and  industrial  and 
home  economics  subjects. 

The  main  initial  appropriations  for  salaries  in  agricultural  sub¬ 
jects  is  $500,000.  This  is  increased  by  $250,000  per  annum  during 
the  next  six  years  and  then  by  $500,000  per  annum  during  the  next 
two  years,  making  an  appropriation  of  $3,000,000  for  the  fiscal  year 
1926  and  annually  thereafter.  Like  appropriations  are  made  for 
salaries  in  industrial  subjects. 

The  main  appropriation  for  preparing  teachers  and  supervisors 
is  likewise  $500,000  for  the  first  year,  but  increases  to  $700,000  and 
-$900,000  respectively  for  the  next  two  years  and  then  becomes 
$1,000,000  per  annum  thereafter.  The  Federal  appropriations  for 
teacher  training  must  be  divided  among  agricultural,  trade  and  in¬ 
dustrial,  and  home  economics  subjects,  no  one  of  these  subjects  being 
granted  more  than  60  nor  less  than  20  per  cent  of  the  State’s  allot¬ 
ment  for  that  year. 

The  training  of  the  teachers  provided  for  will  throw  a  very  heavy 
burden  of  responsibility  on  our  higher  technical  institutions  and  par- 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


23 


ticularly  the  land-grant  colleges.  These  institutions  have  been  very 
successful  in  training  technical  experts  who  have  contributed  in  large 
measure  to  the  success  of  our  industries.  They  have  not  as  yet  paid 
any  large  attention  to  the  training  of  teachers  for  secondary  schools 
of  the  strictly  vocational  type.  The  pedagogy  of  this  class  of  edu¬ 
cation  is  yet  in  its  preliminary  stages.  It  evidently  will  not  do  sim¬ 
ply  to  copy  what  has  been  worked  out  abroad.  There  is  therefore 
great  incentive  for  men  of  original  thought  and  inventive  skill  to 
enter  this  comparatively  new  field  of  teacher  training. 

Up  to  January  1,  1918,  48  States  accepted  the  Smith-Hughes  Act 
either  by  specific  provisions  of  the  legislatures  or  by  acts  of  the  gov¬ 
ernors  and  up  to  J anuary  1,  1918,  the  plans  of  the  48  States  had  been 
examined  by  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education,  approved, 
and  the  board  had  certified  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  that 
these  States  were  entitled  to  receive  the  allotments  for  the  year  1917- 
18,  apportioned  by  the  terms  of  the  act. 

Federally  aided  vocational  courses  have  been  set  up  in  agriculture 
in  41  States,  in  trade  and  industrial  subjects  in  32  States,  and  in 
home  economics  in  29  States;  22  States  have  organized  courses  in 
each  of  these  three  fields;  in  46  States  teacher-training  courses  have 
been  organized. 

The  record  of  the  States  in  this  work  is  impressive,  especially 
when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the  record  covers  an  initial  period  of 
only  10  months.  In  Massachusetts,  for  example,  vocational  agricul¬ 
ture  is  taught  in  19  secondary  schools  with  Federal  aid;  trade  and 
industrial  subjects,  in  36  schools;  and  home  economics,  in  29  schools. 
In  New  York  the  number  of  Federal-aided  secondary  schools  is  4, 
of  agriculture  60,  and  for  trades  and  industries,  40;  in  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  for  agriculture,  38,  for  trades  and  industries,  131,  and  for 
home  economics,  69 ;  in  California,  for  agriculture  12,  for  trades  and 
industries  14,  and  for  home  economics  14 ;  in  Indiana,  for  agriculture 
37,  and  for  trades  and  industries  21 ;  in  Mississippi,  for  agriculture 
34,  for  trades  and  industries  1,  and  for  home  economics  3.  Those 
States  are  illustrations  of  the  widespread  development  of  secondary 
vocational  education.  The  record  for  other  States  is  equally  im¬ 
pressive. 

The  chief  handicap  in  the  promotion  or  introduction  of  vocational 
instruction  was  the  lack  of  qualified  teachers.  This  was  due  largely 
to  the  present  war  emergency,  many  of  the  teachers  being  drafted 
or  volunteering  for  service  in  the  Army. 

Under  supervision  *of  the  Federal  board,  war  emergency  training 
classes  for  conscripted  men  have  been  organized  in  the  public  schools 
throughout  the  country.  A  series  of  war  emergency  training  courses 
for  Army  occupations  has  been  prepared,  and  those  courses  have 
been  adopted  extensively  not  only  for  classes  organized  under  direct 


24 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


supervision  of  the  board,  but  as  well  for  classes  organized  by  the  War 
Department  among  men  enlisted  in  the  Army,  and  for  classes  con¬ 
ducted  on  a  commercial  basis  under  private  civilian  control. 

The  preparation  of  these  courses  and  the  organization  of  training 
classes  have  been  undertaken  at  the  request  of  and  in  cooperation 
with  the  Signal  Corps  and  the  Quartermaster  in  the  War  Depart¬ 
ment,  and  the  United  States  Shipping  Board. 

An  arrangement  was  perfected  late  in  October,  1917,  with  the  ap¬ 
proval  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  for  the  utilization  of  the  educa¬ 
tional  facilities  of  the  United  States  by  the  Federal  board  in  co¬ 
operation  with  the  War  Department  for  the  purpose  of  training 
drafted  men  in  various  occupations  prior  to  their  reporting  at  the 
cantonments. 

This  work  has  continued  and  the  war  training  division  of  the 
Federal  board  reports  that  on  June  13,  1918,  12,000  men  had  been 
trained  through  the  Federal  board  and  State  authorities  for  voca¬ 
tional  education,  and  turned  over  to  services — 6,000  in  mechanical 
lines,  5,000  in  radio  work,  for  the  Army,  Navy,  and  mercantile  ma¬ 
rine,  and  1,000  in  clerical  occupations  for  Quartermaster  Corps 
work.  It  estimates  that  an  additional  3,000  men  have  been  trained 
by  private  agencies  through  the  impetus  given  to  the  work  by  the 
Federal  board,  using  Federal  board  courses  of  instructions. 

The  War  Department  committee  on  education  and  special  training 
had  in  its  classes  7,086  in  April,  10,685  in  May,  and  26,666  in  June. 
Contracts  in  force  provided  for  the  training  of  100,000  men  during 
the  current  year.  This  training  is  under  military  control,  and  it  was 
found  necessary  to  provide  for  the  needs  of  the  Army,  in  addition  to 
the  training  in  voluntary  classes  under  the  Federal  board. 

Classes  in  shipbuilding  occupations  have  been  established  in  co¬ 
operation  with  the  Federal  board  in  the  following  States: 

North  Carolina — Wilmington,  evening. 

Pennsylvania — Chester,  Girard  College  students. 

Ohio — Cleveland,  evening  classes ;  Lorain,  evening  classes. 

New  York — Port  Richmond,  Staten  Island,  evening;  Newburgh,  evening; 
Buffalo,  evening. 

Minnesota — Duluth,  evening;  part  time. 

Delaware — Wilmington,  evening. 

Connecticut — Bridgeport,  evening,  part  time,  all  day;  Housatonic,  evening, 
and  part  time. 

California — San  Diego,  evening;  Long  Beach,  evening;  San  Pedro,  evening; 
Oakland,  evening;  San  Francisco,  evening;  Alameda,  evening. 

Maine — Bath,  evening. 

Oregon — Portland,  evening,  not  confirmed ;  Astoria,  evening,  not  confirmed. 

Washington — Seattle,  evening. 

The  following  States  have  appointed  agents  who  will  work  whole 
or  part  time  on  these  classes:  Ohio,  New  Jersey,  Texas,  Connecticut, 
Alabama,  New  York,  and  California. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


25 


THE  SMITH-SEARS  ACT. 

In  June,  1918.  Congress  passed  the  Smith-Sears  Act,  providing  for 
the  vocational  rehabilitation  and  return  to  civil  life  of  disabled  per¬ 
sons  discharged  from  the  military  or  naval  forces  of  the  United 
States.  The  act  delegates  to  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Edu¬ 
cation  the  responsibility  of  reeducating  the  disabled  men  in  some 
useful  employment,  after  their  discharge  from  the  Army  or  Navy, 
and  provides  for  a  plan  of  cooperation  between  the  board  and  the 
Surgeon  General’s  Office,  covering  the  work  done  in  hospitals,  in 
order  that  the  men  may  have  the  advantage  of  a  continuous  and  co¬ 
ordinated  plan. 

It  is  provided  that  there  shall  be  full  and  complete  cooperation  of 
the  several  Government  offices  concerned  with  the  future  welfare 
of  men  discharged  from  the  Army  and  Navy,  including  the  medical 
and  surgical  services  of  the  War  Department  and  the  Navy  Depart¬ 
ment,  the  Bureau  of  War  Risk  Insurance  in  the  Treasury,  and  the 
labor  exchanges  in  the  Department  of  Labor,  and  the  Federal  board. 
Each  will  render  service  in  retraining  and  returning  to  civil  employ¬ 
ment  men  disabled  in  the  war. 

The  Federal  board  will  act  in  an  advisory  capacity  in  providing 
vocational  training  for  men  during  their  convalescence  in  the  mili¬ 
tary  hospitals,  before  their  discharge  from  the  Army  or  Navy,  and 
will  continue  such  training  to  finality  after  discharge,  as  the  civilian 
agency  or  rehabilitation  and  placement  in  industry. 

VOCATIONAL  TRAINING  IN  ARMY  HOSPITALS. 

The  subdivision  of  education  in  the  division  of  physical  reconstruc¬ 
tion  under  the  Surgeon  General,  United  States  Army,  was  begun  in 
October,  1917,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  plans  for  providing  educa¬ 
tional  facilities  for  disabled  soldiers  and  sailors  during  the  period 
of  hospital  treatment  and  convalescence.  On  May  20.  1918,  Dr. 
James  E.  Russell,  dean  of  Teachers’  College,  Columbia  University, 
New  Yrork  City,  was  appointed  chief  of  the  subdivision. 

The  work  undertaken  has  been  practical,  so  far  as  possible,  and 
has  included  work  needed  for  the  hospitals.  Activities  include,  be¬ 
sides  repair  work  of  various  kinds,  basketry,  typewriting,  telegraphy, 
academic  studies,  agriculture  and  gardening,  bookkeeping,  freehand 
and  mechanical  drawing,  auto  repair,  carpentry,  cobbling,  and  other 
handicrafts.  In  all,  more  than  100  different  activities  have  been  in¬ 
troduced  into  the  hospitals.  Sixteen  general  convalescent  and  re¬ 
construction  hospitals  have  been  provided  for,  or  one  in  each  of  the 
16  military  districts. 

The  records  of  516  cases  which  have  been  treated  in  four  hospitals  show  134 
men  able  to  return  to  full  military  duty,  210  fit  for  return  to  limited  service, 
and  172  who  are  eligible  for  discharge. 


26 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


In  the  last  group,  12  are  classed  as  helpless  or  institutional  cases ;  121  are 
able  to  return  to  their  former  occupations;  and  39  will  need  further  training 
to  fit  them  for  earning  a  livelihood. 

These  figures  show  the  division  of  responsibility  in  the  work  of  reconstruc¬ 
tion.  The  task  of  fitting  men  for  further  military  service  is  at  present  the 
most  urgent  need,  because  wherever  an  able-bodied  man  behind  the  lines  can 
be  replaced  by  one  less  fit  physically  but  vocationally  capable,  a  soldier  is 
gained  for  active  duty. 

THE  STUDENTS’  ARMY  TRAINING  CORPS. 

The  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  represents  a  unique  educa¬ 
tional  undertaking  on  the  part  of  the  Government.  The  work  is 
under  the  direction  of  the  Committee  on  Education  and  Special 
Training  of  the  War  Department. 

The  primary  purpose  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  is  to  utilize 
the  executive  and  teaching  personnel  and  the  physical  equipment  of  the  educa¬ 
tional  institutions  to  assist  in  the  training  of  our  new  armies.  Its  aim  is  to 
train  officer-candidates  and  technical  experts  of  all  kinds  to  meet  the  needs 
of  the  service.  This  training  is  conducted  in  about  550  colleges,  universities, 
professional,  technical,  and  trade  schools  of  the  country. 

The  corps  is  divided  into  two  sections — the  collegiate  or  “A”  sec¬ 
tion  and  the  vocational  or  “  B  ”  section.  Of  these  the  former  is 
discussed  elsewhere  under  higher  education. 

Concerning  the  latter,  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  experience  of  three 
years  of  war  in  Europe  demonstrated  the  need  of  large  numbers  of 
skilled  mechanics  and  technicians  of  many  kinds.  When  the  United 
States  entered  the  war,  therefore,  and  undertook  the  organization 
of  an  army,  it  soon  became  apparent  that  a  plan  must  be  devised  to 
train  mechanics  quickly  and  in  large  numbers.  To  accomplish  this 
result  the  War  Department  did  not  depend  on  the  establishment  of 
new  schools,  but  utilized  existing  institutions  which  had  the  neces¬ 
sary  facilities.  The  men,  in  uniform,  are  assigned  to  institutions 
in  units  of  200  to  2,000,  where  they  are  housed  and  fed  under  mili¬ 
tary  discipline  for  periods  of  two  months  each.  Military  drill  and 
industrial  instruction,  including  shop  practice,  are  provided  in  an 
intensive  form  as  the  regular  daily  routine.  The  initial  assignments 
of  men  began  work  on  April  1,  1918.  Some  idea  of  the  magnitude 
of  the  undertaking  is  conveyed  by  the  announcement  that  on  August 
1  there  were  52,025  soldiers  under  instruction,  in  35  different  trades 
or  occupations,  in  144  institutions,  located  in  46  States  and  the  Dis¬ 
trict  of  Columbia.  It  is  estimated  that  by  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year, 
June  30,  1919,  more  than  300,000  men  will  have  received  instruction 
in  these  courses,  which  will  be  sufficient  to  make  them  definitely  serv¬ 
iceable  in  some  mechanical  or  technical  duty  in  addition  to  their 
training  as  soldiers. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


27 


MEDICAL  EDUCATION  AND  THE  WAR.1 

Sweeping  reforms  in  American  medical  education  have  been  in 
progress  for  15  years,  and  were  largely  completed  before  thi»  coun¬ 
try  was  drawn  into  the  world  war.  For  the  past  six  or  seven  years 
the  majority  of  medical  schools  have  not  only  been  enforcing  high 
entrance  standards,  but  also  have  been  operating  under  greatly  im¬ 
proved  conditions  in  other  respects.  The  majority  of  students  gradu¬ 
ating  in  the  past  several  years,  therefore,  have  received  a  medical 
training  equal  to  that  obtainable  anywhere.  Furthermore,  it  is 
these  recent  graduates  who,  in  larger  proportions,  have  entered  the 
Government  medical  services  and  who  will  be  largely  responsible  for 
the  medical  care  of  our  American  soldiers  and  sailors.  It  is  evident, 
therefore,  that  those  fighting  for  the  preservation  of  America  and 
American  ideals  now  have  as  skilled  medical  care  as  is  obtainable 
anywhere.  That  this  can  be  said  is  due  to  the  energetic  campaign  to 
improve  medical  education  that  has  been  carried  on  since  1904. 

MEDICAL  EDUCATION  AND  THE  SELECTIVE  SERVICE. 

When  the  selective-service  law  was  passed  in  May,  1917,  it  made 
no  provision  for  the  exemption  of  medical  students.  A  study  of  the 
effect  the  draft  would  have  on  the  enrollments  of  medical  schools 
showed  that  from  50  to  65  per  cent  of  the  students  would  be  taken 
in  the  first  three  calls,  which  would  force  the  majority  of  medical 
schools  to  suspend.  If  the  War  lasted  any  considerable  time,  the 
result  would  be  seriously  to  diminish  or  cut  off  the  annual  supply  of 
medical  graduates;  hospitals  would  be  without  internes,  and  there 
would  soon  develop  a  serious  shortage  of  physicians  for  both  mili¬ 
tary  and  civilian  needs. 

The  solution  of  the  problem  was  found  in  the  National  Defense 
act  of  1915,  which  provided  for  the  Medical  Reserve  Corps  of  the 
Army.  Under  the  provisions  of  this  law  medical  students  were  per¬ 
mitted  to  enroll  in  the  Medical  Enlisted  Reserve  Corps.  This  made 
them  subject  to  call  at  any  time,  should  extreme  emergency  require  it. 

It  was  the  stated  policy  of  the  Government,  however,  to  leave  these 
students  on  an  inactive  status  until  they  should  complete  their  medi¬ 
cal  course  and  secure  their  hospital  training.  It  is  believed  that  they 
could  render  the  country  a  better  service  by  finishing  their  training 
and  becoming  efficient  medical  officers,  than  by  entering  at  once  on 
active  service  without  that  training.  The  provision  for  the  Medical 
Enlisted  Reserve  Corps  relieved  the  uncertainty  in  regard  to  the  en¬ 
rollment  of  medical  students,  so  that  medical  classes  have  been  re- 


1  This  section  consists  of  extracts  from  a  paper  prepared  by  Dr.  N.  P.  Calwell,  Secre¬ 
tary  of  the  Council  on  Education  of  the  American  Medical  Association  for  the  forthcoming 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education  in  the  United  States. 


28 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


tained  at  a  normal  status,  the  only  loss  being  of  those  students  who 
voluntarily  enlisted  for  military  service. 

Provision  was  still  necessary,  however,  for  the  students  in  the 
premedical  classes  who  would  arrive  at  draft  age  before  becoming 
bona  fide  medical  students.  The  calling  into  service  of  such  stu¬ 
dents  would  prevent  the  medical  schools  from  obtaining  medical 
students  and  would  eventually  be  as  serious  as  if  the  medical  stu¬ 
dents  themselves  were  called  to  service.  There  also  arose  a  serious 
problem  as  to  medical  teachers.  Those  in  the  draft  age  were,  being 
called  into  active  service  and  others  were  volunteering,  even  though 
strong  efforts  were  made  to  induce  them  to  remain  at  their  teaching 
duties.  It  appeared  that  many  of  the  colleges  would  have  to  sus¬ 
pend  because  of  the  depletion  of  the  ranks  of  their  teachers. 

In  an  effort  to  solve  these  problems,  at  the  call  of  the  Surgeon 
General  a  conference  of  representatives  of  medical  schools  was  held 
in  Chicago,  June  11,  1918.  At  this  conference  an  advisory  com¬ 
mittee  on  medical  schools,  made  up  of  representatives  of  medical 
colleges  and  licensing  boards,  was  chosen  to  cooperate  with  the 
standing  committee  on  medical  education  of  the  Medical  Department 
of  the  Army,  for  the  prompt  solution  of  such  problems  as  might 
arise  in  connection  with  medical  education.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
two  committees  on  the  day  following  the  Chicago  conference,  atten¬ 
tion  was  called  to  the  provision  made  for  the  Students’  Army  Train¬ 
ing  Corps,  which  suggested  a  solution  for  the  exemption  of  pre¬ 
medical  students.  It  was  also  urged  that  premedical  and  medical 
students  as  well  as  medical  teachers  be  given  Government  recognition 
by  being  placed  in  uniform  and  that  the  teachers  be  granted  suitable 
rank. 

Another  conference  of  the  two  committees  was  held  in  Washington 
July  21,  1918.  The  arrangements  for  the  Students’  Army  Training 
Corps  has  made  progress  under  the  committee  on  education  and  spe¬ 
cial  training  of  the  War  Department,  Through  the  Students’  Army 
Training  Corps  it  was  planned  that  all  students  enlisting  be  retained 
in  the  colleges  until  their  special  training  be  completed.  On  arriving 
at  draft  age  the  students  would  be  required  to  register  under  the 
selective  service  law.  When  called  by  his  local  board,  each  student's 
record  would  be  examined  and  it  would  be  determined  whether  lie 
would  be  called  in  active  service.  The  stated  policy  of  the  Govern¬ 
ment,  however,  was  that  students  who  were  making  satisfactory  head¬ 
way  in  their  studies  would  be  retained  in  college  until  their  training 
had  been  completed.1  The  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  clearly 

1  Since  this  article  was  written,  changes  in  the  plans  outlined  have  been  made  necessary 
under  the  extension  of  the  draft  regulations  to  include  ail  men  from  the  age  of  18  to 
45,  inclusive.  These  changes  are  too  extensive  as  well  as  incomplete  to  be  dealt  with  at 
this  time. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


29 


provided  for  the  training  of  medical  officers  as  well  as  of  engineers, 
and  for  officers  in  other  special  lines.  As  to  the  threatened  dearth  of 
medical  teachers  due  talosses  by  enlistment,  a  solution  of  the  problem 
was  found  in  the  rule  providing  for  the  exemption  of  those  engaged 
in  “essential  industries.”  Each  college  was  requested  by  the  Sur¬ 
geon  General  to  furnish  a  list  of  its  essential  teachers  who,  it  was 
planned,  would  not  be  called  to  active  duty,  even  though  they  should 
enlist,  but  should  be  left  at  their  teaching  duties  on  the  ground  that 
they  were  engaged  in  an  “essential  industry.” 

Through  the  Medical  Enlisted  Reserve  Corps  a  large  majority  of 
the  medical  student  enrollment  throughout  the  United  States  came 
under  the  control  of  the  Surgeon  General  of  the  United  States 
Army.  This  control  of  the  student  body,  coupled  with  the  measure 
made  necessary  to  retain  in  each  college  an  adequate  corps  of  medi¬ 
cal  teachers,  brought  the  medical  schools  also  to  a  large  extent 
under  the  same  national  control.  It  became  necessary,  therefore, 
soon  after  a  state  of  war  was  recognized,  for  the  Surgeon  General 
to  designate  what  medical  schools  were  worthy  of  recognition  and  to 
establish  rules  for  the  satisfactory  conduct  of  such  colleges.  Since 
previously  the  legal  control  of  medical  education  had  rested  solely 
with  State  medical  licensing  boards,  it  was  determined  to  consider 
as  “  well  recognized  medical  schools  ”  those  which  were  recognized 
by  the  majority  of  State  licensing  boards.  Of  the  90  medical  col- 
legs  now  existing.  81  are  “  well  recognized.” 

The  usual  demand  for  physicians  as  medical  officers  for  the  tre¬ 
mendous  armies  being  organized  made  it  necessary  carefully  to 
ascertain  the  present  supply  of  physicians,  the  future  annual  output 
which  should  be  maintained  from  the  medical  schools,  and  the  edu¬ 
cational  standards  and  other  measures  which  should  be  enforced,  and 
at  the  same  time  guarantee  an  adequate  supply  of  physicians  for 
civil  and  military  needs.  One  of  the  earliest  decisions  rendered, 
which  has  since  been  adhered  to,  was  that  the  present  reasonable 
standards  of  preliminary  education,  namely,  two  years  of  work  in 
an  approved  college  of  arts  and  sciences  or  its  actual  equivalent, 
should  be  maintained.  In  fact  this  standard  of  premedical  qualifi¬ 
cations  was  considered  so  important  that  all  “  well-recognized  ” 
medical  schools  were  instructed  to  enforce  that  requirement  on  all 
students  admitted  on  and  after  October  15,  1918. 

Careful  consideration  has  also  been  given  to  the  question  of  re¬ 
quiring  continuous  sessions  in  medical  schools  so  that  they  might 
promptly  and  intelligently  be  put  into  effect  should  the  emergency 
demand  it.  Looking  toward  this  possibility  a  few  of  the  medical 
schools  which  were  properly  equipped  to  do  so  have  already  put  that 
measure  into  effect. 


30 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


PRACTICAL  AND  CLINICAL  EXAMINATIONS. 

There  has  been  much  improvement  in  the  character  of  the  licensing 
examination  in  some  States.  A  larger  number  of  States  have  estab¬ 
lished  an  efficient  examination,  including  practical  laboratory  and 
clinical  tests,  of  those  who  are  to  practice  the  healing  art,  and  in  this 
way  they  are  better  protecting  the  public  from  ignorance  and  in¬ 
competence.  Educational  and  technical  efficiency  can  not  be  accu¬ 
rately  measured  by  a  written  examination  alone.  A  student’s  fitness 
intelligently  to  diagnose  and  treat  human  disorders  can  be  brought 
out  only  by  testing  his  ability  to  differentiate  between  normal  and 
abnormal  conditions,  in  the  laboratory  as  well  as  at  the  bedside. 

An  agency  has  recently  been  established,  the  National  Board  of 
Medical  Examiners,  which  has  been  demonstrating  how  these  practi¬ 
cal  and  clinical  examinations  can  be  made  at  frequent  intervals  in 
prominent  hospitals  in  various  large  cities  throughout  the  country; 
and  members  of  State  boards  have  been  invited  to  attend  them.  The 
spirit  and  purpose  of  the  examinations,  as  well  as  the  ease  and  facili¬ 
ty  with  which  they  are  conducted,  are  so  evident  that  State  board 
members  will  doubtless  be  encouraged  to  adopt  them  in  the  regular 
examination  for  licensing  physicians. 

NATIONAL  BOARD  OF  MEDICAL  EXAMINERS. 

The  National  Board  of  Medical  Examiners,  just  mentioned,  was 
organized  in  1915.  It  consists  of  15  members,  including  the  Surgeon 
Generals  of  the  Army,  Navy,  and  Public  Health  Services  and  one 
other  representative  of  each  of  those  services;  3  representatives  of 
State  medical  licensing  boards;  and  6  members  appointed  at  large. 
Its  establishment  on  a  high  plane  was  made  possible  by  the  Car¬ 
negie  Foundation  for  the  Advancement  of  Teaching,  which  made  an 
appropriation  of  $15,000  per  year  to  cover  the  expenses  of  the  board 
until  such  time  as  it  might  be  placed  on  a  self-supporting  basis. 

Six  examinations  have  been  held  by  the  board ;  the  first  and  second 
at  Washington,  respectively  in  October,  1916,  and  in  June,  1917 ;  the 
third  at  Chicago  in  October,  1917 ;  the  fourth  at  New  York  City  in 
January,  1918 ;  and  the  fifth  at  Fort  Oglethorpe,  Ga.,  and  Fort  Riley, 
Kans.,  in  April,  1918.  At  these  examinations  altogether  93  appli¬ 
cants  were  examined,  of  whom  72  passed  and  21  failed,  the  percentage 
of  failure  being  22.6  per  cent. 

This  board  is  a  voluntary  organization,  its  object  being  to  conduct 
examinations  of  physicians  so  thoroughly  as  to  prove  without  a 
doubt  their  qualifications  for  the  practice  of  medicine.  The  value 
of  its  certificate,  aside  from  being  a  qualification  of  merit,  depends 
on  the  recognition  given  to  it  by  State  medical  licensing  boards. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


31 


Such  recognition  has  already  been  given  or  assured  by  the  licensing 
boards  of  the  following  12  States : 


Colorado. 

Delaware. 

Florida. 

Idaho. 


Kentucky. 

Maryland. 

New  Hampshire. 
North  Carolina. 


North  Dakota. 
Pennsylvania. 
Rhode  Island. 
Vermont. 


When  the  permanency  of  the  national  board  is  established  and  the 
high  character  of  its  examinations  is  more  generally  recognized,  its 
certificate  will  doubtless  be  recognized  by  the  licensing  boards  of  a 
large  numbers  if  not  all  of  the  States.  It  will  also  furnish  a  creden¬ 
tial  by  which  reciprocity  in  medical  licensure  with  other  countries 
may  be  established.  A  successful  applicant  may  enter  the  regular 
Medical  Corps  of  either  the  Army  or  Navy  without  further  profes¬ 
sional  examinations,  if  his  papers  are  passed  and  are  satisfactory  to 
a  board  of  examiners  of  those  services. 


PREMEDICAL  COLLEGE  WORK. 

Since,  in  1916,  two  years  of  work  in  an  “  approved  ”  college  had 
been  so  generally  adopted  as  a  minimum  educational  requirement 
for  admission  to  medical  schools  in  the  United  States,  it  became  im¬ 
portant  to  prepare  a  schedule  of  the  subjects  taught  in  the  first  two 
years  of  recognized  colleges  which  would  best  prepare  the  student  for 
his  subsequent  medical  work.  A  circular  letter  was  sent  out  by  the 
Council  on  Medical  Education  to  presidents  of  100  or  more  of  the 
leading  universities,  as  well  as  to  registrars  and  university  examiners 
who  were  skilled  in  the  evaluation  of  credentials  of  work  done  in 
various  educational  institutions.  In  this  way  an  abundance  of  data 
was  collected.  A  special  committee  was  appointed  to  study  the  prob¬ 
lem  and  to  develop  a  schedule  of  required  and  elective  subjects  which 
would  make  up  the  60  semester  hours  required,  and  to  have  this 
schedule  conform  as  nearly  as  possible  with  the  regular  curricula  of 
colleges  of  arts  and  sciences. 

A  preliminary  report  of  this  committee  was  prepared  and  pub¬ 
lished  in  August,  1917.  It  was  presented  for  discussion  at  the  an¬ 
nual  congress  on  medical  education  and  licensure  which  was  held  in 
Chicago  in  February,  1918,  following  which  the  committee  com¬ 
pleted  a  report  which  was  finally  adopted.  This  report  included  a 
schedule  of  the  subjects  usually  included  in  the  first  two  years  of  the 
college  course.  Of  the  60  semester  hours  of  premedical  college  work 
which  were  required  for  admission  to  medical  schools,  12  were  to  be 
taken  in  chemistry,  8  in  physics,  8  in  biology,  and  6  in  English,  leav¬ 
ing  26  semester  hours  of  elective  subjects.  It  was  specified  that,  of 
the  electives,  12  semester  hours  should  be  taken  in  nonscience  subjects. 
The  outline  suggested  has  received  the  indorsement  of  the  American 


32 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


Medical  Association  and  the  Association  of  American  Medical  Col¬ 
leges,  as  well  as  of  a  considerable  number  of  college  presidents. 

SCHOOL  HYGIENE  AND  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION. 

STATE  LEGISLATION  FOR  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION. 

Within  the  past  3  years,  8  States  have  enacted  laws  providing  for 
State-wide  physical  education,  namely,  Illinois  in  1915;  New  York  in 
1916;  New  Jersey,  Nevada,  Rhode  Island,  and  California  in  1917; 
Delaware  and  Maryland  in  1918.  In  6  other  States,  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut,  Pennsylvania,  Nebraska,  Ohio,  and  Colorado,  legislative 
attention  has  been  given  to  this  matter,  but  no  legislation  has  yet 
been  enacted.  In  New  Jersey  and  Massachusetts  special  commissions 
made  exhaustive  investigations  and  reports  as  the  basis  for  legislative 
action.  Though  this  legislation  in  all  but  2  States  was  enacted 
prior  to  the  current  year,  it  did  not  become  effective  until  this  year, 
except  in  New  York  and  Illinois.  In  NewT  York,  however,  the  law 
was  amended  in  1918  so  that  the  law  in  final  form  will  not  be  in  full 
effect  until  1913-19. 

The  most  significant  feature  of  this  legislation  is  the  broad  and 
comprehensive  interpretation  of  physical  education  given  either  in 
the  statutes  themselves  or  in  the  administrative  programs  adapted  by 
the  State  departments  of  education.  In  the  New  York  program 
physical  education  is  interpreted  as  covering:  “(1)  Individual  health 
examination  and  personal  health  instruction  (medical  inspection)  ; 
(2)  instruction  concerning  the  care  of  the  body  and  concerning  the 
important  facts  of  hygiene  (recitations  in  hygiene) ;  and  (3)  physi¬ 
cal  exercise  as  a  health  habit,  including  gymnastics,  elementary 
marching,  organized  supervised  play,  recreation  and  athletics.”  In 
the  California  statute  the  aims  and  purposes  of  the  physical  educa¬ 
tion  are  specified:  “(1)  To  develop  organic  vigor,  provide  neuro¬ 
muscular  training,  promote  bodily  and  mental  poise,  correct  postural 
defects,  secure  the  more  advanced  forms  of  coordination,  strength, 
and  endurance,  and  to  promote  such  desirable  moral  and  social  quali¬ 
ties,  as  appreciation  of  the  value  of  cooperation,  self -subordination, 
and  obedience  to  authority,  and  higher  ideals,  courage,  and  whole¬ 
some  interest  in  truly  recreational  activities;  (2)  to  promote  a  hy¬ 
gienic  school  and  home  life,  secure  scientific  sanitation  of  school 
buildings,  playgrounds,  and  athletic  fields,  and  the  equipment 
thereof.” 

The  Rhode  Island  syllabus  states  that  “  Physical  education  may  be 
defined  as  including  healthful,  sanitary  environment;  medical  in¬ 
spection  ;  instruction  in  physiology  and  hygiene ;  and  exercise  in  the 
form  of  such  motor  activities  as  marching,  gymnastics,  dancing, 
supervised  play  and  athletics.” 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


33 


With  the  exception  of  the  Nevada  law,  all  of  these  State  laws 
provide  for  compulsory  physical  education  in  all  their  public  schools. 
The  most  notable  weakness  is  the  failure  to  provide  adequate  finan¬ 
cial  support  for  administration  and  supervision,  and  the  failure  to 
provide  administrative  means  for  making  the  laws  locally  effective. 

The  results  of  the  first  year  under  the  new  law  in  New  Jerse}T  are 
summarized  by  the  State  commissioner  as  follows: 

Physical  training,  systematically  taught  this  year  for  the  first  time  in  many 
schools,  will  be  more  effective  next  year.  It  has  already  enlivened  the  schools, 
created  new  enthusiasms  and  contributed  to  the  welfare  of  children  and 
teachers.  *  *  *  The  public  needs  to  realize  that  money  expended  for  health 
education,  both  rural  and  urban,  is  money  better  spent  than  for  almost  any¬ 
thing  else.  *  *  *  We  need  not  only  better  medical  inspection,  but  also  more 
school  nurses,  in  country  as  well  as  in  city.  It  can  not  be  said  with  emphasis 
too  great  that  physical  training  is  preparedness.  Its  purpose  is  no  other  than 
to  increase  our  man  and  woman  power. 

THE  nation’s  NEED  OF  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION. 

The  war  has  suddenty  revealed  to  us  and  to  all  other  nations  the 
basic  value  of  human  life.  It  is  no  longer  merely  the  voice  of  the 
philanthropist  crying  in  the  wilderness  the  doctrine  of  the  individ¬ 
ual’s  right  to  abundance  of  life;  it  is  the  Nation  in  its  hour  of  crisis 
demanding  the  fullest  physical  capacity  of  all  its  men,  women,  and 
children.  “The  truth  is  pounded  home  with  every  succeeding  en¬ 
gagement  on  land  and  sea  that  the  conservation  of  human  life  is  now 
a  part  of  practical  affairs,  something  to  receive  its  place  in  the  every¬ 
day  consideration  of  those  responsible  for  national  progress.”  In 
war’s  terrible  markets  human  life  is  the  basic  legal  tender.  Money, 
munitions,  ships,  and  all  the  other  essentials  for  the  prosecution  of 
war  are  but  promissory  notes. 

This  is  recognized  in  the  English  education  bill  which  at  this  date 
(June  30)  is  in  the  final  stages  of  passage.  It  includes  provisions  for 
a  comprehensive  and  thorough  program  of  health  conservation  and 
physical  education.  This  program  covers  adequate  medical  super¬ 
vision  both  of  children  in  school  and  children  in  industry  and  physi¬ 
cal  education  in  all  elementary,  secondary,  and  continuation  schools 
and  the  provision  of  proper  equipment  for  the  same,  and  provision 
for  physically  and  mentally  defective  children. 

In  France,  a  strong  committe  has  been  formed,  of  which  several 
members  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  are  members,  for  the  study  and 
promotion  of  physical  education,  social  hygiene  and  race  conserva¬ 
tion.  The  committee  proposes  to  cooperate  closely  with  the  public 
authorities,  the  universities,  the  faculties,  the  commercial  centers,  the 
industrial  centers,  the  financial  powers,  and  the  press. 

87376—18 - 3 


34 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


Its  program  includes  a  general  method  of  rational  physical  in¬ 
struction;  a  system  of  schools  of  physical  education  for  instructors 
of  the  Army  and  of  both  sexes ;  simplification  of  school  programs  and 
introduction  of  a  physical  test  in  all  examinations;  emphasis  upon 
outdoor  exercises;  outdoor  schools  and  open-air  colonies  for  physi¬ 
cally  abnormal  children  ;  complete  reorganization  of  school  medical 
inspection;  the  employment  of  trained  teachers  of  gymnastics;  leg¬ 
islation  restricting  juvenile  labor;  and  a  larger  place  in  the  training 
for  military  service  to  physical  education  and  athletics. 

In  this  country,  likewise,  we  are  recognizing  that  physical  effi¬ 
ciency  of  the  citizens  is  not  only  a  matter  of  individual  or  local  or 
State  concern,  but  also  a  matter  of  supreme  national  concern.  The 
fact  that  the  first  draft  figures  show  a  wide  variation  in  the  per¬ 
centage  of  physical  effectives  that  the  States  can  contribute  to  the 
national  defense — an  extreme  variation  of  33  per  cent — lifts  the 
question  at  once  into  the  field  of  national  statesmanship.  The  ex¬ 
perience  of  the  training  camps  is  a  conclusive  demonstration  of  the 
need  of  a  national  program  that  shall  produce  not  only  physically 
sound  but  also  physically  educated  citizens. 

President  Emeritus  Eliot  of  Harvard  in  a  weighty  address  on 
“  Certain  Defects  in  American  Education  ”  (Teachers’  Leaflet  No. 
5,  Bureau  of  Education,  June,  1918)  states  the  case  clearly  and 
forcefully : 

To  secure  for  every  child  in  the  country  a  complete  course  of  physical 
training  is  a  great  national  object  in  war  times  and  peace  times  alike,  and 
part  of  the  expense  of  the  course  should  be  borne  by  the  National  Government. 
The  Swiss  Federal  Council  prescribes  the  program  of  physical  training  for 
every  school  in  Switzerland,  and  appoints  and  pays  the  national  inspectors  who 
see  that  this  program  is  carried  out.  The  federation  also  makes  a  small  con¬ 
tribution  to  the  cost  of  this  training  throughout  the  Republic.  The  war  with 
Germany  has  already  taught  us  that  the  United  States  should  henceforth  and 
at  once  do  the  same  thing  in  aid  of  the  much  larger  expenditures  of  the 
States  and  the  municipalities  on  the  same  all-important  subject,  and  should 
make  sure  that  the  training  is  actually  given.  When  a  proper  course  of  physi¬ 
cal  training  has  been  in  operation  in  the  United  States  for  12  to  15  years, 
the  productiveness  of  the  national  industries  will  show  a  great  increase,  and 
the  young  men  who  are  to  fill  the  permanent  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United 
States  will  come  to  the  annual  mobilization  with  bodies  already  fit  for  the 
work  of  a  soldier  or  sailor. 

The  commission  in  the  national  emergency  in  education  of  the 
National  Education  Association  emphasizes  strongly  the  importance 
of  physical  education  and  health  conservation  in  its  program  for 
Federal  legislation.  The  American  Federation  of  Labor  in  its  edu¬ 
cational  program  includes  the  following  planks : 

The  provision  of  ample  playground  facilities  as  a  part  of  the  public-school 
system. 

Continuous  medical  and  dental  inspection  throughout  the  schools. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


35 


The  organization  and  equipment  of  special  classes  for  children  who  are 
subnormal,  either  mentally  or  physically,  and  also  special  classes  for  children 
who  are  found  capable  of  making  more  rapid  progress  than  is  possible  in  a 
standard  school. 

The  establishment  of  complete  systems  of  modern  physical  education. 

Numerous  patriotic,  civic,  health,  and  philanthropic  organizations 
have  taken  a  similar  position.  A  national  committee  on  physical 
education  has  been  formed  with  purposes  similar  to  those  of  the 
F rench  “  committee  ”  already  named.  More  specifically  it  is  devoted 
to  the  promotion  of  State  and  Federal  legislation  for  physical  edu¬ 
cation.  The  committee,  in  its  proposed  program  for  Federal  legisla¬ 
tion,  adopts  the  interpretation  of  physical  education  as  illustrated  in 
the  best  recent  State  laws.  “  It  assumes  physical  activity  as  the  basic 
thing,  but  conditioned  upon,  and  integrally  related  with,  wholesome 
physical  environment,  individual  physical  examination  and  record, 
medical  supervision  of  schools  and  school  children,  development  of 
health  habits  and  instruction  in  health  knowledge,  hygienic  school 
management  and  procedure,  and  cooperation  with  all  agencies  that 
make  for  physical  upbuilding  and  the  moral  growth  inevitably  inci¬ 
dent  to  sane,  wholesome,  active  physical  life.” 

It  asks  that  physical  education  be  for  boys  and  girls  alike ;  for  all 
children  between  6  and  18  years,  inclusive,  in  all  schools  and  in  indus¬ 
try;  for  provision  for  investigation  and  demonstrations  in  the  in¬ 
terest  of  progressively  scientific  standards;  for  Federal  aid  to  the 
States  and  Federal  cooperation  in  the  administration  of  all  State 
systems,  but  with  guarantees  of  State  autonomy  and  initiative. 

PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  AND  MILITARY  TRAINING. 

Physical  education  as  interpreted  by  the  individuals  and  organiza¬ 
tion  cited  above  is  not  a  substitution  for  military  training.  With 
respect  to  boys,  it  is  premilitary  training.  It  is  a  program  for  pro¬ 
ducing  physically  fit  men  and  women  by  physically  educating  boys 
and  girls  during  the  period  of  immaturity.  The  program  stops  at 
18  years  of  age.  Efficient  military  training  can  not  begin  earlier 
than  18  years.  If  universal  military  training  should  be  adopted, 
this  program  would  insure  maximum  preparation  of  a  maximum 
number  of  young  men  for  military  training.  It  is  preparatory  to 
military  training  in  the  following  ways :  By  the  selection  of  boys  fit 
for  military  training  through  recurrent  physical  examination  during 
the  growth  period  and  the  early  detection  and  correction  of  reme¬ 
diable  defects;  by  systematic  training  through  graded  systems  of 
exercises  adapted  to  children  of  different  ages,  through  corrective 
exercises  for  postural  and  muscular  defects  and  through  intensive 
physical  training  and  athletics  for  the  older  boys;  by  systematic 
training  into  health  habits  and  instruction  in  health  knowledge ;  and 


36 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


by  increasing  the  physical  efficiency  of  those  whose  defects  would 
confine  them  to  limited  service,  through  early  detection  of  defects, 
through  specialized  training  of  such  individuals,  and  through  keep¬ 
ing  them  out  of  occupations  for  which  they  are  unfit. 

VOLUNTARY  ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  war  has  given  stimulus  to  many  voluntary  organizations  seek¬ 
ing  to  improve  the  health  of  school  children.  It  may  not  be  in¬ 
vidious  to  mention  especially  the  Child  Health  Organization.  This 
is  an  outgrowth  of  a  committee  of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medi¬ 
cine  on  “  War-time  problems  of  childhood,”  formed  primarily  to 
study  the  problem  of  malnutrition  among  school  children.  “The 
revelation  of  the  extent  to  which  malnutrition  had  been  shown  to 
exist  among  school  children  of  New  York  and  its  steady  increase, 
due  to  ignorance  of  food  values  and  the  rising  cost  of  food,  was 
brought  to  the  attention  of  Secretary  Lane,  of  the  Department  of  the 
Interior,  who  urged  the  formation  of  a  national  committee  composed 
of  lay  and  medical  members  to  study  the  problems  and  advise  means 
for  its  solution.  In  order  to  avoid  the  creation  of  an  entirely  new 
association,  an  organization  to  promote  the  health  of  school  children 
was  perfected  as  one  of  the  branches  of  the  National  Child  Labor 
Committee,  which  has  always  been  interested  in  health  education.” 

The  following  is  a  program  that  the  Child  Health  Organization  has 
set  itself :  To  teach  health  habits  to  children  and  to  secure  adequate 
health  examinations  for  all  children  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
country;  to  consider  the  urgent  problem  of  malnutrition  among 
school  children ;  to  safeguard  the  health  of  children  in  industry ; 
propaganda  to  awaken  the  public  to  the  necessity  of  conserving  the 
health  of  the  school  child  as  a  basis  of  national  security  and  sta¬ 
bility;  to  promote  or  cooperate  with  other  bodies  in  securing  legis¬ 
lation  for  the  attainment  of  these  objects. 

Active  cooperation  with  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  assured. 

sex  education. 

The  war  has  lifted  the  veil  of  false  modesty  from  the  question  of 
social  hygiene  and  sex  education.  Effective  methods  of  instruction  in 
the  cantonments  have  been  developed.  The  Commission  on  Training 
Camp  Activities  through  its  camp  community  service  has  done  much 
to  educate  the  public.  The  State  health  departments  and  the  United 
States  Public  Health  Service  have  carried  on  effective  educational 
propaganda.  Religious  and  educational  societies  as  well  as  medical 
societies  are  seriously  grappling  with  the  great  problems  of  sex 
education.  The  bureau  in  cooperation  with  the  medical  section  of 
the  Council  of  National  Defense,  as  noted  above  (p.  — ),  has  issued 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


37 


a  pamphlet  “  Keeping  Fit  ”  for  high-sehool  boys,  giving  simply  and 
briefly  the  main  factors  in  physical  fitness,  including  sex.  The  ap¬ 
preciation  of  this  pamphlet  has  been  instantaneous  and  sincere.  Re¬ 
quests  have  come  for  large  numbers  of  copies,  not  only  from  high 
schools,  but  also  from  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  Boy 
Scouts,  industrial  firms,  and  many  other  sources.  Several  hundred 
thousand  copies  will  be  needed  to  meet  the  demand  in  the  coming 
year. 

MEDICAL  INSPECTION. 

In  all  foreign  countries  the  medical  supervision  of  schools  has  suf¬ 
fered  during  the  war.  School  medical  officers,  like  all  other  members 
of  the  medical  profession,  have  been  called  to  military  service.  In 
our  own  country  the  same  condition  prevails  though  to  a  less  degree. 
In  few  States  or  communities,  however,  has  there  been  any  improve¬ 
ment  in  the  work  of  school  medical  supervision.  North  Carolina 
appears  to  be  one  exception.  The  revised  law  which  went  into  effect 
at  the  beginning  of  the  present  school  year  requires  that  teachers  shall 
make  a  preliminary  examination  of  all  pupils,  and  provides  for  de¬ 
tailed  examination  of  all  suspected  children  by  the  county  medical 
officer  or  by  a  physician  designated  by  the  State  health  department. 
The  report  of  the  first  year’s  work  under  the-  new.  law  shows  that 
“  more  than  3,000  teachers  properly  filled  out  the  cards  after  careful 
preliminary  examination  of  more  than  150.000  children  and  that  of 
this  “number  of  children,  34,387.  or  nearly  one-fourth,  have  been 
carefully  examined  by  the  school  physician  or  a  specially  trained 
school  nurse.”  The  report  further  shows  much  successful  follow-up 
work  and  the  establishment  of  dental  clinics.  “  The  most  gratifying 
feature  of  the  year’s  work  has  been  the  uniformly  satisfactory  work 
of  the  teachers  in  completing  the  preliminary  examination  of  the 
children.” 

THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  AND  THE  WAR. 

Wien  America  entered  the  war  the  slogan  of  the  schools  became. 
“  Win  the  war.”  and  this  determined  purpose  has  since  conditioned 
their  every  activity.  Upon  the  declaration  of  war  the  school  ma¬ 
chinery  of  every  State  in  the  Union  was  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Federal  Government  which  found  in  it  a  valuable  means  for  the 
quick  dissemination  among  the  people  of  that  information  and  in¬ 
struction  needed  to  develop  and  conserve  an  enlightened  and  unified 
public  opinion.  Efforts,  too,  of  the  pupils  themselves  were  effec¬ 
tively  enlisted  in  drives  for  liberty  loans,  thrift-stamp  sales,  and  Red 
Cross  aid ;  in  increasing  the  production  of  food  and  the  saving  of  it ; 
and  in  harvesting  crops  where  the  labor  supply  was  inadequate. 
Moreover,  the  content  of  practically  every  study  in  our  curricula  has 


38 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


been  profoundly  modified  by  war  considerations  leading,  indeed,  to  a 
vitalizing  of  work  never  before  experienced  by  the  schools  of  this 
country.  A  new  significance,  it  can  not  be  doubted,  has  been  given 
especially  to  the  teaching  of  history,  civics,  geography,  language,  and 
the  sciences.  The  kindergartners  of  America  also,  responding  to  the 
new  impulses,  have  not  only  organized  and  equipped  a  kindergarten 
unit  and  sent  it  to  France  to  work  among  the  little  children  of  the 
devastated  area  and  through  plays,  games,  stories,  and  handwork  are 
giving  back  to  them  the  happiness  of  normal  childhood  but  they  are, 
as  never  before,  cooperating  with  established  social  agencies  employed 
in  child  conservation  to  the  end  that  childhood  in  our  own  country 
may  be  saved  from  the  blighting  effects  of  war  conditions. 

PROBLEMS  OF  RECONSTRUCTION. 

While  the  “  Win-the-war  ”  slogan  still  expresses  the  unalterable 
purpose  of  the  schools,  as  of  every  other  national  agency,  neverthe¬ 
less  it  is  recognized  that  consideration  must  more  and  more  be  ac¬ 
corded  the  problems  of  reconstruction.  In  this  matter  France  and 
England  have  pointed  the  way,  for  not  only  have  they  adapted  their 
schools  to  the  exigencies  of  war,  but  along  with  these  tasks  they  have 
not  neglected  to  plan  for  and  in  part  execute  changes  in  their  sys¬ 
tems  in  anticipation  of  postwar  conditions  and  the  problems  which 
the  reconstruction  of  a  changed  world  will  entail. 
v  With  us,  perhaps,  the  problem  of  first  importance  which  must  be 
faced,  a  problem  which  the  war  has  thrown  into  sharp  relief,  is  that 
of  amalgamating  our  foreign  born,  transforming  them  into  loyal, 
literate,  and  efficient  citizens.  The  revelation  of  the  1910  census  that 
there  were  5,500,000  people  in  the  United  States  who  could  neither 
read  nor  write  attracted  little  attention,  but  the  fact  that  of  10,000,000 
registrants  for  the  selective  draft  there  were  700,000  who  could  not 
write  their  names  and  an  equal  number  who  could  not  speak  English 
and  who  could  not,  because  of  a  lack  of  a  common  medium,  respond 
intelligently  to  military  or  industrial  orders  on  the  one  hand,  and  to 
moral  and  spiritual  appeals  on  the  other,  has  aroused  the  Nation  to 
the  magnitude  and  importance  of  the  problem  as  nothing  else  has 
ever  done. 

It  is  clear  that  this  is,  first  of  all,  a  problem  of  the  schools,  though 
the  schools  are  by  no  means  the  only  agency  making  for  American¬ 
ization,  and  the  teaching  of  the  English  language  is  the  first  step  in 
the  fusing  process.  Wliile  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  task  every 
bit  of  school  machinery  is  needed,  nevertheless  opportunity  for  serv¬ 
ice  knocks  with  particular  distinctness  at  the  door  of  the  kinder¬ 
garten,  of  the  elementary  day  school,  and  of  the  night  school.  Upon 
these  institutions  there  rests  in  unusual  degree  responsibility  for  giv¬ 
ing  the  immigrant  his  first  view  of  the  customs,  the  thoughts,  and 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


39 


the  ideals  of  the  country  of  his  adoption.  As  feasible  steps  in 
Americanizing  the  foreign-born  there  should  be  a  law  on  the  statute 
books  of  every  State  compelling  every  alien  child,  between  the  ages 
of  6  and  14,  to  attend  the  elementary  day  school  for  full  time.  There 
should  be  opportunity  for  every  child  of  foreign  birth,  between  the 
ages  of  4  and  6,  to  attend  a  public  kindergarten.  Furthermore, 
wherever  a  group  of  15  or  20  aliens  beyond  the  age  of  15  can  be 
found  who  desire  instruction,  there  should  be  established  a  night- 
school  class  equipped  with  all  the  materials  essential  to  efficient 
work.  In  short,  the  important  problem  of  peace  as  of  war  is  the 
fusing  of  our  racial  groups,  in  the  accomplishment  of  which  the 
public  school  should  set  itself  no  less  a  program  than  that  of  pro¬ 
viding  adequate  schooling  for  our  entire  foreign-bom  population, 
whether  old  or  young,  whether  male  or  female,  whether  married  or 
unmarried. 

TEACHER  SHORTAGE. 

Inasmuch  as  the  interpreters  of  America  to  the  newcomers  are  of 
necessity  the  teachers  of  such  classes  it  is  of  surpassing  importance 
that  men  and  women  whose  character  and  training  are  of  the  finest, 
and  who  appreciate  the  greatness  of  their  opportunity,  be  enlisted  in 
this  work.  A  necessary  prerequisite  to  securing  teachers  of  the  type 
desired  is  the  fixing  of  salary  schedules  at  a  point  which  will  enable 
teachers  to  live  in  reasonable  comfort,  and  yet  have  a  margin  ade¬ 
quate  to  permit  them  to  avail  themselves  of  opportunities  for  per¬ 
sonal  growth;  and  with  a  margin,  too,  generous  enough  to  make  it 
possible  for  them  to  command  that  respect  and  recognition  in  the 
community  to  which  the  dignity  and  importance  of  their  work  en¬ 
title  them. 

If  we  fail  to  make  such  provision  the  work  of  our  schools  will  suf¬ 
fer,  through  the  impermanence  of  the  teaching  force.  Indeed,  already 
our  schools  are  in  grave  danger  of  disorganization  because  the  in¬ 
crease  of  teachers’  salaries  has  lagged  far  behind  the  rise  in  the  cost 
of  living,  on  the  one  hand,  and  behind  the  advance  in  wages  paid  by 
industry,  on  the  other.  Again,  large  numbers  of  young  men  teachers 
have  entered  the  Army.  This  depletion  of  the  teaching  force  has  in 
some  parts  of  the  country  reached  the  proportion  of  a  teacher  “  fam¬ 
ine.”  Careful  estimates  based  upon  reports  from  nearly  every  section 
of  the  country  would  indicate  that  the  actual  teacher  shortage  may 
now  reach  an  aggregate  of  40,000.  Reports  indicate  also  that  an  un¬ 
precedented  number  of  those  now  teaching  are  inexperienced,  esti¬ 
mates  fixing  the  number  at  a  quarter  of  a  million  nearly.  Clearly, 
then,  the  stabilization  of  the  teaching  force  is  demanded,  not  alone 
in  preparation  for  the  great  work  of  Americanization  which  will 
be  sharply  accentuated  after  the  war  is  over,  but  because  the  very 


40 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


integrity  of  the  school  organization  which  has  been  built  up  likewise 
demands  that  serious  consideration  of  this  matter  be  not  long  de¬ 
layed’.  Among  the  effective  ways,  surely,  of  checking  teacher  with¬ 
drawals  are :  The  upward  revision  of  salary  schedules ;  providing  in¬ 
creases  beyond  a  given  maximum  which  all  can  reach,  for  demon¬ 
strated  efficiency  and  worth;  and  creating  an  adequate  retirement 
fund,  which  will  enable  teachers  to  spend  the  years  of  declining  age 
in  peace  and  comfort  and  with  honor. 

SCHOOL  ATTENDANCE  AND  SPIRIT. 

Despite  concerted  effort  to  hold  pupils  in  school  there  have  been 
losses,' particularly  in  schools  of  secondary  rank.  Many  of  the  older 
boys  have  responded*  to  the  appeal  of  active  war  service  and  many 
others,  comprising  both  boys  and  girls,  have  entered  the  industries 
tempted  by  the  offer  of  high  wages.  However,  it  may  be  said  that 
the  measures  taken  to  lessen  the  movement  away  from  the  schools 
have  been  effective,  for  the  loss  has  not  been  nearly  so  great  as  many 
anticipated.  Indeed,  many  schools  report  an  actual  increase  in  the 
number  attending,  though  many  individuals  have  left  school  before 
their  work  was  completed.  Moreover,  superintendents  are  reporting 
that  never  before  have  pupils  been  so  enthusiastic,  so  earnest,  and 
so  persistent  in  their  work.  In  large  measure  this  is  due  undoubt¬ 
edly  to  the  fact  that  teachers  have  approached  their  work  with  a 
greater  earnestness  of  purpose,  and  also  to  the  fact  that  they  have 
incorporated  a  fresh  content  in  practically  every  subject  of  school 
curricula. 


CLOSER  EDUCATIONAL  RELATIONS  WITH  OUR  ALLIES. 

The  latest  example  of  the  long  look  ahead  toward  closer  relations, 
commercial  and  educational,  which  are  sure  to  prevail  among  the 
allied  nations,  is  furnished  by  the  French  High  Commission,  which 
has  arranged  to  send  a  number  of  young  women  of  high-school  edu¬ 
cation  to  this  country  for  intensive  courses  in  our  institutions.  These 
young  women,  for  the  most  part,  are  daughters  of  French  officers 
who  were  killed  in  the  war.  It  is  probable  that  this  group  is  but 
the  vanguard  of  larger  numbers,  if  this  initial  experiment  proves  to 
be  a  success. 

As  it  is  the  wish  of  the  members  of  the  French  High  Commission 
that  these  girls  have  the  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with 
the  home  life  of  our  people,  it  has  been  arranged  that  they  are  to 
be  taken  into  representative  homes  and  treated  as  members  of  the 
families  rather  than  as  boarders. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  after  the  termination  of  the  war  a 
reciprocal  arrangement  be  entered  into  for  an  interchange  of  young 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


41 


people  between  the  two  countries.  If  the  plan  is  consummated,  it 
will  prove  a  powerful  factor  in  binding  together  more  firmly  than 
ever  before  the  people  of  these  two  Republics. 

In  another  way  this  closer  relationship  with  France  is  being 
brought  about.  In  the  devastated  areas  of  France  particularly 
many  highly  educated  teachers  have  been  obliged  to  relinquish  their 
work  and,  in  consequence,  are  available  for  appointment  in  this 
country,  where  teachers  of  French,  or  French  in  combination  with 
other  subjects,  are  needed. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  in  cooperation  with  the  American  Coun¬ 
cil  on  Education  and  the  French  High  Commission  has,  by  means 
of  a  circular  letter,  called  attention  to  this  opportunity.  Imme¬ 
diate  and  generous  response  was  made  and  calls  came  for  nearly 
200  such  teachers.  As  fast  as  received  these  were  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  French  High  Commission.  The  Paris  agents  of  the 
commission  are  recruiting  teachers  for  this  service,  and  it  is  expected 
that  many  such  will  find  their  way  into  our  schools  and  educa¬ 
tional  institutions. 

THE  GROWTH  OF  JUNIOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  junior  high-school  movement  has  been 
one  of  the  striking  features  of  the  past  year.  Wherever  a  reorgan¬ 
ization  of  the  school  system  has  been  discussed,  the  organization  of 
the  junior  high  school  has  found  favor.  The  reasons  for  its  easy  ac¬ 
ceptance  rest  in  part,  to  be  sure,  in  the  fact  that  its  introduction  in¬ 
volves  no  demoralizing  change  in  the  established  school  organization. 
Herein  lies  one  of  the  dangers  that  must  be  recognized,  for  it  is 
obvious  that  if  the  junior  high  school  is  to  become  anything  more 
than  a  name  it  must  involve  a  reorganization  that  is  more  than  a 
mere  regrouping  of  grades  and  classes ;  it  must  contain  and  conserve 
all  those  provisions  for  the  educational  guidance  of  the  individual 
pupil  in  a  wide,  flexible,  adaptable  curriculum  for  which  it  was 
established. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  five  years  may  see  its  inclusion  in  the 
majority  of  the  schools  of  the  country.  Prof.  Davis,  of  Ann  Arbor, 
has  investigated  the  junior  high  schools  in  the  north  central  associa¬ 
tion  territory,  1917-18,  and  has  found  that  about  one- fourth  (2,931) 
of  the  accredited  schools  of  the  region  contained  this  form  of  or¬ 
ganization,  and  that  about  one-sixteenth  (72)  had  been  organized 
in  1917.  The  year  1918,  Prof.  Davis  believes,  will  show  an  even 
greater  increase.  It  is  believed  that  the  growth  in  the  region  for 
which  he  reports  is  typical  of  the  whole  country.  ~ 


42 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 
AMERICANIZATION  THROUGH  EDUCATION.1 


Progress  in  the  field  of  Americanization  through  education  has 
been  extraordinarily  rapid.  This  has  been  due  primarily  to  the 
war.  Official  and  unofficial  agencies  which  hitherto  had  never  given 
any  attention  to  the  subject  of  Americanization  were  forced  by  ne¬ 
cessity  to  deal  with  the  subject.  The  attitude  of  the  American  people 
generally  toward  the  population  of  foreign  birth  has  been  undergo¬ 
ing  many  and  rapid  changes.  On  the  one  hand,  the  evil  of  dual  al¬ 
legiance  as  expressed  in  hyphenated  citizenship  has  brought  home  to 
the  average  American  citizen  the  necessity  of  providing  opportuni¬ 
ties  for  the  education  and  training  of  the  immigrant  in  the  Ameri¬ 
can  language,  citizenship,  and  forms  of  living.  Where  before  in  the 
breast  of  many  naturalized  citizens  had  been  slumbering  almost 
complete  allegiance  for  the  land  of  their  origin,  an  allegiance  not 
apparent  to  Americans,  under  the  pressure  of  war  this  hidden  senti¬ 
ment  was  brought  to  light.  It  was  loudly  condemned  by  Americans, 
and  its  existence  once  appreciated  caused  an  impetus  to  be  given 
toward  the  more  fundamental  training  of  immigrants  in  every 
aspect  of  life  and  citizenship  in  America. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  came  to  be  seen  that  a  united  people  back 
of  the  fighting  line  was  indispensable  to  victory.  Since  a  large  pro¬ 
portion  of  our  population  was  of  foreign  birth  or  of  foreign  parent¬ 
age,  special  attention  to  the  morale  of  this  portion  of  our  people 
became  a  war  necessity.  Persons  of  foreign  birth  were  employed  in 
our  war  industries;  others  moved  forward  to  take  the  place  of  citi¬ 
zens  drafted  into  military  service.  Upon  their  labor  the  entire 
country  was  dependent  for  food,  clothing,  coal,  and  war  materials. 
Any  break  in  or  impediment  to  their  support  and  allegience  to  this 
country  and  the  cause  of  the  allies  meant  the  possibility  of  failure 
and  perhaps  ultimate  defeat.  Hence  our  internal  line  of  defense  had 
to  be  maintained  at  all  cost.  It  is  for  these  reasons  that  the  cause  of 
Americanization  through  education  has  gone  forward  rapidly. 

This  development  of  a  national  consciousness  of  the  problem  of 
Americanization  and  its  many  phases  forced  an  organization  and 
formulation  of  Federal  plans  and  activities.  This  program  is  based 
on  the  results  of  four  years  of  study  of  this  subject  by  the  Bureau  of 
Education,  and  this  bureau  has  been  the  principal  agent  in  its  presen¬ 
tation.  It  comprehended  the  promotion  of  school  legislation,  changes 
in  the  organization  and  administration  of  public  evening  schools  and 
other  facilities,  modification  in  the  instruction,  methods,  and  subject 
matter,  extension  of  facilities  in  factories  and  homes  and  the  stimula¬ 
tion  of  public  institutions,  such  as  libraries  and  of  unofficial  organiza- 

1  Summary  of  chapter  for  the  forthcoming  biennial  survey  of  education  in  the  United 
States,  by  II.  H.  Wheaton. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


43 


tions,  and  finally  a  general  coordinating  and  correlating  of  the  many 
official  and  unofficial  activities  desiring  to  cooperate  in  a  national 
program.  On  December  13,  1917,  the  Council  of  National  Defense 
indorsed  the  activities  being  conducted  by  virtue  of  this  program 
and  on  February  12,  1918,  announced  a  general  national  program  to 
be  worked  out  through  the  State  Councils  of  Defense  and  subsidiary 
organizations  throughout  the  country. 

Under  this  program,  as  set  forth  in  Bulletin  86,  the  several  States 
were  urged  to  pass  legislation  requiring  the  attendance  of  non-Eng¬ 
lish-speaking  and  illiterate  persons  between  16  and  21  years  of  age  at 
some  school  or  other  recognized  facility  under  public  supervision. 
Incidentally  they  were  urged  to  require  communities  with  a  sub¬ 
stantial  number  of  immigrants  to  establish  evening  schools  for  their 
education.  Adequate  appropriations  were  urged  and  each  State  hav¬ 
ing  a  substantial  population  of  foreign  born  was  urged  to  appoint 
supervisors  of  immigrant  education  to  conduct  the  State  program. 
Emphasis  was  laid  upon  the  necessity  of  training  institutions  for 
teachers  of  immigrants  and  upon  the  necessity  of  improving  the 
equipment  of  teachers  for  this  kind  of  work  through  the  proper  pre¬ 
liminary  instruction.  State  councils  and  community  councils  were 
urged  to  promote  factory  classes,  to  increase  library  facilities  and  to 
coordinate  the  varied  activities  of  private  and  unofficial  organiza¬ 
tions  and  agencies. 

Under  this  plan  about  30  States  have  organized  State  committees 
on  Americanization,  6  have  appointed  State  directors  of  Americani¬ 
zation,  while  a  number  of  others  have  secretaries  of  the  committees  on 
Americanization.  At  least  3  States  have  deputized  existing  depart¬ 
ments  or  commissions  to  carry  on  the  activities  of  the  State  councils 
in  the  field  of  Americanization.  At  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  the 
national  plan  in  conjunction  with  the  States  has  gotten  well  under 
headway. 

State  boards  of  education  or  commissions  have  been  especially 
active  during  the  last  two  years.  In  June,  1917,  the  New  York  De¬ 
partment  of  Education  appointed  a  State  Supervisor  of  Immigrant 
Education,  under  whom  has  been  organized  a  large  number  of  activi¬ 
ties  in  the  many  towns  and  cities  of  the  State.  The  supervisor  is 
charged  with  the  direction  of  organization  work,  with  the  organiza¬ 
tion  of  teachers’  training  institutes  and  normal-school  instruction, 
with  the  formulation  of  plans  for  industrial  plants  interested  in  the 
instruction  of  employees,  with  the  supervision  of  camp  schools,  and 
with  the  preparation  of  courses,  syllabi,  and  other  material  essential 
to  instruction  in  English  and  civics.  In  Massachusetts  the  State 
board  of  education  has  organized  a  division  of  university  extension, 
under  which  activities  have  been  stimulated  in  many  communities 
and  methods  of  teacher  training  developed.  Within  the  last  year  a 


44 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


State  supervisor  of  immigrant  education  has  been  appointed  who  is 
devoting  his  entire  time  to  the  subject.  In  California  the  commission 
of  housing  and  immigration,  in  conjunction  with  the  State  depart¬ 
ment  of  education,  has  secured  the  passage  of  a  Home  Teacher  act, 
providing  for  the  bringing  of  the  instruction  in  English  and  civics, 
personal  hygiene,  sanitation,  and  other  appropriate  subjects  to  the 
homes  of  the  immigrants.  Through  the  cooperation  of  the  State 
Daughters  of  the  American  Devolution,  the  women’s  organizations 
of  the  State  and  other  interested  agencies,  an  experiment  was  con¬ 
ducted  in  San  Francisco  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the  act.  Suc¬ 
cess  has  been  marked  and  the  plan  is  to  extend  the  system  of  home 
instruction.  The  commission  has  also  published  pamphlets  and 
courses  of  instruction  in  English  and  civics. 

Great  progress  is  noted  in  a  large  number  of  cities.  Not  only 
has  the  number  of  evening  schools  been  increased  in  those  communi¬ 
ties  already  having  such  facilities  for  instruction,  but  the  number 
of  cities  creating  evening  schools  for  the  first  time  has  very  sub¬ 
stantially  increased.  It  is  interesting  to  note,  however,  that  while 
the  number  of  opportunities  for  instruction  has  very  largely  in¬ 
creased,  yet  attendance  has  not  been  altogether  satisfactory.  Labor 
conditions,  overtime  work,  and  the  pressure  of  war  activities,  coupled 
with  anti- American  propaganda,  have  very  largely  caused  a  decrease 
in  the  average  attendance  of  immigrants  upon  public  evening  schools. 
This  has  caused  the  cities  to  redouble  their  efforts  in  publicity  and 
the  advertising  of  facilities.  Many  have  published  attractive  posters 
and  distributed  handbills  announcing  evening  schools,  the  subjects 
of  instruction,  and  the  location  and  hours.  Supervisors  of  immi¬ 
grant  education  have  been  appointed  in  Kochester,  Detroit,  Cleve¬ 
land,  Los  Angeles,  and  other  large  cities.  In  some,  assistant 
superintendents  of  schools  have  been  charged  with  the  responsibility 
for  the  immediate  direction  of  evening  schools,  with  particular  em¬ 
phasis  upon  the  education  of  immigrants. 

In  New  York  City  a  unique  experiment  was  tried  in  the  line  of 
social  activities.  The  object  of  these  activities,  which  comprehended 
dancing,  lectures,  entertainments,  musicals,  and  other  attractive 
forms  of  recreation  and  amusement,  was  to  stimulate  immigrants 
to  come  to  the  public  schools  and  acquire  the  habit  of  making  these 
the  center  of  their  recreation  and  amusement.  At  all  of  these  places 
English  was  made  the  language  of  social  intercourse.  Many  immi¬ 
grants  who  would  not  otherwise  have  attended  evening  school  were 
thus  persuaded  to  join  the  classes  in  English  and  civics. 

In  Detroit  an  extraordinary  campaign  of  publicity  has  been  car¬ 
ried  on  by  the  board  of  commerce  in  conjunction  with  the  board  of 
education.  The  result  was  to  increase  very  substantially  the  number 
attending.  The  cooperation  of  industrial  plants  was  secured  in 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


45 


sending  their  employees  to  school  or  in  establishing  plant  classes. 
Campaigns  of  a  similar  type  were  carried  on  in  Buffalo,  Rochester, 
Boston,  Cleveland.  Pittsburgh,  and  other  places.  In  New  York 
City,  Detroit,  Buffalo,  Rochester,  Boston,  and  Cleveland  special 
courses  in  the  training  of  teachers  were  conducted.  In  all  of  the 
cities  mentioned  in  New  York  State  these  courses  were  conducted 
under  the  general  supervision  of  the  State  department  of  education, 
which  at  the  last  session  of  its  legislature  secured  an  appropriation 
of  $20,000  for  the  purpose  of  training  the  teachers  of  the  State. 
Such  training  has  been  carried  on  to  an  extent  in  other  States,  such 
as  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  under  the  supervision  of  the  State 
departments  of  education. 

Legislation  upon  the  subject  of  Americanization  has  made  dis¬ 
tinct,  although  not  extensive,  advance.  In  New  York  State  the  leg¬ 
islature  at  its  last  session  passed  three  bills:  One  providing  for  the 
compulsory  attendance  of  non-English-speaking  and  illiterate 
minors  between  the  ages  of  16  and  21  years  at  some  public  school, 
plant  school,  or  recognized  private  school ;  a  second  providing  for  the 
compulsory  maintenance  of  schools  and  classes  in  every  community 
where  20  or  more  minors  were  affected  by  the  preceding  bill ;  and  a 
third  appropriating  $20,000  for  teacher  training.  In  Arizona  the 
governor  made  an  attempt  to  secure  the  passage  of  similar  legislation 
without  success,  but  the  legislature  did  pass  a  bill  appropriating 
$20,000  to  be  expended  in  the  nature  of  State  aid  for  the  establish¬ 
ment  and  maintenance  of  suitable  facilities  for  immigrants.  In 
Wisconsin  the  various  acts  relating  to  vocational  education  and 
part-time  instruction  were  amended  in  such  way  as  practically  to 
require  the  attendance  of  non -English-speaking  and  illiterate  per¬ 
sons  upon  some  school  as  a  preliminary  to  part-time  instruction. 
Federal  legislation  was  proposed  by  the  National  Committee  of  One 
Hundred.  The  proposed  bills  provided  for  a  system  of  Federal  aid 
to  the  several  States,  appropriating  like  sums  for  instruction  in  Eng¬ 
lish,  civics,  and  other  subjects.  The  bills  have  been  approved  by  a 
large  number  of  State  councils  of  defense,  industrial  establishments, 
school  authorities,  and  others,  and  have  been  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  President  for  his  consideration  as  administration  measures  re¬ 
lated  to  the  winning  of  the  war. 

The  work  of  private  agencies  and  unofficial  organizations  has  been 
extensive.  The  Carnegie  Corporation  has  entered  into  the  field  of 
investigation  of  the  methods  of  Americanization.  The  national 
Americanization  committee  has  continued  its  cooperative  arrange¬ 
ments  with  the  Bureau  of  Education  and  other  agencies  of  the  Fed¬ 
eral  Government.  Pamphlets  in  foreign  languages  have  been  dis¬ 
tributed  by  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  while  other  patri¬ 
otic  societies  have  distributed  printed  propaganda  on  the  subject.  The 


46 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


Council  of  Jewish  Women  has  been  particularly  active  through  its 
many  branches.  The  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  has  not 
only  conducted  its  former  classes  in  English  and  citizenship  in  the 
many  associations  throughout  the  country,  but  has  assisted  the  War 
Department  in  carrying  on  instruction  within  the  military  training 
camps.  The  Young  Women’s  Christian  Association  has  conducted 
instruction  in  its  international  institutes  in  several  cities,  while  the 
United  States  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  promoted  the  cause  of 
Americanization  through  the  local  chambers  of  commerce  and 
through  the  many  industrial  establishments  employing  foreign-born 
labor.  Over  a  hundred  chambers  of  commerce  have  appointed  Ameri¬ 
canization  committees  and  are  now  engaged  in  cooperating  with 
school  boards  and  other  agencies  in  the  stimulation  of  attendance  and 
in  the  establishment  of  adequate  and  proper  facilities. 

Some  improvement  has  been  noted  in  the  subject  matter  of  instruc¬ 
tion.  It  is  coming  into  the  consciousness  of  school  authorities  and 
teachers  that  instruction  of  immigrants  in  English  and  civics  must 
be  preeminently  practical,  hence  new  courses  and  material  have  been 
created  for  the  use  of  teachers  in  the  schoolroom.  More  distinct  ad¬ 
vance  is  seen  in  the  actual  methods  of  instruction.  The  dramatic 
theme  method  has  become  popular  and  seems  to  be  making  the  most 
decided  impression  on  school  authorities  and  teachers.  Greater  at¬ 
tention  is  now  paid  to  the  advertisement  of  evening  schools  through 
posters,  handbills,  and  through  supplementary  agencies.  Correlation 
and  coordination  of  the  efforts  of  organizations  of  the  foreign  born, 
as  well  as  the  native  born,  have  been  emphasized  more  particularly 
during  the  past  year.  A  large  number  of  industrial  plants  have  es¬ 
tablished  plant  classes,  while  most  of  those  which  have  had  facilities 
for  some  years  have  continued  their  maintenance.  Conspicuous 
among  these  plants  are  the  Ford  Motor  Co.,  which  has  maintained  a 
very  large  school  for  non-English-speaking  employees  for  over  three 
years;  the  D.  E.  Sicher  Co.,  New  York  City,  where  the  classes  have 
been  annexed  to  the  nearest  public  school;  the  Joseph  &  Feiss  Co.,  of 
Cleveland ;  the  Packard  Motor  Co.,  of  Detroit,  and  many  others. 

The  most  significant  aspects  of  the  progress  made  have  been  the 
increased  consciousness  of  the  American  people  of  the  necessity  of 
Americanization,  the  effort  to  provide  practical  instruction,  and  the 
increased  cooperation  among  official  and  unofficial  agencies. 

EDUCATIONAL  LEGISLATION. 

As  reflected  in  State  legislation,  educational  movements  of  the 
year  have  not  been  especially  conspicuous,  either  for  new  develop¬ 
ments  or  for  quickened  pace  along  older  lines  of  progress.  There 
were  only  eleven  regular  sessions  of  legislatures  in  1918,  and  the 
European  war  was  no  doubt  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  many  of 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


47 


those  lawmakers  who  were  in  session.  The  war,  however,  has  al¬ 
ready  left  an  impress  upon  educational  legislation  as  upon  every¬ 
thing  else,  although  most  legislatures  of  1917  had  adjourned  or  were 
at  the  point  of  adjourning  when  war  was  declared.  By  the  time 
of  the  assembling  of  legislative  bodies  in  1918,  the  war  spirit  had 
taken  thorough  hold  of  the  people.  School  legislation,  in  conse¬ 
quence,  hardly  escaped  its  effect.  This  is  seen  in  the  enactment  of 
laws  looking  to  the  Americanization  of  aliens  and  the  elimination 
of  illiteracy  among  native  Americans,  the  provisions  for  instruction 
in  patriotism  and  the  commemoration  of  patriotic  days  and  events, 
stronger  emphasis  on  physical  training  in  the  schools,  emergency 
measures  for  the  increase  of  teachers’  pay,  and  similar  measures. 

The  new  laws  designed  to  promote  patriotism  generally  took  the 
form  of  a  requirement  that  patriotic  instruction  and  exercises  be 
incorporated  in  the  curriculum  and,  in  the  absence  of  previous  law 
on  the  subject,  provision  for  the  display  of  the  United  States  flag  on 
the  schoolhouse  or  grounds.  New  York  and  Texas  were  among  the 
States  which  made  provision  for  patriotic  instruction.  In  the  for¬ 
mer,  the  older  law  left  to  the  option  of  the  school  board  the  inclu¬ 
sion  of  patriotic  lessons  in  the  curriculum;  the  new  law  requires 
instruction  in  patriotism  in  all  schools,  private  as  well  as  public. 
The  Texas  law,  enacted  at  a  special  session  of  the  legislature  held 
in  1918,  requires  every  public-school  teacher  to  devote  at  least  10 
minutes  each  school  day  to  instruction  designed  to  inculcate  “intelli¬ 
gent  patriotism.” 

The  display  of  the  United  States  flag  on  or  near  every  public- 
school  building  is  required  in  about  three- fourths  of  the  States. 

The  elimination  of  illiteracy  and  the  Americanization  of  aliens 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  legislators  of  several  States  during  the 
year.  Among  these  were  Arizona,  Kentucky,  Mississippi,  and  New 
York.  The  State  last  mentioned  attacked  the  problem  from  three 
directions.  A  law  known  as  the  “  Lockwood  law  ”  authorizes  the 
establishment  of  institutes  in  the  normal  schools  and  in  cities  for  the 
purpose  of  training  teachers  to  give  instruction  to  adult  illiterates. 
A  second  law  requires  attendance  at  either  day  or  evening  school  of 
all  minors  between  16  and  21  years  of  age  who  do  not  possess  such 
ability  to  speak  and  write  the  English  language  as  is  required  for 
completing  the  work  of  the  fifth  grade  of  the  public  schools.  A 
third  law  requires  the  maintenance  of  evening  schools  in  cities  of  the 
first,  second,  and  third  classes  and  in  union  free  school  districts  un¬ 
der  certain  prescribed  conditions. 

After  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  in  Europe  a  strong  impetus  was 
given  to  physical  training  in  the  public  schools  of  this  country.  This 
is  evidenced  by  the  enactment  of  the  laws  of  New  York  and  Louisiana 
in  1916  and  by  the  adoption  early  in  1917  of  provisions  for  physical 


48 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


training  in  all  schools  or  for  military  training  in  high  schools,  or 
for  both,  in  Arizona,  Indiana,  New  Jersey,  Oklahoma,  and  Oregon. 
Since  the  entry  of  the  United  States  into  the  war,  California,  Michi¬ 
gan,  Rhode  Island,  and  Maryland  have  enacted  similar  laws.  That 
of  the  last-mentioned  State  was  enacted  in  1918.  According  to  the 
provisions  of  this  law,  physical  training  must  be  provided  in  all 
public  schools  and  schools  receiving  State  aid.  The  State  board  of 
education  is  directed  to  regulate  such  training  and  to  appoint  a 
State  supervisor  of  physical  training  and  such  assistants  as  may  be 
deemed  necessary. 

The  rapid  rise  in  prices  due  to  war  conditions  and  the  concomi¬ 
tant  increase  in  pay  to  industrial  workers  and  other  wage  earners 
made  necessary  an  effort  to  adjust  teachers’  salaries  to  these  new  and 
appreciably  abnormal  conditions.  The  efforts  of  local  school  au¬ 
thorities  to  meet  the  emergency  are,  of  course,  not  shown  in  State 
legislation,  but  in  several  legislatures  which  have  been  in  session 
this  year  the  matter  has  received  consideration.  New  laws  fixing 
minimum  salaries  that  may  be  paid  public-school  teachers  were 
passed  by  the  legislatures  of  Kentucky,  Maryland,  and  Massachu¬ 
setts.  In  Wisconsin,  where  a  special  session  of  the  legislature  was 
held,  cities  of  the  first  class  were  authorized  to  levy  an  additional 
tax  for  the  purpose  of  paying  more  salaries  to  teachers  during  the 
period  of  the  war  and  for  one  year  thereafter.  South  Carolina  pro¬ 
vided  for  the  establishment,  in  the  office  of  State  superintendent 
of  education,  of  a  bureau  for  the  registration  and  employment  of 
teachers. 

Some  other  measures  upon  which  the  war  doubtless  exerted  an  in¬ 
fluence  were,  (1)  the  law  of  New  York  requiring  teachers  to  be 
either  American  citizens  or  persons  who  have  taken  proper  steps 
to  become  such;  (2)  the  law  of  New  Jersey  to  permit  any  pupil  in 
the  senior  year  of  a  public  educational  institution  who  is  inducted 
into  the  military  or  naval  forces  of  the  United  States  to  graduate, 
if  he  has  completed  his  work  up  to  the  time  of  such  induction;  and 
(3)  the  bill  passed  in  Kentucky  which  was  designed  to  prohibit 
teaching  the  German  language  in  the  elementary  and  high  schools 
of  the  State.  The  Kentucky  measure,  however,  was  vetoed  by  the 
governor. 

There  were,  of  course,  many  laws  enacted  in  1918  in  which  the  “  war 
impulse”  was  not  dominant  or  in  the  enactment  of  which  military 
considerations  were  of  small  consequence.  Three  groups  of  enact¬ 
ments  are  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  notice  here.  These  are 
compulsory  attendance  laws,  provisions  for  the  better  financial  sup¬ 
port  of  schools,  and  acts  relating  to  vocational  education. 

Beginning  with  the  enactment  of  the  Massachusetts  law  in  1852, 
the  movement  in  America  for  compulsory  attendance  at  school  has 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


49 


gone  on  apace  for  over  half  a  century.  The  provision  for  required 
attendance  has  spread  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  where  it  has  been  in  force  for  years  there  is  still  a  tendency  to 
make  stronger  its  hold  on  the  ground  which  it  has  gained.  These 
facts  have  added  significance  now  that  Mississippi,  the  last  of  the 
States  to  enact  such  a  law,  has  made  provision  for  compulsory  at¬ 
tendance  by  act  of  1918.  All  of  the  48  States  now  require  attendance 
at  school  for  some  period  of  years  of  the  child’s  life  and  for  all  or 
some  part  of  the  school  term.  The  new  Mississippi  law  carries  a 
local-option  feature ;  that  is  to  say,  it  is  to  apply  only  in  counties  and 
independent  school  districts  wherein  it  is  adopted  by  vote  of  the 
qualified  electors.  Three  other  States — South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and 
Florida — have  provisions  in  their  attendance  laws  which  are  in  ef¬ 
fect  local  option  in  character.  Other  noteworthy  attendance  laws  of 
1918  were  the  Massachusetts  act  further  regulaing  the  maintenance 
of  county  truant  schools,  the  Kentucky  act  extending  to  magistrate’s 
and  police  courts  jurisdiction  in  cases  arising  under  the  attendance 
law,  and  the  Virginia  act  making  State-wide  the  application  of 
its  law. 

One  of  the  most  significant  features  of  progress  in  school  adminis¬ 
tration  during  recent  years  has  been  the  trend  toward  a  unit  of  ad¬ 
ministration  and  support  which  shall  be  larger  than  the  local  district. 
Evidence  of  the  presence  of  this  trend  in  the  legislatures  of  1918, 
especially  with  regard  to  school  support,  is  unquestionable.  In 
Louisiana  five  amendments  to  the  constitution  were  proposed,  all  of 
which  were  designed  to  make  more  stable  the  State’s  system  of 
school  support  and,  particularly,  to  shift  the  burden  more  from  the 
local  community  to  the  county  and  to  the  State.  In  Virginia,  the 
State  school  tax  levy  was  increased  from  10  to  14  cents  on  the  hun¬ 
dred  of  property  valuation,  and  $100,000  was  added  to  the  annual 
appropriation.  The  lower  house  of  the  Georgia  Legislature  in¬ 
creased  the  annual  school  appropriation  of  that  State  from  $3,200,000 
to  $4,200,000,  and  this  large  increase  remained  in  the  bill  until  3.10 
a.  m.  of  the  last  night  of  the  legislature,  when  the  increase  wTas  re¬ 
duced  in  conference  committee  of  the  two  houses  from  $1,000,000  to 
$300,000.  In  Massachusetts  and  Maryland,  like  tendencies  to  add  to 
the  State’s  share  in  school  support  were  in  evidence. 

The  movement  for  industrial  education  which  began  in  this  country 
more  than  a  decade  ago  and  culminated  in  the  enactment  of  the 
Smith-Hughes  Act  of  February  23,  1917,  providing  Federal  aid 
for  vocational  education,  was  up  for  consideration  in  some  of  the 
legislatures  of  1918  which  had  not  previously  considered  it.  The 
lawmakers  of  Kentucky,  Louisiana,  Maryland,  Rhode  Island,  and 
Virginia  accepted  the  provisions  of  the  act.  All  other  States  have 
87376—18 - 4 


50 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


not  met,  in  part  at  least,  the  conditions  prescribed  by  the  Federal 
Board  for  Vocational  Education  and  are  entitled  to  the  benefits  of 
the  act  under  its  provisions. 

RURAL  EDUCATION. 

Progress  in  rural  education  throughout  the  nation,  while  not 
decisive  nor  marked  by  any  great  advance  in  any  one  phase,  has  been 
continuous  in  a  variety  of '  activities.  The  war  emergency  has  em¬ 
phasized  the  educational  requirements  of  modem  agricultural  com¬ 
munities  and  has  accentuated  the  marked  weaknesses  in  our  rural 
school  system.  The  general  public  is  realizing  the  necessity  of  reor¬ 
ganization  of  the  provisions  made  for  education  in  the  country. 

Administration  of  rural  schools. — The  problem  of  education  in 
rural  communities  has  attained  too  great  a  magnitude  to  be  left 
entirely  to  purely  local  control  and  support.  A  larger  unit  of  ad¬ 
ministration,  preferably  the  county  unit,  with  modifications  which 
adapt  it  to  local  conditions,  State  cooperation  and  financial  aid  for 
the  development  of  rural  education  are  reforms  rapidly  materializing 
in  many  States.  During  the  year  New  Mexico  adopted  the  county 
unit  for  all  school  purposes,  making  the  nineteenth  State  organized 
wholly  or  in  part  on  that  basis. 

Professional  supervision  of  rural  schools. — Some  real  progress  has 
been  made  in  many  States  toward  professional  supervision.  State 
and  county  departments  of  education  have  added  to  their  regular 
staff.  Washington,  Montana,  and  Vermont  are  among  those  States 
which  provide  State  supervision  of  rural  education,  and  Maryland, 
Kentucky,  and  West  Virginia  have  devised  plans  for  increased  su¬ 
pervision  of  rural  schools  under  county  direction. 

In  Maryland  provision  has  been  made  by  which  each  county  with 
100  teachers  or  more  will  have  at  least  one  specially  trained  super¬ 
visor  in  addition  to  the  county  superintendent,  the  attendance  officer, 
and  the  statistical  clerk. 

Kentucky  has  recently  introduced  professional  supervision  for  both 
white  and  colored  schools.  At  the  present  time  32  white  supervisors 
are  engaged  in  24  counties,  and  18  colored  supervisors  in  as  many 
counties. 

West  Virginia  was  one  of  the  first  States  to  subdivide  its  counties 
for  supervision  purposes  and  now  has  as  many  as  four  supervisors  in 
certain  counties. 

Increased  financial  support. — The  country  needs  progressive  legis¬ 
lation  to  procure  more  equitable  taxation  and  at  the  same  time  to  pro¬ 
vide  more  liberal  support  for  schools  in  rural  communities.  Higher 
State  and  county,  as  well  as  local  taxation,  must  be  resorted  to.  Prac¬ 
tically  all  the  States  that  make  use  of  State  taxation  and  appropria- 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


51 


tion  for  school  purposes  have  been  obliged  recently  tc  increase  the 
amount  greatly,  and  county  and  local  communities  have  done  like¬ 
wise. 

Maryland  increased  its  State  appropriation  in  1918  from  $1,750,000 
to  $2,000,000,  and  in  addition  provides  bonuses  of  from  $50  to  $100 
to  teachers  who  remain  in  their  schools  throughout  the  year.  North 
Dakota  has  increased  the  amount  of  State  aid  for  standardization  and 
consolidation  of  rural  schools  from  $120,000  to  $225,000.  Other 
States  are  doing  as  much  or  more  than  these. 

Teachers'  salaries. — The  unprecedented  opportunity  in  industrial 
activities  due  to  the  war  threatens  a  serious  exodus  from  the  teach¬ 
ing  profession,  especially  in  the  rural  field.  Many  States  have  taken 
steps  to  increase  teachers’  salaries  liberally,  but  even  larger  increases 
will  be  necessary  to  keep  the  best  men  and  women  in  the  schools. 
The  following  are  some  of  the  increases  in  salary  lists  reported  for 
1918: 

Maine  increased  salaries  about  25  per  cent. 

In  Montana  few  schools  pay  less  than  $70  per  month  in  rural  com¬ 
munities,  with  the  majority  ranging  from  $85  to  $100  per  month  for 
experienced  teachers. 

In  Maryland  minimum  salaries  increased  in  1918  from  $600  to  $800 
for  high-school  teachers.  The  following  schedule  prevails  for  ele¬ 
mentary  teachers  according  to  length  of  experience : 


Grade  of  certificate. 

Begin¬ 

ning 

teachers. 

3  years’ 
experi¬ 
ence. 

5  years’ 
experi¬ 
ence. 

8  years’ 
experi¬ 
ence. 

Third . 

$400 

$425 

$450 

$475 

Second . 

450 

475 

500 

525 

First . 

500 

525 

550 

600 

Principal . . . 

550 

575 

600 

650 

Kentucky  has  recently  passed  a  minimum-salary  law  giving  teach¬ 
ers  of  the  second  class  $45  per  month,  teachers  of  the  first  class  $55 
per  month. 

In  Pennsylvania  the  following  minimum  salaries  *  have  been 
adopted:  Professional  certificate,  $45  per  month;  professional  and 
normal  certificate,  $55  per  month;  permanent  certificates,  $60  per 
month. 

Washington  increased  salaries  from  15  to  20  per  cent.  Teachers 
are  generally  engaged  12  months  in  the  year. 

In  Wyoming  rural  teachers’  salaries  range  from  a  minimum  of 
$70  to  $90  per  month  and  a  maximum  of  $100  to  $125  per  month. 

Vermont  increased  salaries  during  the  year  12  per  cent.  Teach¬ 
ers  are  almost  invariably  employed  by  the  year. 

Organization  of  rural  schools. — Improvement  of  the  one-teacher 
school  through  standardization,  where  the  centralization  movement 


52 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


is  impracticable;  specially  prepared  teachers;  the  all-year  school  ac¬ 
companied  by  an  increased  number  of  teachers’  cottages  and  a  better 
type  of  school  consolidation,  characterized  the  progress  made  in  rural 
school  organization  during  the  year. 

One  of  the  most  comprehensive  score  cards  for  rural  school  stand¬ 
ardization  yet  devised  was  published  in  the  Kansas  State  Agricul¬ 
tural  College  Bulletin  of  June,  1918.  The  score  card  gives  1,000 
points  for  perfect  plant  and  an  additional  1,000  points  for  teaching 
equipment  and  efficiency,  subdivided  as  follows: 

Points. 


Site _ _ _ 285 

Buildings _ 445 

Service  and  equipment _ 320 

Teaching  equipment _ 500 

Special  activities _ 1 _ i _ _ _ _ 200 

Efficiency  plans  and  provisions _ 300 


Real  progress  is  being  made  in  the  construction  of  houses  for 
teachers.  The  State  of  Washington  reports  196  teachers’  cottages 
erected  and  more  under  way.  Wyoming  reports  that  many  cot¬ 
tages  have  been  erected  during  the  year.  Texas  now  counts  upward 
of  200  cottages  and  several  other  States  are  accomplishing  almost 
as  much. 

Consolidation. — Experimentation  in  school  consolidation  has 
passed  and  the  movement  is  accepted  as  good  national  policy.  There 
are  about  10,500  consolidated  schools  in  the  United  States  in  1918 
resulting  from  the  centralization  of  two  or  more  schools.  The  new 
schools  are  organized  with  a  view  to  preparing  for  the  new  agricul¬ 
tural  era  a  permanent  farming  population  trained  for  farm  work, 
and  at  the  same  time  having  high  ideals  of  citizenship.  The  follow¬ 
ing  gives  some  idea  of  the  progress  made  in  a  few  of  the  States  from 
which  reports  were  received  in  1918 : 

Maine  reports  many  schools  closed  during  the  year,  conveying  the 
children  to  stronger  and  better  schools.  South  Dakota,  a  State  in 
which  school  consolidation  is  of  recent  origin,  reports  42  new  con¬ 
solidated  schools.  Maryland  and  Kentucky  depend  more  on  closing 
small  unnecessary  schools  and  conveying  the  children  to  larger  one 
and  two  teacher  schools.  Kentucky  thus  far  has  79  consolidated 
schools,  12  of  them  with  transportation,  but  it  has  1,084  rural  schools 
with  two  or  more  teachers.  In  New  Mexico  school  consolidation  is 
progressing  rapidly  in  the  irrigated  sections,  where  many  large  con¬ 
solidated  schools  have  been  organized  during  the  past  biennium. 
Washington  has  increased  the  number  of  its  consolidated  schools  to 
23.  North  Dakota  has  opened  52  consolidated  schools  and  voted  60 
new  consolidations  during  the  year.  The  total  number  of  consoli¬ 
dated  schools  in  actual  operation  is  447.  West  Virginia  has  120 
consolidated  schools,  20  of  which  were  organized  in  1918.  Penn- 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


53 


sylvania  reports  715  schoolrooms  closed  as  result  of  consolidation 
in  the  past  10  years,  of  which  684  were  one-room  schools.  Six  thou¬ 
sand  two  hundred  and  one  children  are  transported  to  these  schools 
in  326  vans,  coaches,  or  wagons.  In  Iowa  235  consolidated  districts 
were  organized  up  to  June  30,  1917.  Two  hundred  and  forty-five 
thousand  dollars  was  expended  as  State  aid  for  consolidation. 

Rural  high  schools. — There  is  a  decided  movement  throughout  the 
country  to  establish  rural  high  schools  of  an  agricultural  type  in  the 
open  country  or  in  the  rural  villages.  Some  States  are  finding  that 
the  solution  of  rural  school  organization  will  probably  be  the  adop¬ 
tion  of  some  form  of  the  junior  high  school.  In  West  Virginia  the 
State  board  of  education  has  recently  adopted  a  sweeping  6,  3,  3,  plan 
for  the  organization  of  all  the  schools  of  the  State.  In  Vermont,  the 
State  Commissioner  of  Education,  Dr.  Milo  B.  Hillegas,  reports  that 
the  12  junior  high  schools  in  operation  during  1916-17  were  emi¬ 
nently  successful  and  the  number  will  doubtless  be  extended. 

The  rural  school  course  of  study. — Some  States,  notably  Louisiana, 
are  beginning  to  plan  distinctive  courses  of  study  for  the  rural  schools. 
A  number  of  committees  have  been  organized,  or  are  being  organized, 
for  the  purpose  of  making  a  fundamental  study  of  the  entire  field 
of  rural  education.  Columbia  University,  through  its  rural  edu¬ 
cation  department,  is  conducting  such  a  study.  This  embraces  a 
plan  of  cooperation  between  teachers’  college  and  twro  New  Jersey 
counties,  the  schools  of  which  will  be  used  as  practice  schools  and 
study  laboratories  for  the  development  of  teaching  practice  and 
course  of  study  for  rural  schools. 

Professional  requirements . — Maine,  Vermont,  Oregon.  Washing¬ 
ton,  and  Michigan  have  increased  the  professional  requirements  for 
teachers  during  the  year.  The  requirement  of  a  four-year  high- 
school  course  and  at  least  one  year  of  professional  training  in 
addition  thereto,  as  recommended  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of 
Education,  has  been  adopted  in  several  sections  of  the  country. 
Wisconsin,  Indiana,  and  Maryland  are  among  the  States  which  base 
their  salary  scales  on  the  degree  and  kind  of  professional  prepara¬ 
tion  and  tenure  in  the  same  community. 

Schools  preparing  rural  teachers. — The  real  hope  of  the  country 
for  an  ample  suppty  of  w7ell-trained  rural  teachers  rests  with  the 
public  normal  schools.  Many  of  them  have  reorganized  their  work 
to  meet  the  demands  for  the  new  type  of  rural  teachers.  Up  to  the 
present  time  122  rural  school  departments  have  been  established  in 
the  normal  schools.  Altogether,  84  of  these  departments  make  use 
of  rural  practice  schools;  97  other  normal  schools  offer  specific 
courses  for  training  rural  teachers  during  either  the  regular  or  sum¬ 
mer  sessions. 


54 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 
TEACHER  TRAINING. 


In  common  with  that  of  other  higher  institutions  of  learning  the 
work  of  the  teacher-training  schools  was  extensively  modified  by  war 
conditions.  Decreased  attendance  in  both  regular  and  summer  ses¬ 
sions  and  an  almost  complete  lack  of  men  students  are  reported 
from  a  majority  of  these  institutions  for  the  year  1918.  The  courses 
have  been  materially  changed;  many  institutions  offering  courses 
intended  directly  to  qualify  for  certain  kinds  of  war  work.  Prac¬ 
tically  all  have  devoted  time  usually  given  to  social  and  other  extra¬ 
mural  activities  to  Red  Cross,  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association, 
Liberty  loan  drives,  and  the  like.  In  most  instances  teacher-training 
institutions  have  aimed  to  qualify  their  students  better  to  take  an 
active  part  in  community  war  work  and  to  interest  and  instruct  the 
children  under  their  charge  in  the  Nation’s  war  aims  and  activities. 

In  general,  building  is  entirely  suspended  for  the  period  of  the  war. 
Two  institutions  report  enlarging  the  school  plant,  but  as  a  rule 
necessary  improvements  only  are  made.  One  new  State  normal 
school  is  reported  as  opening  its  doors  during  the  year.  Three  insti¬ 
tutions  report  new  buildings,  two  of  which  were  practice  schools 
and  one  a  model  rural  school  erected  on  the  campus  for  practice 
and  observation' work. 

Summer  schools  are  increasing  in  usefulness  as  well  as  in  length. 
Four  normal  schools  report  the  adoption  of  a  12- week  summer 
school,  which  is  one  of  four  sessions  into  which  the  school  year  is 
divided.  In  many  instances  enrollment  in  summer  schools  has  in¬ 
creased  in  spite  of  the  adverse  conditions  prevailing. 

There  is  a  growing  appreciation  of  the  value  of  extension  work 
in  teacher  training  and  of  the  need  of  extending  facilities  for  in¬ 
creased  professional  training  to  teachers  in  service.  One  institution 
reports  adding  to  its  rural  school  department  an  extension  agent 
who  is  devoting  his  whole  time  to  this  phase  of  the  work.  Nine  addi¬ 
tional  institutions  report  the  establishment  of  new  or  improved 
extension  activities.  Several  of  these  send  out  books,  Victrolas,  Bab¬ 
cock  testers,  and  the  like,  to  be  used  in  rural  schools.  One  institution 
reports  310  teachers  enrolled  as  students  in  its  extension  division. 

Nine  teacher- training  institutions  report  the  establishment  during 
the  year  of  specialized  departments  for  training  rural  and  agricul¬ 
tural  teachers.  As  a  rule  some  method  of  providing  practice  teach¬ 
ing  facilities  has  been  adopted,  the  kind  varying  in  different  States 
with  local  conditions  and  school  facilities.  Teachers’  cottages  often 
are  erected  in  connection  with  the  separate  practice  schools. 

Most  encouraging  progress  is  reported  in  regard  to  advanced  edu¬ 
cation  and  professional  requirements  for  certifying  teachers  and 
for  entrance  to  normal-school  courses.  More  and  more  emphasis  is 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


55 


placed  on  attendance  at  professional  schools  and  less  on  aca¬ 
demic  examination  in  the  certification  of  teachers.  Two  States, 
North  Dakota  and  Louisiana,  are  no  longer  renewing  certificates 
on  examination  only.  In  two  States  laws  have  been  passed  requiring 
all  applicants  for  certificates  to  have  education  equivalent  to  grad¬ 
uation  from  a  four-year  standard  high  school  and  nine  weeks’  addi¬ 
tional  professional  training.  These  laws  go  into  effect  in  1919  and 
1920.  One  State  offers  a  bonus  for  teachers  having  two  years’  pro¬ 
fessional  training  in  addition  to  graduation  from  a  four-year  high 
school. 

Several  institutions  are  lengthening  their  courses  from  two  to 
four  years.  In  general  the  four-year  courses  lead  to  the  A.  B. 
degree. 

In  many  schools  household  economics  and  agriculture  are  receiving 
renewed  attention.  An  interesting  experiment  is  reported  from  the 
State  normal  school  at  Areata,  Cal.  The  plan  is  to  place  all  of  the 
rural  schools  in  three  counties  under  the  direct  supervision,  of  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  faculty  of  the  normal  school.  In  the  county  in  which 
the  school  is  located  the  faculty  members  are  to  spend  two  days  a 
week  in  this  supervision.  In  the  two  counties  more  remote  more 
than  half  the  time  of  the  instructors  is  given  to  the  work. 

A  large  number  of  teacher-training  institutions  report  modifica¬ 
tion  or  enlargement  of  their  courses  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
Smith-Hughes  law  in  order  that  they  may  secure  the  Federal  appro¬ 
priations  made  available  under  its  provisions. 

EDUCATIONAL  WORK  OF  THE  CHURCHES. 

The  most  significant  tendency  of  the  year  in  the  educational  work 
of  the  churches,  greatly  stimulated  by  the  war,  has  been  the  increas¬ 
ing  cooperation  of  all  the  interests  in  the  field  of  religious  education. 
Within  particular  denominations  there  is  a  definite  tightening  of  the 
bonds  uniting  educational  institutions.  During  the  year  the  Protest¬ 
ant  Episcopal  board  has  strengthened  its  college  department;  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America  is  consolidat¬ 
ing  its  various  educational  interests  under  a  single  board;  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  is  expanding  the  work  of  its 
board  of  education  and  organizing  its  colleges  in  an  association ;  and 
the  Keformed  Church  in  America  is  projecting  a  survey  of  its  edu¬ 
cational  interests. 

The  extent  of  interdenominational  cooperation  may  be  estimated 
from  some  of  the  activities  in  which  the  various  churches  have 
joined  forces.  At  the  present  time  colleges  of  most  of  the  Protestant 
denominations,  together  with  many  Catholic  schools,  are  combining 
much  of  their  advertising  under  the  leadership  of  the  Council  of 


56 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


Church  Boards  of  Education,  various  State  associations  of  colleges, 
and  State  Councils  of  Defense,  and  the  National  Council  on  Edu¬ 
cation,  which  conducted  an  emergency  campaign  from  Washington 
in  1918.  The  various  church  boards  of  education  have  combined 
their  educational  survey  work  and  investigation  in  a  single  de¬ 
partment. 

The  Council  of  Church  Boards  of  Education,  the  Christian  asso¬ 
ciations,  and  the  church  workers  in  State  universities  held  a  joint 
meeting  during  the  year  and  considered  especially  the  religious 
work  in  State  institutions.  The  same  organizations  united  in  a 
Nation-wide  campaign  to  accomplish  the  Northfield  program  of 
200,000  college  students  in  Bible  study  during  the  year.  There 
have  been  special  gatherings  of  those  interested  in  college  Bible 
departments,  standards  of  Sunday-school  work,  cooperative  pur¬ 
chasing,  preparation  for  the  ministry,  and  the  relation  of  colleges 
to  the  war. 

The  higher  institutions,  including  those  under  denominational  con¬ 
trol,  suffered  severely  during  the  year  through  loss  of  students,  fac¬ 
ulty,  and  revenue.  Many  of  them  placed  their  facilities  at  the  service 
of  the  Government  for  war  work.  In  so  far  as  they  could  secure 
military  instructors,  the  denominational  institutions  introduced  mili¬ 
tary  training,  and  during  the  coming  year  units  of  the  Students’ 
Army  Training  Corps  will  be  established  at  most  of  them. 

Comparatively  few  of  the  denominations  maintain  element:  -y 
parochial  schools.  The  great  majority  of  such  schools  in  the  United 
States  are  under  the  control  of  the  Catholic  and  Lutheran  Churches. 

The  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States  consists  of  14  archdio¬ 
ceses  and  87  dioceses.  Each  of  these  divisions  has  its  elementary 
schools,  which  continue  to  grow  in  number  and  attendance.  In 
1917-18  the  total  number  of  such  schools  was  5,748,  a  gain  of  151 
over  the  number  for  the  preceding  year,  and  the  number  of  pupils 
in  attendance  was  1,593,407,  an  increase  of  95,060. 

The  number  of  supervisory  officers  is  increasing  very  rapidly.  This 
is  due  largely  to  the  increasing  number  of  community  inspectors 
appointed  in  recent  years.  These  inspectors  are  members  of  their 
teaching  communities,  appointed  to  supervise  the  schools  of  their  re¬ 
spective  communities.  Many  of  them  cover  a  wide  territory  in  their 
work,  while  others  are  limited  to  the  schools  of  their  community 
situated  in  a  particular  diocese.  The  number  of  Catholic  high 
schools  accredited  by  the  Catholic  University  of  America  has  in¬ 
creased  to  144. 

LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES. 

Libraries  and  the  war. — Upon  the  declaration  of  war  by  the  United 
States  the  librarians  of  the  country  immediately  became  concerned  to 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


57 


determine  how  they  might  best  serve  the  Nation  in  this  crisis.  The 
outcome  has  been  the  cooperation  of  practically  every  library  in  the 
country  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  a  program  of  war  service  which 
may  be  outlined  under  the  following  heads:  As  an  agency  of  war 
publicity  for  the  Government ;  work  in  behalf  of  the  food  campaign ; 
cooperation  in  liberty-loan  and  war-savings  campaigns;  aid  to  the 
Red  Cross,  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and  other  agencies  of 
war  relief;  Americanization  of  aliens;  and  providing  library  facili¬ 
ties  for  soldiers.  This  last  service  has  been  rendered  directly  by 
libraries  adjacent  to  camps,  hospitals,  and  stations,  and  in  general  by 
the  cooperation  of  nearly  all  librarians  in  the  corporate  war  work  of 
their  professional  organization,  the  American  Library  Association. 
It  has  also  been  recognized  that  it  is  a  function  of  the  library  to 
uphold  the  spirits  of  the  people  by  supplying  literature  clearly  pre¬ 
senting  American  ideals,  and  also  expressing  the  great  universal  prin¬ 
ciples  which  serve  for  encouragement  in  sacrifice  and  consolation  in 
bereavement.  In  addition,  the  general  educational  facilities  of  the 
public  library  serve  in  both  war  and  peace  to  raise  the  standard  of 
efficiency  of  the  people  to  meet  their  practical  responsibilities. 

The  war  has  affected  the  budget  of  the  libraries  in  two  ways — by 
diminishing  their  income,  because  of  decreased  appropriations,  etc., 
and  by  reducing  the  purchasing  power  of  the  income  actually  re¬ 
ceived.  The  problem  of  service  is  also  pressing,  because  of  the  inroads 
made  on  the  library  staffs  by  war  conditions.  The  libraries  of  the 
country,  in  common  with  other  institutions,  consequently  labor  under 
serious  economic  difficulties,  which  have  obliged  many  libraries  to 
curtail  th6ir  activities.  Some  communities  have  even  proposed  to 
close  their  public  libraries  during  the  war,  but  against  this  course  it 
may  be  urged  that  the  reasons  which  advise  the  continuance  of  school 
and  college  sessions  in  war  time  also  apply  to  libraries. 

War  service  of  the  American  Library  Association. — At  the  Louis¬ 
ville  conference  of  the  American  Library  Association,  in  June,  1917, 
a  war-service  committee  was  constituted,  in  accordance  with  a  rec¬ 
ommendation  presented  in  the  report  of  a  preliminary  war-work 
committee  appointed  soon  after  the  entrance  of  the  United  States 
into  the  contest.  The  war-service  committee  was  empowered  to 
devise  methods  by  which  the  association  might  aid  in  providing 
reading  matter  for  the  soldiers  and  to  solicit  funds  for  the  erection 
and  equipment  of  camp  libraries. 

A  few*  weeks  thereafter  the  commission,  on  training-camp  activities 
requested  the  American  Library  Association  to  assume  responsibility 
for  providing  adequate  library  facilities  in  the  32  cantonments  and 
National  Guard  training  camps  soon  to  be  opened.  The  acceptance 
of  the  invitation  from  the  commission  placed  the  war-service  com¬ 
mittee  in  direct  official  relations  to  the  Government  through  the  War 


58  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 

Department.  The  committee  began  work  at  once  collecting  books 
and  making  plans  and  arrangements,  basing  its  operations  at  first 
on  volunteer  service  and  on  a  few  thousand  dollars  contributed  by 
members  of  the  American  Library  Association.  While  awaiting 
the  building  of  camp  libraries  the  books  were  distributed  through 
the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  and  similar  agencies. 

During  the  last  week  of  September,  1917,  a  national  “  million- 
dollar  drive”  for  funds  was  held,  which  succeeded  in  raising  ap¬ 
proximately  $1,500,000.  In  the  campaign  for  this  fund  the  war- 
service  committee  was  assisted  by  a  library  war  council  composed 
of  nationally  known  citizens  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  War. 
Further  provision  for  the  work  was  made  by  a  grant  of  $320,000 
from  the  Carnegie  Corporation  for  the  erection  of  camp  library 
buildings,  at  a  maximum  cost  of  $10,000  for  each  building. 

The  raising  of  the  fund  made  it  possible  by  October  1  to  unify 
the  work  in  a  single  office,  under  a  skilled  executive  with  a  paid 
office  staff,  and  to  proceed  with  an  extensive  program  of  activities. 
Headquarters  for  the  war-service  committee  were  established  in 
the  Library  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  and  Herbert  Putnam, 
Librarian  of  Congress,  was  made  general  director.  This  centraliza¬ 
tion  has  given  the  work  a  special  impetus.  For  the  shipment  of 
hooks  for  overseas  service  dispatch  offices  were  established  at  the 
principal  ports  of  embarkation,  and  each  office  was  provided  with 
a  suitable  stock  of  books  and  facilities  for  sorting,  casing,  and  deliv¬ 
ery.  Librarians  were  appointed  for  the  camps,  generally  from  the 
younger  men  of  experience  in  library  work.  By  the  spring  of  1918 
a  larger  supply  of  gift  books  became  necessary,  and  accordingly  in 
April  an  intensive  campaign  was  undertaken  to  secure  them.  This 
campaign  resulted  in  the  immediate  collection  of  more  than  3,000,000 
volumes,  most  of  them  suitable  for  use. 

By  the  end  of  June,  1918,  36  camp  library  buildings  had  been 
erected  and  42  large  camps  had  trained  librarians  and  complete 
library  service.  There  were  150  librarians  in  the  field.  Books  had 
been  supplied  to  numerous  hospitals,  marine  and  naval  stations,  ves¬ 
sels,  and  small  military  camps  and  posts,  including  aviation  camps. 
Aearly  300,000  selected  books  had  gone  overseas  through  six  dis¬ 
patch  offices.  The  number  of  books  purchased  was  over  400,000, 
largely  technical,  and  more  than  2,000,000  gift  books  had  been  sent 
co  camps  and  stations.  In  addition,  about  5,000,000  magazines  had 
been  distributed,  many  of  which  were  received  under  the  1-cent 
mailing  privilege. 

/Standardisation  of  libraries  and  certification  of  librarians ;  library 
salaries . — In  common  with  schools  and  colleges,  the  libraries  of  the 
country  have  taken  up  the  problems  of  standardization  and  certifi¬ 
cation  as  applied  to  their  own  institutions  and  service.  The  Ameri- 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


59 


can  Library  Association  has  a  committee  at  work  on  this  subject, 
which  reported  at  the  Louisville  conference  in  1917  and  was  con¬ 
tinued  for  further  study.  In  its  report  the  committee  considered 
chiefly  the  classification  or  grading  of  libraries;  nomenclature,  or 
the  title  of  positions;  and  certification  of  librarians.  The  subject 
of  standardization  of  libraries  includes  the  titles  pertaining  to  par¬ 
ticular  positions,  grading  of  library  staffs,  certification  of  librarians, 
efficiency  records,  hours  of  service,  promotion  schedules,  salaries, 
and  pensions.  There  is  considerable  controversy  among  library  ad¬ 
ministrators  regarding  the  wisdom  of  placing  library  employees 
under  the  State  or  municipal  civil  service,  as  has  been  done  in  some 
places. 

Library  salaries,  always  meager,  have  been  rendered  still  more 
inadequate  by  the  recent  marked  increase  in  the  cost  of  living.  The 
situation  has  been  felt  with  especial  keenness  in  New  York  City, 
Philadelphia,  and  Boston,  where  the  junior  employees  of  the  pub¬ 
lic  libraries,  in  the  hope  of  improving  their  economic  condition, 
have  formed  unions  affiliated  with  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor.  Plans  for  increasing  library  salaries  are  under  consideration 
by  the  authorities  of  these  cities.  The  Chicago  public  library  board 
granted  liberal  increases  to  more  than  400  of  its  employees,  avail¬ 
able  May  25,  1917,  and  some  other  cities  have  done  likewise.  The 
lowness  of  salaries  is  causing  a  dangerous  shortage  of  library  assist¬ 
ants  throughout  the  country,  which  threatens  to  lower  the  standard 
of  library  service.  A  warning  against  this  danger  has  been  issued 
in  a  recent  letter  addressed  to  library  trustees  and  librarians  by  a 
committee  of  the  Association  of  American  Library  Schools. 

Library  legislation. — The  State  legislation  of  1917  shows  a  gen¬ 
eral  tendency  to  extend  the  scope  of  library  work  into  new  fields  and 
to  provide  more  generously  for  its  maintenance.  In  many  cases  the 
existing  library  law  was  amended.  Important  subjects  of  legisla¬ 
tion  were  county  libraries,  legislative  reference  bureaus,  and  co¬ 
ordination  of  the  work  of  county  and  city  libraries.  The  most  sig¬ 
nificant  and  most  complete  county  library  law  of  the  year  was  en¬ 
acted  by  Indiana.  The  Michigan  Legislature  of  1917  authorized  the 
creation  of  county  libraries,  and  Montana,  North  Carolina,  Oregon, 
South  Dakota,  and  Texas  also  passed  important  county  library  laws. 
Pennsylvania  enacted  a  new  general  library  law,  including  among  its 
provisions  an  authorization  of  county  libraries.  A  bill  passed  by 
the  Ohio  General  Assembly  providing  for  county  district  library 
service  was  vetoed  by  the  governor. 

New  library  buildings. — The  year  has  been  marked  by  activity  in 
library  building,  notwithstanding  the  many  unfavorable  conditions 
at  present  for  such  work.  Among  the  structures  erected  or  in 
progress  the  following  may  be  mentioned:  Detroit  Public  Library, 


60 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


corner  stone  laid  November,  1917;  San  Francisco  Public  Library, 
opened  in  1917;  Sacramento  Public  Library,  opened  April,  1918; 
Indianapolis  Public  Library,  dedicated  on  the  birthday  anniversary 
of  James  Whitcomb  Riley,  October  7,  1917 ;  St.  Paul  Public  Library, 
also  dedicated  in  October,  1917.  Work  on  the  new  building  for  the 
Philadelphia  Free  Library  was  suspended  because  of  legal  complica¬ 
tions.  The  buildings  of  the  Forbes  Library,  Northampton,  Mass., 
and  of  the  Public  Library  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  were  remodeled 
during  the  year. 

Amherst  College  dedicated  its  new  Converse  Memorial  Library 
building  in  November,  1917.  The  library  building  of  the  University 
of  California  was  greatly  enlarged  during  the  year,  and  a  library 
building  was  in  course  of  erection  on  the  campus  of  Leland  Stanford 
Junior  University.  Work  was  begun  on  a  new  library  building  for 
the  University  of  Oklahoma  at  Norman.  Plans  were  inaugurated 
for  a  new  building  for  the  University  of  Wyoming  library,  and  the 
contract  was  let  for  the  construction  of  a  large  library  building  for 
the  Peabody  College  for  Teachers,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Library  association  meetings . — The  American  Library  Yssocia- 
tion  has  continued  to  hold  its  annual  conferences  without  interrup¬ 
tion  by  the  extraordinary  conditions  due  to  the  war.  These  war-time 
conferences  have  naturally  been  chiefly  devoted  to  the  consideration 
of  library  war  service  in  which  those  attending  displayed  their  very 
earnest  interest.  The  attendance  shows  a  falling  off  from  the  figures 
of  the  immediately  preceding  conferences,  but  is  large  in  view  of  the 
impediments  in  the  way,  especially  expensiveness  and  difficulty  *of 
travel.  The  thirty-ninth  conference  was  held  at  Louisville,  Ky., 
June  21-27,  1917,  with  a  registration  of  over  700  persons.  The 
fortieth  conference,  at  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y.,  July  1-6,  1918,  with 
about  600  in  attendance,  largely  leaders  in  the  profession,  was  even 
more  than  that  of  Louisville  a  war  gathering.  A  conspicuous  feature 
of  the  meeting  was  a  numerous  group  of  librarians  in  service  uni¬ 
form  from  camp,  hospital,  and  dispatch  service.  William  Warner 
Bishop,  librarian  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  was  chosen  presi¬ 
dent  of  the  American  Library  Association  for  1918-19.  The  various 
State  library  associations  have  also  maintained  their  usual  meetings 
during  the  past  year  for  consideration  of  current  professional  sub¬ 
jects. 

PORTO  RICO. 

The  work  of  the  schools  has  been  greatly  handicapped  through 
conditions  brought  about  by  the  war  and  the  prevailing  low  salaries 
of  teachers.  The  department  of  education  lost  many  of  its  most  effi¬ 
cient  men,  who  went  into  military  service,  and  the  changes  in  the 
teaching  corps  were  frequent.  The  rural  teaching  force  had  730 
changes;  the  city  of  San  Juan  had  110. 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


61 


In  spite  of  these  obstacles  the  work  of  the  schools  has  been  char¬ 
acterized  particularly  by  the  various  activities  carried  on  by  super¬ 
visors,  teachers,  and  pupils  toward  promoting  the  success  of  the 
United  States  and  its  allies  in  the  world  war. 

Special  attention  has  been  devoted  to  increasing  the  food  supply. 
There  have  been  established  1,312  rural  school  gardens,  83  urban 
school  gardens,  5,548  urban  home  gardens,  and  21,145  rural  home 
gardens. 

For  the  promotion  of  community  and  war  propaganda  there  were 
organized  1,177  committees  for  the  promotion  of  agriculture,  which 
conducted  2,380  public  meetings;  831  parent  associations  held  1,297 
public  meetings;  teachers  made  60*, 038  visits  to  rural  homes  and  co¬ 
operated  with  the  Food  Commission  in  conducting  2,157  rural  con¬ 
ferences  for  enlightening  the  public  on  the  issues  of  the  war  and  the 
promotion  of  agriculture.  During  conservation  week  the  schools 
conducted  over  2,000  meetings  and  secured  122,826  pledge  cards. 
The  thousands  of  home  visits  and  public  meetings  have  made  a  last¬ 
ing  impression  on  the  people.  The  gospel  of  food  economy,  of  in¬ 
creased  production,  of  improved  methods  of  cultivation,  and  the 
need  of  planting  a  greater  variety  of  products  has  been  preached  to 
the  remotest  rural  barrio. 

War  literature  was  introduced  into  the  schools  and  instruction 
given  in  patriotism.  Among  the  literature  used  were  Lessons  in 
Community  and  National  Life,  Democracy  To-day,  and  How  the 
War  Came  to  America. 

The  course  of  study  in  home  economics,  including  both  cooking 
and  sewing,  comprised  four  years  of  work,  extending  from  the  sev¬ 
enth  through  the  tenth  grades.  Owing  to  changed  living  conditions 
due  to  the  war,  the  course  in  practical  cooking  was  changed  entirely 
with  a  view  to  instructing  students  and  their  families  in  a  diet  that 
would  make  use  of  local  food  products.  Mothers’  classes  taught  in 
Spanish  were  conducted  by  teachers  of  home  economics  for  two  hours 
once  a  week,  and  neighborhood  evenings  wTere  held  once  a  month  in 
the  home-economics  rooms,  where  subjects  relating  to  home  and  com¬ 
munity  life  as  affected  by  the  war  were  discussed. 

Since  the  United  States  entered  the'war  the  department  of  educa¬ 
tion  and  the  University  of  Porto  Eico  has  lost  233  of  their  best  men 
by  their  entering  the  military  service.  Of  these,  10  were  supervisors 
of  schools,  12  instructors  in  the  university,  4  high-school  principals, 
10  high-school  teachers,  5  school-board  members,  18  manual-training 
teachers,  13  teachers  of  English,  2  special  teachers  of  agriculture,  49 
graded  teachers,  and  110  rural  teachers. 

The  school  population  of  Porto  Eico  is  427,666,  of  which  number 
215,819  are  of  compulsory  school  age,  i.  e.,  between  8  and  14  years. 
The  total  enrollment  in  all  the  public  schools  was  142,846,  or  33.1 


62 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


per  cent  of  the  population  of  school  age.  Of  these,  84,570  were 
enrolled  in  rural  schools,  50,060  in  elementary  urban  schools,  3,346 
in  secondary  schools,  3,613  in  night  schools,  and  1,257  in  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Porto  Rico.  There  were  enrolled  also  in  private  schools 
7,248  children. 

The  schools  of  Porto  Rico  were  conducted  in  1,712  buildings,  hav¬ 
ing  2,845  classrooms.  Of  these  buildings  540  are  public  property 
and  1,172  are  rented ;  316  are  situated  in  urban  centers  and  1,396  in 
rural  barrios;  58  new  buildings  were  completed  during  the  past  two 
years,  17  buildings  with  141  rooms  in  urban  centers  and  41  buildings 
with  49  rooms  in  rural  centers. 

The  total  amount  expended  for  educational  purposes  during  the 
year  was  $2,365,260.99,  a  per  capita  expenditure  per  pupil  of  $12.63 
for  elementary  education  and  $41.92  for  secondary  education. 

Important  changes  in  the  graded  schools  are  the  teaching  of  Eng¬ 
lish  on  a  strictly  oral  basis  in  the  first  three  grades,  the  introduction 
of  specially  prepared  textbooks  in  arithmetic,  formal  instruction  in 
moral  and  civic  training,  for  which  purpose  a  special  pamphlet  has 
been  issued.  The  improvement  in  the  primary  grades  as  a  result  of 
a  better  coordinated  system  of  teaching  such  subjects  as  Spanish, 
English,  writing,  and  arithmetic  in  closer  harmony  with  the  needs 
and  the  life  experience  of  Porto  Rican  children  has  everywhere  been 
remarkable.  Much  of  this  improvement  is  the  result  of  the  use  of 
specially  prepared  textbooks  in  which  the  standpoint  of  the  Porto 
Rican  child,  his  experience,  and  his  needs  are  given  due  consideration. 

HAWAII. 


During  the  past  two  years  the  school  enrollment  has  increased 
from  30,205  to  34,343.  The  great  diversity  of  nationality  of  races 
found  in  the  public  schools  is  indicated  by  the  following  figures : 


Hawaiian 

Part  Hawaiian 
Aniprioan 

3,  216 
3.  805 
_  849 

British 

_  108 

German - 

126 

Pnrtngnpsp 

...  5  . 001 

15,101 

Chinese 

3,  305 

Porto  Rican  _ 

_  1, 032 

Korean 

_  409 

Spanish _ 

.  -  •  489 

Russian  _ _ 

195 

Filipino 

626 

Other  foreigners 

1 51 

Total _  34,343 


The  number  of  teachers  has  increased  from  804  in  1916  to  967  in 


1918.  The  problem  of  obtaining  well-qualified  teachers  to  fill  the 
many  vacancies  caused  by  resignations  and  the  creation  of  new  posi¬ 
tions  is  a  serious  one,  as  the  normal  school  at  Honolulu  graduates 
only  about  50  yearly.  The  situation  has  been  aggravated  this  year 
by  the  resignation  of  an  unusually  large  number  of  teachers,  due 
to  war  conditions.  Some  teachers  are  secured  annually  from  the 


EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


63 


Pacific  Coast  States,  and  this  year  it  is  estimated  that  it  will  be 
necessary  to  obtain  about  150  teachers  from  that  source.  Conditions 
in  many  of  the  country  schools  have  been  improved  by  the  erection 
of  teacherages,  so  that  now  practically  every'  school  in  the  Terri¬ 
tory,  with  the  exception  of  those  located  in  Honolulu  and  Hilo,  has 
on  its  grounds  cottages  for  the  teachers,  and  it  is  now  possible  to 
secure  a  better  class  of  teachers  for  those  schools. 

Continued  emphasis  is  placed  on  vocational  training,  although, 
owing  to  war  conditions,  it  is  veering  to  some  extent  from  the  shop 
to  the  field  and  garden.  Nearly  all  the  large  schools  have  well- 
equipped  shops  in  charge  of  specially  trained  teachers.  They  also 
conducted  school  and  home  gardens  on  a  large  scale  even  before 
the  war  began.  In  no  place  in  the  Union  is  self-help,  particularly 
as  expressed  in  the  home  garden,  as  important  as  it  is  in  Hawaii. 
Every  ton  of  home-grown  product  means  the  saving  of  a  2,000-mile 
haul  by  steamer  from  San  Francisco.  Practically  every  school  in 
the  Territory  has  a  school  garden  and  practically  all  the  school 
children  who  have  attained  suitable  age  have  home  gardens  as  well; 
the  pupils  of  132  schools  have  9,692  home  gardens. 

The  school  children  have  taken  an  active  part  in  the  activities  occa¬ 
sioned  more  or  less  directly  by  the  war,  such  as  war  saving  stamp 
campaigns,  Liberty  bonds,  Red  Cross,  etc. 

CANAL  ZONE. 

The  enrollment  of  pupils  in  the  public  schools  of  the  Canal  Zone 
is  increasing  gradually,  the  number  enrolled  during  the  year  being 
2,774.  Of  this  number  1,764  were  white  and  1,010  colored.  There 
were  employed  during  the  year  65  w7hite  and  15  colored  teachers. 
The  entrance  salary  for  grade  teachers  was  increased  from  $95  to 
$104.50  per  month;  high-school  teachers  from  $120  to  $132;  science 
and  mathematics  teachers  from  $145  to  $159.50.  The  total  expenditure 
for  schools  was  $140,000,  an  average  cost  per  capita  of  enrollment  of 
$50.83. 

Junior  Red  Cross  work  was  carried  on  extensively  in  the  white 
schools  and  a  Junior  Red  Cross  Auxiliary  was  organized  in  each 
white  school.  Junior  four-minute  men  speaking  contests  were  car¬ 
ried  on  successfully  in  connection  with  the  work  in  English.  “  Les¬ 
sons  in  Community  and  National  Life”  and  thrift  and  war-savings 
problems  were  incorporated  into  the  work  of  the  schools  in  such 
subjects  as  arithmetic,  reading,  history,  English,  geography,  and 
current  events. 

VIRGIN  ISLANDS. 

There  are  three  classes  of  schools  in  the  Virgin  Islands — public, 
denominational,  and  private.  Public  schools  are  maintained  in  the 


64 


EDUCATION  EEPOKT,  1918. 


towns  of  Charlotte  Amalie,  Frederiksted,  and  Christiansted.  Out¬ 
side  of  these  towns  the  country  schools  are  conducted  by  the  Moravian 
Church  and  are  aided  by  subsidies  from  the  local  treasuries.  A 
private  high  school  in  Christiansted  also  receives  municipal  aid.  The 
great  need  in  these  islands  is  for  schools  providing  instruction  above 
the  elementary  stages  along  practical  lines,  such  as  agriculture,  trade, 
and  business.  A  normal  school  is  also  needed,  so  that  native  teachers 
may  be  developed  under  American  instructors. 

PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 

Beginning  with  the  school  year  1917-18  all  schools  where  a  course 
in  farming  is  given  are  to  be  in  session  throughout  the  year.  This 
is  not  entirely  a  new  venture,  as  for  several  years  all  settlement  farm 
schools  and  most  agricultural  schools  have  been  in  continuous  session, 
and  notwithstanding  the  younger  pupils  enrolled  in  them  these 
schools  have  maintained  the  best  farms. 

The  calendar  year  has  been  divided  into  42  weeks  of  classroom 
work,  4  weeks  of  special  field  practice,  4  weeks  of  vacation,  and  1 
week  each  for  examinations  and  an  annual  cleaning  up.  Each  pupil 
enrolled  will  be  given  a  vacation  of  four  weeks  at  the  time  in  the 
year  that  the  farm  activities  can  best  spare  his  services.  All  teachers 
assigned  to  farm  schools  are  required  to  render  service  throughout 
the  school  year,  except  that  short  vacations  may  be  given  when  their 
services  can  be  spared. 

It  is  believed  that  students  should  be  detailed  to  definite  projects 
and  thereby  become  factors  in  a  productive  enterprise.  Each  pupil 
is  expected  to  do  fieldwork  for  not  less  than  four  consecutive  periods 
(160  minutes)  each  day  for  5  days  a  week,  and  daily  fieldwork  up 
to  3.5  hours  may  be  required  at  the  option  of  the  principal.  Each 
pupil  is  required  to  perform  at  least  3  hours  of  fieldwork  on  every 
other  Saturday  forenoon. 


IL 

EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


ENGLAND. 

GENERAL. 

In  its  report  for  1916-17  the  board  of  education  states  that  “  the 
year  has  been  noteworthy  for  its  demonstration  of  the  advantages 
which  can  be  derived  from  enlisting  the  cooperation  of  the  educa¬ 
tional  institutions  of  the  country  in  the  promotion  of  various  national 
movements.”  The  difficulties  due  to  the  military  occupation  of 
schools  and  the  inadequate  supply  of  teachers  have  not  decreased  ap¬ 
preciably,  but  while  the  ordinary  studies  of  the  schools  have  con¬ 
tinued  unabated  additional  work  in  the  national  cause  has  increased. 
The  schools  have  served  as  valuable  centers  for  disseminating  in¬ 
formation  on  food  conservation  and  war  recipes,  promoting  thrift, 
and  the  sale  of  war  loans.  Out  of  35,000  war-savings  associations  in 
existence  at  the  end  of  June,  1917,  about  one-third  were  connected 
with  the  schools.  Handwork  has  profited  by  the  new  motive,  and 
work  has  been  done  for  the  soldiers  and  in  making  equipment  for 
hospitals  and  even  munitions  plants.  Not  only  have  the  schools 
proved  to  be  effective  agencies  in  inculcating  the  new  economy  in 
food,  but  they  have  participated  largely  in  increasing  the  supply  by 
the  development  of  school  gardens. 

The  teachers  have  played  no  small  part  in  developing  these  pa¬ 
triotic  endeavors  and  have  won  for  themselves  a  new  place  in  public 
esteem.  Says  the  report  for  1914-15 : 

When  peace  is  restored  the  teachers  of  England  need  have  no  fear  if  anyone 
asks  them  what  they  did  in  the  war.  They  offered  themselves  freely,  and, 
whether  they  stayed  in  the  schools  or  carried  arms,  they  did  their  duty,  and  the 
service  is  richer  for  their  own  practice  and  the  exemplification  of  these  princi¬ 
ples  of  civic  duty  and  patriotism  which  in  times  of  peace  they  taught,  and  not 
in  vain,  by  precept  and  exhortation. 

This  tribute  is  all  the  greater  when  it  is  remembered  that  the 
teachers  have  been  among  the  last  to  receive  additional  remuneration 
to  meet  the  increased  cost  of  living.  Local  action  was  dilatory  at 
first,  and  it  was  not  until  the  close  of  1915  that  war  bonuses  became 
general  throughout  the  country,  followed  by  the  establishment  of 
87376°— 18 - 5  65 


66 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


new  scales  of  salaries.  It  was  Mr.  Fisher’s  intention  that  a  large 
share  of  the  supplementary  grant  in  1917  of  more  than  $19,000,000 
should  be  devoted  to  teachers’  salaries.  The  reports  of  two  depart¬ 
mental  committees  appointed  to  inquire  into  the  principles  which 
should  determine  the  construction  of  scales  of  salaries  for  teachers 
in  elementary  and  secondary  and  other  schools  were  published  in 
1918  and  open  up  brighter  prospects  for  all  teachers,  while  the  Gov¬ 
ernment  is  planning  to  introduce  pension  systems  for  teachers  of  all 
grades. 

The  evil  effects  of  the  war  which  were  early  manifested  in  the 
poor  attendance  and  the  premature  withdrawal  of  young  children 
for  employment  have  been  checked  largely  by  publicity  and  the  co¬ 
operation  of  Government  departments  and  by  the  increase  of  rem¬ 
edial  and  preventive  measures.  In  1917  the  board  of  education 
offered  to  pay  a  grant  equal  to  half  the  cost  of  maintaining  evening 
recreation  centers,  while  the  Home  Office  appointed  a  juvenile  organ¬ 
izations  committee  to  consider  facilities  for  the  recreation  and  guid¬ 
ance  of  adolescent  boys  and  girls.  The  departmental  committee  on 
juvenile  education  in  relation  to  employment  after  the  war  urged 
the  importance  of  continuation  schools  and  the  vocational  guidance 
of  boys  and  girls  on  leaving  school,  with  the  result  that  education 
authorities  have  taken  steps  to  render  juvenile  employment  bureaus, 
established  under  the  Education  (Choice  of  Employment)  Act,  1910, 
more  effective. 

Retrenchment  in  educational  expenditures  has  continued  but  has 
been  directed  to  the  elimination  of  overlapping  between  the  central 
and  local  authorities;  the  reduction  of  clerical  and  statistical  work; 
the  closing  of  evening  schools,  no  longer  in  demand  owing  to  the 
absence  of  a  clientele;  and  in  other  ways  that  have  not  seriously 
affected  the  efficiency  of  education.  The  building  of  new  schools  has, 
of  course,  been  suspended.  The  cost  of  education  has,  however,  in¬ 
evitably  increased,  and,  while  figures  are  only  available  in  the  national 
estimates,  a  somewhat  similar  increase  may  be  assumed  for  local 
expenditure.  For  1913-14  the  estimates  for  the  board  of  education 
were  $74,621,595,  and  for  1917-18  they  had  risen  to  $102,375,180;  but 
for  1918-19  they  are  $98,804,980,  a  decrease  due  mainly  to  a  reduc¬ 
tion  in  the  grant  to  the  department  of  scientific  and  industrial  research. 
Since  the  outbreak  of  the  war  the  board  of  education  has  assumed  a 
number  of  new  financial  burdens  whose  full  effects  are  not  yet  mani¬ 
fested.  These  include  half  the  cost  of  maintaining  adequate  schemes 
for  medical  treatment;  half  the  cost  of  maintaining  evening  recrea¬ 
tion  centers, ^schools  for  mothers  and  nursery  schools;  half  the  cost 
of  salaries  for  trained  organizers  and  supervisors  of  physical  train¬ 
ing  and  games;  increased  grants  to  secondary  schools,  both  for  gen¬ 
eral  purposes  and  for  advanced  courses;  and  the  increased  cost  of 


EDUCATION  IN  ENGLAND. 


67 


pensions  to  teachers  already  retired.  The  directions  of  future  in¬ 
crease  in  the  national  expenditure  are  indicated  by  the  promise  of  the 
new  act  by  the  provisions  of  which  half  the  cost  incurred  by  local 
authorities  for  maintaining  comprehensive  schemes  of  education  will 
be  met  by  the  board.  The  vast  and  unproductive  expenditure  de¬ 
manded  for  the  conduct  of  the  war  has  awakened  the  country  to  a 
realization  of  its  tremendous  financial  strength,  which  will  be  devoted 
after  the  war  to  the  task  of  reconstruction.  But  the  increased  partici¬ 
pation  of  the  central  authority  in  the  expenditures  of  the  country 
for  education  will  not  be  permitted  to  lead  to  the  development  of  a 
centralized  and  dictatorial  bureaucracy.  Nothing  that  has  occurred 
during  the  war  has  shaken  the  traditional  English  faith  in  the  prin¬ 
ciple  of  freedom  and  initiative  in  local  government,  but  the  war  has 
had  the  effect  of  arousing  that  sense  of  responsibility  and  that  social 
conscience  that  are  the  corollary  of  freedom. 

SECONDARY  EDUCATION. 

The  four  years  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  have  witnessed  an 
increased  enrollment  of  boys  and  girls  in  the  secondary  schools,  ac¬ 
companied  by  a  widespread  consideration  of  the  aims  and  purposes 
of  secondary  education.  The  increase  in  numbers  has  been  due 
largely  to  the  prosperity  consequent  on  the  development  of  war 
industries,  partly  to  the  greater  interest  in  education.  So  great  has 
been  the  demand  for  the  admission  to  secondary  schools  that  many 
schools  have  been  compelled  to  institute  a  waiting  list,  while  in  the 
absence  of  adequate  accommodation  and  the  reduction  in  the  num¬ 
ber  of  teachers  the  board  of  education  has  been  compelled  to  relax 
the  regulations  as  to  the  size  of  classes  in  schools  on  its  grant  list. 
A  few  schools  are  still  under  military  occupation.  The  following 
figures  indicate  the  increase  during  the  past  four  years  in  England 
and  Wales: 

Enrollment  in  the  secondary  schools. 


Year. 

Schools 
on  the 
grant  list. 

Boys. 

Girls. 

1,027 

99,225 
113, 214 

88,079 
105, 644 

1916  17 . . . 

1,049 

Although  the  figures  are  not  available,  since  the  collection  of  sta¬ 
tistics  has  been  suspended,  the  increase  has  probably  been  similar  in 
schools  not  on  the  grant  list  and  in  private  schools  in  general. 

Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  war  criticisms  were  heard  of  the 
secondary  schools.  They  had  succeeded  in  the  task  of  developing 
leaders  and  training  individual  initiative  and  independence,  but  they 


68 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


had  failed  to  inspire  their  pupils  with  love  of  intellectual  pursuits  and 
to  give  them  the  knowledge  needed  in  modern  life.  Soon  the  discus¬ 
sions  narrowed  themselves  down  to  a  dispute  on  the  relative  merits 
of  a  classical  and  a  scientific  education  in  which  the  advocates  of 
modern  language  studies  soon  engaged.  There  was  unanimous 
agreement  on  one  point,  that  it  is  not  the  function  of  the  secondary 
schools  to  provide  vocational  or  professional  preparation,  and  under 
no  circumstances  should  specialization  begin  before  a  good  general 
education  had  been  completed  at  about  the  age  of  16.  It  was  gen¬ 
erally  agreed  that  secondary  education,  beginning  at  about  the  age 
of  12,  should  provide  an  education  for  four  years  including  English 
language  and  literature,  one  or  two  foreign  languages,  geography 
and  history,  science  and  mathematics,  drawing,  organized  games, 
physical  training,  manual  instruction,  and  singing,  with  necessary 
differentiation  for  girls  to  include  domestic  subjects.  These  subjects 
are  required  by  the  regulations  of  the  board  of  education  for  secon¬ 
dary  schools  on  its  grant  list,  but  it  was  charged  that  even  here  there 
was  a  tendency  to  encourage  the  study  of  classics  at  the  expense  of 
other  subjects.  After  much  informal  discussion  the  question  was 
finally  settled  at  conferences  between  the  Council  on  Humanitarian 
Studies,  representing  the  interests  of  the  linguistic  and  literary  sub¬ 
jects,  and  a  committee  of  the  Royal  Society  representing  the  interests 
of  the  sciences.  The  agreement  emphasizes  the  importance  of  gen¬ 
eral  education  along  the  lines  mentioned  above  up  to  16  and  speciali¬ 
zation  after  that  stage  has  been  completed.  The  reports  of  two  com¬ 
mittees  appointed  by  the  prime  minister,  the  one  to  consider  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  natural  science  in  educational  institutions  in  Great  Britain, 
and  the  other  to  consider  the  position  of  modern  languages  will  have 
great  weight  in  developing  public  opinion  in  favor  of  these  two 
branches  of  study. 

Recent  regulations  of  the  board  have  given  concrete  effect  to  these 
tendencies.  In  the  regulations  for  1917  the  establishment  of  ad¬ 
vanced  courses  for  pupils  who  have  completed  a  general  course  is  en¬ 
couraged.  These  courses,  covering  two  years’  work,  are  contemplate  ! 
in  science  and  mathematics,  classics,  and  modern  studies,  but  while 
specialization  may  follow  any  one  of  these  lines,  attention  must  be 
given  in  all  to  English  language  and  literature,  to  languages  in  the 
scientific  course,  and  to  science  and  mathematics  in  the  other  courses. 
To  encourage  the  development  of  such  courses  special  grants  of  $2,000 
for  each  course  will  be  paid,  in  addition  to  the  regular  grants  which 
were  raised  at  the  same  time.  It  is  not  expected  that  every  school  will 
develop  courses  in  all  the  three  branches,  but  opportunities  are  to  be 
offered  in  every  educational  area  for  the  pursuit  of  all  the  courses. 
The  result  will  be  a  pooling  of  resources  and  the  transfer  of  pupils 
to  schools  best  equipped  to  give  the  course  desired. 


EDUCATION  IN  ENGLAND. 


69 


In  May,  1917,  arrangements  were  finally  concluded  for  the  estab¬ 
lishment  under  the  board  of  education  of  a  secondary  school  examina¬ 
tions  council,  whose  chief  task  will  be  to  eliminate  the  excessive  num¬ 
ber  of  school  examinations  and  limit  them  to  a  few  that  are  to  be 
administered  by  the  universities  severally  or  jointly.  In  approving 
the  standards  of  the  examinations  of  the  council  it  is  expected  that 
the  syllabus  of  a  school  and  the  suggestions  of  teachers  will  be  taken 
into  consideration  and  that  the  school  records  of  pupils  will  be  taken 
into  account.  Only  two  examinations  will  be  approved — the  first  at 
the  close  of  the  general  course  at  about  16,  the  second  on  the  comple¬ 
tion  of  the  advanced  courses.  It  is  proposed  that  pupils  passing  the 
first  examination  with  a  good  grade  shall  be  admitted  to  the  universi¬ 
ties  without  further  examination  and  those  passing  the  second  ex¬ 
amination  shall  enter  the  universities  with  advanced  standing.  The 
board  will  pay  the  necessary  fees  for  examinations.  The  aim  of  the 
new  regulations  is  to  relieve  the  schools  from  the  pressure  of  external 
examinations  and  to  encourage  the  free  development  within  standards 
generally  accepted  for  the  whole  country.  The  secondary-school  ex¬ 
aminations  council’s  actions  are  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  board 
of  education,  which  acts  as  an  advisory  council. 

THE  EDUCATION  ACT. 

The  past  year  has  seen  the  culmination  of  the  efforts  to  secure 
educational  reform  in  England.  The  enactment  of  the  Fisher  bill 
in  August,  1918,  is  but  one  phase  of  a  broader  movement  for  social 
and  economic  reconstruction  after  the  war.  Many  of  the  changes 
that  have  been  going  on  and  will  no  doubt  continue  to  go  on  in 
English  education  are  not  included  in  this  act.  The  most  significant 
change,  perhaps,  has  been  the  new  public  attitude  to  education  in 
general.  That  solidarity  that  was  created  by  the  great  crisis  has 
been  turned  to  good  effect,  and  a  new  stimulus  has  been  given  to  the 
movement  for  educational  reform  that  had  already  commenced 
before  the  war.  The  dislocation  caused  by  the  unexpected  outbreak 
of  the  war  in  1914  seriously  affected  education,  and  all  thoughts  of 
a  reorganization  fell  into  the  background.  As  soon  as  the  necessary 
adjustment  to  new  conditions  had  been  made,  as  described  in  the 
last  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  page  75  ff,  the 
necessity  of  devising  plans  for  reconstruction  after  the  war  came  to 
the  front.  In  this  movement  there  were  associated  not  only  profes¬ 
sional  educational  associations,  but  the  representatives  of  labor  and 
employers.  In  view  of  the  importance  of  the  situation  the  Times 
Educational  Supplement  began  in  1916  to  be  issued  weekly  instead 
of  monthly  as  hitherto,  and  the  general  press  devoted  more  space  to 
education  than  ever  before  in  the  history  of  education  in  England. 


70 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


Plans  and  policies  were  published  by  educational  organizations 
representing  school  principals,  teachers,  administrative  officials,  and 
educational  committees,  and  bodies  devoted  to  the  interests  of  dif¬ 
ferent  branches  of  the  school  work.  The  workers’  educational  asso¬ 
ciation  conducted  conferences  and  issued  a  program;  the  British 
Labor  Party,  the  Trades  Union  Congress,  and  local  branches  of  the 
trades  unions  considered  the  principles  that  should  underlie  the 
future  reorganization  of  education.  Finally,  the  Government  ad¬ 
dressed  itself  seriously  to  the  subject  as  part  of  the  general  platform 
for  reconstruction,  recognizing  that  the  solid  foundation  of  a  settle¬ 
ment  of  the  many  problems  that  confronted  the  country  can  only  be 
established  in  a  sound  system  of  education.  In  1915  there  was  inau¬ 
gurated  a  committee  of  the  privy  council  for  scientific  and  industrial 
research,  assisted  by  an  advisory  council  of  specialists ;  this  committee 
was  given  the  status  of  a  department  in  1916.  When  the"  ministry 
of  reconstruction  was  established  in  1917  to  take  the  place  of  an 
earlier  committee  on  the  subject,  one  of  the  15  general  branches 
submitted  to  its  consideration  was  devoted  to  education,  and  of  the 
87  committees  established  under  the  ministry,  8  were  assigned  to 
educational  topics.  These  included  the  reorganization  of  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Wales,  salaries  for  elementary  and  secondary-school 
teachers,  the  position  of  science  and  of  modern  languages  in  the 
educational  institutions,  juvenile  employment,  juvenile  organiza¬ 
tions,  such  as  clubs  and  brigades,  and  adult  education.  But  most 
of  the  other  subjects  under  consideration  have  their  educational 
implications.  The  Whitley  committee  on  joint  standing  industrial 
councils,  for  example,  considered  the  promotion  of  an  intelligent 
attitude  to  science  on  the  part  of  employers  and  the  working 
classes.  The  Representation  of  the  People  Act,  passed  in  1918, 
extending  the  franchise  to  a  larger  body  of  men  than  hitherto  and 
to  about  6,000,000  women,  also  implies  a  wider  diffusion  of  educa¬ 
tion.  For  a  time  it  was  thought  that  the  general  subject  of  edu¬ 
cational  reorganization  would  also  be  intrusted  to  the  ministry  of 
reconstruction,  but  it  became  clear  that  the  matter  was  one  of 
urgency  and  could  not  wait  upon  the  delay  that  such  a  procedure 
would  have  involved. 

At  the  close  of  1916  Mr.  H.  A.  L.  Fisher,  vice  chancellor  of  the 
University  of  Sheffield,  was  appointed  president  of  the  board  of 
education,  and  it  was  understood  that  his  chief  task  would  be  the 
introduction  of  an  education  bill  to  meet  the  demands  contained 
in  the  numerous  recommendations  and  suggestions  that  had  been 
made  during  the  preceding  year.  The  appointment  of  Mr.  Fisher 
was  greeted  with  universal  approval,  and  as  the  first  appointment 
to  the  position  of  a  man  whose  claims  rested  on  his  knowledge  of  t  lie 
subject  with  which  he  was  to  deal  rather  than  on  his  political  serv- 


EDUCATION  IN  ENGLAND. 


71 


ices,  past  and  prospective,  it  marks  in  itself  the  beginning  of  a  new 
era  in  English  education.  In  February,  1917,  Mr.  Fisher,  in  an 
address  to  the  teachers  of  the  country,  emphasized  the  point  that 
“  the  proclamation  of  peace  and  victory  in  the  field  will  summon  us 
not  to  complacent  repose,  but  to  greater  efforts  for  a  more  enduring 
ATictory.  The  future  welfare  of  the  nation  depends  upon  the  schools.” 
Three  months  later,  in  April,  1917,  when  Mr.  Fisher  introduced  the 
educational  estimates  demanding  an  increase  of  more  than  $19,000,000 
over  the  estimates  of  the  previous  year,.  Parliament  gave  an  earnest 
of  its  new  attitude  to  education  by  its  ready  assent.  The  greater 
part  of  this  increase  was  to  be  devoted  to  the  better  payment  of 
teachers,  “  the  first  condition  of  educational  advance.”  The  way  was 
now  prepared  for  the  introduction  of  the  education  bill  in  August, 
1917.  This  bill,  while  meeting  with  universal  approval  for  its  purely 
educational  proposals,  met  with  strong  opposition  from  education 
authorities  because  of  the  fear  that  certain  clauses  would  endanger 
local  independence  and  establish  the  bureaucratic  control  of  the  board 
of  education.  Some  opposition  was  also  encountered  from  employ¬ 
ers  of  labor,  who  were  not  yet  reconciled  to  the  clause  requiring  the 
compulsory  part-time  attendance  at  continuation  schools  of  boys 
and  girls  between  the  ages  of  14  and  18.  The  remainder  of  the  year 
was  spent  by  Mr.  Fisher  in  meeting  deputations  and  considering  ob¬ 
jections  to  the  administrative  provisions  of  the  bill,  and  in  a  tour 
of  propaganda  in  the  north  of  England,  where  it  seemed  likely  that 
opposition  to  the  compulsory  continuation  school  measure  would 
prove  most  serious.  In  February,  1918,  a  new  bill  was  substituted 
for  the  earlier  measure,  and  it  was  generally  felt  that  it  had  now 
become  an  “agreed  bill.”  The  administrative  provisions  had  been 
modified,  and  all  suspicion  of  bureaucratic  tendencies  had  been 
eliminated.  Such  opposition  as  the  bill  encountered  in  the  course  of 
the  debates  in  Parliament  during  the  summer  of  1918  came  from 
those  who  demanded  more  than  the  bill  granted,  especially  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  free  secondary  education  and  provisions  against  the  in¬ 
troduction  of  military  training  and  early  vocational  specialization  in 
the  schools  and  from  a  group  representing  the  interests  of  some 
employers  who  continued  their  opposition  to  the  compulsory  feature 
of  the  continuation  school  measure.  No  difficulty  was  met  in  pacify¬ 
ing  the  first  group  of  opponents;  the  opposition  of  the  latter  was 
removed  by  a  compromise  to  which  reference  will  be  made  below. 
The  act  received  the  royal  assent  on  August  8,  1918,  and  on  that  date 
the  greater  part  of  the  provisions  became  operative,  the  “  appointed 
day  ”  for  the  remainder  being  postponed  for  the  present. 

The  act  continues  the  existing  structure  of  the  educational  ad¬ 
ministration  established  by  the  Education  Act  of  1902.  The  councils 
of  county  boroughs  and  counties  are  responsible  for  elementary  and 


72 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


higher  education;  the  councils  of  noncounty  boroughs  and  urban 
districts  for  elementary  education  only.  The  position  of  the  board 
of  education  remains  unchanged,  with  the  exception  that  it  now 
has  the  function  of  approving  or  rejecting,  subject  to  conference 
with  the  local  authority  concerned  and  the  ultimate  decision  of 
Parliament,  schemes  that  must  be  submitted  to  it  “  for  the  progres¬ 
sive  development  and  comprehensive  organization  of  education.”  In 
place  of  the  different  grants  for  various  objects,  a  consolidated 
grant  equal  to  not  less  than  one-half  of  the  local  expenditure  will  be 
paid  from  the  national  funds.  The  board  thus  has  the  power  of 
setting  up  standards  of  efficiency  as  the  basis  upon  which  schemes 
will  be  approved.  The  private  schools  are  for  the  first  time  brought 
within  the  scope  of  public  supervision  and  will  be  required  to  fur¬ 
nish  such  information  as  the  board  may  desire;  at  the  same  time 
they  may  be  inspected  either  by  the  board  or  by  a  local  education 
authority  in  order  to  meet  the  certain  standards  of  efficiency.  These 
measures  will  thus  provide  room  under  the  national  system  for  the 
development  of  both  public  and  private  schools. 

The  powers  of  the  local  authorities  are  also  extended.  The  limit 
imposed  on  the  amount  that  could  be  raised  by  local  taxation  by 
county  councils  for  higher  education  has  been  removed.  The  ad¬ 
ministration  of  the  Employment  of  Children  Act,  1903,  the  Preven¬ 
tion  of  Cruelty  to  Children  Act,  1904,  and  the  Children  Act,  1908,  is 
now  intrusted  to  the  education  authorities.  Further,  the  organiza¬ 
tion  and  provision  of  extra-curricular  activities,  such  as  holiday 
camps,  recreation  centers,  facilities  for  physical  training  and  games, 
school  baths  and  swimming  baths,  are  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
same  bodies.  The  responsibility  for  the  development  of  local  initia¬ 
tive  and  progress  is  placed  on  local  education  authorities;  and,  since 
the  grants  from  the  Government  will  in  future  be  dependent  on  the 
acceptability  of  a  scheme  of  education  that  is  comprehensive  for  an 
area  as  a  whole,  the  board,  and  in  the  last  analysis  Parliament,  has 
an  effective  weapon  for  dealing  with  recalcitrant  authorities. 

The  war  has  emphasized  the  importance  of  physical  training  and 
of  medical  inspection  and  treatment.  The  act  provides  for  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  nursery  schools  for  children  between  the  ages  of  2  and 
6,  in  which  attention  will  be  paid  chiefly  to  “health,  nourishment, 
and  physical  welfare.”  Medical  inspection  of  school  children  will 
thus  begin  at  these  tender  years,  be  carried  through  the  elementary 
schools,  and  be  extended  by  the  act  to  both  secondary  and  continua¬ 
tion  schools.  The  organization  of  adequate  measures  of  medical 
inspection  and  treatment  will  be  taken  into  consideration  as  a  neces¬ 
sary  part  of  a  comprehensive  scheme  of  education.  The  board  has 
already  undertaken  to  pay  half  the  cost  of  maintaining  schools  for 
mothers,  in  which  instruction  is  given  in  prenatal  care  and  the  care 


EDUCATION  IN  ENGLAND. 


73 


of  infants  and  nursery  schools.  The  provision  for  physical  training 
and  welfare  is  further  extended  by  empowering  authorities  to  main¬ 
tain  extra-curricular  activities,  and  the  board  will  make  grants 
equal  to  half  the  cost  of  the  salaries  of  play  supervisors  and  of  main¬ 
taining  evening  recreation  centers.  Child  labor,  which  is  one  of  the 
greatest  menaces  to  physical  well-being,  is  now  placed  by  the  act 
under  the  control  of  education  authorities,  and  no  child  under  12 
years  of  age  will  in  future  be  permitted  to  be  employed  at  all,  and 
children  between  12  and  14  may  not  be  employed  for  more  than 
two  hours  a  day  between  6  in  the  morning  and  8  in  the  evening; 
street  trading  and  employment  in  certain  occupations  are  forbidden, 
while  school  medical  officers  may  prohibit  the  employment  of  indi¬ 
vidual  children  in  any  occupation  that  may  endanger  their  health. 

The  act  abolishes  all  exemptions  from  attendance  at  school  be¬ 
tween  the  ages  of  5  and  14,  unless  a  child  is  attending  a  nonpublic 
school  subject  to  public  inspection.  Pupils  will  in  future  be  per¬ 
mitted  to  enter  and  leave  school  only  at  certain  times  in  the  year. 
Where  nursery  schools  are  established,  a  child  may  attend  up  to  the 
age  of  6  before  entering  an  elementary  school.  At  the  other  end 
local  authorities  may  enact  by-laws  requiring  compulsory  attend¬ 
ance  at  public  elementary  schools  up  to  15  or  even  16.  As  a  result 
of  the  extension  of  the  attendance  ages,  the  act  permits  the  organiza¬ 
tion  of  advanced  work  for  the  older  pupils,  either  in  the  elementary 
schools  or  in  central  schools  and  special  classes. 

Secondary  education  is  only  indirectly  affected  by  the  act,  since 
the  suitable  provision  of  this  branch  will  be  required  in  the  compre¬ 
hensive  schemes  and  will  be  stimulated  by  the  removal  of  the  tax 
limit  for  higher  education.  The  question  of  the  provision  of  free 
secondary  education  came  up  in  the  course  of  debates  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  but  was  shelved;  for  the  present  the  act  requires  thai 
“  children  and  young  persons  shall  not  be  debarred  from  receiving 
the  benefits  of  any  form  of  education  by  wffiich  they  are  capable  of 
profiting  through  inability  to  pay  fees.”  Opportunities  will  be  in¬ 
creased  by  the  provision  of  more  schools,  more  scholarships,  a 
greater  number  of  free  places,  and  the  granting  of  maintenance 
allowances. 

It  was  Mr.  Fisher’s  intention  in  the  original  bill  to  require  the 
compulsory  attendance  at  continuation  schools  of  boys  and  girls 
between  the  ages  of  14  and  18  for  eight  hours  a  week  during  40 
w^eeks  in  each  year  between  the  hours  of  7  in  the  morning  and  8  in 
the  evening.  This  proposal  met  wTith  considerable  opposition  from 
employers  on  the  ground  that  such  a  measure  would  interfere  with 
industry  and  the  labor  market.  Mr.  Fisher  pointed  out  that  “  there 
is  nothing  sacrosanct  itself  about  industry.  The  real  interests  of  the 
State  do  not  consist  in  the  maintenance  of  this  or  that  industry,  but 


74 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


in  the  maintenance  of  the  welfare  of  all  its  citizens.”  In  view,  how¬ 
ever,  of  the  great  difficulties  involved  in  establishing  a  system  of 
continuation  schools  for  about  two  and  a  half  million  young  persons 
at  a  time  when  there  were  not  enough  teachers  to  carry  on  the  regular 
work  of  the  schools  and  not  enough  accommodation  in  which  to 
conduct  it,  Mr.  Fisher  agreed  to  postpone  the  full  operation  of  the 
compulsory  provision  as  it  affects  young  persons  over  16  for  seven 
years  from  the  date  on  which  the  act  becomes  operative  and  for  the 
present  to  require  only  seven  hours  of  attendance  each  week.  The 
provisions  for  social  and  physical  training  and  for  medical  inspec¬ 
tion  apply  to  the  continuation  schools.  Their  scope  is  defined  as 
schools  ”  in  which  suitable  courses  of  study,  instruction,  and  physical 
training  are  provided  without  payment  of  fees.”  It  seems  probable 
from  the  discussions  on  the  subject  that  these  schools  will  pay  more 
attention  to  general  and  liberal  education  than  to  vocational,  al¬ 
though  the  occupational  interests  of  the  students  will  furnish  a 
necessary  starting  point. 

The  act  does  not  provide  for  a  complete  reorganization  of  English 
education.  It  does  not  touch,  for  example,  on  university  education, 
or  the  training  of  teachers,  or  on  adult  education,  or  technical  and 
vocational  education.  All  these  subjects  can  be  treated  by  means  of 
administrative  regulations  of  the  board,  which  has  already  greatly 
affected  the  future  development  of  medical  treatment,  physical  train¬ 
ing,  and  secondary  education  by  the  exercise  of  this  power.  The 
act  in  large  measure  accomplishes  the  chief  object  that  was  de¬ 
manded;  it  is  “the  first  real  attempt  ever  made  in  this  country 
(England)  to  lay  broad  and  deep  the  foundations  of  a  scheme  of 
education  which  would  be  truly  national.” 

FRANCE. 

The  war  has  affected  the  conduct  of  education  in  France  perhaps 
more  than  in  either  England  or  Germany.  For  the  first  two  years 
the  demands  at  the  front  tended  to  subordinate  all  other  thought 
and  activities  to  the  one  great  purpose.  More  recently  the  educa¬ 
tional  literature  of  France  indicates  that  the  war  has  had  the  effect 
of  leading  to  considerable  questioning  of  and  dissatisfaction  with 
the  existing  systems  of  education.  Radical  changes  have  not  yet 
taken  place  in  educational  administration  or  organization,  but  the 
ground  is  being  prepared  by  discussions  and  conferences,  by  public 
and  private  commissions  of  inquiry,  by  articles  in  the  daily  press 
for  the  reforms  that  it  is  now  generally  felt  must  come  after  the 
war.  The  schools  will  be  called  upon  to  play  an  important  part 
in  the  restoration  of  the  country  and  must  be  improved  to  meet  the 
new  demands. 


EDUCATION  IN  FRANCE. 


75 


It  was  perhaps  to  be  expected  that  France  would  be  influenced  by 
the  close  contact  with  the  British  and  American  forces.  A  wide¬ 
spread  movement  has  begun  for  the  improvement  and  extension  of 
physical  education  and  games  throughout  the  country,  not  merely 
to  develop  agility  and  endurance  in  the  individual  but  to  strengthen 
the  nation  as  a  whole.  Early  in  1917  a  commission  was  appointed 
to  study  the  reorganization  of  physical  training  in  the  schools.  In 
April,  1918,  the  ministry  of  public  instruction  issued  a  circular  to 
the  rectors  of  the  academies  urging  the  development  of  physical  edu¬ 
cation  and  games  and  athletic  sports  in  secondary,  normal,  and 
higher  elementary  schools.  It  is  pointed  out  that  such  training  could 
be  organized  without  encroaching  on  class  work.  School  principals 
and  teachers  are  asked  to  encourage  the  establishment  of  clubs  under 
their  general  supervision  and  with  the  assistance  of  advisory  com¬ 
mittees  representing  the  public  and  alumni  associations.  The 
French  league  of  school  hygiene  is  actively  promoting  the  intro¬ 
duction  of  open-air  exercise  in  which  teachers  should  also  partici¬ 
pate  and  is  advocating  the  introduction  of  school  medical  inspection 
and  the  keeping  of  records  of  physical  development.  A  Union  des 
societes  frangaise  de  sports  athUtiques  has  been  established  to  pro¬ 
mote  the  development  of  school  athletic  clubs  and  to  secure  playing 
fields.  It  is  suggested  in  the  circular  that  participation  should  not 
be  made  compulsory  and  that  no  boy  be  allowed  to  take  part  with¬ 
out  the  written  consent  of  his  parents,  so  that  the  State  might  be 
relieved  of  responsibility  for  accidents.  The  union  has  made  ad¬ 
vantageous  terms  with  insurance  companies  to  furnish  compensation 
in  cases  of  accident. 

The  changes  brought  about  by  the  war  in  the  position  of  women 
has  made  the  reorganization  of  secondary  education  of  girls  a  ques¬ 
tion  of  vital  importance.  As  in  other  countries,  women  have  taken 
the  places  of  men  in  every  walk  of  life  and  have  proved  themselves 
equal  to  most  tasks,  but  the  change  in  the  social  tradition  has  been 
more  revolutionary  in  France  than  elsewhere.  It  is  recognized  that 
not  only  the  professions  but  positions  of  leadership  in  commerce  and 
industry  must  in  the  future  be  opened  to  women  on  an  equal  footing 
with  men.  Women  have  been  admitted  for  some  time  to  the  practice 
of  law  and  medicine,  and  new  careers  are  constantly  being  made  ac¬ 
cessible  to  them.  New  commercial  schools  for  girls  have  been  estab¬ 
lished  in  different  parts  of  the  country;  the  Central  School  of  Arts 
and  Manufacture  now  receive  them,  as  well  as  the  School  for 
Watchmaking  and  the  School  of  Physics  and  Chemistry.  These 
developements  have  led  to  a  demand  for  a  reform  of  the  system  of 
secondary  education  which,  as  organized  at  present,  is  adapted 
chiefly  for  girls  of  the  wealthy  middle  classes  who  do  not  intend  to 
prepare  for  any  special  career.  The  proposals  take  the  form  of  a 


76 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


demand  either  for  secondary  education  of  the  same  type  as  that  fon 
boys  or  a  new  and  extended  organization  of  the  existing  system.  The 
objection  to  the  first  suggestion  is  that  the  basis  of  the  lycees  and 
colleges  for  boys  is  not  sufficiently  broad  and  that  the  majority  of 
girls  at  present  do  not  desire  a  preparation  that  leads  only  to  the 
universities  and  professions.  The  difficulty  in  the  way  of  the  second 
proposal  is  the  national  tradition  of  privileges,  certificates,  and  ex¬ 
aminations  as  marking  the  end  of  a  school  course.  The  problem 
involves,  therefore,  not  so  much  the  reorganization  of  girls’  schools 
as  the  nature  of  the  sanctions  to  which  it  will  lead.  At  the  close  of 
1916  the  minister  of  public  instruction  appointed  a  commission  to 
inquire  into  the  modification  in  the  organization  of  studies  and  priv¬ 
ileges  for  the  secondary  education  of  girls.  The  commission  issued 
questionnaires  to  education  authorities  and  parents’  associations  and 
subcommittees  of  the  commission  drew  up  a  number  of  recommenda¬ 
tions  which  are  being  considered  by  all  the  members.  The  chief  rec¬ 
ommendations  are  as  follows: 

1.  The  education  of  girls  needs  a  new  organization  and  an  appropriate 
program  of  studies. 

2.  The  schools  shall  be  organized  in  two  cycles,  the  first  of  four  years,  the 
second  of  two.  The  course  shall  begin  at  the  age  of  12. 

8.  In  the  first  cycle  the  school  day  shall  be  one  of  four  hours ;  in  the  second 
cycle,  of  five  hours. 

4.  Fourteen  hours  a  week  shall  be  given  to  compulsory  subjects  in  the  first 
cycle;  17  hours  in  the  second. 

5.  An  important  and  compulsory  place  shall  be  given  to  studies  appropriate 
for  girls  (household  arts  and  hygiene),  practical  work  and  physical  training. 

6.  The  six  years’  course  shall  be  brought  to  a  conclusion  in  an  examination 
on  the  work  of  the  last  year,  leading  to  a  diplome  de  fin  deludes,  equivalent  to 
the  first  part  of  the  baccalaureate. 

7.  As  many  careers  as  possible  shall  be  open  to  girls  holding  this  diploma. 

One  of  the  burning  questions  in  the  secondary  education  of  girls 

is  whether  Latin  shall  be  included  in  the  reorganization.  The  com¬ 
mission  will  probably  favor  its  inclusion  for  those  who  desire  it.  It 
is  also  proposed  that  a  seventh  year  be  provided  in  the  organization 
for  girls  who  wish  to  complete  the  baccalaureate  to  enter  the  universi¬ 
ties  or  to  prepare  for  a  professional  career. 

The  secondary  education  of  boys  is  no  less  under  fire.  Several 
problems  are  here  involved.  There  are  many  serious  proposals  to 
reorganize  the  whole  system  of  French  education  with  a  common 
elementary  school  as  the  basis.  It  does  not  seem  probable  that  such 
a  reform  will  take  place  in  the  near  future.  A  compromise  is  sug¬ 
gested  that  better  means  be  provided  for  the  transfer  of  pupils  from 
the  elementary  to  the  secondary  school  at  the  age  of  11  or  12,  with 
improved  articulation  between  the  work  of  the  two  schools  at  this 
stage.  It  has  already  been  found  that  elementary  school  pupils  are 
not  presenting  themselves  in  large  numbers  for  the  scholarships  to 


EDUCATION  IN  FRANCE. 


77 


the  secondary  schools,  and  prefer,  if  they  intend  to  pursue  their 
educational  career,  to  pass  on  to  the  higher  elementary  schools. 
There  are  reactionaries  who  oppose  even  this  concession  on  the 
ground  that  secondary  education  should  be  for  the  selection  of  the 
elite,  for  the  training  of  specialists,  and  that,  therefore,  the  way 
should  not  be  made  too  easy.  The  functions  of  the  elementary  and 
secondary  schools  are,  according  to  this  group,  not  the  same,  and 
even  the  elementary  section  of  the  secondary  school  has  a  different 
purpose  from  the  general  elementary  school.  The  establishment  of 
a  common  elementary  school  would  only  conduce  to  the  undesirable 
development  of  a  large  number  of  private  schools. 

More  widespread  has  been  the  demand  for  more  scientific  and 
technical  training  in  the  secondary  schools  and  elsewhere.  This 
utilitarian  movement  is  attracting  considerable  support  and  has  its 
center  in  such  a  body  as  La  Ligue  frangaise.  The  tendency  seems 
to  be  in  the  direction  of  early  specialization  through  technical  educa¬ 
tion,  trades  preparatory  schools,  or  apprenticeship  adjusted  to  local 
needs.  It  is  feared  by  those  who  are  interested  in  general  education 
that  everything  will  be  subordinated  to  industry  and  that  Germany, 
though  defeated,  will  win  a  great  victory  in  thus  securing  an  ac¬ 
ceptance  of  the  materialism  that  has  characterized  so  much  of  her 
education.  It  is  claimed  by  the  advocates  of  the  new  movement  that 
the  war  has  been  won  by  the  technical  sciences,  and  the  years  of 
destruction  must  be  repaired  by  years  of  industrial  application  to 
make  up  the  losses  and  compete  with  other  nations.  Fortunately, 
as  their  opponents  argue,  the  war  has  also  shown  that  with  a  general 
education  even  the  technical  foundations  for  the  most  complicated 
and  exacting  branch  of  the  Army — the  Artillery — can  be  acquired 
in  a  short  time.  Even  if  it  is  true  that  the  basis  of  modern  social 
organization  is  division  of  labor,  it  becomes  more  essential  than 
ever  to  prolong  that  education  that  gives  all  citizens  a  common  back¬ 
ground  of  general  education  and  culture  that  stresses  human  values. 
It  is  conceded  that  the  secondary  schools  may  have  neglected  the 
sciences,  but  that  does  not  establish  their  claim  to  absorb  the  whole 
of  the  curriculum.  Here,  too,  it  is  urged  that  a  compromise  is  pos¬ 
sible,  and  that  no  boy  or  girl  should  be  allowed  to  complete  an  edu¬ 
cation  without  giving  some  time  to  both  the  sciences  and  the  hu¬ 
manities.  To  concede  the  situation  entirely  to  those  who  demand 
technical  and  vocational  preparation  would  involve  a  betrayal  of 
the  ideals  for  which  the  world  has  been  fighting  to  the  dangers  of 
barbarism  and  materialism. 

The  project  for  a  continuation  school  law,  to  which  reference  was 
made  in  the  last  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  has  not 
yet  been  passed,  but  seems  to  be  exercising  some  influence  already. 
At  Corbie  the  local  manufacturers  have  posted  notices  to  the  effect 


78 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


that  they  would  employ  young  persons  leaving  the  elementary 
schools  with  the  certificate  of  studies,  and  allow  them  to  attend  the 
local  higher  primary  school  for  three  years,  providing  tuition,  books, 
apparatus,  and  even  maintenance  grants.  On  leaving  these  schools 
the  pupils  would  enter  the  factories  as  apprentices  for  two  or*  three 
years,  during  which  they  would  continue  to  attend  school  three 
times  a  week  for  general  and  technical  instruction  during  working 
hours  and  without  loss  of  pay.  The  abler  among  them  would  be 
sent  on  to  schools  of  arts  and  crafts,  receiving  maintenance  allow¬ 
ances  and  tuition  during  their  period  of  study.  The  parents  would 
be  under  no  obligation  to  the  employers  except  to  permit  them  to 
control  the  educational  progress  of  the  young  employees,  so  that 
they  may  become  active,  enterprising,  and  proud  of  their  country. 

MOVEMENTS  AND  TENDENCIES  IN  ITALIAN  EDUCATION. 

The  study  of  Italian  education  since  the  entrance  of  that  country 
into  the  war  in  May,  1915,  must  follow  closely  the  lines  necessitated 
by  the  urgent  problems  forced  from  the  first  upon  all  belligerent 
countries.  These  lines  were  predominantly  practical  and  humani¬ 
tarian.  For  Italy  they  took  shape  at  once  in  the  relief  and  mainte¬ 
nance  of  the  refugees  from  Yenetia,  the  Province  overrun  by  the 
Austrians,  and,  secondarily,  throughout  the  length  of  the  Kingdom, 
in  the  assistance  rendered  needy  families  of  men  called  to  arms. 
These  problems,  while  for  economic  and  social  reasons  more  imme¬ 
diately  pressing  upon  the  destitute  urban  population,  speedily  came 
to  bear  upon  the  rural  as  well,  and  local  relief  societies  rapidly  sprang 
up  in  the  first  few  months  of  the  war.  Such  organizations  as  the 
Patronato  Scholastico,  already  existent  in  every  parish,  and  even 
before  the  war  of  great  philanthropic  usefulness;  the  Mutuality 
Scholastica  Italiana,  a  financial  society  for  the  mutual  relief  of  de¬ 
positors;  the  local  branches  of  distinctively  educational  organiza¬ 
tions;  and  the  widely  spread  Associazione  Nazionale  dei  Parenti, 
all  threw  themselves  into  some  practical  task  of  alleviation  of  need. 
All  such  cooperative  movements  soon  came  to  be  essentially  educa¬ 
tional.  The  schoolhouses  became  the  centers  where  individual  tasks 
were  assigned,  meetings  of  every  description  were  held,  and  most 
of  the  articles  needed  were  made.  Very  fittingly,  the  teachers  be¬ 
came  the  active  community  leaders.  On  the  strictly  educational  side, 
the  ministry  decreed  special  provisions  for  the  teachers  and  children 
who  had  refugeed  from  the  portions  of  Italy  overrun  by  invasion, 
securing  employment  for  teachers  and  admitting  all  pupils  to  schools 
of  equal  grade,  and,  if  they  were  of  Italian  nationality  coming  from 
Austrian  and  Hungarian  schools,  accepting  German  as  a  substitute 
for  French  as  a  foreign  language. 


MOVEMENTS  IN  ITALIAN  EDUCATION. 


79 


ELEMENTARY  EDUCATION. 

In  elementary  education,  while  no  strictly  legal  reforms  of  method 
or  content  for  studies  were  made,  there  were  marked  changes  in  the 
spirit  and  purposes  in  which  it  was  imparted.  The  systematic  at¬ 
tempt  was  made  to  bring  elementary  education  into  vital  union  with 
the  needs  of  everyday  life,  especially  in  the  rural  districts.  Larger 
latitude  was  granted  by  the  ministry  of  public  instruction  to  the 
inspectors  of  the  Provinces  and  even  of  localities  to  incorporate  in 
the  old  courses  other  useful  ones,  especially  in  horticulture,  agri¬ 
culture,  and  agricultural  economics,  in  accordance  with  climatic, 
topographical,  and  other  local  conditions.  At  the  same  time  new 
regulations  provided  for  more  rigorous  and  frequent  inspection  of 
elementary  schools  of  all  grades,  and  better  organic  linking  up  of 
even  the  most  remote  schools  with  the  revivified  national  system. 

All  these  concentrated  efforts  of  the  Government  and  the  school 
authorities  to  keep  before  the  Italian  people  the  vital  importance 
of  the  school  in  the  national  life  have  been  rewarded  with  extraordi¬ 
nary  success.  Despite  the  convulsions  of  the  war,  the  enrollment  in 
elementary  education,  according  to  figures  of  January  1,  1916,  sur¬ 
passed  by  more  than  500,000  that  for  1914  and  on  an  estimated  gain 
of  barely  1,000,000  in  population.  In  the  far-reaching  benefits 
accruing  from  this  awakened  interest  in  elementary  education,  the 
infant  schools,  kindergartens,  and  auxiliary  schools,  both  public  and 
private,  and  parents’  associations  have  shared,  and  their  scope  has  been 
widened  by  private  initiative  and  governmental  encouragement. 

In  this  connection  it  is  intersting  to  note  that  the  Montessori 
system  of  training  for  very  young  children,  which  aroused  great 
hopes  when  it  first  became  known  in  the  United  States  about  eight 
years  ago,  is  now  considered  by  expert  Italian  critics  to  be  distinctly 
disappointing  as  a  contribution  to  practical  pedagogy.  The  schools 
have  remained  static  in  numbers,  and  are  practically  confined  to  the 
city  of  Rome.  It  is  felt  that  the  needs  of  children  having  muscular 
or  nervous  defects,  for  whom  the  Montessori  system  came  into  being, 
have  largely  been  met  by  the  widened  scope  of  the  elementary  schools, 
with  the  scientific  and  pedagogical  changes  they  have  undergone 
during  the  past  two  years.  The  Montessori  schools  may,  however, 
still  maintain  themselves,  ministering  to  urban  children. 

SCUOLE  POPOLARE. 

The  establishment  of  the  so-called  scuole  popolare  has  been  the 
furthest-reaching  step  taken  in  Italian  education  in  many  years,  even 
if  it  is  not,  as  their  ardent  champions  affirm,  the  most  epochal  ever 
taken.  The  very  history  of  the  move  by  which  the  scuole  popolare  were 
initiated  was  unique  in  the  annals  of  educational  legislation.  The  bill 


80 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


finally  passed  by  the  Italian  Parliament  was  a  combination  of  the 
plan  submitted  by  Signore  De  Nava,  Minister  of  Industry,  Com¬ 
merce,  and  Labor  (December,  1916),  and  that  submitted  by  Signore 
Ruffini,  Minister  of  Public  Instruction  (February,  1917). 

These  scuole  popolare  are  essentially  rural,  of  a  predominant^ 
scientific  nature,  allowing  great  freedom  in  courses  and  hour-, 
adapted  to  intensive  training  in  the  needs  and  possibilities  arising 
from  local  climate  and  environment.  On  the  financial  and  adminis¬ 
trative  sides  they  are  autonomous  and  supported  by  the  commune 
in  cooperation  with  the  State,  with  the  encouragement  of  local  and 
private  benefactions.  Children  who  have  had  three  years  in  ele¬ 
mentary  schools  are  admitted  to  them,  and  they  are  planned  to  appeal 
primarily  to  the  children  of  those  classes  to  whom,  through  economic 
stress,  further  continuation  in  school  has  hitherto  been  denied. 

Unusual  care  will  be  exercised  in  the  selection  of  teachers  for  these 
schools,  only  those  being  chosen  who  have  shown  real  aptitude  in 
teaching  the  subjects  there  stressed.  Special  duties  of  oversight  and 
conference  will  be  assigned  patrons  and  local  auxiliary  bodies,  whose 
interest  will  be  enlisted  in  all  possible  waj^s.  It  is  confidently  ex¬ 
pected  this  will,  in  turn,  work  toward  the  diminution  of  adult  illit¬ 
eracy.  These  schools  have,  by  the  law,  just  been  put  in  operation 
(September,  1918),  and  the  practical  results  from  them  will  be 
watched  by  students  in  all  countries  with  the  keenest  interest. 

FIGHT  AGAINST  ILLITERACY. 

The  war  has  caused  no  slackening  in  Italy’s  serious  grapple  with 
the  chief  menace  to  her  national  life,  adult  illiteracy.  Though  every 
census  since  1871  has  shown  a  gratifying  steady  decrease  in  this  re¬ 
spect,  from  68.8  per  cent  of  total  population  to  41.8  in  June  1911  (the 
most  recent  figures  available) ,  yet  school  authorities  and  the  press  are 
not  content.  Night  and  holiday  schools  for  adults,  already  in  opera¬ 
tion,  have  had  their  defects  exposed  and  have  been* substantially  rein¬ 
forced  in  various  ways.  The  military  authorities,  in  conjunction  with 
the  ministry  of  public  instruction,  have  instituted  compulsory  schools 
in  posts  and  cantonments  for  illiterates  under  arms,  both  veterans 
and  recruits. 

SCHOOLS  FOR  WOUNDED  SOLDIERS. 

In  this  connection  perhaps  the  most  inspiring  of  all  educational 
activities  is  the  work  of  the  schools  for  wounded  soldiers,  annexed 
to  the  hospitals  in  the  larger  cities  of  northern  Italy.  These  schools 
are  not  primarily  for  physical  rehabilitation,  nor  for  training  in 
trades  and  crafts,  though  these  subsidiary  lines  are  kept  in  view. 
They  are  expressly  for  teaching  book  subjects.  The  results  obtained 
and  recorded  in  a  representative  one,  that  maintained  at  the  Ospe - 


MOVEMENTS  IN  ITALIAN  EDUCATION. 


81 


dale  della  Guastalla ,  near  Milan,  are  so  encouraging  as  to  be  almost 
revolutionary  in  the  field  of  teaching  illiterates.  For  students  of 
practical  pedagogy  the  comparison  afforded  between  the  progress 
made  by  such  adults  and  that  by  the  normal  child  in  the  specific  sub¬ 
jects  of  instruction  is  most  valuable  and  illuminating. 

MIDDLE  SCHOOLS. 

The  growing  dissatisfaction  with  old  forms  of  education  has  not 
spared  even  the  middle  schools  of  Italy,  though  tjiese,  by  their  very 
nature,  appealed  only  to  the  select  few.  Beginning  with  the  school 
year  of  1917-18,  new  courses  of  study  and  schedules,  formulated  by 
the  ministerial  council,  went  into  effect.  While  the  classical  Ginnasio- 
Liceo  of  the  traditional  type,  with  its  eight  years  of  prevailingly  cul¬ 
tural  studies,  had  the  hours  in  Greek  and  Latin  slightly  increased, 
mathematics  and  history  were  reinforced,  and  the  study  of  physics 
and  chemistry  and  physical  education  was  made  compulsory. 

The  Ginnasio-Liceo  Moderno,  the  counterpart  of  our  scientific  type 
of  high  school  and  elementary  technical  school,  increased  the  hours 
of  Latin  teaching  to  41  per  week,  the  largest  number  assigned  any 
subject,  laid  additional  emphasis  upon  the  modern  languages,  gave 
English  and  German  as  alternates,  and  reinforced  the  hours  in  math¬ 
ematics,  the  combined  study  of  history  and  geography,  natural  sci¬ 
ence,  and  physical  education.  More  time  and  greater  latitude  in  the 
combinations  of  examinations  were  allowed.  In  view  of  the  impera¬ 
tive  demand  in  other  fields  that  the  number  of  hours  of  weekly  reci¬ 
tation  be  diminished,  the  conservative  basis  of  the  Ginnasii-Licei  of 
both  branches  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  was  left  untouched  in  them, 
ranging  from  22  hours  for  the  first  year  to  27  or  28  hours  for  the  last. 

NORMAL  SCHOOLS  AND  TEACHERS’  INSTITUTES. 

The  reform  of  the  normal  school  in  Italy,  discussed  more  or  less 
lukewarmly  for  several  years  before  the  war,  rapidly  gathered  mo¬ 
mentum  as  it  came  to  be  seen,  with  increasing  clearness,  both  by  the 
people  and  by  professional  educators,  that  all  other  educational 
reform  waited  upon  reforms  in  this  central  domain.  Here  Minister 
Berenini,  perhaps  the  most  aggressive  of  the  many  devoted  men  that 
have  held  that  portfolio,  had  more  intense  hostility  to  combat  and 
more  diverse  sentiment  to  harmonize  than  in  any  other  field.  Com¬ 
bining  the  best  in  the  sentiment  of  professional  bodies  most  inter¬ 
ested  and  that  of  local  groups  of  teachers  of  17  cities,  whose  study  of 
it  had  been  requested,  his  bill  called  for  the  merging  of  the  old  nor¬ 
mal  schools  into  teachers’  institutes,  under  the  following  terms  and 
conditions : 

87376°— 18 - 6 


82 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


1.  That  the  teachers’  institutes  consist  of  a  general  course  of  five 
years  with  related  graduation  certificate,  and  of  an  additional  peda¬ 
gogical  course  of  two  years. 

2.  That  the  list  of  courses  and  arrangements  of  classes  be  deter¬ 
mined  with  regard  to  a  fair  balance  of  the  realistic  and  humanistic 
studies,  assuring  a  fair  importance  to  the  latter,  continuing  the  study 
of  Italian  in  the  sixth  year,  and  embracing  the  elementary  study  of 
psychology  and  logic  without  establishing  a  special  chair  for  them. 

3.  That  the  outline  of  the  pedagogical  courses  have  greater  pro¬ 
fessional  consistency,  making  the  teachers’  apprenticeship  one  or  two 
years,  with  unity  of  direction  under  the  professor  of  pedagogy, 
assisted  by  the  professors  of  drawing,  manual  arts,  and  sciences.  It 
includes  school  legislation,  to  be  taught  by  the  professor  of  pedagogy. 

4.  That  enrollment  of  new  students  in  the  second  pedagogic  year 
be  forbidden,  requiring  for  the  first  year  the  leaving  diploma  of  the 
five-year  course  and  the  usual  entrance  examination. 

5.  That  the  teachers’  institute  be  regularly  for  men  and  for  women, 
and  only  in  special  cases  mixed. 

6.  That,  on  completion  of  the  course,  women  pupils  who  have  ob¬ 
tained  the  diploma  of  fitness  for  elementary  teaching  may  also  obtain 
further  specialized  equipment  by  passing  special  tests  of  fitness  ac¬ 
cording  to  regulations  to  be  established  by  law. 

7.  That  greater  attention  be  paid  to  the  study  of  hygiene,  to  sing¬ 
ing,  and  physical  education,  and,  according  to  locality,  to  increase  qf 
agricultural  teaching,  for  which  experimental  farms  shall  be  pro¬ 
vided. 

8.  That,  in  consequence  of  the  new  requirements  for  the  teachers’ 
institutes,  special  attention  be  directed  toward  the  careful  reform  of 
all  the  schools  that  prepare  teachers  therefor. 

Points  of  detail  which  are  regarded  as  making  great  advance 
over  provisions  of  the  old  laws  are:  The  three-group  arrangement 
of  (1)  letters,  history,  and  geography,  (2)  mathematics  and 
sciences,  and  (3)  drawing  and  manual  arts;  the  diminution  of 
hours;  the  progressive  development  of  subjects  by  difficulty  and 
correlation;  simple  programs;  more  compact  and  convenient  ar¬ 
rangement  of  examinations;  the  increase  in  the  material  equipment 
of  museums,  libraries,  and  laboratories;  the  organic  integration  of 
teacher  training  with  the  scientific  courses  rather  than,  as  almost 
exclusively  hitherto,  with  the  historico-literary  ones.  The  subjects 
taught  in  the  first  six  years  of  the  new  teachers’  institutes  are  as  fol¬ 
lows:  The  Italian  language  and  literature;  history  and  geography; 
general  pedagogy  and  ethics;  French;  mathematics  and  the  physical 
sciences ;  manual  arts,  drawing,  and  penmanship ;  singing ;  and  physi¬ 
cal  training.  In  the  seventh  year,  distinctively  for  professional  train¬ 
ing,  are  taught:  Pedagogy,  its  methodology  and  history,  hygiene, 


MOVEMENTS  IN  ITALIAN  EDUCATION. 


83 


agriculture,  singing,  physical  training,  and  education,  with  practice 
teaching  in  the  annexed  elementary  school,  and,  for  women,  in  the 
kindergarten. 

EDUCATION  OF  WOMEN. 

1 

The  reforms  in  both  the  middle  schools  and  the  normal  schools 
carried  distinct  recognition  of  the  claims  of  education  for  women. 
In  1916  a  new  normal  school  for  women  was  established  at  Naples, 
conforming  rather  closely  to  the  lines  actually  embodied  nearly  two 
years  later  in  the  new  teachers’  institutes.  In  the  same  year  the 
ancient  University  of  Bologna,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
Italian  education,  conferred  the  full  teacher’s  diploma  upon  a  wo¬ 
man.  A  congress  of  women  held  in  Borne  in  October,  1917,  was 
largely  attended,  and,  among  the  many  creative  measures  considered 
for  closer  articulation  of  women’s  activities  with  the  war  needs  of 
the  nation,  vigorous  expression  was  given  the  demand  for  more 
useful  and  universal  education  of  girls.  Much  was  anticipated 
by  various  speakers  from  the  provisions  in  the  system  of  the  scuole 
popolare,  which  concerned  the  training  of  country  women. 

UNIVERSITIES  AND  HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

No  other  single  intellectual  influence  has  been  so  potent  as  that 
of  the  universities  of  Italy  in  disseminating  throughout  the  nation  a 
just  appreciation  of  the  historical  and  ethical  reasons  for  Italy’s 
share  in  the  war,  in  arousing  and  maintaining  sentiments  of  patriot¬ 
ism  and  consecration  to  duty. 

By  permission  of  the  ministry  individual  universities  granted,  as 
valid  for  the  period  of  the  war,  to  candidates  for  degrees  under 
arms  and  engaged  in  recognized  war  work,  the  degree  applied  for 
upon  presentation  and  satisfactory  defense  of  the  required  disser¬ 
tation,  and  upon  the  satisfactory  passing  of  the  prescribed  examina¬ 
tion.  A  beautiful  sentiment  also  was  the  permission  to  confer  the 
Laurea  di  Guerra  (war  diploma)  upon  students  of  the  last  year’s 
course  fallen  in  the  service. 

By  later  decree  the  council  of  ministers  allowed  all  students,  of 
whatever  grade  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  in  the  faculties  of  juris¬ 
prudence,  medicine,  surgery,  mathematics,  physical  and  natural 
sciences,  letters  and  philosophy,  and  pharmacy,  if  called  to  arms, 
to  be  enrolled  for  1915-16  in  the  courses  named. 

KINDRED  INTELLECTUAL  LINES. 

Outside  of  Italy’s  successful  struggle  to  keep  unimpaired  her 
pedagogical  system,  it  has  been  most  encouraging  to  note  the  many 
signs  of  her  uninterrupted  intellectual  life.  There  has  been  no  ces- 


84 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


sation  of  the  meetings  in  the  large  centers  of  her  literary,  scientific, 
and  pedagogical  societies.  Within  the  past  two  years  the  follow¬ 
ing  societies,  representing  the  organized  intellectual  leadership  of 
the  nation,  have  held  their  regular  meetings  and  maintained  un¬ 
broken  their  mutual  helpfulness:  The  National  Association  of  Uni¬ 
versity  Professors,  the  National  Association  of  Heads  of  Institutes, 
the  Federation  of  Instructors  in  Middle  Schools,  the  National  Asso¬ 
ciation  of  Docehti,  the  National  Teachers  Union,  the  National  Asso¬ 
ciation  Nicolo  Tommaseo,  the  National  Association  of  School  In¬ 
spectors  and  Vice  Inspectors,  the  Italian  Federation  of  Ginnasei- 
Lycei,  the  Italian  Society  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  the  Royal 
Academy  della  Crusca,  the  Italian  Union  for  Popular  Education, 
the  Italian  Federation  of  Popular  Librarians,  the  National  Insti¬ 
tute  Minerva.  They  have  been  attended  by  people  of  all  profes¬ 
sions 'and  walks  of  life,  by  civil  and  military  authorities,  magis¬ 
trates,  men  of  letters,  academicians,  in  all  a  signal  proof  of  the 
Italian  national  spirit.  Prizes  have  been  conferred  for  essays  on  9 
literary  and  scientific  themes.  The  work  of  the  national  committee 
appointed  before  the  war  upon  the  History  of  the  Risorgimento 
(Struggle  for  Italian  Independence,  1830-1870),  has  gone  steadily 
forward  to  the  culmination  of  its  labors  in  a  permanent  memorial  in 
the  halls  of  the  monument  to  Victor  Emanuel.  In  short,  the  patri- 
atic,  intellectual,  and  educational  forces  of  Italy  show  but  little  dis¬ 
turbance  of  their  serene  confidence  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  forces 
and  movements  by  which  alone  men  and  nations  live. 

GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  THE 
SCANDINAVIAN  COUNTRIES. 

These  three  countries  are  grouped  about  the  Baltic  and  the  arms 
of  the  North  Sea  in  northern  Europe.  They  comprise  approximately 
an  area  of  something  over  200,000  square  miles,  with  a  population 
of  nearly  10,000,000.  The  people  belong  to  the  same  race;  their 
languages,  though  presenting  considerable  differences,  have  a  com¬ 
mon  origin  in  the  same  Norse  parent  tongue.  In  religion  and  gov¬ 
ernment,  as  well  as  in  the  tendencies  and  organization  of  their 
schools,  they  have  many  characteristics  in  common. 

The  schools  of  Norway,  Sweden,  and  Denmark  have  an  unbroken 
development  from  the  time  of  the  Reformation  to  the  present  day. 
Some  traditional  tendencies  have  been  strong  from  the  earliest  times. 
The  secondary  schools  for  boys,  early  established,  were  intended  to 
prepare  young  men  for  the  ministry  and  the  other  learned  profes¬ 
sions  ;  they  were  also  intended  to  train  them  for  official  positions  and 
to  give  the  wealthy  classes  an  education  befitting  their  rank  in  society. 

More  recent  demands  for  equal  education  of  both  sexes  have  re¬ 
sulted  in  establishing  a  number  of  secondary  schools  for  girls  in  the 


EDUCATION  IN  SCANDANAVIA. 


85 


three  countries.  These  were  begun  as  private  institutions,  but  were 
later  taken  over,  placed  under  State  supervision,  and  given  financial 
aid  by  the  State. 

Sweden  has  two  universities;  Norway  and  Denmark  one  each;  and 
all  three  countries  have  professional  and  technical  schools  of  high 
renown. 

The  administration  of  all  classes  of  schools,  from  the  primary  to 
the  university,  is  in  the  hands  of  the  church  and  the  State  with  ad¬ 
ministrative  power  vested  in  a  central  board  of  control,  presided  over 
by  the  minister  of  education  and  ecclesiastical  affairs.  This  board 
directs  the  changes  in  school  regulations  and  prepares  bills  on  school 
matters  to  come  before  the  legislative  bodies. 

The  work  and  the  problems  of  all  the  Scandinavian  schools  are,  in 
many  respects,  alike;  in  other  respects  the  development  in  one  coun¬ 
try  shows  a  marked  departure  from  the  common  trend,  resulting  in 
characteristics  and  problems  greatly  unlike  those  of  thS  other  two. 

In  religion  the  instruction  has  been  largely  identical ;  the  attempt 
to  break  away  from  the  traditional  form  has  brought  on  the  most 
acute  conflict  in  Sweden. 

In  Norway  the  schools  have  been  active  in  advancing  the  trades, 
mechanical  technique,  the  productive  arts,  and  commerce.  But  here 
a  special  problem  arises  from  the  two  languages  sanctioned -in  the 
school  work — the  book  language  and  the  provincial  vernacular. 

*  In  Denmark  the  schools  have  rendered  great  service  to  agriculture 
and  commerce;  they  have  taken  in  hand  pupils  physically  and  psy¬ 
chically  defective.  In  Copenhagen  the  School  for  Cripples  has 
shown  what  can  be  done  for  this  class  of  unfortunates.  The  people’s 
high  schools  of  this  country,  besides  training  their  pupils  in  the  pro¬ 
ductive  arts,  have  been  no  less  efficient  in  imbuing  them  with  high 
moral  ideals  and  love  of  country. 

Sweden  has,  ever  since  the  time  of  Ling,  made  physical  training 
and  gymnastics  an  essential  part  of  education,  and  she  has  also  made 
sloyd,  manual  training,  and  all  kinds  of  handicraft  a  conspicuous  part 
of  her  school  system.  So  far  as  the  organization  of  her  elementary 
and  secondary  schools  are  concerned,  she  has  developed  a  system  so 
articulated  that  it  is  well  adapted  both  to  the  pupil  who  must  con¬ 
clude  his  schooling  with  a  certain  course  and  to  the  one  for  whom  the 
same  course  is  a  preparation  for  further  studies. 

With  the  purpose  of  bringing  together  the  teachers  of  the  northern 
countries  in  their  common  work,  the  Teachers’  Association  of  the 
North  was  organized.  Its  thirtieth  anniversary,  held  in  Stockholm 
in  1910,  gave  a  program  calculated  to  strengthen  the  bond  of  union 
that  they  felt  already  existed.  On  account  of  the  war  the  annual 
meeting  was  suspended  in  1916,  with  the  understanding  that  no 
further  session  was  likely  to  be  held  until  after  the  war. 


86 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


In  1917  the  quadricentennial  of  the  Reformation  was  observed 
throughout  the  northern  counties  by  the  schools,  as  well  as  by  the 
churches.  On  the  programs  the  work  of  Luther  was  reviewed  in  the 
light  of  his  influence  on  education.  It  was  claimed  that — - 

The  public  school  is  the  child  of  the  Reformation ;  the  spiritual  freedom 
which  the  Reformation  served  is  regrettably  abused  at  the  present  time;  the 
religion  it  fostered  is  about  to  be  supplanted  by  nonconfessional  instruction 
or  nonreligious  morality ;  the  schools  will  do  well  to  take  their  bearings  again 
and  take  note  of  what  the  Reformation  did  for  them. 

These  countries,  too,  have  been  touched  by  the  war  in  virtually,  the 
same  way.  In  reviewing  such  reports  as  have  appeared  in  the 
educational  journals,  the  following  are  some  of  the  phases  brought 
before  the  schools  by  the  war : 

1.  Some  redistribution  of  the  vacation  period  in  conformity  with 
demands  for  the  teachers’  and  pupils’  labor  on  the  farms. 

2.  Appeals,  for  the  training  of  teachers  to  take  charge  of  school 
work  of  a  productive  kind. 

3.  New  direction  imparted  to  the  discussions  of  school  curricula. 

4.  The  rearrangement  of  the  time  scheme  to  find  room  for  subjects 
having  productiveness  as  their  chief  aim. 

5.  Attempts  to  give  the  established  subjects  greater  practical  appli¬ 
cation. 

6.  School  organization  of  work  groups  to  be  sent  to  farms  where 
help  is  needed. 

7.  Providing  meals  for  needy  pupils  of  the  cities. 

8.  Establishing  of  school  kitchens. 

9.  More  extensive  use  of  possibilities  in  school  gardens. 

10.  Shortage  of  teachers — more  general  use  of  student  teachers. 

11.  Hardships  of  teachers  on  account  of  insufficient  salaries  to  meet 
increased  expense — resulting  in  campaign  for  advance  in  salaries. 

12.  Efforts  on  the  part  of  some  thinkers  and  educators  to  counter¬ 
act  the  disastrous  effects  which  familiarity  with  war  and  its  cruelties 
tend  to  leave  on  the  child’s  mind.  Prof.  P.  Nortorp,  G.  Wynecken, 
and  others  have  addressed  an  appeal  to  parents  and  guardians  to 
cooperate  in  counteracting  these  influences. 

In  the  opinion  of  Prof.  A.  J.  Helseth  the  chief  causes  that  have 
advanced  and  improved  the  elementary  schools  of  the  three  countries 
are : 

1.  The  work  of  the  school  men  to  relieve  the  common  schools  by 
transferring  less  gifted  or  handicapped  pupils  to  special  schools. 

2.  Improved  articulation  between  the  elementary  instruction  and 
the  continuation  schools,  so  that  pupils  pursuing  further  studies  are 
not  hampered  by  insufficient  preparation. 


EDUCATION  IN  SC  AND  AN  AVIA. 


87 


teachers’  salaries  and  pensions. 

In  the  Scandinavian  countries  the  salaries  of  teachers  and  the 
eventual  pensions  are  regulated  by  law,  so  that  a  position  means  a 
certain  salary  after  a  fixed  number  of  years  of  service,  an  increment, 
and  on  attaining  the  age  limit  a  retiring  allowance.  No  doubt  a 
scheme  of  remuneration  like  this  induces  a  teacher  to  look  upon  his 
calling  not  as  a  stepping  stone  to  something  more  desirable,  but  as  a 
life  work.  He  is  also  relieved,  in  a  measure,  from  petty  annoyances 
of  having  to  negotiate  with  local  boards  from  time  to  time.  The 
basis  on  which  a  teacher’s  salary  is  calculated  is  the  needs  and  com¬ 
forts  which  a  person  in  thfe  position  of  a  teacher  may  reasonably 
expect. 

In  a  general  way,  the  remuneration  is  rather  higher  in  Sweden 
than  in  the  other  two  countries.  In  all  three  there  is  over  and 
above  the  yearly  pay  free  home,  garden  plat,  and  fuel,  or  the  money 
equivalent  of  these. 

The  pending  salary  alterations  in  Denmark  include  details  not 
so  fully  specified  in  the  corresponding  laws  of  the  other  countries. 
In  the  country  elementary  school  a  specified  salary  of  1,200  crowns 
is  to  be  paid;  in  the  city  1,400  crowns.  Additions  for  length  of 
service  are  to  be  made  after  2,  5,  8,  12,  and  16  years,  each  increment 
amounting  to  250  crowns.  A  married  teacher  receives  200  crowns 
in  addition,  counted  from  the  date  of  his  marriage.  For  each  child 
under  18  he  receives  200  crowns.  The  salaries  are  to  be  computed 
on  the  basis  of  a  year  of  normal  prices  with  a  consequent  increase 
in  the  ratio  of  advance  in  expenses.  The  proposition  specifies  the 
rooms,  kitchen,  and  other  apartments,  also  the  area  of  the  adjoining 
garden  plat.  Any  deficiency  is  made  good  in  money  according  to  a 
definite  schedule  of  rates. 

Since  the  outbreak  of  the  war  prices  have  gone  up  enormously, 
and  while  the  Governments  have  provided  some  relief  by  special 
war  bonus  and  high-expense  bonus,  the  incomes  of  teachers  have  not 
kept  pace  with  the  outlay.  The  remuneration  has  been  so  nicely 
calculated  that  teachers  have  not  had  much  laid  up  to  meet  emer¬ 
gency  conditions.  It  must  be  said,  however,  that  the  Governments 
of  all  the  countries  are  preparing  measures  of  permanent  relief  as 
fast  as  parliamentary  procedure  will  permit. 

SCHOOL  GARDENS  IN  NORWAY. 

When  gardens  for  productive  purposes  first  came  into  existence 
in  connection  with  schools  they  were  left  to  be  cultivated  by  children 
whose  parents  were  poor.  Since  the  outbreak  of  the  war  they  have 


88 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


attained  a  much  greater  significance.  Experts  are  instructing  the 
teachers,  who,  in  turn,  direct  the  pupils  how  to  make  the  most  of 
the  square  feet  of  ground  allotted  to  them.  Among  the  children’s 
gardens  is  the  teacher’s  own,  supposed  to  be  a  model  for  the  others 
and  expected  to  show  how  much  a  little  patch  of  ground  can 
produce. 

They  have  a  procedure,  called  “  intercultivation,”  by  means  of 
which  several  crops  are  raised  simultaneously  on  the  same  lot.  Be¬ 
tween  the  potato  rows  they  plant  a  species  of  beans  which  thrives 
without  interfering  with  the  potatoes.  Among  the  strawberries 
they  plant  certain  kinds  of  kale.  Under  the  fruit  trees  and  in 
other  shaded  places  certain  other  kinds  of  the  cabbage  variety  will 
grow.  To  get  an  early  crop  of  potatoes  the  seed  potatoes  are  planted 
in  boxes,  where  they  may  form  long  shoots  by  the  time  the  season 
permits  transplanting  in  the  open. 

Seeds  and  plants  are  furnished  the  children  free  of  charge;  for 
their  labor  and  care  they  get  the  crops  they  raise.  It  has  been 
found  that  the  interest  displayed  by  the  children,  reacts  upon  the 
parents  so  that  they  come  to  see  the  significance  of  the  school  gar¬ 
dens.  The  procedures  here  described  are  well  known  and  to  some 
extent  practiced  in  all  the  Scandinavian  countries. 

EDUCATION  IN  RUSSIA. 

The  revolution  of  March,  1917,  uprooted  the  entire  educational 
system  in  Russia.  The  Provisional  Government,  headed  by  Keren- 
ski,  realized  the  full  importance  of  the  new  situation  and  quickly 
revolutionized  the  schools,  from  the  universities  downward.  The 
dictatorship  from  above,  so  characteristic  of  prerevolutionary  Rus¬ 
sia,  gave  way  to  a.  new  order  of  things,  “  the  democratization  of 
education.”  This  was  accomplished  in  various  ways.  All  grades  of 
schools,  and  particularly  the  higher  educational  institutions,  were 
thrown  open  to  those  willing  to  take  advantage  of  them.  All  dis¬ 
criminations  between  pupils  on  religious  grounds  were  abolished. 
Freedom  of  private  instruction  was  assured,  and  church  schools,  the 
stronghold  of  reaction,  were  taken  over  by  the  ministry  and  secu¬ 
larized. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  SCHOOLS. 

Instead  of  the  complicated  machinery  headed  by  the  curators  and 
their  assistants,  the  directors  and  inspectors  of  schools,  a  simple  ad¬ 
ministrative  system  was  introduced.  The  schools  were  placed  under 
the  control  of  the  local  self-governing  bodies,  the  zemstvos  (rural 
councils)  or  the  municipalities,  as  the  case  may  be.  The  pedagogical 
council  became  the  controlling  body  for  schools  above  the  primary 
grades.  The  council  comprised  members  of  the  teaching  persqnnel, 


EDUCATION  IN  RUSSIA. 


89 


representatives  of  the  local  self-government,  and  of  the  parents’ 
organization,  which  play  an  important  role  in  the  school  life  of 
Russia.  The  council  has  the  right  to  elect  the  teaching  staff  from 
the  list  of  candidates  submitted  to  it  by  the  director  of  the  school. 
The  election  of  the  head  of  an  institution  is  reserved,  however,  to 
the  local  boards. 

THE  EDUCATIONAL  LADDER. 

A  marked  departure  from  the  ordinary  type  of  school  was  the 
splitting  of  the  former  gymnasium,  an  institution  with  a  cultural 
bias,  into  a  higher  elementary  (classes  1-4)  and  a  secondary  school 
proper  (classes  5-8,  inclusive).  The  former  was  intended  to  finish 
the  cycle  of  elementary  education,  and  the  latter  to  serve  as  a  step¬ 
ping  stone  for  those  who  intend  to  enter  the  university.  Vocational 
schools  were  graded  accordingly  and  are  to  run  in  a  parallel  line. 
This  elasticity  of  division  was  expected  to  be  of  great  benefit  to 
students,  who  were  enabled  thereby  to  change  courses  at  will  from 
the  cultural  to  a  vocational,  or  vice  versa. 

THE  REFORM  IN  SPELLING. 

The  school  authorities  eliminated  from  the  Russian  alphabet  four 
letters.  Three  of  them  were  identical  in  pronunciation  with  three 
other  letters,  and  the  fourth  was  not  sounded  at  all.  All  of  them 
were  sources  of  great  difficulty  in  the  schools.  The  most  troublesome 
of  the  four  was  used  so  irregularly  that  children  could  learn  its  use 
only  by  memorizing  long  columns  of  words  which  contained  the 
treacherous  letter.  The  time  which  was  formerly  so  spent  may  now 
be  used  for  more  substantial  studies. 

NEW  TEXTBOOKS  AND  OTHER  PUBLICATIONS. 

Revision  of  books  that  inculcated  in  the  minds  of  the  young  gen¬ 
eration  the  supremacy  of  the  Czar  of  all  the  Russias  was  undertaken 
by  a  special  committee  appointed  by  the  minister  of  education.  The 
Soviet  authorities,  succeeding  the  Provisional  Government,  went  a 
step  farther.  A.  Lunacharski,  the  commissary  of  public  instruction,1 
formulated  a  bill  which  enables  the  Government  to  confiscate  all 
literary  productions  for  the  period  of  five  years  and  issue  them  in 
popular  editions  for  the  benefit  of  the  people.  This  can  be  done, 
however,  only  after  the  fifteenth  anniversary  of  the  author’s  death. 

TEACHERS’  TRAINING  INSTITUTIONS. 

The  reorganization  of  the  elementary  and  high  school  education 
led  directly  to  the  reorganization  of  teachers’  training  institutions. 

1  Under  the  Bolshevik  regime  the  ministries  were  changed  to  commissariates,  the  post 
of  the  minister  being  superseded  by  a  “  people's  commissary.” 


90 


EDUCATION-  REPORT,  1018. 


All  such  institutions  were  defined  and  classified  into  two  main 
groups:  Normal  schools  and  teachers’  institutes.  The  former  were 
to  serve  as  feeders  of  teachers  for  the  lower  elementary  schools,  the 
latter  to  prepare  candidates  for  the  teaching  profession  in  the  higher 
elementary  schools.  License  of  teacher  in  a  higher  elementary  school 
is  granted  only  to  candidates  who  had  experience  in  teaching  for 
not  less  than  two  years. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

Russian  universities,  previously  under  strict  control  of  the  State, 
were  granted  practical  autonomy  by  a  decree  of  the  Provisional  Gov¬ 
ernment  issued  in  June,  1917.  The  university  council  became  an 
important  factor  in  the  life  of  the  university;  and  the  system  of  elec¬ 
tion,  until  now  limited  to  the  rector,  the  dean,  and  the  secretaries  of 
the  various  faculties,-  has  been  extended  to  include  also  university 
professors.  Because  of  the  scarcity  of  persons  capable  of  filling  uni¬ 
versity  chairs,  the  requirements  for  candidates  have  been  somewhat 
relaxed.  According  to  a  new  project  worked  out  by  the  commission 
of  the  reorganization  of  higher  education,  Russian  scientists,  distin¬ 
guished  by  their  pedagogical  activities  and  possessing  doctors’  de¬ 
grees  in  philosophy  conferred  on  them  by  foreign  universities,  may 
be  eligible  to  a  professorship. 

Admission  of  students  to  higher  educational  institutions  has  un¬ 
dergone  a  sweeping  change  since  the  publication  of  the  ministerial 
circular  of  June  13,  1917.  All  restrictions  hitherto  imposed  upon 
various  nationalities,  denominations,  and  creeds  have  been  abolished. 
This  regulation  affects  primarily  the  Jews,  who  had  been  admitted 
to  higher  educational  institutions  in  very  limited  numbers  only. 
Their  admission  to  universities  within  the  so-called  Jewish  pale^ 
that  is,  roughly  speaking,  Poland  and  southwestern  Russia — was 
limited  to  10  per  cent,  in  other  provincial  universities  to  5  per  cent, 
and  in  Petrograd  and  Moscow  to  2  per  cent  of  the  total  enrollment 
of  students. 

Another  feature  of  the  new  law  was  freedom  in  selection  of  a 
university  institution.  This  repealed  the  law  of  1899  by  which 
students  were  restricted  in  their  choice  of  a  higher  institution  to 
their  own  educational  district. 

NEW  UNIVERSITIES  AND  FACULTIES. 

Plans  to  open  new  universities  and  faculties,  long  a  dream  of  pre¬ 
revolutionary  authorities,  materialized  in  the  early  days  of  new 
Russia.  Among  the  most  important  measures  one  must  note  the 
change  of  the  Demidov  Lyceum  of  Law  in  Yaroslav  into  the  Yaro¬ 
slav  University,  with  the  faculty  of  law,  and  the  Perm  branch  of 


EDUCATION  IN  RUSSIA. 


91 


the  Petrograd  University  into  an  independent  institution.  Further, 
the  Saratov  and  Tomsk  Universities,  created  shortly  before  the  revo¬ 
lution,  were  enlarged  by  additional  faculties.  These  additions  com¬ 
pensated  in  a  way  for  the  loss  of  two  universities  which  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy — the  Yuryev  University,  in  the  Baltic 
Provinces,  recently  reconstructed  by  the  Germans,  and  the  Warsaw 
University,,  in  Poland,  controlled  at  present  by  the  Poles. 

TECHNICAL  EDUCATION. 

Technical  education  was  given  a  great  deal  of  attention.  The 
elementary  and  secondary  institutions  were  graded  and  given  a  defi¬ 
nite  program.  Their  aim  wTas  not  only  to  prepare  skilled  mechanics 
but  also  technicians  capable  to  execute  work  designed  by  an  engineer. 
Successful  practice  in  a  given  field  for  at  least  three  years  entitles 
the  practitioner  to  promotion.  In  addition  to  regular  technical 
schools,  the  provisional  authorities  opened  courses  in  the  various 
branches  of  industry.  In  order  to  bring  the  instructors  of  technical 
institutions  in  touch  with  the  industrial  world,  provision  was  made 
to  assign  them  every  three  years  to  factories  and  industrial  plants. 
To  cover  the  expenses  entailed  by  this  act  the  Provisional  Govern¬ 
ment  assigned  3,000,000  rubles  (1  ruble  equals  51  cents),  in  addition 
to  the  amount  named  for  the  same  purpose  by  the  prerevolutionary 
authorities. 

In  line  with  the  .reforms  pertaining  to  technical  education  of  the 
lower  and  intermedia^  grades  is  the  progress  made  last  year  in  the 
field  of  higher  technical  education. 

Among  the  new  institutions  opened  recently  should  be  mentioned 
the  polytechnic  institutes  in  Tiflis  and  in  Nizhni-N ovgorod.  The 
latter  was  created  in  place  of  the  Warsaw  Polytechnic  School,  which 
at  the  beginning  of  the  German  occupation  of  Poland  was  trans¬ 
ferred  farther  east  to  Nizlmi-Novgorod,  and  later  turned  into  a 
Russian  institution. 

ADULT  EDUCATION. 

The  need  of  education  for  the  adults  was  at  no  time  so  poignantly 
felt  as  in  the  days  following  the  overthrow  of  czardom.  The  masses, 
awakened  to  the  importance  of  the  movement,  realized  their  ignor¬ 
ance,  and  demanded  from  the  new  authorities  what  was  so  long 
denied  them  by  the  czarist  regime.  Schools  for  adults  were  opened 
everywhere,  and  the  intelligent  circles,  eager  to  assist  the  Govern¬ 
ment,  proffered  their  help  by  instituting  many  primary  schools  and 
courses  in  agriculture,  rural  economy,  and  industrial  and  economic 
cooperation  suited  particularly  to  the  needs  of  the  rural  population. 


92 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS. 

Unfortunately,  no  information  is  available  relating  to  present 
educational  conditions  in  Russia.  It  is  not  possible  to  state,  there¬ 
fore,  what  changes  in  this  respect  have  occurred  since  the  overthrow 
of  the  Kerenski  regime  in  November,  1917,  nor  to  what  extent  the 
plans  described  herein  have  been  continued. 

GERMANY. 

The  development  of  education  in  Germany  during  the  past  two 
years  must  necessarily  remain  obscure  until  the  sources  of  direct 
information  are  again  opened  up.  From  extracts  and  references 
here  and  there  the  educational  situation  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
very  happy,  and,  if  reports  such  as  the  following  may  be  trusted,  the 
educational  machinery  so  carefully  built  up  seems  to  have  failed  at  the 
crisis.  Writing  in  the  Yossische  Zeitung  of  January  23,  1918,  Dr. 
Paul  Hildebrandt  contrasts  the  early  enthusiasm  manifested  by  the 
German  school  children  and  their  war  activities  with  the  situation 
at  the  beginning  of  the  present  year : 

The  sixth-grade  pupils  of  1914  are  now  about  to  be  promoted  to  the  upper 
third.  •  They  have  become  accustomed  to  the  war.  Who  can  wonder,  then,  that 
now  in  the  fourth  year  of  war  our  children  exhibit  signs  of  change?  Too  many 
of  the  restraints  have  been  removed  which  should  shape  their  development — 
the  loosening  of  family  ties,  the  father  at  the  front,  the  mother  employed  away 
from  home,  and  in  the  lower  ranks  of  society  doing  the  work  of  men;  the 
relaxation  of  school  discipline.  Of  the  teachers  of  the  Berlin  public  schools,  for 
instance,  two-thirds  have  gone  into  the  army.  The  remainder  are  overworked. 
Dropping  class  periods  or  combining  classes  together  are  the  order  of  the  day. 
In  the  higher  schools  half  of  the  teachers  are  in  the  army.  Furthermore,  stand¬ 
ards  in  the  higher  institutions  of  learning  have  gradually  been  lowered  until  the 
final  examination  has  been  pushed  back  fully  two  classes.  All  these  condi¬ 
tions  have  influenced  our  students  and  have  weakened  their  persistence,  since 
they  see  that  they  can  attain  a  scholastic  standing  without  effort  that  formerly 
demanded  the  severest  application. 

Young  people  follow  the  law  of  their  nature.  They  are  guided  by  the  im¬ 
pressions  of  the  moment,  and  they  can  not  permanently  resist  them.  In  addi¬ 
tion,  as  time  went  on,  especially  in  case  of  the  students  of  higher  institutions, 
and  particularly  in  the  towns,  the  hardship  of  inadequate  nourishment  appeared. 
It  is  the  unanimous  judgment  of  medical  specialists  that  the  children  of  the 
middle  classes  suffered  most  in  this  respect.  General  attention  was  attracted  to 
the  fact  that  the  children  were  less  sensitive  to  reproof,  that  they  paid  no  more 
attention  to  threats,  because  the  school  authorities  had  directed  that  they  should 
be  treated  with  every  leniency,  and  since  promotions  no  longer  represented  any 
definite  standard  of  accomplishment.  This  special  consideration  for  the  children 
was  most  obvious  in  the  schools  of  the  large  cities.  Was  not  harvest  work  and 
the  country  vacation  necessary  to  maintain  the  health  of  the  coming  generation, 
and  was  it  not  necessary  for  a  great  many  to  be  set  back  in  their  studies  so 
that  they  required  repeated  concessions  to  maintain  their  rank  and  thereby  con¬ 
tinually  lower  scholastic  standards  of  their  classes? 


EDUCATION  IN  GERMANY, 


93 


That  spirit  of  voluntary  service  which  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  revealed 
itself  in  its  fairest  aspect  has  now  disappeared.  Everywhere  we  hear  lamenta¬ 
tions  over  the  increasing  distaste  shown  for  military  service.  Pupils  collect 
articles  now  for  the  reward,  not  from  patriotism,  and  the  older  pupils  have 
their  struggles.  Shall  they  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  leave  school 
with  a  half-completed  education,  or  shall  they  avoid  placing  themselves  in  a 
position  where  they  will  have  to  enlist  for  their  country?  What  an  unhappy 
indecision  even  for  the  best  of  them,  those  who  really  think  about  the  matter. 

Furthermore,  in  those  ranks  of  society  which  are  less  influenced  by  tradi¬ 
tion,  discipline,  and  education  we  And  increasing  violations  of  the  law.  At 
the  first  this  manifested  itself  merely  in  an  increase  of  theft.  More  recently 
it  has  taken  a  decided  turn  toward  personal  assaults.  It  is  true  the  latter 
are  still  negligible  in  proportion  to  the  total  number  of  juvenile  offenses,  but 
they  are  increasing  every  year.  Already  the  number  of  violent  crimes  com¬ 
mitted  by  youths  in  the  city  of  Berlin  is  more  than  three  times  the  number 
reported  in  1914. 

Thus  dark  shadows  are  falling  over  thekbrilliant  picture  of  1914.  Every  dis¬ 
ciplinary  influence,  every  effort  of  the  still  fundamentally  sound  German  Nation, 
must  be  exerted  to  oppose  this  tendency  and  to  lead  the  children  back  to  the 
path  of  rectitude. 

Another  picture,  but  one  also  indicating  the  difficulties  that  attend 
the  conduct  of  the  schools,  is  given  in  the  Leipziger  Volkszeitung  for 
February  8,  1918: 

The  Saxon  minister  of  education  recently  drew  attention  in  the  Saxon 
Diet  to  the  injurious  effects  produced  by  the  war  on  the  elementary  schools 
of  the  Kingdom.  In  addition  to  the  shortage  of  fuel,  which  last  year  fre¬ 
quently  necessitated  the  closing  of  schools  and  this  year  has  required  the  re¬ 
moval  a!nd  amalgamation  of  the  whole  schools,  the  unsatisfactory  health  of  the 
teachers  has  had  an  undesirable  effect. 

War  conditions,  according  to  the  minister,  have  caused  great  emaciation 
and  premature  aging,  and  have  diminished  the  capacity  for  work  (alike 
•physical  and  intellectual)  and  the  sharpness  of  the  senses.  This  state  of 
things  is  attributed  not  only  to  the  food  supply  situation,  but  also  to  the  in¬ 
creased  difficulty  and  extent  of  the  professional  work  falling  upon  teachers 
(only  8,965  elementary-school  teachers  were  at  work  in  Saxony  on  Oct.  1, 
1917,  as  compared  with  14,800  before  the  war),  and  to  the  large  amount  of 
auxiliary  service  imposed  upon  teachers  in  connection  with  war  economic 
measures. 

These  accounts  hardly  seem  to  be  in  keeping  with  the  eulogies 
heaped  on  the  German  school  system  during  the  first  two  years  of 
the  war  in  the  daily  press,  in  professional  magazines,  and  by  the 
Government.  It  was  then  felt  very  universally  that  the  elementary 
school,  the  training  ground  of  the  discipline  and  physical  strength 
and  comprehensive  culture  that  characterize  the  German  soldier, 
had  triumphed  signally  over  the  illiterate  Russians  and  Italians,  as 
well  as  the  decadent  French  and  treacherous  English.  It  was  the 
elementary  schools  that  produced  the  patriotic,  loyal,  thorough 
soldier  whom  the  consciousness  of  a  good  cause  carried  to  victory. 
This  unguarded  flattery  of  the  elementary  schools  and  their  teachers 


94 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


helped  somewhat  to  give  a  new  impetus  to  a  movement  to  which 
attention  had  been  redirected  just  before  the  war.  At  an  educa¬ 
tional  conference  which  met  at  Kiel  in  June,  1914,  and  was  attended 
by  representatives  of  all  branches  of  education,  it  was  urged  with 
much  enthusiasm  that  higher  education  be  made  accessible  to  as 
many  classes  in  society  as  possible,  so  that  intelligence  might  be 
recruited  wherever  it  was  found.  Opportunity  for  ability  could 
best  be  furnished  through  the  establishment  of  the  Einheitsschule 
or  common-school  systems.  The  idea  of  Einheitsschule  has  a  long 
history  in  Germany;  it  has  always  been  advocated  by  the  leaders  of 
progressive  politics  and  thoughtful  educators.  When  last  agitated 
in  the  eighties  Profs.  Rein  and  J.  Tews,  now  the  doyen  of  the  ele¬ 
mentary-school  teachers,  were  associated  with  the  movement  as  they 
now  are  with  its  revival.  The  principle  underlying  the  system  of 
the  Einheitsschule  is  that  all  pupils  between  the  ages  of  6  and  12 
shall  have  a  common  foundation,  to  be  followed  by  educational 
opportunities  thereafter  suited  to  their  abilities.  This  implies  the 
elimination  of  the  Vorschule  or  special  fee-paying  school,  which 
prepares  pupils  from  the  ages  of  6  until  their  entrance  into  the 
secondary  school  at  about  the  age  of  9.  It  is  a  distinctly  class  school. 
The  further  implication  of  the  Einheitsschule  is  the  postponement 
of  the  beginning  of  secondary  education  to  12,  a  change  that  has 
much  to  commend  it  on  grounds  other  than  the  provision  of  demo¬ 
cratic  opportunities,  and  is  at  least  a  better  age  at  which  a  correct 
choice  of  a  course  and  a  career  can  be  made  than  9. 

A  new  stimulus  was  given  to  the  movement  in  the  earty  days  of  the 
war,  when  politics  were  adjourned,  when  enthusiasm  and  victory  had 
welded  the  nation  together  as  one,  and  when  Hindenburg  was  claimed 
to  be  superior  to  Hannibal  and  the  captain  of  the  Emden  to  Leonidas. 
The  commercial  and  industrial  classes  had,  it  was  generally  felt, 
proved  themselves  equal  to  the  demands  of  the  hour.  The  greatest 
failure,  had  appeared  among  the  political  and  diplomatic  leaders. 
The  demand  was  at  once  renewed  for  the  establishment  of  a  common 
school  from  which  pupils  of  promise  in  all  classes  of  society  might  be 
recruited  to  place  their  intellectual  abilities  at  the  service  of  the  state 
and  to  furnish  an  intellectual  and  spiritual  reserve  to  make  up  for  the 
physical  and  intellectual  losses  incurred  during  the  war.  It  was  no 
longer  a  question  of  providing  an  easy  path  (Baku  leicht)  for  ability 
but  an  unobstructed  path  ( Bahn  frei).  The  war  changed  the  aspects 
of  the  problem ;  the  need  of  the  hour  was  a  German  national  school 
for  all,  with  opportunity  for  all  to  cooperate  in  promoting  the  great 
aims  of  the  German  cultural  state.  National  unity  could  only  be  ad¬ 
vanced  by  a  national  common  school,  which,  according  to  the  progres¬ 
sives,  including  the  Deutsche  Lehrerverein  and  the  social  democrats, 
must  be  established  as  a  free,  undenominational,  and  nationally  uni- 


EDUCATION  IN  GERMANY. 


95 


form  institution,  placing  gifted  children  of  the  poorer  classes  on  the 
same  footing  for  promotion  to  higher  education  as  the  children  of  the 
richer  classes.  Cultural  and  social  equality  must  be  established  for 
the  working  classes  who  were  anxious  to  play  their  proper  part  in  the 
development  of  common  national  aims.  They  desired  not  so  much  to 
reach  the  top,  but  that  their  abler  members  should  have  opportunities 
opened  to  them  suited  to  their  ability,  without  reference  to  school 
privileges  and  certificates.  For  the  worker  the  question  is  not  so  much 
“  How  can  I  raise  my  son  socially  through  education?”  as  “  How  can 
I  secure  for  my  class,  or  rather  its  abler  members,  appropriate  influ¬ 
ence  on  the  administration  of  the  state  and  of  the  community  in  in¬ 
dustry,  commerce,  transport ;  and  how  can  I  put  an  end  to  the  influ¬ 
ences  of  privilege  that  are  socially  detrimental  ?”  Selection  for  educa¬ 
tional  advantages  must  in  the  future  be  based,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
advocates  of  the  movement,  not  on  privilege  but  on  the  common  right 
of  all  classes.  The  proposals  for  the  Einheitsschule  are  well  sum¬ 
marized  in  a  resolution  passed  in  June  by  the  Association  of  Prussian 
Women  Teachers’  meeting  at  Hannover: 

National  unity,  returning  stronger  than  ever  after  the  war,  will  demand  a 
unified  school  system  for  all  Germany.  The  reconstruction  of  the  whole  system 
will  have  to  be  made  with  a  single  compulsory  elementary  school  as  its  founda¬ 
tion.  Reasons  for  this  are  of  different  kinds;  reasons  of  social  justice,  that 
every  gifted  child  shall  be  able  to  advance  to  a  higher  education ;  national  and 
economic  reasons,  that  the  state  shall  be  able  to  make  use  of  all  native  talent 
in  the  most  suitable  place,  and  shall  be  able  to  economize  on  the  heavy  and 
useless  expenses  which  are  incurred  by  the  presence  of  poorly  endowed  scholars 
in  the  secondary  schools. 

Karl  Muthesius,  long  a  leader  in  educational  affairs,  is  opposed  to 
class  barriers  and  restrictions  on  intellectual  development  merely  be¬ 
cause  of  poverty.  The  elementary  school  up  to  12  must  be  the  na¬ 
tional  school,  offering  a  common  foundation  for  all;  beyond  this  op¬ 
portunities  must  be  created  for  differentiation  according  to  the  needs 
of  the  individual  and  of  the  nation.  The  common  school  must  be 
free  from  clerical  control  and  permitted  to  be  self-directing.  He 
expresses  his  opposition  to  the  classical  tradition  in  days  when  Ger¬ 
man  culture  is  fully  developed  to  furnish  a  sound  basis  for  education. 
Prof.  Rein,  in  a  work  edited  by  Fr.  Thimme,1  in  which  are  collected 
the  opinions  of  leading  Germans  on  the  subject  under  discussion, 
declares  himself  most  emphatically,  as  might  be  expected,  in  favor 
of  the  common  school,  wThose  establishment  would  make  a  real  and 
effectual  contribution  to  the  development  of  national  feeling  in  the 
hearts  of  all  children.  Such  an  organization  would  give  inner  unity 
to  the  whole  system  of  moral  culture  in  Germany. 

Opposition  to  these  claims  was  immediately  aroused  and  came 
from  the  secondary  schools,  teachers  of  traditional  subjects,  school 


1  Thimme,  Fr.  Vom  inneren  Frieden  des  deutschen  Volkes.  Leipzig,  1916. 


96 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


inspectors,  administrative  officials,  and  the  clerical  and  conservative 
elements  in  politics.  The  secondary-school  teachers  in  general  feared 
overcrowding  of  their  schools.  The  specialists  were  alarmed  at  the 
thought  of  the  postponement  of  the  beginning  of  secondary  educa¬ 
tion  from  the  age  of  9  to  12  and  the  consequent  lowering  of  stand¬ 
ards.  The  inspectors  and  administrative  officials  produced  arguments 
against  a  radical  change  based  on  considerations  of  the  good  of  the 
lower  classes;  higher  education  would  only  lead  to  unrest  and  dis¬ 
content,  to  dissatisfaction  with  the  social  position  of  parents,  and 
ambitions  for  higher  positions  that  are  limited  in  number;  pupils 
from  poorer  homes  and  humbler  environments  do  not  enjoy  the  same 
advantages  and  opportunities  that  are  possessed  by  the  children  of 
the  upper  classes,  a  condition  that  in  itself  might  be  fraught  with 
danger  consequent  on  the  sudden  transfer  from  a  humble  to  a  higher 
status.  In  any  case  the  work  of  the  elementary  schools  furnishes  no 
criterion  for  the  selection  of  pupils  for  advancement  to  higher  edu¬ 
cation,  so  that  early  selection  would  be  surrounded  with  risk  for  the 
aspiring  pupil,  while  no  account  would  be  taken  or  provision  made 
for  late  development.  It  would  also  be  unjust  to  the  elementary- 
school  teachers  to  deprive  them  of  the  pick  of  their  product,  and  the 
promotion  of  gifted  pupils  would  mean  the  withdrawal  of  an  ever¬ 
present  incentive  to  the  less  well  endowed.  If  the  views  of  the 
radicals  were  realized  and  the  selection  of  able  pupils  for  advance¬ 
ment  to  secondary  schools  were  made  by  the  schools,  the  rights  of 
parents  would  be  outraged;  at  the  most,  all  that  the  schools  should  do 
would  be  to  advise  parents  and  allow  them  to  act  if  they  choose. 
The  fear  was  also  expressed  by  no  less  an  authority  than  Rudolf 
Eucken  that  the  realization  of  the  common-school  proposal  would 
endanger  traditional  values  in  school,  lower  standards,  compromise 
the  precious  things  of  German  culture,  and  in  the  last  analysis  lead 
to  the  establishment  of  private  schools  and  the  perpetuation  of  a 
social  class  to  preserve  these  heritages.  Curt  Fritzsche,1  in  a  work 
on  the  Einheitsschule,  claims  to  see  the  purport  of  the  whole  move¬ 
ment  in  the  reception  accorded  at  the  Kiel  congress  of  1914  to  the 
declaration  of  two  French  delegates  that  it  represented  the  interna¬ 
tional  ideal  common  to  all  Europe — clearly  the  aims  and  tendencies 
of  the  movement  are  internationalism,  democratization,  radicalism, 
antireligious  secularization,  egoism,  and  social  feuds. 

Early  in  1916  the  subject  came  within  the  realm  of  practical  poli¬ 
tics,  when  the  educational  estimates  for  1916~17  were  brought  up  for 
debate  in  the  Prussian  House  of  Representatives  (Abgeordneten- 
haus).  The  social  democrats  and  the  progressive  volksparten  came 
forward  with  a  demand  for  the  abolition  of  the  vorschule  and  the 

1  Fritzsche,  C.  Die  Einheitsschule  in  Bibliothek  fur  Volks-  und  Weltwirtschaft,  No.  21. 
Dresden,  1916. 


EDUCATION  IN  GERMANY. 


97 


throwing  open  of  opportunities  for  ability  in  whatever  grade  of 
society  it  might  appear.  The  vorschule  is  merely  a  school  for  those 
privileged  by  class  who  made  no  other  use  of  their  educational  oppor¬ 
tunity  than  to  advance  as  far  as  the  einjahrigenzeugnis.  If  the  prin¬ 
ciple  of  the  einheitsschule  were  adopted  the  best  pupils  would  pass 
on  completion  of  their  elementary  school  course  to  the  secondary 
school  and  in  five  or  six  years  obtain  the  reifezengnis,  or  certificate 
of  maturity,  that  would  admit  them  to  the  universities.  Both  pro¬ 
posals  met  with  opposition  from  the  conservatives  and  the  clericals, 
who  feared  that  the  common-school  movement  would  involve  secu¬ 
larization.  They  were  prepared  to  grant  one  concession — that  the 
transfer  of  pupils  from  the  elementary  to  the  secondary  schools 
should  be  made  as  easy  as  that  from  the  vorschule.  On  behalf  of  the 
Government  the  minister  of  education  admitted  the  need  of  estab¬ 
lishing  facilities  for  transferring  able  pupils  from  the  elementary  to 
the  secondary  schools  and  suggested  the  organization  of  a  mittelschule 
for  this  purpose.  He  referred  to  an  experiment  that  had  already 
been  conducted  in  Berlin  whereby  pupils  from  elementary  schools 
were  transferred  to  the  quarta  class,  or  third  year  of  the  realscliule, 
and  in  four  years  attained  to  the  einjahrigenzeugnis.  Such  pupils 
could  then  move  on  to  the  oberrealschule  and  at  19  or  20  be  ready  to 
pass  on  to  the  universities. 

In  the  middle  of  1916  announcements  appeared  in  the  press  that 
the  ministry  of  education  was  preparing  regulations  to  enable  fit  and 
selected  pupils  after  three  years  in  an  elementary  school  to  be  trans¬ 
ferred  without  further  examination  to  a  secondary  school,  thus  en¬ 
joying  practically  the  same  privilege  as  the  pupils  of  the  Vorschule 
with  the  difference  that,  if  found  deficient,  they  could  be  returned  to 
the  elementary  grades.  This  proposal  met  with  a  storm  of  opposi¬ 
tion  ;  it  was  feared  that  the  secondary  schools  would  be  invaded  and 
that  the  teachers  and  principals  of  these  schools  would  not  have  the 
power  to  turn  pupils  back  to  the  elementary  schools.  The  result 
was  that  the  ministry  denied  that  it  was  even  considering  such  a  sug¬ 
gestion,  and  stated  that  it  was  merely  planning  to  codify  the  regula¬ 
tions  for  the  entrance  examinations  to  secondary  schools  which  had 
remained  unchanged  since  1837.  When  the  new  regulations  were 
issued  in  August  it  was  found  that  they  benefited  the  Vorschule 
rather  than  the  elementary  schools. 

The  question  of  the  Einheitsschule  again  came  up  in  the  course  of 
the  debate  on  the  estimates  for  1917-18,  and  the  Government  was 
now  compelled  to  act.  The  position  of  the  minister  of  education 
showed  clearly  that  the  ground  had  been  shifted.  From  the  consid¬ 
eration  of  the  Einheitsschule  and  of  plans  for  facilitating  the  transi¬ 
tion  from  the  elementary  to  the  secondary  school,  the  problem  had 
87376°— 18 - 7 


98 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1913. 


been  narrowed  down  to  that  of  selecting  gifted  elementary  school 
pupils  for  advancement  to  higher  education.  The  minister  an¬ 
nounced  that  he  had,  early  in  1917,  addressed  the  following  questions 
to  all  district  inspectors: 

(a)  In  what  elementary  school  organizations  can  a  good  pupil  pass  into 
Sexta  of  a  secondary  school  without  necessitating  special  arrangements  or 
alterations  in  the  school  program? 

(&)  If  such  organizations  do  not  exist,  what  changes  would  have  to  be  made 
in  the  program  to  render  these  transfers  possible? 

(c)  Can  such  changes  be  made  without  disadvantage  to  the  other  students? 
If  not,  suggestions  should  be  made  for  special  arrangements  to  meet  the  needs 
of  the  gifted  pupil. 

It  was  announced  that  an  experiment  was  being  conducted  by  the 
Government  at  Konigsberg,  and  plans  were  in  progress  for  dealing 
with  the  needs  of  gifted  children  in  Berlin,  Frankfort,  Breslau, 
Mannheim,  and  Hamburg. 

The  new  movement  for  the  selection  of  gifted  and  exceptional 
children  seems  to  have  had  the  effect  of  checking  completely  any 
further  demands  for  the  Einheitsschule.  In  the  school  systems  to 
which  reference  is  made  above  Begabtenschulen  have  been  or  are  in 
process  of  being  established,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  this  com¬ 
promise  will  be  accepted  by  both  sides.  Nowhere  has  a  common 
school  been  put  into  operation,  and  teachers’  associations  appear  to 
have  been  active  in  promoting  the  new  experiments,  which  are  limited 
to  facilitating  access  to  middle  and  secondary  schools  to  gifted  and 
exceptional  ( Begdbten  and  Hoclibegabten)  pupils  in  elementary 
schools. 

In  Berlin  such  an  experiment  was  introduced  on  the  suggestion  of 
Geheimer  Justizrat  Cassel,  a  member  of  the  Progressive  Volkspartei, 
who  urged  in  the  Prussian  Abgeordnetenhaus  in  1916  the  establish¬ 
ment  of  facilities  in  each  Province  to  enable  pupils  on  finishing  the 
elementary  schools  to  continue  to  a  higher  school  and  reach  the 
Reifezeugnis  or  maturity  certificate  in  five  or  six  years.  Such  a 
plan,  he  stated,  would  be  of  advantage  to  children  of  poor  parents 
in  larger  cities  as  well  as  to  children  in  small  towns  and  rural  areas 
who  could  enjoy  the  blessings  of  home  influences  up  to  14.  Dr.  Rei- 
mann,  the  director  of  education  for  Berlin,  adopted  the  suggestion 
and  the  Begabtenschule  was  established  in  1917  for  the  admission 
of  exceptional  and  studious  pupils  who  have  completed  the  first 
seven  years  of  the  elementary  school  course.  The  work  of  the 
Begabtenschule  begins  with  that  of  Untertertia  of  a  secondary 
school;  during  the  first  year  the  pupils  are  under  probation  and, 
if  they  fail  to  meet  the  standards,  may  be  discharged — that  is,  at  the 
age  at  w7hich  they  would  ordinarily  have  reached  the  close  of  the 
compulsory  attendance  period.  After  two  years — that  is,  after  Un- 
tersekunda — a  choice  is  open  between  the  course  of  a  gymnasium 


EDUCATION  IN  GERMANY. 


99 


or  of  a  real gymnasium.  The  schools  do  not  grant  the  privilege  of 
one  year  of  military  service  but  after  six  years  lead  to  the  maturity 
certificate  which  admits  to  the  university.  The  Begabtenschule  is 
open  to  able  pupils  of  all  classes ;  fees  are  remitted  for  poor  pupils, 
and  books  and,  in  case  of  need,  maintenance  grants  up  to  300  marks 
($75)  a  year  are  granted.  The  pupils  must  be  recommended  by  their 
schools  and  are  selected  on  the  basis  of  psychological  intelligence 
tests.  The  first  tests  were  conducted  by  W.  Moede  and  C.  Piorkow- 
ski,  psychologists  who  had  met  with  success  in  selecting  motor  trans¬ 
port  drivers  for  the  army  by  tests  which  were  used  in  all  sections  of 
this  branch  of  the  service.  This  selection  is  based  on  tests  of  atten¬ 
tion  and  concentration,  memory,  combinations,  wealth  of  ideas,  judg¬ 
ment,  intention,  and  observation.  The  authors  of  these  tests  declare 
that  “  reviewing  the  precise  results  of  the  analytical  and  systematic 
tests,  the  professional  psychologist  can  not  refuse  to  accept  the  re¬ 
sponsibility  for  his  decisions  based  on  good  scientific  principles.” 
Dr.  Reimann  plans  to  test  pupils  with  artistic  or  technical  bent  and 
select  them  at  13  or  14  for  higher  trade  schools  to  train  as  painters, 
jewelers,  designers,  embroiderers,  cabinetmakers,  lithographers,  and 
other  crafts.  Dr.  H.  Rebhuhn  has  prepared  an  observation  sheet 
which  was  presented  by  the  Association  for  Exact  Pedagogy  to  the 
city  school  board  to  be  used  by  teachers  as  soon  as  pupils  commence 
to  show  marked  ability,  and  so  serve  as  a  record  from  the  second 
year  up. 

A  similar  plan  was  inaugurated  at  Leipzig  for  boys  and  provision 
will  be  made  for  girls.  Special  classes  were  established  at  a  reform 
school  and  an  Oberrealshule  closely  coordinated  with  the  elementary 
schools.  The  course  begins  in  Untertertia  with  intensive  study  of 
French  for  three-quarters  of  a  year,  when  English  or  Latin  are  taken 
up.  After  another  year  the  pupils  are  ready  to  take  their  place  in 
the  normal  class  of  the  school  (Untersekunda).  Tuition,  books,  and 
maintenance  allowances  are  granted  in  case  of  need.  Since  the  num¬ 
ber  of  selected  pupils  is  restricted  to  20  each  year,  they  are  the  very 
exceptional  only  ( Jiervorragend  Begabten) .  In  order  not  to  flood  the 
academic  and  professional  careers,  similar  experiments  will  be  at¬ 
tempted  in  other  schools,  e.  g.,  school  of  commerce,  technical  school, 
and  trade  schools. 

A  somewhat  different  plan  has  been  adopted  at  Hamburg,  where  it ' 
was  originally  intended  to  establish  a  transition  or  special  class  to 
coordinate  the  elementary  secondary  schools.  In  place  of  this,  owing 
to  the  insistence  of  the  teachers  and  the  House  of  Burgesses,  a  type 
of  school  is  organized  that  avoids  such  half  measures.  At  10  years 
of  age — that  is,  on  completing  the  fourth  school  year — pupils  are 
especially  selected  for  the  new  schools,  of  which  22  have  been  estab¬ 
lished  (14  for  boys  and  8  for  girls),  to  provide  either  a  four-year 


100 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


German  course  or  a  five-year  course  with  foreign  languages.  These 
schools  are  similar  to  the  Prussian  middle  schools  and  carry  the 
privilege  of  admission  to  certain  higher  trade  schools  and  to  the 
State  examination  for  the  one-year  military  privilege.  The  pupil 
who.  completes  the  courses  of  such  schools  can,  by  way  of  the  Ober- 
realschule  or  the  Realygymnasium,  pass  on  to  the  universities.  The 
selection  of  the  gifted  pupils  is  based  partly  on  the  psychological  ob¬ 
servations  by  the  teachers  and  psychological  tests  by  an  expert,  for 
both  of  which  Dr.  W.  Stern,  of  the  Psychological  Institute,  is  respon¬ 
sible.  The  psychological  observations  are  recorded  in  a  specially 
prepared  folder  indicating  the  home  conditions  and  school  record  of 
the  pupil,  his  adaptability,  attentiveness,  susceptibility  to  fatigue, 
powers  of  observation  and  comprehension,  memory,  imagination, 
thought,  language,  industry,  disposition  and  will  power,  special  in¬ 
terests,  and  abilities.  The  psychological  tests  include  the  logical 
arrangement  of  ideas,  explanation  of  concepts,  completion  test,  build¬ 
ing  of  sentences  on  the  basis  of  key  words,  the  derivation  of  the  moral 
of  a  story,  the  discovery  of  illogicalities,  the  finding  of  a  legend  for  a 
series  of  pictures,  and  test  of  attentiveness.  Stern  claims  that  the 
cooperation  of  the  teachers  makes  the  Hamburg  system  superior  to 
the  Berlin  plan  of  selecting  on  the  basis  of  tests  alone ;  it  should  also 
be  mentioned  that  the  selection  in  Hamburg  is  under  the  supervision 
of  a  committee  of  the  superintendent,  inspectors,  principals,  teachers, 
and  psychologists.  For  pupils  who  develop  at  a  later  stage  than  those 
for  whom  these  arrangements  are  made,  transition  has  been  estab¬ 
lished  in  two  Realschulen,  in  which  after  one  year  they  can  pass  on  to 
the  last  year  of  the  school  and  qualify  for  the  one-year  military 
privilege. 

Breslau  has  established  special  classes  for  boys  and  girls  of  great 
ability  (hochbegabten)  selected  at  about  the  age  of  12  by  a  psycho¬ 
logical  expert  on  the  basis  of  intelligence  tests  similar  to  those  used 
in  Hamburg.  Pupils  who  succeed  in  these  schools  will  be  encouraged 
by  the  city  to  proceed  along  suitable  lines.  The  city  will  look  after 
the  education  of  selected  pupils  who  may  thus  be  under  the  observa¬ 
tion  of  the  psychologist  until  they  pass  into  their  chosen  vocation. 
Facilities  have  been  instituted  in  Charlottenburg  to  enable  gifted 
pupils  to  advance  more  rapidly  in  the  elementary  schools  and  com¬ 
plete  the  work  of  a  middle  school.  At  Frankfort  gifted  pupils,  on 
leaving  the  elementary  schools,  may  be  prepared  in  one  year  to  enter 
Untersekunda  of  an  Oberrealschule,  and  in  four  years  to  attain  the 
Reifezeugnis.  The  Mannheim 1  system  is  well  known  in  this  country. 

The  experiment  is  thus  confined  to  the  larger  towns,  and  complaints 
are  already  heard  that  the  State  should  take  over  the  further  develop¬ 
ment  of  such  plans  to  bring  them  within  the  reach  of  all.  In  the 


1  See  Auxiliary  Schools  of  Germany.  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education,  1907,  Bulletin  No.  3. 


EDUCATION  IN  GERMANY. 


101 


meantime  critics  even  of  this  precipitate  of  the  more  ambitious  and 
more  democratic  movement  for  the  Einheitsschule  are  not  wanting. 
There  are  those  who  express  concern  lest  the  gifted  pupils  become 
spoiled  and  conceited ;  that  selection  in  itself  would  set  up  class  dis¬ 
tinctions  ;  that  school  ability  is  not  necessarily  a  guarantee  of  ability 
in  after  life;  that  pupils  should  not  be  selected  on  the  basis  of  school 
marks  but  on  the  basis  of  character,  pronounced  bent,  and  moral 
force.  Further,  the  plans  involve  the  danger  of  robbing  the  lower 
classes  of  their  intelligent  members,  of  depriving  industry  of  its 
abler  workmen,  and  of  overcrowding  academic  and .  professional 
careers.  Finally,  faute  de  mieux,  psychological  tests  are  not  yet  suf¬ 
ficiently  developed  to  serve  as  a  basis  of  sound  and  scientific  diag¬ 
nosis,  and  are  inadequate  until  they  have  found  a  more  extensive 
place  in  the  schools.  It  is  clear  that  the  mind  of  the  German  reac¬ 
tionary  follows  the  same  kind  of  logic  in  domestic  as  in  foreign 
affairs. 


III. 

ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 

THE  CAMPAIGN  FOR  SCHOOL  ATTENDANCE. 

The  whole  strength  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  has  been  directed 
without  cessation  during  the  past  year  to  the  effort  to  maintain  the 
schools  of  the  .country  at  full  efficiency  during  the  war. 

There  was  need  of  the  effort.  The  declaration  of  war  came  in  the 
midst  of  the  second  semester  of  the  school  year,  1916-17.  The  at¬ 
tendant  excitement  threatened  to  demoralize  the  entire  work  of  in¬ 
struction  even  before  the  real  effects  of  war  measures  began  to  be 
felt.  During  the  summer  vacation  of  1917  large  numbers  of  students 
and  of  teachers  volunteered  for  military  or  naval  service.  The  en¬ 
rollment  at  the  beginning  of  the  new  term  was,  as  a  whole,  larger 
than  had  been  expected,  but  the  numbers  soon  began  to  decline,  as 
the  voluntary  enlistments  increased  and  as  young  men  and  boys  left 
their  books  to  accept  employment  in  the  industries  at  wages  that  were 
high  beyond  all  precedent. 

Professors  and  instructors  in  colleges  and  high  schools  were  in 
demand  for  scientific  work  for  the  Army,  Navy,  and  Government 
departments,  and  for  responsible  positions  in  commercial  and  manu¬ 
facturing  establishments.  Women  teachers  discovered  that  they 
could  earn  a  great  deal  more  as  clerks  than  as  teachers,  and  many 
of  them  resigned  their  positions  without  hesitation.  The  cost  of  all 
supplies  and  materials  advanced  rapidly,  making  it  impossible  with 
a  fixed  income  fully  to  provide  for  the  needs  of  the  schools.  All 
these  difficulties  increased  as  the  months  passed,  and  the  number  of 
men  called  to  military  service  increased,  for  each  man  called  left  one 
more  place  to  be  filled  in  the  productive  industries. 

The  most  earnest  efforts  of  school  officers  of  every  degree  were 
required  to  save  the  schools  from  serious  deterioration.  The  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education  foresaw  the  results  that  would  follow  the 
unfavorable  occurrences  that  were  taking  place,  and  threw  all  his 
energy  into  a  campaign  to  nullify  them.  Appeal  after  appeal  was 
made  to  all  those  who  were  concerned  in  the  situation  and  to  those 
who  seemed  able  to  exercise  any  influence  in  overcoming  the  condi¬ 
tions  that  militated  against  the  welfare  of  the  schools.  Parents 
102 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


103 


were  urged  not  to  take  their  children  prematurely  from  school,  in 
order  that  they  might  not  be  deprived  of  the  advantage  justly  due 
them ;  high  school  and  college  boys  were  urged  to  continue  their  at¬ 
tendance  until  the  completion  of  their  courses,  in  order  that  they 
might  serve  their  country  as  trained  leaders  rather  than  as  common 
soldiers  or  unskilled  workmen;  'teachers  were  urged  to  remain  at 
their  posts  developing  the  intellect  of  growing  children  rather  than 
to  desert  them  for  tasks  which  might  as  well  be  done  by  others; 
chairmen  of  school  boards  were  urged  to  increase  the  salaries  of 
teachers  in  order  that  they  might  not  be  led  into  less  important  call¬ 
ings  because  of  the  lack  of  compensation  sufficient  for  decent  and  suit¬ 
able  living;  high  Government  officers  were  urged  to  make  arrange¬ 
ments  for  the  draft  and  other  demands  upon  the  services  of  men 
which  would  avoid  injury  to  the  schools;  and  clergymen,  editors  of 
all  classes  of  journals,  labor  leaders,  parent- teacher  associations, 
women’s  clubs,  as  well  as  school  superintendents  and  heads  of  all 
educational  institutions,  were  urged  to  exert  all  the  powers  that  in 
them  lay  to  induce  parents,  students,  teachers,  school  boards,  and 
public  officers  to  strive  to  the  utmost  to  maintain  the  normal  school 
attendance  and  the  normal  standard  of  instruction. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and  the  President  of  the  United 
States  have  cordially  supported  the  Commissioner  of  Education  in 
this  campaign.  The  President  has  written  two  characteristic  letters 
in  its  behalf  which  were  reproduced  and  distributed  far  and  wide 
by  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

They  were  as  follows: 

The  White  House, 
Washington ,  20  July,  1917. 

My  Dear  Mb.  Secretary  :  The  question  which  you  have  brought  to  my  atten¬ 
tion  is  of  the  very  greatest  moment.  It  would,  as  you  suggest,  seriously  impair 
America’s  prospects  of  success  in  this  war  if  the  supply  of  highly  trained  men 
were  unnecessarily  diminished.  There  will  be  need  for  a  larger  number  of 
persons  expert  in  the  various  fields  of  applied  science  than  ever  before.  Such 
persons  will  be  needed  both  during  the  war  and  after  its  close.  I  therefore 
have  no  hesitation  in  urging  colleges  and  technical  schools  to  endeavor  to 
maintain  their  courses  as  far  as  possible  on  the  usual  basis.  There  wTill  be 
many  young  men  from  these  institutions  who  will  serve  in  the  armed  forces 
of  the  country.  Those  who  fall  below  the  age  of  selective  conscription  and  who 
do  not  enlist  may  feel  that  by  pursuing  their  courses  with  earnestness  and 
diligence  they  also  are  preparing  themselves  for  valuable  service  to  the  Nation. 
I  would  particularly  urge  upon  the  young  people  who  are  leaving  our  high 
schools  that  as  many  of  them  as  can  do  so  avail  themselves  this  year  of  the 
opportunities  offered  by  the  colleges  and  technical  schools,  to  the  end  that  the 
country  may  not  lack  an  adequate  supply  of  trained  men  and  women. 

Cordially  and  sincerely,  yours, 


Hon.  Fra:tklin  K.  Lane, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


Woodrow  Wilson. 


104 


EDUCATION  REPOET,  1918. 


The  White  Holtse, 
Washington,  SI  July,  1918. 

My  Dear  Mr.  Secretary:  I  am  pleased  to  know  that  despite  the  unusual 
burdens  imposed  upon  our  people  by  the  war  they  have  maintained  their  schools 
and  other  agencies  of  education  so  nearly  at  their  normal  efficiency.  That  this 
should  be  continued  throughout  the  war  and  that,  in  so  far  as  the  draft  law 
will  permit,  there  should  be  no  falling  off  in  attendance  in  elementary  schools, 
high  schools,  or  colleges  is  a  matter  of  the  very  greatest  importance,  affecting 
both  our  strength  in  war  and  our  national  welfare  and  efficiency  when  the  war 
is  over.  So  long  as  the  war  continues  there  will  be  constant  need  of  very 
.large  numbers  of  men  and  women  of  the  highest  and  most  thorough  training 
for  war  service  in  many  lines.  After  the  war  there  will  be  urgent  need  not 
only  for  trained  leadership  in  all  lines  of  industrial,  commercial,  social,  and 
civic  life,  but  for  a  very  high  average  of  intelligence  and  preparation  on  the 
part  of  all  the  people.  I  would  therefore  urge  that  the  people  continue  to  give 
generous  support  to  their  schools  of  all  grades  and  that  the  schools  adjust 
themselves  as  wisely  as  possible  to  the  new  conditions  to  the  end  that  no  boy 
or  girl  shall  have  less  opportunity  for  education  because  of  the  war  and  that 
the  Nation  may  be  strengthened  as  it  can  only  be  through  the  right  education 
of  all  its  people.  I  approve  most  heartily  your  plans  for  making  through  the 
Bureau  of  Education  a  comprehensive  campaign  for  the  support  of  the  schools 
and  for  the  maintenance  of  attendance  upon  them,  and  trust  that  you  may 
have  the  cooperation  in  this  work  of  the  American  Council  of  Education. 
Cordially  and  sincerely,  yours  , 

Woodrow  Wilson. 

Hon  Franklin  K.  Lane, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

The  interest  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  has  been  repeatedly 
manifested  in  the  campaign  for  the  maintenance  of  the  schools  at 
normal  efficiency.  In  February,  1918,  he  called  a  conference  of  rep¬ 
resentatives  of  the  War  Department,  Navy  Department,  Department 
of  the  Interior,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Department  of  Labor, 
and  the  Civil  Service  Commission  for  the  purpose  of  considering 
the  needs  of  the  several  departments  in  relation  to  the  schools.  After 
several  conferences  the  following  statement  was  prepared  and  for¬ 
mally  approved  by  the  heads  of  all  the  departments  concerned : 

the  need  in  agriculture. 

Before  the  opening  of  the  war  there  were  in  the  United  States  about  6,000,000 
farmers,  and  about  an  equal  number  of  farm  laborers.  There  are  farm  labor 
difficulties  to  be  overcome  in  many  parts  of  the  Union.  In  some  sections  the 
situation  is  acute. 

Aside  from  casual  work,  chores,  and  the  like,  which  might  be  done  outside  of 
school  hours,  the  labor  of  boys  under  14  years  of  age  is  not  a  vital  factor  on  the 
farm.  City  boys,  without  farm  experience,  are  not  generally  useful  under  16 
years  of  age.  In  some  lines  of  farm  work  unskilled  boys  can  be  used  in  part, 
under  skilled  direction.  In  some  lines  of  work  a  bright,  strong  boy  can  step  in, 
without  previous  experience,  and  be  of  use  almost  from  the  first  day.  There 
are,  of  course,  some  kinds  of  farm  work  that  a  boy  without  farm  experience 
can  not  be  expected  to  do  without  training.  In  any  case,  intelligence,  good 
health,  and  good  physical  development  are  essential  for  useful  service  on  the 
farm. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


105 


One  of  tlie  urgent  needs  on  the  farm  to-day  is  for  capable  women  to  help 
with  the  housework.  Without  such  help  many  farms  could  not  take  on  addi¬ 
tional  farm  laborers,  even  if  they  were  available,  because  of  the  added  labor 
involved  in  providing  meals  and  lodging. 

THE  NEED  IN  THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY. 

The  Army  and  Navy  do  not  want,  and  can  not  use,  boys  under  18  years  of 
age,  nor  boys  nor  men  of  any  age  who  are  not  strong  and  well-developed 
physically.  So  far  as  the  Army  and  Navy  are  concerned,  there  is  nothing 
more  important  that  the  schools  can  do  than  to  keep  going  at  full  capacity, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  emphasize  in  every  possible  way  their  work  in  physical 
education.  High  school  boys  will  render  the  best  service  of  which  they  are 
capable  by  remaining  in  school  until  completion  of  the  high  school  course. 

As  soon  as  the  Army  is  able  to  announce  definitely  its  need  of  men  possessing 
certain  technical  and  trade  qualifications,  it  will  be  necessary  for  large  num¬ 
bers  of  young  men  18  years  of  age  and  over  to  respond  by  taking  the  training 
courses  that  may  be  provided  to  prepare  them  in  the  shortest  possible  time. 
But,  in  the  meantime,  nothing  can  possibly  be  gained  by  boys  doing  otherwise 
than  to  continue  in  school,  laying  the  very  best  possible  foundation  for  such 
subsequent  training.  If  they  are  wanted,  they  will  be  called. 

If  the  schools  will  carefully  select  boys  having  suitable  physical  development 
and  other  necessary  qualifications,  prepare  them  for  the  various  branches  of 
agricultural  work,  and  send  them  out  to  service  on  the  farms  under  proper 
auspices  during  the  approaching  vacation,  they  will  undoubtedly  be  offering 
greater  relief  in  the  present  emergency  than  would  be  possible  by  attempting 
to  carry  on  any  work  immediately  under  the  Army  or  Navy. 

Vigorous  physical  training  under  discipline  furnishes  excellent  preparation 
for  civil  or  military  usefulness  later  on.  Such  value  as  formal  military  drill 
in  the  high  schools  may  have,  however,  is  more  likely  to  be  through  keeping 
the  boys  satisfied  to  remain  in  school  than  as  a  contribution  to  the  immediate 
military  strength  of  the  country. 

THE  NEED  IN  CIVIL  SERVICE. 

There  is  a  strong  demand  for  clerks,  stenographers,  and  typewriters,  but  the 
places  can  not  be  filled  by  boys  and  girls  under  18  years  of  age.  No  advantage 
would  accrue  to  the  civil  service  in  any  way  by  shutting  down  the  schools  or 
by  curtailing  school  facilities. 

Many  civil  service  positions  have  been  filled  by  drawing  workers  from  com¬ 
mercial  and  industrial  houses,  and  also  by  drawing  teachers  from  the  schools. 
All  of  the  positions  thus  made  vacant  must  be  filled  from  some  source.  There¬ 
fore,  schools  could  undoubtedly  render  a  much-needed  service  by  organizing 
classes  to  train  stenographers,  typewriters,  clerks,  and  secretaries. 

THE  NEED  IN  INDUSTRY. 

Many  industries  and  commercial  establishments  could  use  capable  boys  and 
girls  for  various  kinds  of  service,  but  Government  officials  maintain  that  no 
emergency  exists  which  justifies  proposing  any  relaxation  of  the  laws  safe¬ 
guarding  the  working  condition  of  young  people. 

Still  more  serious  labor  shortages  in  industry  are  anticipated,  but  boys  and 
girls  under  18  years  of  age  should  not  be  used  to  make  up  these  shortages  any 
more  than  can  possibly  be  helped.  It  is  easier  to  provide  approved  working 
conditions  on  the  farm  than  in  the  mill  or  factory. 


106 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


SUMMARY  OF  CONCLUSIONS  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

1.  Conditions  in  different  sections  of  the  country  are  so  diverse  that  no 
detailed  policy  will  be  uniformly  applicable.  Only  general  policies  and  princi¬ 
ples  may  be  adopted  for  the  country  as  a  whole. 

THE  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS. 

2.  There  appears  to  be  nothing  in  the  present  or  prospective  war  emergency 
to  justify  curtailment  in  any  respect  of  the  sessions  of  the  elementary  school, 
or  of  the  education  of  boys  and  girls  under  14  years  of  age,  and  nothing  which 
should  serve  as  an  excuse  for  interference  with  the  progressive  development  of 
the  school  system.  Teachers  and  pupils  may  be  encouraged  to  find  ways  of 
performing  in  the  schools  some  service  having  war  value,  such  as  activities 
connected  with  the  Junior  Red  Cross,  war-garden  wrork,  Boy  Scouts,  war-thrift 
work,  and  the  like.  Opportunities  should  be  found  to  introduce  into  the 
school  activities  having  real  educational  value,  which  at  the  same  time  connect 
the  public  schools  with  the  ideals  of  service  and  self-sacrifice  actuating  our 
people,  and  bring  home  to  the  consciousness  of  teachers,  pupils,  and  parents 
the  essential  unity  of  the  Nation  in  this  great  crisis. 

3.  In  view  of  the  progress  that  has  been  made  in  this  country  in  the  enact¬ 
ment  of  compulsory  education  legislation,  it  is  assumed  at  the  outset  that  there 
is  no  question  that  in  the  country  and  villages  all  girls  under  14  years  of  age, 
and  all  boys  under  12,  might  well  continue  in  school  through  the  summer, 
wherever  the  condition  of  the  school  funds  makes  this  at  all  possible. 

4.  In  the  cities  there  would  be  no  interference  with  the  supply  of  needed 
labor  if  all  children  under  14  continue  in  school  to  the  end  of  the  regular 
session,  and  through  the  summer  as  well,  and  there  would  be  but  little  inter¬ 
ference  if  all  children  under  16  continue  in  school.  With  reference  to  boys 
and  girls  over  these  ages,  the  recommendations  which  follow  indicate  certain 
directions  in  which  it  is  believed  the  school  program  may  be  modified  when 
necessary  to  meet  emergencies. 

THE  SECONDARY  SCHOOLS. 

5.  One  of  the  places  in  which  there  appears  to  be  immediate  demand  for 
modification  of  the  high-school  program  is  in  respect  to  the  need  for  agri¬ 
cultural  labor.  Much  valuable  service  can  be  rendered  by  carefully  selecting 
and  training  boys  to  assist  in  meeting  this  demand.  It  can  not  be  too 
strongly  urged,  however,  that  each  pupil’s  case  be  considered  individually, 
and  no  pupil  should  be  excused  from  school  for  this  purpose  except  with  the 
written  consent  of  the  parents,  to  accept  specified  employment  for  a  definite 
term,  under  responsible  supervision  by  the  school  or  by  other  approved  agencies 
of  the  conditions  of  employment. 

6.  It  would  be  helpful  in  cities,  and  especially  in  industrial  communities, 
if,  for  boys  and  girls  over  14  years  of  age  in  or  out  of  school,  certain  definite 
courses  could  be  introduced  looking  toward  a  cooperative  half-time  plan  of 
school  attendance  and  employment  throughout  the  year. 

IN  GENERAL. 

7.  In  general,  it  is  believed  that,  wherever  school  boards  can  find  the  means, 
the  present  emergency  is  an  opportune  time  for  readjusting  the  schools  on 
an  all-year-round  basis,  with  a  school  of  48  weeks,  divided  into  four  quarters 
of  12  weeks  each.  The  schools  would  then  be  in  continuous  operation,  but 
individual  teachers  and  pupils  would  have  the  option  of  taking  one-quarter  off 
at  prearranged  periods  for  needed  change. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


107 


8.  If  it  is  not  practicable  for  the  schools  to  change  at  once  to  the  all-year- 
round  program,  a  much-needed  service  can  be  rendered  in  many  localities  by 
organizing  special  summer  and  evening  classes  to  train  young  people  for 
the  civil  service,  and  to  train  stenographers,  typewriters,  clerks,  and  secre¬ 
taries  for  the  commercial  world.  In  many  communities  numbers  of  adult 
women  will  be  found  who  are  free  to  avail  themselves  of  special  training  to 
fit  themselves  for  various  kinds  of  positions  in  office  and  clerical  work,  taking 
temporarily  the  places  of  men  called  to  the  colors  or  to  other  employment. 

9.  Some  schools  should  consider  the  possibility  of  arranging  a  schedule  for 
certain  groups  of  students  having  a  definite  prospect  of  service,  in  accordance 
with  which  the  summer  months  would  be  spent  in  school,  leaving  the  students 
free  to  work  on  the  farms  during  planting  time  in  the  spring  and  again  during 
harvest  time  in  the  fall.  In  still  other  cases,  particularly  in  the  smaller  com¬ 
munities,  time  may  be  secured  for  farm  work  by  omitting  the  usual  spring 
vacation,  by  holding  school  on  Saturdays,  and  otherwise  speeding  up,  and 
thus  completing  the  term’s  studies  some  weeks  in  advance  of  the  usual  date 
for  closing  the  school. 

10.  Special  programs  of  the  type  suggested  in  the  preceding  paragraph 
should  be  reserved  in  general  for  individual  students  or  specially  selected 
groups  of  students  who  have  definite  plans  for  proper  use  of  the  time  thus 
taken  from  the  school.  In  no  case  can  justification  be  found  for  the  general 
shortening  of  the  school  term  in  the  expectation  that  some  students  may  find 
places  of  useful  service. 

11.  In  response  to  definite  requests  from  Government  agencies,  schools  should 
be  used  from  time  to  time  for  specific  preparation  of  individuals  for  imme¬ 
diate  service. 

12.  Boys  and  girls  should  be  urged,  as  a  patriotic  duty,  to  remain  in  school 
to  the  completion  of  the  high-school  course,  and  in  increasing  numbers  to  enter 
upon  college  and  university  courses,  especially  in  technical  and  scientific  lines, 
and  normal  school  courses,  to  meet  the  great  need  for  trained  men  and  women. 

Approved. 

For  the  War  Department, 

Newton  D.  Baker,  Secretary. 

For  the  Navy  Department, 

Josephus  Daniels,  Secretary. 

For  the  Department  of  the  Interior, 

Franklin  K.  Lane,  Secretary. 

P.  P.  Claxton,  Commissioner  of  Education. 

.  For  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 

David  F.  Houston,  Secretary. 

For  the  Department  of  Labor, 

William  B.  Wilson,  Secretary . 

For  the  U.  S.  Civil  Service  Commission, 

John  A.  McIlhenny,  Chairman. 

The  interest  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  led  him  further  to 
instruct  the  Commissioner  of  Education  on  May  15,  1918,  to  invite 
a  conference  of  a  few  men  of  high  standing  in  order  that  they  might 
advise  the  Department  of  the  Interior  what  course  to  pursue  in 
urging  young  men  and  women  to  continue  their  college  courses. 
The  result  is  shown  in  the  following  report  of  the  conference  with 


1G8  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 

the  accompanying  letter  from  Secretary  Lane  to  the  Commissioner 
of  Education: 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 
Washington ,  June  28,  1918. 

SCIENTIFIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IN  THE  WAR  EMERGENCY. 

Statement  of  the  problem. — The  time  has  come  when  we  must  place  before 
the  country  in  definite  and  unmistakable  terms  the  task  which  confronts  us 
in  providing  men  and  women  with  the  needed  scientific,  technical,  mechanical, 
and  agricultural  knowledge  and  skill  requisite  for  winning  the  war,  and  bring 
such  pressure  to  bear  that  immediate  and  salutary  action  will  result. 

1.  Regardless  of  the  duration  of  the  war,  it  will  be  followed  inevitably  by  a 
period  of  reconstruction  which  will  make  demands  no  less  exacting  for  an 
indefinite  period  thereafter. 

2.  It  is  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  importance  of  engineering  knowledge 
and  skill,  in  the  broadest  sense,  not  only  directly  in  the  conduct  of  military 
operations,  but  indirectly  in  the  essential  war  industries.  A  high  type  of  agri¬ 
culture,  to  insure  an  unfailing  food  supply,  is  equally  indispensable. 

3.  The  engineering  problems  confronting  the  United  States  are  indefinitely 
greater  than  those  of  any  other  of  the  great  nations.  For  an  average  distance 
of  more  than  4,500  miles,  across  the  continents  and  the  seas,  we  must  transport 
all  of  the  men,  munitions,  and  supplies  which  are  to  represent  us  in  this  great 
struggle.  Furthermore,  the  Central  Powers  prepared  themselves  for  this  con¬ 
flict  over  a  long  period  of  years,  and  by  this  means  determined  its  character 
to  their  own  advantage  in  large  measure. 

4.  The  loss  by  our  allies  of  men  of  highly  specialized  training  in  the  early 
stages  of  the  wrar,  and  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  recovery,  leave  this  Nation 
in  the  position  of  trustee  of  the  principal  remaining  sources  of  supply. 

5.  For  the  period  of  reconstruction  there  will  be  urgent  need  of  large  numbers 
of  men  and  women  trained  in  commerce,  economics,  and  social  and  political 
science,  in  addition  to  those  mentioned  above. 

6.  To  accomplish  these  ends  an  adequate  supply  of  trained  teachers  in  scien¬ 
tific  and  technical  subjects  is  absolutely  indispensable. 

Action  by  the  War  Department. — These  problems  have  received  consideration 
by  the  proper  officials  of  the  War  Department,  and  plans  have  been  perfected 
for  the  organization  of  a  Students’  Enlisted  Corps,  which  will  develop  as  a 
military  asset  the  body  of  young  men  in  the  colleges,  while  at  the  same  time 
preventing  the  unnecessary  and  wasteful  depletion  of  the  college  through  indis¬ 
criminate  volunteering,  by  offering  to  the  students  a  definite  and  immediate 
military  status. 

Conference  as  to  procedure . — In  recognition  of  the  importance  of 
this  matter  Secretary  Lane  directed  the  Commissioner  of  Education 
to  invite  a  small  group  of  representative  citizens  to  meet  and  advise 
with  him  in  regard  to  what  policy  the  Department  of  the  Interior 
should  pursue  as  to  urging  upon  our  young  men  and  women  the 
taking  up  or  continuing  of  college  and  university  courses  during 
the  war. 

Invitations  were  sent  to  the  following  persons  to  meet  in  the  office 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  on  Friday,  May  31,  1918:, 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  109 

Mr.  Fuller  E.  Callaway,  director,  sales  and  finances,  Callaway  De¬ 
velopment  Co.,  La  Grange,  Ga. 

Mr.  Samuel  M.  Felton,  president  Chicago  Great  Western  Railway; 
director  general  of  Military  Railways,  War  Department. 

Mr.  Edwin  A.  Alderman,  president  University  of  Virginia,  Char¬ 
lottesville,  Va. 

Mr.  Alderman  was  unable  to  attend  the  first  conference,  at  which 
time  he  was  represented  by  Mr.  William  M.  Thornton,  dean  of  the 
College  of  Engineering,  University  of  Virginia. 

As  the  result  of  a  series  of  conferences  the  Department  of  the 
Interior  was  urged : 

1.  To  use  all  its  influence  to  maintain  at  the  highest  possible  stand¬ 
ard  of  efficiency  all  of  the  processes  of  higher  education,  but  especially 
those  having  to  do  with  the  future  supply  of  men  and  women  trained 
in  scientific  and  technical  subjects,  including  teachers  in  these  fields. 

2.  To  endeavor  to  secure,  for  this  memorandum,  including  the  rec¬ 
ommendations  which  follow,  the  indorsement  and  support  of  those 
departments  of  the  Government  which  are  especially  interested. 

3.  To  secure  early  and  widespread  publicity  for  the  conclusions 
of  this  series  of  conferences. 

Conclusions  and  recommendations. — 1.  The  people  of  the  United 
States  should  recognize  that  the  maintenance  of  the  war  strength  of 
the  Nation  in  its  full  power  demands  the  utmost  efforts  of  all  existing 
well-organized  and  adequately  equipped  colleges,  universities,  and 
technical  schools.  This  means  ever-increasing  and  more  devoted 
bodies  of  students  as  well  as  faculties. 

2.  Young  people  having  the  requisite  qualifications  should  heed 
this  urgent  call  of  their  country,  and  apply  themselves  diligently, 
enthusiastically,  and  in  increasing  numbers  to  the  task  of  preparing 
for  the  highest  service  of  which  they  are  capable.  Wherever  prac¬ 
ticable  young  men  should  at  the  same  time  join  the  Students’  En¬ 
listed  Reserve  and  prepare  for  military  service,  in  order  to  be  ready 
for  that  call  also  when  it  comes. 

3.  Institutions  of  higher  education  should  adjust  their  courses,  so 
far  as  possible,  to  immediate  war  needs  and  to  the  demands  which 
must  inevitably  come  with  the  establishment  of  peace,  and  should  de¬ 
velop  especially  those  scientific  and  practical  branches  of  study  which 
are  essential  to  the  winning  of  the  war,  to  the  development  of  our  in¬ 
dustries  and  commerce,  and  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  tasks  of  the 
civic  and  political  life  of  the  Nation. 

4.  Educational  institutions  should  use  every  effort  to  make  the  op¬ 
portunities  and  privileges  of  training  for  public  service  accessible  to 
all  suitably  prepared  men  and  women  of  college  age.  In  the  cases 
of  many  worthy  young  men  and  women  this  will  require  some  pro- 


110 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


vision  for  assistance  in  meeting  payments  for  tuition  and  laboratory 
fees  and  other  necessary  expenses  of  higher  technical  training. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington ,  July  SO,  1918. 

Dear  Doctor  Claxton  :  The  recommendations  of  the  commission  invited  by 
you  in  accordance  with  my  instructions  of  May  15  to  advise  this  department  in 
regard  to  what  policy  it  should  pursue  as  to  urging  upon  our  young  men  and 
women  the  taking  up  or  continuing  of  college  and  university  courses  during 
the  war  have  my  hearty  approval.  This  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance  for 
our  strength  in  war  and  for  the  future  welfare  of  the  country.  You  will, 
therefore,  do  all  you  can  through  the  Bureau  of  Education  and  in  cooperation 
with  all  other  available  agencies  for  the  promotion  of  the  policy  recommended. 
Cordially,  yours, 

Franklin  K.  Lane. 

Dr.  P.  P.  Claxton, 

Commissioner  of  Education. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  describe  in  detail  all  the  appeals  which  the 
commissioner  has  made,  or  to  reproduce  all  the  different  letters  he 
has  written.  The  following,  which  were  sent  respectively  to  120,000 
clergymen,  to  the  heads  of  all  teacher-training  institutions,  and  to 
boards  of  education,  will  serve  as  specimens : 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 
Washington,  August  15,  1918. 

Dear  Sir  :  I  am  inclosing  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  the  President  of  the  United 
States  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  and  am  appealing  to  you  and  other 
ministers  throughout  the  country  to  assist  us  in  this  campaign  for  maintaining, 
at  their  normal  efficiency  at  least,  all  schools  of  all  kinds  and  grades  during 
the  war.  The  policy  stated  in  the  President’s  letter  has  been  the  policy  of  the 
Administration,  including  both  the  Department  of  War  and  the  Department 
of  the  Navy,  from  the  time  wre  entered  the  war,  and  the  events  of  the  year 
have  served  to  emphasize  its  importance. 

Not  only  is  it  necessary  for  the  welfare  of  the  country  and  the  safety  of  our 
democracy  when  the  war  is  over ;  it  is  equally  important  for  the  strength  of 
our  country  while  the  war  continues.  We  would  all  hope  that  the  war  may 
end  soon,  but  it  may  be  very  long,  and  in  war  a  people  must  prepare  for  every 
possibility.  If  the  war  should  be  long,  there  will  be  great  need  in  all  the 
allied  countries  for  large  numbers  of  men  and  women  of  the  best  college  and 
university  training  for  service  both  in  the  Army  and  in  the  industries  directly 
or  indirectly  connected  with  the  war,  and  the  colleges  and  universities  of  the 
United  States  must  supply  this  need  to  a  large  extent  for  all  the  allied  coun¬ 
tries.  In  some  fields,  as  chemistry  and  the  various  forms  of  civil  and  industrial 
engineering,  the  demand  for  trained  men  and  women  is  already  much  greater 
than  the  supply.  It  is  therefore  a  patriotic  duty  for  young  men  and  women  who 
are  prepared  to  enter  college  to  do  so  and  for  those  now  in  college  to  remain 
until  their  courses  are  completed,  unless  they  are  called  for  some  service  which 
can  not  be  rendered  so  effectively  by  others.  They  should  be  encouraged  to 
exercise  that  high  form  of  self-restraint  which  will  keep  them  at  their  studies 
despite  all  temptations  for  more  immediate  service  until  they  are  prepared  for 
the  expert  work  without  which  the  devotion  and  efforts  of  millions  will  be  of 
little  value. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


Ill 


When  the  war  is  over  and  the  days  of  reconstruction  come,  the  call  upon 
this  country  for  men  and  women  of  the  highest  and  best  training  for  help  in 
rebuilding  the  world  will  be  large  and  insistent.  For  our  own  good  and  for 
the  good  of  the  world  we  should  be  able  to  respond  generously.  Conditions  in 
this  country  and  our  position  among  the  peoples  of  the  world  will  require  of  us  a 
higher  level  of  intelligence  and  civic  righteousness  than  we  or  any  other  people 
have  ever  yet  attained.  This  must  be  insured  largely  through  the  education 
of  our  schools. 

Parents  should  be  encouraged  to  make  all  sacrifice  necessary  to  keep  their 
sons  and  daughters  in  school.  Because  of  the  increased  cost  of  living  this  will 
not  always  be  easy.  Teachers  should  be  encouraged  to  remain  at  their  posts 
despite  temptations  of  larger  pay  elsewhere.  Men  and  women  who  have  had 
successful  experience  as  teachers  and  are  not  now  in  the  schools  should, 
wherever  possible,  be  induced  to  take  the  places  made  vacant  by  teachers  who 
have  been  drafted  into  the  Army,  or  who  have  for  other  reasons  left  the  schools. 
The  people  should  be  shown  the  necessity  of  increasing  their  appropriations 
for  the  support  of  the  schools  to  meet,  to  some  extent  at  least,  the  great  decrease 
in  the  purchasing  power  of  money.  We  must  see  to  it  that  “no  boy  or  girl 
shall  have  less  opportunity  for  education  because  of  the  war.” 

There  are  before  us  now  as  a  people  just  two  tasks:  To  win  the  war  for 
freedom  and  democracy  and,  let  us  hope,  for  a  righteous  and  permanent  peace ; 
and  to  fit  ourselves  and  our  children  for  life  and  citizenship  in  the  new  era 
which  the  war  is  bringing  in.  Both  these  tasks  must  be  accomplished  thor¬ 
oughly  and  well,  at  whatever  cost  of  money  and  effort  and  at  whatever  sacrifice 
of  ease  and  comfort  may  be  necessary.  All  other  interests  for  the  present 
should  yield  to  these. 

Probably  you  'will  be  willing  to  make  this  matter  the  subject  of  a  discourse 
within  the  next  week  or  two.  It  is  important  that  it  be  brought  to  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  the  people  as  effectively  as  possible  before  the  time  of  the  opening  of 
the  schools. 

Yours,  sincerely, 


P.  P.  Claxton,  Commissioner. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 
Washington,  August  17,  1918 . 

Dear  Sir:  In  a  recent  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  the  President 
of  the  United  States  expressed  his  pleasure  that  the  schools  and  other  agencies 
of  education  have  been  maintained  so  nearly  at  their  normal  efficiency  since 
our  entrance  into  the  war  and  stated  that  this  policy  should  be  continued 
throughout  the  war  as  a  matter  of  the  very  greatest  importance,  affecting  both 
our  strength  in  war  and  our  national  welfare  and  efficiency  when  the  war  is 
over. 

I  feel  quite  sure  all  thoughtful  men  and  women  will  agree  with  the  President 
in  this  matter  and  will  do  all  they  can  to  assist  in  carrying  out  this  policy. 
But  it  must  be  remembered  that  for  effective  work  the  schools  must  have  com¬ 
petent  teachers,  teachers  having  adequate  education  and  professional  training. 
On  the  character  and  ability  of  the  teachers  everything  depends. 

However,  in  most,  if  not  in  all  the  States,  there  has  never  been  an  adequate 
supply  of  educated  and  trained  teachers  for  all  the  schools;  and,  for  many 
reasons,  the  supply  is  less  adequate  now  than  it  has  been  for  many  years. 
Thousands  of  men  have  been  drafted  or  have  volunteered  for  service  in  the 
Army.  Other  thousands  of  men  and  many  thousands  of  women  have  quit  the 
work  of  teaching  for  employment  in  industries,  commerce,  civil  service,  and 
clerical  positions  where  they  are  paid  better  than  for  teaching.  As  the  war  con- 


112 


EDUCATION  EEPOET,  1918. 


tinues  and  as  the  cost  of  living  increases,  and  the  demand  for  services  of  the 
kind  teachers  can  render  grows  larger,  the  numbers  of  teachers  leaving  the 
schools  for  other  employment  will  become  still  greater,  and  this  tendency  is 
likely  to  continue  long  after  the  war  is  over  unless  the  salaries  of  teachers 
should  be  increased  far  beyond  the  present  average.  How  are  their  places  to 
be  filled?  By  trained  or  by  untrained  teachers? 

Unless  the  attendance  at  the  normal  schools  and  in  departments  of  education 
in  colleges  and  universities  is  much  increased,  most  of  these  places  must  be 
filled  by  men  and  women  without  professional  knowledge  and  with  no  special 
training  for  their  work.  In  this  case  the  character  of  the  schools  will  in¬ 
evitably  deteriorate  and  the  time  of  the  children  and  the  money  appropriated 
for  education  will  be  to  a  large  extent  wasted. 

It  is,  therefore,  very  important  that  for  next  year  and  for  many  years  to 
come  there  should  be  more  students  in  these  schools  for  the  preparation  of 
teachers  than  there  have  ever  been.  Thousands  of  boys  and  girls  who  have 
finished  their  high  school  work  might  and  should  render  their  country  a  high 
type  of  patriotic  service  by  entering  these  schools  next  fall,  winter,  or  spring 
to  prepare  themselves  for  the  work  of  teaching  in  the  elementary  and  secondary 
schools,  and  I  wish  to  urge  as  many  to  do  so  as  can. 


Yours,  sincerely. 


P.  P.  Claxton, 

United  States  Commissioner  of  Education. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 
Washington,  March  If,  1918. 

Dear  Sir  :  The  cost  of  living  has  increased  nearly  50  per  cent  since  1913  and 
approximately  one-third  since  1916. 

Since  1913  wholesale  prices  have  increased  as  follows:  Food,  85  per  cent; 
clothing,  106  per  cent ;  fuel,  53  per  cent ;  drugs,  130  per  cent ;  home  furnishing 
goods,  75  per  cent. 

If  the  war  continues  it  may  be  expected  that  the  cost  of  living  will  be  higher 
next  year  and  higher  still  the  next.  Prices  for  both  skilled  and  unskilled  labor 
have  also  increased,  and  large  numbers  of  the  better  teachers  of  our  public 
schools  in  many  cities  and  States  have  already  resigned  to  enter  other  occupa¬ 
tions  at  salaries  or  wages  amounting  to  from  50  to  200  per  cent  more  than  they 
were  paid  as  teachers. 

As  a  result,  standards  of  efficiency  in  the  schools  are  being  lowered  at  a  time 
when  it  is  more  important  than  ever  before  that  they  should  not  only  not  be 
lowered  but  should,  on  the  contrary,  be  raised  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Condi¬ 
tions  which  will  follow  the  -war  will  demand  a  higher  standard  of  general  in¬ 
telligence,  industrial  efficiency,  and  civic  knowledge  and  virtue  than  we  have 
yet  attained ;  and  this  can  be  had  only  through  better  education. 

The  country  as  a  whole  is  interested  in  this  matter  no  less  than  the  States 
and  local  communities.  The  safety  of  the  Nation  and  the  welfare  of  the  people 
are  involved.  I  am  therefore  taking  the  liberty  to  write  to  you  at  this  time 
urging  that  you  will  give  this  matter  the  most  careful  consideration  now  and 
that  you  will  take  such  steps  as  may  be  necessary  to  maintain  the  schools  under 
your  control  at  their  full  efficiency,  and  to  improve  and  readjust  their  work  to 
meet  the  new  and  larger  demands  made  upon  them.  To  do  this  it  will  no 
doubt  be  necessary  to  increase  the  salaries  of  teachers  in  proportion  to  the  in¬ 
crease  in  the  cost  of  living  and  to  wages  paid  for  other  kinds  of  work. 

This  will  mean  increase  in  taxes ;  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  there  are 
now  just  two  things  of  supreme  importance  for  us  as  a  people ;  to  win  the  war 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


113 


for  freedom  and  democracy  and  to  prepare  our  children  for  life  and  citizenship 
in  the  new  era  which  the  war  is  bringing  on.  Let  us  spare  no  effort  to  accom¬ 
plish  both  fully  and  well. 

Yours,  sincerely, 

P.  P.  Claxton,  Commissioner. 

To  State,  County,  City  Boards  or  Education. 

EDITORIAL. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  must  disseminate  information  chiefly 
through  the  printed  page.  The  act  which  established  it  in  1867 
included  a  provision  that  the  Commissioner  of  Education  should 
present  annually  to  Congress  a  report  embodying  the  results  of  his 
investigations  and  labors,  together  with  a  statement  of  such  facts 
and  recommendations  as  would  subserve  the  purposes  for  which  the 
department  was  established,  namely,  the  collection  and  diffusion  of 
educational  information. 

No  mention  was  made  in  the  act  of  any  other  method  of  diffusing 
information.  The  commissioner  would  naturally  be  expected  to 
devise  means  of  his  own  for  doing  so,  and  the  only  requirement  that 
the  framers  of  the  act  thought  it  necessary  to  make  was  that  of  the 
Annual  Report.  For  many  years  a  bulky  volume  under  that  title 
was  the  principal  means  by  which  the  bureau  communicated  with 
the  educational  world. 

Occasional  “  special  reports  ”  and  16  circulars  of  information  ”  were 
issued,  but  they  were  few  in  number,  limited  in  circulation,  and  not 
usually  of  the  kind  to  appeal  to  the  rank  and  file  of  the  teaching 
profession,  even  if  larger  editions  had  been  possible. 

A  notable  departure  was  made  in  1887  when  Commissioner  N.  H. 
R.  Dawson  began  the  publication  of  an  excellent  series  of  histories  of 
education  in  the  several  States  which  were  prepared  under  the  direc¬ 
tion  of  Prof.  Herbert  B.  Adams,  of  Johns  Hopkins  University. 
Under  Commissioner  Harris  the  character  of  the  Annual  Report 
was  greatly  improved,  and  he  introduced  the  practice  of  incorporat¬ 
ing  in  it  comprehensive  monographs  upon  special  topics,  written  by 
men  of  high  standing.  Furthermore,  he  increased  the  usefulness  of 
the  reports  a  hundredfold  by  splitting  up  the  formidable  volumes 
and  sending  each  of  the  man}?-  chapters  as  a  “  separate  ”  to  those  who 
were  especially  interested  in  that  particular  chapter.  The  entire 
report  had  previously  been  sent  to  correspondents  as  long  as  the 
supply  lasted,  although  few  could  possibly  be  expected  to  read  any 
considerable  part  of  such  a  book. 

Commissioner  Brown  followed  the  practices  of  Dr.  Harris,  whom 
he  succeeded,  in  relation  to  the  report,  and  in  addition  began  in  1906 
the  publication  of  a  series  of  pamphlets  which  he  called  the  “  Bulletin 
of  the  Bureau  of  Education.”  These  documents  are  specially  recog- 
873760— 18 - 8 


114 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


nized  by  law,  and  apparently  they  are  a  permanent  part  of  the 
scheme  of  the  bureau’s  publications. 

Within  recent  years  the  activities  of  the  bureau  have  expanded 
remarkably,  and  its  publications  have  increased  in  number,  scope, 
circulation,  and  influence,  perhaps  far  beyond  the  dreams  of  the 
early  commissioners. 

Repeated  changes  of  plan  have  been  necessary  to  provide  for  the 
growing  demand  for  the  bureau’s  literature,  and  new  devices  have 
been  adopted  from  time  to  time  to  extend  the  limited  appropria¬ 
tions  better  to  solve  the  increasing  need.  The  ponderous  volumes 
of  the  report  were  the  greatest  drain  upon  the  printing  appropria¬ 
tion,  and  its  preparation  required  the  undivided  time  of  a  large 
part  of  the  personnel  of  the  office.  The  differences  from  year  to  year 
in  the  statistical  tables,  which  filled  the  whole  of  one  of  the  two 
volumes,  were  not  sufficient  to  j  ustify  their  collection  and  publication 
every  year.  Every  consideration  of  the  most  worth,  therefore,  de¬ 
mands  that  the  annual  report  be  reduced  to  bounds  commensurate 
with  its  usefulness. 

It  is  not  intended  to  neglect  the  preparation  of  the  statistics,  which 
are  perhaps  the  most  valuable  single  contribution  which  the  bureau 
makes  to  the  fund  of  educational  knowledge;  but  that  material  will 
be  collected  and  printed  every  alternate  year  only.  The  same  is  true 
of  the  comprehensive  discussions  of  the  several  forms  of  education 
which  for  several  years  past  have  comprised  Volume  I  of  the  annual 
report.  The  two  volumes  will  be  published  regularly  as  the  “  Bien¬ 
nial  Survey  of  Education.”  The  first  of  the  series  under  this  title 
is  in  preparation,  and  publication  may  be  expected  within  a  reason¬ 
able  time.  The  several  parts  or  chapters  will  be  issued  separately 
and  distributed  principally  to  those  in  the  line  of  work  discussed  in 
the  several  chapters.  Bound  volumes  will  be  issued  later,  in  smaller 
numbers  than  heretofore,  and  distributed  chiefly  to  libraries. 

The  method  by  which  this  bureau  will  communicate  most  fre¬ 
quent^  with  the  educational  public  will  be,  according  to  present 
plans,  through  a  type  of  publications  which  is  of  recent  growth, 
namely,  “  leaflets  ”  and  “  circulars.”  These  are  always  brief,  and 
each  is  addressed  to  a  special  class  of  readers,  containing  suggestions 
or  information  which  is  expected  to  be  valuable  and  useful  to  the 
recipients. 

Information  which  it  is  desired  to  impart  at  once,  without  waiting 
for  the  slower  process  of  printing,  is  frequently  communicated  by 
mimeographed  letters  or  circulars.  This  method  is  especially  favored 
when  the  information  at  hand  is  not  entirely  complete  but  sufficiently 
so  to  be  useful.  The  substance  of  mimeographed  circulars  is  usually 
issued  later  in  printed  documents. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  115 

Miscellaneous  publications  are  issued  upon  occasion  to  serve  special 
purposes  and  without  regard  to  regular  classification.  These  embrace 
such  documents  as  those  issued  in  behalf  of  the  United  States  School 
Garden  Army  and  like  projects.  This  division  of  the  bureau  issues 
general  leaflets  describing  the  aim,  methods  for  organization,  and 
other  facts  regarding  the  army  work.  Besides  these,  leaflets  are 
issued  to  the  various  sections  of  the  United  States  that  deal  with  the 
technical  problems  of  garden  cultivation.  The  United  States  School 
Garden  Army  also  furnishes  service  flags,  posters,  and  insignia 
without  cost  to  those  who  have  become  members  of  the  army.  A 
Course  of  Study  in  Gardening  for  normal  schools  and  a  Manual  of 
Fall  Gardening  for  the  young  student-gardeners  have  already  been 
issued.  A  Spring  Manual  will  be  published  early  in  1919. 

To  supplement  all  these  classes  of  publications  and  to  afford  means 
of  furnishing  educational  information  with  regularity,  a  semi¬ 
monthly  periodical  called  “  School  Life  ”  has  recently  been  estab¬ 
lished.  This  is  at  present  a  lG-page  magazine.  It  will  be  issued 
during  10  months  every  year  and  will  be  sent  gratuitously  to  admin¬ 
istrative  officials  within  the  limits  of  the  edition  which  the  funds  of 
the  bureau  permit.  Others  may  subscribe  through  the  Superin¬ 
tendent  of  Documents  at  the  rate  of  50  cents  per  year,  which  represents 
the  cost  of  the  mechanical  work  involved. 

It  issues  also  twice  a  month  the  Americanization  Bulletin,  devoted 
to  the  subject  of  giving  to  foreign  persons  in  the  United  States 
instruction  in  the  English  language,  the  geography  and  history  and 
ideals  of  the  country,  and  other  subjects  necessary  for  intelligent  and 
happy  living  among  us. 

It  will  readily  appear  from  the  foregoing  that  the  whole  theory 
underlying  the  publications  has  undergone  a  marked  change  during 
recent  years.  Formerly  our  documents  were  addressed  principally, 
if  not  exclusively,  to  the  administrative  officers  of  school  systems  and 
educational  institutions.  Now  they  are  still  of  a  sort  which  is  of  use 
to  those  officers,  but  also  to  the  classroom  teacher  as  well.  Some  re¬ 
cent  publications,  in  fact,  were  designed  especially  for  classroom  use, 
and  one  very  important  series,  namely,  the  Lessons  in  Community 
and  National  Life,  was  written  for  the  use  of  pupils  themselves. 
This  marks  the  most  important  development  in  the  work  of  the 
bureau  within  recent  years,  and  it  is  one  of  the  radical  changes 
brought  about  by  the  war. 

Even  the  necessities  of  war,  however,  could  not  have  caused  such  a 
change  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  law  now  permits  the  sale 
of  public  documents  to  schools  and  libraries  at  the  cost  of  publication. 
It  would  be  impossible,  of  course,  for  this  office  to  undertake  to  supply 
the  750,000  teachers  of  the  United  States  with  any  document,  no  mat¬ 
ter  how  small ;  it  would  be  all  the  more  out  of  the  question  to  supply 


116 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


eighteen  or  twenty  million  children  with  literature.  With  the  possi¬ 
bility  of  such  a  demand  we  could  not  print  schoolroom  material  of 
any  sort,  but  the  situation  is  wholly  different  when  we  are  called 
upon  to  enable  the  teachers  or  the  children  of  the  country  to  obtain  at 
cost  a  document  which  the  good  of  the  Nation  demands  that  they 
should  have. 

The  documents  issued  between  July  1,  1917,  and  June  30,  1918, 
were  as  follows : 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  1917.  2  volumes. 
BULLETIN. 

1916,  No.  23.  Open-air  schools. 

1916,  No.  49.  Medical  inspection  in  Great  Britain. 

1917,  No.  2.  Reorganization  of  English  in  secondary  schools. 

1917,  No.  8.  Current  practice  in  city  school  administration. 

1917,  No.  9.  Department-store  education. 

1917,  No.  10.  Development  of  arithmetic  as  a  school  subject. 

1917,  No.  11.  Higher  technical  education  in  foreign  countries. 

1917,  No.  15.  Studies  in  higher  education  in  Ireland  and  Wales: 

1917,  No.  16.  Studies  in  higher  education  in  England  and  Scotland. 

1917,  No.  17.  Accredited  higher  institutions. 

1917,  No.  18.  History  of  public  school  education  in  Delaware. 

1917,  No.  19.  Report  of  a  survey  of  the  University  of  Nevada. 

1917,  No.  22.  Money  value  of  education. 

1917,  No.  23.  Three  short  courses  in  home  making. 

1917,  No.  25.  Military  training  of  youths  of  school  age  in  foreign  countries. 
1917,  No.  26.  Garden  clubs  in  the  schools  of  Englewood,  N.  J. 

1917,  No.  29.  Practice  teaching  for  secondary  school  teachers. 

1917,  No.  30.  School  extension  statistics,  1915-16. 

3917,  No.  31.  Rural-teacher  preparation  in  county  training  Schools  and  high 
schools. 

3917,  No.  32.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  natives  of  Alaska, 
1915-16. 

1917,  No.  33.  A  comparison  of  the  salaries  of  rural  and  urban  superintendents 
of  schools. 

1917,  No.  34.  Institutions  in  the  United  States  giving  instruction  in  agriculture. 
1917,  No.  35.  The  township  and  community  high-school  movement  in  Illinois. 
1917,  No.  36.  Demand  for  vocational  education  in  the  countries  at  war. 

1917,  No.  37.  The  conference  on  training  for  foreign  service. 

1937,  No.  38.  Vocational  teachers  for  secondary  schools. 

1917,  No.  39.  Teaching  English  to  aliens. 

1917,  No.  40.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  September, 
1917. 

1917,  No.  41.  Library  books  for  high  schools. 

1917,  No.  42.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  October,  1917. 
1917,  No.  43.  Educational  directory,  1917-18. 

1917,  No.  44.  Educational  conditions  in  Arizona. 

1917,  No.  45.  Summer  sessions  in  city  schools. 

1917,  No.  46.  The  public  school  system  of  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

1917,  No.  47.  The  preparation  and  preservation  of  vegetables. 

3917,  No.  48.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  November, 
1917. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION, 


117 


1917,  No.  49.  Music  in  secondary  schools. 

3917,  No.  50.  Physical  education  in  secondary  schools. 

3917,  No.  51.  Moral  values  in  secondary  education. 

3917,  No.  52.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  December, 
1917. 

3917,  No.  53.  The  conifers  of  the  Northern  Rockies. 

1917,  No.  54.  Training  in  courtesy. 

1917,  No.  55.  Statistics  of  State  universities  and  State  colleges,  1917. 

1918,  No.  1.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  January,  1918. 
1918,  No.  2.  Agricultural  instruction  in  the  high  schools  of  six  eastern  States. 
1918,  No.  4.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  February,  1918. 
1918,  No.  5.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  natives  of  Alaska, 

1916-17. 

1918,  No.  7.  The  bureau  of  extension  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 
1918,  No.  8.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  March,  1918. 
1918,  No.  9.  Union  list  of  mathematical  periodicals. 

1918,  No.  11.  A  community  center — what  it  is  and  how  to  organize  it. 

1918,  No.  12.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  April,  1918. 
1918,  No.  13.  The  land  grant  of  1862  and  the  land-grant  colleges. 

1918,  No.  14.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  May,  1918. 


Teachers  Leaflets : 

No.  1.  Opportunities  for  history  teachers. 

No.  2.  Education  in  patriotism. 

No.  3.  Government  policies  involving  schools  in  war  time. 

No.  4.  Outline  of  an  emergency  course  of  instruction  on  the  war. 
No.  5.  Certain  defects  in  American  education. 

Reading  Courses  (Home  Education  Division)  : 

No.  1.  World’s  great  literary  Bibles. 

No.  2.  World’s  great  literature. 

No.  3.  Reading  course  for  parents. 

No.  4.  Reading  course  for  boys. 

No.  5.  Reading  course  for  girls. 

No.  6.  Thirty  books  of  fiction. 

No.  7.  Thirty  world  heroes. 

No.  8.  American  literature. 

No.  9.  Thirty  American  heroes. 

No.  10.  American  history. 


Home  Economics  Circulars: 

No.  2.  Current  problems  in  home  economics. 

No.  3.  Home  economics  teaching  in  small  high  schools. 

No.  4.  Principles  and  policies  in  home  economics  education. 

No.  5.  Government  publications  of  interest  to  home  economics  teachers 
and  students. 

No.  6.  A  course  in  food  economics  for  the  housekeeper. 

Community  Leaflets  Nos.  1  to  24.  Lessons  in  community  and  national  life. 
Higher  Educational  Circulars: 

No.  6.  Contributions  of  higher  institutions  to  national  service. 

No.  7.  The  importance  of  technical  training  in  military  service. 

No.  8.  Administrative  organization  of  the  college  of  agriculture. 

No.  9.  Effect  of  the  wTar  on  student  enrollment. 

No.  10.  Effect  of  the  war  on  college  budgets. 

No.  11.  The  Bureau  of  Education  and  the  educational  survey  movement. 


118 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


Sanitation  Leaflet  No.  .1.  The  story  of  a  boy  who  did  not  grow  up. 

Secondary  School  Circulars : 

No.  1.  The  secondary  schools  and  the  war. 

No.  2.  Organization  of  high  schools  in  war  time. 

The  following  numbers  of  the  bulletin  were  in  the  hands  of  the 
printer  at  the  close  of  the  year : 

Training  of  Teachers  of  Mathematics. 

Guide  to  United  States  Government  Publications. 

Curriculum  of  the  Woman’s  College. 

Public  School  Classes  for  Crippled  Children. 

Educational  Survey  of  Elyria,  Ohio. 

Facilidades  Ofrecidas  a  Los  Estudiantes  Extranjeros. 

History  of  Public  School  Education  in  Arizona. 

Americanization  as  a  War  Measure. 

Vocational  Guidance  in  Secondary  Education. 

Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  June,  1918. 

Instruction  in  Journalism  in  Institutions  of  Higher  Education. 

Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications :  Index,  February,  1917, 
to  January,  1918. 

State  Laws  Relating  to  Education. 

Vocational  Guidance  in  the  Public  Schools. 

Industrial  Education  in  Wilmington,  Delaware. 

The  National  Council  of  Primary  Education. 

Rural-Teacher  Preparation  in  State  Normal  Schools. 

The  Public  Schools  of  Columbia,  South  Carolina. 

American  Agricultural  Colleges. 

Resources  and  Standards  of  Colleges  of  Arts  and  Sciences. 

Educational  System  of  South  Dakota. 

Teaching  American  Ideals  through  Literature. 

LESSONS  IN  COMMUNITY  AND  NATIONAL  LIFE. 

The  war  is  bringing  to  the  minds  of  our  people  a  new  appreciation  of  the 
problems  of  national  life  and  a  deeper  understanding  of  the  meaning  and  aims 
of  democracy.  Matters  which  heretofore  have  seemed  commonplace  and  trivial 
are  seen  in  a  truer  light.  The  urgent  demand  for  the  production  and  proper 
distribution  of  food  and  other  national  resources  has  made  us  aware  of  the 
close  dependence  of  individual  on  individual  and  nation  on  nation.  The  effort 
to  keep  up  social  and  industrial  organizations  in  spite  of  the  withdrawal  of  men 
for  the  Army  has  revealed'  the  extent  to  which  modern  life  has  become  complex 
and  specialized.  v 

These  and  other  lessons  of  the  war  must  be  learned  quickly  if  we  are  intelli¬ 
gently  and  successfully  to  defend  our  institutions.  When  the  war  is  over  we 
must  apply  the  wisdom  which  we  have  acquired  in  purging  and  ennobling  the 
life  of  the  world. 

In  these  vital  tasks  of  acquiring  a  broader  view  of  human  possibilities  the 
common  school  must  have  a  large  part. — President  Wilson. 

These  considerations  led  the  President  in  August,  1917,  to  direct 
the  Food  Administration  and  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  organize 
the  proper  agencies  for  the  preparation  and  distribution  of  suitable 
lessons  for  elementary  grades  and  for  the  high-school  classes.  The 
President  expressed  the  conviction  that : 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION".  119 

Lessons  thus  suggested  will  serve  the  double  purpose  of  illustrating  in  a 
concrete  way  what  can  be  undertaken  in  the  schools  and  of  stimulating  teachers 
in  all  parts  of  the  country  to  formulate  new  and  appropriate  materials  drawn 
directly  from  the  communities  in  which  they  live. 

The  instructions  thus  given  involved  a  radical  departure  from  all 
previous  practices  and  traditions  of  the  Bureau  of  Education.  It 
meant  nothing  less  than  the  preparation  of  a  series  of  texts  for  the 
direct  use  of  pupils  and  arrangements  for  their  distribution  through 
the  only  possible  channel,  namely,  sale  at  cost  through  the  Superin¬ 
tendent  of  Documents.  No  other  officer  is  authorized  under  the  law 
to  sell  any  publication  of  the  Government ;  free  distribution  was  out 
of  the  question,  for  the  printing  required  was  far  beyond  the  limit 
of  the  funds  available  to  the  bureau. 

The  plans  finally  perfected  provided  for  the  preparation  of  th& 
text  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Charles  H.  Judd  and  Dr.  Leon  C. 
Marshall,  of  the  University  of  Chicago ;  the  cost  of  preparation  was 
borne  by  the  Food  Administration;  the  first  edition,  involving  pay¬ 
ment  for  composition,  stereograph  plates,  etc.,  was  borne  by  the  Bu¬ 
reau  of  Education ;  the  correspondence  and  all  business  arrangements 
were  handled  by  the  Editor  of  the  Bureau  of  Education ;  the  clerical 
force  required  was  provided  in  part  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  and 
in  part  by  the  Food  Administration;  the  actual  distribution  of  the 
documents  was  conducted  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents,  and 
all  money  received  in  payment  of  the  lessons  was  transmitted  to  him. 

The  lessons  furnished  by  Dr.  Judd  and  Dr.  Marshall  were  excellent. 
The  purposes  and  principles  of  these  lessons  were  thus  described  by 
Dr.  Judd: 

The  Lessons  in  Community  and  National  Life  are  intended  first  of  all  to 
lay  the  foundations  for  an  intelligent  enthusiasm  for  the  United  States.  Our 
schools  have  lacked  that  emphasis  on  nationalism  which  has  been  characteristic 
of  European  schools.  Even  our  history  courses  have  been  meager  and  have  for 
the  most  part  treated  of  periods  so  remote  that  pupils  in  the  schools  have  not 
cultivated  a  true  idea  of  the  unique  characteristics  of  our  national  civilization. 
Though  we  have  a  continuous  system  of  free  education  and  a  broad  view  re¬ 
garding  the  training  of  girls,  though  we  have  universal  franchise  and  freedom 
of  organization,  though  our  democracy  has  developed  beyond  that  of  any  pre¬ 
vious  historical  period,  our  pupils  have  been  left  without  knowledge  of  the  fact 
that  these  are  unique  possessions  shared  only  in  part  b3r  other  progressive  na¬ 
tions.  The  lessons  are  accordingly  filled  with  concrete  descriptions  of  Ameri¬ 
can  institutions,  and  the  significance  of  these  institutions  is  made  as  clear  as 
exposition  and  explanation  can  make  it. 

In  the  second  place,  the  Lessons  in  Community  and  National  Life  aim  to 
bring  industry  into  the  schools  in  a  way  which  will  appeal  to  the  intelligence 
of  pupils  and  will  intellectualize  all  later  contact  with  practical  affairs. 
There  is  a  very  legitimate  demand  urged  on  the  schools  at  this  time  that  they 
prepare  for  industry.  If  the  schools  meet  this  demand  only  by  furnishing  the 
same  kind,  of  training  in  skill  that  industrial  establishments  might  give,  there 
will  be  little  or  no  gain  to  society.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  schools  by  ap- 


120 


EDUCATION  BEPOET,  1918. 


propriate  recognition  of  industry  as  the  expression  of  human  genius  and  human 
cooperation  can  give  pupils  ideas  as  well  as  skill  to  guide  them  in  later  prac¬ 
tical  life,  then  the  schools  will  have  made  a  genuine  and  positive  contribution 
to  industrial  training.  The  lessons  are  accordingly  filled  with  accounts  of  how 
industries  originated  and  how  they  have  evolved,  so  that  the  pupil  may  see 
that  industry  is  a  part  of  man’s  intellectual  conquest  of  the  world. 

In  the  third  place,  the  lessons  are  intended  to  create  a  sense  of  personal 
responsibility,  which  can  result  only  when  the  pupil  is  shown  how  his  life  is 
interdependent  with  the  life  of  other  members  of  society.  The  child’s  first  ex¬ 
periences  with  social  life  are  those  of  a  dependent  and  a  consumer.  There  is 
little  sense  of  responsibility  until  one  begins  to  think  of  himself  as  obligated  to 
consume  wisely  and  to  contribute  to  production.  In  these  days  when  every 
individual  in  the  Nation  must  conserve  and  when  the  responsibility  for  wise 
use  of  everything  is  a  national  duty,  there  are  a  unique  demand  and  a  unique 
opportunity  to  give  pupils  training  in  civic  responsibility. 

*  The  method  of  securing  these  three  ends  is  to  present  in  the  form  of  short 
sketches  certain  descriptions  of  the  facts  of  national  and  community  life. 
Each  lesson  is  a  unit  intended  to  be  read  and  studied  by  the  pupil.  The  lesson 
is  carefully  prepared  by  a  specialist  and  is  filled  with  information  -which  will 
reward  the  pupil  for  his  reading.  Each  lesson  is  also  part  of  a  series  in  which 
the  different  lessons  approach  the  same  central  theme  from  various  angles. 
The  lessons  do  not  exhaust  the  theme  which  they  illustrate.  At  the  bottom  of 
each  page  series  of  questions  are  set  down  in  the  hope  of  stimulating  the 
pupils  as  -well  as  the  teachers  to  carry  the  methods  of  the  lessons  further. 
Especially  is  it  hoped  that  the  lessons  -will  lead  to  studies  of  the  local  institu¬ 
tions  which  are  around  the  school.  A  genuine  study  of  community  life  must 
take  up  the  familiar  environment  at  the  door  of  the  schoolroom.  The  laboratory 
for  these  lessons  is  in  the  home  environment  and  the  industrial  environment  of 
the  pupil. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  lessons  will  lead  teachers  and  school  officers  to  new 
efforts  in  the  direction  of  a  vital  study  of  community  life  and  that  they  will 
encourage  publishers  to  bring  together  in  available  textbook  form  much  mate¬ 
rial  of  a  similar  type. 

The  immediate  purpose  which  gave  rise  to  the  lessons  should  also  be  kept  in 
view.  The  Nation  has  need  of  the  help  of  every  child  within  its  borders.  The 
food  supply  of  the  world  is  running  low.  Our  allies  are  in  want.  Our  children 
must  learn  to  save.  It  is  believed  that  a  free  people  can  be  appealed  to 
effectively  if  the  case  is  clearly  laid  before  them.  American  children  are  not 
to  be  ordered  to  deprive  themselves  of  familiar  luxuries ;  they  are  to  be  told 
how  urgent  the  need  is.  The  lesson  of  civic  responsibility,  if  learned  in  this 
rational  way,  will  effect  the  saving  that  the  Nation  needs. 

There  are  three  grades  of  lessons,  namely,  section  A,  for  the  upper 
classes  of  the  high  school;  section  B,  for  the  upper  grades  of  the 
elementary  school  and  the  first  class  of  the  high  school;  and  section 
C,  for  the  intermediate  grades  of  the  elementary  school.  One  number, 
or  leaflet,  of  each  section  appeared  each  month  for  eight  months,  be¬ 
ginning  October  1,  1917.  Each  leaflet  contains  from  two  to  four 
lessons  and  fills  32  printed  pages. 

The  reception  accorded  to  the  lessons  by  school  men  was  most 
gratifying.  Orders  were  unexpectedly  heavy,  and  it  was  difficult 
to  supply  the  demand.  The  total  sales  have  amounted  to  nearly 
3,500,000  copies  of  the  32-page  leaflets. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  121 

A  new  edition  of  the  lessons  has  been  issued  in  which  all  the  les¬ 
sons  of  each  of  the  three  sections  are  bound  together  in  pamphlet 
form.  The  pamphlets  are  sold  at  the  flat  price  of  15  cents  each. 

The  demand  continues  and  a  large  sale  is  expected  during  the  com¬ 
ing  year,  though  naturally  it  will  probably  not  reach  the  proportions 
of  1917-18. 

STATISTICS. 

The  bureau  has  definitely  undertaken  the  task  of  coordinating  its 
own  statistical  work  with  that  of  the  several  State  departments  of 
education  with  the  hope  of  increasing  the  value  of  both  its  own  sta¬ 
tistical  reports  and  those  of  the  chief  school  officers  of  the  States  and 
at  the  same  time  of  relieving  school  officers  of  the  burden  of  making 
two  reports,  one  to  the  States  and  the  other  to  the  United  States  in 
different  form.  For  the  promotion  of  this  work  of  coordination  a 
director  of  statistics  has  been  appointed  who  will  have  the  assistance 
of  a  committee  of  State  school  officers  appointed  by  the  national  as¬ 
sociation  of  State  superintendents. 

In  accordance  with  the  decision  to  collect  detailed  educational  sta¬ 
tistics  biennially,  no  statistics  for  the  school  year  ended  June  30, 
1917,  were  gathered.  Consequently  the  members  of  the  staff  of  the 
statistical  division  were  able  to  assist  in  the  preparation  of  statis¬ 
tical  material  needed  in  the  preparation  of  reports  of  educational 
surveys  and  other  special  investigations.  Among  the  projects  on 
which  this  division  was  engaged  were  the  following:  Tabulating 
courses  of  study  in  summer  schools ;  questionnaire  on  agricultural  in¬ 
struction  in  public  high  schools;  relative  enrollment  in  elementary 
and  high  schools  in  1916  and  1917 ;  questionnaires  on  enrollment  in 
universities,  colleges,  and  secondary  schools,  increase  in  salaries  of 
teachers,  courses  of  study  in  agricultural  and  mechanical  colleges; 
material  for  survey  of  educational  conditions  in  Tennessee;  and  four 
questionnaires  on  commercial  education;  revising  educational  direc¬ 
tory;  collecting  and  compiling  statistics  of  all  free  public  libraries 
in  the  United  States. 

Probably  the  largest  and  most  important  piece  of  work  was  the 
securing  of  the  names  and  post-office  addresses  of  individual  school- 
houses  in  the  United  States  and  making  a  mailing  list  of  such  school- 
houses  on  addressograph  plates.  The  list  now  contains  about  182,000 
names  and  should  be  completed  at  an  early  date.  Considerable  diffi¬ 
culty  has  been  experienced  in  securing  the  necessary  data  from  some 
of  the  superintendents  of  schools.  This  list  is  useful  not  only  to  the 
Bureau  of  Education  in  enabling  it  to  reach  directly  teachers,  school 
boards,  and  school  communities,  but  also  to  many  other  departments 
and  bureaus  of  the  Government.  It  is  especially  helpful  in  wartime 
in  getting  messages  directly  to  the  people. 


122 


EDUCATION  EEPOET,  1913. 
HIGHER  EDUCATION. 


The  work  of  the  division  has  been  mainly  in  connection  with  the 
participation  of  higher  institutions  in  the  war.  It  has  consisted  in 
the  personal  service  of  the  specialist  in  higher  education  as  executive 
secretary  of  the  committee  on  education  of  the  advisory  commission 
of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  and  as  a  member  of  the  advisory 
board  of  the  committee  on  education  and  special  training  of  the  War 
Department;  in  the  preparation  of  circulars  and  multigraphed  let¬ 
ters  bearing  on  the  effects  of  the  war  on  colleges  and  universities; 
in  the  conduct  of  a  voluminous  correspondence ;  in  the  preparation  of 
statistics  and  documents  for  the  use  of  the  committees  of  the  Council 
of  National  Defense  and  of  the  War  Department;  and  in  attendance 
at  meetings  and  addresses  by  the  specialist  in  higher  education  on 
the  educational  work  of  the  War  Department,  of  the  Council  of 
National  Defense,  and  on  the  activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

Seven  circulars  on  the  “  Work  of  American  Colleges  and  Uni¬ 
versities  During  the  War ;”  two  Higher  Education  Letters,  on  “  The 
Four-Quarter  System”  and  on  the  “Canadian  Soldiers’  College;’’ 
Teachers’  Leaflet  No.  2,  on  “  Education  in  Patriotism,”  and  two 
secondary  school  circulars  have  been  issued  by  the  division.  As 
executive  secretary  of  the  subcommittee  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense  on  the  Relation  of  Engineering  Schools  to  the  National 
Government,  the  specialist  in  higher  education*  prepared  a  report  on 
the  work  of  the  committee.  At  the  request  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  the  division  prepared  and  sent  out  an  elaborate  question¬ 
naire  to  all  engineering  schools,  asking  for  detailed  information  con¬ 
cerning  their  facilities  for  offering  technical  instruction.  The 
returns  were  tabulated  and  have  since  been  used  by  the  committee 
on  education  and  special  training  in  the  selection  of  institutions  for 
the  technical  training  of  drafted  men. 

The  specialist  in  higher  education  also  served  on  a  committee  of 
the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering  Education  for  the 
furloughing  of  engineering  students,  and  with  councils  of  the 
National  Engineering  Societies  in  deciding  recommendations  to  be 
made  to  the  War  Department  regarding  the  treatment  of  engineer¬ 
ing  students. 

Two  bulletins  have  been  completed  and  put  through  the  press: 
“Statistics  of  State  Universities  and  State  Colleges,”  and  “  Accredited 
Higher  Institutions.”  The  first  report  of  the  committee  on  higher 
educational  statistics,  on  standards  and  resources  of  colleges  of  liberal 
arts,  was  prepared  by  the  specialist  in  higher  education,  as  secretary 
of  the  committee,  and  has  been  transmitted  for  publication.  F urther 
work  on  the  study  of  correspondence  schools,  which  was  begun  the 
previous  year,  was  carried  on  and  Part  I  of  the  study  completed. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  TIIE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


123 


The  reports  of  the  land-grant  colleges  have  been  audited  and  tabu¬ 
lated  and  are  ready  for  the  press. 

The  specialist  in  higher  education  has  visited  and  inspected  the 
facilities  for  technical  training  of  10  institutions  in  connection  with 
his  work  on  the  committee  on  education  and  special  training. 

At  the  request  of  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army  the  division 
passed  upon  the  eligibility  for  accrediting  by  the  United  States  Mili¬ 
tary  Academy  of  536  institutions. 

RURAL  EDUCATION. 

The  Division  of  Rural  Education  has  devoted  renewed  efforts  to 
amplifying  the  work  begun  the  preceding  year  through  inaugurating 
a  ten-year  general  campaign  for  the  advancement  of  rural  schools. 
This  object  has  inspired  the  work  of  the  various  specialists  of  the 
division  in  conducting  educational  propaganda,  has  guided  the  trend 
of  investigations  made  in  the  division  and  modified  the  conduct  of 
the  general  office  routine.  Several  definite  projects  have  been  initi¬ 
ated  or  completed,  among  which,  of  greatest  importance,  are  surveys 
of  rural  conditions  in  the  States  of  South  Dakota  and  Tennessee. 

Surveys  of  Walker  and  Falls  Counties,  Texas,  have  been  completed. 
In  these  surveys  six  of  the  specialists  of  this  division  were  engaged, 
all  of  whom  spent  from  three  to  six  months  in  the  field  work  and 
in  compiling  data  and  writing  the  reports. 

Investigations  are  under  way  embracing  a  nation-wide  study  of 
village  and  small-town  schools,  their  organization  and  management ; 
a  study  of  rural  high  schools  in  the  United  States,  their  enrollment, 
courses  of  study  and  teaching  facilities  with  special  reference  to 
the  junior  high-school  organization  and  its  adaptation  to  the  needs 
of  rural  communities;  a  special  study  of  consolidated  schools  and 
rural  high  schools  in  the  48  States,  including  intensive  study  of  15 
typical  counties;  an  investigation  of  the  qualifications  demanded  for 
and  the  methods  of  certification  of  teachers  in  the  several  States,  and 
a  study  of  rural  teaching  in  Nebraska. 

Work  has  been  continued  on  the  rural-school  course  of  study  by  the 
specialists  of  the  division,  working  in  cooperation  with  a  corps  of 
educators  representing  the  different  sections  of  the  country.  This 
work  is  now  taking  a  definite  form  in  preparing  subject  material  for 
the  reorganization  of  the  course  of  study.  The  background  of  the 
course  resting  on  health  and  home  sanitation  is  completed. 

The  campaign  for  the  improvement  of  rural-school  conditions  was 
continued  during  the  year.  Besides  addresses  delivered  before  State 
and  sectional  teachers’  associations  and  conferences  throughout  the 
country,  important  sectional  conferences  were  held  by  specialists  of 
the  rural  division  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  August  27  to  September  3, 


124 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


1917 ;  at  Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  November  12  to  14,  1917 ;  Denver,  Colo., 
November  22  to  24,  1917 ;  at  Butte,  Mont.,  November  26  to  28,  1917 ; 
and  at  Chico,  Cal.,  December  3  to  5,  1917.  These  were  followed 
by  a  national  conference  on  rural  education  and  country  life  held  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  February  19  to  24,  1918. 

Assistance  has  been  rendered  State  school  officials  in  formulating 
school  legislation  in  several  States,  particularly  New  Mexico,  Arkan¬ 
sas,  and  West  Virginia.  Much  of  the  field  work  has  been  carried 
on  without  expense  to  the  bureau. 

The  1916-1918  series  of  the  National  Rural  Teachers’  Reading 
Circle  was  completed  in  September  of  the  present  year.  Forty-six 
members  from  34  different  States  have  completed  the  work  of  the 
course  and  have  received  the  Reading  Circle  Certificate  issued  by 
the  Commissioner  of  Education,  and  119  other  members  are  due  to 
receive  this  certificate  before  the  close  of  the  calendar  year.  The 
value  of  the  reading  circle  work  has  been  attested  to  by  many  State 
and  county  school  officials  throughout  the  country. 

AGRICULTURAL  EDUCATION. 

Three  studies  have  been  carried  to  completion  by  this  division: 

1.  Study  of  organization  and  administrative  relationship  of  the 
colleges  of  agriculture. 

This  study  was  conducted  mainly  by  the  questionnaire  method, 
but  much  information  was  obtained  through  the  several  inspectors 
of  the  States’  Relations  Service.  From  the  information  obtained  a 
statement  of  the  findings  and  14  recommendations  were  presented 
to  the  committee  on  college  organization  and  policy  of  the  Associa¬ 
tion  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations. 
The  recommendations  were  approved  and  incorporated  into  the 
committee’s  report,  which  was  adopted  by  the  association.  These 
recommendations  in  elaborated  form  have  been  published  as  Higher 
Education  Circular  No.  8,  1918. 

2.  Investigation  of  the  work  of  the  land-grant  colleges  in  the 
training  of  teachers  for  vocation  subjects. 

This  inquiry  consisted  in  sending  a  questionnaire  to  each  college 
and  a  careful  examination  of  the  college  catalogues,  from  which  a 
statement  concerning  each  institution  was  prepared.  These  state¬ 
ments  formed  the  basis  of  several  tabulations  and  summaries.  The 
report  on  this  investigation  has  been  presented  and  published  as 
Bulletin,  1917,  No.  38. 

3.  Study  of  the  organization  for  instruction  and  the  requirements 
for  admission  and  graduation  of  the  several  agricultural  colleges. 

Progress  has  been  made  in  the  preparation  of  a  reading  course  in 
agriculture  and  country  life. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


125 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION  AND  HOME  ECONOMICS. 

Industrial  education . — During  the  year  the  bureau  continued  its 
work  of  aiding  States  and  communities  to  introduce  and  develop 
programs  for  education  in  trades  and  industries.  These  activities  in¬ 
cluded  the  following:  Outlining  plans  for  the  training  of  special 
teachers  of  manual  training  and  industrial  subjects,  holding  con¬ 
ferences  of  specialists  to  consider  methods  and  practice,  carrying  on 
educational  surveys  and  studying  local  industrial  conditions  and 
needs  as  the  basis  for  recommendations  as  to  vocational  education 
programs,  compiling  a  directory  of  vocational  education,  and  pub¬ 
lishing  information  concerning  notable  developments  in  the  field. 

The  bureau  has  been  able  to  render  definite  service  in  the  war  emer¬ 
gency  in  a  number  of  ways.  One  specialist  was  detailed  for  a  short 
period  to  assist  the  committee  on  education  and  special  training  of 
the  War  Department  in  perfecting  its  organization  for  dealing  with 
the  industrial  training  of  soldiers,  and  in  preparing  outlines  of 
courses  of  instruction  for  the  guidance  of  educational  institutions 
engaged  in  this  work.  He  also  assisted  in  holding  a  series  of  im¬ 
portant  conferences  on  Government  policies  involving  the  schools  in 
war  time,  and  the  needed  reorganization  of  instruction  in  science  and 
manual  training  in  secondary  schools  to  meet  war  emergency  condi¬ 
tions.  The  bureau  also  prepared  an  inventory  of  facilities  for  tech¬ 
nical  and  industrial  training  in  the  schools  of  the  country  for  the  use 
of  Government  agencies. 

Upon  request  of  the  trustees  a  careful  study  of  the  facilities  and 
field  of  work  of  the  Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute,  Peoria,  Ill.,  was 
made  by  representatives  of  the  bureau,  and  plans  were  formulated 
by  which  that  institution  may  render  an  increasing  service  to  its  com¬ 
munity  and  State.  The  bureau  has  taken  the  initiative  in  organizing 
a  committee  representing  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Federation  of  Labor,  the  United  States  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
and  the  National  Association  of  Corporation  Schools,  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  making  a  cooperative  study  of  the  proper  relation  between 
commerce,  industry,  and  the  public  schools. 

The  bureau  has  done  its  work  to  a  certain  extent  through  conferences 
and  the  distribution  of  reports  of  conclusions  reached,  and  by  means 
of  mimeographed  circulars  dealing  with  various  phases  of  vocational 
education.  These  publications  deal  with  such  important  topics  as: 
“  Report  of  conference  on  emergency  plans  for  vocational  educa¬ 
tion;”  “Continuation  school  organization  in  Reading,  Pa.;”  “Con¬ 
tinuation  school  classes  in  Chicago ;”  “  The  cooperative  school  plan 
adapted  to  shipbuilding;”  “Federal  aid  under  the  Smith-Hughes 
Act  for  the  preparation  of  teachers  of  trade  and  industrial  subjects;” 
“Examination  and  certification  of  industrial  teachers;”  “Science 


126 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


and  industrial  arts  in  secondary  schools  in  the  war  emergency.”  A 
representative  of  the  bureau  also  cooperated  with  the  Commission  on 
the  Reorganization  of  Secondary  Education,  of  the  National  Educa¬ 
tion  Association,  in  the  drafting  of  the  report  of  the  subcommittee 
on  industrial  arts. 

In  January,  1918,  the  bureau  issued  a  “War  Service  Call  to  Man¬ 
ual  Training  Classes,”  outlining  a  plan  for  the  construction  of  game 
tables  for  the  Army  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association.  Up  to  June 
30, 1918,  2,523  of  these  tables  were  constructed  and  donated  by  public 
school  pupils  in  291  cities,  scattered  throughout  all  the  States  except 
3;  and  the  tables  were  distributed  among  39  camps,  cantonments, 
and  naval  training  stations,  located  in  23  States. 

The  following  bulletins  published  by  the  bureau  during  the  fiscal 
year  deal  with  phases  of  the  problem  of  vocational  education: 
Bulletin,  1917,  No.  36,  “  Demand  for  vocational  education  in  the 
countries  at  war;”  Bulletin,  1917,  No.  38,  “Vocational  teachers  for 
secondary  schools;”  Bulletin,  1917,  No.  46,  “The  public  school  sys¬ 
tem  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,”  chapters  on  “Manual  training,”  and 
“  Vocational  education.”  x 

Home  economics . — During  the  past  year  the  bureau  lias  kept  in 
touch  with  the  home  economics  teachers  in  the  elementary  and  sec- 
ondarj^  schools  through  correspondence,  conferences,  and  personal 
visits.  The  number  of  high  schools  offering  courses  has  shown  the 
normal  rate  of  increase,  and  there  has  been  an  extension  of  the  teach¬ 
ing  of  home  making  through  the  lower  grades.  The  instruction  given 
in  cooking,  sewing,  and  household  management  has  shown  a  tend¬ 
ency  to  grow  into  a  unified  course  in  home  making.  Better  elemen¬ 
tary  teaching  has  been  preparing  the  way  for  advanced  high  school 
work.  Colleges  and  universities  have  been  able  to  advance  their 
entrance  requirements  and  to  build  their  courses  on  broader  and 
more  scientific  lines.  Because  of  the  new  standards  established  for 
high  school  work,  teachers  with  a  college  preparation  are  demanded, 
so  normal  schools  are  giving  their  attention  almost  wholly  to  the 
preparation  of  teachers  for  the  elementary  and  rural  schools.  The 
instruction  in  food  conservation  that  has  been  given  to  the  entire 
student  body  in  some  of  the  normal  schools  has  been  so  successful 
that  several  schools  report  that  a  general  course  in  food  study  is  to 
be  permanently  required  of  all  students  in  the  normal  school,  men 
and  women  alike.  Thus  a  greater  number  of  students  is  given  in¬ 
struction  relative  to  the  place  of  home  economics  in  general  educa¬ 
tion  and  a  wider  interest  is  created  in  the  home  economics  teaching 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  country. 

The  increased  number  of  State  and  county  supervisors  that  have 
been  appointed  is  resulting  in  better  organized  work  in  all  the 
schools.  The  majority  of  these  appointments  have  come  as  a  result 
of  the  organization  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


127 


In  some  cases  the  instruction  is  for  the  Smith-Hughes  schools  only, 
but  in  other  States  all  home  economics  departments  in  public  schools 
will  receive  this  assistance.  Adjustments  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  Federal  board  have  been  made  during  the  year. 

The  educational  surveys  made  during  the  year  in  South  Dakota, 
Tennessee,  and  Columbia,  S.  C.,  have  made  possible  an  intimate 
study  of  problems  in  the  common  schools.  Food  and  clothing  con¬ 
ditions  have  necessarily  effected  marked  changes  in  subject  matter 
treated  in  the  courses.  Members  of  the  bureau  have  been  asked  to 
cooperate  with  the  Food  Administration  in  the  preparation  of 
courses  of  study  that  have  been  sent  to  the  schools.  These  have 
served  to  base  the  school  work  on  live  problems  and  have  helped  the 
teachers  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  hour. 

In  lectures  given  throughout  the  country  by  members  of  the 
bureau  staff  the  new  responsibilities  of  home  economics  teachers 
have  been  emphasized.  The  necessity  of  adjusting  courses  in  food, 
clothing,  and  household  economy  to  meet  war  conditions  has  been 
presented.  In  conferences  and  through  correspondence,  details  for 
new  courses  have  been  worked  out. 

Correlation  has  made  possible  the  introduction  of  food  study  into 
other  classes  and  even  where  a  school  has  had  no  special  home  eco¬ 
nomics  teacher  some  effective  work  has  been  done.  New  life  has 
been  given  to  long  established  courses,  the  work  has  been  intensified, 
and  the  amount  has  been  increased,  and  more  than  ever  before  the 
home  economics  departments  have  become  a  vital  influence  in  the 
life  of  the  communities.  Instruction  has  not  been  limited  to  the 
classroom  but  has  been  carried  into  the  homes.  Special  classes  out¬ 
side  of  school  hours  have  been  organized  to  take  up  the  questions 
of  food  study  and  conservation.  Both  teachers  and  students  have 
given  lectures  and  demonstrations,  planned  exhibits,  and  written 
articles  for  publication. 

Conferences  of  home  economics  teachers  called  in  New  York  City 
and  Chicago  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  have  offered  oppor¬ 
tunity  for  concerted  action  in  the  teaching  of  food  and  clothing 
conservation.  The  increased  extension  work  carried  on  by  the  De¬ 
partment  of  Agriculture  has  also  served  to  stimulate  home  economics 
courses.  The  State  colleges  have  been  especially  active  in  this 
service. 

The  series  of  mimeographed  home  economics  letters  that  are  pub¬ 
lished  by  the  bureau  from  time  to  time  has  been  supplemented  by 
printed  home  economics  circulars  designed  to  be  permanent  in  form. 
The  character  of  these  circulars  is  suggested  by  their  titles  given 
below : 

Home  Economics  Circular  No.  1.  Teaching  home  economics  under  present 
economic  conditions. 

Home  Economics  Circular  No.  2.  Current  problems  in  home  economics. 


128 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


Home  Economics  Circular  No.  3.  Home  economics  in  small  high  schools. 

Home  Economics  Circular  No.  4.  Principles  and  policies  in  home  economics 
education. 

Home  Economics  Circular  No.  5.  Government  publications  of  interest  to 
home  economics  teachers  and  students. 

Home  Economics  Circular  No.  6.  A  course  in  food  economies  for  the  house¬ 
keeper. 

In  addition  to  these  circulars  a  bulletin  has  been  published  for 
the  use  of  home  economics  teachers  who  are  cooperating  with  the 
home  and  school  garden  work.  (Bull.,  1917,  No.  47.  The  Prepara¬ 
tion  and  Preservation  of  Vegetables.)  A  chapter  entitled  “Home 
Economics  Education”  was  included  in  Bulletin  No.  46,  the  Public 
School  System  of  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

UNITED  STATES  SCHOOL  GARDEN  ARMY. 

In  1914  this  bureau  began  the  promotion  of  home  gardening  under 
school  direction  in  the  cities  and  towns  of  the  United  States  with  a 
view  to  furnishing  profitable  and  educative  employment  to  school 
children  during  out  of  school  hours  and  during  the  vacation  periods. 
Owing  to  the  small  amounts  of  funds  available  for  this  work,  it  was 
necessary  to  limit  it  to  a  comparatively  small  section  of  the  country. 
For  the  past  three  years  two  persons  have  been  employed  in  this  work 
by  the  bureau,  and  while  approximately  100  cities  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  were  constantly  receiving  help  from  them,  most  of  their 
time  has  been  given  to  intensive  work  in’ the  cities  of  a  few  of  the 
Southern  States,  namely,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  and  Tennessee.  In  some  of  the  cities  of  these  States  the 
work  has  been  placed  on  a  firm  basis,  and  the  results  achieved  are 
most  encouraging.  Large  quantities  of  food  products  were  raised  by 
the  school  children  in  their  home  gardens,  back  and  side  yards,  and 
vacant  lots. 

According  to  reports  received  at  the  bureau  488  cities  throughout 
the  United  States  had  school-directfed  home  gardens  in  1917,  with  a 
total  enrollment  of  355,715  children,  and  the  total  cash  value  of 
vegetables  raised  by  the  children  in  215  of  the  cities  was  $1,810,729.33. 
The  total  cost  of  home  gardening,  including  salaries,  in  those  215 
cities  was  $143,842.88,  leaving  a  net  profit  of  $1,666,886.45. 

The  war  has  brought  home  to  our  people  the  urgent  necessity  for 
increased  food  production  and  for  the  conservation  of  man  power  and 
transportation  facilities.  The  success  of  home  gardening  under 
school  direction  already  achieved  was  convincing  proof  that  a  general 
adoption  of  the  plan  in  all  cities  and  towns  of  the  country  would  ma¬ 
terially  assist  the  food  problem.  With  this  end  in  view  the  President 
of  the  United  States  in  February,  1918,  allotted  to  the  Department 
of  the  Interior  for  use  by  this  bureau  the  sum  of  $50,000  from  the 
appropriation  for  the  National  Security  and  Defense,  to  be  used  in 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  129 


the  promotion  of  home  gardening  under  school  direction  during  the 
following  six  months. 

On  February  25,  1918,  the  President  wrote  the  following  letter  to 
Secretary  Lane : 

25  February,  1918. 

My  Dear  Mr.  Secretary:  I  sincerely  hope  that  you  may  be  successful 
through  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  arousing  the  interest  of  teachers  and 
children  in  the  schools  of  the  United  States  in  the  cultivation  of  home  gardens. 
Every  boy  and  girl  who  really  sees  what  the  home  garden  may  mean  will,  I 
am  sure,  enter  into  the  purpose  with  high  spirits,  because  I  am  sure  they 
would  all  like  to  feel  that  they  are  in  fact  fighting  in  France  by  joining  the 
home  garden  army.  They  know  that  America  has  undertaken  to  send  meat 
and  flour  and  wheat  and  other  foods  for  the  support  of  the  soldiers  who  are 
doing  the  fighting,  for  the  men  and  women  who  are  making  the  munitions,  and 
for  the  boys  and  girls  of  western  Europe,  and  that  we  must  also  feed  ourselves 
while  we  are  carrying  on  this  war.  The  movement  to  establish  gardens,  there¬ 
fore,  and  to  have  the  children  work  in  them  is  just  as  real  and  patriotic  an 
effort  as  the  building  of  ships  or  the  firing  of  cannon.  I  hope  that  this  spring 
every  school  will  have  a  regiment  in  the  Volunteer  War  Garden  Army. 

Cordially  and  sincerely,  yours, 


Woodrow  Wilson. 

Hon.  Franklin  K.  Lane, 

S^retary  of  the  Interior. 

Two  main  purposes  prompted  the  planning  of  the  United  States 
School  Garden  Army :  (a)  Increased  food  production  and  (5)  train¬ 
ing  of  school  children  in  thrift,  industry,  service,  patriotism,  and 
responsibility. 

The  necessity  for  man  power  was  felt.  This  was  especially  true 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  Not  alone  were  the  drafted  young  men  go¬ 
ing  from  the  farm,  but  ^reat  numbers  of  farm  employees  were  being 
attracted  to  the  cities  by  higher  wages  offered  in  other  industries. 
If  the  millions  of  city  boys  and  girls  could  be  induced  to  give  their 
leisure  time  to  cultivating  the  thousands  of  acres  of  untilled  land  in 
front  and  back  yards  and  vacant  lots  of  our  cities,  towns,  and  vil¬ 
lages,  it  would  result  in  a  substantial  increase  in  food  production 
and  an  improvement  in  the  quality  of  our  coming  citizenship. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  undertook  to  accomplish  this  through 
the  organization  of  the  United  States  School  Garden  Army.  The 
field  has  not  been  seriously  entered  by  any  other  organization.  It  is 
an  educational  problem  and  can  be  solved  with  economy  and  efficiency 
only  by  the  schools. 

The  plan  of  organization  involved  (a)  a  general  director,  who  is 
responsible  for  organization,  propaganda,  and  administration;  (b) 
regional  directors  who  are  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  writ¬ 
ing  instructions  upon  gardening  that  will  enable  supervisors  and 
teachers  to  take  a  garden  company  successfully  through  a  season, 
even  though  not  expert  gardeners.  These  instructions  have  been 
put  out  in  leaflet  form  and  sent  from  the  central  office  to  all  who 


87376°- 


130 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


applied  for  them.  In  a  general  way  each  regional  director  is  con¬ 
sidered  responsible  for  the  work  in  his  territory. 

The  army  plan  of  organization  was  adopted  and  has  proved  to  be 
very  popular  and  efficient.  Simplicity  of  organization  was  desired, 
however,  and  but  few  of  the  divisions  of  the  army  were  paralleled 
in  the  garden  army  plan. 

A  company  consists  of  150  garden  soldiers  as  a  maximum  number, 
This  number  should  be,  and  usually  is,  much  smaller.  Each  company 
is  entitled  to  a  captain  and  first  and  second  lieutenant.  A  garden 
teacher  is  required  for  the  company.  The  officers  have  been  used  to 
great  advantage  by  many  teachers  in  helping  them  on  their  reports, 
inspecting  gardens,  encouraging  members  of  their  company  to  do 
their  full  duty  as  true  soldiers,  and  in  arranging  for  exhibits,  pa¬ 
geants,  plays,  etc. 

To  become  an  enlisted  soldier  in  this  army  a  pupil  needs  only  to 
sign  the  enlistment  sheet,  which  pledges  him  to  do  something  that 
will  help  increase  food  production.  No  definite  amount  is  specified, 
but  each  is  expected  to  do  his  part  in  helping  fight  the  battles  of 
democracy  and  freedom. 

A  bronze  bar  with  the  letters,  “  U.  S.  S.  G.,”  upon  it  us  given  to 
each  enlisted  soldier.  This  is  his  badge  of  recognition  by  the  Gov¬ 
ernment  at  Washington.  The  badge  of  the  captain  has  three  small 
stars  in  the  border,  that  of  first  lieutenant,  two,  and  of  the  second 
lieutenant,  one.  These  little  bars  have  greatly  stimulated  the  interest 
children  have  taken  in  the  work. 

As  this  is  fundamentally  a  school  problem,  the  work  should  be  pro¬ 
vided  for  by  superintendents  and  boards  of  education  and  financed 
by  them  from  school  funds.  Not  only  is  this  as  legitimate  and  as 
necessary  for  a  well-organized  and  administered  school  system  as 
the  teaching  of  any  other  branch,  but  to  care  for  it  at  this  time  has 
become  a  patriotic  duty.  To  lead  boards  of  education  to  see  it  thus 
was  the  most  important  problem  tc  be  met.  Success  attained  was 
•  very  gratifying  and  promises  for  next  year  encouraging.  Some  cities 
have  done  remarkable  garden  work  this  season,  and  most  cities  are 
coming  to  see  that  the  schools  must  assume  full  control  of  and  respon¬ 
sibility  for  it  to  insure  its  full  success  and  permanency. 

Teachers  prepared  to  teach  gardening  were  difficult  to  find.  Nor¬ 
mal  schools  and  colleges,  with  few  exceptions,  had  not  offered  the 
work  to  those  preparing  to  teach.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  to 
encourage  the  forming  of  special  classes  in  gardening  and  to  outline 
courses  for  them  to  pursue.  Interest,  however,  was  keen,  and  the 
promise  for  next  year  is  much  better. 

Through  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Julius  Rosen wald,  of  Chicago, 
who  offered  to  provide  one-half  the  salaries  paid  negro  garden 
teachers  in  Southern  States  a  considerable  number  of  southern 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


131 


cities  were  enabled  to  provide  good  supervision  for  the  work  of  the 
colored  children. 

Rather  than  enrich  and  adjust  the  work  of  our  schools,  we  close 
them  during  the  summer  months.  This  makes  supervision  of  garden 
work  in  summer  difficult,  and  without  supervision  it  will  fail.  The 
spirit  of  work  to  win  the  war  has  been  strong,  however,  and  probably 
by  the  time  we  have  finished  the  war  we  shall  have  learned  that  school 
work,  as  other  work,  is  as  profitable  in  summer  as  in  winter. 

One  million  five  hundred  thousand  boys  and  girls  have  responded 
to  the  call  of  the  President  and  enlisted  in  the  United  States  School 
Garden  Army. 

Twenty  thousand  acres  of  unproductive  home  and  vacant  lots  have 
been  converted  into  productive  land.  This  will  release  an  equal 
acreage  now  used  in  truck  gardening  for  the  production  of  other 
foodstuffs  more  important  for  war  purposes.  It  will  also  relieve 
transportation  congestion  through  home  consumption  of  home  pro¬ 
duced  foodstuffs. 

Fifty  thousand  teachers  have  received  valuable  instruction  in  gar¬ 
dening  through  the  garden  leaflets  written  by  experts  in  this  office 
and  distributed  from  here.  One  million  five  hundred  thousand 
leaflets  have  been  sent  out. 

Boards  of  education  and  other  civic  organizations  have  been  influ¬ 
enced  to  give  financial  and  moral  support  to  the  school  and  home 
garden  movement  and  to  pay  extra  salaries  for  supervision  and 
teaching. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  parents  have  become  interested  in  the 
garden  movement  and  are  working  with  their  children  in  home  gar¬ 
dens.  In  Salt  Lake  City  alone  5,200  mothers,  representing  62 
parental  associations,  are  actively  supporting  food  production 
through  the  schools. 

Thousands  of  civic,  commercial,  and  patriotic  organizations  have 
become  interested  in  the  movement  and  are  giving  it  hearty  support. 

One  and  one-half  million  children  have  been  given  something  to 
do  this  summer,  something  that  will  help  carry  the  burden  of  their 
country  in  this  struggle  for  freedom,  something  that  will  help  them 
to  build  character  and  something  that  will  appeal  to  and  develop 
their  patriotism. 

Home  and  vacant  lot  gardening  in  cities,  towns,  and  villages  has 
been  dignified  and  made  popular  to  a  degree  that  practically  insures 
it  a  prominent  place  in  the  school  system  of  our  country.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  estimate  the  educational  and  material  value  of  such 
results.  No  other  movement  in  history  promises  so  much  in  aiding 
the  “  Back  to  the  soil  ”  movement  as  this. 

The  work  accomplished  during  the  first  few  months  has  been  so 
successful  that  the  President  has  allotted  the  sum  of  $200,000  for 


132 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


the  continuation  of  this  work  through  the  fiscal  year  ending  June 
30,  1919.  Plans  have  been  made  whereby  a  much  larger  force  of 
trained  supervisors  will  be  employed  in  the  several  regions  into 
which  the  United  States  has  been  divided. 

AMERICANIZATION. 

The  principal  work  of  the  division  of  immigrant  education  has 
been  to  place  Americanization  before  the  country  as  a  measure  re¬ 
lated  to  the  war.  The  first  step  was  to  secure  through  the  National 
Committee  of  One  Hundred,  an  advisory  council  on  Americanization 
to  the  Bureau  of  Education  appointed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Edu¬ 
cation  on  September  1,  1916,  a  resolution  from  the  Council  of  Na¬ 
tional  Defense  indorsing  the  Federal  program  of  Americanization  as 
being  worked  out  by  the  bureau.  This  was  done  December  13,  1917. 
On  February  12,  1918,  the  Council  of  National  Defense  joined  with 
the  bureau  in  putting  forth  a  national  plan  of  Americanization. 

This  plan  requested  all  State  councils  of  defense  to  engage  in  Ameri¬ 
canization  work  and  to  appoint  Americanization  committees  and 
State  directors  of  Americanization.  Under  this  plan  about  30  States 
were  organized  during  the  remainder  of  the  fiscal  year. 

Under  the  joint  plan  the  work  of  State  and  local  agencies  is  being 
correlated  and  coordinated  under  the  Americanization  committees 
of  State  and  local  councils  of  defense.  The  object  is  to  avoid  dupli¬ 
cation  of  work  and  to  effect  the  greatest  unity  of  action  possible. 
Every  State  council  of  defense  and  a  large  number  of  local  and  com¬ 
munity  councils  have  been  supplied  with  the  national  plan  and  with 
a] I  the  special  schedules  of  operation  and  circulars  of  information 
published  by  the  bureau. 

To  assist  in  placing  Americanization  before  the  country  as  a  war 
measure,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  called  a  conference  on  April 
3  of  all  the  governors,  chairmen  of  State  defense  councils,  and  presi¬ 
dents  of  industrial  corporations  and  chambers  of  commerce.  About 
3*00  persons  attended  this  conference.  Resolutions  were  adopted 
calling  upon  Congress  to  appropriate  adequate  funds  to  the  respec¬ 
tive  Federal  departments  doing  Americanization  work,  indorsing  the 
principle  of  Federal  aid  in  Americanization  to  States  and  communi¬ 
ties,  urging  industrial  and  commercial  organizations  to  cooperate 
with  Federal  and  State  authorities  in  a  Nation-wide  plan,  and  recom¬ 
mending  that  all  elementary  instruction  in  all  schools  be  conducted 
in  the  English  language. 

The  clearing-house  service  has  been  considerably  extended  during 
the  year.  The  variety  of  publications  distributed  covers  a  greater 
range.  Over  100,000  circulars,  news  letters,  schedules  of  operation, 
and  schedules  of  standards  and  methods  were  sent  out.  Over  100,000 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  133 

individual  enrollment  blanks  were  disseminated  for  the  signature  of 
individuals  who  desire  to  enroll  in  the  Americanization  campaign. 
About  25,000  bulletins,  pamphlets,  and  other  printed  material  were 
distributed,  together  with  a  large  quantity  of  “  America  First  ”  and 
flag  posters. 

The  National  Committee  of  One  Hundred  has  expanded  its  repre¬ 
sentation  to  include  a  greater  number  of  industrial  men  and  foreign 
leaders.  Its  principal  activity  during  the  past  year  has  been  the 
formulation  of  two  bills,  one  working  out  the  principle  of  Federal 
aid  to  the  States  for  Americanization  work  and  the  other  calling  for 
funds  to  carry  out  the  war  Americanization  plan.  The  legislative 
committee  also  was  instrumental  in  drafting  and  securing  the  passage 
of  three  bills  in  New  York  State  providing  for  compulsory  attend¬ 
ance  of  non-English-speaking  persons  between  16  and  21  years  of  age 
and  providing  for  compulsory  maintenance  of  educational  facilities 
for  their  instruction  and  also  for  the  training  of  teachers.  A  model 
bill  for  compulsory  attendance  has  been  drafted  and  furnished  to 
several  State  school  authorities  and  legislatures.  The  committee 
now  has  headquarters  in  New  York  City. 

Special  effort  has  been  placed  on  the  coordination  and  correlation 
of  the  varied  activities  of  unofficial  agencies,  such  as  patriotic  organi¬ 
zations,  women’s  clubs,  civic  associations,  fraternal  orders,  councils 
of  defense  and  Americanization  committees.  Special  cooperative 
plans  have  been  worked  out  with  the  American  Bankers’  Associa¬ 
tion,  Scottish  Bites,  Pennsylvania  State  Department  of  Labor  and 
Industry,  National  Committee  of  Patriotic  Societies,  Philadelphia 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  a  great  many  other  local  chambers,  with 
a  large  number  of  industrial  corporations,  with  the  New  York  State 
Department  of  Education  and  local  superintendents  of  schools,  and 
with  about  25  patriotic  societies  and  civic  associations.  The  activi¬ 
ties  of  many  of  these  have  been  correlated  with  the  national  plan  of 
Americanization  as  put  out  through  the  Council  of  National  Defense. 

Other  activities  include  the  preparation  of  over  15  new  circulars 
of  information  and  schedules  of  operation  for  official  and  unofficial 
agencies,  and  research  into  the  educational  activities  of  industrial 
corporations  and  chambers  of  commerce. 

On  May  2,  1918,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  accepted  a  proposi¬ 
tion  from  the  National  Americanization  Committee  of  New  York  for 
the  extension  of  the  bureau’s  work  in  Americanization  with  a  special 
view  to  promoting  the  work  of  education  among  the  foreign-born 
population  of  the  United  States  in  order  to  give  them  a  knowledge 
of  the  industrial  requirements  in  this  country,  of  the  history  and 
resources  of  the  country,  of  our  manners  and  customs,  and  of  our 
social,  civic,  economic,  and  political  ideals,  and  through  cooperation 
with  loyal  leaders  of  racial  groups  to  win  the  full  loyalty  of  these 


134 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


•people  for  the  United  States  and  their  hearty  cooperation  in  the  war 
for  freedom  and  democracy.  Under  the  plan  of  cooperation  adopted 
the  National  Americanization  Committee  bears  the  additional  ex¬ 
pense  for  salaries  and  travel  of  specialists,  assistants,  clerks,  and  other 
employees,  as  well  as'  the  necessary  expenses  for  office  equipment. 
All  employees  are  selected  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  and 
appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  Some  of  the  immediate 
objects  of  this  new* work  are  the  following: 

1.  To  give  the  immigrant  better  opportunities  and  facilities  to 
learn  of  America  and  to  understand  his  duties  to  America. 

2.  To  unite  in  service  for  America  the  different  factions  among 
the  several  racial  groups  and  to  minimize  in  each  race  the  antago¬ 
nism  due  to  old-country  conditions. 

3.  To  cement  the  friendships  and  discourage  the  enmities  existing 
among  races  and  to  bring  them  together  for  America. 

4.  To  bring  native  and  foreign-born  Americans  together  in  more 
intimate  and  friendly  relations. 

5.  To  give  native-born  Americans  a  better  understanding  of  for¬ 
eign-born  Americans. 

6.  To  develop  among  employers  a  more  kindly  and  patriotic  feel¬ 
ing  toward  foreign-born  workmen. 

7.  To  encourage  the  foreign-born  Americans  to  assist  in  the  work 
of  Americanization  and  to  develop  a  more  patriotic  feeling  toward 
the  work  in  which  they  are  engaged. 

8.  To  develop  the  school  as  the  center  for  Americanization  work 
for  all  alike. 

The  division  of  immigrant  education  has  been  enlarged  by  the 
addition  of  a  war  work  extension  service  section  with  offices  both 
in  Washington  and  New  York  City.  A  semimonthly  publication  is 
planned  under  the  title  of  “  Americanization  Bulletin.” 

COMMUNITY  ORGANIZATION. 

The  conduct  of  the  war  has  led  to  the  discovery,  on  the  part  of 
many  governmental  agencies  and  the  Nation  as  a  whole,  that  the 
spiritual  and  material  resources  of  the  people  can  be  mobilized  ef¬ 
fectively  only  when  the  people  act  in  community  units.  This  dis¬ 
covery  has  given  a  marked  impetus  to  the  community  organization 
movement  and  presented  an  open  door  of  opportunity  to  this  di¬ 
vision  of  the  bureau’s  work,  which  it  has  entered,  so  far  as  its  limited 
working  force  permitted. 

The  devision  is  operated  by  two  men,  one  of  whom  is  engaged 
chiefly  in  research  work,  and  the  other  chiefly  in  field  work. 

At  the  request  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  the  community 
organization  division  cooperated  in  a  national  campaign  to  stimulate 
the  organization  of  local  communities  as  a  means  of  national  defense. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUKEAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


135 


This  involved  work  covering  a  period  of  six  months.  A  52-page  bul¬ 
letin  (No.  11,  1918:  “A  community  center,  what  it  is  and  how  to 
organize  it”)  was  prepared  and  distributed  by  the  bureau  to  State 
and  county  superintendents,  and  distributed  by  the  Council  of  De¬ 
fense  to  State  and  county  councils. 

A  national  conference  on  community  organization  was  arranged 
and  conducted  by  the  bureau  in  cooperation  with  State  councils  of 
defense,  State  superintendents  of  public  instruction,  the  National 
Education  Association,  and  the  National  Community  Center  Asso¬ 
ciation. 

A  permanent  endowment  fund  of  $25,000  was  secured  and  a  board 
of  trustees  incorporated  to  administer  it.  The  proceeds  are  used  to 
help  the  work  of  community  organization  in  cooperation  with  the 
Bureau  of  Education.  It  has  established  two  lectureships  on  com¬ 
munity  organization,  one  at  Cornell  University,  the  other  at  the 
University  of  North  Carolina.  The  bureau’s  field  agent  has  been 
requested  to  give  the  first  series  of  these  two  courses  of  lectures. 

During  the  year  the  field  agent  has  delivered  courses  of  from  3  to 
12  lectures  at  Pennsylvania  State  College,  Georgia  Normal  and  In¬ 
dustrial  College,  and  the  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  Asheville, 
N.  C.  He  has  delivered  25  single  lectures  at  city  and  State  conven¬ 
tions,  and  14  addresses  in  the  City  of  Washington  at  the  request  of 
its  board  of  education.  He  has  assisted  in  the  organization  of  com¬ 
munity  activities  in  Boston  and  New  York. 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  specialist  in  research  work,  a  post-office 
station  was  established  in  a  schoolhouse  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  with 
the  approval  and  cordial  support  of  the  school  board  and  the  Post 
Office  Department.  The  community  secretary  was  made  postmaster. 
This  is  a  pioneer  piece  of  work,  the  possible  value  of  which  is  very 
great  not  only  in  decreasing  needless  expenditure  of  money,  but  in 
increasing  the  community  use  of  the  schoolhouse. 

With  the  assistance  of  this  division,  eight  districts  in  Washington, 
D.  C.,  have  been  permanently  organized  as  community  centers,  with 
regularly  employed  community  secretaries  supported  at  public 
expense. 

The  community  activities  now  conducted  in  many  parts  of  the 
country  are  large  in  number  and  varied  in  character.  Data  con¬ 
cerning  them  ought  to  be  gathered  and  distributed  so  that  commu¬ 
nities  may  help  each  other  by  pooling  their  experience.  The  bureau 
at  present  is  not  manned  or  equipped  to  render  this  needed  service. 

The  entire  country  appears  to  be  profoundly  conscious  of  the 
importance  of  community  organization,  not  only  to  meet  the  Nation’s 
present  needs,  but  also  the  equally  important  needs  of  the  recon¬ 
struction  days  immediately  ahead.  The  need  is  great.  The  people 
are  willing  to  meet  it.  They  are  looking  to  the  Bureau  of  Educa- 


136 


EDUCATION  REPOET,  1918. 


tion  for  suggestion  and  guidance.  The  country  is  now  requesting 
of  this  division  a  service  many  times  larger  than  it  is  equipped  to 
render.  The  Nation’s  awakened  need  and  desire  for  help  in  com¬ 
munity  organization  is  a  ground  of  hope  for  our  common  welfare 
and  for  the  success  of  our  experiment  in  democracy. 

SCHOOL  HYGIENE  AND  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION. 

Since  February  of  the  present  year  the  bureau  has  had  the  full 
time  service  of  one  specialist  in  educational  hygiene.  Prior  to  that 
time  in  the  current  year,  and  for  a  series  of  years  in  the  past,  it  had 
had  part  time  service  of  two  men.  Of  these,  one  has  devoted  his 
time  exclusively  to  assisting  school  authorities  in  the  preparation 
of  plans  for  school  buildings;  the  other,  to  reviewing  progress  in 
educational  hygiene  and  answering  the  more  important  of  the  num¬ 
erous  inquiries  that  came  to  the  bureau  upon  the  varied  phases  of  this 
diversified  subject.  The  volume  and  variety  of  such  inquiries  and 
the  volume  and  variety  of  activities  in  the  field  of  educational  hy¬ 
giene  have  increased  enormously  since  the  entrance  of  the  country  into 
the  war.  How  great  and  diversified  is#the  task  of  keeping  up  with 
the  inquiries  alone  is  shown  by  the  following  partial  list  of  topics 
upon  which  information  and  advice  was  given  by  this  division  in 
one  month  of  the  present  year:  Physical  education  in  elementary, 
secondary,  and  normal  schools,  and  in  the  colleges;  plans  for  health 
supervision  of  schools  in  rural  communities,  small  towns,  and  cities; 
physical  examination  of  children  for  working  papers;  administra¬ 
tion  of  medical  inspection;  school  clinics;  malnutrition  of  school 
children;  State  laws  for  physical  education;  State  laws  for  medical 
inspection;  plans  for  school  buildings;  ventilation  of  school  build¬ 
ings;  cleaning  of  school  buildings;  training  of  janitors  in  school  sani¬ 
tation;  educational  procedure  for  improvement  of  speech  defects; 
methods  for  backward  and  defective  children. 

All  possible  effort  has  been  made  to  cooperate  effectively  with 
governmental  agencies  and  with  voluntary  organizations  in  the  pro¬ 
motion  of  investigations,  in  the  organization  of  health  instruction 
and  physical  education  in  the  schools,  and  in  the  work  of  arousing 
and  directing  public  interest  in  physical  upbuilding  as  a  funda¬ 
mental  educational  object. 

The  specialist  in  school  hygiene  and  sanitation  cooperated  with 
the  committee  on  venereal  diseases  of  the  medical  section  of  the 
Council  of  National  Defense  in  the  preparation  of  a  pamphlet  en¬ 
titled  “  Keeping  Fit,”  for  high-school  boys,  which  was  issued  under 
the  joint  auspices  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  and  this  bureau. 
The  pamphlet  includes  information  in  regard  to  the  principal  causes 
for  rejection  of  drafted  men  and  a  clear  statement  of  sex  hygiene 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


137 


and  sex  morality.  He  has  prepared  a  plan  for  a  thoroughgoing  pro¬ 
gram  of  physical  education  in  the  high  school  and  an  analytical 
summary  of  State  laws  for  physical  education.  He  also  prepared  n 
schematic  plan  for  physical  education  in  colleges  as  an  integral 
part  of  the  military  training  program  for  the  use  of  the  advisory 
board  of  the  Committee  on  Education  and  Special  Training  of  the 
War  Department.  This  covered  plan  of  examination,  classification 
for  training  and  treatment,  time  factor,  classification  and  graduation 
of  physical  training  exercises.  With  the  cooperation  of  a  committee 
of  the  American  Public  Health  Association,  an  investigation  of 
“  School  closing  as  a  means  of  combating  epidemics  ”  has  been  begun. 

The  services  of  the  special  agent  in  school-house  construction  and 
sanitation  are  frequently  sought  by  school  boards  to  assist  them  in 
planning  school  buildings.  For  this  purpose  he  visited  during  the 
year  the  cities  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Montgomery,  Ala.,  Richmond, 
Ky.,  and  Little  Rock,  Ark.  In  other  cases  advice  was  given  through 
correspondence. 

A  conference  on  physical  education  was  held  at  Atlantic  City, 
N.  J.,  under  the  auspices  of  the  bureau  on  February  26,  1918,  whion 
resulted  in  the  adoption  of  a  program  calling  for  Federal  legislation 
for  the  promotion  of  physical  education. 

COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION. 

With  the  cooperation  of  the  Association  of  Urban  Universities,  the 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce,  and  local  committees  in 
the  selected  cities,  arrangements  have  been  made  for  an  investigation 
as  to  the  need  for  trained  service  in  the  conduct  of  foreign  trade  and 
to  determine  how  the  schools  and  colleges  can  best  meet  that  need. 
This  investigation  will  cover  the  cities  of  Boston,  New  York,  Phila¬ 
delphia,  Baltimore,  Rochester,  Pittsburgh,  Cleveland,  Akron,  Cincin¬ 
nati,  New  Orleans,  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  Seattle,  Portland,  and  San 
Francisco.  Plans  are  now  being  made  to  carry  on  a  similar  investi¬ 
gation  of  all  cities  in  the  United  States  having  more  than  25,000 
inhabitants. 

There  were  prepared  and  distributed  courses  of  study  in  commer¬ 
cial  education  for  use  in  elementary  schools,  high  schools,  colleges, 
universities,  and  private  business  schools. 

SCHOOL  ADMINISTRATION. 

The  principal  work  accomplished  in  the  field  of  general  school  ad¬ 
ministration,  aside  from  surveys,  consisted  of  a  bulletin  on  summer 
sessions  in  city  schools,  a  digest  of  State  laws  relating  to  libraries, 
and  a  digest  of  educational  legislation  enacted  in  1916  and  1917.  The 
history  of  education  in  Arizona  was  completed  and  issued  as  Bulletin, 


138 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


1918,  No.  IT.  Projects  under  way  include  a  bulletin  on  reading,  the 
preparation  of  a  course  of  study  for  the  first  grade,  an  investigation 
of  the  causes  which  lead  to  failures  and  nonpromotion  in  the  first 
grade,  and  an  investigation  of  the  extent  of  the  use  of  activities  in  the 
primary  school. 

SURVEYS. 

Thirteen  different  surveys  of  educational  systems  and  institutions 
were  carried  on  by  members  of  the  bureau  during  the  year.  Of  this 
number  eight  were  begun  during  preceding  years. 

The  final  report  of  the  survey  of  the  public  schools  of  Webster 
Groves,  Mo.,  was  completed  during  the  year  and  submitted  to  the 
Commissioner  of  Education.  This  survey  was  made  by  the  chief  of 
the  division  of  school  administration,  assisted  by  Dr.  W.  W.  Charters, 
of  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  and  Mr.  Henry  J.  Gerling,  of 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

The  final  report  of  the  survey  of  the  public  school  system  of  San 
Francisco,  Cal.,  was  issued  as  Bulletin,  1917,  No.  46. 

Work  on  the  educational  survey  of  the  State  of  Delaware,  with 
special  reference  to  industrial  education  in  the  city  of  Wilmington, 
was  continued  by  the  specialist  in  industrial  education. 

The  survey  of  the  rural  schools  of  Walker  and  Falls  Counties, 
Tex.,  was  completed  and  a  final  report  thereon  was  made. 

The  report  of  the  survey  of  the  public  school  system  of  Elyria, 
Ohio,  was  completed  during  the  year  and  will  be  issued  as  Bulletin, 
1918,  No.  15. 

Work  was  continued  on  the  educational  survey  of  the  State  of 
Tennessee,  and  the  field  work  has  been  completed.  This  survey  was 
made  by  the  specialist  in  rural  school  administration,  two  specialists 
in  rural  education,  and  one  of  the  specialists  in  home  economics.  The 
report  has  been  completed,  but  not  yet  published. 

The  report  of  the  survey  of  the  Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute, 
Peoria,  Ill.,  requested  by  the  administration  of  that  institution,  was 
completed  by  the  specialist  in  higher  education  and  the  specialist  in 
industrial  education. 

The  final  report  of  the  survey  of  the  educational  system  of  the 
State  of  Arizona,  excepting  the  report  on  the  State  university,  was 
completed  and  issued  as  Bulletin,  1917,  No.  44.  A  preliminary  re¬ 
port  on  the  survey  of  the  State  university  has  been  submitted  to  the 
officers  of  that  institution. 

Because  of  lack  of  clerical  help  and  labor-saving  devices  in  the  sta¬ 
tistical  division,  the  bureau  has  been  unable  to  complete  the  report 
of  the  educational  survey  of  the  mountain  counties  of  the  Southern 
States,  the  collecting  of  material  for  which  was  completed  more  than 
a  year  ago.  It  is  hoped  that  this  report  may  be  ready  within  the  next 
few  months. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


139 


In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of 
South  Dakota,  this  bureau  has  made  a  survey  of  the  entire  educa¬ 
tional  system  of  that  State,  including  all  schools  and  educational 
institutions  supported  by  public  funds.  The  survey  was  made  un 
der  the  direction  of  the  specialist  in  rural  school  practice,  assisted 
by  the  specialist  in  higher  education,  the  specialist  in  agricultural 
education,  specialist  in  home  economics,  assistant  in  rural  education, 
and  by  Dr.  William  F.  Russell,  dean  of  the  school  of  education  of  the 
University  of  Iowa,  Dr.  Henry  B.  Wilson,  superintendent  of  schools 
of  Topeka,  Kans.,  and  Dr.  Alexander  J.  Inglis,  professor  of  second¬ 
ary  education  in  Harvard  University.  The  preliminary  report  of  the 
survey  was  transmitted  to  the  survey  commission  of  the  State  on  June 
14, 1918,  and  the  recommendations  made  therein  were  accepted  by  the 
survey  commission.  The  final  report  is  now  in  press. 

At  the  request  of  the  board  of  education  of  the  city  of  Columbia, 
S.  C.,  this  bureau  undertook  a  survey  of  the  school  system  of  that 
city.  The  survey  was  made  under  the  immediate  direction  of  the 
specialist  in  city  school  systems,  assisted  by  the  chief  clerk  of  the 
bureau,  one  of  the  specialists  in  home  economics,  specialist  in  school 
and  home  gardening,  and  Dr.  Carleton  B.  Gibson,  superintendent  of 
city  schools,  Savannah,  Ga.  The  preliminary  report  of  the  survey 
has  been  submitted  to  the  board  of  education  of  Columbia,  and  the 
final  report  is  now  in  press. 

With  the  cooperation  of  the  Department  of  Labor  this  bureau  has 
made  a  study  of  industrial  conditions  in  the  city  of  Richmond,  Va., 
with  a  view  to  the  establishment  of  cooperative  half-time  classes  for 
young  people  of  high-school  age.  The  work  on  the  part  of  the 
bureau  was  done  by  the  specialist  in  industrial  education  and  the 
specialist  in  city  school  systems. 

The  specialist  in  rural  school  practice  was  granted  leave  of  absence 
without  pay  for  the  purpose  of  making  for  the  provincial  govern¬ 
ment  of  the  Province  of  Saskatchewan,  Canada,  a  survey  of  educa¬ 
tion  in  that  Province.  The  report  has  been  completed  and  issued 
as  a  public  document  by  the  government  of  the  Province. 

At  the  request  of  the  National  Association  of  Accredited  Com¬ 
mercial  Schools,  a  survey  was  made  of  the  member  schools  of  that 
association  located  in  the  cities  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Jamestown. 
N.  Y.,  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Trenton,  N.  J.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  Wil¬ 
mington,  Del.  The  survey  was  made  by  the  specialist  in  commercial 
education  of  this  bureau. 

NEGRO  EDUCATION. 

Assistance  has  been  given  to  the  War  Department  in  the  selection 
of  the  training  schools  for  the  drafted  negro  men.  Both  the  War 
Department  and  the  Department  of  Labor  have  requested  and  re- 


140 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


ceived  special  information  as  to  persons  fitted  for  responsible  posi¬ 
tions.  Other  war  agencies  that  have  been  aided  are  the  American 
Red  Cross,  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  the  War  Camp 
Community  Service,  the  General  War  Time  Commission  of  the 
Churches,  the  Committee  on  Public  Information,  the  War  Work 
Council  of  the  National  Board  of  Young  Women’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation,  and  the  general  committee  on  Army  and  Navy  chaplains  of 
the  Federal  Council  of  Churches.  Probably  the  most  valuable  serv¬ 
ice  this  division  has  rendered  in  connection  with  the  war  has  been 
the  investigation  of  conditions  among  the  negro  troops  in  and  about 
the  various  cantonments.  There  is  now  available  definite  informa¬ 
tion  as  to  the  needs  of  the  negro  soldiers  both  in  the  camps  and  in 
the  communities  near  the  camps.  The  facts  thus  assembled  are  now 
used  by  practically  every  agency  working  for  the  soldiers. 

Other  work  during  the  year  for  negro  education  may  be  summar¬ 
ized  as  follows:  Development  of  cooperation  between  public  and 
private  agencies;  cooperation  of  State,  county,  and  city  officials, 
north  and  south,  in  all  movements  to  promote  the  education  of  the 
negro ;  furnishing  information  on  the  educational  phases  of  the  race 
problem;  influencing  northern  donors  to  give  money  only  to  worthy 
schools;  exposing  fraudulent  negro  schools;  bringing  to  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  the  public  the  inadequate  provision  made  for  negro  educa¬ 
tion  ;  assisting  the  negro  schools  in  the  matter  of  curriculum,  accounts, 
and  buildings.  One  member  of  the  division  who  is  trained  in  ac¬ 
counting  and  business  management  gives  all  his  time  to  the  improve¬ 
ment  of  accounts  and  records  in  the  schools.  The  systematic  help 
planned  for  the  schools  will  not  only  effect  important  economies,  but 
also  greatly  increase  and  improve  the  educational  efforts  of  these 
schools. 

In  August,  1917,  an  important  conference  on  negro  education  was 
held  in  the  auditorium  of  the  Interior  Department  building  in  Wash¬ 
ington.  In  accordance  with  resolutions  adopted  by  the  conference 
the  Commissioner  of  Education  appointed  a  committee  on  negro 
education,  consisting  of  representatives  of  church  boards  of  various 
denominations  that  maintain  schools  for  negroes,  the  public  school 
systems  of  the  Southern  States,  the  independent  schools  not  connected 
with  any  church  board  and  unaided  by  the  State,  the  State  agricul¬ 
tural  and  mechanical  colleges  for  negroes,  and  the  educational  funds 
for  negro  education.  One  meeting  of  the  committee  and  three 
meetings  of  subcommittees  have  been  held.  These  subcommittees 
have  prepared  reports  on  educational  standards,  financial  aid,  and 
cooperation  of  private  agencies.  Other  subcommittees  are  consider¬ 
ing  questions  of  increased  support  for  the  public  schools  and  the  co¬ 
operation  of  public  and  private  agencies. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  141 

ALASKA. 

During  the  year  the  field  force  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  in 
Alaska  consisted  of  5  superintendents,  1  assistant  superintendent, 
116  teachers,  9  physicians,  and  11  nurses;  69  schools  were  maintained, 
with  an  enrollment  of  3,700. 

School  buildings  were  erected  at  White  Mountain,  whither  the 
Eskimos  had  migrated  from  Council;  at  Elim,  within  a  tract  on 
Norton  Sound  which  had  been  reserved  by  Executive  Order  for  the 
use  of  the  Eskimos  formerly  inhabiting  the  village  of  Golovin;  at 
Fort  Yukon,  to  replace  the  school  building  which  the  erosion  of  the 
river  bank  had  rendered  unsafe ;  and  at  Tvonek,  where  the  small  log 
building  hitherto  used  for  school  purposes  had  proved  inadequate. 
At  Metlakatla  a  residence  was  erected  for  occupancy  by  the  principal 
teacher. 

The  wisdom  of  the  policy  of  setting  aside  selected  tracts  within 
which  the  natives  can  readily  obtain  fish  and  game  and  advanta¬ 
geously  conduct  their  own  enterprises  has  again  been  demonstrated  by 
the  success  of  the  colony  at  Noorvik,  in  Arctic  Alaska.  With  their 
advancement  in  civilization,  the  Eskimos  living  at  Deering,  on  the 
bleak  seacoast,  craved  a  new  home.  Lack  of  timber  compelled  them 
to  live  in  the  semiunderground  hovels  of  their  ancestors,  while  the 
killing  off  of  the  game  animals  made  it  increasingly  difficult  for  them 
to  obtain  food.  An  uninhabited  tract  on  the  bank  of  the  Kobuk 
River,  15  miles  square,  abounding  in  game,  fish,  and  timber,  was 
reserved  by  Executive  Order  for  these  Eskimos,  and  thither  they 
migrated  with  their  household  goods  and  herds  of  reindeer.  On  this 
tract  in  the  Arctic  wilderness  the  colonists,  under  the  leadership  of 
teachers,  have  built  a  village  with  well-laid-out  streets,  neat  single¬ 
family  houses,  gardens,  a  mercantile  company,  a  saw  mill,  an  elec¬ 
tric-light  plant,  and  a  wireless  telegraph  station  which  keeps  them 
in  touch  with  the  outside  world. 

Affairs  at  Metlakatla,  on  Annette  Island,  have  made  satisfactory 
progress.  The  legality  of  the  Annette  Island  fishery  reserve  having- 
been  reaffirmed  by  the  circuit  court  of  appeals,  definite  plans  for  the 
development  of  the  colony  have  been  carried  into  effect.  By  a  lease 
dated  April  30,  1917,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  on  behalf  of  the 
Metlakatlans,  granted  to  the  Annette  Island  Packing  Co.,  of  Seattle, 
fish-trapping  privileges  within  the  reserved  waters  adjacent  to  An- 
nette  Island  and  permission  to  erect  and  operate  a  cannery  on  An¬ 
nette  Island.  For  these  privileges  the  lessee  guaranteed  the  payment 
of  not  less  than  $4,000  during  the  season  of  1917  and  of  not  less  than 
$6,000  per  annum  for  five  years  beginning  with  1918.  It  is  expected 
that  the  revenues  accruing  from  this  lease  will  enable  the  Secretary 


142 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


of  the  Interior  to  take  over,  for  the  Metlakatlans,  the  property  of 
the  lessee  within  the  reserve  and  to  arrange  for  the  operation  of  the 
cannery  by  the  natives  themselves. 

During  the  summer  of  1917  the  Annette  Island  Packing  Co.  ex¬ 
pended  $7,657.14  in  the  construction  of  cannery  buildings;  the  royal¬ 
ties  amounted  to  $4,801.95,  leaving  a  balance  of  $2,855.19  to  the  credit 
of  the  company  at  the  close  of  the  season. 

In  May,  1916,  representatives  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  organizing  among  the  natives  the  Metlakatla  Commercial 
Co.,  with  a  capital  of  $2,255  and  30  shareholders,  to  conduct  the  mer¬ 
cantile  business  of  the  settlement.  The  auditing  of  the  affairs  of 
the  company  in  January,  1918,  showed  a  capital  of  $14,985  at  that 
date  and  a  net  profit  of  $4,033.30  for  the  year.  The  number  of  stock¬ 
holders  had  increased  to  110.  In  addition,  the  company  had  reha¬ 
bilitated  and  operated  the  sawmill  and  had  furnished  lumber  for 
the  cannery  buildings  and  for  other  buildings  in  the  village. 

The  income  and  wages  resulting  from  the  cannery  lease,  guaran¬ 
teed  through  five  successive  years,  and  the  prosperity  of  its  com¬ 
mercial  company  assure  the  economic  restoration  of  the  Metlakatla 
colony. 

Economic  conditions  among  the  natives  of  Alaska  have  been 
greatly  affected  by  the  war.  While  the  prices  received  by  the  natives 
for  their  furs  have  fallen  below  normal,  the  cost  of  food,  clothing, 
and  manufactured  articles  imported  from  the  States  has  increased 
as  much  as  300  per  cent.  The  Bureau  of  Education  has,  therefore, 
through  the  agency  of  its  teachers,  urged  the  natives  to  live,  as 
much  as  possible,  independently  of  imported  articles  and  to  depend 
upon  native  products,  not  only  for  their  own  benefit,  but  also  for 
the  assistance  they  can  thereby  render  to  the  country  in  conserving 
its  food  supply.  New  impetus  has  been  given  to  the  endeavor  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education  to  train  the  natives  in  the  raising  of  vegetables 
for  their  own  use  and  for  sale.  Efforts  in  this  direction  have  pro¬ 
duced  encouraging  results,  especially  in  the  upper  Yukon,  Kuskok- 
wim,  and  Kotzebue  Sound  regions. 

In  widely  separated  parts  of  Alaska  the  natives  have  shown  their 
gratitude  to  the  Government,  which  has  done  so  much  for  them, 
by  zealously  cooperating  in  activities  which  will  help  to  win  the  war ; 
they  have  willingly  complied  with  the  requests  of  the .  Territorial 
food  administrator,  liberally  purchased  Liberty  bonds  and  war  sav¬ 
ings  stamps,  organized  branches  of  the  Red  Cross,  formed  knitting 
and  sewing  societies  in  many  villages,  and  contributed  toward  the 
support  of  the  “  Alaska  bed  ”  in  one  of  the  American  hospitals  in 
France. 

Congress  appropriated  $62,500  for  the  support  of  the  medical  work 
of  the  bureau  among  the  natives  of  Alaska  during  the  fiscal  year 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  143 

1917-18.  Nine  physicians  and  eleven  nurses  were  employed;  hos¬ 
pitals  were  in  operation  at  Juneau,  Nulato,  and  Kanakanak;  as  here¬ 
tofore,  medical  supplies  were  sent  to  teachers  remote  from  a  hos¬ 
pital,  physician,  or  nurse,  for  use  in  relieving  minor  ailments. 

During  the  year  the  building  at  Kanakanak,  erected  as  a  school 
building  in  1909,  was  enlarged  and  remodeled  for  hospital  purposes; 
the  hospital  building  at  Akiak,  begun  in  1917,  was  completed. 

At  the  Juneau  hospital  the  policy  was  inaugurated  of  receiving 
native  girls  for  theoretical  and  practical  training  as  nurses.  This 
action  will  result  in  the  training  of  a  considerable  number  of  girls 
who  will  render  effective  service  in  improving  the  health  and  in 
raising  the  standard  of  living  in  the  native  villages  to  which  they 
return. 

As  the  natives  of  Alaska  advance  in  wealth  and  independence,  it 
is  natural  that  they  should  wish  to  assume  part  of  the  expense  of 
their  medical  service.  The  honor  of  taking  the  first  step  in  this 
direction  belongs  to  the  natives  of  Hoonah,  who  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  year  paid  the  salary  of  a  physician  and  started  a  fund 
for  the  erection  of  a  hospital  in  their  village. 

Pending  the  time  when  the  congressional  appropriations  will 
permit  th^  bureau  to  assume  the  entire  expense  of  the  medical  care 
of  the  natives  in  southeast  Alaska,  the  Commissioner  of  Education 
entered  into  an  agreement  with  the  woman’s  board  of  home  missions 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  by  which  the  board  assumed  the  entire 
responsibility  for  the  medical  work  in  the  villages  of  Klawock  and 
Hydaburg  and  agreed  to  rent  to  the  bureau  its  hospital  building  at 
Haines  for  use  as  a  tuberculosis  sanitarium,  the  board  also  assisting 
in  the  maintenance  of  the  sanitarium  during  the  first  year. 

The  reports  from  the  reindeer  stations  for  the  fiscal  year  ended 
June  30,  1917,  the  latest  complete  information  received,  show  a  total 
of  98,582  reindeer  distributed  among  98  herds.  Of  the  98,582  rein¬ 
deer,  67,448,  or  69  per  cent,  were  owned  by  1,568  natives;  3,046,  or  3 
per  cent,  were  owned  by  the  United  States ;  4,645  or  5  per  cent,  were 
owned  by  missions ;  and  23,443,  or  23  per  cent,  were  owned  by  Lapps 
and  other  whites.  The  total  income  of  the  natives  from  the  reindeer 
industry  during  the  fiscal  year  was  $97,515.  The  total  number  of 
reindeer,  98,582,  is  a  net  increase  of  20  per  cent  during  the  year,  not¬ 
withstanding  the  fact  that  13,144  reindeer  were  killed  for  meat  and 
skins  or  were  lost. 

Reindeer  fairs  or  conventions  were  held  during  the  winter  at 
Igloo,  on  Seward  Peninsula;  at  Unalakleet,  in  the  Norton  Sound 
region;  at  Noatak,  in  the  Kotzebue  Sound  district,  and  at  Noorvik, 
on  the  Kobuk  River.  These  annual  fairs  have  become  a  recognized 
feature  of  the  reindeer  industry ;  they  bring  together  Eskimos  from 
a  large  extent  of  country  who  spend  a  week  together  thinking  about 


144 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


and  discussing  not  only  subjects  relating  to  the  reindeer  industry, 
but  also  matters  of  importance  affecting  the  Eskimos  as  a  race.  The 
competitions  and  exhibits  promote  interest  in  the  various  phases  of 
the  work;  comparison  of  methods  results  in  increased  efficiency;  per¬ 
sonal  intercourse  makes  for  good  fellowship  and  develops  leaders 
who  are  recognized  as  such  by  the  Eskimos  themselves.  An  im¬ 
portant  result  of  the  fairs  was  the  organizing  in  northwestern  Alaska 
of  the  Eskimo  Reindeer  Men’s  Association,  the  object  of  which  is  to 
awaken  the  natives  to  their  own  responsibilities  and  to  secure  united 
sentiment  and  action  in  important  matters  affecting  the  Eskimo  race. 

KINDERGARTEN  EDUCATION. 

An  appropriation  recently  granted  by  Congress  for  the  investiga¬ 
tion  of  kindergarten  education  enables  the  Bureau  of  Education  to 
look  forward  to  extending  its  usefulness  in  this  part  of  its  educa¬ 
tional  service. 

During  the  past  year  a  series  of  articles  on  training  little  children 
in  the  home  has  been  widely  distributed  through  the  medium  of 
over  2,000  newspapers  and  magazines  whose  aggregate  circulation 
amounts  to  33,000,000.  Individual  copies  also  of  the  articles  have 
been  sent  on  request  to  15,000  mothers  living  in  isolated  districts, 
1,000  presidents  of  women’s  clubs,  and  1,500  home  demonstration 
agents.  The  practical  value  of  these  articles  is  intensified  by  reason 
of  their  authorship ;  they  were  prepared  by  mothers  who  were  for¬ 
merly  kindergarten  teachers. 

A  timely  circular  sent  to  10,000  kindergartners  contained  excel¬ 
lent  suggestions  concerning  the  social  guardianship  of  young  chil¬ 
dren  during  the  war.  That  responsibilities  in  this  matter  have  been 
shouldered  is  evidenced  by  the  number  of  kindergarten  teachers  who 
have  participated  in  activities  connected  with  the  weighing  and 
measuring  of  babies;  the  maintaining  of  fresh-air  funds,  of  nurses 
for  congested  city  districts,  and  of  ice  and  milk  stations ;  supervising 
summer  kindergartens,  playgrounds,  and  war  gardens;  organizing 
neighborhood  circles  in  cooperation  with  agencies  for  Americaniza¬ 
tion  and  holding  doorstep  meetings  for  mothers  of  foreign  districts. 

More  and  better  kindergartens  in  the  United  States  as  one  means 
of  protecting  the  “second  line  of  defense,”  the  children,  has  been 
quite  generally  recognized.  Campaigns  for  extension  have  been 
planned  in  Texas,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  and  other  States  where  laws 
favorable  to  the  establishment  of  public  kindergartens  are  in  oper¬ 
ation.  Several  new  kindergarten  training  schools  have  been  organ¬ 
ized  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 

A  significant  event  of  the  year  has  been  the  organization  of  a 
unit  of  American  kindergartners  to  go  to  the  devastated  regions  of 
France.  Kindergartners  are  peculiarly  fitted  to  assist  in  the  task  of 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


145 


human  reclamation,  and  the  International  Kindergarten  Union  has 
raised  funds  to  support  a  group  of  teachers  in  France.  Miss  Fannie- 
belle  Curtis,  supervisor  of  kindergartens  in  New  York  City,  is  di¬ 
rector  of  the  work. 

In  response  to  a  recognized  need,  a  presentation  of  the  minimum 
essentials  of  a  kindergarten  curriculum  has  been  prepared  for  publi¬ 
cation.  A  study  of  the  status  of  kindergarten  supervision  (Bulletin, 
1918,  No.  38)  has  made  apparent  the  fact  that  many  kindergarten 
teachers  are  working  entirely  without  the  aid  of  a  supervisor.  To 
meet  the  needs  of  such  teachers,  as  well  as  to  show  the  continuity  of 
education  from  kindergarten  Through  the  grades,  the  kindergarten 
curriculum  has  been  presented  in  terms  and  terminology  of  present- 
day  school  practice.  Other  studies  in  progress  relate  to  the  laws  and 
practices  in  the  several  States  concerning  the  certification  of  kinder¬ 
garten  teachers. 

The  reading  course  for  kindergarten  teachers  announced  by  the 
Bureau  of  Education  is  arranged  under  these  headings:  Educational 
classics,  appreciation  of  child  life,  principles  and  methods  of  educa¬ 
tion,  kindergarten  education,  sociological  aspects  of  education,  ap¬ 
preciation  of  nature  and  hygiene,  religious  and  moral  education.  In 
all  31  books  are  recommended  and  the  reading  of  15  is  required. 

HOME  EDUCATION. 

Education  in  the  home  and  the  cooperation  of  the  family  group 
with  other  social  organizations  outside  the  home,  especially  the  school, 
during  the  past  year  have  been  stimulated  by  the  encouragement 
given  by  Federal,  State,  and  local  agencies. 

Organization  of  parent-teacher  associations,  which  has  been  urged 
by  the  Bureau  of  Education  since  1913,  has  increased  in  every  State. 
Through  the  cooperation  of  the  National  Council  of  Defense  woman’s 
committee  the  bureau  has  made  a  list  of  over  8,000  organizations. 
Two  States,  Michigan  and  Kentucky,  have  effected  State  organiza¬ 
tions  during  the  past  year. 

The  National  Congress  of  Mothers  and  Parent-Teacher  Associa¬ 
tions  has  for  five  years  cooperated  with  the  Bureau  of  Education  in 
the  Department  of  the  Interior  in  promoting  home  education. 
Through  this  arrangement  more  than  a  half  million  homes  have  been 
reached  with  some  kind  of  educational  material  to  assist  mothers  in 
the  care  and  training  of  their  little  children  before  they  are  of  school 
age,  to  help  them  to  further  their  own  education,  and  to  help  the 
boys  and  girls  who  have  left  school  but  are  still  living  at  home  to 
further  their  education. 

The  cooperation  of  75,000  women  in  rural  districts  made  it  possible 
to  reach  mothers  of  children  under  3  years  of  age  in  2,100  counties 
with  literature  on  the  care  and  training  of  little  children. 

87376°— 18 - 10 


146 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


The  demand  for  selected  courses  of  reading  necessitated  the  forma¬ 
tion  of  the  National  Reading  Circle,  which  has  a  membership  of  about 
8,000  readers.  Ten  courses  have  been  prepared,  with  the  cooperation 
of  specialists  in  the  various  subjects.  Reading  circles  have  been 
formed;  among  them  the  Glendale  (Cal.)  circle  has  continued  for 
about  three  years  and  has  a  total  attendance  of  150  mothers.  Two 
new  courses  have  been  issued  during  the  year,  “  Thirty  World  Heroes  ” 
and  “  Thirty  American  Heroes.” 

Cooperation  of  State  libraries  has  been  given  by  31  States.  These 
States  will  see  that  readers  who  can  not  get  the  books  otherwise  are 
provided  with  them  upon  application.*  Several  local  libraries  have 
presented  plans  for  active  cooperation  in  carrying  on  the  reading 
circle. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  has  issued  55  press  letters  on  the  Train¬ 
ing  of  Little  Children,  which  are  very  useful  to  mothers  in  homo 
training. 

Other  Federal  departments  which  have  contributed  publications 
for  home  education  are:  Labor,  Treasury,  Agriculture,  and  Com¬ 
merce. 

State  aid  to  home  education  has  been  furnished  during  the  past 
year  by  California,  Connecticut,  Idaho,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Kansas, 
Maine,  Massachusetts,  Mississippi,  Montana,  Nebraska,  New  Jersey, 
New  York,  North  Carolina,  South  Dakota,  Oregon,  Utah,  Washing¬ 
ton,  and  Wisconsin. 

CIVIC  EDUCATION. 

The  work  of  the  bureau  in  the  department  of  civic  education  is 
not  confined  to  any  one  division.  One  of  its  important  aspects,  for 
example,  is  in  the  care  of  the  division  of  immigrant  education  which 
is  concerned  with  the  preparation  of  our  immigrant  population  for 
American  citizenship. 

The  division  of  community  organization  has  another  important- 
phase  of  the  work  in  charge.  It  “is  endeavoring  to  stimulate  an 
interest  in  civic  organization  for  the  adults  of  the  community,  with 
especial  reference  to  community  use  of  public  schoolhouses.”  Its 
especial  interest,  in  other  words,  is  in  the  organization  of  communi¬ 
ties  both  for  public'  discussion  and  for  community  action,  the  latter 
often  being  more  educative  than  the  former  from  a  civic  standpoint. 

There  are  other  divisions  of  the  bureau  whose  work  has  direct 
civic-educational  value.  Such,  for  example,  is  the  division  of  home 
and  school  gardening,  which  this  year  has  conducted  a  widespread 
war  gardening  campaign.  Among  the  many  values  of  this  work 
not  the  least  is  the  training  it  affords  in  habits  of  good  citizenship. 

During  the  past  year  the  bureau  has  prepared,  or  has  cooperated 
with  othel*  agencies  in  preparing,  a  number  of  pamphlets  and  leaflets 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


147 


relating  to,  or  growing  out  of,  the  war  situation.  One  of  the  earli¬ 
est  of  these  was  a  leaflet  on  “  Opportunities  for  history  teachers ;  the 
lessons  of  the  great  war  in  the  classroom,”  prepared  by  the  National 
Board  for  Historical  Service  and  published  by  the  bureau.  The 
most  conspicuous  publication  of  this  sort  is  the  series  of  “  community 
leaflets  ”  containing  an  extended  series  of  “  Lessons  in  community 
and  national  life.”  These  leaflets  were  issued  by  the  bureau  in 
cooperation  with  the  Food  Administration  and  under  the  editorship 
of  Profs.  Charles  H.  Judd  and  Leon  C.  Marshall,  of  the  University 
of  Chicago.  While  these  lessons  take  their  point  of  departure  from 
the  war,  they  are  by  no  means  limited  to  war  facts,  but  provide 
materials  of  permanent  value  for  a  broad  range  of  civic  instruction. 

In  addition  to  these  phases  of  civic  education  which  fall  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  various  divisions  of  the  bureau,  special  attention 
has  also  been  given  to  the  forms  and  methods  of  civic  training  in  the 
public  elementary  and  high  schools.  This  phase  of  the  work  has 
been  in  charge  of  a  special  agent  in  civic  education.  The  work  of  the 
special  agent  has  been  chiefly  (1)  to  keep  in  as  close  touch  as  possible 
with  the  work  the  schools  of  the  country  are  actually  doing  in  train¬ 
ing  for  citizenship;  (2)  to  disseminate  suggestions  regarding  plans 
and  methods  of  civic  training;  (3)  to  consider  especially  the  con¬ 
tent  and  methods  of  civic  training  in  their  adaptation  to  particular 
group  needs,  as  for  rural  schools,  immigrant  groups,  youth  who  have 
left  school  but  who  are  not  yet  21  years  of  age,  etc.  In  this  connec¬ 
tion  the  special  agent  cooperates  with  the  various  divisions  of  the 
bureau;  and  (4)  to  act  as  adviser  to  local  and  State  school  authori¬ 
ties  who  desire  help  in  organizing  civic  education  in  their  schools. 

During  the  past  year  the  special  agent  was  lent  to  the  State  Board 
of  Education  of  Massachusetts  for  a  period  of  three  months,  to  assist 
it  in  putting  into  effect  the  new  law  of  that  State  requiring  u  training 
in  the  duties  of  citizenship  ”  in  all  the  schools  of  the  State.  During 
the  three  months  he — 

1.  Prepared  two  bulletins  which  were  issued  by  the  State  board 
and  placed  in  the  hands  of  every  teacher  in  the  State.  One  was  on 
“  Training  in  the  Duties  of  Citizenship  ”  and  the  other  on  “  In¬ 
struction  and  Practice  in  the  Duties  of  Citizenship.” 

2.  Held  conferences  in  every  part  of  the  State  with  elementary  and 
high  school  teachers,  principals  and  superintendents,  and  principals 
and  teachers  of  the  State  normal  schools. 

3.  Conducted  two  training  courses  for  teachers  and  principals; 
one  in  Boston  attended  by  nearly  200  teachers  and  principals  from 
eastern  Massachusetts,  weekly  for  six  weeks ;  the  other  for  the  same 
duration  of  time  in  Springfield,  attended  by  about  75  teachers  and 
principals  from  that  part  of  the  State. 


148 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


4.  Met  regularly  with  committees  appointed  by  the  State  school 
authorities  to  reorganize  the  courses  of  study  with  especial  reference 
to  emphasis  upon  civic  training. 

5.  Visited  city  and  rural  schools  in  every  part  of  the  State  to 
ascertain  conditions  and  to  suggest  plans  of  reorganization. 

One  of  the  recommendations  made  to  the  State  commissioner  of 
education  was  for  the  establishment  of  at  least  two  demonstration 
centers,  or  experiment  centers,  for — 

the  installation,  in  such  schools  and  grades  as  may  be  decided  upon,  of  a  care¬ 
fully  worked  out  plan  of  civic  instruction  and  training;  the  continuous  super¬ 
vision  of  the  installation  and  development  of  the  plan. during  a  considerable 
period  of  time  by  an  experienced  supervisor  in  this  field  of  education ;  and  the 
holding  of  frequent  conferences  with  the  principals  and  teachers  in  charge 
for  the  discussion  of  plans  and  methods,  and  of  the  results  as  they  develop. 
*  *  * 

(1)  One  in  a  city  of  the  type  of  Lawrence.  A  city  of  this  type  presents 
(a)  the  general  urban  situation,  (&)  a  characteristic  industrial  situation,  and 
(c)  a  typical  foreign  problem. 

(2)  A  second  center  in  a  community  *  *  *  presenting  the  rural  and 

the  village,  or  small  city,  problems. 

Since  this  recommendation  was  made  there  has  been  inaugurated  in 
Lawrence  “  The  Lawrence  Plan  for  Education  in  Citizenship.”  A 
school  has  been  selected,  the  entire  work  of  which,  including  course 
of  study  and  activities,  is  being  reorganized  with  training  for  citi¬ 
zenship  as  the  central  idea.  The  work  is  being  done  with  the  cooper¬ 
ation  of  the  city  school  authorities,  the  State  department  of  educa¬ 
tion,  the  staff  of  the  State  normal  school  at  Lowell,  and  the  National 
Security  League.  It  is  under  the  immediate  direction  of  a  com¬ 
mittee  of  which  the  superintendent  of  the  Lawrence  schools  is  chair¬ 
man,  the  principal  of  the  Lowell  State  Normal  School  secretary,  and 
Profs.  Hanus  and  Hart,  of  Harvard,  members.  An  advisory  com¬ 
mittee  consists  of  Henry  H.  Chamberlain,  of  the  Massachusetts 
Division  of  the  National  Security  League,  Robert  M.  McElroy, 
educational  director  of  the  National  Security  League,  and  Payson 
Smith,  State  commissioner  of  education. 

The  special  agent  has  spent  considerable  time  during  the  past  year 
away  from  the  bureau  in  work  with  other  localities  and  groups.  As 
for  his  work  while  in  the  bureau,  it  has  been  diverted  largely  from 
its  normal  course  by  the  necessities  of  the  war.  Much  of  his  time  has 
been  spent  in  cooperation  with  others  in  preparing  materials  relating 
to  the  war  for  use  in  the  schools.  In  this  connection  it  may  not  be 
out  of  place  to  make  a  brief  general  statement  regarding  the  effect 
of  the  war  upon  the  development  of  civic  education  in  this  country. 
It  is  too  early  to  know  what  permanent  effects  upon  our  program  of 
civic  education  the  experiences  of  the  war  will  have ;  but  if  the  lessons 
that  they  bring  are  thoroughly  learned,  the  year  just  passed  will 
have  been  one  of  tremendous  progress  in  this  field. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


149 


“  We  are  making  citizens  of  our  soldiers,  while  we  are  making  sol¬ 
diers  of  our  citizens,”  is  the  comment  of  one  who  describes  the  pains¬ 
taking  care  with  which  an  officer  explained  to  his  new  recruits  the 
meaning  of  the  salute.  “  The  salute  is  going  to  be  rigidly  enforced  in 
this  Army,  and  I  want  you  boys  to  get  the  right  idea  of  it.”  “  I  want 
you  to  know  what  you  salute  and  why.”  “  When  you  salute  me,  you 
are  simply  rendering  respect  to  the  power  I  represent ;  and  the  power 
I  represent  is  you.  Now  let  me  explain,”  etc. 

But  the  President  has  said,  “  It  is  not  an  army  that  we  must  shape 
and  train  for  war  *  *  *  it  is  a  nation.”  The  mobilization  of  the 

Nation  for  war  has  unquestionably  been  a  civic-educational  process. 
But  further  than  this,  it  has  awakened  a  consciousness  of  the  need 
for  continuous,  organized  training  for  citizenship  as  one  of  the 
measures  of  preparedness  to  meet  national  emergencies  whether  in 
peace  or  in  war.  It  has  led  the  President  to  urge  more  universal  and 
more  definite  study  of  our  community  and  national  life.  It  has 
already  stimulated  the  schools  and  other  agencies  to  unprecedented 
effort  to  provide  civic  training. 

Evidence  of  this  is  abundant,  though  it  has  not  yet  been  systemati¬ 
cally  collected  and  organized.  For  instance,  reports  received  from  the 
departments  of  education  of  most  of  the  States  attest  a  marked  in¬ 
tensification  of  interest  in  civic  education  during  the  last  year,  an 
interest  which  has  found  expression  in  the  press,  in  legislation  in  a 
number  of  States,  in  the  revision  of  courses  of  study  to  make  citizen¬ 
ship  a  more  conspicuous  aim,  and  in  efforts  to  give  to  the  war  activi¬ 
ties  of  the  schools  an  enduring  civic  value.  It  is  seen  in  the  increased 
attention  to  the  problems  of  Americanization,  and  in  the  stimulus 
given  to  community  organization  for  educational  purposes  and  for 
united  action. 

The  increased  effort  in  such  directions  has  been  inspired  primarily 
as  a  war  measure,  without  consciousness,  in  all  cases,  of  its  ultimate 
significance  in  terms  of  fundamental  aims  and  methods  of  civic 
training.  But,  taken  as  a  whole,  the  war  situation  and  the  activities 
resulting  from  it  have  been  of  distinct  civic-educational  value,  and 
have  given  a  marked  impetus  to  the  movement  for  more  universal 
and  more  effective  civic  training.  While  we  are  pouring  out  our  life 
blood  and  our  treasure  for  the  principles  of  democracy,  the  truth 
has  been  borne  in  upon  us  that  those  principles  are  safe  only  when 
put  into  practice,  and  that  the  practice  of  democracy  can  be  achieved 
only  by  the  slower  processes  of  evolution  and  of  education,  and 
especially  of  education. 

LIBRARY. 

As  aids  in  the  study  of  conditions  arising  from  the  war,  the  li¬ 
brary  prepared  and  circulated  bibliographies  on  various  topics,  in- 


150 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1918. 


eluding  the  following:  Education  as  affected  in  general  by  the  war, 
both  in  the  United  States  and  Europe;  teaching  of  German  in  the 
public  schools;  education  of  illiterates;  Americanization  of  aliens; 
civic  education ;  education  in  patriotism ;  military  education ;  and  re¬ 
education  of  crippled  soldiers.  Further  assistance  was  given  to 
special  students  of  education  and  the  war  by  the  loan  of  books  from 
the  library.  The  division  also  suggested  topics  connected  with 
the  war  for  essays  and  orations  for  high-school  graduates,  and  sup¬ 
plied  references  to  sources  of  information  on  some  of  these  sub¬ 
jects.  A  select  list  for  public-school  pupils  was  also  compiled  of 
books  containing  personal  experiences  of  soldiers  in  the  war,  poetry 
of  the  war,  and  standard  patriotic  prose  and  poetry.  This  list  was 
requested  for  inclusion  in  one  of  a  series  of  lessons  projected  by  the 
bureau. 

Upon  request  of  the  library  war  service,  the  division  prepared 
lists  of  school  and  college  textbooks  in  various  subjects  suitable  for 
the  use  of  soldiers  desiring  to  study  these  subjects  in  cantonments  or 
military  posts.  The  library  war  service  undertakes  to  supply  these 
books  in  its  camp  libraries,  and  reports  that  it  has  found  the  lists 
extremely  useful  in  this  connection.  During  the  year,  special  atten¬ 
tion  has  also  been  given  in  the  monthly  record  of  current  educational 
publications  to  listing  and  annotating  the  literature  of  education  in 
relation  to  the  war. 

Ten  monthly  numbers  of  the  record  of  educational  publications 
were  issued  during  the  year,  together  with  an  index  number  to  the 
1917  series.  The  lantern  slides  of  public  and  school  libraries  and 
the  school  library  exhibit  have  continued  to  be  used  to  some  extent 
by  borrowers  outside  of  Washington. 

Statistics  of  business  transacted  by  the  library  during  the  year 
show  the  following:  Volumes  and  pamphlets  added  by  gift,  by  ex¬ 
change,  and  by  purchase,  2,340;  by  copyright  transfer  from  the  Li¬ 
brary  of  Congress,  691 ;  serial  numbers  accessioned,  8,801 ;  periodical 
numbers,  8,913 ;  volumes  received  from  the  bindery,  1,043.  The  num¬ 
ber  of  volumes  catalogued  and  classified  was  4,114;  bibliographies 
compiled,  144.  Volumes  loaned  to  borrowers  outside  the  office 
amounted  to  2,380,  and  3,113  letters  requesting  books  or  information 
were  answered,  many  of  them  by  supplying  copies  of  the  library’s 
bibliographies  on  the  subjects  to  which  the  inquiries  referred. 

MEETINGS  AND  ADDRESSES. 

While  the  greater  part  of  the  bureau’s  contribution  to  the  progress 
of  American  education  must  be  given  through  the  medium  of  the 
printed  page,  the  small  travel  expense  fund  has  made  it  possible  for 
the  bureau  to  comply  with  a  very  limited  number  of  the  requests  that 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION". 


151 


have  come  to  it  for  addresses  on  educational  subjects.  In  a  consider¬ 
able  number  of  cases  associations  and  institutions  desiring  the  serv¬ 
ices  of  specialists  were  able  to  defray  the  expenses  incurred  by 
specialists  and  thus  made  it  possible  for  the  bureau  to  comply 
with  their  requests  for  addresses.  A  much  larger  appropriation  for 
traveling  expenses  is  absolutely  necessary  to  enable  the  bureau  to 
serve  the  entire  country  without  partiality. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 

The  report  of  the  mails  and  files  division  at  Washington  shows  for 


the  year  ending  June  30,  1918: 

Letters  received - 162,  479 

Library  publications  received -  34,  780 

Statistical  reports  received _  43,  578 

Documents  distributed -  802,  835 

Mimeographed  letters  sent  out _ _  626,  621 

United  States  School  Garden  Army  leaflets  sent  out _ ’ _  1,  343, 100 

The  offices  and  stations  of  the  bureau  outside  of  Washington  report 
for  the  same  period : 

Letters  received — -  29,  070 

Statistical  reports  received _ 6,  922 

Printed  and  mimeographed  material  sent  out _  956,  479 


These  figures  show  that  the  correspondence  of  the  bureau  is  grow¬ 
ing  rapidly.  The  number  of  pieces  of  first-class  mail  received  is  al¬ 
most  25,000  in  excess  of  the  number  received  during  the  preceding 
year. 


INDEX 


Agricultural  education,  104-105,  124. 

Alaska,  education,  141-144. 

American  Library  Association,  conferences,  60;  war  activities,  57-58. 
Americanization,  and  education,  42-46;  work  of  United  States  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation,  132-134. 

Arizona,  educational  survey,  10. 

Bulletins,  United  States  Bureau  of  Education,  116-118. 

Bureau  of  Education,  activities,  102-15L 
Canal  Zone,  schools,  63. 

Catholic  Church,  educational  work,  66. 

Churches,  educational  work,  55-Sfc. 

Civic  education,  146-149. 

Civil  service,  demand  for  clerks,  105. 

Colleges  and  universities,  war  problems,  10-20.  See  also  Higher  education. 
Columbia  University,  war  activities,  11. 

Commercial  education,  137. 

Committee  on  Education  and  Special  Training,  War  Department,  16. 
Community  and  National  Life,  lessons,  118-121. 

Community  organization,  134-136. 

Consolidation  of  schools,  rural,  52-53. 

Council  of  Church  Boards  of  Education,  work,  66. 

Council  of  National  Defense,  cooperation  with  colleges  and  universities,  11-13. 
Courses  of  study,  rural  schools,  53. 

Denmark,  education.  See  Scandinavia. 

Educational  surveys.  See  Surveys. 

Elementary  schools,  and  war  problems,  106. 

Emergency  Council,  composition  and  work,  16. 

England,  education,  65-74. 

Examinations,  medical,  36-31. 

Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education,  enactment  and  educational  policy, 
20-25. 

Fisher,  H.  A.  L.,  and  education  act,  69-74. 

Foreign  countries,  education,  65-101. 

France,  education,  74r-78. 

French  High  Commission,  cooperation  with  education,  40-41, 

Germany,  education,  92-101. 

Harvard  University,  and  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  10. 

Hawaii,  schools,  62-63. 

High  schools,  rural,  53. 

Higher  education,  9-20;  United  States  Bureau  of  Education,  122-123;  inter¬ 
national  relations,  20;  problems  of  war,  10-20, 

Home  economics,  126-128. 

Home  education,  145-146. 


153 


154 


INDEX. 


Hospitals,  Army,  vocational  education^  25-26. 

Industrial  education,  125-126.  See  also  Vocational  education. 

Industry,  need  of  employees,  105. 

Intercollegiate  Intelligence  Bureau,  work,  15. 

International  relations,  higher  education,  20. 

Italy,  education,  78-84. 

Judd,  Charles  H.,  and  lessons  in  community  life,  119-120. 

Junior  High  Schools,  growth,  41. 

Kindergarten  education,  144-145. 

Legislation,  educational,  46-50,  69-74;  libraries,  59. 

Letter  of  transmittal,  5-8. 

Librarians,  certification,  58-59;  salaries,  59. 

Libraries,  legislation,  59;  standardization,  58;  United  States  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion,  149-150;  war  activities,  56-60. 

Lutheran  Church,  parochial  schools,  56. 

Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  and  Harvard  University,  10, 

Medical  education,  and  the  war,  27-32. 

Medical  inspection  of  schools,  37. 

Medical  Reserve  Corps  of  the  Army,  27. 

National  Board  of  Medical  Examiners,  work,  30-31. 

National  Research  Council,  activities,  15-16. 

Negro  education,  139-140. 

Nevada,  educational  survey,  10. 

Norway,  education.  See  Scandinavia. 

Parochial  schools.  See  Catholic  Church;  Lutheran  Church. 

Philippine  Islands,  schools,  64. 

Physical  education,  and  military  training,  35-36 ;  nations  need  of,  33-35 :  State 
legislation,  32;  voluntary  organizations,  36. 

Porto  Rico,  schools,  60-62. 

Premedical  college  work,  31-32. 

Public  schools,  and  the  war,  37-41. 

Readjustments  in  education,  need,  7. 

Rehabilitation  of  wounded  soldiers,  25-26. 

Reindeer,  143-144. 

Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps,  activities,  14. 

Rural  education,  50-53,  123-124. 

Russia,  education,  88-92. 

Scandinavia,  education,  84-88. 

School  administration,  137-138. 

School  attendance,  campaign,  102-108;  problems,  40. 

School  gardens,  Norway,  87.  See  also  United  States  school  garden  army. 

School  hygiene  and  physical  education,  32-37,  136-137, 

Scientific  and  industrial  training,  108. 

Scientific  research,  war  problems,  15-16. 

Secondary  schools,  and  war  problem,  106. 

Sex  education,  36-37. 

Smith-Hughes  Act,  20-21. 

Smith-Sears  Act,  25. 

Soldiers,  vocational  training,  25-26. 

South  Dakota,  educational  survey,  10. 

Statistics,  educational,  121. 

Students’  Army  Training  Corps,  divisions,  26;  organization  and  curriculum, 
17-20. 


INDEX, 


155 


Surveys,  growth  of  movement,  9-10;  undertaken  by  United  States  Bureau  of 
Education,  138-139. 

Sweden,  education.  See  Scandinavia. 

Teachers,  rural  schools,  professional  requirements,  53 ;  shortage  of,  39-40 ; 
training,  54-55. 

Teachers’  salaries,  rural  schools,  51 ;  Scandinavian  countries,  87. 

United  States  School  Garden  Army,  work,  128-132. 

Virgin  Islands,  schools,  63-64. 

Vocational  education,  125-126 ;  Army  hospitals,  25-26.  See  also  Federal  Board 
for  Vocational  Education. 

War,  and  problems  of  higher  education,  10-20. 

War  Department,  program  of  military  education,  16. 


o 


+ 


REPORT 


OF  THE 


Commissioner  of  Education 


THE  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1919 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1919 


THE  UNITED  STATES  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 

Created  as  a  Department  March  2,  1867. 

Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869. 


COMMISSIONERS. 


Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D., 

March  Ilf,  1867 ,  to  March  15,  1870. 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.. 

March  16,  1870 ,  to  August  5,  1886. 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D., 

August  6,  1886,  to  September  8, 1889. 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D..  LL.  D., 

September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.. 
July  1, 1906 ,  to  June  30, 1911. 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  8,  1911 ,  to  date . 


ii 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Letter  of  transmittal _  v 

Past  I.  Some  aspects  of  education  in  the  United  States _  5 

I.  Higher  education _  5 

II.  Vocational  education _  20 

III.  Home  economics  education _  31 

IV.  Community  organization _ _  36 

V.  Americanization _ 1. _  42 

VI.  The  awakened  interest  in  civic  education _  46 

VII.  Educational  hygiene _ : _  55 — — 

VIII.  Commercial  education.. _  71 

IX.  City  schools _  74 

X.  Kindergarten  education _ 83 

XI.  Rural  education _  88 

XII.  Agricultural  education _ ^ _  93 

XIII.  School  and  home  gardening _  97 

XIV.  Teacher  training _ _ _  101 

XV.  Teachers’  organization _  105 

XVL  Home  education _  112 

XVII.  Library  activities _ _  115 

XVIII.  Educational  legislation _  122*^, 

Part  II.  Education  in  certain  foreign  countries _  135 

I.  Educational  conditions  in  France. _  135 

II.  Education  in  England _ _  153 

III.  The  trend  in  the  schools  of  Scandinavia  after  the  war _  159 

IV.  The  schools  of  Germany  and  the  new  Constitution _  167 

Part  III.  Activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Education, _  177 

Its  place  in  the  National  Government _ _  177 

Surveys _ 178 

Publications _  180 

Cooperation  with  private  organizations _ 182 

The  United  States  School  Garden  Army _  183 

The  division  of  educational  extension _  186 

The  division  of  Americanization _ _ _  1S9 

The  division  of  civic  education _ _  194 

The  division  of  community  organization _  194 

School  board  service  division _ _  196 

The  division  of  racial  groups _ _  197 

The  division  of  home  education _  197 

Alaska  division _ 199 

The  division  of  rural  schools _ _ _ _ _ _  201 

Division  of  city  school  administration _  207 

Division  of  higher  education _  209 

Division  of  education  in  industries  and  home  making -  211 

Division  of  school  hygiene  and  physical  education -  213 

Division  of  commercial  education _  21Q 

Statistical  division _  217 

Documents  issued  during  the  year  1918-19 -  218 

Index _  223 


hi 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 

IF ashing  ton,  November  10, 1919. 

Sir:  As  required  by  law,  I  am  transmitting  herewith  the  Report 
of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  3G, 
1919.  According  to  the  policy  adopted  with  your  approval  three 
years  ago,  this  report  is  in  the  form  of  the  briefest  possible  summary 
of  the  most  important  events  and  tendencies  in  education  for  the 
year.  A  fuller  and  more  complete  report  of  education  in  the  United 
States  and  other  countries  for  this  period  will  be  included  in  the 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education  for  the  years  1918-19  and  1919-20, 
which  will  be  submitted  for  publication  in  separate  parts  and  in  two 
volumes  as  soon  as  possible  after  the  close  of.  the  current  fiscal  year. 
Within  the  year  for  which  this  report  is  made  the  activities  in  sev¬ 
eral  departments  of  the  bureau  were  largely  increased  and  new  work 
was  undertaken  in  the  School  Board  Service  Division  and  the  Divi¬ 
sion  of  Educational  Extension.  Summaries  of  this  increased  and 
additional  work  will  be  found  in  Part  III  of  this  report,  which  con¬ 
tains  brief  summaries  of  all  the  more  important  activities  of  the 
bureau. 

The  nation-wide  feeling  for  the  need  of  reconstructions  and  re¬ 
adjustments  in  education  to  meet  the  new  conditions  brought  about 
by  the  World  War  have  multiplied  the  demands  made  upon  this 
bureau  for  such  help  and  such  strong  leadership  in  all  phases  of  the 
educational  life  and  work  of  the  country  as  can  not  be  given  unless 
the  bureau  has  much  larger  appropriations  than  it  now  has.  I  would, 
therefore,  ask  special  attention  to  the  following  recommendations 
which  were  submitted  with  my  annual  statement  to  you  for  the 
fiscal  year  for  which  this  report  is  made: 

1.  An  increase  in  the  salaries  of  chief  clerk,  editor,  statistician, 
specialist  in  land-grant  college  statistics,  specialist  in  higher  edu¬ 
cation,  and  other  specialists,  and  the  removal  of  the  limit  on  amount 
of  salaries  which  may  be  paid  from  the  lump-sum  appropriation 
for  rural  education,  industrial  education,  and  school  sanitation  and 
hygiene  and  for  other  purposes.  The  duties  of  these  positions  re¬ 
quire  the  services  of  men  and  women  of  such  kind  and  degree  of 
ability  as  demand  salaries  much  larger  than  are  now  paid  in  this 
bureau. 


VI 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


2.  An  assistant  commissioner  and  a  private  secretary  to  the  com¬ 
missioner  at  salaries  large  enough  to  obtain  competent  persons  in 
both  places.  The  duties  of  the  office  make  it  necessary  Tor  the 
commissioner  to  visit  distant  parts  of  the  country  and  to  be  absent 
from  the  office  frequently  many  days  at  a  time,  and  the  details  of  the 
work  of  the  office  of  the  commissioner  have  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  he  has  little  time  for  the  more  important  work  of  formu¬ 
lating  policies  of  the  bureau  and  performing  the  more  important 
duties  which  can  not  be  performed  by  assistants.  There  should  be 
8n  assistant  commissioner  to  carry  on  the  work  in  the  office  dur¬ 
ing  the  absence  of  the  commissioner  and  to  relieve  him  of  much  of 
the  routine  of  office  work,  and  a  private  secretary  for  the  performance 
of  the  ordinary  secretarial  duties  necessary  to  permit  the  commis¬ 
sioner  to  do  his  work  effectively. 

3.  An  assistant  editor.  The  editorial  work  of  the  office  has  in¬ 
creased  more  than  sixfold  within  the  past  seven  years,  and  it  must 
increase  still  more  within  the  next  few  years.  It  is  now  impossi¬ 
ble  for  one  editor  to  perform  satisfactorily  all  the  required  editorial 
work.  The  more  careful  editing  of  the  reports  and  bulletins  of 
the  bureau  which  this  addition  to  the  editorial  staff  would  make 
possible  would  save  each  year  in  the  cost  of  printing  much  more 
than  the  salary  of  an  assistant  editor. 

4.  A  specialist  in  foreign  and  domestic  systems  of  education  and 
an  assistant  in  foreign  systems  of  education.  This  bureau  is  under¬ 
taking  to  keep  the  people  of  the  United  States  informed  as  to  all 
important  progress  in  education  and  in  methods  of  teaching  in  all 
countries  of  the  world.  The  radical  revolution  in  education  in  most 
countries  which  will  follow  the  making  of  peace  and  which  has  al¬ 
ready  begun  in  several  of  the  more  important  nations  makes  it 
imperative  that  this  work  be  done  thoroughly  and  well;  if  it  is 
not,  the  educational  interest  of  this  country  will  suffer  great  and 
irreparable  loss.  It  can  not  be  so  done  without  the  additional  assist¬ 
ance  indicated. 

5.  Two  additional  collectors  and  compilers  of  statistics.  Material 
for  prompt  and  reliable  statistical  reports  can  not  be  had  by  this 
bureau  without  occasional  visits  to  State  and  city  education  offices 
and  the  first-hand  study  of  their  returns.  F or  the  progress  of  educa¬ 
tion  in  the  United  States  and  for  such  an  understanding  of  State 
and  local  systems  of  education  as  will  promote  the  desired  degree  of 
uniformity,  it  is  very  important  that  this  bureau  shall,  in  cooperation 
with  State  and  city  schopl  officers,  devise  and  execute  plans  for  greater 
uniformity  in  reporting  and  assisting  the  several  States  in  making 
their  reports  more  comprehensive  and  complete.  This  is  not  pos¬ 
sible  with  the  small  force  the  bureau  now  has  for  this  work. 


LETTER  OF  TRAXS  MITTAL. 


VII 


6.  A  comparatively  large  increase  in  the  number  of  clerks,  stenog¬ 
raphers,  copyists,  laborers,  and  messengers  to  do  the  work  of  the 
bureau  as  it  is  now  organized,  and  a  still  larger  increase  to  do  such 
additional  work  of  this  nature  as  may  be  made  necessary  by  any 
enlargement  that  may  be  made  in  the  staff  of  specialists. 

7.  An  appropriation  t)f  $10,000  to  equip  the  bureau  with  modern 
labor-saving  devices.  F or  the  want  of  such  devices  the  clerical  work 
of  the  bureau  is  greatly  retarded. 

8.  An  increase  of  appropriation  for  traveling  expenses  for  the  com¬ 
missioner  and  employees  acting  under  his  direction.  This  is  neces¬ 
sary  to  enable  them  to  make  original  investigations  in  education  in 
different  parts  of  the  country  and  to  disseminate  information  by 
meeting  with  educational  associations  and  other  societies  interested  in 
education.  Without  funds  sufficient  to  pay  necessary  traveling  ex¬ 
penses,  the  bureau  can  not  do  its  work  effectively  and  must  constantly 
be  open  to  the  charge  of  giving  help  where  expenses  can  be  paid  rather 
than  where  help  is  most  needed.  The  act  which  established  the  bu¬ 
reau  requires  that  it  disseminate  information  in  regard  to  education 
and  that  it  assist  the  States  in  the  establishment  of  better  school  sys¬ 
tems.  Both  these,  as  well  as  the  investigations  necessary  for  the  ac¬ 
quiring  of  knowledge  of  education,  require  the  frequent  presence  of 
the  commissioner  and  other  members  of  the  bureau  in  all  parts  of  the 
country.  The  current  appropriation  of  $75,000  for  travel  is  entirely 
inadequate. 

9.  For  the  printing  of  the  annual  report  of  the  commissioner  and 
the  bulletins  and  circulars  which  should  issue  from  the  bureau  each 
year  there  should  be  available  not  less  than  $100,000.  The  growing 
importance  of  education  in  our  national  life,  the  large  expenditures 
for  schools  and  other  agencies  of  education,  the  increasing  extension 
and  differentiation  of  education  to  meet  the  new  and  increasing  needs 
of  industrial  and  civic  life  have  created  a  Remand  for  such  informa¬ 
tion  as  is  contained  in  these  publications  in  many  and  widely  varied 
fields  of  education.  From  no  other  source  can  this  demand  be  sup¬ 
plied  than  from  this  bureau,  and  from  this  bureau  it  should  be  met 
as  fully  as  possible.  This  will  require  the  printing  of  a  large  num¬ 
ber  of  bulletins  each  year,  and  many  of  these  should  be  printed 
in  much  larger  editions.  The  limit  of  12,500  copies  for  any  edition  of 
a  bulletin  should  be  removed,  so  that  it  may  be  printed  in  such  num¬ 
bers  as  in  the  judgment  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  may  be 
necessary.  Fifty  or  a  hundred  thousand  school  officers  can  not  be 
supplied  from  an  edition  of  12,500  copies  of  a  bulletin  on  a  subject 
in  which  they  are  all  equally  interested. 

10.  Additional  specialists  in  higher  education,  including  education 
in  universities,  colleges,  schools  of  technology,  schools  of  profes- 


VIII 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


sional  education,  and  normal  schools.  The  constant  and  increasing 
demands  from  these  schools  for  the  help  of  the  bureau  in  making 
surveys  and  for  advice  as  to  their  reconstruction  and  better  coordina¬ 
tion  are  larger  and  far  more  numerous  than  the  bureau  can  meet 
with  its  present  force.  There  is  special  need  of  an  able  man,  famil¬ 
iar  with  agricultural  education  and  the  problems  of  Negro  education 
in  the  South,  to  devote  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the  colleges 
of  agriculture  for  Negroes  in  the  Southern  States.  Such  a  man 
might  easily  make  the  use  of  the  $1,200,000  by  these  schools,  of 
which  $282,121  are  appropriated  by  the  Federal  Government,  from 
25  to  50  per  cent  more  valuable  than  it  now  is. 

11.  A  much  larger  appropriation  for  the  division  of  school- 
directed  home  gardening.  The  proper  education  of  many  millions  of 
children,  and  even  the  possibility  of  their  attending  school  at  all 
during  the  years  in  Avhich  attendance  at  school  is  most  valuable, 
depend  to  a  very  large  extent  upon  the  general  adoption  of  the  work 
which  the  bureau  is  promoting  through  this  division.  It  is  very 
important  that  there  should  be  in  the  bureau  a  sufficient  number  of 
specialists  in  this  subject  to  visit  all  cities,  towns,  and  manufacturing 
villages  in  the  country,  advise  with  their  school  officials  and  teachers, 
and  assist  in  directing  the  work  of  teachers  until  the  plan  is  well 
enough  understood  and  there  are  enough  trained  teachers  so  that  the 
work  in  any  city  or  town  may  go  on  without  outside  direction,  or  until 
the  several  States  have  made  provision  for  the  direction  of  the  work 
from  their  offices  of  education.  The  enactment  of  child-labor  laws 
prohibiting  the  employment  of  children  under  14  years  of  age  in 
mills,  mines,  and  quarries  must  result  in  enforced  idleness  of  hun¬ 
dreds  of  thousands  of  boys  and  girls  and  in  unnecessary  hardships 
to  them  and  their  parents  unless  there  be  found  for  them  some  form  of 
suitable  employment  economically  profitable  and  at  the  same  time 
educational.  Results  obtained  through  home  and  school  gardening 
confirm  the  belief  that  both  economically  and  educationally  this  is 
one  of  the  very  best  forms  of  employment  for  children  between  the 
ages  of  8  and  14  years.  Results  of  the  increased  work  of  this  division 
made  possible  by  an  allotment  from  the  appropriation  for  the 
national  security  and  defense  of  $50,000  for  the  last  quarter  of  the 
fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1918,  and  an  allotment  of  $200,000  for  the 
last  fiscal  year  show  most  clearly  its  value  for  production  and  educa¬ 
tion.  If  this  work  can  be  continued  on  this  scale  for  a  few  years  more 
it  is  believed  that  it  will  come  to  be  recognized  as  an  essential  part 
of  the  school  work  of  cities,  towns,  and  industrial  villages,  thus  en¬ 
riching  the  educational  life  of  boys  and  girls  of  these  communities 
by  an  element  otherwise  impossible  for  them. 

12.  An  increase  in  the  number  of  specialists  and  assistants  in  rural 
education  and  industrial  education.  The  few  specialists  now  em- 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


IX 


ployed  in  these  subjects  are  wholly  unable  to  do  more  than  a  small 
part  of  the  work  needed.  States  are  asking  for  expert  advice  in 
regard  to  school  legislation  and  the  improvement  of  their  school  sys¬ 
tems.  States,  counties,  and  local  communities  want  comprehensive 
and  detailed  school  surveys.  There  is  need  and  demand  for  such 
general  and  authoritative  studies  of  school  administration,  courses 
of  study,  methods  of  teaching,  and  adaptation  of  the  work  of  the 
schools  to  the  life  and  needs  of  the  communities  which  they  serve 
as  can  be  made  effectively  only  by  a  large  group  of  men  and  women 
of  the  best  ability  working  under  the  direction  of  the  Federal  Gov¬ 
ernment.  The  passage  of  the  Federal  vocation  act — the  so-called 
Smith-Hughes  Act — and  the  creation  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Voca¬ 
tional  Education  relieves  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  a  certain  extent 
of  responsibility  in  regard  to  vocational  education  in  certain  classes 
of  schools  and  for  certain  classes  of  persons,  but  at  the  same  time  it 
emphasizes  the  importance  of  the  work  which  the  bureau  should  do 
for  vocational  education  in  other  schools  and  for  other  classes  of 
persons  and  adds  in  large  measure  to  its  responsibilities  in  regard 
to  these  subjects. 

13.  The  addition  of  two  or  three  specialists  to  the  division  of  com¬ 
mercial  education  for  the  investigation  of  problems  of  commercial 
education  and  to  assist  in  making  plans  and  finding  means  for  the 
preparation  of  our  young  people  for  participation  in  the  larger  com¬ 
mercial  life  upon  which  the  country  is  now  entering.  The  rapid 
expansion  of  the  foreign  commerce  of  the  United  States,  because  of 
the  war  and  for  other  reasons  more  permanent,  makes  the  needs  of 
this  division  more  pressing  than  when  it  was  first  recommended  some 
years  ago. 

14.  More  adequate  provision  for  the  investigation  and  promotion 
of  school  sanitation  and  hygiene  and  the  physical  education  and  de¬ 
velopment  of  pupils.  More  than  20,000,000  children  spend  a  good 
part  of  their  time  each  year  in  public  and  private  schools  in  the 
United  States.  They  come  to  these  schools  that  they  may  gain  prepa¬ 
ration  and  strength  for  life.  In  many  of  the  schools  the  heating, 
lighting,  ventilation,  and  other  means  of  sanitation  are  so  poor  that 
instead  of  gaining  strength  for  life  they  have  the  seeds  of  disease 
and  death  sown  in  their  systems.  In  many  other  schools  the  daily 
regimen  is  such  as  to  cause  the  children  to  lose  a  very  large  per  cent 
of  that  which  they  might  gain  with  a  better  regimen.  From  State, 
county,  and  city  school  officers,  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  thousands 
of  requests  come  to  the  bureau  for  information  and  advice  in  regard 
to  these  matters.  The  bureau  should  be  able  to  give  accurate  infor¬ 
mation  and  sound  advice  regarding  various  phases  of  this  subject. 
The  establishment  of  health  and  right  health  habits  and  the  best 
types  of  physical  education  must  be  considered  most  important  and 


X 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


vital  factors  in  any  education  that  is  to  fit  for  life.  Provision  for 
such  games,  plays,  drills,  and  other  exercises  as  will  develop  physical 
strength,  bodily  control,  and  endurance  is  essential  to  the  schools  of 
any  nation  that  would  maintain  for  all  its  citizens  a  high  degree  of 
preparedness  for  the  duties  both  of  peace  and  of  war.  Facts  revealed 
by  the  physical  examination  of  volunteers  for  the  Army  and  the 
Navy  and  of  selected  men  in  the  Army  show  most  clearly  the  need 
for  this  service. 

15.  The  addition  of  several  specialists  and  assistants  in  the  division 
of  city-school  administration  for  the  investigation  of  iDroblems  of 
education  and  school  administration  in  cities  and  towns.  The  drift  of 
population  to  the  cities  and  towns  continues,  and  the  proportion  of 
urban  population  to  rural  population  is  increasing  rapidly.  Almost 
one-half  of  the  children  of  the  United  States  now  live  in  cities,  towns, 
and  densely-populated  suburban  communities.  In  some  sections  of 
the  country  a  very  large  proportion  of  these  children  are  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  foreign-born  parents.  All  this  adds  to  the  complexity  and 
difficulty  of  the  problems  of  city-school  administration,  especially  in 
the  larger  cities.  Many  hundreds  of  requests  for  advice  and  informa¬ 
tion  in  regard  to  these  problems  come  to  the  bureau  every  year. 
Within  the  last  few  years  requests  have  come  to  the  bureau  for  com¬ 
prehensive  educational  surveys  in  dozens  of  cities,  and  many  other 
cities  have  appealed  to  other  agencies  for  work  of  this  kind  because 
their  superintendents  and  boards  of  education  knew  that  this  bureau 
was  not  equipped  as  it  should  be  to  do  this  work.  If  the  right  edu¬ 
cation  of  the  12,000,000  children  who  live  in  cities  is  a  matter  of 
interest  to  the  Nation  as  a  whole,  then  this  bureau  should  be  enabled 
to  do  effectively  those  things  which  no  other  agency  can  do  to  assist 
the  school  officers  and  teachers  of  these  cities  in  making  the  work  of 
their  schools  more  effective.  The  large  and  increasing  number  of 
requests  for  comprehensive  surveys  of  city-school  systems  and  for 
advice  and  assistance  in  the  readjustment  of  courses  of  study  and  in 
regard  to  other  phases  of  city-school  administration  make  it  neces¬ 
sary  for  the  bureau  to  be  able  to  do  the  work  of  this  division  more 
effectively  if  it  is  to  retain  the  respect  of  school  officers  interested  in 
this  very  large  and  important  part  of  our  school  system  as  a  reliable 
and  effective  agency  for  information,  advice,  and  assistance. 

16.  The  establishment  of  a  division  with  specialists  and  assistants 
for  the  investigation  of  the  education  of  exceptional  children.  There 
are  in  the  United  States  more  than  2,000,000  children  whose  educa¬ 
tion  requires  means  varying  widely  from  those  in  common  use  for 
the  education  of  normal  children.  This  includes  subnormal  children, 
the  deaf,  the  blind,  the  crippled,  the  incorrigible,  the  diseased,  and 
those  whose  superiority,  general  or  specific,  makes  it  desirable  that 
the}^  be  given  special  opportunities  in  particular  subjects  or  for 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


XI 


general  promotion.  These  children  are  to  be  found  in  cities,  towns, 
and  rural  communities  alike,  and  all  school  officers  and  teachers 
have  to  deal  with  them.  The  Bureau  of  Education  can  not  be  con¬ 
sidered  as  performing  its  duties  to  all  the  population  with  impar¬ 
tiality  until  it  has  in  its  service  men  and  women  who  can  give  accu¬ 
rate  information  and  helpful  advice  in  regard  to  the  education  of 
these  children. 

IT.  A  careful  and  thorough  investigation  as  to  the  means  of  better 
education  of  children  in  their  homes  and  the  dissemination  of  in¬ 
formation  as  to  the  best  methods  for  the  early  physical,  mental, 
and  moral  education  of  children  in  the  home  and  for  the  better 
cooperation  of  home  and  school  in  the  education  of  children  of 
school  age.  Children  of  the  United  States  are  in  school  less  than 
4  per  cent  of  their  time  from  birth  to  21.  The  home  is  the  primary 
and  fundamental  educational  institution.  Schools  and  other  agencies 
are  only  secondary.  If  education  in  the  home  fails,  no  other  agency 
can  make  good  the  failure.  With  our  changing  civilization  and 
social  and  industrial  life,  there  is  need  for  more  careful  study  of 
education  in  the  home.  The  cooperative  arrangement  with  the 
National  Congress  of  Mothers  and  Parent  Teacher  Association,  by 
which  work  of  this  kind  had  been  maintained  on  a  small  scale  until 
the  1st  of  July  of  this  year,  is  no  longer  legal.  Congress  should 
make  an  appropriation  sufficiently  large  to  enable  it  to  be  con¬ 
tinued  and  largely  extended.  If  an  appropriation  is  made  for  edu¬ 
cational  extension,  as  recommended  elsewhere,  this  work  might  well 
be  included  with  that. 

18.  Provision  for  the  investigation  of  the  education  of  adult  illit¬ 
erates  and  the  dissemination  of  information  as  to  the  best  methods  of 
teaching  illiterate  men  and  women  to  read  and  write  and  of  extend¬ 
ing  the  meager  education  of  those  who  were  denied  the  advantages 
of  the  schools  in  their  childhood  and  youth.  According  to  the  census 
of  1910,  there  were  in  the  United  States  more  than  5,500,000  illiterate 
men  and  women  and  children  over  the  age  when  they  may  be  ex¬ 
pected  to  make  a  beginning  in  the  public  schools,  and  there  were 
many  millions  more  barely  able  to  read  and  write.  This  illiteracy 
is  a  burden  to  society  and  a  menace  to  State  and  Nation.  Within 
the  past  few  years  much  interest  in  the  removal  of  this  burden  has 
developed,  and  from  all  sides  come  requests  for  assistance  of  many 
kinds  from  this  bureau.  The  response  to  the  little  attention  which 
this  bureau  has  been  able  to  give  to  this  subject  indicates  that  States, 
local  communities,  individuals,  and  benevolent  societies  are  ready  to 
cooperate  heartily  with  the  Federal  Government  in  any  reasonable 
plans  which  may  be  devised  and  presented  for  this  purpose. 

19.  The  work  of  instructing  persons  of  foreign  birth  in  the  Eng¬ 
lish  language  and  in  the  geography,  history,  ideals,  industrial  re- 


XII 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


quirements,  and  manners  and  customs  of  our  country — the  work  gen¬ 
erally  known  as  Americanization — is  so  very  important  that  it 
should  be  promoted,  both  by  National  and  State  aid.  There  are  in 
the  United  States  between  thirteen  and  fifteen  millions  of  persons  of 
foreign  birth.  Of  these  approximately  5,000,000  can  not  read,  write, 
or  speak  the  English  language,  and  approximately  2,500,000  of  them 
can  not  read  or  write  in  any  language.  Such  a  large  proportion  of 
our  population  unassimilated  constitutes  a  constant  menace.  With  a 
sufficient  appropriation  to  assist  in  paying  the  salaries  of  teachers 
and  State  and  local  supervisors  and  funds  for  a  staff  of  experts  un¬ 
der  its  immediate  direction,  the  Bureau  of  Education  could  promote 
effectively  this  work  of  Americanization,  so  vitally  important  to  the 
strength  and  welfare  of  the  Nation.  The  passage  of  the  bill  now 
pending  in  both  Houses  of  Congress  for  the  appropriation  of  $14,- 
250,000  a.  year  for  seven  y^ars  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  F ed- 
eral  Government  through  this  bureau  to  cooperate  with  the  several 
States  in  this  and  in  the  teaching  of  native-born  illiterate  men  and 
women  would  have  results  of  incalculable  value.  It  is  sincerely 
hoped  that  this  bill  may  become  law. 

20.  The  value  of  stereopticon  and  stereoscopic  slides,  moving- 
picture  films,  and  phonographic  records  in  school  instruction  and  for 
extension  education  through  community  organizations,  women’s 
clubs,  and  other  societies  is  well  established,  and  there  is  need  and  an 
increasing  demand  for  a  central  agency  for  the  production  and  cir¬ 
culation  of  such  slides,  films,  and  records.  The  Bureau  of  Education, 
in  cooperation  with  State  and  city  departments  of  education  and  in¬ 
stitutions  of  higher  learning,  might  render  an  invaluable  service 
in  this  field  at  small  cost.  The  eagerness  with  which  university 
extension  divisions  and  other  educational  extension  agencies  have 
responded  to  the  bureau’s  offer  of  cooperation  in  the  obtaining  and 
distribution  of  five  or  six  million  feet  of  films,  mostly  war  and  public- 
health  films,  indicate  what  might  be  done  with  an  adequate  appro¬ 
priation  for  this  purpose. 

21.  The  value  of  and  need  for  community  organization,  especially 
in  rural  communities,  become  constantly  more  apparent,  and  interest 
in  the  subject  has  extended  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  experi¬ 
ence  of  three  years  has  shown  that  such  organization  can  be  promoted 
most  effectively  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  cooperation  with 
State  departments  of  education.  A  community  organization  in  every 
school  district  in  the  United  States  and  their  Territories  and  posses¬ 
sions  would  be  incalculably  valuable  for  the  period  of  reconstruction 
following  the  war.  It  is  therefore  recommended  that  the  personnel 
and  equipment  of  the  bureau  for  this  work  be  largely  increased.  If 
the  appropriation  recommended  for  the  Division  of  Educational 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


XIII 


Extension  in  the  bureau  is  made,  this  work  of  community  organiza¬ 
tion  should  be  included  under  it. 

22.  The  immediate  establishment  of  a  division  of  educational  ex¬ 
tension  to  continue  and  expand  the  work  begun  in  the  last  half  of 
the  last  fiscal  year  by  the  bureau,  with  an  allotment  of  $75,000  from 
the  President’s  fund  for  the  national  security  and  defense.  Interest 
in  educational  extension  work  has  grown  rapidly  within  the  last 
few  years  and  results  already  obtained  show  conclusively  its  value. 
The  special  need  for  such  work  now  and  for  the  next  few  years  is 
indicated  by  the  following  facts:  (1)  That  of  the  4,000,000  recently 
discharged  soldiers,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  eager  for  opportunities 
to  extend  their  education  for  vocational  efficiency,  for  citizenship, 
and  for  general  culture,  few  can  go  to  college,  and  fewer  still  will 
enter  ordinary  high  schools,  and  practically  all  must  depend  on  such 
opportunities  as  the  educational  extension  agencies  may  offer;  (2) 
that  millions  of  laboring  men  and  women  now  having  shorter  hours 
and  receiving  larger  pay  than  ever  before  are  eager  for  opportunities 
for  instruction,  especially  in  things  pertaining  to  economics,  civic 
rights  and  duties,  and  better  living;  (3)  that  millions  of  women 
recently  enfranchised,  or  now  about  to  be  endowed  with  the  right  of 
suffrage  by  the  ratification  of  the  Nineteenth  Amendment  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  are  eager  for  opportunities  for 
instruction  in  regard  to  forms  of  government  and  civic  and  political 
problems;  (4)  that  millions  of  foreign-born  men  and  women  among 
us,  both  of  those  who  have  taken  out  citizenship  papers  and  those 
who  have  not,  although  able  to  speak,  read,  and  write  the  English 
language,  need  to  be  instructed  in  regard  to  the  geography,  history, 
ideals,  manners,  and  customs  and  industrial  and  economic  oppor¬ 
tunities  in  this  country;  (5)  that  two  and  a  quarter  million  boys  and 
girls  are  every  year  attaining  their  majority  and  entering  the  ranks 
of  active  citizens  with  the  right  of  suffrage  at  a  time  when  the  prob¬ 
lems  of  active  citizenship  are  more  numerous,  complex,  and  difficult 
than  ever  before  in  our  history,  and  that  few  of  these  have  had  any 
adequate  instruction  in  the  principles  of  democracy  and  in  regard  to 
the  vital  problems  with  which  they  must  deal.  Less  than  one-third 
of  them  have  had  any  high-school  education  and  less  than  one-eighth 
have  graduated  from  a  high  school.  To  respond  effectively  to  the 
opportunities  and  needs  for  extension  education  thus  indicated  will 
mean  much  for  all  the  economic,  civic,  and  cultural  interests  of  the 
country.  Not  only  should  Congress  make  an  appropriation  for  the 
maintenance  of  a  division  of  educational  extension  as  herein  sug¬ 
gested,  it  should  also,  I  believe,  make  liberal  appropriations  for 
cooperation  with  the  States  in  promoting  extension  education  in 
health,  trades  and  industries,  civic  duties,  and  general  culture,  com- 


XIV 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


patible  to  the  appropriations  now  made  for  cooperation  with  the 
States  in  extension  education  in  agriculture  and  home  economics. 

23.  An  annual  appropriation  of  $25,000  to  enable  the  Bureau  of 
Education  to  continue  and  enlarge  its  work  of  studying  the  problems 
of  the  education  of  Negroes  in  the  United  States  and  the  education 
of  backward  peoples  in  the  Territories  and  possessions  of  the  United 
States.  The  adaptation  of  the  means  of  education  to  these  people 
involve  many  difficult  problems  to  the  solution  of  which  compara¬ 
tively  little  attention  has  been  given,  but  without  whose  solution 
much  of  the  money  expended  from  both  public  and  private  sources 
for  schools  and  other  means  of  their  education  will  be  lost  and  their 
development  and  progress  greatly  retarded.  When  an  appropriation 
is  made  for  the  reestablishment  of  the  Division  for  the  Education  of 
Negroes  and  Backward  Peoples  the  man  recommended  in  section  10 
of  these  recommendations  to  give  his  entire  time  and  attention  to 
the  colleges  of  agriculture  for  Negroes  in  the  Southern  States  might 
well  be  attached  to  this  division  instead  of  to  the  Division  of  Higher 
Education. 

24.  An  appropriation  of  $40,000  a  year  to  enable  the  Bureau  of 
Education  to  continue  the  School  Board  Service  Division,  established 
and  maintained  through  the  last  half  of  the  fiscal  year  with  the  help 
of  an  allotment  from  the  President’s  fund  for  the  national  security 
and  defense,  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  boards  of  education  of  city 
and  country  schools  and  boards  of  trustees  of  universities,  colleges* 
normal  schools,  and  technical  schools  in  finding  teachers  of  the  grade 
and  kind  that  are  sought  from  the  country  at  large  rather  than  from 
local  communities.  The  emergency  for  the  relief  of  which  this 
division  was  established  is  now  and  will  remain  for  several  years 
almost  as  great  as  it  was  before  the  signing  of  the  armistice  and  the 
beginning  of  the  return  of  men  from  the  Army  and  of  men  and 
women  from  the  industries  connected  with  the  war.  The  great  indus¬ 
trial  development  which  must  follow  the  establishment  of  peace  and 
the  unusually  high  wages  paid  in  the  industries  will  continue  to 
attract  many  teachers  from  the  schools,  and  even  when  conditions 
have  become  more  normal  there  will  still  be  great  need  for  the  service 
which  only  such  an  agency  as  this  can  render. 

25.  Means  to  enable  the  bureau  to  cooperate  with  schools  of  edu¬ 
cation  in  colleges  and  universities,  with  normal  schools,  and  with 
city  and  county  school  systems  in  making  important  investigations 
and  definite  experiments  in  elementary  and  secondary  school  educa¬ 
tion  under  scientific  control.  There  is  as  much  need  for  scientific 
experiments  in  education  as  there  is  for  such  experiments  in  agricul¬ 
ture  or  engineering.  Although  we  are  spending  annually  many  hun¬ 
dreds  of  millions  of  dollars  on  public  education,  we  have  little  accu¬ 
rate  and  definite  knowledge  about  the  value  of  various  forms  of 


LETTER  OE  TRANSMITTAL. 


XV 


education  and  methods  of  teaching,  and  we  can  have  little  more  until 
provision  is  made  for  such  scientific  experiments  as  are  here  indi¬ 
cated.  With  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  money  the  bureau 
might  obtain  the  cooperation  of  individuals,  institutions,  and  boards 
of  education  in  making  important  investigations  and  experiments  in 
education  not  otherwise  possible  without  much  larger  expenditures. 

26.  Means  to  enable  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  cooperate  with 
State  and  county  school  officers  in  establishing  and  maintaining 
model  rural  schools  for  the  purpose  of  demonstrating  the  value  of 
such  forms  of  rural  school  organization,  management,  courses  of 
study,  and  methods  of  teaching  as  may  appear  to  be  most  desirable 
to  be  incorporated  in  the  rural  schools  of  the  several  States  and 
communities  of  the  United  States.  A  bill  appropriating  $275,000 
a  year  for  this  purpose  is  now  pending  in  the  Senate.  Its  passage 
would,  within  a  few  years,  add  much  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  rural 
schools  of  the  several  States. 

27.  A  larger  appropriation  to  enable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
in  his  discretion  and  under  his  direction,  and  with  the  advice  and 
cooperation  of  the  Public  Health  Service,  to  provide  for  the  medical 
and  sanitary  relief  of  the  Eskimos,  Aleuts,  Indians,  and  other  natives 
of  Alaska.  Careful  investigations  made  with  the  cooperation  of  the 
Public  Health  Service  some  years  ago  showed  the  necessity  of  imme¬ 
diate  provision  for  the  care  of  the  health  of  the  natives  of  this 
Territory  and  for  the  eradication  of  communicable  diseases  now 
prevalent  in  different  sections  of  the  Territory  which,  if  not  put 
under  immediate  control,  will  soon  destroy  the  lives  of  many  of 
these  people  and  spread  among  the  white  settlers.  To  do  what  is 
needed  will  require  an  annual  appropriation  of  not  less  than 
$125,000.  The  appropriation  for  the  education  of  natives  in  Alaska 
should  be  increased  to  not  less  than  $300,000  to  enable  the  bureau 
to  more  fully  equip  some  of  the  schools  and  to  establish  schools  in 
several  villages  in  which  none  have  yet  been  established,  and  where 
there  are  no  agencies  for  the  civilization  and  the  care  of  the  natives, 
and  to  enable  the  bureau  to  care  for  and  properly  educate  the  large 
number  of  orphans  whose  parents  died  during  the  epidemic  of  influ¬ 
enza  last  fall  and  winter. 

28.  The  time  has  come  when  the  natives  in  all  parts  of  Alaska 
should  be  assisted  and  directed  in  the  establishment  and  develop¬ 
ment  of  industries  of  their  own  which  will  give  them  remunerative 
employment  through  much  of  the  time  in  which  they  are  now  more 
or  less  idle,  and  by  which  they  may  make  for  themselves  a  better 
support  and  gradually  take  over  the  larger  part  of  the  cost  of  their 
own  schools  and  medical  attendance.  The  success  of  the  reindeer 
industry  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Alaska  and  of  cooperative 
stores,  fish  canneries,  sawmills,  and  other  industries  in  southeast- 


XYI 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


ern  Alaska  show  clearly  the  importance  of  such  assistance.  Ten  thou¬ 
sand  dollars  a  year  judiciously  expended  for  this  purpose  through 
the  next  10  or  15  years  would  finally  save  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
dollars  to  the  Government  by  making  these  people  more  competent 
to  care  for  their  own  needs. 

29.  For  the  work  which  the  bureau  now  does  more  room  is  needed, 
and  still  more  will  be  needed  as  its  staff  of  experts  and  clerks  is  in¬ 
creased.  There  is  now  need  for  more  and  better  arranged  space  for 
the  bureau’s  library,  which  is  increasing  from  year  to  year.  The 
Nation  needs  an  educational  museum,  a  kind  of  perpetual  educa¬ 
tional  exhibit,  in  which  there  may  be  found  at  any  time,  properly 
arranged  and  catalogued,  typical  courses  of  study,  samples  of  school 
furniture,  and  equipment  of  all  kinds,  specimens  of  school  work, 
plans  and  photographs  of  buildings  and  grounds,  and  whatever  else 
may  be  helpful  in^enabling  students  of  education  and  school  officers 
and  teachers  to  gain  an  accurate  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
purposes,  methods,  and  results  of  education  in  this  and  other  coun¬ 
tries,  and  assist  them  in  forming  ideas  for  the  improvement  of  their 
own  schools  and  school  work.  This  museum  should,  of  course,  be 
under  the  direction  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  and  should  consti¬ 
tute  an  essential  part  of  its  equipment.  The  work  of  the  Federal 
Board  for  Vocational  Education,  of  which  the  Commissioner  of  Edu¬ 
cation  is  a  member,  is  so  closely  related  to  that  of  this  bureau  that 
it  would  add  to  the  efficiency  both  of  the  board  and  of  the  bureau  if 
they  were  housed  in  the  same  building,  so  that  they  might  have  easy 
access  to  the  same  library  and  communicate  easily  with  each  other; 
and  there  are  other  important  activities  of  the  Government  which 
could  be  carried  on  more  effectively  under  the  same  conditions.  I, 
therefore,  renew  the  recommendations  contained  in  previous  state¬ 
ments  that  plans  be  considered  at  once  for  the  erection  of  a  building 
that  will  afford  ample  room  for  the  work  of  the  bureau  and  allied 
activities  of  the  Government,  house  the  bureau’s  library,  and  furnish 
ample  room  for  such  collections  of  materials  as  those  mentioned 
above.  It  would,  I  believe,  be  entirely  proper  that  such  a  building  be 
erected  in  memorial  of  the  patriotic  services  rendered  by  the  schools 
and  their  teachers  and  pupils  during  the  great  war,  and  these  teach¬ 
ers  and  children  might  well  be  permitted  to  contribute*  to  the  cost  of 
the  building. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

P.  P.  Claxton,  C ommissioner. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION. 


PART  I. 

SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED 
STATES. 

.  _ _ 


I.  HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

The  academic  year  which  has  just  closed  represents  an  unprece¬ 
dented  period  in  the  history  of  American  higher  education.  Edu¬ 
cational  institutions  were  wholly  absorbed  in  the  task  of  training 
for  military  service  and  in  readjusting  themselves  to  meet  the  prob¬ 
lems  of  peace  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice.  It  was  therefore 
not  a  year  of  progress,  except  as  certain  of  the  experiments  in  train¬ 
ing  officers  in  civilian  institutions  may  react  later  upon  the  normal 
academic  procedure. 

The  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  1918  contained 
an  outline  of  the  efforts  which  were  made  by  agencies  both  inside 
and  outside  of  the  Government  to  bring  the  vast  training  facilities 
of  the  colleges  and  universities  directly  into  the  service  of  the  mili¬ 
tary  establishments.  Early  in  the  year  1918  the  War  Department, 
through  the  creation  of  its  committee  on  education  and  special 
training,  definitely  undertook  to  make  use  of  these  facilities.  The 
organization  by  this  committee  of  the  National  Army  Training  De¬ 
tachments  for  the  education  of  technicians  was  described  and  the 
proposed  organization  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  was 
summarized.  Since  the  preparation  of  that  report  the  Students’ 
Army  Training  Corps  has  come  and  gone.  It  was  unquestionably 
the  outstanding  educational  event  of  the  year.  Briefly,  therefore, 
it  should  be  discussed  in  this  review  of  the  progress  of  education. 

A  letter  was  addressed  by  the  Secretary  of  War  to  presidents  of 
colleges,  on  May  6,  1918,  as  follows : 

In  order  to  provide  military  instruction  for  tlie  college  students  of  the 
country  during  the  present  emergency,  a  comprehensive  plan  will  be  put  in 
effect  by  the  War  Department,  beginning  with  the  next  college  year,  in  Sep- 
1425390— 19 - 2  5 


6  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

tember,  1918.  The  details  remain  to  be  worked  out,  but  in  general  the  plan 
will  be  as  follows : 

Military  instruction  under  officers  and  noncommissioned  officers  of  the  Army 
will  be  provided  in  every  institution  of  college  grade  which  enrolls  for  the 
instruction  100  or  more  able-bodied  students  over  the  age  of  18.  The  necessary 
military  equipment  will,  so  far  as  possible,  be  provided  by  the  Government. 
A  military  training  unit  will  be  created  in  each  institution.  Enlistment  will 
be  purely  voluntary,  but  all  students  over  the  age  of  18  will  be  encouraged  to 
enlist.  The  enlistment  will  constitute  the  student  a  member  of  the  Army  of 
the  United  States,  liable  to  active  duty  at  the  call  of  the  President.  It  will, 
however,  be  the  policy  of  the  Government  not  to  call  the  members  of  the  train¬ 
ing  units  to  active  duty  until  they  have  reached  the  age  of  21,  unless  urgent 
military  necessity  compels  an  earlier  call.  Students  under  18,  and  therefore 
not  legally  eligible  for  enlistment,  will  be  encouraged  to  enroll  in  the  training- 
units.  Provision  will  be  made  for  coordinating  the  Reserve  Officers’  Training 
Corps  system,  which  exists  in  about  one-third  of  the  collegiate  institutions, 
with  this  broader  plan. 

This  new  policy  aims  to  accomplish  a  twofold  object:  First,  to  develop  as  a 
great  military  asset  the  large  body  of  young  men  in  the  colleges;  and  second, 
to  prevent  unnecessary  and  wasteful  depletion  of  the  colleges  through  indis¬ 
criminate  volunteering,  by  offering  to  the  students  a  definite  and  immediate 
military  status. 

Later  announcement  will  be  made  of  the  details  of  the  new  system.  In 
the  meantime,  presidents  of  collegiate  institutions  are  requested  to  call  this 
matter  to  the  attention  of  all  their  students.  Those  who  do  not  graduate  this 
spring  should  be  urged  to  continue  their  education  and  take  advantage  of  this 
new  opportunity  to  serve  the  Nation. 

This  letter  was  the  first  announcement  of  the  Students’  Army- 
Training  Corps.  It  was  followed  by  a  more  definite  and  detailed 
statement  in  the  latter  part  of  June.  It  was  the  original  intention 
of  the  War  Department  to  interfere  as  little  as  possible  with  the 
freedom  and  independence  of  colleges.  While  providing  facilities 
for  military  training  and  furnishing  young  men  a  strong  incentive 
to  attend  college,  the  department  expected  to  leave  full  liberty  of 
action  to  college  officers,  in  the  development  of  courses  and  in  the 
conduct  of  the  institutions.  Plans  were  made  during  the  summer  by 
the  committee  to  put  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  into  opera¬ 
tion  on  this  basis.  The  committee  also  indorsed  a  campaign  for  colle¬ 
giate  enrollments,  which  was  undertaken  by  the  American  Council 
on  Education  and  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

While  these  arrangements  were  being  made  the  military  situation 
changed.  It  became  imperative  to  deploy  America’s  forces  on  a 
vastly  greater  scale.  On  recommendation  of  the  Secretary  of  War 
and  the  Chief  of  Staff,  therefore,  Congress  passed  the  man-power 
bill  August  30.  This  action  necessitated  two  radical  modifications  of 
the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  plan:  First,  there  was  no  possi¬ 
bility  of  keeping  a  large  number  of  men  in  college  for  two  or  three 
years  prior  to  their  attainment  of  draft  age.  The  new  draft  ages 
were  from  18  to  45.  Second,  a  very  greatly  increased  number  of 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  7 

officers  were  demanded  for  tlie  new  armies  of  the  autumn  of  1918 
and  the  spring  of  1919.  The  central  officers’  schools  could  not  be 
relied  upon  to  furnish  all  of  these.  Colleges  must  be  regarded  as  one 
of  the  principal  sources  of  officer  material. 

Authorization  for  the  creation  of  the  Students’  Army  Training 
Corps  as  an  active  military  unit  was  therefore  secured  from  the 
President,  and  the  following  General  Order  No.  79  issued  on  Au¬ 
gust  24,  1918 : 

Under  the  authority  conferred  by  sections  1.  2,  8,  and  9  of  the  act  of  Con¬ 
gress  authorizing  the  President  to  increase  temporarily  the  Military  Estab¬ 
lishment  of  the  United  States,  approved  May  18,  1917,  the  President  directs  that 
for  the  period  of  the  existing  emergency  there  shall  be  raised  and  maintained 
by  voluntary  induction  and  draft  a  Students’  Army  Training  Corps.  Units  of 
this  corps  will  be  authorized  by  the  Secretary  of  War  at  educational  institutions 
that  meet  the  requirements  laid  down  in  the  regulations. 

The  fundamental  difference  between  the  student  soldier  under  the 
first  plan  for  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  and  the  member  of 
that  corps  under  the  revised  plan  was  that  now  he  became  a  soldier 
on  active  duty.  This  meant  that  he  must  be  constantly  under  mili¬ 
tary  control;  that  he  must  be  housed,  clothed,  and  subsisted  by  the 
Government.  The  relations  of  the  War  Department  to  the  colleges 
therefore  were  radically  changed  overnight.  Colleges  which  had 
been  approved  for  units  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps 
under  the  first  plan  were  now  asked  to  contract  with  the  War  De¬ 
partment  for  the  housing,  feeding,  and  instruction  of  student  sol¬ 
diers,  who  should  be  at  all  times  under  military  authority.  It  is 
a  striking  testimony  of  the  patriotism  of  the  colleges  that  practically 
all  of  them  consented  to  enter  this  arrangement;  525  higher  institu¬ 
tions  were  authorized  to  maintain  units  of  the  Students’  Army 
Training  Corps. 

On  the  administrative  side  difficulties  at  once  arose,  which  the 
committee  indeed  foresaw  but  could  not  remedy.  The  members  of 
the  corps  were  theoretically  at  all  times  under  military  control. 
College  officers,  relieved  of  discipline  and  deposed  from  their  ordi¬ 
nary  authority,  were  nevertheless  in  a  measure  responsible  for  the 
academic  progress  of  members  of  the  corps.  There  was  divided  re¬ 
sponsibility  therefore,  and  an  unfortunate  dualism  of  authority 
which  was  never  remedied  before  the  demobilization  of  the  Students’ 
Army  Training  Corps. 

The  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  had  a  brief  10  weeks  of  life. 
Part  of  this  pediocl,  moreover,  was  rendered  useless  in  many  institu¬ 
tions  by  the  influenza  epidemic  which  swept  the  country  in  the 
months  of  October  and  November,  1918.  Indeed,  the  Students’  Army 
Training  Corps  ran  just  long  enough  to  develop  all  the  possible 
centers  of  friction  and  to  expose  all  its  serious  defects.  The  orders 
for  its  demobilization  came  before  these  defects  could  be  remedied. 


8 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Nevertheless,  there  were  certain  educational  concepts  involved  in  the 
plans  for  the  corps  which  are  worth  recording.  These  have  been 
recognized  and  appreciated  by  many  college  officers. 

1.  Needs . — Like  the  trade  training  in  the  National  Army  training 
detachments,  the  officers’  training  carried  forward  in  the  Students’ 
Army  Training  Corps  was  to  have  been  predicated  upon  a  careful 
estimate  of  the  needs  of  the  Army  for  various  kinds  of  officers. 
For  example,  the  committee  discovered  that  the  Infantry  service 
would  require  from  the  colleges  3,000  officers  a  month  from  October, 
1918,  and  that  the  Field  Artillery  would  require  2,000  a  month.  It 
analyzed  the  work  which  each  of  these  types  of  officers  would  have 
to  perform  and  the  problems  which  they  would  have  to  meet.  It 
then  proceeded  to  organize  courses  to  fit  men  directly  for  these 
tasks.  The  courses  were  orginally  outlined  in  consultation  with 
officers  from  the  various  services.  They  were  being  modified  and 
elaborated  at  the  time  of  the  demobilization  of  the  Students’  Army 
Training  Corps.  A  system  was  also  about  to  be  inaugurated  to  as¬ 
sign  to  each  course  a  number  of  men  corresponding  to  the  number 
required  in  that  branch  of  the  service  for  which  the  particular  course 
was  designed  to  train.  It  was  the  committee’s  purpose  to  integrate 
training  with  Army  needs,  precisely  as  it  had  done  in  the  case  of 
mechanics  and  artisans. 

The  first  prescribed  courses  issued  to  the  units  of  the  corps  carried 
out  in  a  tentative  way  this  theory.  It  was  understood  that  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  would  be  called  to  active 
service  at  the  time  of  the  summoning  of  the  age  groups  to  which 
they  generally  belonged.  Thus  it  was  assumed  that  20-year-old  regis¬ 
trants  would  be  called  by  January  1,  1919,  that  19-year-old  regis¬ 
trants  would  be  called  by  April  1,  1919,  and  that  the  18-year-old 
group  would  be  summoned  in  July  or  August,  1919.  The  committee, 
therefore,  required  that  the  college  year  be  divided  into  quarters.  It 
assumed  that  20-year-old  students  could  remain  in  college  three 
months,  19-year-old  students  six  months,  and  18-year-old  students 
nine  months.  Exceptions  were  to  be  made  in  the  case  of  students  of 
unusual  proficiency  in  specialized  curricula,  such  as  engineering, 
chemistry,  medicine,  etc.  Former  college  class  alignments  were  aban¬ 
doned.  Curricula  were  organized  leading  to  each  of  the  principal 
line  and  staff  services,  and  divided  into  quarters.  Each  curriculum 
contained  certain  prescribed  subjects.  Military  drill  and  a  course  on 
the  issues  of  the  war  were  prescribed  in  every  curriculum.  In  the 
case  of  the  three  months’  student  the  prescriptions  were  so  numerous 
that  there  was  practically  no  elective  opportunity.  A  greater  amount 
of  freedom  of  choice  was  granted  to  the  six  months’  student ;  the  nine 
months’  student,  being  allowed  to  distribute  his  prescribed  work  over 
three  quarters,  had  a  considerable  amount  of  academic  liberty. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  9 

2.  New  organization  of  humanistic  training. — The  course  on  the 
issues  of  the  war,  which  was  prescribed  in  every  curriculum,  was  the 
direct  result  of  the  committee’s  satisfactory  experience  with  the  war- 
aims  courses  given  to  members  of  the  National  Army  Training  De¬ 
tachments.  Indeed,  the  outline  for  this  course  was  evolved  very 
largely  from  the  questions  asked  by  members  of  the  National  Army 
Training  Detachments.  The  course  on  the  issues  of  the  war  com¬ 
bined  history,  economics,  government,  literature,  and  philosophy.  It 
paid  no  attention  to  the  artificial  divisions  which  have  separated  these 
subjects  in  the  past.  It  aimed  rather  to  bring  about  a  fusion  of  the 
essential  elements  of  these  and  other  subjects.  The  design  was  to 
furnish  the  student  soldier  with  facts,  criteria,  and  inspiration  which 
would  enable  him  to  understand  his  world  and  to  relate  his  conduct  to 
the  major  issues  of  his  life.  Incidentally  the  committee’s  action 
resulted  in  breaking  down  temporarily  the  illogical  barriers  between 
departments  which  have  so  long  been  traditional  in  academic  organi¬ 
zation.  The  courses  on  the  issues  of  the  war  could  not  be  fairly 
tested  in  practice  within  a  period  of  six  weeks.  In  many  institu¬ 
tions,  however,  the  principle  upon  which  they  were  based  so  far 
commended  itself  to  college  officers  that  these  courses  are  to  serve  as 
the  model  for  organizing  the  fundamental  elements  of  peace-time 
humanistic  training.  Commenting  upon  the  permanent  value  of  the 
war-issues  course,  Dean  Woodbridge,  of  Columbia,  says : 

In  the  past,  education  was  liberalized  by  means  of  the  classical  tradition.  It 
afforded  for  educated  men  a  common  background  of  ideas  and  commonly  under¬ 
stood  standards  of  judgment.  For  the  present  that  tradition  no  longer  suffices. 
If  education  is  to  be  liberated  again,  if  our  youth  are  to  be  freed  from  the 
confusion  of  ideas  and  standards,  no  other  means  looks  so  attractive  as  a  com¬ 
mon  knowledge  of  what  the  present  world  of  human  affairs  really  is.  The  war 
has  revealed  that  world  with  the  impelling  clearness  which  tragedy  alone  seems 
able  to  attain.  That  our  student  soldiers  may  see  the  issues  is  of  immediate 
consequence ;  but  the  war  and  its  issues  will  be  the  absorbing  theme  of  genera¬ 
tions  to  come.  To  the  thoughtful,  therefore,  the  course  affords  the  opportunity 
to  introduce  into  our  education  a  liberalizing  force  which  will  give  to  the  gen¬ 
erations  to  come  a  common  background  of  ideas  and  commonly  understood 
standards  of  judgment. 

Eligibility  for  induction  into  the  Students’  Army  Corps  was  origi¬ 
nally  based  upon  bona  fide  college  membership.  Colleges  were  ex¬ 
pected  to  enforce  their  ordinary  admission  requirements.  A  larger 
number  of  new  students  than  usual  were  drawn  into  the  colleges, 
because  the  Government  assumed  their  expenses  and  paid  them  sol¬ 
diers’  pay.  The  large  and  continuous  supply  of  officer  material 
which  would  be  demanded,  however,  could  not  be  produced  with 
certainty  if  the  old  formal  admission  requirements  must  be  observed 
by  every  student  soldier.  The  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  would 
have  to  be  recruited  from  that  much  larger  stratum  of  the  popula- 


10 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


tion  which  possessed  the  capacity  to  pursue  work  of  college  grade 
but  could  not  meet  the  formal  entrance  requirements.  Hence  a 
system  of  recruitment  for  the  corps  was  devised  which  combined 
three  elements:  (a)  A  personal  interview  with  every  candidate,  the 
purpose  of  which  would  be  to  determine  the  character  of  his  school¬ 
ing  and  experience  and  his  general  qualifications  for  college  work; 
(b)  the  Army  intelligence  test;  ( c )  in  the  case  of  candidates  for 
courses  which  by  their  professional  nature  demanded  special  prepa¬ 
ration  in  one  or  more  subjects,  such  examinations  as  would  be 
necessary  to  test  the  candidate’s  proficiency  in  these  subjects.  This 
recruitment  plan  was  never  issued,  because  demobilization  of  the  corps 
was  ordered  and  recruitment  ceased.  It  is  undoubtedly  cause  for 
regret  that  a  comprehensive  experiment  with  psychological  and  other 
objective  tests  of  fitness  for  college  work  could  not  have  been  made. 
The  material  prepared  by  the  committee  has,  however,  interested 
numerous  college  officers  and  has  apparently  stimulated  discussion 
and  careful  consideration  of  its  possible  application  in  college- 
entrance  procedure. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  brief  life  of  the  Students’  Army 
Training  Corps.  To  complete  the  record,  it  should  perhaps  here  be 
stated  that  the  corps  enrolled  some  142,000  men.  The  signing  of 
the  armistice  on  the  11th  of  November  did  away  with  the  need  for 
continuing  it  as  the  source  of  supply  for  officers.  It  was  ordered 
demobilized  by  December  21. 

It  is,  of  course,  still  too  early  to  say  what,  if  any,  effects  the  Stu¬ 
dents’  Army  Training  Corps  may  have  had  upon  college  methods  and 
organization.  There  has  been,  as  might  be  expected,  a  period  of 
sharp  reaction.  College  officers,  smarting  under  the  humiliations  im¬ 
posed  by  the  system  of  military  control,  are  not  disposed  to  find 
many  virtues  in  the  scheme.  On  the  other  hand,  aside  from  the  possi¬ 
ble  influence  of  the  educational  policies  described  above,  the  influence 
of  military  training  and  discipline  upon  the  student  body  may  have 
some  permanent  results.  Both  faculties  and  students  have  rec¬ 
ognized  the  greater  efficiency  of  a  student  body  subject  to  a  military 
regime.  The  by-products  in  the  way  of  physical  fitness,  development 
of  courtesy,  and  the  spread  of  a  democratic  spirit  are  also  too  de¬ 
sirable  to  be  lost.  Colleges  now  have  before  them  the  task  of  de¬ 
vising  means  to  retain  these  tangible  advantages  of  the  period  of 
war  training.  They  are  also  faced  with  the  problem  of  transform¬ 
ing  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  engendered  by  the  national  emergency 
into  a  . spirit  of  service  to  the  community  and  to  the  Nation  in  peace. 
The  solution  of  this  problem  is  admittedly  difficult ;  but  unless  it  is 
solved  America  will  have  lost  the  best  fruits  of  the  war. 

It  is  worth  while  to  point  out  one  fundamental  aspect  of  the 
students’  Army  Training  Corps  which  has  not  always  been  recognized. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  11 

For  the  first  time  in  history  the  higher  institutions  of  the  coun¬ 
try  were  united  in  a  common  purpose.  By  offering  themselves 
voluntarily  to  the  War  Department  they  created  a  single  training 
plant  for  the  production  of  specialists  and  officers  for  the  Army. 
In  other  words,  there  was  created  for  a  brief  period  a  national  sys¬ 
tem  of  higher  education.  Further,  the  whole  training  program  car¬ 
ried  out  in  this  system  was  based  on  an  accurate  forecast  of  national 
needs.  The  conditions  were  of  course  abnormal.  They  could  never 
occur  in  times  of  peace;  nor  is  it  desirable  that  higher  education 
should  be  controlled  from  the  center.  Nevertheless,  this  temporary 
organization  contains  important  implications  upon  which  the  col¬ 
leges  themselves  may  profitably  act. 

The  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  saved  colleges  from  virtual 
extinction.  In  the  letter  announcing  the  plan  (quoted  above)  the 
Secretary  of  War  alludes  to  the  preservation  of  higher  education  as 
one  of  the  two  important  purposes  to  be  attained.  In  spite  of  the 
difficulties  of  readjustment  to  a  peace  basis  and  in  spite  of  the 
financial  losses  (in  case  of  some  institutions  very  great) ,  the  higher 
educational  machinery  of  the  United  States  emerges  from  the  war 
in  more  nearly  normal  condition  than  that  of  any  other  country. 

RESERVE  OFFICERS’  TRAINING  CORPS. 

When  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  was  ordered  demobil¬ 
ized  the  Committee  on  Education  and  Special  Training  sought  au¬ 
thorization  to  reestablish  in  the  schools  and  colleges  units  of  the 
Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps,  which  had  been  abandoned  in  favor 
of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  during  the  latter  part  of  1918. 
Authorization  was  granted  on  November  27, 1918,  and  the  committee 
began  to  negotiate  with  the  colleges  with  a  view  to  carrying  out  the 
provisions  of  the  order  and  developing  a  permanent  policy  of  mili¬ 
tary  training  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  national 
defense  act  of  1916.  The  experience  with  the  Students’  Army  Train¬ 
ing  Corps,  and  especially  the  lessons  respecting  officer  personnel 
which  had  been  taught  by  the  war,  had  resulted  in  essential  modifica¬ 
tions  of  the  Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps.  Relatively  speaking, 
the  United  States  found  little  difficulty  in  securing  abundant  officer 
material  and  in  training  Infantry  officers  at  short  notice.  To  be  sure, 
the  product  of  the  training  schools  was  less  expert  than  the  product 
of  West  Point;  but  in  any  emergency  the  temporary  officer  and  sol¬ 
dier  will  always  be  at  a  disadvantage  when  compared  with  the  pro¬ 
fessional.  The  outstanding  difficulty  experienced  by  the  Army  was 
the  recruitment  of  those  technical  experts  needed  in  the  Staff  Corps. 
Engineer  officers,  officers  in  the  Chemical  Warfare  Service,  officers  in 
the  Signal  Corps,  Ordnance  officers  could  not  be  produced  in  a  limited 
number  of  weeks  or  months.  The  war  showed  indisputably  that  the 


12 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


United  States  must  maintain  a  technical  officer  reserve.  This  gave 
the  cue  to  the  new  development  of  the  Eeserve  Officers’  Training 
Corps. 

Decision  was  reached  to  multiply  the  types  of  units  which  might 
be  established.  Thus  it  was  decided  that  there  might  be,  in  addition 
to  Infantry  and  Cavalry  and  Artillery  units  of  the  Eeserve  Officers’ 
Training  Corps,  heavy  Artillery  units,  Chemical  Warfare  units,  Sig¬ 
nal  Corps  units,  etc.  Technical  schools  would  naturally  choose  one  or 
more  of  these  technical  units.  Large  universities  might  be  expected 
to  maintain  several,  including  perhaps  Infantry  units  as  well.  The 
smaller  liberal  arts  institutions  would,  as  before,  maintain  Infantry 
units  for  the  most  part.  Throughout  the  spring  of  1919  conferences 
with  representatives  of  the  institutions  were  held,  and  programs  of 
study  which  met  the  general  terms  of  the  act  and  yet  which  fitted  the 
actual  conditions  of  technical  schools  were  devised. 

In  working  out  this  revised  program  the  following  principles  have 
been  observed:  The  amount  of  formal  military  training  prescribed 
for  the  technical  units  during  the  course  of  the  school  year  is  reduced 
to  a  minimum.  Technical  and  scientific  subjects  offered  by  the  insti¬ 
tutions  as  part  of  their  technical  curricula  are  accepted  as  having- 
military  value.  The  actual  military  practice  is  relegated  to  the  six 
weeks’  summer  camp,  which  is  regarded  as  an  integral  part  of  the 
Eeserve  Officers’  Training  Corps  course.  The  War  Department 
undertakes  to  furnish  for  the  benefit  of  scientific  departments  of 
institutions  teaching  material  in  the  various  fields  of  science  which 
has  a  distinctly  military  bearing.  Thus  an  electrical  engineering 
school  which  has  a  Signal  Corps  Eeserve  Officers’  Training  Corps 
unit  will  receive  from  the  department  problems  in  electricity  which 
officers  of  the  Signal  Corps  are  likely  to  meet  in  the  coures  of  their 
military  experience.  It  is  suggested  that  these  may  be  used  by  the 
institution  as  teaching  material  in  courses  of  electricity.  Effort  will 
be  made  to  have  this  material  of  general  scientific  validity. 

FINANCIAL  STATUS  OF  COLLEGES. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  War  Department  entered  into  con¬ 
tractual  relations  with  the  higher  institutions  at  the  time  of  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps.  On  the  strength  of 
these  contracts  many  institutions  had  borrowed  thousands  of  dollars, 
assuming  that  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  would  be  carried 
forward  until  July  1,  1919.  This  money  had  been  expended  for 
-buildings  and  special  equipment  and  for  various  other  material  com¬ 
modities.  The  demobilization  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps 
necessitated  an  immediate  suspension  of  all  these  contracts.  The 
situation  in  which  the  colleges  found  themselves  was  therefore  diffi- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


13 


cult  in  the  extreme.  The  actual  liquidation  of  the  Government’s  obli¬ 
gations  occupied  a  period  of  some  seven  months.  Effort  was  made 
to  have  the  settlement  a  fair  one  and  to  reimburse  colleges  for  all 
actual  expenditures.  Under  the  rigid  regulations  of  the  Treasury, 
however,  this  was  not  in  every  case  possible.  Many  institutions  suf¬ 
fered  some  loss.  It  is  an  interesting  piece  of  history,  however,  that 
the  great  majority  of  the  claims  were  settled  to  the  final  satisfaction 
of  both  contracting  parties. 

Colleges  emerged  from  the  war  with  somewhat  depleted  student 
bodies  and,  in  many  cases,  with  serious  indebtedness,  contracted  in 
view  of  the  national  emergency.  They  were  affected  equally  with 
other  social  organizations  by  the  rapid  rise  in  prices.  It  is  safe  to 
say  that,  in  general,  the  financial  situation  of  the  colleges  of  the 
country  was  less  satisfactory  during  the  spring  of  1919  than  at  any 
time  within  recent  years. 

The  pressure  has  not  fallen  upon  administrative  boards  alone,  or 
even  primarily.  It  has  long  been  notorious  that  the  salaries  of  college 
professors  are  too  low  for  the  type  of  work  they  are  expected  to  per¬ 
form  and  the  long  period  of  training  that  is  necessary  to  prepare 
them  for  it.  During  the  past  academic  year  the  increase  in  the  cost 
of  living  has  brought  a  large  number  of  professors  into  a  position  of 
actual  want.  It  is  interesting  to  note,  however,  that  college  admin¬ 
istrative  boards  have  very  generally  recognized  their  immediate  obli¬ 
gations  to  the  instructional  staff,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  income 
of  these  institutions  is  still  less  adequate  than  usual  to  meet  the  cur¬ 
rent  expenses. 

In  May,  1919,  the  Bureau  of  Education  sent  out  a  questionnaire  to 
all  collegiate  institutions,  asking  them  for  a  report  on  the  percentage 
of  increase  in  the  salaries  granted  during  the  last  academic  }Tear 
and  the  percentage  of  increase  voted  for  the  coming  academic  year. 
Approximately  half  of  the  institutions  answered  the  questionnaire. 
Two  hundred  and  thirty  reported  increases  in  salaries  granted  for 
the  last  academic  year,  or  voted  for  the  coming  year,  or  both. 
Seventy-two  per  cent  of  those  reporting  increases  in  1918-19  in¬ 
creased  the  salaries  of  full  professors  by  10  per  cent  or  more. 
Seventy-four  per  cent  of  those  reporting  increases  voted  for  the  com¬ 
ing  academic  year  are  increasing  the  salaries  of  full  professors  10 
per  cent  or  more.  The  salary  raises  of  assistant  professors  and  in¬ 
structors  have  not,  on  the  whole,  been  quite  so  high. 

In  addition  to  this  general  and  not  widely  advertised  movement, 
special  campaigns  for  increase  of  endowment  funds,  primarily  with 
a  view  to  paying  larger  salaries,  have  been  organized  by  several  of 
the  larger  institutions.  An  influential  committee  of  the  alumni  of 
Harvard  University,  for  instance,  has  been  organized  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  raising  $15,000,000  to  add  to  the  endowment  of  the  university. 


14 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Princeton  lias  laid  plans  for  adding  $14,000,000  to  its  endowment 
by  a  concerted  appeal  to  the  alumni  and  philanthropic  friends.  It 
is  expected  that  other  institutions  will  follow  the  example  of  these 
two  universities. 

THE  AMERICAN  EXPEDITIONARY  FORCES  UNIVERSITY  AND  THE 
WORK  OF  AMERICAN  SOLDIERS  AT  FOREIGN  INSTITUTIONS. 

Perhaps  the  most  unique  and  spectacular  educational  event  of 
recent  j^ears  is  represented  by  the  establishment  of  the  American 
Expeditionary  Forces  University  at  Beaune,  in  France,  in  February, 
1919.  The  institution  owes  its  origin  to  a  variety  of  influences.  In 
the  early  days  of  the  participation  of  the  United  States  in  the  war 
Mr.  Anson  Phelps  Stokes,  of  Yale  University,  presented  a  memo¬ 
randum  to  the  War  Department  outlining  a  plan  of  education  to  be 
carried  on  in  the  American  forces  during  the  period  of  demobiliza¬ 
tion.  The  plan  contemplated  the  placement  of  American  soldiers 
and  officers  in  universities  of  France  and  Great  Britain,  together 
with  the  establishment  of  educational  centers  under  Army  control 
for  less  advanced  education. 

The  experience  of  the  Army  Overseas  Educational  Commission 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  of  the  Committee  on  Education  and  Special 
Training  of  the  War  Department  in  organizing  educational  work 
for  soldiers  on  a  large  scale  emphasized  the  practicability  of  Mr. 
Stokes’s  general  suggestion  and  indicated  the  kind  of  machinery 
which  might  be  necessary  to  carry  out  the  project.  Shortly  after  the 
signing  of  the  armistice  the  War  Department  decided  to  put  the 
general  features  of  the  plan  into  operation.  Brig.  Gen.  Robert  I. 
Rees,  formerly  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Education  and  Special 
Training,  was  sent  to  France  to  take  charge  of  the  educational  work. 
Cooperative  arrangements  were  made  with  the  Army  Overseas  Edu¬ 
cational  Commission  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  whereby  the  commission 
furnished  educational  advice  and  supplied  various  groups  of  experts. 
The  following  excerpt  from  General  Orders,  No.  30,  issued  February 
13,  1919,  gives  the  outline  of  the  educational  system  for  which  the 
Army  made  itself  responsible  and  indicates  the  place  in  the  entire 
program  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  University. 

EDUCATIONAL  WORK  IN  THE  AMERICAN  EXPEDITIONARY 
FORCES. 

I.  The  Commander  in  Chief  invites  the  attention  of  organization  commanders 
and  of  all  officers  in  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  to  the  importance  of 
national  education.  This  citizen  army  must  return  to  the  United  States  pre¬ 
pared  to  take  an  active  and  intelligent  part  in  the  future  progress  of  our 
country.  Educational  and  occupational  training  should,  therefore,  be  provided 
to  meet  the  needs  of  the  members  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces,  in 
order  that  they  may  become  better  equipped  for  their  future  responsibilities. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


15 


1.  General  Orders,  No.  9,  c.  s.,  these  headquarters,  has  established  a  system 
of  post  schools,  which  provides  elementary  and  secondary  intruction  for  all 
soldiers  in  need  of  such  training. 

2.  For  more  advanced  education  there  will  be  established  in  each  army 
corps  and  division  and  in  each  section  of  the  S.  O.  S.  centers  of  training,  to  be 
known  as  division  educational  centers.  These  centers  will  provide  such  voca¬ 
tional  training  as  the  material  and  equipment  within  the  division  or  section 
makes  possible.  The  following  subjects  of  vocational  training  will  be  found 
practicable  in  all  divisions  and  sections :  Carpentry,  telephone  repair,  teleg¬ 
raphy,  wire ;  telegraphy,  wireless ;  land  surveying,  road  construction,  horseshoe^ 
ing,  automobile  repairing,  cobbling,  tailoring,  barbering,  cooking,  baking,  nurs¬ 
ing.  Other  subjects  as  they  are  found  practicable  will  be  authorized. 

These  centers  will  also  provide  instruction  in  more  advanced  subjects  of 
general  education  than  can  be  given  in  post  schools,  either  because  instructors 
are  few  or  because  the  demand  for  such  subjects  is  slight.  Subjects  suggested 
are,  for  example,  algebra,  trigonometry,  mechanical  drawing,  agricultural  sales¬ 
manship,  economics,  American  and  English  literature,  advanced  French,  Italian, 
Spanish,  German,  advanced  course  in  history,  etc. 

In  order  to  determine  the  demand  in  each  educational  center  for  education, 
a  complete  survey  of  his  organization  will  be  made  by  each  commander.  On 
the  basis  of  this  survey  classes  will  be  organized.  Courses  will  be  organized 
providing  the  minimum  of  four  hours’  instruction  and  supervised  study  per 
day,  five  days  in  the  week,  covering  a  period  of  three  months.  Organization 
of  professional  educational  companies  or  detachments  conveniently  located  and 
provided  with  proper  administrative  organization  is  authorized.  Such  organ¬ 
izations  will  be  given  one  hour  of  military  training  per  day  in  addition  to  the 
education  work.  The  number  of  students  will  be  limited  by  the  capacity  for 
giving  instruction  in  each  division  educational  center,  and  will  not  exceed  15 
per  cent  of  the  command. 

Carefully  selected  school  officers  will  be  detailed  in  charge  of  the  establish¬ 
ment  and  operation  of  division  educational  centers.  School  officers  and  in¬ 
structors  will  be  excused  from  all  other  military  duty. 

The  commanding  general  S.  O.  S.  is  authorized  to  modify  the  requirements 
of  this  paragraph  to  meet  conditions  within  his  command,  giving,  however,  to 
the  members  of  his  organization  every  educational  opportunity  consistent  with 
military  necessity. 

3.  Supplementing  and  expanding  these  opportunities  within  the  organizations, 

officers  and  soldiers  will  have  the  privilege  of  attending  educational  institu¬ 
tions  of  the  nations  associated  with  the  United  States  in  this  war.  Arrange¬ 
ments  have  already  been  made  whereby  selected  members  of  the  American 
Expeditionary  Forces  may  be  ordered  to  detached  service  in  attendance  on 
French  and  British  universities  during  the  current  spring  term,  which  will 
terminate  June  30,  1919.  Soldiers  will  receive  commutation  of  subsistence  at 
the  rate  of  $2  per  day.  Soldiers  on  this  duty  will  be  reimbursed  on  War  De¬ 
partment  Form  No.  330  for  actual  expenses  incurred  by  them  for  lodging 
while  on-  such  duty  not  in  excess  of  $1  per  day.  Receipts  for  such  expendi¬ 
tures  will  be  obtained  if  practicable,  and  if  not,  ^affidavits  to  that  effect  will 
be  furnished  by  the  soldier.  *  *  * 

4.  Since  the  above  university  opportunities  are  of  graduate  character,  and  are 
therefore  available  only  to  selected  men  of  high  educational  qualifications,  an 
American  Expeditionary  Forces  educational  center  will  be  established  to  provide 
college  and  technical  training  beyond  that  offered  at  division  educational  cen¬ 
ters.  Students  will  enroll  for  a  term  period  of  three  months. 


16 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


5.  Students  enrolling  in  post  schools  and  in  division  educational  centers  will 
return  with  their  respective  organizations,  when  ordered,  to  the  United  States, 
except  that  applications  for  transfer  to  other  division  educational  centers  for 
the  purpose  of  completing  courses  will  be  favorably  considered.  Students  at¬ 
tending  the  A.  E.  F.  educational  center  will  have  the  option  of  returning  to  the 
United  States  with  their  organizations  or  of  remaining  to  complete  the  term  of 
three  months.  Students  entering  French  and  British  universities  must  agree  to 
remain  for  the  full  term. 

6.  The  Army  educational  commission  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa¬ 
tion  will  assist  in  every  possible  way  in  the  development  of  this  educational 
system. 

In  the  administration  of  the  university  a  unique  blending  of  mili¬ 
tary  and  academic  service  took  place.  The  university  was,  of  course, 
formally  administered  by  military  authority.  Its  president  was  Col. 
I.  L.  Reeves.  Under  him  as  commanding  officer  was  a  complete  mili¬ 
tary  organization.  As  commanding  officer  also  he  issued  orders  gov¬ 
erning  the  nature  and  the  schedule  of  courses  and  the  personnel  of 
directors  and  teachers.  At  the  same  time  the  chairman  of  the  Army 
educational  commission  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association, 
Dr.  John  Erskine,  was  appointed  educational  director  of  the  uni¬ 
versity  and  served  as  chairman  of  the  university  council.  The  Army 
educational  commission  advised  the  president  of  the  university  as  to 
general  educational  policies  and  recommended  to  him  the  appoint¬ 
ment  of  the  directors  of  the  colleges  and  the  heads  of  the  depart¬ 
ments.  The  university  council  recommended  to  the  president  action 
governing  the  conduct  of  the  academic  work. 

The  faculty  of  the  university  was  recruited  from  professional 
teachers  in  the  Army  and  directly  from  civil  life  in  the  United  States, 
through  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association.  After  the  univer¬ 
sity  had  been  in  operation  for  six  weeks,  the  civilian  teachers  en¬ 
gaged  were  organized  into  an  Army  educational  corps,  which  had 
rank  as  a  temporary  service  with  the  A.  E.  F. 

The  university  included  in  its  organization  the  following  colleges : 
College  of  agriculture,  college  of  fine  and  applied  arts,  college  of 
business,  cadet  college,  college  of  correspondence,  college  of  educa¬ 
tion,  college  of  engineering,  college  of  journalism,  college  of  law, 
college  of  letters,  college  of  medical  sciences,  college  of  music,  college 
of  science,  a  farm  school,  and  post  and  division  schools.  From  March 
1  to  June  11  the  student  body  numbered  more  than  12,000  American 
soldiers.  There  were  approximately  700  instructors.1 

As  outlining  the  problem  before  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  University  and  the  educational  concept  o’f  those  in  charge, 

1  Complete  official  reports  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Force  University  are  not  yet 
available.  This  accounts  for  the  use  of  approximate  figures  and  for  certain  vaguenesses 
in  the  preceding  statement. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  17 

the  following  minutes  adopted  by  the  university  council,  on  March 
2,  are  of  especial  interest: 

The  unusual  conditions  under  which  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces 
University  begins  its  work,  the  absence  of  hampering  traditions,  and  the 
presence  of  unusual  problems,  all  suggest  an  opportunity  of  organizing  here  such 
_an  educational  system  as  many  of  us  should  like  to  see  in  the  United  States; 
that  is,  a  system  so  unified  from  the  elementary  to  the  graduate  schools  that 
every  man  can  find  in  college,  in  post  school,  or  in  division  school  classes 
the  particular  instruction  that  he  needs.  The  entire  system  will  be  repre¬ 
sented  at  Beaune,  since  we  shall  have  here,  in  addition  to  the  university,  a 
post  and  a  division  school.  Some  fear  might  possibly  be  felt,  in  the  absence 
of  our  accustomed  American  machinery  for  entrance  examinations,  that  the 
standards  of  the  college  and  university  work  may  be  relaxed.  We  believe, 
however,  that  where  an  instructor  will  preserve  the  proper  standard  in  his 
course,  no  possible  harm  can  come  to  the  educational  standards  of  the  univer¬ 
sity.  We  believe  also  that  in  the  United  States,  where  an  instructor  does  not 
preserve  the  standards  in  his  own  course,  no  system  of  entrance  examinations 
can  protect  the  standards  of  the  college. 

The  value  of  a  certificate  for  work  done  in  this  university  will  therefore  de¬ 
pend  upon  the  maintenance  of  proper  standards  in  each  individual  course. 

The  work  of  education  in  the  Army  has  obviously  a  teaching  rather  than 
an  examining  function.  It  is  more  important  that  we  should  help  any  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  who  desires  to  improve  himself 
than  that  we  should  issue  certificates.  But  in  order  to  give  the  student  the 
most  advantageous  instruction  we  shall  not  hesitate,  after  a  fair  trial  in  any 
part  of  our  educational  system,  to  recommend  his  transfer  to  courses  more 
suited  to  his  needs. 

Arrangements  were  also  made,  as  was  noted  in  the  general  order 
quoted  above,  for  the  detail  of  qualified  officers  and  soldiers  to  attend 
British  and  French  universities.  No  final  report  on  the  work  of 
these  students  has  yet  been  received.  Some  8,000  were  accommo¬ 
dated  in  French  institutions,  and  2,027  in  the  universities  of  the 
United  Kingdom. 

VOLUNTARY  AGENCIES. 

In  the  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  1018  the  es¬ 
tablishment  of  the  Emergency  Council  on  Education  was  noted. 
This  body  was  organized  early  in  1918  to  accomplish  the  following 
purposes : 

To  place  the  'educational  resources  of  the  country  more  completely  at  the 
service  of  the  National  Government  and  its  departments,  to  the  end  that 
through  an  understanding  cooperation — 

The  patriotic  services  of  the  public  schools,  professional  schools,  and  col¬ 
leges  and  universities  may  be  augmented ; 

A  continuous  sup|ply  of  educated  men  may  be  maintained;  and 

Greater  effectiveness  in  meeting  educational  problems  arising  during  and 
following  the  war  may  be  secured. 

The  council  was  composed  of  representatives  of  all  the  principal 
national  associations  dealing  with  higher  education.  Fifteen  of 


18  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

these  associations  were  represented  during  the  academic  year  in  the 
council’s  membership. 

The  council  changed  its  name  after  the  first  meeting  to  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Council  on  Education.  It  established  headquarters  in  Washing¬ 
ton,  and  through  the  active  efforts  of  its  executive  officers  it  served 
as  a  valuable  mediating  agent  between  the  Government  departments 
and  the  educational  institutions.  In  this  capacity  it  carried  on  in  the 
summer  of  1918,  in  cooperation  with  the  Bureau  of  Education,  a 
campaign  for  increased  enrollment  in  the  colleges.  Before  the  end 
of  the  summer  the  necessity  for  this  campaign  was  removed,  by  the 
establishment  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps  on  active  duty 
status.  That  there  was  so  large  a  number  of  men  already  registered 
in  the  colleges  and  ready  for  induction  into  the  Students’  Army 
Training  Corps  on  October  1  appears  to  have  been  in  great  measure 
due  to  the  effectiveness  of  this  campaign. 

The  council  set  itself  in  the  beginning  to  foster  the  development  of 
international-educational  relations.  It  created  a  standing  committee 
to  deal  with  this  matter  for  American  institutions.  In  the  autumn 
of  1918  the  universities  of  Great  Britain,  responding  to  an  invitation 
of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  sent  a  distinguished  mission  of 
university  scholars  to  visit  and  confer  with  the  officials  of  Ameri¬ 
can  universities.  The  council  had  charge  of  the  arrangements  for 
the  entertainment  of  this  mission.  Its  membership  and  the  purposes 
which  it  sought  to  accomplish  are  mentioned  below. 

The  passing  of  the  war  emergency  brought  up  the  question  of  the 
advisability  of  continuing  the  American  Council  on  Education  as  a 
general  agency  for  the  unification  of  higher  educational  interests. 
At  a  meeting  held  in  Cambridge,  December,  1918,  it  was  decided  to 
provide  for  the  permanent  establishment  of  the  council,  with  an  ex¬ 
ecutive  office  in  Washington  and  a  paid  staff.  Its  functions  were 
broadened  to  include  the  representation  of  the  higher  institutions  of 
the  United  States  in  dealing  with  educational  institutions  of  foreign 
countries,  the  representation  of  the  opinions  of  educational  interests 
before  Congress  and  the  Government  departments,  and  the  study  of 
important  problems  in  educational  organization  and  practice.  A 
plan  of  financing  the  council  through  membership  fees  both  of  the 
constituent  associations  and  of  individual  institutions  was  approved. 
At  a  meeting  on  May  2,  1919,  the  organization  of  a  permanent  ex¬ 
ecutive  office  was  finally  authorized. 

THE  BRITISH  EDUCATIONAL  MISSION. 

In  January,  1918,  the  commissioner  for  engineering  and  education 
of  the  Advisory  Commission  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense 
issued,  with  the  indorsement  of  the  council  and  of  the  Commissioner 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


19 


of  Education,  an  invitation  to  university  officers  of  the  allied  coun¬ 
tries  to  send  groups  of  representatives  to  America  to  confer  with 
and  to  advise  the  officers  of  American  institutions.  The  first  nation 
to  respond  to  this  invitation  was  Great  Britain.  A  group  of  scholars 
representing  British  universities  landed  in  New  York  on  the  8th 
of  October.  The  members  of  the  mission  were  as  follows : 

Dr.  Arthur  Everett  Shipley,  vice  chancellor  of  the  University  of  Cambridge. 

Sir  Henry  Miers,  vice  chancellor  of  the  University  of  Manchester. 

Rev.  Edward  Mewburn  Walker,  librarian  of  Queen’s  College,  Oxford. 

Sir  Henry  Jones,  professor  of  moral  philosophy,  University  of  Glasgow. 

Dr.  John  Joly,  professor  of  geology  and  mineralogy,  Trinity  College,  Dublin. 

Miss  Caroline  Spurgeon,  professor  of  English  literature,  University  of  London. 

Miss  Rosa  Sidgwick,  lecturer  on  history,  University  of  Birmingham. 

After  a  visit  to  Washington,  where  they  were  received  by  the 
President  and  by  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  they  made  a  tour 
of  universities  and  colleges  in  the  East  and  Middle  West.  Confer¬ 
ences  on  important  aspects  of  the  question  of  educational  exchanges 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  were  held  in  Philadel¬ 
phia,  New  York,  Minneapolis,  Houston,  and  Boston.  Definite  ar¬ 
rangements  were  made  for  the  mutual  recognition  of  academic  cre¬ 
dentials,  and  tentative  plans  were  proposed  for  the  interchange  of 
students  and  professors. 

THE  AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  UNION  IN  EUROPE. 

The  development  of  closer  educational  relations  with  the  principal 
allied  countries  was  promoted  during  the  war  with  great  effectiveness 
by  the  American  University  Union  in  Europe.  At  the  time  of  the 
organization  of  the  union  its  general  purpose  was  stated  to  be : 

The  general  object  of  the  union  shall  be  to  meet  the  needs  of  American 
university  and  college  men  and  their  friends  who  are  in  Europe  for  military 
or  other  service  in  the  cause  of  the  Allies,  and  to  serve  as  a  bond  between 
the  universities  of  America  and  those  of  European  nations  especially,  by 
encouraging  in  such  ways  as  the  trustees  may  see  fit  the  attendance  and  advanc¬ 
ing  the  welfare  of  American  students  at  the  representative  universities  of 
France,  Great  Britain,  and  Italy. 

The  union  has  been  financed  by  contributions  from  colleges  and 
universities  and  from  private  individuals.  The  admirable  service 
which  it  has  rendered,  not  only  to  members  of  the  American  Ex¬ 
peditionary  Forces,  but  in  the  cause  of  international  understanding, 
has  received  the  highest  official  indorsement  from  France,  England, 
and  the  United  States.  In  May,  1919,  the  trustees  of  the  union 
voted  to  continue  the  agency,  with  headquarters  in  Paris,  London, 
and  Rome. 

THE  INSTITUTE  OF  INTERNATIONAL  EDUCATION. 

In  the  spring  of  1919  the  Institute  of  International  Education 
was  established,  under  the  Carnegie  Endowment  for  International 


20 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Peace.  The  announcement  issued  by  the  institute  in  April  contains 
the  following  statements  of  its  purpose  and  the  reasons  for  its  es¬ 
tablishment  : 

In  order  to  develop  mutually  helpful  relations  between  the  United  States 
and  foreign  countries  through  educational  agencies,  the  Institute  of  Inter¬ 
national  Education  was  recently  founded  in  New  York,  with  sufficient  funds 
to  guarantee  its  permanency  and  ability  to  carry  out  its  purposes. 

The  need  of  a  central  clearing  house  of  information  in  the  field  of  education 
became  more  and  more  manifest  during  the  war,  when  inquiries  of  all  kinds 
came  from  the  allied  countries  concerning  the  organization  and  administra¬ 
tion  of  our  schools  and  colleges,  the  nature  of  our  degrees,  our  provision  for 
scholarships  and  fellowships,  the  possibility  of  placing  foreign  students  in  our 
institutions,  etc.  Some  of  the  definite  ways  in  which  the  institute  hopes  to 
serve  are  as  follows : 

1.  The  preparation  and  dissemination  of  information  concerning  institu¬ 
tions,  types  of  training,  graduate  instruction,  and  individual  courses  in  the 
United  States. 

2.  The  tabulation  of  fellowships,  scholarships,  and  other  financial  aids  to 

students.  *  *  * 

3.  The  interchange  of  professors  and  other  intellectual  leaders. 

4.  Visits  of  foreign  missions. 

5.  International  scholarship.  *  *  * 

6.  The  institute  will  also  serve  as  a  rendezvous  for  foreign  students  and 

professors  upon  their  arrival  in  this  country,  and  for  American  professors  and 
students  before  their  departure  to  foreign  counties.  *  *  * 

7.  The  institute  is  broadly  educational.  Though  its  work  will  chiefly  be  in 
association  with  educational  institutions,  it  will  cooperate  with  other  agencies 
to  disseminate  correct  information  about  foreign  peoples.  These  agencies  may 
be  in  the  fields  of  science,  art,  finance,  labor,  or  journalism,  and  the  coopera¬ 
tion  may  take  the  form  of  conferences  on  the  various  aspects  of  international 
relations  that  have  a  general  educational  significance. 


II.  VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION. 

STATISTICAL  EVIDENCE  OF  PROGRESS. 

The  second  annual  report  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational 
Education,  which  has  appeared  during  the  period  under  review, 
presents  the  first  comprehensive  figures  on  vocational  education, 
showing  the  influence  of  the  Smith-Hughes  Vocational  Education 
Act.  From  this  and  succeeding  annual  reports  more  accurate  meas¬ 
urements  of  the  development  of  vocational  education  can  be  made 
than  have  been  possible  hitherto. 

Prior  to  the  enactment  of  the  Smith-Hughes  law,  eight  States  had 
made  some  progress  in  the  establishment  of  State  systems  of  voca¬ 
tional  education:  Massachusetts,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  Connecticut,  Wisconsin,  Indiana,  and  California.  No  figures 
are  available  giving  the  number  of  vocational  schools  in  these  States 
before  1918,  but  after  deducting  the  number  reported  from  these 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


21 


States  from  the  total  number  reported  by  the  Federal  Board,  the 
remainder  may  be  considered  a  fair  indication  of  the  extent  of  the 
development  of  these  schools  during  the  past  two  or  three  years. 
Many  of  these  schools  have  been  organized  since  August,  1917,  when 
the  board  held  its  first  conferences  with  representatives  of  the  States, 
but  the  figures  do  not  show  how  many. 

The  report 1  shows  that  during  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1918, 
the  total  number  of  schools  reporting  Federally  aided  vocational 
instruction  was  1,741*,  in  48  States.  The  number  of  schools  reported 
from  the  eight  States  referred  to  above  as  having  State  systems  of 
vocational  education  already  in  existence  is  867.  The  number  of 
schools  in  the  remaining  40  States,  therefore,  was  874. 

Some  indication  of  the  diffusion  of  the  movement  throughout  the 
States  is  afforded  by  the  following  analysis  of  the  figures  in  this 
table.  Of  the  48  States,  8  report  fewer  than  10  schools  each,  total, 
47  schools;  13  States  report  from  10  to  19  schools  each,  total  173 
schools;  14  States  report  from  20  to  28  schools  each,  total,  343 
schools ;  1  State  reports  34  schools ;  3  States  report  45,  48,  49  schools, 
respectively,  total  142  schools ;  4  States  report  from  60  to  68  schools, 
total,  253  schools;  5  States  report  71,  83,  88,  114,  393  schools,  respec¬ 
tively,  total,  749  schools. 

Table  7  in  the  same  report  gives  the  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in 
the  1,741  schools  reported  in  Table  5.  In  the  8  States  referred  to  above 
as  having  State  systems  of  vocational  education  already  in  existence, 
the  number  of  pupils  reported  in  867  schools  is  109,916,  or  an  average 
of  126.8  pupils  per  school.  In  the  remaining  40  States,  874  schools 
report  -54,270  pupils,  or  an  average  of  62.1  pupils  per  school.  In  the 
States  which  have  more  recently  established  systems  of  vocational 
education  the  average  enrollment  per  school  is  somewhat  less  than 
half  that  in  the  8  Statesf  which  have  had  longer  experience  in  the 
work. 

The  problem  of  training  teachers  is  recognized  as  very  important, 
since  46  States  report  145  training  centers  receiving  Federal  aid, 
with  a  total  enrollment  of  6,579  prospective  teachers  in  training. 
This  is  a  larger  number  than  the  total  number  of  teachers  now  in 
service,  5,257  (Table  6).  Only  six  States  do  not  report  teacher-train¬ 
ing  centers:  Bhode  Island,  Virginia,  Florida,  Tennessee,  Arkansas, 
and  Iowa. 

NEW  WORK  IN  UNIVERSITIES. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  importance  of  the  problem  of  prepar¬ 
ing  vocational  teachers  has  been  recognized,  and  a  number  of  insti¬ 
tutions  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  teachers  have  made  special 


1  Second  Annual  Report,  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education,  1918  ;  Table  5,  p.  95. 
142539°— 19 - 3 


22 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

provision  for  prospective  teachers  of  trade  and  industrial  subjects. 
Among  the  pioneers  in  this  field  were  Teachers’  College,  Columbia 
University,  New  York  City;  Bradley  Potytechnic  Institute,  Peoria, 
Ill.;  Pratt  Institute,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  Stout  Institute,  Menom- 
onie,  Wis.  The  work  was  started  also  in  several  State  normal 
schools  and  teachers’  colleges,  including  those  at  Albany  and  Buf¬ 
falo,  N.  Y. 

In  the  State  universities  the  movement  began  with  Wisconsin,  in 
1910 ;  Missouri,  1913 ;  Indiana,  1914 ;  Minnesota,  1915.  Other  institu¬ 
tions  which  have  made  special  provision  for  training  vocational 
teachers  since  this  date  include  the  University  of  California,  the 
University  of  Illinois,  the  University  of  Michigan,  the  University  of 
North  Dakota,  and  the  University  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

EXTENSION  CENTERS  FOR  TEACHER  TRAINING. 

Among  the  interesting  developments  of  the  work  conducted  by  the 
State  universities  should  be  mentioned  the  branches  or  stations  estab¬ 
lished  at  some  distance  from  the  main  campus  by  institutions  which 
do  not  happen  to  be  favorably  located  for  convenient  access  to  the 
industrial  centers  of  their  respective  States.  One  of  the  essential 
conditions  of  success  in  training  teachers  for  the  trades  and  indus¬ 
tries  is  the  provision  of  training  facilities  within  reach  of  the  indus¬ 
tries.  Employed  workers  constitute  the  chief  reservoir  from  which 
must  be  drawn  the  supply  of  students  for  these  classes.  Experience 
has  shown  that  these  persons  can  not  be  induced  to  leave  their  em¬ 
ployment  and  take  up  residence  at  the  school ;  hence  the  school  must 
be  taken  to  them. 

To  meet  this  situation  the  University  of  Indiana,  which  is  located 
at  Bloomington,  in  1918  established  a  teacher-training  center  or 
station  at  Indianapolis,  and  opened  evening  classes  for  persons 
employed  during  the  day.  The  success  of  this  center  soon  led  to  the 
establishment  of  others  at  Evansville,  Anderson,  and  Richmond. 
Professional  courses  are  taught  by  representatives  of  the  university 
faculty  who  make  weekly  trips  to  the  extension  centers,  and  courses 
in  related  subjects  are  given  by  teachers  from  the  local  schools.  In 
the  classes  in  these  four  cities  an  enrollment  of  136  men  was  reported 
in  December,  1918.  By  means  of  this  program  the  university  meets 
the  requirements  of  the  State  Board  for  Vocational  Education,  of  240 
hours  of  instruction,  in  two  years,  of  30  weeks  each,  two  evenings  per 
week,  two  hours  per  evening. 

Similar  plans  have  been  developed  at  the  University  of  Missouri 
and  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  former,  which  is  located  at 
Columbia,  has  established  extension  centers  in  Kansas  City  and  St. 
Louis.  The  latter,  located  at  Urbana,  has  established  a  teacher- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


23 


training  center  in  Chicago.  The  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann 
Arbor,  has  opened  teacher-training  classes  at  Grand  Rapids. 

ASSISTANT  SUPERINTENDENTS  OF  CITY  SCHOOLS. 

One  of  the  significant  phases  of  the  progress  of  vocational  educa¬ 
tion  is  the  form  of  administration  which  has  been  adopted  in  a  num¬ 
ber  of  cities.  In  many  cities  it  has  been  customary  to  provide  for 
certain  special  subjects  of  instruction  by  the  appointment  of  super¬ 
visors  or  directors  of  these  subjects,  reporting  directly  to  the  super¬ 
intendent.  Thus,  supervisors  or  directors  of  manual  training,  home 
economics,  art  instruction,  physical  education,  and  the  like,  are 
common  in  city  school  practice. 

With  the  development  of  programs  for  vocational  education, 
chiefly  industrial  education  in  the  beginning,  it  seemed  appropriate 
to  appoint  directors  of  industrial  education.  For  obvious  reasons, 
numerous  combination  positions  were  created,  such  as  director  of 
manual  training  and  industrial  education ;  manual  training,  art,  and 
industrial  education;  manual  training,  home  economics,  and  indus¬ 
trial  education. 

Certain  weaknesses  in  this  plan  of  organization  soon  appeared, 
however:  (1)  In  the  development  of  a  program  of  industrial  educa¬ 
tion  it  is  necessary  to  draw  upon  the  resources  and  facilities  of 
various  types  of  school,  both  elementary  and  high,  and  to  bring 
about  certain  readjustments  and  modifications  in  schedules,  courses 
of  study,  equipment,  and  assignment  of  instructors.  Efficient  ad¬ 
ministration  calls  for  the  appointment  of  a  school  officer  to  accom¬ 
plish  these  ends  who  should  occupy  a  status  somewhat  different  from 
that  of  the  supervisor  or  director  and  should  have  authority  to  deal 
directly  with  principals  of  schools  and  other  officials  higher  up. 
(2)  The  development  of  a  comprehensive  program  of  vocational 
education  requires  special  training,  a  unique  combination  of  expe¬ 
rience  and  ability  of  a  high  order.  In  the  larger  cities,  especially, 
it  has  been  found  difficult  to  secure  men  of  the  requisite  qualifications 
at  the  salaries  which  are  usually  associated  with  positions  of  super¬ 
visor  or  director. 

For  these  and  other  reasons,  there  have  been  created  in  a  number 
of  cities  positions  corresponding  to  that  of  assistant  superintendent 
of  schools,  the  duties  of  which  include  responsibility  for  the  estab¬ 
lishment  and  direction  of  vocational  activities.  The  position  is 
called  by  different  names  in  different  cities,  but  the  ends  sought 
appear  to  be  substantially  the  same. 

Among  the  cities  which  first  took  this  step  are  Rochester,  N.  Y., 
and  Philadelphia,  Pa.  In  the  latter  the  duties  in  question  were  as¬ 
signed  to  an  associate  superintendent  of  schools.  In  the  former,  an 


24 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


assistant  superintendent  of  schools  was  appointed  to  have  charge  of 
all  technical  and  vocational  work. 

In  June,  1918,  the  New  York  City  Board  of  Education  adopted 
a  by-law  creating  a  “  bureau  of  vocational  activities,  with  a  director 
responsible  to  the  superintendent  of  schools.”  He  is  to  have  “  direc¬ 
tion  and  supervision  of  all  technical,  vocational,  prevocational,  in¬ 
dustrial,  and  manual  training  subjects.” 

Boston,  Mass.,  has  an  assistant  superintendent  of  schools  in  charge 
of  manual  arts  courses,  prevocational  schools,  continuation  schools, 
and  vocational  education.  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  has  an  associate  superin¬ 
tendent  in  charge  of  industrial  education.  Cleveland,  Ohio,  has 
an  assistant  superintendent  in  charge  of  manual  training,  home  ecor 
nomics,  and  vocational  education.  Johnstown,  Pa.,  has  an  assistant 
superintendent  in  charge  of  manual  training  and  vocational  educa¬ 
tion.  It  seems  reasonable  to  expect  other  cities  to  follow  these  ex¬ 
amples. 

LESSONS  FROM  THE  WAR. 

It  has  been  repeated  so  often  that  the  statement  is  in  danger  of  be¬ 
coming  commonplace  and  losing  the  force  of  its  vital  significance, 
but  the  war  undoubtedly  taught  the  American  people  a  number  of 
lessons  on  the  meaning  and  value  of  education.  For  example: 

Nothing  before  in  our  history  as  a  Nation  has  brought  out  into  such  clear 
relief  the  fact  that  fundamental  education  is  a  prerequisite  to  leadership  and 
efficiency.  Nothing  before  has  made  it  so  evident  that,  with  fundamental  edu¬ 
cation  and  physical  fitness,  special  training  may  become  quickly  effective,  and 
that  without  the  fundamental  education,  even  with  the  physical  fitness,  cer¬ 
tain  kinds  of  special  training  do  not  produce  the  desired  results.1 2 

Unquestionably,  the  success  of  the  tremendous  effort  put  forth 
by  this  Nation  during  the  late  struggle,  unprecedented  in  history, 
must  be  credited  in  large  measure  to  popular  education.  If  there 
were  respects  in  which  the  results  of  education  did  not  measure  up 
in  full  to  the  requirements  of  the  emergency,  nevertheless,  we  have 
accumulated  positive  evidence  on  the  value  of  education  to  a  people 
such  as  has  never  been  available  before. 

It  is  safe  to  affirm  that  no  special  phase  of  education  has  more 
strikingly  justified  itself  in  the  crisis  than  vocational  education. 

One  of  the  chief  heritages  of  the  war  is  the  demonstration  of  the  value  of 
industrial  training.  The  nations  have  paid  an  immense  price  for  this  lesson, 
but  it  doubtless  will  be  counted  among  the  most  useful  and  salutary  of  all  that 
were  taught  in  the  four  years  of  bloodshed.  ...  A  very  large  sum  of  public 
and  private  funds  was  expended  for  industrial  training  in  the  United  States  in 
the  last  18  months.  It  would  be  sheer  waste  of  this  money  if  at  least  the  value 
of  industrial  training  is  not  recognized.3 


1  Editorial,  Manual  Training  Magaaine,  November,  1918,  p.  101. 

2  “  Industrial  Training  and  Foreign  Trade,”  Training  Service  Section,  United  States 

Department  of  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  25 

THE  COOPERATIVE  SCHOOL. 

Some  attention  was  given  in  tlie  report  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Education  for  1918  to  the  importance  of  the  cooperative  school  as  a 
factor  in  the  progress  of  vocational  education.  By  cooperative 
school  is  understood  a  type  of  part-time  continuation  school  in 
which,  by  means  of  a  definite  arrangement  between  the  school  system 
and  one  or  more  industrial  or  commercial  establishments,  employed 
workers  under  16  years  of  age  (or  under  18  years)  work  half  time 
for  wages  and  attend  school  half  time,  in  alternate  periods. 

In  two  cities,  Xew  York  and  Pittsburgh,  this  plan  has  recently 
been  introduced  on  a  considerable  scale,  and  for  this  reason  may  be 
reviewed  briefly  here. 

COOPERATIVE  SCHOOLS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY. 

Continuation  schools,  as  a  part  of  the  public-school  system  of  Xew 
York  City,  were  first  established  in  1913,  according  to  plans  out¬ 
lined  by  Dean  Schneider,  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati,  who  was 
the  first  to  develop  in  a  college  of  engineering  what  is  now  known  as 
the  “cooperative  plan.”  From  this  beginning  the  project  has  grown, 
until  in  1918  cooperative  courses  were  offered  in  10  high  schools,  with 
677  boys  and  girls  enrolled,  and  175  cooperating  business  and  manu¬ 
facturing  firms.1  > 

The  students  are  paired,  one  of  the  pair  being  in  school  while  the 
other  is  at  work,  and  they  exchange  places  each  week.  While  at 
work  the  students  are  paid  the  same  wages  as  other  employees  en¬ 
gaged  in  similar  classes  of  work.  “  During  the  past  year  the  pupils 
earned  $105,568.13.” 

One  of  the  essential  features  of  the  plan  is  that  the  activities  of 
the  students  shall  follow  a  systematic  and  progressive  educational 
program  while  in  the  place  of  employment  as  well  as  while  at  school, 
and  that  the  two  lines  of  activities  shall  be  definitely  unified.  In  the 
Xew  York  City  plan  this  is  accomplished  by  the  appointment  of  12 
teachers  from  the  high-school  faculties  as  “  coordinators,”  working 
under  the  direction  of  a  “chief  coordinator.”  The  coordinators 
seek  out  employers  who  may  be  induced  to  organize  their  working 
forces  in  this  cooperative  way ;  confer  with  foremen  and  other  work¬ 
ers  as  to  the  sequence  of  processes  in  office,  store,  or  factory;  plan 
courses  of  study  for  the  schools,  making  the  necessary  connections 
with  the  practical  work;  and  follow  up  the  individual  student  in 
his  progress  both  in  school  and  at  work. 

Classes  are  in  session  at  various  hours  from  8  a.  m.  until  10  p.  m. 
Some  classes  are  housed  in  public-school  buildings,  while  accommo- 


1  Report  by  W.  H.  Dooley,  Manual  Training  Magazine,  June,  1919,  p.  vi. 


26 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

dations  for  others  are  provided  by  employers  at  their  places  of 
business. 

The  school  authorities  distinguish  six  different  types  of  classes : 

(1)  Compulsory  continuation  classes  for  working  children  younger  than  16 
years  of  age  who  have  not  completed  the  eighth  grade.  These  boys  and  girls 
devote  four  hours  per  week,  during  working  hours,  to  general  educational  sub¬ 
jects  and  a  choick  between  prevocational  and  vocational  work. 

(2)  Trade  extension  classes  for  young  workers  in  the  skilled  trades.  The 
instruction  includes  shop  mathematics,  English,  mechanical  drawing,  and 
technical  work  related  to  the  trade. 

(3)  Extension  classes  for  workers  employed  in  commercial  pursuits.  These 
classes  include  salesmanship,  merchandising,  tj-pewriting,  stenography. 

(4)  General  improvement  classes,  for  younger  employees  in  department  stores 
and  other  stores. 

(5)  Classes  in  high-school  subjects  designed  primarily  for  civil-service  em¬ 
ployees,  for  general  improvement,  and  to  assist  in  qualifying  for  promotion. 

(6)  Classes  for  non-English-speaking  employees. 

COOPERATIVE  SCHOOLS  IN  PITTSBURGH. 

In  September,  1918,  the  public  schools  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  inaugu¬ 
rated  a  plan  of  cooperative  classes  by  joining  in  the  organization  of 
a  Research  Bureau  for  Retail  Training.  The .  other  cooperating 
agencies  are  the  Carnegie  Institute  of  Technology  and  a  number  of 
department  stores  in  that  city.  The  staff  of  the  bureau  includes  a 
director,  an  expert  in  department-store  work,  an  expert  in  depart¬ 
ment-store  education,  an  expert  in  salesmanship  courses,  a  high- 
school  principal,  and  advisers  from  the  department  of  psycholog}"  of 
the  institute.1 

This  staff  has  brought  about  the  preparation  of  a  one-year  course 
of  study  for  first-year  high-school  pupils,  which  includes  English, 
arithmetic,  general  science,  color  and  design,  store  organization,  and 
practice.  The  student  spends  half-time  in  school  and  half-time  in  the 
department  store,  changing  each  week.  For  satisfactory  work  done 
on  this  basis  the  student  receives  credit  for  one  full  year  of  higli- 
school  work.  It  has  been  agreed  that  boys  and  girls  employed  in 
the  stores  under  this  plan  are  school  children,  not  subject  to  discharge 
by  the  employers  without  concurrence  of  the  school  authorities. 

Mr.  Leavitt  calls  attention  to  a  significant  discovery  made  by  the 
Pittsburgh  authorities  during  the  process  of  inaugurating  this  plan. 
Principals  and  teachers  in  the  elementary  and  high  schools  were  re¬ 
quested  to  inquire  among  their  pupils  and  submit  the  names  of  those 
interested  or  likely  to  be  interested  in  the  proposed  classes.  “  About 
75  names  of  elementary-school  graduates  were  submitted.  Not  one 
high-school  principal  discovered  a  pupil  who  was  interested  in  the 
part-time  plan.”  Mr.  Leavitt’s  account  continues: 


1  Leavitt.  Launching  Part-time  Cooperative  Education  on  a  Large  Scale.  Proceedings, 
Vocational  Education  Association  of  the  Middle  West.  January,  1919. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


27 


At  the  same  time  the  stores  were  asked  to  furnish  a  list  of  positions  which 
they  would  agree  to  fill  with  part-time  pupils  in  September.  The  positions 
promised  aggregated  over  1,800.  One  store  alone  agreed  to  take  892  half-time 
employees,  as  follows:  First-year  high  school,  84  boys  and  134  girls;  second- 
year,  46  boys  and  116  girls;  third-year,  112  boys  and  132  girls;  fourth-year, 
48  boys  and  78  girls;  and  the  balance  from  the  elementary  grades.  Their  re¬ 
quest,  therefore  was  for  about  85  per  cent  high-school  pupils.  The  bureau 
investigated  the  educational  equipment  of  the  employees  of  those  stores  and  dis¬ 
covered  that  of  all  these  under  23  years  of  age  only  23  per  cent  had  ever  been 
in  a  high  school. 

Under  present  conditions,  therefore,  positions  in  these  stores  do 
not  appeal  strongly  to  high-school  students,  and  for  various  reasons 
the  attempt  to  reach  students  for  the  proposed  part-time  classes 
through  principals  and  teachers  did  not  meet  with  great  success. 
Subsequent  efforts  to  get  the  proposition  to  parents  and  the  boys  and 
girls  directly  were  more  successful,  and  classes  were  organized. 

The  advantages  to  the  student  of  the  cooperative  plan,  as  outlined 
by  Mr.  Leavitt,  are  of  special  interest  : 

1.  He  secures  a  good  position  since  cooperative  work  is  never  undertaken  by 
a  school  system  unless  the  cooperating  employer  can  offer  a  position  which 
promises  future  advancement. 

2.  Not  only  does  the  young  person  secure  a  good  position  with  promise  of 
future  promotion  but  he  receives  training  for  the  work  which  he  is  doing.  A 
part  of  this  training  is  given  in  the  place  where  he  is  employed  and  a  part  of  it 
is  given  in  the  public  school. 

3.  Whether  at  school  or  at  work  the  young  person  is  under  the  care  and  super¬ 
vision  of  the  public  educational  authorities. 

4.  The  young  person  may  begin  to  contribute  to  his  own  support  while  he  is 
still  in  school  securing  an  education. 

5.  To  many  pupils  the  practical  work  serves  to  explain  the  school  work  and 
to  make  it  seem  more  vital  and  more  important.  In  some  cases  pupils  who  fail 
to  appreciate  the  educational  opportunities  offered  by  the  regular  full-time 
school  work  become  at  once  faithful  and  diligent  students  on  entering  the  part- 
time  class. 

6.  This  plan  tends  to  hold  the  young  person  for  a  longer  time  in  his  first  job, 
thus  protecting  him  from  that  constant  change  from  job  to  job  which  is  so  dis¬ 
astrous  to  many  young  people. 

7.  The  plan  will  start  the  young  worker  in  the  right  way  by  showing  him 
that  it  is  worth  while  to  study  the  occupation  in  which  he  is  engaged  and  that 
such  a  study  of  the  opportunities  of  the  vocation  will  certainly  advance  him 
in  his  life  work.  Few  people  are  making  substantial  progress  in  their  daily 
occupations  who  are  not  studying  in  some  way  to  improve  themselves  and  their 
work.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  part-time  cooperative  plan  of  vocational 
education  offers  many  advantages  over  full-time  work,  and  even  over  full-time 
education,  for  some  young  people. 

INCREASED  EMPHASIS  ON  INDUSTRIAL  ART. 

No  report  of  recent  progress  in  vocational  education  would  be 
complete  without  some  account  of  the  growing  interest  in  art  as  ap¬ 
plied  to  industries.  Industrial  leaders  as  well  as  educators  are  call- 


28  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

ing  attention  to  the  urgent  need  for  more  energetic  action  in  this 
direction. 

Among  the  evidences  of  a  lively  interest  in  this  movement  may  be 
mentioned  the  organization  of  a  National  Association  of  Decorative 
Arts  and  Industries,  which  occurred  in  New  York  City  in  November, 
1918.  The  object  of  the  association  is  declared  to  be  the  raising  of 
national  standards  of  taste  in  home  furnishings.  To  this  end  it  is 
proposed  to  stimulate  closer  relations  among  manufacturers,  job¬ 
bers,  and  retailers  of  products  that  enter  into  the  furnishing  of  the 
home.  Plans  include  public  lectures  and  projected  exhibitions  of 
furniture,  fabrics,  wall  paper,  rugs  and  carpets,  framed  pictures,  sil¬ 
verware,  pottery  and  glassware,  and  the  like. 

The  Allied  Wall  Paper  Industry  has  made  public  a  call  for  more 
and  better  trained  workers  in  wall-paper  designing  and  paper¬ 
hanging.  This  organization  emphasizes  the  need  of  higher  art 
standards  in  this  industry  in  the  United  States,  and  urges  immediate 
steps  to  train  high  grade  designers.  Vocational  schools  are  asked  to 
investigate  the  trade  of  paperhanging,  and  to  consider  the  possibili¬ 
ties  in  the  way  of  service  to  communities^by  raising  the  standards  of 
workmanship. 


INDUSTRIAL.  ART  A  NATIONAL  ASSET. 

In  a  brief  report  on  this  subject,  H.  M.  Kurtzworth,  director  of 
the  Grand  Eapids  (Mich.)  School  of  Art  and  Industry,  calls  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  importance  of  art  training  in  adding  to  the  quality  and 
quantity  of  the  Nation’s  products.1  The  academic  method  of  teaching 
art  has  proved  inefficient  “because  it  overlooks  the  fact  that  de¬ 
signers,  artists,  and  artisans  are  essentially  workmen  no  matter  how 
fine  their  creative  faculties  are.” 

Mr.  Kurtzworth  argues  for  a  more  practical  plan  based  jon  appren¬ 
ticeship  procedure  which  keeps  constantly  in  touch  with  actual  pro¬ 
ducing  working  conditions.  The  methods  employed  and  the  instruc¬ 
tion  should  be  such  that  “(1)  the  student  thus  gains  definite  knowl¬ 
edge  and  learns  how  to  apply  it;  (2)  he  does  actual  work  and  gains 
definite  skill,  which  will  make  him  able  to  become  (3)  an  intelligent 
consumer,  (4)  a  proficient  salesman,  or  (5)  an  expert  skilled  work¬ 
man  or  creative  designer.” 

PLAN  FOR  NATIONAL  SCHOOL  OF  INDUSTRIAL  ART. 

Considerable  interest  has  been  aroused  by  a  plan  for  a  national 
school  of  industrial  art,  proposed  by  Prof.  Charles  A.  Bennett.2 


1  Kurtzworth.  Industrial  Art  a  National  Asset.  Bureau  of  Education,  Industrial  Edu- 
ca.ion  Circular  No.  3,  May,  1919,  pp.  1-31. 

2  Bennett..  Wanted,  A  National  School  of  Industrial  Art.  American  Magazine  of  Art, 
January,  1919. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


29 


Pointing  out  the  need  for  a  school  to  which  designers  and  skilled 
workmen  may  go  to  secure  the  'latest  ideas  developed  in  their  craft 
and  to  receive  instruction  in  the  more  advanced  technical  branches 
of  their  work,  the  author  shows  that  the  school  must  combine  in¬ 
struction  and  production  in  some  way. 

Therefore  the  school  should  consist  fundamentally  of  a  group  of  factories. 
There  should  be  a  separate  factory  for  each  of  the  main  divisions  of  art  indus¬ 
try  ;  for  example,  a  factory  for  doing  work  in  furniture  making  and  interior 
decorating,  a  factory  for  textile  work,  a  factory  for  ceramics,  a  factory  for 
metal  working,  a  factory  for  printing  and  book  making.  Each  should  be  a  real 
factory  turning  out  a  limited  but  superior  product  by  the  best-known  methods 
using  the  most  up-to-date  machinery  where  machinery  is  needed,  and  the  best 
hand-skill  methods  where  machinery  is  not  available. 

As  the  instruction  should  include  a  thorough  study  of  the  best  design  and 
technique  of  the  past  as  well  as  of  the  present  in  the  leading  countries  of  the 
wrorld,  the  center  of  the  group  of  factories  should  be  a  working  museum  and 
library  well  supplied  with  works  of  industrial  art  that  are  typical  and  educative, 
and  plenty  of  space  for  study  and  drawing  in  the  museum  building.  Each 
factory,  too,  should  have  space  for  classrooms  and  drafting  rooms.  It  should  be 
possible  to  make  a  study  of  the  technical  methods  as  well  as  the  finished  re¬ 
sults  of  the  master  workmen  of  both  the  past  and  the  present.  *  *  * 

In  the  first  place  the  primary  purpose  of  the  school  would  be  education,  not 
money  making,  but  an  important  secondary  purpose  would  be  to  turn  out  a  few 
art  products  of  high  standard  to  sell  on  order  or  in  the  open  market.  Nothing- 
should  be  sold  that  would  not  be  a  credit  to  the  school  from  the  standpoint  of 
design  as  well  as  workmanship.  No  factory  run  for  the  primary  purpose  of  in¬ 
struction  should  be  expected  to  pay  the  salaries  of  teachers  out  of  receipts  for 
products  manufactured.  Such  perpetual-motion  schemes  of  education  have  been 
tried  and  always  failed,  either  educationally  or  financially  or  both.  On  the 
other  hand,  several  instances  can  be  cited  where  a  school  factory  has  more  than 
paid  for  the  cost  of  stock  and  supplies  consumed  in  giving  high  grade  instruc¬ 
tion.  It  should  be  noted  that  in  this  respect  the  school  factory  of  the  type 
under  consideration  has  a  very  distinct  financial  advantage  over  most  scien¬ 
tific  laboratories,  although  these  are  cheerfully  maintained  at  a  great  expense 
because  of  the  large  returns  in  scientific  knowledge. 

In  conclusion,  the  author  shows  that  such  a  school,  though  it  may 
have  branches  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  or  to  deal  with  various 
specific  industries,  must  be  developed  on  a  national  scale  and  with 
national  support  in  order  adequately  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  situ¬ 
ation. 

The  Art  Alliance  of  America,  with  headquarters  in  New  York  City^ 
and  branches  in  other  cities,  has  been  a  potent  force  in  centering  pub¬ 
lic  attention  on  industrial  art  and  in  urging  the  necessity  for  aggres¬ 
sive  national  action.  During  the  month  of  April,  1919,  the  alliance 
held  in  New  York  City  an  exhibit  of  the  work  of  students  from  more 
than  20  schools  offering  instruction  in  fine  and  industrial  art  and  the 
skilled  trades.  The  exhibition  included  the  following  sections : 
Graphic  arts,  fashions,  textiles,  interior  decoration,  stage  .craft,  and 
toys. 


30 


EDUCATION"  REPORT,  1919. 


The  Art  Alliance  of  Chicago  held  an  industrial  art  exposition  in 
Chicago  in  May,  1919,  in  cooperation  with  the  Illinois  Manufactur¬ 
ers’  Association.  An  attempt  was  made  to  secure  displays  from  all 
industries  in  which  art  plays  a  part. 

An  important  meeting  was  held  at  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
Art,  New  York  City,  on  February  11,  1919,  to  discuss  the  “  National 
needs  and  opportunities  in  the  industrial  arts.”  Cooperating  in 
this  meeting  were  the  Art  Alliance  of  America,  the  Municipal  Art 
Society  of  New  York  City,  the  Art  in  Trade  Club,  the  School  Art 
League,  and  the  Art  Department  of  the  city  high  schools. 

At  the  twenty-fifth  annual  convention  of  the  Western  Drawing  and 
Manual  Training  Association,  held  at  the  Chicago  Art  Institute, 
May  6-8,  1919,  one  entire  session  was  devoted  to  a  discussion  of  “A 
National  Policy  on  Art  in  Industry.”  The  program  included  two 
formal  proposals  of  definite  plans  for  the  establishment  of  a  national 
institution  to  deal  with  this  situation:  (1)  “A  National  University 
of  the  Arts,”  by  Miss  Emma  M.  Church,  president,  the  Church 
School  of  Art,  Chicago;  and  (2)  “A  Plan  for  a  National  School  of 
Industrial  Art,”  by  Prof.  Charles  A.  Bennett,  editor,  the  Manual 
Training  Magazine. 

These  events,  and  others  which  might  be  noted,  seem  to  justify 
the  expectation  that  through  some  form  of  cooperative  effort,  and  at 
an  early  date,  steps  will  be  taken  to  meet  what  is  clearly  a  very 
real  national  need. 

VOCATIONAL  REHABILITATION  UNDER  THE  SMITH-SEARS  LAW. 

The  President’s  veto  of  the  sundry  civil  bill,  and  subsequent  action 
by  Congress  have  resulted  in  an  increase  of  the  fund  available  under 
the  Smith-Sears  law  from  $6,000,000  to  $14,000,000.  Further 
changes  in  the  law  affecting  the  relations  of  the  Federal  board  to  the 
Bureau  of  War  Bisk  Insurance  have  simplified  the  administration 
by  relieving  the  bureau  of  responsibility  for  certain  details,  and 
centralizing  the  administration  in  the  Federal  board.  The  new 
arrangement  makes  for  more  effective  and  expeditious  procedure. 

On  August  1,  1919,  the  Federal  board  had  in  training  over  6,000 
returned  sbldiers,  sailors,  and  marines,  in  about  1,000  institutions, 
including  schools,  colleges,  universities,  factories,  farms,  and  offices. 
Men  are  entering  upon  this  training  at  the  rate  of  over  1,000  per 
month. 

More  than  147,000  men  have  been  registered  and  given  their 
medical  examinations,  upon  application  for  vocational  rehabilita¬ 
tion  ;  more  than  100,000  cases  have  been  surveyed  by  representatives 
of  the  Federal  board ;  and  over  14,000  cases  have  been  approved  for 
training. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  31 

ACTIVITIES  OF  ORGANIZATIONS  INTERESTED  IN  VOCATIONAL 
EDUCATION. 

The  annual  conventions  of  educational  organizations  especially 
interested  in  vocational  education  constitute  an  important  factor  in 
the  progress  of  the  movement.  The  fifth  convention  of  the  Voca¬ 
tional  Education  Association  of  the  Middle  West  was  held  in  Chi¬ 
cago  January  16—18,  and  the  attendance  was  reported  to  be  larger, 
and  the  interest  greater,  than  at  any  previous  meeting.  The  same 
may  be  said  for  the  twelfth  annual  convention  of  the  National  So¬ 
ciety  for  Vocational  Education,  which  was  held  in  St.  Louis,  Feb¬ 
ruary  20-22.  These  two  associations  have  announced  their  inten¬ 
tion  to  combine  in  a  joint  meeting  in  Chicago,  February  19-21,  1920, 
in  what  will  probably  be  the  largest  and  most  important  convention 
thus  far  held  in  the  interests  of  vocational  education. 


III.  HOME  ECONOMICS  EDUCATION. 

Home  economics  education  during  the  fiscal  year  1918-19  was 
sharply  divided  into  two  periods.  The  first  lasted  through  the 
summer  of  1918  and  until  about  January  1,  1919.  The  second  com¬ 
pleted  the  year  to  June  30,  1919. 

During  the  first  period  all  class  work  was  dominated  by  war 
needs  until- influenza  became  epidemic,  after  which  community  serv¬ 
ice  was  the  controlling  motive  in  home  economics  class  work.  During 
the  second  part  of  the  year,  there  was  a  tendency  toward  retar¬ 
dation  of  war-work  instruction,  a  little  slackening  of  energies,  a 
searching  for  subjects  of  such  commanding  importance  that  motives 
for  sustained  interest  might  be  provided  and  that  the  impetus  sup¬ 
plied  by  the  war  period  might  not  be  lost,  and  an  effort  to  readjust  to 
a  normal  basis  that  should  retain  all  good  gained  during  the  un¬ 
settled  period  of  war  activities  as  well  as  that  of  the  previous  years 
of  careful  development  and  growth. 

SUMMER  SCHOOLS. 

War  emergency  courses  occupied  most  of  the  time  in  the  summer 
schools  of  home  economics  in  1918.  These  courses  were  given  as  prep¬ 
aration  for  teaching  classes  in  Red  Cross  sewing,  for  the  preparation 
of  canteen  workers,  and  for  intensive  courses  in  dietetics  for  graduate 
students  who  were  anticipating  employment  as  war  hospital  dieti¬ 
cians.  In  addition,  courses  of  instruction  were  offered  along  certain 
specialized  home  economics  lines,  for  those  wishing  to  enter  hospitals 
as  assistants  in  vocational  therapy. 


32  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

CREDIT  TOWARD  NURSES’  CERTIFICATES. 

Early  in  the  fall  of  1918  the  War  Department  accredited  the  home 
economics  work  in  certain  colleges  and  universities  toward  the  nurse 
training  certificates  from  Army  hospitals.  The  home  economics 
graduates  were  relieved  of  nine  months  of  the  required  three  years’ 
training  period. 

EMERGENCY  WORK. 

During  the  pandemic  of  influenza,  when  schools  were  generally 
closed  and  public  meetings  prohibited,  the  home  economics  teachers 
and  home  economics  county  agents  assumed  the  responsibility  for  the 
preparation  of  the  food  which  was  distributed  to  the  sick  and  to 
families  needing  relief. 

In  many  institutions  in  which  there  was  a  large  number  of  men  in 
the  Student  Army  Training  Corps,  the  students  in  home  economics 
prepared  all  food  served  to  the  sick  during  the  epidemic,  while  a 
number  of  the  instructors  volunteered  into  the  emergency  hospitals. 
An  illustration  of  this  was  the  work  done  at  the  Ohio  State  Univer¬ 
sity,  where  equipment  was  moved  from  the  home  economics  depart¬ 
ment  to  the  kitchen  of  the  college  emergency  hospital  and  all  food 
preparation  was  in  charge  of  home  economics  women. 

AFTER-EFFECTS  OF  WAR-EMERGENCY  WORK. 

In  colleges,  as  a  result  of  the  stimulus,  much  more  effective  courses 
in  dietetics  were  organized;  an  unusually  large  group  of  students 
became  interested  in  the  management  of  cafeterias,  lunch  rooms,  and 
institutions  of  various  types ;  and  students  of  scientific  temperament 
interested  themselves  in  graduate  courses  in  food  investigations  and 
experiments. 

Extended  and  improved  courses  in  child  welfare  were  established 
as  a  result  of  the  increased  national  interest  in  the  care  and  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  Nation’s  children.  An  innovation  worthy  of  imitation 
is  that  of  training  in  child  welfare  by  the  practical  care  of  needy 
children  as  illustrated  by  the  following: 

In  the  University  of  Minnesota  an  interesting  addition  has  been  made  to 
the  list  of  activities  which  can  be  carried  on  in  a  practice  house  devoted  to 
teaching  the  varied  activities  of  home  making. 

There  are  in  operation  at  this  institution  two  practice  houses.  In  one  house 
a  baby  14  months  old,  and  in  the  other  house  a  21-months-old  baby  is  living, 
affording  the  girls  an  opportunity  to  observe  as  well  as  to  assist  in  their  care. 
The  babies  were  secured  from  the  local  orphans’  home. 

Two  courses  of  importance  in  child  welfare  study  have  been  sug¬ 
gested  for  the  use  of  colleges.  One,  prepared  under  the  direction  of 
the  Children’s  Bureau  of  the  Department  of  Labor  stresses  prenatal 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  33 

influences,  infant  care,  and  the  effect  of  unsuitable  occupations  and 
environment  upon  the  physical  welfare  of  children;  the  other,  sug¬ 
gested  by  an  authority  upon  child  training,  places  emphasis  on  the 
need  for  trained  parenthood  and  rational  direction  of  education  in 
schools.  The  latter  considers  the  mental  and  moral  development  of 
children,  touching  but  lightly  upon  the  physical  care. 

It  is  expected  that  the  home  economics  teachers  in  city  schools 
will  aid  in  the  efforts  now  making  to  Americanize  the  foreign  home, 
a  need  that  was  not  fully  recognized  until  the  war  period. 

In  order  to  understand  the  foreign  home  maker,  it  is  essential 
that  the  teacher  be  familiar  with  old-country  customs  and  traditions, 
and  the  standards  of  living  maintained  in  the  parent  country,  and 
also  to  know  the  environment  of  the  old  country  home.  The  course 
in  methods  of  Americanization  outlined  by  Miss  Breckenridge,  chief 
of  the  division  of  adjustment  of  homes  and  family  life  in  the  study 
of  methods  of  Americanization,  is  of  unusual  value  in  preparing 
home  economics  students  for  teaching  the  children  and  the  mothers 
in  the  foreign  sections  of  the  larger  cities;  in  aiding  the  home 
economics  county  agents  who  serve  in  rural  districts  having  a  large 
foreign  population ;  and  in  training  the  visiting  housekeeper  and  the 
public  health  nurse. 

TEACHER  TRAINING  IN  VOCATIONAL  HOME  ECONOMICS. 

Special  courses  were  established  in  State  institutions  for  the 
preparation  of  vocational  home  economics  teachers.  These  courses 
were  determined  by  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education. 
Generally  but  one  institution  in  a  State  has  been  selected  to  admin¬ 
ister  the  work.  Usually  a  land-grant  college  or  the  State  university 
has  been  selected,  though  in  some  States,  the  State  normal  school 
is  to  receive  the  Federal  funds  allotted  for  teacher  training. 

The  Smith-Hughes  Act,  which  made  possible  the  supervision  of 
vocational  home  economics  instruction  in  secondary  schools,  lias, 
resulted  in  securing  to  the  vocational  schools  47  home  economics 
supervisors.  In  some  States  the  college  teacher  of  vocational  home 
economics  is  also  the  State  supervisor,  thus  linking  closely  the  college 
and  the  vocational  school.  The  one  in  charge  trains  prospective 
teachers  for  this  special  type  of  school  work  and  also  trains  the 
teacher  who  is  now  employed  that  she  may  become  more  effective 
in  her  work.  There  can  be  no  question  that  there  are  many  advan¬ 
tages  from  this  arrangement.  Familiarity  of  the  college  teacher 
with  the  problems  of  the  secondary  school  will  react  favorably  upon 
her  teaching  in  the  college  classroom. 

In  certain  States  the  supervisor  of  Smith- Hughes  vocational  home 
economics  gives  all  of  her  time  to  the  supervision  of  instruction  in 


34 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


the  secondary  schools.  In  a  few  States  home  economics  supervision 
is  by  a  man  who  is  State  director  of  all  vocational  work. 

EXPANSION  OF  HOME  ECONOMICS  TEACHING. 

In  January  the  trustees  of  the  $3,000,000  fund  bequeathed  by  Mrs. 
Palmer  for  the  establishment  and  maintainance  of  a  school  of 
motherhood  and  home-making  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  began  the  formula¬ 
tion  of  plans  for  the  school.  An  advisory  committee  of  Detroit 
women  was  appointed  to  assist  the  trustees.  Conferences  were  held 
in  Detroit  with  home  economics  women,  and  plans  were  completed 
for  the  employment  of  one  woman  to  study  for  a  year  or  more  the 
local  needs  and  conditions,  and  after  this  study,  to  organize  the 
active  school. 

Courses  in  home  economics  were  established  at  Massachusetts 
Agricultural  College,  Amherst,  Mass.;  in  the  Agricultural  College 
of  Georgia,  at  Athens,  Ga. ;  at  the  University  of  Mississippi,  and  at 
the  University  of  Alabama  during  the  year  of  1918.  Summer 
courses  in  home  economics  had  previously  been  offered  at  these  in¬ 
stitutions. 

Indiana  University.  A  unique  course  for  teachers  was  given  in  the  home 
economics  department  during  the  summer  on  how  to  present  to  school  chil¬ 
dren  the  subject  of  “  How  to  spend  money.”  This  course  was  in  charge  of 
Helen  C.  Goodspeed,  State  superintendent  of  home  economics  for  Wisconsin. 
A  demonstration  class  was  arranged  in  connection  with  this  course. 

The  home  economics  division  of  Iowa  State  College  recently  received  from 
the  estate  of  Mary  F.  Rausch  a  fund  of  $500  to  be  known  as  the  “  Mary  F. 
Rausch  Memorial  Fund.”  ,The  income  of  this  fund  will  be  used  as  an  annual 
prize  for  junior  students,  awarded  on  the  basis  of  ability,  scholarly  attainment, 
character,  and  interest  in  affairs  which  are  worthy  the  attention  of  students 
who  are  preparing  themselves  for  efficient  service  in  home  economics  work. 
The  prize  this  year  was  awarded  to  Frances  Newell,  of  Columbus  Junction, 
Iowa. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  IN  EDUCATIONAL  SURVEYS. 

In  the  “ Educational  Study  of  Alabama”  special  recommenda¬ 
tions  were  made  relating  to  home  economics  teacher  training  at  the 
Alabama  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Auburn  under  the  Smith-Huglies 
Act.  This  is  particularly  interesting  because,  up  to  the  present 
time,  the  Alabama  Polytechnic  Institute  has  given  scant  attention 
to  the  educational  needs  of  the  women  of  Alabama. 

It  [the  survey  committee]  advises  the  establishment  of  a  well-equipped  di¬ 
vision  of  home  economics  at  the  Alabama  Polytechnic  Institute  and  the  trans¬ 
fer  to  that  institution  of  all  the  Smith-Lever  extension  work  in  home-economics 
and  the  Smith-Hughes  work  in  the  training  of  home  economics  teachers.  A 
necessary  corollary  -is  the  provision  of  dormitories  or  adequately  supervised 
residence  houses  for  women  in  Auburn.  In  effect,  then,  the  Alabama  Poly¬ 
technic  Institute  would  become  what  the  land-grant  colleges  of  most  other  States 
already  are,  the  professional  college  for  women  in  the  science  relating  to 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


35 


agriculture  and  home  making.  This  provision,  if  adopted,  would  entail  the 
expansion  of  the  work  of  the  school  of  agricultural  education  of  the  Alabama 
Polytechnic  Institute  to  cover  the  training  of  teachers  in  home  economics. 
It  would  also  reinforce  the  program  of  that  school  for  the  training  of  rural  life 
leaders  of  both  sexes. 

Under  the  General  Education  Board  a  special  study  of  the  teach¬ 
ing  of  home  economics  in  the  Gary  schools  was  made,  and  a  report 
entitled  “  Household  Arts  ”  by  Eva  W.  White  has  been  issued. 

In  this,  the  following  pronouncement  appears : 

In  sewing,  as  in  cooking,  the  experience  of  Gary  shows  that  mere  practical 
ends,  the  cooking  of  the  daily  school  luncheon  or  the  making  of  needed  garments, 
are  not  alone  broadly  or  sufficiently  educative. 

Training  should  aim  to  give  the  pupil  an  intelligent  grasp  of  both  subjects, 
t  The  child  must  of  course  be  able  to  cut,  fit,  and  sew ;  but  she  must  also  have 
an  interest  in  fabrics,  designs,  uses,  etc.  The  instruction  must  have  a  con¬ 
scious,  central  aim ;  it  must  touch,  now  here,  now  there,  the  child’s  other 
studies  and  activities. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  IN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 

A  department  of  Household  Economics  was  organized  at  the  University  of 
Alberta,  Edmonton,  Canada,  in  1918.  The  work  is  in  charge  of  Miss  Mabel 
Patrick,  an  honors  graduate  in  household  economics  of  the  University  of 

Toronto. 

An  American  woman,  Mrs.  Strong,  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati, 
was  called  to  India  to  establish  a  school  of  home  economics  for 
-  native  girls.  This  school  has  now  issued  an  announcement  of  pur- 
_  poses,  plans,  and  courses,  entitled  “  Household  Arts  in  Baroda  Col¬ 
lege.”  The  course  is  in  all  respects  worthy  of  the  best  traditions  of 
American  home  economics. 

CHANGES  OF  PERSONNEL. 

Twenty-three  changes  in  the  heads  of  the  departments  of  home 
economics  in  land-grant  colleges  and  State  universities  have  occurred 
since  the  last  report.  The  demand  for  trained  and  experienced 
home  economics  women  in  Government  activities  called  away  many 
of  the  leading  home  economics  women ;  some  have  shifted  from  one 
institution  to  another;  four  changes  resulted  from  establishment  of 
new  departments  in  State  universities;  and  the  higher  remunera¬ 
tion  for  trained  women  offered  by  commercial  organizations  has  con¬ 
tributed  to  the  unsettled  condition. 

PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

In  the  public  schools,  war  needs  modified  the  class  work  and 
theory  in  both  clothing  and  foods.  Fewer  artificial  and  more 
genuine  needs  were  recognized.  Besides  the  sewing  for  the  Red 
Cross  and  for  charity  organizations,  many  valuable  garments  were 
made  from  old  material. 


36 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1910. 


The  evidence  the  public  school  children  gave  of  being  able  to  work 
rapidly  and  well  when  employed  on  patriotic  projects  has  resulted 
in  much  more  effective  courses.  One  teacher  states  that  “  fifth  grade 
students  are  now  doing  better  and  more  expeditious  work  than  was 
formerly  required  of  eighth  grade  pupils.” 


IV.  COMMUNITY  ORGANIZATION. 

The  historically  important  development  in  community  organiza¬ 
tion,  which  marks  the  year  July  1,  1918,  to  June  30,  1919,  is  the 
beginning,  accomplished  during  these  12  months,  of  the  establishment 
of  public-school  community  centers  as  stations  of  the  Nation- 
integrating  and  world-uniting  postal  service. 

At  the  time  of  the  entrance  of  the  United  States  into  the  war  we 
were  in  the  tenth  year  since  the  starting,  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  July  1, 
1907,  of  the  spread  of  conscious  efforts  to  make  available  the  re¬ 
sources  of  practical  advantage  which  inhere  in  the  completed  com¬ 
munity  use  of  our  public-school  buildings  and  grounds.  That  start 
had  been  signalized  by  the  declaration  of  Gov.  Charles  E.  Hughes: 
“  I  am  more  interested  in  what  you  are  doing  and  what  it  stands  for 
than  in  anything  else  in  the  world.  You  are  buttressing  the  founda¬ 
tions  of  democracy.” 

There  had  followed  a  widening  recognition  that  civic  efficiency, 
liberating  economy,  increased  joy  in  life  are  at  hand  in  the  rightly 
organized  use  of  this  ready  neighborhood  equipment;  and  a  begin¬ 
ning  of  perception  that  the  finding  of  these  values  presents  a  technical 
problem  of  procedure;  that,  as  President  Wilson  phrased  it,  “We 
must  study  the  means  by  which  these  things  are  produced.” 

THE  INDICATED  WAY  PERCEIVED. 

Back  there,  at  the  inauguration  of  this  movement  as  a  consciously 
sought  development,  had  been  written  these  words  in  description  of 
the  community  center : 

It  is  not  to  take  the  place  of  any  existing  institution ;  it  is  not  to  be  a 
charitable  medium  for  the  service  particularly  of  the  poor ;  it  is  not  to  be  a  new 
land  of  evening  school ;  it  is  not  to  take  the  place  of  any  church  or  other 
institution  of  moral  uplift ;  it  is  not  to  serve  simply  as  an  “  improvement  asso¬ 
ciation  ”  in  which  the  people  of  a  restricted  community  seek  only  the  welfare 
of  their  local  district ;  it  is  not  to  be  a  “  civic  reform  ”  organization,  pledged  to 
some  change  in  city  or  State  or  National  administration.  It  is  just  to  be  the 
restoration  to  its  true  place  in  social  life  of  that  most  American  of  all  institu¬ 
tions,  the  public-school  center,  in  order  that  through  the  extended  use  of  the 
common-school  equipment  may  be  developed,  in  the  midst  of  our  complex  life, 
the  community  interest,  the  neighborly  spirit,  the  democracy  that  we  knew 
before  we  came  to  the  city. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


37 


That  pioneer  neighborhood  institution  of  a  half  century  ago,  to 
the  perpetuation  of  whose  spirit  and  the  fulfillment  of  whose  promise 
the  modern  community  center  movement  was  thus  dedicated,  would 
never  have  begotten  its  inspiring  tradition  if  those  gatherings  in  the 
schoolhouse  of  the  early  days — those  lyceums,  debates,  spell-downs, 
singing  schools — had  been  matters  of  arrangement  by  some  privately 
constituted  “  outside  ”  organization  to  “  Americanize  ”  or  w  socialize  ” 
the  men  and  women  of  the  neighborhood;  or  if  the  funds  required 
had  been  privately  derived  so  as  to  give  to  these  uses  the  character 
of  a  charity;  or  if  the  administration  of  the  activities  had  been  in 
the  hands  of  privately  paid  and  privately  directed  “  social  workers.” 

The  old-time  rural  schoolhouse  in  its  community'  uses  would  not 
have  caused  itself  to  be  remembered  as  “  that  most  American  of  all 
institutions  ”  if  behind  and  above  those  lighter  recreational  expres¬ 
sions  of  the  neighborhood  spirit  there  had  not  been  as  the  essential 
framework  of  the  institution’s  control  a  definite  reality  of  democratic 
organization.  It  was  the  district  school  meeting  and  the  opportunity 
which  that  regularly  constituted  community  association  gave  for  all 
the  adult  citizens  residing  in  the  neighborhood  directly  to  participate 
in  exercising  rightful  authority  over  the  uses  to  be  made  of  the  build¬ 
ing  in  their  midst  that  gave  to  the  institution  its  germinal  significance 
and  integrity  as  the  social  creation  of  a  free  people. 

The  way  of  procedure  was  thus  found  in  the  perception  that  the 
essential  provisions  for  community  center  development  are  those 
which  had  been  simply  and  practically  embodied  in  our  original  and 
distinctively  American  form  of  community  organization,  the  dis¬ 
trict  school  meeting. 

UNIFIED  ORGANIZATION  POSSIBLE. 

In  the  years  from  1907  to  1917  the  experience  gained  throughout 
the  country  had  clearly  shown  that  the  policy  of  allowing  the  public 
school  buildings  to  be  used,  under  board  of  education  permission, 
by  partisan,  sectarian,  or  other  privately  formed  organizations — 
whatever  their  purposes  and  aims — tends  not  to  strengthen  but  to 
weaken  the  community  sense  of  responsibility;  makes  of  the  poten¬ 
tial  community  center  an  actual  disunity  center;  threatens  always 
to  produce  misunderstanding  and  friction,  if  not  worse  disorder. 

On  the  other  hand,  this  experience  had  shown  no  less  clearly  that 
we  of  to-day,  whatever  our  neighborhood — urban,  village,  rural — 
may  be  counted  upon  to  make  appropriate  and  beneficial  use  of  our 
local  schoolhouse  provided  our  proper  right,  when  duly  organized 
as  one  all-inclusive  community  association,  to  use  this  community 
building  for  fair  discussion  of  public  questions  and  cooperation  in 
the  common  interest  is  legally  recognized  as  the  right  of  neighbor- 
1425390— 19 - 4 


38 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1910. 


ing  citizens  to  assemble  for  conference  and  cooperation  in  district 
school  meeting  was  recognized ;  provided  there  is  regularly  furnished 
from  public  funds  the  necessary  money  to  pay  the  incidental  ex¬ 
penses  of  this  assembly,  as  such  provision  was  made  for  the  coming 
together  of  citizens  in  district  school  meeting;  and  provided  due 
recognition  is  publicly  afforded  for  the  office  and  for  the  compensa¬ 
tion  of  the  community  secretary,  just  as  public  recognition  and  com¬ 
pensation  were  afforded  to  the  clerk  of  the  district  school  meeting. 
And  this  experience  had  indicated  that  only  with  such  all-uniting 
and  responsible  neighborhood  organization  of  the  adult  citizenship 
accomplished  first  of  all  may  the  free-time  uses  of  the  school  build¬ 
ing  for  meetings  of  young  people  and  for  special  group  activities 
consistently  be  developed.  ’ 

RESULTS  OF  GENERAL  EXPERIENCE  PRESENTED. 

From  the  time  of  the  establishment,  in  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
of  the  Division  of  Community  Organization,  January,  1916,  this 
bureau  had  steadily  recommended  the  procedure  which  the  ex¬ 
perience  of  these  years  throughout  the  country  had  indicated  as 
necessary  in  order  that  the  community  usefulness  of  the  common 
school  equipment  may  be  realized. 

Indications  had  begun  to  appear  that  the  essential  principles  of 
this  development  were  coming  generally  to  be  seen.  For  example, 
a  gathering  of  students  of  community  organization,  coming  together 
in  New  York  City  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  had  unanimously 
recognized  and  declared  to  be  fundamental  the  following  basic  propo¬ 
sitions  : 

Public  buildings  should  be  available  for  use  by  the  pedple  as  a  right  instead 
of  a  permission. 

Tax  money  should  be  used  in  the  development  and  maintenance  of  community 
centers. 

Community  centers  should  be  administered  through  responsible  public  officials. 

WAR  EMERGENCY  EMPHASIZES  NEED. 

However,  just  as  the  outbreak  of  the  war  showed  that  there  had 
not  been  throughout  the  world  a  sufficient  appreciation  of  necessity 
of  applying  the  essential  principles  of  rightful  community  organiza¬ 
tion  in  the  development  of  an  adequate  institution  of  international 
adjustment,  so  our  mode  of  responding  to  the  emergency  demand 
demonstrated  that  we  had  not  as  yet  generally  enough  come  to  per¬ 
ceive  the  procedure  by  which  this  may  be  accomplished.  Notwith¬ 
standing  the  lessons  of  common  experience  which  had  shown  that 
the  policy  of  permitting  the  use  of  the  public-school  buildings  under 
the  auspices  of  privately  formed  organizations  is  contrary  to  effective 
development  of  the  larger  usefulness  of  this  equipment,  it  was  pre¬ 
cisely  this  policy  which  almost  everywhere  throughout  the  country 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  39 

began  to  be  put  into  operation  in  response  to  the  civic  mobilization 
demand. 

Instead  of  the  necessary  provision  that  the  membership  of  each 
local  community  might  make  use  of  the  public-school  facilities  for 
self -organized  conference  and  cooperation  such  as  would  assure  most 
effective  dealing  with  all  of  the  problems  and  demands  of  the  emer¬ 
gency,  many  volunteer  organizations  were  formed  in  response  to 
special  needs  and  sought,  in  conflict  with  each  other,  the  use  of  the 
local  public-school  equipment  for  meetings  or  the  conduct  of  other 
activities.  By  March,  1918,  the  situation  had  developed  to  the  point 
where  the  President  called  attention  to  the  necessity  of  “  a  fusion 
of  energies  now  too  much  scattered  and  at  times  somewhat  confused.” 
And  by  the  1st  of  July,  the  opening  of  the  period  with  which  this 
report  deals,  the  necessity  of  systematic  procedure  for  effective  com¬ 
munity  center  development,  as  well  as  the  vital  importance  of  this 
unifying  organization,  had  been  brought  home  to  thoughtful  men 
and  women  everywhere  throughout  the  Nation. 

COMMUNITY  ORGANIZATION  FOR  INDUSTRIAL  ADJUSTMENT. 

In  no  industrial  center  in  the  United  States,  during  all  the  period 
of  the  war,  had  the  economic  conflict  become  more  acute  than  in 
Bridgeport,  Conn.  Starting  as  a  controversy  which  concerned  only 
the  machinists,  the  struggle  had  come  to  involve  a  large  part  of  the 
whole  population,  constituting  in  the  words  of  the  War  Labor  Board ?s 
official  statement,  “  the  case  of  the  employees  versus  the  employers  in 
the  city  of  Bridgeport.”  The  award  of  the  War  Labor  Board  in¬ 
cluded  the  following  provision :  “  The  right  of  the  employees  to  bar¬ 
gain  collectively  is  recognized  by  the  National  War  Labor  Board.” 

The  only  housing  that  would  serve  for  the  coming  together  of  the 
whole  body  of  employees  to  exercise  the  right  thus  recognized  was  the 
equipment  of  public-school  buildings. 

The  board  of  education  recognized  the  right  of  the  citizens  of  the 
several  local  districts  of  Bridgeport  to  assemble  for  organized  con¬ 
ference  and  cooperation  in  their  respective  school  buildings,  and 
afforded  out  of  public  funds  the  necessary  money  to  pay  the  inci¬ 
dental  expenses  of  such  assembly,  and  the  War  Labor  Board  fur¬ 
nished  out  of  the  public  funds  appropriated  for  its  work  a  due  pro¬ 
portion  of  the  compensation  of  the  local  community  secretaries 
chosen,  not  by  the  employees  alone  nor  by  the  employers  alone,  but 
'by  the  whole  body  of  the  citizens  organized  as  one  community  asso¬ 
ciation  in  each  school  district.  The  community  secretary  was  re¬ 
sponsible  under  this  all-inclusive  community  association  for  super¬ 
vision  of  the  special  group  uses  of  the  local  school  building. 

After  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  the  National  War  Labor  Board 
withdrew  from  participation  in  the  compensation  for  community  sec- 


40 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


retarial  service,  and  neither  the  State  of  Connecticut  nor  the  city  of 
Bridgeport  made  public  provision  for  this  essential  of  consistent 
community  center  development,  so  that  only  a  beginning  of  this 
development  was  possible.  But  there  were  no  incidents  of  disorder 
in  the  uses  that  were  made  of  the  school  buildings,  despite  the  inten¬ 
sity  of  hostile  feeling  that  prevailed  throughout  the  city,  and  a 
fundamentally  important  demonstration  was  made  that  when 
adequate  and  permanent  provision  is  made  for  the  use  of  the  public- 
school  buildings  in  accordance  with  the  essential  principles  of  the 
district  school  meeting,  the  instrumentality  is  secured  for  dealing 
democratically  and  rationally  with  the  problems  of  industrial  ad¬ 
justment,  by  means  of  debate  instead  of  dynamite. 


COMMUNITY  CENTER  POSTAL  SERVICE  COORDINATION  BEGUN. 

Not  at  Bridgeport,  however,  but  within  and  out  from  the  District 
of  Columbia  has  gone  forward  the  chief  demonstration  of  services  in 
community  organization. 

Congress  appropriated  the  necessary  funds,  and  the  board  of  edu¬ 
cation  adopted  the  policy  of  recognizing  the  proper  right  of  the 
citizens  of  each  neighborhood,  when  duly  organized  as  one  all- 
inclusive  community  association,  to  use  their  local  school  building 
for  untrammeled  discussion  of  public  questions  and  cooperation  in 
the  common  interest.  Consistent  beginnings  of  community  center 
development  had  been  made  during  the  year  1917-18,  first  in  the 
Park  View  neighborhood  and  then  in  15  other  sections  of  the  Dis¬ 
trict;  the  principal  activities  carried  on  being,  of  course,  emergency 
war  services,  as  the  national  need  required. 

The  occasion  of  the  first  community  center  postal  service  coordina¬ 
tion,  for  which  that  year’s  development  had  prepared  the  way,  is 
thus  stated  in  the  report  of  the  board  of  education : 

The  post-office  adjustment — the  first  of  its  kind  to  be  accomplished  anywhere 
in  the  United  States — appears  at  first  glance  to  be  merely  a  matter  of  economy 
and  convenience  whose  virtue  is  in  its  practical  service  character.  But  the  fact 
is  that  it  was  the  effort  effectively  to  develop  the  possibilities  of  the  public 
schoolhouse  as  the  community’s  center  of  cooperation  in  national  service  activi¬ 
ties  and  the  discovery  that  the  post  office  is  the  medium  upon  which  the 
National  Administration  is  chiefly  depending  for  the  organized  wTar-service 
cooperation  of  the  citizens,  which  led  the  people  of  Bark  View  to  see  the  logic 
of  this  combination.  There  was  in  the  motive  that  lay  behind  this  movement 
the  thought  of  convenience  to  the  people  as  private  individuals,  but  the  dom¬ 
inant  thought  was  of  their  more  direct  and  effective  national  service  as  citizens 
that  would  be  made  possible  if  the  schoolhouse  were  at  once  the  center  of  local 
community  expression  and  of  direct,  official  communication  with  the  National 
Government. 

The  postal  station  installed  in  the  Park  View  schoolhouse  was 
opened  on  July  1,  1918,  its  administration  being  included  as  a  part 
of  the  service  of  the  locally  elected  community  secretary.  Along 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


41 


with  the  other  uses  of  the  postal  facilities  which  started  at  once  the 
people  of  Park  View  soon  evinced  the  desire  to  cooperate  in  the 
effort  which  the  Post  Office  Department  is  making,  as  directed  by 
Congress,  to  improve  the  service  of  the  parcels  post  as  a  medium  of 
direct  transmission  of  food  supplies  from  rural  producers  to  city 
consumers.  In  November  the  Fourth  Assistant  Postmaster  General, 
who  has  charge  of  this  effort  of  the  Post  Office  Department,  examined 
the  organization  at  Park  View.  He  at  once  perceived  that  this  use 
of  the  community  center  as  the  postal  station  and  this  service  of  the 
community  secretarj^  as  the  postal  agent  furnishes  a  simple  and 
trustworthy  agency  for  receiving  and  distributing  commodities. 

The  understanding  was  reached  that  the  person  chosen  by  the 
citizens  of  the  neighborhood  to  serve  as  their  community  secretary 
should  be  appointed  and  duly  compensated  by  the  Post  Office  De¬ 
partment  for  service  as  postal  agent.  The  opportunity  was  at  once 
presented  to  the  citizens  of  Mount  Joy  Township,  a  rural  community 
in  southern  Pennsylvania,  and  adopted  by  them.  These  citizens 
unanimously  chose  the  school  principal,  A.  Nevin'Sponseller,  as  com¬ 
munity  secretary.  He  was  thereupon  appointed  as  postal  agent; 
being  the  first  person  to  combine  these  correlative  forms  of  public 
service  in  any  community  in  the  United  States.  Following  the 
inauguration  of  this  development  in  Mount  Joy  Township,  begin¬ 
nings  of  similar  organization  were  soon  effected  in  several  rural  com¬ 
munities  in  Maryland.  Direct  inter-community  connection  was  estab¬ 
lished  between  the  residents  of  these  rural  neighborhoods  and  the 
residents  of  the  city  community  of  Park  View,  not  only  through  the 
shipment  of  commodities,  but  also  through  interchange  of  visits  and 
other  communications,  which  indicate  that  the  perfecting  of  this 
integrating  development  will  bring  about  the  breaking  down  of  the 
barrier  between  city  and  country  neighbors,  a  broadening  of 
acquaintance  and  a  vitalizing  of  the  sense  of  American  unity  and 
fellowship  between  citizens  heretofore  unacquainted. 

It  is  obvious  that  there  is  no  development  of  practical  educational 
coordination  more  fundamentally  important  than  this  combining  of 
our  common  institutions  of  neighborhood  and  of  world-wide  com¬ 
munication — the  public  school  and  the  postal  service.  In  order  that 
this  development  may  proceed  consistently,,  it  is  apparent  from  the 
experience  thus  far  gained  that  the  local  organization  in  the  city, 
community,  and  the  country  community  alike  must  embody  first  and 
always  the  essentially  democratic  principles  of  “  that  most  American 
of  all  institutions  ” — the  district  school  meeting. 

In  the  meantime  interest  in  community  organization  for  the  pri¬ 
mary  purposes  of  acquaintance,  instruction,  discussion,  and  coopera¬ 
tion  has  grown  rapidly.  The  conception  of  the  school  district  com¬ 
munity,  the  final  unit  in  the  larger  democracies  of  State  and  Nation, 


42 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


as  a  little  democracy  and  the  schoolhouse  as  its  capital  is  becoming 
more  familiar  to  the  people  of  city,  town,  and  country.  It  is  begin¬ 
ning  to  be  seen  that  the  intelligence  and  power  of  the  larger  units 
depend  upon  the  intelligence  and  responsiveness  of  these  little  com¬ 
munities;  that  it  is  of  the  very  essence  of  democracy  that  it  is  and 
must  be  alive  and  intelligent  in  all  its  parts,  with  the  power  of 
initiative  and  the  capacity  of  sound  judgment  on  all  matters  pertain¬ 
ing  to  the  vital  interests  of  local  community,  municipality,  county, 
State,  and  Nation. 

The  need  for  some  kind  of  community  organization  was  keenly 
felt  during  the  war,  and  the  National  Council  of  Defense  and  other 
bodies  that,  for  the  success  of  their  work,  had  to  reach  the  people 
quickly  with  information  and  get  from  them  quick  responses  under¬ 
took  to  form  community  organizations  on  a  large  scale.  Unfortu¬ 
nately,  the  exigencies  of  the  war  required  such  sudden  and  wholesale 
organization  that  it  became  necessary  to  work  from  the  top  down¬ 
ward  in  a  somewhat  autocratic  way,  rather  than  from  below  upward 
in  a  slower,  more  democratic,  and  more  permanent  way.  Because 
of  this  urgency,  it  was  found  to  be  necessary  to  bring  people  together 
as  classes  rather  than  as  individuals  on  the  broad  foundations  of 
humanity  and  citizenship.  It  is,  of  course,  not  desirable  that  such  a 
principle,  which  if  continued  upward  to  municipality,  State,  and 
Nation,  would  inevitably  destroy  our  democracy  and  institute  class 
government,  or  at  least  class  struggle  and  balancing,  for  government 
of  representation  by  all  the  people  should  be  continued.  It  is  no 
doubt  fortunate,  therefore,  that  community  organizations  thus 
founded  are  rapidly  disintegrating. 

But  the  power  of  community  organization  has  been  demonstrated 
on  a  large  scale,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  promotion  of  the  more 
legitimate,  and  democratic  community  organization  will  go  forward 
much  more  rapidly  than  would  have  been  possible  but  for  the  emer¬ 
gency  organizations  just  referred  to. 


V.  AMERICANIZATION. 

A  number  of  factors  have  served  to  create  the  present  Nation-wide 
interest  in  Americanization.  Each  community  remembers  distinctly 
the  difficulty  with  which  it  carried  the  story  of  America’s  purpose 
and  America’s  need  to  large  groups  of  foreign  born  residing  within 
that  community.  The  plans  of  the  draft,  of  the  liberty  loans,  of  the 
food  regulations,  of  coal  saving,  and  of  the  work  of  the  Red  Cross 
were  carried  to  the  foreign  born  in  our  communities  only  with  great 
difficulty.  Until  that  time  communities  as  a  rule  had  not  realized 
that  large  numbers  of  people  were  living  within  their  borders  who 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


43 


were  not  of  the  community  and  were  not  citizens  in  any  sense  of  the 
word. 

The  census  of  10  years  ago  had  shown  that,  even  according  to  the 
superficial  and  insufficient  test  of  the  census  taker,  nearly  one-tenth 
of  our  people  were  illiterate  in  the  language  of  this  country.  These 
figures,  astounding  as  they  were,  made  no  general  impression.  We 
assumed  that  everything  was  coming  out  all  right.  We  had  heard 
about  “  the  melting  pot,”  and  the  idea  had  pleased  us.  We  were  as  a 
matter  of  fact  proud  of  the  way  60  different  races  of  people  were 
growing  into  one  homogeneous  nation.  Then  suddenly  the  war 
came,  and  to  to  the  astonishment  of  all,  our  “  homogeneous  ”  people 
seemed  suddenly  to  spring  back  into  its  component  parts.  To  our 
dismay  we  found  millions  of  our  people  thinking  as  Italians  and 
Poles  and  Hungarians  and  Germans,  rather  than  as  Americans.  We 
were  chagrined  to  discover  that  the  “  melting  pot  ”  had  existed 
largely  in  our  fancy  only. 

Came  then  the  draft  army  with  its  impartial  toll  upon  the  young 
men  of  the  Nation.  Immediately  other  long-cherislied  illusions  began 
to  fall.  We  had  been  so  proud  of  “  the  little  red  schoolhouse.”  We 
had  thought  of  America  as  the  country  where  education  was  free  to 
all,  and  except  for  an  unambitious  few  peopled  by  men  and  women 
who  were  an  example  to  the  world  as  models  of  literacy.  Education 
had  of  course  been  left  to  the  States,  and  while  we  had  known  that 
in  many  States  there  were  no  effective  school-attendance  laws,  and 
that  in  many  of  the  States  the  attendance  laws  were  not  well  en¬ 
forced,  that  school  terms  were  short  in  the  country  districts  of  many 
States,  and  that  many  teachers  were  poorly  prepared  for  their  work 
and  lacked  even  a  high-school  education ;  yet  we  smiled  complacently 
and  went  on  admiring  ourselves  fatuously  for  our  educational  accom¬ 
plishments. 

Humors  then  began  to  reach*  us  of  large  numbers  of  the  drafted 
men  who  were  unable  to  understand  the  orders  given  by  their  of¬ 
ficers,  who  had  no  knowledge  of  the  reason  or  purpose  of  the  war, 
and  whom  it  was  impossible  to  train  with  the  other  soldiers.  We 
learned  that  in  one  camp  alone  it  was  necessary  to  converse  with  the 
men  through  interpreters  in  40  different  languages.  We  found  that 
men  who  were  physically  fit  and  were  needed  in  that  thin  fighting 
line  in  France  as  n^en  were  never  needed  before  in  the  history  of 
the  world  must  be  thrown  to  one  side  until  they  could  be  given  the 
rudiments  of  an  English  education. 

Still  the  Nation  did  not  realize  nor  appreciate  the  magnitude  of 
its  own  neglect  until  the  Surgeon  General  of  the  Army  submitted  a 
report  showing  the  illiteracy  in  the  draft  camps.  It  was  almost 
impossible  to  credit  the  figures  of  that  report,  for  of  1,552,256  men 
examined,  386,196  had  been  unable  to  read  and  understand  news- 


44 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


papers,  and  to  write  letters  home.  The  figures,  however,  were  con¬ 
clusive.  Tests  had  been  applied  to  the  men  of  all  the  camps,  and  in 
the  28  camps  the  number  of  illiterates  varied  from  13.5  to 
41.8  per  cent,  with  an  average  in  all  camps  of  24.9  per  cent.  The 
tests  had  varied  somewhat  in  the  different  camps,  but  in  none  of  them 
was  the  test  more  than  a  10-year-old  boy  should  have  passed  without 
difficulty.  Yet  of  all  those  fine  young  men,  one  out  of  every  four 
was  illiterate  to  the  extent  of  being  unable  to  read  a  newspaper  or 
write  a  letter. 

The  census  enumerators  have  no  opportunity  for  making  a  test. 
They  merely  ask  the  question  “  Can  you  read  and  write?  ”  and  enter 
a  man  as  literate  or  illiterate  according  to  his  reply.  This  is  clearly 
an  insufficient  test.  Common  pride  would  lead  a  man  to  claim 
literacy,  and  those  who  could  merely  scratch  their  names  would  thus 
be  entered  as  able  to  read  and  write.  Yet  according  to  this  test  the 
census  had  shown  5,500,000  people  who  were  confessedly  illiterate. 
It  is  little  wonder  that  an  actual  examination  of  the  individual  dem¬ 
onstrated  the  existence  of  illiterates  upon  a  scale  far  beyond  that  in¬ 
dicated  by  the  census. 

When  the  figures  of  the  Surgeon  General  were  given  to  the  public, 
people  began  to  ponder  them  carefully.  “  If,”  they  reasoned,  “  there 
are  24.9  per  cent  of  the  men  between  21  and  31  illiterate,  what  can 
the  total  in  the  whole  country  be?  ”  Such  men  are  presumably  most 
recently  out  of  school,  and  illiteracy  should  be  less  between  those 
ages  than  between  any  other  adult  years.  If  the  percentage  is  one 
to  four  in  our  best  class,  what  would  be  the  grand  total  of  all  our 
people  unable  to  read  and  write.  Any  such  percentage  as  that 
shown  among  the  drafted  men  would  give  a  total  greater  than  we 
had  been  accustomed  to  consider  in  this  connection.  Yet  we  dare 
not  hope  that  the  percentage  can  be  less. 

All  these  factors  brought  the  need  for  Americanization  urgently 
before  the  American  people,  and  organizations  and  communities 
everywhere  began  to  study  the  problem.  The  out-of-date  census 
figures  were  brought  forth  and  received  a  new  attention.  It  was 
surprising  to  note  that  the  total  number  of  native  illiterates  and  non- 
English  speaking,  foreign  born  people  had,  even  back  in  1910,  ex¬ 
ceeded  all  of  the  people  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada ;  that  they  were 
greater  in  number  than  all  of  the  children  of  school  age  in  32  of 
our  48  States ;  that  they  were  greater  in  number  than  the  people  then 
living  in  all  the  cities  of  the  United  States  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River  except  one;  that  they  outnumbered  the  people  of  our  three 
great  metropolitan  cities:  Greater  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and 
Chicago;  that  they  could  alone  people  all  the  following  States:  Ne¬ 
vada,  Wyoming,  Delaware,  Arizona,  Idaho,  Vermont,  Rhode  Island, 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  45 

North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  Oregon,  Maine,  Florida,  Connecticut, 
and  Washington.  And  all  illiterate  in  the  language  of  America ! 

A  number  of  societies  had  been  for  years  trying  to  awaken  the 
Nation  to  this  situation  without  much  success,  but  suddenly  it  awak¬ 
ened  and  there  began  everywhere  definite  efforts  toward  meeting  the 
problem.  The  State  of  New  York,  which  had  been  directing  the 
education  of  its  immigrant  people  in  a  small  way,  passed  laws  in¬ 
creasing  the  appropriation  for  such  work  and  creating  a  definite 
organization  to  undertake  it  on  a  broader  scale.  The  States  of 
Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  Hampshire,  Pennsylvania,  Michi¬ 
gan,  South  Dakota,  Ohio,  and  others  made  appropriations  for  simi¬ 
lar  purposes  and  either  created  new  bureaus  or  commissions  to  take 
charge  of  the  work  or  placed  it  definitely  within  the  jurisdiction  of 
their  State  departments  of  education. 

The  national  conventions  of  many  organizations  for  1919  made 
Americanization  their  principal  topic  of  study;  and  such  associa¬ 
tions  as  the  General  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs,  the  Daughters  of 
the  American  Revolution,  and  the  Women’s  Christian  Temperance 
Union  made  the  problem  their  principal  undertaking  for  the  coming 
year.  Several  organizations  undertook  to  print  and  distribute  help¬ 
ful  booklets  for  the  use  of  interested  workers,  notably  the  National 
Security  League,  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  the'  National 
Catholic  War  Council,  and  others.  The  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation,  and  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  Association,  which  had 
been  carrying  out  definite  Americanization  programs  for  a  number 
of  years,  broadened  their  work  materially  through  their  war  funds. 
Several  of  the  great  churches  raised  reconstruction  funds,  of  which 
a  large  part  is  to  be  expended  in  Americanization.  Other  religious 
bodies,  including  Jewish,  are  carrying  on  similar  work  with  their 
own  people. 

The  racial  organizations  have  in  a  number  of  instances  offered  their 
cooperation  in  any  definite  Americanization  program.  The  foreign- 
language  press  has  sought  to  assist  the  committees  in  the  various 
communities  in  getting  the  story  of  the  work  before  the  foreign  born. 
The  organizations  of  the  foreign  born  created  for  work  during  the 
Liberty  loan  and  other  war  campaigns,  have  in  several  instances 
swung  over  into  Americanization  fields.  The  committees  of  the 
Council  of  National  Defense,  notably  the  women’s  committees,  have 
set  forth  upon  definite  programs. 

The  country  is  now  fully  aroused  to  the  need  for  Americanization 
and  for  the  sympathetic  assimilation  of  our  foreign-born  people,  their 
protection  from  unfavorable  environment,  and  their  education  in 
English  and  the  ideals  of  America.  Little  propaganda  is  needed  ex¬ 
cept  here  and  there  with  a  still  backward  community.  The  great 
need  now  is  for  the  proper  organization  and  direction  of  the  forces 


46 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


which  have  been  aroused.  The  problem  is  too  delicate  to  be  left  to 
the  uncertain  activities  of  undirected  amateurs.  There  should  be 
immediate  national  organization  of  all  forces  under  the  leadership  of 
the  Federal  Government.  There  should  be  a  definite,  concrete,  and 
practical  National-State-community  program.  There  should  be  a 
painstaking  study  of  methods  and  materials  which  can  help  in  the 
purposes  of  the  work. 

The  Nation,  in  short,  should  be  organized  for  work  in  this  great, 
pressing,  human  problem  exactly  as  it  was  for  the  problems  of  food 
conservation  and  for  the  mercy  tasks  of  war. 


VI.  THE  AWAKENED  INTEREST  IN  CIVIC  EDUCATION. 

In  the  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the  year  end¬ 
ing  June  30, 1914  (one  month  before  the  outbreak  of  the  World  War) , 
was  a  chapter  on  “  The  Trend  of  Civic  Education,”  in  which  it  was 
said : 

Civic  education  has  seemed  to  many  to  be  a  very  indefinite  tiling,  with  little 
that  is  tangible  about  it,  or  else  a  very  particular  thing  of  narrow  application 
and  of  little  general  interest.  Vocational  education  makes  a  strong  appeal  to 
the  business  man,  because  he  can  see  it  in  terms  of  efficiency  among  his  em¬ 
ployees,  or  in  terms  of  ability  on  the  part  of  the  boy  to  find  and  hold  a  job. 
*  *  *  It  has  not  been  so  with  civic  education. 

In  the  same  chapter  it  was  urged  that  the  rapid  multiplication  of 
devices  for  the  popular  control  of  government — the  direct  primary, 
the  extension  of  the  suffrage,  the  initiative  and  referendum,  and  many 
others — would  avail  little  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  ends,  either 
of  “  efficiency  ”  or  of  “  democracy,”  unless  their  foundation  was  “  laid 
deep  with  an  effective  civic  education.” 

For  some  years  prior  to  the  war  protests  had  been  heard  against  the 
inadequate  and  ineffective  provision  made  for  the  training  of  Ameri¬ 
can  citizens  for  the  responsibilities  of  citizenship.  Interest  was  in¬ 
creasing  in  “  a  civic  education  with  a  new  content,  a  new  aim,  and  new 
methods  ” :  and  in  an  encouraging  number  of  instances  reorganization 
of  effort  in  this  direction  was  taking  place. 

This  interest,  however,  was  sporadic.  Those  who  took  the  matter 
seriously  were  often  depressed  b}7  apathy  in  regard  to  it  on  the  part 
of  the  public  and  of  school  authorities.  Everyone  was  ready  enough 
to  concede  in  the  abstract  the  importance  of  “training  for  citizen¬ 
ship,”  and  here  and  there  voices  arose  in  criticism  of  the  schools  for 
not  doing  more  about  it.  But  for  the  most  part  the  question  was 
treated  as  an  academic  one,  and  interest  was  perfunctory.  Public 
opinion  was  not  aroused  to  the  necessities  of  the  case  to  the  same 
extent,  or  for  the  same  practical  reasons,  that  it  had  been  aroused, 
even  before  the  war,  to  the  claims  of  vocational  education. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IX  UXITED  STATES. 


47 


The  war  has  wrought  a  change  in  all  this,  as  it  has  in  many  other 
things,  as,  for  example,  in  causing  us  to  take  seriously  the  Nation’s 
responsibility  for  health  conservation  and  health  education,  and  in 
giving  new  national  significance  to  vocational  training.  In  fact,  it  is 
the  civic  necessities  that  have  created  the  new  demands  for  physical 
and  technical  training.  Educators,  business  men,  Government 
authorities,  and,  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  public  generally  haATe 
come  to  look  upon  civic  education  as  a  more  “  practical  ”  proposition. 

Writing  during  the  war  to  the  president  of  the  board  of  educa¬ 
tion  of  Great  Britain  with  regard  to  the  English  situation,  Mr. 
Henry  Arthur  Jones  said: 

Why  did  we  not  set  about  instructing  our  boys  in  their  primary  duty  of 
defending  their  country  in  1890  instead  of  in  1914?  In  those  years  we  had  in 
our  hands  the  instruments  of  deliverance  from  the  worst  of  our  present  losses 
and  calamities,  if  we  had  but  perceived  the  truth  of  this  first  principle  of 
national  education  which  I  am  affirming.  But  that  truth  had  lain  so  long 
neglected  in  the  national  soul  that  it  had  become  bedridden.  *  *  * 

Our  politicians  went  their  way,  managing  our  great  Empire  as  a  factory  for 
turning  out  social  reforms  at  the  shortest  possible  notice.  *  *  *  All  of  the 

social  reform  legislation  of  the  years  before  the  war  was  of  small  importance 
or  value  compared  with  the  necessity  for  preparing  our  citizens  to  defend  their 
country.  *  *  * 

What  part  and  influence  had  popular  education  in  shaping  the  mold  of 
political  thought  and  cutting  the  main  channels  of  political  action?  For 
though  it  is  plain,  sir,  that  you  can  not  issue  a  set  of  political  opinions  to 
your  scholars,  I  am  sure  you  would  agree  that  the  general  policy  of  your  office, 
its  main  principles  and  aims,  must  largely  determine  the  political  bias  of  the 
next  generation,  must  prompt  certain  political  impulses,  and  give  direction  to 
much  of  our  forthcoming  legislation.  Indeed,  I  suppose  you  would  claim  that 
it  is  one  of  the  chief  objects  of  popular  education  to  train  a  future  electorate 
to  demand  a  wise  legislation. 

In  the  summer  of  1917,  in  connection  with  the  mobilization  of  the 
resources  of  the  Nation  for  war,  President  Wilson  addressed  a  mes¬ 
sage  to  the  school  officers  of  the  land  in  which  he  said : 

These  and  other  lessons  of  the  war  must  be  learned  quickly  if  we  are  intelli¬ 
gently  and  successfully  to  defend  our  institutions.  When  the  war  is  over  we 
must  apply  the  wisdom  which  we  have  acquired  in  purging  and  ennobling  the 
life  of  the  world. 

In  these  vital  tasks  of  acquiring  a  broader  view  of  human'  possibilities  the 
common  school  must  have  a  large  part.  I  urge  that  teachers  and  other  school 
officers  increase  materially  the  time  and  attention  devoted  to  instruction 
bearing  directly  on  the  problems  of  community  and  national  life. 

Such  a  plea  is  in  no  way  foreign  to  the  spirit  of  American  public  education 
or  of  existing  practices.  Nor  is  it  a  plea  for  a  temporary  enlargement  of  the 
school  program  appropriate  merely  to  the  period  of  the  war.  It  is  a  plea  for 
a  realization  in  public  education  of  the  new  emphasis  which  the  war  has 
given  to  the  ideals  of  democracy  and  to  the  broader  conceptions  of  national 
life. 

Never  before  has  there  been  anything  like  the  interest  in  civic  edu¬ 
cation  manifested  by  the  schools  since  we  entered  the  war.  The  sec- 


48 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


retary  of  the  National  Security  League’s  committee  on  citizenship  in 
elementary  schools  states  that  in  a  single  year  she  received  and  an¬ 
swered  6,000  direct  inquiries  from  teachers  relating  to  the  problems 
of  teaching  civics ;  and  this  organization  is  only  one  of  a  multitude  of 
agencies,  public  and  private,  that  have  been  performing  a  similar 
service.  This  interest  had  its  origin,  naturally  enough,  in  the  desire 
of  pupils  and  teachers  to  keep  abreast  of  the  stirring  events  of  the 
war.  The  simple  study  of  current  events  was  quickly  extended  to  con¬ 
sideration  of  the  ideals  and  institutions  for  which  we  fought,  of  the 
problems  which  our  Government  and  the  Nation  faced,  and  of  the 
methods  by  which  the  problems  were  met.  Government  and  voluntary 
patriotic  organizations  stimulated  the  study  and  the  participation  of 
the  children  in  conservation  and  thrift,  in  Red  Cross  work,  and  in 
gardening.  The  discovery  was  made  that  the  service  of  the  millions 
of  young  citizens  contributed  materially  to  the  success  of  the  national 
enterprise,  and  that  the  children  were  an  effective  channel  through 
which  to  expand  the  public  intelligence  regarding  the  issues  of  the 
Avar  and  to  stimulate  the  national  morale.  Incidentally,  the  children, 
their  teachers,  and  their  parents  were  acquiring  a  civic  education  of 
the  most  Antal  kind. 

Although  the  emergency  which  led  the  Government  to  appeal  to 
the  schools  as  a  war  measure  has  disappeared,  the  interest  in  civic 
education  yet  shows  no  signs  of  abating.  Legislation  has  been  enacted 
in  a  few  States,  as  in  New  Jersey,  and  is  contemplated  in  others,  as 
in  Ohio,  to  place  cAic  education  on  a  more  definite  and  effective  basis. 
Courses  of  study  are  being  revised  to  make  place  for  ciATics  instruc¬ 
tion.  Thousands  of  inquiries  are  coming  in  to  the  various  appropriate 
agencies,  not  only  from  teachers  and  school  administrators  but  also 
from  legislatAe  committees,  chambers  of  commerce,  women’s  clubs, 
and  chic  organizations,  seeking  adA7ice  as  to  the  best  means  of  making 
civic  education  an  effective  part  of  the  school  work.  This  interest  is 
not  limited  to  the  public  schools,  but  includes  hundreds  of  parochial 
schools  as  Avell.  In  response  to  an  appeal  from  the  National  Security 
League,  the  normal  schools  of  22  States  have  agreed  to  strengthen  their 
courses  in  economics,  social  ethics,  and  other  studies  designed  to  train 
teachers  for  the  work  of  cAic  education. 

The  renewed  interest  in  civic  education  extends  from  the  primary 
school  to  the  university.  “  Civic  instruction  should  begin  in  the 
first  grade  and  continue  throughout  the  school  course,”  is  the  gen¬ 
erally  accepted  opinion  now.  “Any  instruction  that  makes  the  child 
conscious  of  his  place  in  group  life  and  deArelops  in  him  a  sense  of 
responsibility  for  participating  in  the  activities  of  his  group  may 
be  called  civic,”  says  one;  and  instruction  of  this  kind  is  finding  a 
larger  place  in  the  elementary  school.  The  extensive  and  fruitful 
activities  of  school  children  in  war  work  gaATe  emphasis  to  the  im- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  49 

portance  of  children’s  participation  in  community  enterprises  to  the 
extent  of  their  ability,  as  a  means  of  civic  training.  Civics  becomes 
more  clearly  differentiated  as  a  separate  study  in  the  grammar  grades, 
where  in  a  rapidly  increasing  number  of  cases  it  is  of  the  vitalized 
“  community  civics  ”  type. 

In  the  high  schools  there  is  a  pronounced  tendency  not  only  to  en¬ 
rich  the  opportunity  for  social  studies  of  various  kinds,  but  also  to 
reorganize  the  treatment  of  these  studies  more  definitely  in  relation  to 
present-day  problems  and  the  immediate  interests  of  the  pupils.  The 
trend  in  this  direction  was  pointed  out  before  the  war  by  the  com¬ 
mittee  on  social  studies  of  the  National  Education  Association  (see 
its  report  in  Bulletin,  1916,  No.- 28,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education).  The 
influence  of  war  conditions  has  been  decidedly  to  accentuate  the 
movement. 

War  issues  and  reconstruction  problems  have  naturally  stimulated 
interest  in  social  studies  in  the  colleges  and  universities.  The  fact 
that  so  many  of  the  university  specialists  in  the  various  social  sciences 
were  called  upon  by  the  Government  for  practical  service  has  had 
its  effect  in  bringing  about  this  result.  Moreover,  the  colleges  and 
universities  have  been  aroused  to  their  responsibility  for  doing  more 
than  merely  perpetuating  the  traditional  body  of  knowledge  incor¬ 
porated  in  the  several  social  sciences ;  of  applying  this  body  of  knowl¬ 
edge  to  the  training  of  an  efficient  citizenship.  One  institution  at 
least  (Boston  University)  has  had  a  “  chair  of  citizenship  ”  endowed 
by  a  public-spirited  citizen.  The  instruction  in  this  department  will 
draw  upon  the  several  social  sciences  for  materials,  but  its  distinc¬ 
tive  feature  is  that  it  will  take  its  point  of  departure  in  present-day 
problems,  and  will  lay  its  primary  emphasis  upon  the  making  of 
citizens,  rather  than  upon  the  perpetuation  of  traditional  bodies  of 
knowledge. 

So  far  as  the  writer  knows,  no  other  institution  has  taken  just  this 
step.  But  the  social  science  courses  of  the  universities  and  colleges 
are  apparently  undergoing  a  fairly  general  overhauling.  Those  in¬ 
stitutions  that  conduct  summer  schools  have  this  year  made  special 
effort  to  offer  courses  in  the  social  sciences,  and  for  the  discussion  of 
current  issues,  for  the  benefit  of  teachers.  As  an  illustration  of  this, 
a  bulletin  of  Teachers  College,  Columbia  University,  entitled 
“  Courses  in  Education  for  Citizenship,”  announced  45  different 
courses  under  this  general  head  for  the  benefit  of  summer  students, 
largely  teachers. 

The  interest  in,  and  extension  of,  education  for  citizenship  is  by 
no  means  limited  to  the  schools  and  colleges.  A  few  illustrations  of 
its  wider  extension  may  b£  given  to  show  the  tendency. 


50 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


During  the  war  it  became  an  established  policy  of  the  Government 
not  only  to  make  soldiers  of  its  citizens  but  also  to  make  citizens  of 
its  soldiers.  A  remarkable  educational  system  was  established  in 
the  camps,  both  in  this  country  and  overseas.  Wiping  out  illiteracy 
and  imparting  technical  training  were  two  chief  points  of  emphasis, 
both  indirectly  of  civic  import.  The  overseas  educational  commission 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  acting  in  conjunction  with  the  military  authori¬ 
ties,  developed  a  program  of  general  education  which  emphasized 
courses  with  social  and  civic  content.  This  work  was  finally  taken 
over  by  the  War  Department.  Similar  work  was  done  in  the  camps 
in  this  country.  A  most  astonishing  demand  was  shown  among  the 
men  for  the  courses  dealing  with  “  war  issues  ”  and  other  social 
subjects. 

The  plans  for  the  enlarged  Regular  Army  of  the  future  include 
provision  for  an  educational  system  to  be  established  in  all  camps 
with  the  explicit  purpose  of  preparing  the  men  while  in  service  for 
the  responsibilities  of  civilian  life.  The  instruction  will  be  both 
general  and  technical,  and  emphasis  will  be  placed  upon  civic  and 
social  studies.  A  similar  educational  scheme  is  in  contemplation 
for  the  Navy. 

In  view  of  this  awakened  interest  in  the  problems  of  democracy, 
it  will  be  a  pity  if  the  opportunity  for  its  gratification  by  continued 
and  organized  study  is  limited  to  the  small  fraction  of  our  disbanded 
Army  which  shall  volunteer  for  continued  service  in  the  Regular 
Army  or  finds  it  possible  to  enter  schools  and  colleges.  It  is  estimated 
that  two-fifths  of  the  youth  of  the  land  between  the  ages  of  15  and 
IT  are  not  in  school;  and  if  we  add  those  from  18  to  20,  we  have  a 
host  of  several  million  young  citizens  below  voting  age  for  whom 
no  organized  provision  is  made  for  preparation  for  the  responsi¬ 
bilities  of  citizenship.  A  few  are  in  public  night  schools,  social 
settlements  have  classes  for  a  small  number,  some  are  in  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
classes,  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  has  industrial  clubs  for  girls,  some  business 
corporations  have  schools  for  their  employees.  But  none  of  these 
existing  agencies  places  much  emphasis  upon  civic  training,  and  all 
of  them  together  reach  but  a  small  handful  of  the  total  number. 
Some  interest  has  been  awakened  in  regard  to  this  matter,  but  little 
has  been  done. 

In  the  city  of  New  York  there  is  an  institution  known  as  the  City 
History  Club,  which  last  year  comprised  some  35  classes  of  young 
people  pursuing  civic  and  historical  study  under  leadership.  Here¬ 
tofore  these  classes  have  been  composed  chiefly  of  children  from  the 
public  schools.  It  is  anticipated  that  this  year  there  will  be  a  hun¬ 
dred  such  classes,  and  their  membership  is  to  be  extended  to  young 
people  not  in  school.  A  plan  has  been  proposed  to  introduce  classes 
in  the  department  stores  and  in  social  settlements.  From  now  on 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION"  IN  UNITED  STATES.  51 

the  chief  emphasis  is  to  be  placed  on  civic  training.  It  is  said  that 
the  interest  among  the  members  is  at  present  very  great. 

The  universities  are  doing  something  through  their  extension 
classes.  But  there  is  nothing  in  this  country  to  correspond  to  the 
Workers’  Educational  Association  of  England,  which  comprises 
15,000  members  who,  organized  in  local  classes,  are  pursuing  courses 
of  study  under  the  tutelage  of  university  men.  It  is  said  that  the 
work  done  m  these  classes  is  of  astonishingly  high  quality,  in  a  large 
percentage  of  cases  being  equal  to  that  done  in  the  universities. 

The  organization  of  communities  for  war  purposes  bids  fair  to 
result  in  the  continuance  of  similar  organization  in  at  least  many 
localities  both  for  public  discussion  and  for  public  service.  One  of 
the  problems  of  the  continuance  of  this  popular  civic  education  re¬ 
lates  to  the  supply  of  leadership  and  of  materials  for  study  and  dis¬ 
cussion.  Money  has  not  been  wanting,  during  the  war,  to  flood  the 
country,  both  through  governmental  and  private  channels,  with  infor¬ 
mation  and  with  speakers.  Not  to  mention  the  educational  campaigns 
of  the  Treasury  Department,  the  Food  and  Fuel  Administrations, 
the  Department  of  Agriculture,  the  Committee  on  Public  Infor¬ 
mation,  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  and  other  public  agencies, 
there  was  the  propaganda  "work  of  innumerable  private  agencies 
of  which  the  National  Security  League  may  be  taken  as  a  single 
example.  Among  the  many  activities  of  this  organization  there  may 
be  mentioned  merely  by  way  of  illustration  its  “  Catechism  of  the 
Constitution,”  100,000  copies  of  which  were  distributed,  solely  on  re¬ 
quest.  “  A  large  proportion  of  the  letters  were  written  by  persons 
with  foreign  names,  and  it  has  been  almost  pathetic  to  read  the  ex¬ 
pressions  of  gratitude  with  which  the  recipients  of  the  catechism 
have  acknowledged  its  helpfulness  in  acquainting  them  with  the  fun¬ 
damental  principles  of  our  Government.”  Unfortunately,  with  the 
close  of  the  war,  there  will  doubtless  be  a  falling  off  of  financial  sup¬ 
port  for  such  civic  educational  work. 

One  of  the  most  significant  movements  for  the  extension  of  civic 
education  is  that  which  has  accompanied  the  growth  of  woman  suf¬ 
frage.  With  the  opening  of  the  door  to  direct  participation  in  gov¬ 
ernment,  the  women  have  gone  systematically  about  the  business  of 
educating  themselves  in  civic  and  political  matters.  Moreover,  they 
state  as  their  purpose,  “  A  country  in  which  all  voters  speak  English, 
read  their  own  ballots,  and  honor  the  American  flag.”  It  may  be 
said  in  passing  that  one  of  the  most  fruitful  results  of  this  movement 
among  the  women  will  be  its  effect  upon  the  civic  education  of  the 
men.  A  cartoon  in  a  recent  issue  of  “  The  Woman  Citizen  ”  shows  a 
woman  asking  her  husband,  whose  countenance  betrays  extreme 
bewilderment,  the  essential  differences  between  Republican  and  Dem¬ 
ocratic  principles. 


52 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


The  League  of  Women  Voters  is  developing  an  elaborate  organiza¬ 
tion,  with  national  headquarters,  State  auxiliaries,  and  local 
branches,  by  means  of  which  it  proposes  to  instruct  its  members  in 
their  civic  responsibilities  and  in  political  procedure.  Is  there  here 
a  suggestion  of  method  for  reaching  the  host  of  young  citizens  below 
voting  age  who  are  not  in  school  ?  If  so,  the  kind  of  instruction  given 
in  the  latter  case  would  doubtless  differ  to  some  extent  in  kind  from 
that  which  the  women  seem  to  want.  The  women  are  faced  suddenly 
with  certain  political  responsibilities,  and  the  questions  they  are  ask¬ 
ing  relate  chiefly  to  technique — as,  for  example,  How  shall  we  regis¬ 
ter?  They  are  asking  such  particular  questions  as,  For  which  candi¬ 
date  shall  I  vote?  They  are  also  much  more  eager  than  most  men 
to  know  exactly  the  differences  between  the  several  party  platforms. 

The  women  are  not  only  developing  an  effective  organization  by 
which  to  reach  all  women  voters,  but  they  are  evolving  civic  primers, 
courses  of  civic  study,  and  similar  literature.  This  is  done  through 
national  headquarters,  State  auxiliaries,  and  local  branches.  As  an 
exiample,  Massachusetts  has  developed  a  primer  of  which  Part  I 
deals  with  the  following  topics : 

Who  is  a  citizen? 

How  does  one  become  a  citizen? 

What  part  does  the  citizen  have  in  this  Government? 

Does  he  have  the  same  part  in  all  governments? 

When  does  a  citizen  share  in  government? 

What  is  an  election? 

When  are  elections  held? 

Are  all  officials  elected  at  the  same  time? 

Can  any  citizen  vote  because  he  is  a  citizen? 

What  must  he  do  in  Massachusetts  to  get  the  right  to  vote? 

Who  can  register? 

Where  does  one  register? 

When  must  one  register? 

Why  are  registration  and  voting  important? 

Should  every  citizen  vote? 

Where  does  he  vote  in  Massachusetts? 

What  is  the  proceeding  at  the  polling  place? 

What  is  our  system  of  voting  called? 

Why  should  the  ballot  be  secret? 

Illustration  of  a  ballot. 

If  the  first  ballot  should  be  spoiled  by  wrong  marking,  what  can  the  voter  do? 

What  is  a  straight  ticket? 

How  does  one  mark  a  ballot  for  a  straight  ticket? 

Are  there  good  reasons  for  not  voting  a  straight  ticket? 

When  your  candidate  is  elected  is  that  the  end  of  your  interest  in  him? 

What  will  a  good  citizen  do? 

It  is  said  that  the  women’s  clubs  will  discuss  civic  questions  more 
than  any  other  subject  this  year. 

New  Hampshire  last  summer  held  a  u  citizenship  school  ”  for 
women  at  the  State  College.  More  than  200  women  of  the  State. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  53 

representing  every  walk  of  life,  were  in  attendance  for  four  days. 
“A  big  Boston  daily  sent  one  of  its  humorous-minded  correspondents 
with  a  cartoonist  to  write  a  Sunday  story.  *  *  *  The  two  men 

spent  a  morning  at  the  school  and  at  noon  they  telegraphed  the 
city  editor  there  would  be  no  funny  story;  the  quality  of  thought 
was  something  they  could  not  joke  about.”  Dartmouth  College  has 
invited  this  citizenship  school  to  meet  there  next  year  and  to  accept 
its  cooperation. 

One  of  the  leaders  of  the  civic  education  movement  among  women, 
when  asked  about  the  newly  “  awakened  interest  ”  in  the  matter,  re¬ 
cently  remarked,  “  The  c  awakening  ’  so  far  has  been  chiefly  an 
awakening  of  enthusiasm.  So  far  as  effective  programs  are  con¬ 
cerned,  we  are  still  in  the  experimental  stage.”  Though  a  promising 
beginning  has  been  made,  they  are  dissatisfied  with  the  outlines  and 
courses  of  study  so  far  prepared.  This  statement  regarding  the 
present  status  of  civic  education  for  women  characterizes  equally 
well  the  movement  with  other  groups,  though  it  is  not  always  so 
frankly  acknowledged.  It  is  true  in  the  schools;  it  is  true  of  the 
Americanization  movement ;  it  is  true  with  regard  to  the  community 
organization  movement.  There  is  real  danger  that  the  a  enthusiasm  ” 
for  civic  education,  so  stimulated  by  the  war  situation,  may  swell, 
like  a  gas  bag,  to  the  point  of  bursting  and  vanishing  unless  at  the 
same  time  a  constructive  and  effective  program  is  worked  out.  This 
does  not  imply  that  nothing  has  been  done ;  but  constructive  work  has 
only  begun. 

The  need  for  a  thoroughly  trained  citizenship  to  meet  the  prob¬ 
lems  of  reconstruction  will  be  many  times  greater  in  the  years  to 
come  than  it  was  during  the  war.  Then  there  were  certain  pressing 
problems  relating  to  the  relatively  small  group  of  illiterates  and  non- 
English  speaking  people,  and  to  the  development  of  an  adequate 
supply  of  trained  industrial  workers.  But  the  challenge  of  an  ex¬ 
ternal  foe  was  sufficient  to  bring  forward  competent  and  disinterested 
leadership  and  to  rally  the  entire  population,  with  few  exceptions,  to 
loyal  support  of  this  leadership  in  the  great  national  enterprise.  In 
the  postwar  period  that  is  upon  us  we  still  have  with  us  the  problem 
of  the  illiterate  and  of  a  non-English  speaking  population,  and  also 
the  problem  of  vocational  training.  But  the  threat  of  an  external 
enemy  has  been  removed,  and  with  it  its  national  solidifying  in¬ 
fluence.  Group  interests  tend  to  take  the  place  of  a  common  national 
purpose ;  selfish  motives  tend  to  come  again  to  the  surface. 

The  solution  of  the  vastly  complex  problems  of  reconstruction  will 
be  left  much  more  largely  to  private  initiative  and  enterprise  and 
leadership  than  were  the  problems  of  war.  It  is  the  testimony  of 
many  who  have  talked  intimately  with  returning  soldiers  that  there 
142539°— 19 - 5 


54 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1019. 


is  among  tliem  a  widespread  repugnance  to  all  suggestion  of  “  public 
service,”  and  a  singleness  of  purpose  to  “get  a  job”  and  to  “make 
money  ” — a  perfectly  natural  state  of  mind  in  view  of  what  they 
have  passed  through  for  their  country’s  good.  It  is  doubtless  a 
temporary  attitude  of  mind  in  the  case  of  many;  but  it  suggests  a 
period  of  reaction  against  the  intensified  patriotism  of  war  time,  and 
this  in  the  face  of  public  dangers  within  the  Nation  that  far  surpass 
any  real  danger  of  conquest  by  a  foreign  foe.  To  permit  the  present 
enthusiasm  for  citizenship  training  to  be  dissipated  for  lack  of 
either  a  constructive  program  or  of  financial  support  would  be  no 
less  than  a  catastrophe. 

It  may  be  that,  as  a  people,  our  interest  in  civic  education,  at  least 
as  it  pertains  to  certain  problems,  is  due  to  alarm  rather  than  to 
constructive  imagination.  It  is  better,  however,  to  be  frightened  into 
salvation  than  not  to  'be  saved  at  all.  There  is,  for  example,  an 
almost  feverish  zeal  for  the  “  Americanization  ”  of  our  foreign  popu¬ 
lation.  National,  State,  and  local  governments,  school  authorities, 
chambers  of  commerce,  women’s  clubs,  civic  organizations  of  many 
kinds,  have  made  it  an  issue.  This  work  had  its  beginnings  before 
the  war,  but  it  was  not  until  the  Nation  was  in  the  stress  of  war 
that  it  was  stirred  to  its  depths  by  a  realization  of  the  danger  from 
a  considerable  fraction  of  the  population  that  is  not  inspired  by  an 
intelligent  comprehension  of  American  ideals  and  institutions,  and 
because  of  ignorance  of  a  common  language  is  not  capable  of  effective 
teamwork  for  common  ends. 

There  is  no  question  of  the  widespread  concern  and  seriousness 
of  intent  in  regard  to  the  Americanization  problem.  Neither  is 
there  any  doubt  of  substantial  progress  already  made  in  dealing 
with  it.  And  yet,  as  in  other  fields  of  civic  education,  only  a  be¬ 
ginning  has  been  made  in  developing  an  effective  program.  Much 
remains  to  be  done  even  to  define  the  term  “Americanization”  in 
the  popular  mind.  The  use  of  the  common  national  language  is 
indispensable  for  efficient  citizenship,  and  the  elimination  of  illit¬ 
eracy  and  of  inability  to  speak  and  understand  English  is  one  of 
the  first  imperative  steps.  That  is  not  “Americanization”;  it  is 
only  a  step  toward  it. 

It  is  necessary  to  teach  the  immigrant  the  use  of  the  English  lan¬ 
guage;  but  his  education  in  American  ideals  and  institutions  may 
not  safely  be  deferred  until  he  has  mastered  it.  It  is  not  to  be  ex¬ 
pected  that  he  can  learn  much  of  these  ideals  and  institutions 
through  the  process  of  learning  primer  English;  but  it  is  possible 
for  him  to  learn  much  English  as  a  by-product  of  instruction  in 
American  ideals  and  institutions.  The  problem,  first,  is  how  to 
reach  him,  for  the  work  would  have  to  be  done  largely  in  his  own 
language;  and,  second,  the  preparation  of  subject  matter  really 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


55 


adapted  to  his  needs.  The  foreign-language  press  affords  one  chan¬ 
nel  of  approach  which  is  already  used  to  some  extent.  The  subject 
matter  now  available  for  use  either  by  the  foreign-language  press 
or  by  teachers  who  can  speak  the  foreign  language,  assuming  that 
such  teachers  can  be  found,  is  entirely  inadequate.  There  is  need 
for  constructive  effort  in  this  field. 

One  vital  factor  in  the  “Americanization”  process  is  too  little 
emphasized  in  existing  programs,  and  this  is  the  regular  day  public 
and  parochial  schools.  While  enthusiasm  runs  high  for  the  Ameri¬ 
canization  of  the  foreigner,  it  has  been  difficult  to  elicit  an  equal 
enthusiasm  for  civic  training  in  the  schools.  This  is  partly  because 
the  Americanization  program  has  so  far  chiefly  been  one  of  organi¬ 
zation  and  of  teaching  English,  both  of  which  appeal  to  the  “  busi¬ 
ness  man  ”  and  to  popular  interest,  while  the  problems  of  the  school 
relate  to  subject  matter  and  methods,  the  work  of  specialists.  The 
public  school  has  always  been  recognized  as  an  Americanizing  in¬ 
fluence,  but  it  has  by  no  means  reached  the  limit  of  its  possibilities 
in  this  direction.  One  reason  is  the  lack  of  popular  demand  and 
support. 

The  point  now  is  that  as  a  factor  in  the  Americanization  of  our 
foreign  population,  even  of  the  adult  foreigner,  the  public  and 
'parochial  schools  surpass  in  importance  all  other  means.  Their  in¬ 
fluence  may  not  be  so  direct,  but  it  is  vastly  more  far-reaching  and 
fundamental.  The  schools  extend  the  Americanizing  process  to  the 
native  born  as  well  as  to  the  foreign  born,  and  without  this  the 
Americanization  of  the  foreigner  is  hopeless.  They  build  for  the 
future  with  the  younger  generation  of  the  foreign  born.  And, 
finally,  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  one  of  the  most  effective  chan¬ 
nels  through  which  to  reach  the  adult  population  is  through  the 
schools.  This  was  accepted  as  a  fact  during  the  war  when  the 
schools  were  utilized  constantly  as  a  means  of  establishing  a  public 
morale  and  for  the  dissemination  of  war  propaganda. 

VII.  EDUCATIONAL  HYGIENE. 

In  no  former  year  has  so  much,  so  varied,  and  so  far-reaching  work 
been  done  in  the  field  of  educational  hygiene.  In  this  report  a  few 
of  the  outstanding  features  are  reviewed.  No  effort  has  been  made 
to  touch  upon  matters  of  research  or  investigation.  Practical  efforts 
only  are  recorded. 

LEGAL  ENACTMENTS. 

During  the  year  1919,  legislation  relative  to  health  work  or 
physical  education  in  the  schools  was  enacted  by  15  States.  Of 
these,  eight1  deal  specifically  with  health  work  or  health  super- 


1  California,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Montana,  North  Carolina,  Ohio,  Vermont,  Wisconsin. 


54 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1019. 


is  among  them  a  widespread  repugnance  to  all  suggestion  of  “  public 
service,”  and  a  singleness  of  purpose  to  “get  a  job”  and  to  “make 
money  ” — a  perfectly  natural  state  of  mind  in  view  of  what  they' 
have  passed  through  for  their  country’s  good.  It  is  doubtless  a 
temporary  attitude  of  mind  in  the  case  of  many;  but  it  suggests  a 
period  of  reaction  against  the  intensified  patriotism  of  war  time,  and 
this  in  the  face  of  public  dangers  within  the  Nation  that  far  surpass 
any  real  danger  of  conquest  by  a  foreign  foe.  To  permit  the  present 
enthusiasm  for  citizenship  training  to  be  dissipated  for  lack  of 
either  a  constructive  program  or  of  financial  support  would  be  no 
less  than  a  catastrophe. 

It  may  be  that,  as  a  people,  our  interest  in  civic  education,  at  least 
as  it  pertains  to  certain  problems,  is  due  to  alarm  rather  than  to 
constructive  imagination.  It  is  better,  however,  to  be  frightened  into 
salvation  than  not  to  be  saved  at  all.  There  is,  for  example,  an 
almost  feverish  zeal  for  the  “  Americanization  ”  of  our  foreign  popu¬ 
lation.  National,  State,  and  local  governments,  school  authorities, 
chambers  of  commerce,  women’s  clubs,  civic  organizations  of  many 
kinds,  have  made  it  an  issue.  This  work  had  its  beginnings  before 
the  war,  but  it  was  not  until  the  Nation  was  in  the  stress  of  war 
that  it  was  stirred  to  its  depths  by  a  realization  of  the  danger  from 
a  considerable  fraction  of  the  population  that  is  not  inspired  by  an 
intelligent  comprehension  of  American  ideals  and  institutions,  and 
because  of  ignorance  of  a  common  language  is  not  capable  of  effective 
teamwork  for  common  ends. 

There  is  no  question  of  the  widespread  concern  and  seriousness 
of  intent  in  regard  to  the  Americanization  problem.  Neither  is 
there  any  doubt  of  substantial  progress  already  made  in  dealing 
with  it.  And  yet,  as  in  other  fields  of  civic  education,  only  a  be¬ 
ginning  has  been  made  in  developing  an  effective  program.  Much 
remains  to  be  done  even  to  define  the  term  “Americanization”  in 
the  popular  mind.  The  use  of  the  common  national  language  is 
indispensable  for  efficient  citizenship,  and  the  elimination  of  illit¬ 
eracy  and  of  inability  to  speak  and  understand  English  is  one  of 
the  first  imperative  steps.  That  is  not  “Americanization  ” ;  it  is 
only  a  step  toward  it. 

It  is  necessary  to  teach  the  immigrant  the  use  of  the  English  lan¬ 
guage;  but  his  education  in  American  ideals  and  institutions  may 
not  safely  be  deferred  until  he  has  mastered  it.  It  is  not  to  be  ex¬ 
pected  that  he  can  learn  much  of  these  ideals  and  institutions 
through  the  process  of  learning  primer  English;  but  it  is  possible 
for  him  to  learn  much  English  as  a  by-product  of  instruction  in 
American  ideals  and  institutions.  The  problem,  first,  is  how  to 
reach  him,  for  the  work  would  have  to  be  done  largely  in  his  own 
language;  and,  second,  the  preparation  of  subject  matter  really 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


55 


adapted  to  his  needs.  The  foreign-language  press  affords  one  chan¬ 
nel  of  approach  which  is  already  used  to  some  extent.  The  subject 
matter  now  available  for  use  either  by  the  foreign-language  press 
or  by  teachers  who  can  speak  the  foreign  language,  assuming  that 
such  teachers  can  be  found,  is  entirely  inadequate.  There  is  need 
for  constructive  effort  in  this  field. 

One  vital  factor  in  the  “Americanization  ”  process  is  too  little 
emphasized  in  existing  programs,  and  this  is  the  regular  day  public 
and  parochial  schools.  While  enthusiasm  runs  high  for  the  Ameri¬ 
canization  of  the  foreigner,  it  has  been  difficult  to  elicit  an  equal 
enthusiasm  for  civic  training  in  the  schools.  This  is  partly  because 
the  Americanization  program  has  so  far  chiefly  been  one  of  organi¬ 
zation  and  of  teaching  English,  both  of  which  appeal  to  the  “  busi¬ 
ness  man  ”  and  to  popular  interest,  while  the  problems  of  the  school 
relate  to  subject  matter  and  methods,  the  work  of  specialists.  The 
public  school  has  always  been  recognized  as  an  Americanizing  in¬ 
fluence,  but  it  has  by  no  means  reached  the  limit  of  its  possibilities 
in  this  direction.  One  reason  is  the  lack  of  popular  demand  and 
support. 

The  point  now  is  that  as  a  factor  in  the  Americanization  of  our 
foreign  population,  even  of  the  adult  foreigner,  the  'public  and 
parochial  schools  surpass  in  importance  all  other  means.  Their  in¬ 
fluence  may  not  be  so  direct,  but  it  is  vastly  more  far-reaching  and 
fundamental.  The  schools  extend  the  Americanizing  process  to  the 
native  born  as  well  as  to  the  foreign  born,  and  without  this  the 
Americanization  of  the  foreigner  is  hopeless.  They  build  for  the 
future  with  the  younger  generation  of  the  foreign  born.  And, 
finally,  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  one  of  the  most  effective  chan¬ 
nels  through  which  to  reach  the  adult  population  is  through  the 
schools.  This  was  accepted  as  a  fact  during  the  war  when  the 
schools  were  utilized  constantly  as  a  means  of  establishing  a  public 
morale  and  for  the  dissemination  of  war  propaganda. 

VII.  EDUCATIONAL  HYGIENE. 

In  no  former  year  has  so  much,  so  varied,  and  so  far-reaching  work 
been  done  in  the  field  of  educational  hygiene.  In  this  report  a  few 
of  the  outstanding  features  are  reviewed.  No  effort  has  been  made 
to  touch  upon  matters  of  research  or  investigation.  Practical  efforts 
only  are  recorded. 

LEGAL  ENACTMENTS. 

During  the  year  1919,  legislation  relative  to  health  work  or 
physical  education  in  the  schools  was  enacted  by  15  States.  Of 
these,  eight1  deal  specifically  with  health  work  or  health  super- 


1  California,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Montana,  North  Carolina,  Ohio,  Vermont,  Wisconsin. 


58 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1019. 


sonable  expense  as  may  be  necessary  for  tbe  promotion  of  tbe  physical  wel¬ 
fare  of  children  of  preschool  age  in  their  respective  districts,  including  the 
education  of  parents  in  matters  pertaining  to  child  welfare.  The  power  herein 
granted  to  local  boards  of  education  shall  only  be  exercised  with  the  consent  of 
the  parents. 

A  committee,  consisting  of  the  State  director  of  health  education,  the  dean  of 
the  State  school  of  education,  the  dean  of  the  department  of  medicine  of  the 
University  of  Utah,  the  secretary  of  the  State  board  of  health,  and  the  director 
of  the  department  of  home  economics  of  the  agricultural  college,  shall  provide 
and  recommend  plans  for  carrying  into  effect  the  provisions  of  this  section. 
Such  plans  shall  be  approved  by  the  State  board  of  education. 

Sec.  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect  upon  approval. 

Approved  March  12,  1919. 

Upon  passage  of  the  act  the  State  superintendent  of  public  instruc¬ 
tion,  Dr.  E.  C.  Gowans,  resigned  his  office  and  was  appointed  to  the 
new  office  of  State  director  of  health  education  in  order  to  put  into 
effect  the  plans  he  had  formulated  for  the  work  during  the  preceding 
months. 

In  New  York  the  physical-education  law  was  so  revised  as  to  bring 
the  administration  of  physical  education  fully  under  the  State  de¬ 
partment  of  education.  In  the  original  law  the  State  military  train¬ 
ing  commission  exercised  a  quasi-administrative  function. 

The  effectiveness  of  the  California  law  has  been  greatly  augmented 
by  an  increase  in  the  appropriation  for  the  administration  of  the  law 
from  $12,000  to  $40,000. 

For  the  third  time  a  physical  education  bill  failed  of  passage  in  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature. 


OPPOSITION. 

Neither  enactment  of  legislation  nor  effective  administration  of 
laws  proceeds  without  opposition.  Not  only  the  opposition  of  in¬ 
ertia  but  also  the  active  opposition  of  conscientious  objectors.  Most 
of  the  laws  recently  enacted  carry  limiting  provisions,  exempting 
from  physical  or  medical  examination  and  medical  treatment  pupils 
whose  parents  or  guardians  object  thereto.  To  a  considerable  extent 
this  is  due  to  the  unfortunate  confusion  of  physical  examination  with 
medical  or  pathological  examination.  A  clear  definition  of  physical 
examination  as  a  positive  index  of  physical  capacity  rather  than  a 
catalogue  of  defects  is  imperatively  needed.  Further,  it  should  be 
made  clear  that  variations  from  a  theoretical  normal  are  not  neces¬ 
sarily  defects  any  more  than  a  deviation  in  arithmetical  ability  from 
the  theoretical  standard  is  a  defect. 

A  radical  expression  of  this  opposition  is  found  in  a  bill  which 
passed  the  lower  house  of  the  Minnesota  Legislature.  The  gist  of  the 
bill  is  in  the  following  citation : 

That  medical  examination  and  treatment,  including  dental  and  physical,  of 
persons  residing  in  this  State  who  object  thereto,  and  in  case  of  minors  whose 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


59 


parents  or  guardians  object  thereto,  be,  and  the  same  are,  prohibited ;  provided 
this  act  shall  not  apply  to  the  insane  nor  to  examinations  ordered  by  the  court 
under  existing  laws  or  judicial  procedure ;  and  provided  further,  that  where  the 
regularly  constituted  health  authorities  have  reasonable  grounds  to  believe  a 
person  is  afflicted  with  a  contagious,  infectious,  or  venereal  disease,  and  such 
person,  or  those  in  control  of  him,  is  notified  thereof,  then  nothing  in  the  act 
contained  shall  exempt  such  person  from  quarantine  regulations  where  the 
quarantine  laws  of  the  State  are  applicable,  or  from  submission  to  examination 
by  a  regularly  licensed  physician  or  surgeon  selected  by  him  or,  in  case  of  a 
minor,  by  his  parents  or  guardian,  whereupon  a  certificate  by  such  physician  or 
surgeon  showing  the  results  of  such  examination  shall  be  furnished  to  said 
health  authorities. 

In  opposing  this  bill  Miss  Elizabeth  Bray,  of  the  Minnesota  Public 
Health  Association,  pointed  out  that — 

It  is  opposed  to  the  whole  movement  for  public  health  nurses  and  school 
nurses;  but  there  is  no  need  for  such  legislation  against  compulsory  examina¬ 
tion,  for  the  examinations  made  by  these  nurses  are  now  and  always  have  been 
without  compulsion,  and  purely  optional  on  the  part  of  those  examined. 

The  bill  goes  on  to  do  away  with  the  universal  police  right  of  properly  con¬ 
stituted  health  authorities  to  investigate  cases  of  smallpox,  scarlet  fever,  tuber¬ 
culosis,  diphtheria,  etc.  It  compels  the  health  officer  to  delay  action  until 
another  physician  is  found  who  may  then  make  the  decision  without  being 
responsible  to  anyone. 

This  gives  to  any  sort  or  kind  of  man  who  can  get  an  M.  D.  attached  to 
his  name  the  power  to  decide  on  serious  emergency  questions  relating  to  the 
health  of  the  whole  community,  while  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  people, 
responsible  to  the  people,  must  stand  aside  and  take  his  -word,  although  the 
M.  D.  making  the  decision  has  no  responsibility  in  the  matter  at  all. 

In  the  Pacific  Coast  States  opposition  to  school  health  work  has 
crystallized  in  the  Public  School  Protective  League  with  the  object 
“  to  protect  the  public  school  from  medical  and  ecclesiastical  exploita¬ 
tion.”  Among  their  principles  enunciated  by  the  Yakima  County 
(Wash.)  Public  School  Protective  League,  of  which  the  county  super¬ 
intendent  of  schools  is  the  president,  are  the  following : 

We  believe  that  the  right  of  parents  and  children  to  choose  their  own 
methods  of  treatment  in  case  of  illness  is  as  sacred  as  their  right  of  religious 
choice. 

That  questions  of  food,  nursing,  and  doctoring  belong  to  the  home  and  not  to 
the  school. 

That  paternalism  in  the  public  schools  is  opposed  to  the  public  good  and  tends 
to  deprive  individuals  and  families  of  their  sacred  rights  and  duties  under  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

That  the  use  of  public  school  funds  to  pay  for  medical  services  or  advice  is 
as  gross  a  misappropriation  of  such  funds  as  would  be  the  employment  of 
religious  advisers. 

We  therefore  purpose  to  take  such  educational,  legislative,  legal  and  judicial 
steps  as  may  be  requisite  or  necessary  in  the  judgment  of  its  members  or 
trustees  to  protect  the  public  schools  of  Yakima  County  and  the  State  of  Wash¬ 
ington  from  exploitations  on  behalf  of  any  medical,  political,  religious,  or  other 
sect  or  cult,  and  to  prevent,  by  such  means  as  may  be  in  its  power,  the 
exploitation  of  the  schools  and  the  pupils  thereof,  and  the  educational  means, 


60 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


funds,  and  machinery  of  the  public  schools  for  the  purpose  of  furthering  the 
special  privileges,  aims,  and  aspirations  of  any  such  sect  or  cult  as  opposed  to 
the  general  welfare. 


SCHOOL  CLOSURE  AGAIN. 

Experience  with  the  influenza  epidemic  confirms  the  judgment 
already  generally  accepted  that  school  closure  is  an  extremely  clumsy, 
unscientific,  extravagant,  and  generally  unsatisfactory  means  of  con¬ 
trolling  epidemics,  and  that  “  the  modern  method,  consisting  of  care¬ 
ful  daily  inspection  of  infected  schools,  isolation  of  sick  children,  and 
quarantine  of  contacts  is  both  more  effective  and  more  economical.” 1 

As  yet  the  enormous  volume  of  evidence  upon  this  matter  incident 
to  the  influenza  scourge  has  not  been  sifted,  but  enough  has  been  done 
to  demonstrate  that  cities  that  kept  the  schools  open  fared  no  worse 
than  the  cities  that  closed  the  schools ;  and  partial  sifting  of  the  evi¬ 
dence  indicates  that  where  schools  were  kept  open  and  close  super¬ 
vision  was  exercised  the  incidence  was  less  than  the  expectation.  The 
testimony  of  New  York,  Chicago,  and  Pittsburgh  seems  conclusive 
upon  this  point. 


ORAL  HYGIENE. 

Increasing  appreciation  is  shown  of  the  importance  of  mouth 
hygiene.  During  the  year  two  States — Iowa  and  North  Carolina — 
have  made  statutory  provision  for  dental  clinics  for  school  children. 
Many  cities  have  given  increased  attention  to  this  “  gateway  ”  of 
hygiene  improvement.  The  dental  hygienist,  always  a  woman,  whose 
functions  are  to  do  prophylactic  work  and  to  teach  mouth  hygiene, 
has  passed  the  experimental  stage  and  may  be  regarded  as  a  fixed 
institution.  The  Rochester  Dental  Dispensary  has  established  a  one- 
year  training  course  for  dental  hygienists. 

In  a  report  of  Five  Years  of  Mouth  Hygiene  in  the  Public  Schools 
of  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  Dr.  Alfred  C.  Fones,  the  director  of  the  work, 
presents  some  unusually  interesting  material.2  The  force  consists 
now  of  2  supervisors,  3  women  dentists  for  emergency  repair  work, 
and  26  dental  hygienists.  Care  is  extended  to  the  20,000  children  in 
the  first  five  grades,  including  the  parochial  schools. 

One  result  of  the  five  years’  work  is  an  average  reduction  of  33.9 
per  cent  in  the  number  of  cavities  in  the  permanent  teeth  of  the  fifth- 
grade  children.  The  figures  were  obtained  by  comparing  this  year 
the  average  number  of  cavities  per  child  in  a  given  school  with  the 
average  found  in  the  same  grade  of  the  same  school  before  mouth 


1  See  Bureau  of  Education  Bulletin,  1919,  No.  48. 

2  An  outline  of  the  organization  of  this  work  may  be  found  in  the  Report  of  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education  for  1918  (Bulletin,  1918,  No.  48). 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


61 


hygiene  work  was  inaugurated.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  no 
repair  work  had  been  provided  for  these  children;  the  work  con¬ 
sisted  of  prophylactic  treatments,  toothbrush  drills,  and  instruction 
in  mouth  hygiene. 

Another  interesting  feature  of  the  report  is  the  record  of  decrease 
in  retardation.  Age-grade  surveys  made  by  the  superintendent  of 
schools  in  September,  1912,  and  in  November,  1918,  show  a  decrease 
in  average  retardation  from  40  per  cent  to  20.1  per  cent. 

Dr.  Fones  shows  that  changes  in  the  three  major  factors  of  school 
organization  contributing  to  retardation  can  not  account  fully  for 
this  50  per  cent  reduction.  The  average  number  of  pupils  per  teacher 
had  increased  from  38  to  40 ;  the  balance,  therefore,  is  on  the  wrong 
side  of  the  ledger.  A  very  effective  reorganization  of  the  courses  of 
study  no  doubt  had  had  the  effect  of  increasing  the  pupils’  interest  in 
their  work.  Likewise  some  salary  and  classification  modification  had 
“probably  resulted  in  a  more  wide-awake  teaching  body.”  Dr. 
Fones  justly  concludes  that  these  causes,  unaided  by  the  improved 
health  of  the  children  resulting  directly  or  indirectly  from  the  mouth 
hygiene  work,  are  insufficient  to  account  for  the  remarkable  reduc¬ 
tion  of  retardation. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  further  that  the  health  department  of 
Bridgeport  plans  to  convert  its  school  medical-inspection  service  into 
a  child  hygiene  service,  whose  purpose  it  shall  be  to  provide  medical 
advice  and  supervision  to  every  child  from  before  birth  until  it  leaves 
school.  In  order  to  do  this  it  is  expected  to  establish  health  centers, 
supervise  the  midwives,  provide  prenatal  and  postnatal  care,  and 
carry  health  education  about  children  into  every  home  in  Bridge¬ 
port.1 


NUTRITION  CLASSES. 

The  “nutrition  class”  was  first  mentioned  in  the  Report  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Education  for  1918,  in  which  the  results  of  the 
experimental  class  in  Public  School  No.  64,  New  York  City,  were 
summarized.  The  idea  has  made  rapid  progress  during  the  past 
year.  It  has  been  consistently  forwarded  by  the  special  health  edu¬ 
cation  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  and  the  Child  Health  Organ¬ 
ization.  A  number  of  cities  have  incorporated  the  idea  in  their 
school  health  programs.  The  Minnesota  Public  Health  Association 
includes  nutrition  clinics  in  its  State-wide  program  of  children’s 
clinics  for  each  county. 


1  A  Rural  Program. — In  the  summer  of  1918  the  North  Carolina  State  Board  of  Health 
set  going  a  county-by-county  traveling  dental  repair  service  for  rural  schools.  By  Sep¬ 
tember  three  counties  had  been  covered.  The  teeth  of  3,763  children  had  been  treated  in 
146  open-aid  dispensaries.  Of  all  the  children  examined,  over  7  years  of  age,  75  per  cent 
had  decayed  permanent  teeth. 


62 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Nutrition  clinics  will  be  conducted  in  Minnesota  by  the  Minnesota  Public 
Health  Association  and  the  Northwestern  Pediatric  Society.  They  will  aim 
to  do  two  things:  First,  eradicate,  in  so  far  as  possible,  the  great  amount  of 
malnutrition  found  among  school  children,  and,  second,  answer  the  need  for 
complete  medical  examinations  of  school  children. 

The  nutrition  clinics  will  be  separate  from  the  children’s  clinics  held  by  the 
Northwestern  Pediatric  Society  and  the  Minnesota  Public  Health  Association, 
but  they  could  be  arranged  with  economy  to  take  place  on  consecutive  days. 

A  national  organization  bearing  the  name  “  Nutrition  Clinics  for 
Delicate  Children  ”  has  been  formed  and  incorporated  with  head¬ 
quarters  at  44  Dwight  Street,  Boston.  The  president  is  Dr.  W.  R.  P. 
Emerson. 

The  leading  objects  of  this  organization  are: 

To  establish  nutrition  clinics  for  the  diagnosis  of  malnutrition,  and  nutrition 
classes  for  care  and  treatment;  to  bring  about  the  periodical  weighing  and 
measuring  of  all  children  in  order  to  identify  those  who  are  7  per  cent  or  more 
underweight  for  their  height ;  to  provide  standardized  basic  physical  exami¬ 
nations,  that  defects  interfering  with  growth  may  be  corrected  and  the  chil¬ 
dren  thus  be  made  free  to  gain ;  to  arrange  for  the  care  of  these  children  in 
open-air  or  at  least  in  open-window  classes  with  a  reduction  of  school  pressure 
during  the  period  of  treatment ;  to  secure  the  presence  of  parents  at  the  physi¬ 
cal  examinations  and  at  the  nutrition  classes  so  that  there  may  be  effective 
cooperation  in  getting  the  children  well  in  their  own  homes. 

BARBER  CLINIC. 

Kenosha,  Wis.,  makes  a  unique  addition  to  the  list  of  school  clinics. 
A  barber  clinic,  for  the  effective  care  of  neglected  children,  has  been . 
installed.  The  main  item  of  equipment,  three  especially  designed 
chairs,  were  made  in  the  manual  training  shop.  There  is  a  resulting 
self-respect  on  the  part  of  the  children,  as  well  as  a  reduction  in  pedi¬ 
culosis.  The  need  for  such  reduction  is  indicated  by  the  fact  “no 
other  one  cause  of  exclusion  was  so  great.”  One  child  had  lost  60 
days  of  schooling  in  one  year  from  this  cause. 

PHYSICAL  CORRECTION  PROCEDURE. 

In  the  spring  of  1918,  Dr.  H.  F.  True,  director  of  the  school  health 
department  of  the  public  schools  of  Los  Angeles,  wrote  to  the 
Council  of  National  Defense  calling  attention  to  “prevalence  of 
correctable  defects  among  high-school  boys.”  Analysis  of  the  ex¬ 
amination  records  of  6,000  high-school  boys  showed  140  boys  with 
42  different  disabilities  sufficiently  grave  to  prevent  their  taking 
part  in  the  regular  physical-training  exercises.  In  addition,  there 
were  308  with  spinal  curvature  sufficiently  marked  to  limit  in  some 
degree  their  participation  in  the  regular  physical  exercises,  and  400 
with  “  moderate  flat  foot.” 

This  partial  grouping  gave  848,  about  14  per  cent,  who  would  fall 
below  military  requirements.  Several  types  of  defect — visual,  audi- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


63 


tory,  dental,  and  other — were  excluded  from  the  enumeration  be¬ 
cause  the  object  was  to  show  the  large  numbers  of  defects  that  “  our 
physical  trainers  could  do  away  with.”  Dr.  True’s  letter  was  re¬ 
ferred  to  the  Bureau  of  Education,  and  suggestion  was  made  to 
him  by  the  bureau  that  he  classify  all  boys  on  the  basis  of  the  four¬ 
fold  physical  classification  adopted  by  the  Army;  that,  in  addition 
to  this  examination  for  defects,  positive  physical  efficiency  tests  be 
adopted ;  and  that  definite  method  be  set  up  for  “  making  actually 
fit  those  who  are  potentially  fit  for  military  service.” 

The  board  of  education  added  to  their  physical-education  staff 
two  physicians  and  one  teacher  to  handle  the  correction  cases.  Tests 
were  adopted  tentatively  for  strength,  endurance,  and  control.  The 
aid  of  the  psychologist  was  sought  in  cases  where  muscular  control 
was  very  defective.  This  was  in  preparation  for  the  following  school 
year. 

Dr.  True’s  report  for  the  year  1918-19  shows,  in  spite  of  the 
influenza  epidemic  which  seriously  interfered  with  his  plans,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  results: 

As  an  additional  work  of  much  more  pleasant  character,  the  members  of  the 
staff  entered  upon  a  course  of  study  in  corrective  physical  procedures.  In 
this  work  they  were  joined  by  practically  all  of  the  physical- training  teachers 
of  the  school  system.  These  two  groups  of  school  people,  united  in  a  work  of 
great  interest  to  both,  met  evenings,  and  there,  under  the  guidance  of 
Dr.  Sven  R.  Lokrantz,  formerly  of  Boston  and  Stockholm,  studied  methods 
for  the  improvement  of  such  children  as  were  laboring  under  developmental 
handicaps  that  could  be  corrected  by  the  means  which  the  school  has  at  its 
command. 

The  workers  now  trained  in  corrective  physical  procedures  will  be  able  to 
engage  in  that  work  and  will  be  able  to  handle  those  children  who  have 
habitually  been  excused  from  physical  training,  and  a  line  of  work  will  be 
laid  out  for  them  by  experts,  so  that  we  may  say  that  the  child  physically 
below  par  will  be  receiving  his  share  of  physical  education,  and  of  such  a 
character  as  will  particularly  fit  his  needs.  In  other  words,  the  physically 
talented  will  be  further  developed  by  the  more  highly  specialized  athletic  work, 
into  which  he  will  naturally  fall ;  the  average  individual  will  get  the  fine  aver¬ 
age  physical  training  given  by  the  schools,  and  the  physically  less-fortunate 
individuals  will  be  assisted  by  these  special  means. 

It  shall  be  the  object  of  the  workers  along  all  lines  of  physical  upbuilding 
to  stimulate  in  the  child’s  mind  the  thought  of  perfect  health  and  physical  per¬ 
fection,  never  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  he  is  below  what  he  should  be, 
and  should  he  know  this,  never  emphasizing  it  to  him,  but  always  holding  before 
the  normal  or  the  subnormal  child  the  fact  that  by  conscientious  work  he  will 
become  stronger  and  healthier,  and  more  able  to  test  up  in  actual  measurements 
to  a  higher  level  than  he  has  reached  before.  As  with  the  adult,  so  with  the 
child,  the  attainment  of  tangible  and  demonstrable  success  gives  him  great 
satisfaction  and  happiness. 


SEX  EDUCATION. 

High  schools. — The  division  of  school  hygiene  of  the  Bureau  of 
Education  and  the  division  of  venereal  diseases  of  the  Public  Health 


64 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Service  have  worked  together  during  the  past  year  in  an  effort  to 
contribute  toward  the  solution  of  this  difficult  and  important  prob¬ 
lem.  The  endeavor  has  been  to  work  out  the  principles  and  methods 
whereby  sex  may  be  taught  in  its  normal  relations.  Three  (3)  guiding 
principles  have  been  observed: 

1.  The  object  of  sex  instruction  is  development  of  positive  ideals  of 
physical  strength  and  vigor  and  social  uprightness. 

2.  Instruction  in  sex  must  be  in  its  normal  setting  as  a  part  of 
subjects  already  in  the  curriculum.  Isolation  and  special  treatment 
must  be  avoided  as  placing  false  emphasis,  and  therefore  taking  the 
matter  out  of  its  normal .  setting. 

3.  A  concrete  program  must  be  based  largely  upon  successful  expe¬ 
riences  by  individual  teachers,  which  should  be  collected,  digested, 
and  organized. 

The  work  has  been  organized  along  three  (3)  lines: 

1.  Conferences. — Conferences  for  the  purpose  of  exchanging  views, 
turning  up  successful  experiences,  arousing  intelligent  interest,  and 
acquainting  teachers  with  methods  of  sex  instruction  in  connection 
with  courses  in  biology,  physical  education,  civics,  domestic  science, 
and  English  literature.  A  series  of  12  conferences  was  held  in  11 
Eastern  States.  Each  conference  was  of  two  days’  duration.  The 
average  attendance,  206,  consisted  of  teachers  intelligently  interested 
in  the  problem.  The  program  in  each  case  was  worked  out  after 
conference  with  leading  educators  and  health  authorities  in  the  sev¬ 
eral  districts.  As  a  result,  there  has  been  brought  to  light  a  great 
deal  of  intelligent  sex-education  work  in  connection  with  biology, 
home  economics,  physical  education,  civics,  and  literature,  as  well  as 
a  general  acceptance  of  the  principles  of  sex  education  specified  above. 

2.  Monographs. — In  an  effort  to  reach  all  interested  educators  in 
the  country,  a  series  of  four  monographs  has  been  prepared,  and 
letters  offering  them  sent  to  over  25,000  teachers.  Replies  requesting 
them  have  received  from  5,275  educators. 

3.  Exhibit. — In  addition  to  the  work  with  educators,  a  u  Keeping 
Fit  ”  exhibit  for  boys,  in  which  the  facts  of  sex  are  subordinated  to  a 
general  health  program,  was  prepared  primarily  for  boys  in  high 
schools,  and  a  campaign  launched  in  May  through  the  State  boards 
of  health  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  which  this  exhibit  was  shown  to 
boys  in  high  school  and  industry.  Reports  received  show  that  over 
250,000  boys  saw  the  exhibit  prior  to  the  end  of  the  year. 

Intei'departmental  Social  Hygiene  Board. — This  board,  created  by 
act  of  Congress  in  1918,  the  membership  of  which  includes  the  Secre¬ 
taries  of  the  Navy,  War,  and  the  Treasury,  and  the  Surgeons 
General  of  the  Navy,  the  Army,  and  the  Public  Health  Service,  is 
charged,  among  other  duties,  with  the  disbursing  of  $300,000  a  year 
for  the  years  1919  and  1920.  The  money  u  shall  be  paid  to  such  uni- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


65 


versities,  colleges,  or  other  suitable  institutions  or  organizations  as, 
in  the  judgment  of  the  Interdepartmental  Social  Hygiene  Board,  are 
qualified  for  scientific  research  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  and 
developing  more  effective  educational  measures  in  the  prevention  of 
venereal  diseases  and  for  the  purpose  of  sociological  and  psychologi¬ 
cal  research  relative  thereto.” 

The  board  has  taken  the  position  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  sup¬ 
port  measures  or  demonstrations  involving  the  presentation  of  the 
venereal  diseases  as  a  separate  and  distinct  subject  in  the  school  pro¬ 
gram;  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  consideration  of  venereal  diseases 
should  be  woven  into  the  general  subject  matter  of  hygiene  so  that 
the  causes,  the  carriers,  the  injuries,  and  the  prevention  of  these  dis¬ 
eases  should  be  considered  in  their  important  relationship  with  the 
causes,  carriers,  injuries,  and  prevention  of  other  diseases. 

In  pursuance  of  this  policy,  allotments  already  have  been  made  to 
30  colleges,  universities,  and  normal  schools  to  assist  them  in  develop¬ 
ing  departments  of  hygiene.  It  is  stipulated  that  the  curriculums  of 
such  departments  “  shall  include  courses  and  conferences  in  informa¬ 
tional  hygiene  and  courses  and  conferences  in  the  training  of  the 
application  of  hygiene,  emphasizing  with  appropriate  and  due  pro¬ 
portion  and  with  proper  tact  and  persistency  the  serious  importance 
of  venereal  diseases,  their  causes,  carriers,  and  prevention,  and  em¬ 
phasize  at  the  same  time  the  other  important  facts  and  applications 
of  general  hygiene,  individual  hygiene,  group  hygiene,  and  inter¬ 
group  hygiene.” 

The  board  has  further  proposed  to  the  chief  educational  officer  of 
each  State  to  assist  in  the  establishment  within  the  State  department 
of  education  a  division  of  educational  hygiene  and  courses  in  the 
principles  and  practices  of  hygiene  in  all  the  educational  institutions 
of  his  State,  public,  institutional,  and  private ;  elementary,  secondary, 
normal,  college,  university,  and  professional. 

This  division  of  educational  hygiene  should  influence  selected 
schools  to  train  teachers  of  hygiene  in  all  the  subdivisions  of  that 
subject;  and  should  influence  elementary  and  secondary  schools  to 
organize  and  carry  on  courses  for  all  children  whereby  they  may  be 
safely,  wisely,  and  properly  instructed  in  the  principles  and  practices 
of  hygiene  that  are  fitting  and  appropriate  to  the  age  period  and  the 
maturity  and  the  development  of  the  child  concerned. 

CHILDREN’S  BUREAU  CONFERENCES  ON  STANDARDS  OF  CHILD 
WELFARE. 

A  fitting  conclusion  of  the  children’s  year  program  of  the  Chil¬ 
dren’s  Bureau  and  the  woman’s  committee  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense  was  the  conference  on  standards  of  child  welfare.  The 


66 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


specific  object  of  this  conference,  which  included  representatives  of 
many  of  the  allied  nations,  was  to  crystallize  the  results  of  the  chil¬ 
dren’s  year  campaign  into  a  program  which,  as  suggested  by  Presi¬ 
dent  Wilson,  shall  “set  up  certain  irreducible  minimum  standards 
for  the  health,  education,  and  work  of  the  American  child.”  Five 
committees  were  appointed  to  formulate  minimum  standards,  respec¬ 
tively,  for:  Children  entering  employment;  protection  of  mothers; 
protection  of  infancy  and  the  preschool  child ;  the  school  child  and 
the  adolescent  child;  and  protection  of  children  in  need  of  special 
care. 

The  committee  on  the  school  child  and  the  adolescent  child  submit¬ 
ted  the  following  report : 

SCHOOL  CHILDREN. 

1.  Proper  location,  construction,  hygiene,  and  sanitation  of  schoolhouse ;  ade¬ 
quate  room  space — no  overcrowding. 

2.  Adequate  playground  and  recreational  facilities,  physical  training,  and  su¬ 
pervised  recreation. 

3.  Open-air  classes  and  rest  periods  for  pretubercular  and  certain  tuberculous 
children  and  children  with  grave  malnutrition.  Special  classes  for  children 
needing  some  form  of  special  instruction  due  to  physical  or  mental  defect. 

4.  Full-time  school  nurse  for  not  more  than  1,000  children  to  give  instruction 
in  personal  hygiene  and  diet,  to  make  home  visits  to  advise  and  instruct  mothers 
in  principles  of  hygiene,  nutrition,  and  selection  of  family  diet,  and  to  take 
children  to  clinics  with  permission  of  parents. 

5.  Adequate  space  and  equipment  for  school  medical  work  and  available 
laboratory  service. 

6.  Part-time  physician  with  one  full-time  nurse  for  not  more  than  2,000  chil¬ 
dren,  or  full-time  physician  with  two  full-time  nurses  for  4,000  children  for — 

(a)  Complete  standardized  basic  physical  examinations  once  a  year,  with  de¬ 
termination  of  weight  and  height  at  beginning  and  end  of  each  school  year ; 
monthly  weighing  wherever  possible. 

(&)  Continuous  health  record  for  each  child  to  be  kept  on  file  with  other  rec¬ 
ords  of  the  pupil.  This  should  be  a  continuation  of  the  preschool  health  record 
which  should  accompany  the  child  to  school. 

(c)  Special  examinations  to  be  made  of  children  referred  by  teacher  or  nurse. 

( d )  Supervision  to  control  communicable  disease. 

(e)  Recommendation  of  treatment  for  all  remediable  defects,  diseases,  de¬ 
formities,  and  cases  of  malnutrition. 

( f )  FollowT-up  work  by  nurse  to  see  that  physician’s  recommendations  are 
carried  out. 

7.  Available  clinics  for  dentistry,  nose,  throat,  eye,  ear,  skin,  and  orthopedic 
work,  and  for  free  vaccination  for  smallpox  and  typhoid. 

8.  Nutrition  classes  for  physically  subnormal  children,  and  the  maintenance 
of  mid-morning  lunch  or  hot  noonday  meal  when  necessary. 

9.  Examination  by  psychiatrist  of  all  atypical  or  retarded  children. 

10.  Education  of  school  child  in  health  essentials. 

11.  General  educational  work  in  health  and  hygiene,  including  education  of 
parent  and  teacher,  to  secure  full  cooperation  in  health  program. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


67 


ADOLESCENT  CHILDREN. 

1.  Complete  standardized  basic  physical  examinations  by  physician,  including 
weight  and  height,  at  least  once  a  year,  and  recommendation  for  necessary 
treatment  to  be  given  at  children’s  health  center  or  school. 

2.  Clinics  for  treatment  of  defect  and  disease. 

3.  Supervision  and  instruction  to  insure — 

(a)  Ample  diet,  with  special  attention  to  growth-producing  foods. 

(&)  Sufficient  sleep  and  rest  and  fresh  air. 

(c)  Adequate  and  suitable  clothing. 

( d )  Proper  exercise  for  physical  development. 

(e)  Knowledge  of  sex  hygiene  and  reproduction. 

4.  Full-time  education  compulsory  to  at  least  16  years  of  age,  adapted  to 
meet  the  needs  and  interest  of  the  adolescent  mind,  with  vocational  guidance 
and  training. 

5.  Clean,  ample  recreational  opportunities  to  meet  social  needs. 

6.  Legal  protection  from  exploitation,  vice,  drug  habits,  etc. 

It  is  somewhat  mystifying  to  find  that  the  membership  of  this 
committee  included  no  educator.  The  inference  would  seem  to  be 
that  education  and  educators  are  not  concerned  with  child  welfare. 
Is  the  reproach  partly  justified  by  the  inveterate  emphasis  of  “  edu¬ 
cation  ”  upon  teaching  subjects  rather  than  upon  educating  children? 
The  difference  is  aptly  stated  by  Dr.  Macfie  Campbell  in  his  paper 
before  the  conference  on  the  Place  of  Mental  Hygiene  in  the  Child 
Welfare  Movement: 

Then  we  must  know  for  what  the  child  is  constitutionally  equipped ;  we 
must  not  assume  that  all  can  be  prepared  for  the  same  later  activities.  We 
shall  give  children  the  opportunity  of  developing  each  one  his  own  talents. 
We  shall  lay  less  stress  upon  the  amount  of  information  acquired;  that  is  not 
what  determines  adult  health,  efficiency,  and  happiness;  the  latter  depend  upon 
the  harmonious  adjustment  of  the  conflicting  demands  of  human  nature ;  they 
depend  upon  being  able  to  adapt  one’s  self  happily  and  productively  to  the 
mutual  restrictions  of  community  life,  upon  the  ability  to  grasp  situations 
objectively  and  not  through  the  distorting  influence  of  passion  and  prejudice; 
they  depend  upon  pertinacity  of  purpose,  adequate  output  of  energy,  respon¬ 
siveness  to  the  deeper  issues  of  life. 

If  such  be  the  goal  of  education,  the  teacher  will  need  to  be  as  sensitive 
to  moody  periods  on  the  child’s  part  as  to  bad  spelling;  will  pay  attention  to 
day-dreaming  as  well  as  to  faulty  declensions;  will  take  truancy  not  as  a 
statutory  crime,  but  as  a  personal  .problem,  the  roots  of  which  have  to  be 
traced;  will  regard  pilfering  and  lying  as  problems  of  equal  interest;  will 
note  any  sexual  aberrations  not  as  awkward  incidents  disturbing  one’s  own 
prudish  repressions,  but  as  indications  that  one  of  the  most  important  biological 
forces  is  causing  difficulty,  and  that  help  may  be  needed. 

The  teacher  imbued  with  these  principles  and  taking  seriously  the  task  of 
training  the  child  will  seek  to  make  the  atmosphere  of  the  school  tonic, 
character-building,  as  well  as  instructive ;  and  will  be  forced  to  recognize  that 
the  school  and  the  home  can  not  be  treated  independently,  that  there  should 
be  a  continuity  of  influence  over  the  child,  that  home  training  and  school 
training  should  be  guided  by  the  sanfe  principles. 


68 


EDUCATION  REPOET,  1919. 
VOLUNTARY  ORGANIZATIONS. 


The  year  has  been  conspicuous  for  the  volume,  variety,  and  effec¬ 
tiveness  of  work  done  by  nongovernmental  agencies— national,  State, 
and  local — in  the  interest  of  physical  education.  The  scope  and 
variety  of  these  activities  is  illustrated  by  the  following  summaries 
of  the  work  of  some  of  the  national  organizations : 

Child  health  organization  of  America. — Beginning  June  1,  1918,  with  a  budget 
of  $15,000,  the  organization  realized  that  only  by  working  through  existing 
agencies  and  groups  could  it  hope  to  wage  a  nation-wide  campaign  for  child 
health.  Cooperating  wuth  the  division  of  school  hygiene  of  the  Bureau  of 
Education,  the  director  of  field  work  served  on  a  dollar-a-year  basis  initiating 
this  work  of  stimulating  interest  in  child  health  through  the  schools  of  the 
country.  Attractive  readable  literature  prepared  by  the  Child  Health  Organi¬ 
zation  has  been  printed  on  the  Government  presses,  and  sent  out  upon  request, 
free  of  charge  to  the  teachers  of  the  country.  As  a  result  of  this  Government 
work  alone  it  is  estimated  that  over  10,000,000  children  in  30  States  have  kept 
monthly  weight  records  and  are  being  taught  health  habits. 

Because  of  this  advocacy  of  monthly  weighing  of  school  children,  three  of 
the  largest  cities  in  the  country  have  already  put  scales  in  every  school. 
Hundreds  of  others  are  following  their  lead. 

In  addition  to  Government  cooperation,  more  than  800  public  health,  social, 
and  educational  groups  are  now  pushing  in  their  own  communities  our  prograrrf 
for  child  health. 

Over  29  normal  schools  have  requested  and  received  help  in  training  their 
students  in  the  methods  of  teaching  health  habits. 

Committee  on  Health  Problems  in  Education. — The  chairman,  Dr. 
T.  D.  Wood,  in  his  report  for  1919,  states  that  the  committee  literature 
now  includes  three  pamphlet  reports  as  follows :  “  Minimum  Health 
Requirements  for  Rural  Schools,”  of  which  800,000  copies  have  been 
printed;  “Health  Essentials  for  Rural  School  Children,”  50,000; 
“Health  Chart  Pamphlet,”  10,000  copies;  and  “Set  of  58  Health 
Charts,”  of  which  600  sets  have  been  printed.  A  gratifying  demand 
continues  for  all  these  publications. 

A  fourth  pamphlet  of  75  pages,  entitled  “  Health  Improvement  in 
Rural  Schools,”  has  been  completed  and  sent  to  the  printer.  “It 
contains  actual  statistics  and  descriptions  by  health  workers  of  signi¬ 
ficant  and  successful  experiments  and  demonstrations  of  health  work 
conducted  in  and  through  rural  schools  in  different  parts  of  the 
country.” 

“  The  next  undertaking  of  the  committee  will  be  a  study  and  report 
of  standardization  of  health  norms  and  health  defects  of  school 
children.” 

National  Child  Welfare  Association. — This  organization  devotes 
itself  largely  to  the  production  of  exhibit  material.  The  following 
material  on  hygiene  was  issued  during  the  past  year : 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


69 


The  A  1  American  Girl,  10  panels;  Hygiene  for  School  Children. 
12  panels;  The  American  Citizen,  25  panels;  Modern  Health  Cru¬ 
saders,  5  panels.  In  addition,  the  following  panels  were  made  for 
special  hygienic  work  by  other  organizations:  3  panels  for  the  New 
York  Milk  Committee;  5  for  the  National  Committee  on  Mental 
Hygiene;  10  for  the  American  Social  Hygiene  Association;  and  6 
on  housing,  for  the  Army  Educational  Commission  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

National  Physical  Education  Service. — In  December,  1918,  the 
National  Physical  Education  Service  was  established  by  the  Play¬ 
ground  and  Recreation  Association  of  America,  at  the  request  of 
the  National  Committee  on  Physical  Education,  to  organize  and 
direct  the  movement  for  State  and  Federal  legislation  for  physical 
education.  An  initial  appropriation  of  $10,000  was  made. 

Thus  far,  the  efforts  for  legislation  of  this  service  have  been  con¬ 
fined  to  the  promotion  of  State  legislation.  Seven  special  representa¬ 
tives  having  organization  experience  were  sent  into  IT  States  where 
legislatures  were  meeting  in  1919.  They  gave  valuable  assistance  to 
the  local  forces  working  for  physical  education  legislation.  In  six 
States  such  legislation  was  enacted  and  in  several  other  States 
foundations  were  laid  for  future  action.  One  outstanding  result  of 
this  experience  with  the  States  is  a  strengthened  conviction  that 
Federal  legislation  is  necessary  both  to  stimulate  and  to  supplement 
State  legislation. 

Special  articles  have  appeared  in  or  are  in  preparation  for  33 
magazines.  Two  pamphlets  entitled  “  Physical  Fitness — A  National 
Necessity,”  and  “The  Need  for  Universal  Physical  Education — A 
Growing  National  Conviction  ”  have  been  printed  and  have  had  wide 
distribution. 

The  subject  of  physical  education,  in  the  near  future,  will  be  pre¬ 
sented  by  speakers  at  a  total  of  more  than  40  conventions  and  con¬ 
ferences. 

Plans  for  the  immediate  future  involve  the  organization  of  effec¬ 
tive  State  committees  and  the  preparation  of  campaigns  for  physi¬ 
cal  education  legislation  beginning  with  the  States  affording  the 
most  promising  outlook ;  a  great  increase  in  the  volume  of  publicity ; 
assistance  to  various  organizations  in  planning  to  carry  particular 
responsibilities  in  the  general  campaign ;  and  continuous  conference 
with  leaders  in  the  various  interested  organizations  regarding  plans 
and  policies.  It  is  the  definite  policy  of  this  service  not  to  magnify 
its  own  importance,  but  rather  to  organize  for  effective  and  unified 
cooperation  all  agencies  aiming  toward  the  common  goal. 

Junior  Red  Cross . — The  Junior  Red  Cross  makes  Red  Cross  serv¬ 
ice  applicable  to  the  health  and  social  needs  of  schools  and  school 
children ;  it  plans,  through  the  School  Auxiliary,  to  help  in  the  de- 
142539°— 19 - 6 


70 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1910. 


velopment  and  utilization  of  tlie  resources  of  the  schools  toward  the 
solution  of  some  of  the  health  and  social  problems  of  the  schools  and 
communities;  and  it  expects  to  provide,  through  appropriate  Red 
Cross  Chapter  channels,  assistance  to  children  who  are  handicapped 
physically  or  economically.  It  hopes,  furthermore,  to  accomplish  its 
program,  as  far  as  possible,  through  the  active  participation  and 
interest  of  the  children  in  themselves. 

Modern  Health  Crusaders. — This  movement  for  direct  teaching 
of  health  habits,  sponsored  by  the  National  Tuberculosis  Association 
and  its  affiliated  State  organizations,  during  the  past  year  reached 
every  section  of  the  country  and  every  type  of  school  from  the  largest 
city  institution  to  the  one-room  rural  school. 

More  than  3,000,000  American  school  children  in  1918-19  qualified 
as  Modern  Health  Crusaders.  Stimulus  was  provided  in  large  meas¬ 
ure  by  a  national  tournament  in  health  knighthood ;  111  classes  and 
ungraded  schools  which  mustered  100  per  cent  of  their  pupils  as 
Modern  Health  Crusade  Knights  Banneret  between  February  9  and 
May  24  received  trophies  in  the  form  of  banners  suitably  inscribed. 

ROTARIANS. 

The  International  Association  of  Rotary  Clubs  at  its  annual  con¬ 
vention  indorsed  the  program  of  its  committee  on  work  among  boys. 
This  program  calls  for  increased  emphasis  upon  the  solution  of  the 
vocational,  physical,  and  social  problems  of  boyhood : 

The  time  is  near  when  each  nation  must  more  fully  recognize  the  importance 
to  its  own  future  welfare  of  the  proper  training  and  development  of  its  boys, 
more  particularly  because  modern  city  life  has  in  a  greater  or  less  degree 
diverted  the  responsibility  for  the  development  of  those  human  qualities  which 
make  for  character  and  success,  and  sooner  or  later  each  State  will  see  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  taking  upon  itself  the  coordination  of  all  child-helping  -welfare  agencies 
and  organizations,  including  the  public  and  private  schools,  not  only  to  the  end 
that  the  vocational  aptitudes  of  the  boys  may  be  studied  and  determined  scien¬ 
tifically,  but  also  in  order  that  the  mental,  moral,  and  physical  development  of 
every  child  may  be  nationally  directed  and  supervised. 

Specifically,  it  requires  that  each  local  club  carry  eight  committees 
relative  to  work  among  boys:  (1)  Survey  of  boy  life,  (2)  physical 
development,  (3)  public  health,  (4)  vocational  education,  (5)  juve¬ 
nile  delinquency,  (6)  nationalization  and  spare-time  education,  (7) 
legislation,  (8)  publicity.  The  functions  of  the  physical  development 
committee  are  defined  as  follows : 

This  committee  would  cooperate  with  the  public  schools,  playgrounds,  and 
other  recreation  centers,  including  organizations  working  for  boys,  and  should 
give  particular  attention  to  physical  culture  and  education.  If  not  legally  estab¬ 
lished  the  committee  should  strive  to  make  physical  education  in  the  public 
schools  not  only  practical  but  compulsory. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITE i?  STATES. 


71 


VIII.  COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION. 

THE  REPORT  OF  THE  N.  E.  A.  COMMISSION. 

An  important  contribution  in  the  past  year  to  the  subject  of  com¬ 
mercial  education  is  the  report  on  business  education  in  secondary 
schools,  submitted  as  a  report  of  the  Commission  of  the  National 
Education  Association  on  the  Reorganization  of  Secondary  Schools 
and  published  as  Bulletin  1919,  No.  55,  of  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  Education.  The  importance  of  this  report  is  due  in  part  to  the 
fact  that  it  represents  the  first  serious  consideration  of  this  subject 
by  that  association  since  1903,  and  in  part  to  the  marked  necessity 
that  has  arisen  since  that  year  for  some  modification  and  extension 
in  commercial  education  to  meet  the  rapidly  developing  demands 
of  business  for  better  clerical  service  and  for  management  positions 
in  diversified  production  and  distribution,  in  the  financial  world,  etc. 
The  committee  in  preparation  of  this  report  endeavored  to  synthesize 
the  dual  phase  of  business  training  and  commercial  education. 
While  recognizing  the  need  of  definite  training  for  specific  jobs 
in  the  eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth  grades,  it  urges  due  preparation 
in  the  fundamentals  before  beginning  special  commercial  training. 
In  a  word,  it  would  seem  to  urge  as  a  definite  policy  the  liberalizing 
of  secondary  commercial  education. 

It  remains  for  the  future  to  reveal  how  far  the  committee’s  inter¬ 
pretation  and  advice  in  respect  to  the  purpose  and  function  of  com¬ 
mercial  education  may  favorably  react  upon  the.  progressive  organi¬ 
zation  and  administration  of  this  type  of  educational  training. 
While  the  program  and  function  of  the  junior  and  senior  high 
schools  and  junior  colleges  and  evening  classes  for  employed  persons 
have  passed  the  stage  of  experimentation  and  must  soberly  be  articu¬ 
lated  with  the  national  school  life,  it  is  in  these  recently  established 
and  novel  schools  that  effort  to  carry  out  the  committee’s  explicit  in¬ 
structions  in  respect  to  business  training  will  have  the  largest 
measure  of  sympathy.  In  them  the  committee’s  implied  purpose  of 
commercial  education  will  be  consummated  if  due  safeguards  are 
placed  against  the  menace  of  overrefinement  of  technique  as  an  end 
in  itself,  which  may  naturally  ensue  through  overzeal  on  the  part  of 
school  management  and  undue  pressure  from  the  outside  business 
world.  Recent  reports  from  junior  high  schools  in  particular  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  this  danger  is  being  soberly  considered.  The 
persistence  of  modern  language  and  social  science  requirement  in  the 
earlier  years  may  be  taken  as  evidence. 

On  the  other  hand,  public  commercial  educational  conferences  of 
the  past  year,  notably  the  Twelfth  Annual  Convention  of  the 
National  Society  for  Vocational  Education,  St.  Louis,  February  20 


72 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


to  22,  and  tlie  Department  of  Business  Education  of  the  National 
Education  Association,  Milwaukee,  June  28  to  July  5,  plainly  indi¬ 
cate  a  program  for  the  organization  and  development  of  secondary 
commercial  education  in  the  narrower  sense. 

ASSOCIATIONS  OF  HIGH-SCHOOL  TEACHERS  OF  COMMERCE. 

Prominent  among  recent  movements  of  teachers  of  business  and 
commerce  subjects  to  organize  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  special 
problems  of  the  high  school  of  commerce  may  be  mentioned  that  of 
a  group  of  principals  of  high  schools  of  commerce  and  supervisory 
officials  in  commercial  education  of  the  eastern  section  of  the  United 
States,  meeting  in  Brooklyn,  April  15  and  16.  Principal  J.  E. 
Downey,  of  the  High  School  of  Commerce,  Boston,  and  W.  E. 
Bartholomew,  State  Education  Department,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  acted  as 
chairman  and  secretary,  respectively.  It  is  greatly  to  be  desired  that 
a  larger  number  of  these  regional  groups  of  commercial  educators 
be  formed. 


EVENING  CLASSES. 

The  outstanding  feature  in  the  development  of  commerce  subjects 
in  higher  institutions  in  the  past  year  is  the  extension  of  downtown 
evening  classes  in  business  and  commerce.  Under  the  guidance 
of  able  directors,  schools  of  this  type  have  been  quick  to  antici¬ 
pate  and  to  respond  to  potential  and  present  needs  of  business.  The 
latest  announcements  show  amplified  courses  in  accountancy,  bank¬ 
ing,  marketing,  foreign  trade,  etc.  The  increase  in  the  study  of 
modern  languages,  noticeably  Spanish,  has  been  marked.  The  study 
of  additional  languages,  particularly  Russian,  Portugese,  Japanese, 
etc.,  is  being  introduced  in  the  larger  universities  situated  in  and 
adjacent  to  the  large  commercial  centers. 

EDUCATION  FOR  FOREIGN  TRADE  AND  COMMERCIAL 
ENGINEERING. 

Two  subjects  deserving  special  mention  in  the  field  of  higher  com¬ 
mercial  education  are  foreign  trade  and  commercial  engineering. 
Two  successful  national  conferences,  the  first  of  each  in  the  United 
States  for  the  consideration  of  these  subjects,  were  held  in  Wash¬ 
ington.  The  proceedings  of  these  two  conferences  were  published 
as  bulletins  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  namely,  Bulletin,  1917,  No. 
37,  The  Conference  on  Training  for  Foreign  Service,  and  Bulle¬ 
tin,  1919,  No.  58,  Commercial  Engineering.  Increasing  attention 
is  given  to  the  subject  of  educational  preparation  for  foreign  serv¬ 
ice  by  the  larger  national  associations  of  commercial  organizations, 
manufacturers,  bankers,  merchants,  etc.  The  subject  has  received 


SOivIE  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  73 

special  attention  for  several  years  in  the  annual  programs  of  the 
National  Foreign  Trade  Council,  National  Association  of  Manufac¬ 
turers,  and  the  American  Manufacturers’  Export  Association.  The 
United  States  Chamber  of  Commerce  at  its  seventh  annual  meeting 
in  St.  Louis,  April  29  to  May  1,  1919,  devoted  for  the  first  time  a 
special  session  to  the  topic  of  foreign  trade.  It  is  therefore  reasonable 
to  assume  that  the  interest  of  the  national  chamber  may  be  reflected 
for  good  in  the  member  chambers  of  this  organization  leading  to 
increased  opportunities  for  the  study  of  foreign  trade  in  local 
schools  and  colleges. 

BUSINESS  TRAINING  FOR  ENGINEERS. 

This  report  would  call  special  attention  to  the  program  of  better 
business  training  for  engineers  which  has  developed  during  the  past 
year.  This  program  began  with  a  conference  in  St.  Louis  last  Feb¬ 
ruary  and  culminated  in  a  national  conference  in  "Washington,  June 
23  and  24,  attended  by  about  200  representatives  of  educational  insti¬ 
tutions,  of  Government  and  business,  and  of  the  leading  engineering 
societies.  A  committee  on  this  subject,  appointed  by  the  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education,  carefully  considered  the  increasing  need  of 
American  business  for  men  trained  in  engineering  and  business, 
made  careful  analysis  of  the  work  to  be  performed,  and  recommended 
subjects  of  study  for  use  in  higher  institutions  in  consummation  of 
the  committee’s  object. 

The  University  of  Cincinnati  has  inaugurated  a  five-year  coopera¬ 
tive  course  in  commerce  and  administration,  beginning  September  22, 
1919.  That  institution  is  one  of  the  first  of  the  larger  institutions  to 
carry  out  some  of  the  committee’s  suggestions.  The  course  is  planned 
to  meet  the  demand  for  men  trained  in  production  as  well  as  in  the 
commercial  side  of  business  enterprises.  The  very  small  group  of 
higher  technical  schools  that  have  been  pioneers  in  this  special  type 
of  training  will  be  greatly  encouraged  by  the  gratifying  reception  of 
the  committee’s  efforts.  Pennsylvania  State  College  offered  in  its 
summer  session  of  this  year  a  special  course  in  factory  organization, 
cost  accounting,  employment,  and  scientific  management. 

INCREASED  INTEREST  IN  BUSINESS  SUBJECTS. 

Very  encouraging  reports  have  been  received  at  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  the  past  year  in  respect  to  increased  interest  and  enrollment 
in  business  subjects  in  private  business  schools,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  schools, 
and  corporation  schools.  Schools  of  this  character  naturally  are 
more  sensitive  and  more  quick  to  respond  to  public  demand  for  vo¬ 
cational  training,  and  frequently  afford  an  index  to  public  interest. 
For  example,  the  private  business  schools  continue  to  reflect  the 


74 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


growing  interest  of  women  for  office  positions  in  clerical  and  secre¬ 
tarial  practice.  Y.  M.  C.  A.  schools,  in  common  with  the  extension 
classes  of  urban  higher  institutions,  show  a  general  development  in 
accountancy,  organization,  salesmanship,  banking,  transportation, 
and  foreign  trade.  It  is  gratifying  to  note  the  increased  attention 
given  to  the  commercial  aspects  of  production  in  the  larger  corpora¬ 
tion  schools  and  the  growing  tendency  to  appoint  competent  educa¬ 
tional  directors  in  charge  of  personnel  training.  Intrabusiness 
schools  of  this  type  are  being  rapidly  extended  to  include  retail  mer¬ 
chant  establishments,  banking  houses,  commission  merchants,  and 
manufacturers. 


IX.  CITY  SCHOOLS. 

During  the  war  every  phase  of  educational  activity  was  scrutinized 
as  to  its  potential  contribution  for  service  to  the  country.  The  slogan 
for  the  schools  was  “  Win  the  war,”  and  the  solution  of  all  problems 
was  approached  from  that  standpoint,  for  it  was  soon  realized  that 
the  schools  were  an  essential  part  of  the  very  machinery  of  modern 
war.  Now  that  the  war  is  over,  the  schools  are  beginning  to  turn 
their  attention  to  their  development  for  a  permanent  era  of  peace. 
Only  one  year  has  elapsed  since  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  and  it 
is  difficult  to  detect  any  decided  changes.  The  attention  of  school 
boards  during  this  period  has  been  taken  up  largely  with  two  im¬ 
portant  problems — the  increase  of  teachers’  salaries,  so  that  the 
schools  may  not  break  down  from  a  lack  of  qualified  instructors,  and 
the  building  question.  Teachers  are  demanding  more  recognition; 
the  course  of  study  is  being  gradually  modified;  and  school  systems 
generally  are  being  subjected  to  careful  scrutiny  to  find  evidences 
of  weakness  developed  by  the  period  of  stress. 

AN  ADMINISTRATIVE  PROBLEM. 

No  marked  changes  have  been  made  in  the  method  of  electing 
school-board  members,  in  the  size  of  boards,  or  in  the  relation  of 
city  and  school  officials.  The  procedure  of  school  boards  has  been  in 
general  the  same.  In  some  cities  they  refuse  to  grant  the  superin¬ 
tendent  the  power  that  is  due  him,  and  autocratic  acts  on  the  part  of 
boards  are  reported.  The  interference  of  city  officials — mayors, 
councilmen,  aldermen,  and  commissioners — in  the  management  of 
the  schools  still  occurs.  In  these  respects  the  situation  has  been  prac¬ 
tically  the  same  as  in  other  years. 

One  of  the  outstanding  facts  regarding  administrative  affairs  is 
that  in  some  of  the  larger  cities  there  has  been  a  lack  of  friendly  co¬ 
operative  relation  between  school  boards  and  teachers.  No  doubt 
some  boards  of  education  have  considered  teachers  as  mere  cogs  in  a 


SOME  ASPECTS  OE  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  75 

great  machine.  This  is  especially  true  in  the  great  cities  where  school 
machinery  is  complicated  and  where  there  is  no  contact  between  the 
teaching  staff  and  administrative  authorities.  In  the  nature  of 
things  only  a  few  teachers  can  be  acquainted  with  the  members  of 
the  school  board  and  with  the  superintendent,  and  these  are  not 
always  representative  of  the  teaching  body.  Certainly  they  are  not 
so  considered  by  the  teachers  unless  they  were  chosen  by  the  teachers 
to  represent  them.  If  a  superintendent  or  a  school  board  consult  a 
few  teachers  selected  at  random,  difficulties  are  apt  to  arise,  and  the 
whole  administrative  machinery  may  get  out  of  gear.  It  is  difficult 
for  the  school  board  to  know  what  teachers  to  consult.  The  only 
democratic  way  is  to  consult  them  all.  Some  superintendents  and 
school  boards  have  realized  that  the  intelligence  of  the  whole  teaching 
body  should  be  capitalized  and  that  it  is  unwise  to  consult  only  a 
few  teachers.  They  have,  therefore,  encouraged  the  organization  of 
teachers’  councils.  In  some  instances  such  councils  have  been  organ¬ 
ized  only  after  considerable  parleying  with  school  officials.  Much 
better  results  could  be  expected  if  the  teachers  were  invited  to  offer 
their  opinions  upon  matters  that  vitally  concern  the  schools. 

To  autocratic  boards  and  superintendents  the  claim  of  teachers  to 
be  heard  in  board  meetings  seems  radical.  What  right,  it  is  asked, 
have  teachers  to  ask  to  be  consulted  ?  The  school  board  is  responsible 
to  the  people,  not  to  the  teachers,  and  therefore  must  formulate  all 
policies.  It  is  replied  that  no  right  is  taken  away  from  the  board, 
for  its  province  is  to  legislate,  and  it  should  do  so  with  all  the  light 
available.  No  right  of  the  superintendent  is  abrogated,  for  he,  too, 
should  make  his  recommendations  only  upon  the  fullest  information 
possible. 

If  a  teachers’  council  attempts  to  usurp  the  prerogatives  of  a  board 
or  of  a  superintendent,  it  has  no  excuse  for  existing.  It  is  generally 
recognized  that  the  function  of  a  council  should  be:  To  secure  active 
and  effective  direction  of  the  schools  by  affording  the  largest  oppor¬ 
tunities  for  initiative  on  the  part  of  teachers  in  the  formulation  of 
courses  of  study  and  in  the  selection  of  textbooks ;  to  encourage  pro¬ 
fessional  interests  and  to  furnish  a  ready  and  effective  means  for  the 
expression  of  sentiments  and  opinions  with  reference  to  questions  of 
school  policy. 

Superintendents  and  boards  that  have  recognized  teachers’  coun¬ 
cils  report  generally  that  the  conferences  of  the  members  of  the  coun¬ 
cil  and  administrative  officials  bring  great  help  to  the  latter.  One 
superintendent  says  that  the  educational  council  has  been  of  more 
help  to  him  than  to  the  teachers,  that  it  keeps  him  in  touch  with  them, 
and  that  he  is  thus  able  to  know  their  opinions  upon  various  matters. 
In  other  words,  this  superintendent  is  given  a  broader  view  of  school 
affairs  by  those  who  are  closest  to  the  children.  A  teacher  of  children 


76 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


knows  the  weak  points  of  the  course  of  study;  she  knows  whether 
the  textbooks  in  use  are  well  adapted  to  the  children  in  her  grade. 
Granting  that  the  opinion  of  a  single  teacher  might  not  be  worth 
much,  the  combined  opinions  of  the  entire  teaching  corps  are  cer¬ 
tainly  worthy  of  consideration. 

Whatever  course  teachers’  councils  may  take,  it  should  be  remem¬ 
bered  that  the  school  board  and  the  superintendent  are  the  final  au¬ 
thorities  representing  the  public  and  that  teachers  legally  have  no 
legislative  functions.  Wise  school  boards  and  superintendents 
should,  however,  utilize  the  first-hand  knowledge  that  teachers  have 
of  school  conditions. 

SALARIES. 

Before  tlie  war,  educational  and  professional  standards  for  teach¬ 
ing  positions  in  the  elementary  schools  had  been  raised  slowly  until 
most  of  the  smaller  and  practically  all  the  larger  cities  required  new 
teachers  to  be  liigh-school  graduates,  with  a  year  or  two  of  profes¬ 
sional  training,  or  in  lieu  of  such  training  a  few  years  of  successful 
experience.  After  our  entrance  into  the  World  War  many  city 
schools  were  compelled  to  lower  these  standards,  because  many 
teachers  left  the  profession  to  accept  more  lucrative  positions.  Their 
places  could  not  be  filled  with  teachers  of  equal  qualifications.  The 
larger  cities  drew  on  smaller  cities  where  salaries  and  standards 
were  not  quite  so  high,  and  the  smaller  in  turn  drew  on  the  villages 
and  rural  schools. 

The  lowering  of  standards  came  about  so  quickly  that  the  public 
was  scarcely  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  schools  wTere  depreciating. 
When  it  was  discovered  that  there  was  likely  to  be  a  complete  break¬ 
down  of  the  public-school  system  because  of  a  lack  of  well-prepared 
teachers,  campaigns  were  launched  in  every  section  of  the  country 
for  better  salaries.  But  salary  increases  came  slowly.  A  few  school 
boards  gave  teachers  bonuses  of  from  $50  to  $100.  Others  granted 
small  increases,  usually  about  10  per  cent.  Some  effect  was  noted,  but 
the  bonuses  and  increases  in  salaries  were  so  small  in  comparison  to 
increases  granted  in  other  occupations  and  professions  that  teachers 
continued  to  resign.  Even  before  the  war,  teachers  were  much  under¬ 
paid  as  compared  with  stenographers  and  others  in  clerical  positions. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  war  salaries  of  the  latter  class  were  largely 
increased,  and  their  advantage  over  the  teachers  was  strongly  marked. 

An  increase  of  10  per  cent  did  not,  of  course,  meet  the  increased 
cost  of  living.  A  teacher  who  had  her  salary  increased  from  $700  to 
$770  had  to  lower  her  standard  of  living.  If  salaries  had  been  in¬ 
creased  50  per  cent,  a  teacher  receiving  $700  a  year,  as  thousands 
were,  would  receive  only  $1,050,  or  about  $350  less  than  the  amount 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  77 

necessary  for  her  to  continue  the  same  standard  of  living  as  she  had 
on  her  salary  of  $700  before  the  cost  of  living  doubled. 

The  serious  situation  was  not  realized  at  first  because  the  Nation 
was  actively  engaged  in  doing  the  work  of  the  moment — winning  the 
war;  but  at  the  close  of  the  school  year  of  1918-19  many  city  school 
boards,  usually  backed  by  public  sentiment,  but  sometimes  not, 
granted  increases  for  the  year  1919-20.  The  increases,  often  about  25 
per  cent,  were  not  as  much  as  they  should  have  been,  but  a  promising 
though  tardy  beginning  was  made. 

When  conditions  were  realized  and  the  public  was  willing  that 
salaries  be  increased,  school  boards  in  many  instances  were  helpless 
because  of  a  lack  of  funds.  The  appropriations  for  the  year  had  been 
made.  In  many  instances  the  tax  rate  was  already  up  to  the  limit 
prescribed  by  law.  A  higher  rate  could  not  be  levied  until  the  limita¬ 
tions  had  been  removed.  This  has  been  done  in  several  instances,  as 
in  the  case  of  first-class  districts  in  Pennsylvania  (Pittsburgh  and 
Philadelphia),  where  the  maximum  school  tax  rate  was  6  mills. 
These  two  cities  may  now  levy  not  more  than  8  mills  nor  less  than  6 
for  school  purposes.  Some  other  cities,  as  those  in  Ohio,  did  not 
succeed  in  having  the  old  tax  limitation  removed.  In  that  State  10 
mills  is  the  maximum  for  all  city  purposes,  only  5  of  which  are  avail¬ 
able  for  the  schools.  It  is  thus  evident  that  the  chief  criticism  should 
not  have  been  hurled  at  school  boards  for  not  increasing  salaries.  In 
cases  where  the  maximum  amount  had  been  levied  school  boards 
borrowed  money  to  increase  salaries,  but  some  city  boards  could  not 
even  borrow  funds  to  any  considerable  amount.  This  plan,  however, 
could  be  of  only  temporary  use  in  any  event. 

Since  the  salary  problem  has  been  occupying  the  attention  of 
school  boards  and  superintendents,  they  have  been  busy  formulating 
salary  schedules  which  provide  for  minimum  and  maximum  salaries 
and  methods  of  advancing  teachers  from  the  minimum  to  the  maxi¬ 
mum  amounts. 

In  making  salary  schedules  progressive  school  boards  are  keeping 
the  following  facts  and  principles  in  mind : 

1.  The  salary  of  a  teacher  at  the  very  least  should  be  enough  to 
provide  a  living  wage,  which  means  that  a  teacher  shall  live  in  com¬ 
fort,  do  such  reading  and  studying  as  are  necessary  to  keep  her  in 
touch  with  progressive  movements  in  education  and  with  the  thought 
of  the  day  on  political  and  social  topics,  and  take  part  in  the  social 
and  recreational  life  of  the  community.  The  salary  should  be  suffi¬ 
cient  not  only  for  present  needs  but  large  enough  for  a  reasonable 
margin  for  a  savings  account. 

2.  The  maximum  salary  should  be  sufficient  to  retain  the  services 
of  the  most  desirable  teachers.  If  the  maximum  is  high,  it  affords  an 
incentive  not  only  to  the  teachers  already  in  service,  but  others  are 


78 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


induced  to  enter  when  they  know  that  there  is  an  opportunity  for 
advancement  to  salaries  commensurate  with  those  paid  in  other  pro¬ 
fessions.  The  minimum  should  be  high  enough  to  induce  men  and 
women  to  make  the  preparation  necessary,  but  a  high  maximum 
makes  far  better  schools  than  a  high  minimum  and  a  low  maximum. 

It  should  not  be  necessary  for  a  superior  teacher,  in  order  to  re¬ 
ceive  a  respectable  salary,  to  be  promoted  to  a  principalship  or  some 
other  administrative  position  where  her  talents  as  teacher  will  be 
lost  in  a  measure.  For  this  reason  the  maximum  salary  should  be 
almost  as  high  as  the  salary  paid  principals,  but  attainable  only  by 
superior  teachers. 

3.  The  administration  of  a  salary  schedule  should  stimulate 
teachers  in  service  to  develop  to  the  highest  degree  whatever  teach¬ 
ing  power  they  possess.  Advanced  educational  and  professional 
study  and  superior  work  should  be  recognized  and  rewarded. 

A  beginning  has  been  made  to  hold  teachers  in  the  profession  by 
granting  larger  salaries  and  by  the  adoption  of  schedules  that  en¬ 
courage  teachers  to  remain  in  the  service ;  but  it  is  only  a  beginning. 
The  salary  increases  for  the  year  may  be  sufficient  to  tide  the  schools 
over  the  term,  but  unless  further  increases  are  made,  the  standards 
of  city  schools  will  be  necessarily  lowered,  and  the  boys  and  girls  of 
to-day  will  not  be  so  well  instructed  as  those  who  attended  schools  a 
few  years  ago;  and  better  instruction  is  needed. 

BUILDING  OPERATIONS. 

During  the  period  of  the  war  the  erection  of  new  school  buildings 
ceased.  Many  schools  were  already  overcrowded,  and  after  the 
lapse  of  two  years  there  is  scarcely  a  city  in  the  country  where  the 
schools  are  not  congested.  More  children  than  ever  before  attend 
for  a  half  day  and  run  the  streets  for  the  remainder  of  the  time. 

The  cost  of  erecting  new  buildings  is  practically  twice  as  much 
as  it  was  several  years  ago,  and  many  communities  hesitate  to  build. 
Many  cities  have  erected  temporary  buildings,  but  the  erection  of  such 
has  proceeded  about  as  far  as  is  advisable.  Some  plans  must  be  de¬ 
vised  for  the  children  to  be  housed  in  permanent  buildings.  There 
are  only  two  practical  courses  open — one  is  to  erect  new  buildings 
for  the  same  kind  of  organization  as  already  exists,  with  a  reserved 
seat  for  each  child ;  the  other  is  to  organize  “  duplicate  schools  ” 
such  as  are  now  in  operation  in  30  or  40  cities  in  different  parts  of 
the  country. 

In  many  cities  the  latter  plan  could  be  put  into  successful  opera¬ 
tion  at  less  cost  than  the  former  and  at  the  same  time  provide  bet¬ 
ter  facilities  for  a  modern  school  where  work,  study,  and  play  are 
each  assigned  an  important  place.  At  Memphis,  Tenn.,  it  was  found 
that  it  would  require  $3,509,000  to  erect  enough  new  school  buildings 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  79 

on  the  traditional  plan  to  relieve  the  present  congestion  in  the  13 
most  crowded  schools  and  to  provide  for  their  growth.  Under  the 
duplicate  plan  $2,501,000  would  solve  the  present  congestion  problem 
and  provide  modern  educational  facilities  and  a  far  richer  school 
life  for  the  children. 

THE  COURSE  OF  STUDY. 

Xo  marked  changes  have  been  made  in  the  course  of  study  since 
the  close  of  the  war.  During  the  period  of  the  war  school  work 
was  vitalized  to  a  certain  extent  by  the  practical  activities  introduced 
into  the  schools,  as  Red  Cross  work,  gardening,  Liberty  bond  cam¬ 
paigns,  and  lessons  in  thrift.  Some  of  the  activities  have  been  kept 
up  and  correlated  with  other  school  subjects.  Home  gardening,  di¬ 
rected  by  the  school,  has  no  doubt  a  permanent  place.  Thrift  teach¬ 
ing  is  continued.  More  emphasis  is  placed  on  training  for  citizen¬ 
ship.  Physical  training  and  health  instruction  are  also  receiving 
greater  emphasis,  and  many  cities  have  for  the  first  time  introduced 
systematic  physical  training.  What  other  changes  in  the  course  of 
study  this  reconstruction  period  will  produce  remains  to  be  seen. 

The  junior  high  school  movement  continues.  A  few  years  ago 
there  were  so  few  of  these  that  one  could  name  offhand  the  cities 
in  which  they  were  located.  Xow  the  list  includes  several  hundred 
cities.  Wherever  there  has  been  any  attempt  to  reorganize  the 
schools,  the  junior  high  school  has  been  included  in  the  scheme  of 
organization. 

At  first  this  type  of  school  was,  to  a  large  extent,  merely  a  re¬ 
grouping  of  grades  and  classes  on  a  departmental  plan.  Since  this 
organization  did  not  fulfill  the  purpose  of  such  schools,  its  curriculum 
has  been  changed  and  modified  until  it  is  wider  and  more  flexible 
and  until  it  more  nearly  meets  the  needs  and  capabilities  of  children 
from  12  to  15  years  of  age.  Further  modifications  are  no  doubt  nec¬ 
essary  in  many  cities  in  order  to  make  the  junior  high  school  serve 
its  purpose.  By  making  haste  slowly  and  by  testing  each  step  the 
junior  high  school  will  adapt  itself  to  the  American  idea  of  educa¬ 
tion.  It  will  become  an  integral  part  of  the  school  system  and  not 
something  mechanically  thrust  in  between  the  elementary  grades  and 
the  high  school. 

“  Part-time  schooling  ”  has  during  the  past  year  received  consid¬ 
erable  attention  and  is  now  favored  by  practically  all  school  men. 
The  necessity  of  working  out  the  details  of  the  plan  and  of  se¬ 
curing  the  cooperation  of  employers  and  similar  matters  of  practical 
administration  have  been  responsible  for  the  rather  slow  adoption 
of  the  idea. 

One  of  the  recent  instances  of  the  successful  adoption  of  the  part- 
time  plan  is  that  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  where  arrangements  have  been 


80 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


made  for  part-time  courses  for  commercial  students  in  two  of  the 
high  schools.  The  pupils  are  “  paired  ”  and  sent  on  alternate  weeks 
to  certain  of  Pittsburgh’s  representative  firms.  One  of  the  depart¬ 
ment  stores  gives  the  pupils  opportunities  to  work  behind  the  coun¬ 
ters  in  selling  real  merchandise  to  real  customers  as  well  as  to  write 
real  letters  and  to  handle  checks  having  a  face  value. 

This  cooperative  plan  proved  successful  in  many  ways.  The  pupils 
had  a  more  practical  knowledge  of  business  than  if  they  had  been  in 
the  classroom  all  the  time  and  they  had  as  good  a  theoretical  knowl¬ 
edge  of  their  commercial  and  other  subjects.  Working  in  the  stores 
brought  up  many  problems  which  afforded  a  motive  for  attacking 
the  various  subjects  taught  in  the  classroom.  Many  boys  and  girls 
were  saved  to  the  school  system.  In  two  months  100  “  drop-outs  ” 
were  turned  back  into  the  part-time  course. 

After  one  year’s  trial  the  school  officials  and  the  employers  feel  so 
confident  as  to  its  value  that  they  are  planning  to  broaden  its  scope, 
and  to  include  further  cooperation  in  retail  selling.  That  this  plan 
may  be  worked  out  in  the  best  way  possible  a  number  of  firms  have 
subscribed  $160,000  to  be  used  by  the  Carnegie  Institute  of  Tech¬ 
nology  to  experiment  with  the  cooperative  plan  under  the  auspices 
of  the  public  schools.  The  research  bureau  of  retail  selling  of  the 
institute  will  direct  the  experiment  and  will  aim  to  observe  and  im¬ 
prove  the  entire  cooperative  plan. 

SCHOOL  SURVEYS. 

The  past  year  has  not  been  prolific  in  city  school  surveys  made  by 
agencies  other  than  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education.  The 
only  city  school  survey  report  for  the  year  1918-19  received  at  the 
Bureau  of  Education  was  that  of  Idaho  Springs,  Colo.  This  survey 
was  made  by  the  department  of  education  of  the  University  of  Colo¬ 
rado.  The  Bureau  of  Education  made  surveys  of  the  city  schools  of 
the  State  of  Alabama  as  a  part  of  a  State- wide  survey,  a  comprehen¬ 
sive  survey  of  the  schools  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  a  survey  of  the  school¬ 
building  problem  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  a  study  of  the  school 
finances  at  Augusta,  Ga. 

Though  the  number  of  surveys  for  the  year  was  smaller  than  usual, 
it  is  not  an  indication  that  the  movement  is  on  the  decline.  Several 
reasons  may  be  ascribed  why  fewer  surveys  were  made.  The  atten¬ 
tion  of  schoolmen  was  so  taken  up  with  war  activities  and  with  the 
dominant  idea  of  winning  the  war  that  less  attention  was  given  to 
analyzing  conditions  with  a  view  to  future  development.  Then,  too, 
school  boards  realizing  that  every  dollar  was  needed  for  the  purchase 
of  supplies,  which  had  about  doubled  in  cost  and  for  increasing 
teachers’  salaries,  hesitated  to  appropriate  the  funds  necessary  for 
conducting  a  thorough  school  survey. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


81 


Plans  are  maturing  in  several  cities  for  surveys  during  the  coming 
year,  and  the  movement  has  not  reached  its  crest.  Among  the  cities 
that  are  contemplating  surveys  or  have  definitely  decided  to  have 
their  school  systems  scientifically  studied  and  reported  upon  are  New 
York  City ;  Baltimore,  Md. ;  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Omaha,  Nebr. ;  Okla¬ 
homa  City,  Okla. ;  Tucson,  Ariz. ;  Elizabeth  City,  N.  C. ;  Sherman, 
Tex. ;  and  Cohasset  and  Gloucester,  Mass. 

The  most  comprehensive  city  survey  undertaken  during  the  year 
was  that  of  the  schools  of  Memphis,  Tenm  The  report  will  be  pub¬ 
lished  in  seven  parts  treating  the  industries  and  social  life  of  Mem¬ 
phis,  school  organization,  supervision  and  finance,  school  buildings, 
the  elementary  and  the  high  schools,  civic  education,  science,  music, 
industrial  arts,  home  economics  and  gardening,  and  health. 

One  of  the  outstanding  recommendations  of  the  report  is  that  the 
schools  of  Memphis  be  organized  on  the  work-study-play  plan,  with 
duplicate  schools  in  each  building.  This  recommendation  was  made 
to  show  the  school  board  how  it  could  relieve  the  congested  schools 
without  expending  the  large  sum  necessary  for  the  erection  of  entirely 
new  buildings.  The  main  purpose,  however,  was  to  suggest  a  way 
for  providing  the  kind  of  schools  that  the  city  needs.  It  is  pointed 
out  that  the  schools  of  Memphis  have  been  educating  its  children  in 
the  wrong  direction,  because  no  opportunity  has  been  offered  for  play 
and  purposive  work. 

In  order  to  introduce  more  play  and  work,  the  duplicate-school 
plan  is  recommended,  which  represents  an  attempt  to  meet  these  new 
problems  in  education  and  to  make  it  practicable,  both  administra¬ 
tively  and  financially,  to  provide  not  only  classroom  accommodations 
but  also  modern  educational  facilities,  as  gymnasiums,  auditoriums, 
shops,  and  laboratories,  where  children  may  be  kept  wholesomely 
occupied  in  study  and  work  and  play. 

The  survey  of  the  building  problem  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  resulted  in 
recommendations  similar  to  those  made  in  regard  to  the  building  pro¬ 
gram  for  Memphis.  The  report  shows  how  more  children  may  be 
housed  at  Lexington  if  the  duplicate  plan  be  adopted. 

The  principal  recommendations  made  in  the  survey  report  on  the 
city  schools  of  the  State  of  Alabama  are : 

1.  That  the  scope  and  power  of  city  boards  of  education  be  enlarged 
in  general,  with  specific  reference  to  the  following  powers : 

(<2)  To  call  elections  for  the  issuance  of  school  bonds. 

(b)  To  call  elections  for  the  levying  of  school  taxes. 

( c )  To  purchase  school  sites,  approve  building  plans,  and  erect 

buildings. 

2.  That  whatever  money  may  be  furnished  by  the  State  to  the 
city  schools  should  be — 

{a)  Sent  directly  to  the  city  school  boards. 


82 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


(b)  Apportioned  on  some  definite  basis  so  that  the  city  may  have 
some  idea  from  year  to  year  as  to  the  amount  of  financial 
help  it  will  receive  from  the  State. 

The  recommendation  that  the  city  school  boards  in  Alabama  be 
given  more  power  was  made  because  of  the  fact  that  under  the  Ala¬ 
bama  State  law  the  city  board  of  education  has  very  little  real 
authority.  It  gets  its  State  and  county  school  money  from  the 
county  board  of  education  and  its  city  money  from  the  city  council 
or  commission.  It  can  not  buy  a  school  site  or  erect  a  school  build¬ 
ing  without  obtaining  the  consent  of  the  city  officials.  Since  the 
distribution  of  State  and  county  funds  is  left  to  the  county  board 
of  education,  the  city  board  has  no  way  to  tell  from  year  to  year 
what  amount  it  will  receive.  Even  the  city  officials  can  not  call  an 
election  to  vote  city  school  taxes.  The  county  board  of  revenue 
alone  has  authority  to  do  this.  Since  the  foregoing  recommenda¬ 
tions  were  made  the  State  legislature  has  revised  the  school  law  so 
that  the  county  board  of  commissioners  must  call  an  election  at  the 
request  of  the  city  board  of  education,  provided  the  county  has  levied 
a  school  tax  of  3  mills. 

Other  important  recommendations  regarding  the  city  schools  of 
Alabama  relate  to  school  buildings,  the  course  of  study,  school 
attendance,  and  Negro  schools. 

The  survey  report  of  the  schools  of  Idaho  Springs,  Colo.,  which 
may  be  classed  as  a  village  or  small  town,  makes  specific  recommen¬ 
dations  regarding  the  equipment  and  the  care  of  the  school  buildings, 
the  duties  of  the  school  board,  the  program  of  studies,  supervision, 
and  instruction.  The  recommendations,  while  made  specifically 
for  Idaho  Springs,  might  well  be  considered  by  school  boards  in 
other  small  towns. 

One  point  to  be  noted  in  the  recent  city  school  survey  reports  is 
that  the  recommendations  are  more  definite  and  constructive  than 
those  found  in  the  earlier  reports  made  when  the  survey  was  in  a 
purely  experimental  stage.  More  standards  of  comparison  are  ob¬ 
tainable.  More  nearly  exact  measures  of  instruction  are  used.  That 
there  is  still  room  for  improvement  is  all  too  evident.  One  of  the 
weak  points  in  most  city  school  surveys  is  that  but  little  attention 
is  given  to  the  business  department.  Instruction  is  measured  by 
standard  tests,  improvements  necessary  in  classroom  instruction  are 
suggested,  the  progress  of  children  through  the  grades  is  determined, 
and  recommendations  made  as  to  methods  of  reducing  the  amount  of 
retardation,  the  course  of  study  is  elaborate^  treated,  school  build¬ 
ing  programs  are  outlined,  but  methods  of  purchasing  supplies  and 
of  checking  up  the  different  items  of  expense  incurred  by  the  busi¬ 
ness  department  receive  meager  attention  or  none. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  83 

X.  KINDERGARTEN  EDUCATION. 

EXTENSION  WORK  IN  TEXAS. 

An  organized  campaign  for  kindergarten  extension  in  Texas  was 
undertaken  early  in  1919  as  the  outcome  of  activities  pertaining  to 
“  Children’s  Year.”  The  combined  strength  of  the  child-welfare 
department  of  the  State  Council  of  Defense,  the  State  Federation  of 
Women’s  Clubs,  the  State  Congress  of  Mothers,  and  the  kindergarten 
section  of  the  State  Teachers’  Association  has  been  directed  toward 
making  effective  the  law  enacted  by  the  Texas  Legislature  in  1917.  A 
fund  devoted  to  child-welfare  activities  by  the  child  welfare  depart¬ 
ment  of  the  State  Council  of  Defense  made  it  possible  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  a  field  worker  for  a  time,  with  the  result  that  in  a  number 
of  Texas  cities  kindergartens  were  established  for  the  first  time  as 
part  of  the  public  school  system. 

Extension  workers  in  other  States  are  planning  to  adopt  features 
of  the  Texas  campaign,  the  formation  of  a  State  kindergarten  asso¬ 
ciation,  cooperation  with  the  State  department  of  education,  the 
employment  of  a  State  organizer,  and  State  and  district  rallies. 

LEGISLATION  PERTAINING  TO  KINDERGARTENS. 

Arizona. — The  influence  of  the  kindergarten  movement  in  Cali¬ 
fornia  and  Texas  has  made  itself  felt  in  Arizona,  and  a  kindergarten 
law  was  enacted  by  the  legislature  of  1919.  The  two  main  provisions 
of  the  measure  are  as  follows:  (1)  Upon  petition  of  the  parents  or 
guardians  of  15  or  more  children  between  the  ages  of  4|  and  6  years 
residing  within  two  miles  of  any  elementary  school  building,  the 
board  of  school  trustees  of  a  district  shall  “  employ  proper  cer¬ 
tificated  teachers  in  kindergarten  schools  in  such  elementary  school 
building”;  and  (2)  the  board  of  supervisors  of  each  county  is 
authorized  to  levy  such  additional  tax  upon  the  taxable  property 
within  such  school  district  as  will  be  sufficient  to  cover  the  expenses 
of  kindergarten  classes. 

Changes  in  Indiana  law. — The  new  law  in  Indiana  includes  sev¬ 
eral  improvements  upon  the  former  law.  State  funds  for  tuition 
may  now  be  used  for  kindergartens  as  well  as  for  other  grades  of  the 
common  schools;  the  power  to  levy  a  tax  of  2  cents  on  the  $100  is 
now  extended  to  incorporated  towns  and  cities  of  less  than  6,000 
population;  and  the  turning  over  of  the  fund  resulting  from  this 
tax  to  a  kindergarten  association  for  the  support  of  kindergartens 
is  now  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  school  authorities. 

New  school  code  in  Delaware. — A  new  school  code  adopted  in 
Delaware  gives  to  county  boards  of  education  the  power  to  provide 
kindergartens. 


84  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

STATE  KINDERGARTEN  ASSOCIATIONS. 

The  formation  of  State  associations  of  kindergarten  workers  was 
provided  for  by  an  important  amendment  to  the  constitution  of  the 
International  Kindergarten  Union,  adopted  at  the  annual  meeting 
in  May,  1919.  The  purpose  of  the  new  form  of  organization  is  to 
unite  more  closely  the  kindergarten  interests  in  each  State  and  to 
provide  a  medium  for  the  investigation  of  kindergarten  conditions 
and  for  the  promotion  and  extension  of  kindergarten  interests  by 
adequate  publicity,  education,  and  legislation.  Local  associations  in 
a  number  of  States  are  already  taking  action  in  the  direction  of 
State  organization. 

KINDERGARTENS  IN  MANY  SMALL  TOWNS. 

In  towns  and  villages  of  fewer  than  2,500  inhabitants  there  were 
enrolled  in  kindergartens,  during  the  school  year  1917-18,  approxi¬ 
mately  21,000  children  under  the  direction  of  nearly  600  teachers. 
The  leading  States  for  kindergartens  in  smaller  places  are  Michigan 
and  Wisconsin,  with  Nebraska,  Iowa,  and  California  coming  next  in 
order.  It  is  evident  that  where  community  ideals  are  high  the  small 
population  of  a  town  does  not  prevent  it  from  providing  adequate 
facilities  for  the  education  of  its  children. 

SALARIES  OF  KINDERGARTEN  AND  FIRST-GRADE  TEACHERS. 

A  comparison  of  the  salaries  of  kindergarten  and  first  grade 
teachers  is  based  upon  data  compiled  from  the  answers  of  72  cities  to 
a  questionnaire  sent  out  by  the  Bureau  of  Education.  The  cities  are 
in  the  following  States:  Alabama,  Arkansas,  California,  Colorado, 
Connecticut,  Georgia,  Indiana,  Iowa,  Kansas,  Louisiana,  Maine, 
Massachusetts,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  Montana,  New  Hampshire,  New 
Jersey,  New  York,  Ohio,  Oklahoma,  Pennsylvania,  Khode  Island, 
South  Dakota,  Texas,  Virginia,  Washington,  and  Wisconsin. 

The  maximum  salaries  of  kindergarten  teachers  range  from  $195 
to  $1,600  a  year.  These  figures  represent  the  salary  schedule  of  1918. 
In  a  number  of  cities,  a  new  salary  schedule  goes  into  effect  during 
1919  which  will  bring  the  range  of  maximum  salaries  from  $600  to 
$1,800  a  year. 

In  31  cities  kindergarten  and  first-grade  teachers  receive  the  same 
salary  and  teach  two  sessions  with  the  same  hours  of  classroom 
work. 

In  17  cities  kindergarten  teachers  who  teach  two  sessions,  but  whose 
classroom  work  is  from  30  to  90  minutes  less  than  that  of  the  first- 
grade  teacher,  receive  the  same  salary  as  the  first-grade  teacher. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  85 

In  12  cities  where  the  kindergarten  teachers  have  one  session  and 
sl  orter  hours  of  classroom  work,  they  receive  a  lower  maximum  sal¬ 
ary  than  the  first-grade  teachers. 

In  IT  cities  the  teachers  of  the  upper  grades  receive  higher  salaries 
than  the  kindergarten  and  first-grade  teachers.  In  13  of  these  cities 
kindergarten  and  first-grade  teachers  receive  the  same  salary.  In 
one  city  the  kindergarten  teacher  receives  a  higher  minimum;  in 
three  cities  the  first-grade  teachers  receive  a  higher  maximum  than 
the  kindergarten  teachers,  but  not  as  high  as  the  upper-grade 
teachers. 

This  study  indicates  that  the  kindergarten  and  first-grade  posi¬ 
tions  are  on  an  equal  salary  basis  in  the  majority  of  cities. 

RETAINING  THE  NAME  “  KINDERGARTEN.” 

A  debate  upon  the  change  of  the  name  “  kindergarten  ”  was  one 
of  the  features  of  the  International  Kindergarten  Union  convention. 
The  German  form  of  the  word  was  considered  to  have  no  bearing 
on  the  main  question  by  all  those  who  participated  in  the  debate. 
It  was  conceded  by  those  who  argued  for  the  change  that  in  pioneer 
days  the  significant  name  had  been  a  means  of  furthering  the  growth 
of  the  new  idea  in  education.  It  was  claimed,  however,  that  the 
period  was  past;  that  the  kindergarten  idea  had  permeated  the 
primary  grades  with  its  spirit  and  methods;  and,  therefore,  that  a 
name  more  expressive  of  the  integration  of  kindergarten  and  school 
is  essential  at  this  time. 

Those  who  argued  for  the  retention  of  the  name  claimed  that  the 
kindergarten  is  still  in  the  pioneer  period  in  many  places.  In  many 
places  there  are  no  public-school  kindergartens.  It  is  true  that  the 
incorporation  of  the  kindergarten  as  an  integral  part  of  elementary 
education  has  been  achieved  in  a  few  private  institutions.  On  the 
other  hand,  in  some  places  where  public-school  kindergartens  are 
established,  the  traditional  practice  in  the  primary  grades  still  per¬ 
sists,  and  the  social  aspect  of  education  embodied  in  the  kindergarten 
has  not  yet  become  a  part  of  elementary  education.  It  was  argued 
that  the  kindergarten  can  best  serve  elementary  education  at  this 
time  by  continuing  to  bear  a  distinctive  name  as  the  index  of  a 
principle  which  is  steadily  becoming  the  basis  of  all  education. 

By  an  informal  vote  following  the  debate,  a  large  majority  of 
those  present  indicated  that  at  that  time  they  were  in  favor  of  retain¬ 
ing  the  name. 


TWO  WAR  ACTIVITIES  CONTINUED. 

Two  important  phases  of  kindergarten  work  that  were  carried  on 
during  the  war  are  still  furthered  by  kindergarten  teachers  through- 
142539°— 19 - 7 


86 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


out  the  country.  They  are  Americanization  among  the  foreign-born 
children  and  the  support  of  the  kindergarten  unit  in  France. 

The  kindergarten  unit  in  France . — In  appreciation  of  the  service 
rendered  by  the  15  kindergarten  teachers  sent  by  the  kindergartners 
of  America  to  minister  to  the  little  French  children,  Dr.  William 
Palmer  Lucas,  chief  of  the  children’s  bureau  of  the  American  Eecl 
Cross  in  France,  congratulates  Miss  Curtis,  director  of  the  unit, 
on  the  record  achieved,  and  says:  “  Your  choice  of  the  personnel  and 
the  place  they  have  made  for  themselves  in  every  community  where 
they  have  worked  is,  in  my  opinion,  one  of  the  finest  records  made 
in  France.” 

The  unit  has  extended  its  field  in  these  days  of  reconstruction  by 
sending  traveling  kindergarten  camionettes,  in  little  Army  wagons, 
to  the  villages  in  the  Aisne  during  the  summer  of  1919.  The  kinder¬ 
gartners  go  from  village  to  village,  telling  stories  and  playing  games 
with  the  children,  and  leaving  with  them  interesting  handwork  which 
keeps  the  children  busy  and  happy  until  the  kindergarten  camionette 
can  make  its  next  visit.  The  French  Government  has  given  a 
camionette  to  establish  the  same  type  of  work  around  Lille,  with 
headquarters  at  Arras. 

In  July  Miss  Curtis  with  Miss  Aborn,  president  of  the  Interna¬ 
tional  Kindergarten  Union,  went  to  Serbia  and  made  arrangements 
for  kindergarten  work  to  be  carried  on  among  the  neglected  children 
of  that  country. 

Americanization. — The  kindergarten  has  always  been  an  important 
Americanization  agency.  Before  the  war  had  awakened  the  whole 
Nation  to  the  need  for  Americanization  work  among  the  foreign 
born,  the  kinclergartner  was  going  to  the  homes  of  the  foreign 
mothers  and  giving  them  friendly  help  and  advice  in  relation  to 
the  customs  and  institutions  of  their  adopted  country  and  concerning 
the  care  and  welfare  of  their  children.  The  foreign  women  were 
persuaded  to  attend  mothers’  meetings  in  the  kindergarten  room, 
and  so  were  brought  into  close  sympathy  with  the  school. 

This  social  aspect  of  kindergarten  work  was  carried  on  more  inten¬ 
sively  than  ever  before  by  the  kindergarten  teachers  during  the  war 
period ;  and  in  the  days  of  reconstruction  the  work  with  the  foreign 
born  has  been  expanded  through  affiliation  with  other  organizations. 
In  several  cities  the  kindergarten  teachers  have  worked  in  conjunc¬ 
tion  with  the  international  institute  of  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  In  Chicago 
and  Washington,  D.  C.,  kindergarten  teachers,  because  of  their  special 
ability,  have  been  appointed  directors  of  the  Americanization  work 
of  the  public  schools.  In  Minneapolis  a  group  of  kindergarten 
teachers  have  worked  in  a  large  Polish  district  under  the  direction 
of  the  visiting  teacher  of  the  public  school,  making  a  house-to-house 
canvass,  and  bringing  information  to  the  school  authorities  of  the 


SOME  ASPECTS  OE  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  87 

condition  of  the  families  in  the  district.  The  kindergarten  teachers, 
through  their  local  club,  volunteered  to  do  this  work.  Following 
their  example  a  group  of  primary  teachers  have  offered  their  services. 

NEW  TENDENCIES  IN  KINDERGARTEN  PRACTICE. 

Modern  educational  theory  is  bringing  about  changes  in  the 
methods  and  materials  of  both  the  kindergarten  and  first  grade.  An 
inquiry  concerning  the  educational  equipment  of  a  modern  kinder¬ 
garten  reveals  not  only  interesting  changes  in  the  material  used  but 
a  decided  change  in  methods. 

Indoor  equipment. — Large  material  in  bulk  is  replacing  a  limited 
number  of  small  blocks  in  boxes.  The  use  of  cloth  and  wood  and 
other  industrial  materials  is  replacing  the  sewing  cards  and  fine 
paper  weaving  mats.  Free  choice  of  materials  on  the  part  of  the 
child  and  invention  in  carrying  out  his  play  purposes  characterize 
this  type  of  kindergarten  work. 

Outdoor  equipment. — Emphasis  upon  out-of-doors’  play  suggests 
that  a  modern  kindergarten  be  equipped  with  swings,  seesaws,  bal¬ 
ancing  boards,  slides,  and  sandpiles,  and  that  when  weather  per¬ 
mits,  other  kindergarten  activities  be  carried  on  out  of  doors. 

Standardization  of  kindergarten  practice. — While  a  freer  method 
is  becoming  more  general  in  kindergarten  practice,  a  widespread  de¬ 
sire  to  determine  standards  for  kindergarten  procedure  has  been 
shown  b}'  superintendents,  assistant  superintendents,  supervisors, 
and  teachers.  The  large  demand  for  the  kindergarten  curriculum  1 
prepared  by  a  committee  of  the  International  Kindergarten  Union 
and  recently  published  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  an  evidence 
of  the  fact  that  a  better  knowledge  of  the  kindergarten  is  desired 
by  school  people. 

CHANGES  IN  THE  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOL. 

Reports  of  two  committees  of  the  National  Council  of  Primary 
Education  give  evidence  of  the  fact  that  the  work  of  the  kindergarten 
is  beginning  to  affect  the  first  grade.  A  committee  reporting  on  an 
adequate  equipment  for  a  first-grade  room  emphasizes  the  need  for 
movable  furniture,  a  space  for  games  and  free  dramatization,  and 
the  kind  of  materials  that  will  carry  on  the  processes  already  begun 
in  the  kindergarten.  The  report  of  a  second  committee  deals  with  the 
time  allotment  given  to  the  various  activities  of  the  primary  school 
and  the  nature  of  the  work  of  the  between-recitation  periods.  An 
increasing  emphasis  is  being  placed  upon  activities  in  which  the 
children  exercise  their  own  initiative  instead  of  having  the  work  of 
all  the  periods  prescribed  by  the  teacher. 


1  Bui.  Bu.  of  Educ.,  No.  16,  1919. 


88 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


A  primary  curriculum. — Another  factor  in  bringing  about  a  closer 
organic  connection  between  the  kindergarten  and  the  first  grade  is 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  com¬ 
mittee  of  the  International  Kindergarten  Union,  who  are  to  pre¬ 
pare  a  primary  curriculum  based  upon  the  kindergarten  curriculum 
published  by  the  Bureau  of  Education. 


XI.  RURAL  EDUCATION. 

The  loss  of  teachers  to  industrial  occupations  was  more  widespread 
and  more  serious  in  its  effect  in  the  country  than  in  the  city.  Poorer 
administrative  facilities  made  quick  adjustment  more  difficult,  and 
salaries  had  long  been  lower.  Inequality  of  opportunity  in  the  city 
and  in  the  country  became  more  apparent.  With  the  concentration 
of  public  attention  on  food  production  came  a  new  realization  of  the 
necessity  of  improved  educational  facilities  for  country  children. 

The  most  marked  tendencies  toward  school  improvement,  as  shown 
by  legislation  enacted  during  the  year,  may  be  summarized  as  fol¬ 
lows: 

1.  A  general  movement  toward  increased  support,  State,  county, 
and  local,  through  larger  appropriations  and  higher  taxation  rates. 

2.  Better  administrative  methods  for  rural  schools,  characterized 
chiefly  by  centralization  of  authority. 

3.  Gradual  increase  of  educational  qualifications  demanded  from 
candidates  for  teaching  certificates,  and  higher  salaries  scaled  ac¬ 
cording  to  qualifications. 

4.  Efforts  toward  the  equalization  of  educational  opportunities, 
through  increased  State  appropriations  and  State  aid;  provision 
for  increasing  the  number  of  rural  high  schools ;  various  methods  of 
encouraging  consolidation  of  small  schools;  better  measures  for  en¬ 
forcing  compulsory  attendance  laws  in  rural  communities,  and  the 
like. 

MORE  EFFECTIVE  METHODS  OF  ADMINISTRATION. 

As  the  importance  of  providing  adequately  for  the  education  of 
rural  children  is  understood,  the  inefficiency  of  purely  local  control 
and  support  is  realized.  A  larger  unit  of  administration,  preferably 
one  corresponding  with  the  civic  unit;  State  cooperation  and  finan¬ 
cial  aid,  and  more  effective  and  more  liberal  methods  of  support  are 
reforms  to  which  the  States  are  turning  their  attention.  Forty-three 
State  legislatures  were  in  session  during  1919,  and  nearly  all  of 
them  considered  some  legislation  concerned  with  rural  education. 
Many  States  passed  measures  of  far-reaching  importance,  notably 
Alabama  and  Delaware,  where  entire  new  codes  provide  for  funda- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OE  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  89 

mentally  reorganizing  the  system  of  administration  and  support  of 
schools.  T\rest  Virginia  and  Georgia  made  sweeping  changes  char¬ 
acterized  by  school  authorities  in  each  State  as  the  “  most  progressive 
and  comprehensive  school  legislation  enacted  at  one  time”  in  these 
States. 

In  all  these  cases  the  leadership  in  securing  the  legislation  was 
assumed  by  the  State  departments  of  public  instruction,  which  had 
put  forth  constructive  programs  for  legislative  adoption.  This  pro¬ 
cedure  is  in  contrast  to  the  usual  unsystematic  method  of  adopting 
new  legislation  piece  by  piece,  often  in  conflict  with  old  laws  and 
without  proper  means  of  enforcement. 

The  adoption  of  the  new  law  for  Alabama  was  the  result  of  a 
carefully  thought  out  program,  and  was  the  culmination  of  years  of 
work  on  the  part  of  educators  among  the  people  and  in  previous 
legislatures  for  the  adoption  of  progressive  ideals.  The  tendency 
toward  centralization  of  authority  in  State  and  county  education 
departments  is  noticeable  in  the  legislative  enactments  of  these  and 
other  States. 

There  is  a  growing  recognition  of  the  importance  of  more  ex¬ 
tended  professional  supervision  for  rural  schools.  Some  States 
show  a  new  interest  in  professionalizing  State  departments  by  re¬ 
moving  them  from  political  influence  and  the  frequent  change  which 
accompanies  it.  Minnesota,  New  Hampshire,  and  Delaware  have 
placed  the  appointment  of  their  chief  State  officer  in  the  hands  of 
State  boards  of  education  composed  of  laymen,  thereby  bringing  the 
number  of  States  in  which  this  office  is  appointed  by  lay  boards  up 
to  10.  The  law  passed  in  New  Hampshire  is  typical  of  the  best 
among  similar  recent  laws  regarding  the  appointment  of  the  State 
superintendent.  It  provides  for  a  board  of  five  members,  all  laymen, 
each  with  a  term  of  five  years,  who  shall  select  a  superintendent,  not 
necessarily  from  within  the  State,  and  fix  his  salary  and  term.  The 
board  also  controls  the  whole  public-school  system,  including  normal 
schools.  The  Indiana  Legislature  passed  a  resolution  providing  for 
the  selection  of  the  State  superintendent  by  appointment  instead  of 
by  election,  a  constitutional  amendment  being  necessary  in  this  State. 
Massachusetts  provided  for  a  State  school  fund  of  $4,000,000  to 
supplement  the  long  recognized  local  support  and  direction  of 
school  matters.  The  law  is  a  significant  departure  from  traditional 
practices.  It  definitely  defines  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  the 
State  department  of  education  and  provides  a  minimum  salary  for 
teachers.  The  New  Hampshire  law  provides  for  extending  super¬ 
vision  and  places  the  responsibility  chiefly  in  the  State  department. 
Several  other  States  have  provided  for  better  supervision.  Colorado 
and  Oklahoma,  for  example,  have  added  rural-school  inspectors  or 
supervisors  to  the  staff  of  the  State  department. 


90 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


A  number  of  State  legislatures  considered  laws  for  centralizing 
the  administration  of  schools  within  the  county.  Delaware  and 
Arkansas,  for  example,  provided  for  county  boards  of  education, 
elected  by  the  people,  with  general  supervision  of  schools  and 
authority  to  appoint  the  county  superintendent.  In  Oregon  the 
county  unit  of  administration  was  adopted  for  one  county.  This 
law  may  serve  as  an  opening  wedge  for  a  State-wide  law.  A  new 
law  in  Iowa  provides  for  the  election  of  county  boards  of  education 
who  are  to  advise  and  cooperate  with  the  county  superintendent  of 
schools.  In  Missouri  a  county  unit  law  failed  of  adoption  by  a 
narrow  margin.  It  had  the  unanimous  support  of  various  educa¬ 
tional  organizations  and  will,  in  the  opinion  of  the  State  superin¬ 
tendent,  be  easily  successful  at  the  next  session  of  the  legislature. 
The  Arkansas  law  goes  into  effect  in  May,  1920,  when  the  first  elec¬ 
tion  will  be  held  for  county  board  of  education. 

The  salaries  of  county  superintendents  were  increased  through 
legislative  action  in  a  number  of  States.  Oklahoma,  for  example, 
passed  a  law  providing  that  county  superintendents  receive  the 
same  salary  as  county  clerks.  This  means  an  increase  in  all  cases. 
In  Washington,  counties  were  reclassified,  giving  county  superin¬ 
tendents  salaries  up  to  $3,600  per  year.  In  Indiana  a  law  was  passed 
permitting  boards  to  increase  salaries  of  county  superintendents  up 
to  $1,000.  More  than  30  of  the  counties  have  already  taken  ad¬ 
vantage  of  this  privilege.  Missouri  also  raised  the  salaries  of  county 
superintendents,  in  some  cases  as  much  as  50  per  cent  and  as  high 
as  $4,000.  In  New  Jersey,  all  the  helping  teachers,  who  are  really 
assistant  supervisors,  were  granted  increased  salaries.1 

THE  TEACHER  SHORTAGE  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

Practically  all  of  the  States  report  serious  difficulty  in  securing 
teachers  for  rural  schools.  A  few  States  made  certain  concessions 
in  the  requirements  for  certificates  or  made  special  regulations  for 
1919,  hoping  to  raise  the  standard  when  the  emergency  has  passed. 
Among  these  States  are  Rhode  Island,  and  New  Hampshire.  The 
teacher  shortage  varies  in  seriousness,  but  the  situation  is  in  most 
cases  as  bad  as  it  was  during  the  war.  In  some  States  as  many  as 
90  per  cent  of  the  schools  are  affected.  The  situation  is  being  met  in 
two  ways,  by  lowering  requirements  and  by  increasing  salaries.  In 
some  cases  the  salary  increase  is  financed  by  special  legislative  pro¬ 
vision  or  State  aid ;  in  others,  by  local  effort. 

Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and  Indiana  are  among  the  States  which 
made  legislative  provision  for  a  State-wide  increase  in  salaries.  In 
Indiana  the  minimum  salary  law  was  changed  in  such  a  way  as  to 


For  complete  information  see  section  on  legislation. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


91 


grant  an  increase  to  all  teachers,  which  averaged  about  25  per  cent. 
The  new  law  in  Pennsylvania  provides  for  a  minimum  salary  of  $60 
for  teachers  holding  the  lowest  grade  of  certificate.  The  general 
raise  of  all  salaries  is  approximately  25  per  cent  on  the  average. 
The  New  York  law  also  provides  a  substantial  raise,  varying  from 
$100  a  year  up.  According  to  a  statement  of  the  governor  of  New 
York  the  law  “establishes  the  principle  of  equal  pay  for  women, 
corrects  the  present  discriminations,  and  increases  the  inadequate 
salaries  now  paid  to  members  of  the  teaching  staff.” 

HIGHER  QUALIFICATIONS  DEMANDED  OF  TEACHERS. 

There  is  a  consistent  effort  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  teaching 
force,  notwithstanding  the  prevalent  shortage  in  numbers.  This  is 
manifested  by  increased  minimum  requirements  demanded  for  teach¬ 
ers’  certificates  and  by  the  tendency  to  scale  salaries  according  to  the 
grade  of  certificate  held.  It  is  also  apparent  in  the  universal  tendency 
to  increase  teachers’  salaries.  The  law  recently  passed  in  Delaware 
is  an  example  of  the  tendency  to  require  gradually  increasing 
qualifications,  looking  toward  an  educational  requirement  equiva¬ 
lent  to  completion  of  four  years  of  high  school  and  two  years  of 
normal  school  as  prerequisite  for  any  kind  of  certificate.  This 
standard  has  already  been  reached  in  a  few  States.  Montana,  Wis¬ 
consin,  South  Dakota,  Delaware,  Alabama,  and  West  Virginia  are 
among  the  States  which  raised  their  standards  for  certification  dur¬ 
ing  the  year.  A  constantly  growing  number  of  States  require  high- 
school  graduation  and  some  professional  training,  varying  from  six 
weeks  to  two  years,  as  prerequisite  for  the  lowest  grade  of  certificate. 

HIGH-SCHOOL  FACILITIES  FOR  RURAL  CHILDREN. 

Both  through  legislative  action  and  by  voluntary  effort  there  is 
shown  a  recognition  of  the  necessity  for  increasing  and  improving 
high-school  facilities  for  children  in  rural  communities.  A  notice¬ 
able  effort  is  being  made  toward  adapting  school  curricula  to  the 
needs  of  rural  life  by  means  of  the  junior  high  school  and  other 
plans.  Maine,  Wisconsin,  Indiana,  and  West  Virginia  this  year 
legalized  junior  high  schools  somewhat  on  the  plan  already  success¬ 
fully  followed  in  Vermont.  A  new  law  passed  in  Indiana  provides 
for  the  establishment  of  county  high  schools  under  certain  conditions. 
In  Michigan  a  new  law  provides  for  State  aid  of  from  $600  to  $900 
for  rural  agricultural  schools,  established  by  consolidating  two  or 
more  rural  schools,  and  teaching  home  economics,  agriculture,  and 
manual  training.  This  law  also  provides  transportation  or  boarding 
expenses  for  all  children  who  live  more  than  1  mile  from  the  school. 
There  is  in  addition  State  aid  of  $200  for  each  vehicle  used  for  trans- 


92 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


portation  of  children.  Georgia  passed  a  law  providing  State  aid 
for  rural  high  schools  effective  in  January,  1920. 

CONSOLIDATION  AND  STANDARDIZATION. 

There  was  a  steady  extension  during  the  year  of  the  consolidation 
of  one  and  two  teacher  schools.  In  spite  of  the  additional  cost  of 
buildings  and  equipment  many  States  strengthened  the  existing  laws 
for  consolidation  in  various  ways.  The  trend  is  toward  substantial 
encouragement,  generally  in  the  form  of  State  aid.  Georgia,  for 
example,  passed  a  law  giving  $500  to  $1,000  from  State  funds  to  each 
consolidated  school,  according  to  the  number  of  teachers  employed. 
Pennsylvania  pays  half  the  expense  of  transportation  from  State 
funds;  Washington  increased  the  State  apportionment  to  consoli¬ 
dated  schools  employing  a  superintendent  or  principal.  Some  States 
passed  laws  legalizing  the  expense  of  transportation.  Oklahoma 
gives  to  consolidated  districts  an  amount  equal  to  one-half  the  cost 
of  a  three  or  more  room  building  up  to  $2,500.  Several  States  report 
a  large  number  of  new  consolidations  during  the  year.  Georgia,  for 
example,  reports  68.  According  to  the  statement  of  other  State 
superintendents,  the  exact  number  is  not  available  at  this  time,  but 
marked  progress  is  being  made  both  in  the  number  of  consolidations 
and  in  the  kind  of  buildings  erected.  A  number  of  counties,  including 
Randolph  County,  Ind.,  and  Jefferson  County,  Ala.,  are  putting  into 
effect  a  systematic  program  by  which  all  one-teacher  schools  are 
gradually  eliminated. 

Considerable  progress  has  been  made  during  the  year  in  the  effort 
to  standardize  rural  schools  by  setting  up  certain  minimum  require¬ 
ments  and  rewarding  their  accomplishment  by  honorable  mention, 
a  doorplate,  or  other  insignia,  or  by  a  money  bonus.  In  18  States  the 
plan  of  standardization  is  promoted  as  a  policy  of  the  State  depart¬ 
ment.  In  nine  States  statutory  provision  is  made.  The  largest  num¬ 
ber  of  standardized  schools  is  reported  from  Minnesota,  which  has 
6,571.  Illinois,  Texas,  Oregon,  Wisconsin,  and  Missouri  follow  in 
the  order  given.  Iowa,  through  its  1919  legislative  session,  appro¬ 
priated  $100,000  annually  for  the  promotion  of  standardization.  Re¬ 
ports  from  State  departments  indicate  that  the  plan  has  increased 
the  efficiency  of  schools  in  quality  of  buildings,  improved  equipment, 
longer  term,  and  increased  salaries. 

CONFERENCES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 

During  the  year  the  Bureau  of  Education  continued  its  policy  of 
holding  sectional  rural  conferences  at  selected  points.  These  con¬ 
ferences  are  attended  by  representative  citizens,  business  men,  State 
officials,  State  and  county  superintendents,  educators,  and  others  in- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


93 


terested  in  rural  welfare.  This  year  the  conferences  were  held  at  Okla¬ 
homa  City,  Okla.,  and  Daytona,  Fla.  Owing  to  the  prevalence  of  the 
influenza  the  conferences  scheduled  for  the  fall  months  of  1918  were 
abandoned.  Other  important  rural  life  conferences  were  held  by  six 
of  the  higher  institutions  of  Texas,  by  the  Iowa  State  College,  and  by 
the  North  Carolina  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute.  Certain  States, 
notably  Missouri  and  South  Dakota,  which  had  planned  extensive 
campaigns  for  rural  education  in  the  fall  of  1918,  postponed  them 
until  the  fall  months  of  1919.  Some  of  these  are  now  in  progress. 

The  first  National  Country  Life  Conference  was  held  at  Baltimore 
January  6  and  7,  1919,  called  by  the  committee  on  country  life,  of 
which  Kenyon  Butterfield  is  chairman.  A  number  of  committees 
were  appointed,  among  them  one  on  rural  education,  social  life,  and 
recreation.  The  theme  of  the  conference  was  “  Rural  Reconstruction 
After  the  War.”  The  committee  on  morals  and  religion,  of  which 
Dr.  Warren  H.  Wilson  is  chairman,  called  a  conference  of  all  na¬ 
tional  organizations  engaged  in  rural  social  work  in  Washington 
March  14  and  April  10,  1919.  Among  the  organizations  represented 
were  the  American  Red  Cross,  Boy  Scouts,  War  Camp  Community 
Service,  Jewish  Welfare  Board,  National  War  Council,  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association,  Young  Women’s  Christian  Association,  the 
National  Country  Life  Conference,  and  the  Bureau  of  Education. 
This  conference  discussed  educational  matters  extensively  and  adopted 
a  program  for  the  improvement  of  rural  schools. 


XII.  AGRICULTURAL  EDUCATION. 

AGRICULTURE  IN  THE  COLLEGES. 

During  the  war  the  American  colleges  of  agriculture  placed  their 
facilities  at  the  disposal  of  the  Government  for  the  special  training 
of  soldiers.  Since  that  time  attention  has  been  given  largely  to 
assembling  the  knowledge  resulting  from  the  war  experiences.  It 
has  been  a  period  of  retrospect.  No  conspicuous  modifications  in 
aims  and  methods  of  instruction  nor  marked  redirection  or  enlarge¬ 
ment  of  scope  of  agricultural  curricula  have  developed,  but  there 
is  a  noticeable  shifting  of  emphasis.  The  most  conspicuous  move¬ 
ment  is  toward  requiring  an  increased  proportion  of  the  student’s 
time  in  the  social  sciences,  particularly  economics  and  sociology.  A 
number  of  colleges  have  added  newly  devised  courses  which  are  aimed 
to  develop  a  deeper  spirit  of  Americanism  and  more  intelligent  lead¬ 
ership.  An  example  of  the  trend  in  this  direction  is  the  course  in 
“  relationships  ”  offered  by  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College. 
Such  a  course  is  regarded  as  a  suitable  sequence  to  a  high-school 
course  in  civics,  and  embraces  a  wide  range  of  instruction,  including 


94 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


relationships  between  producer,  distributor,  and  consumer ;  responsi¬ 
bilities  of  the  individual  to  the  community,  the  State,  and  the  Nation; 
and  the  economics  of  conservation  of  natural  resources. 

The  movement  toward  the  establishment  of  courses  for  the  special 
training  of  teachers  of  agriculture  for  secondary  schools,  which  was 
seriously  interrupted  by  the  war,  has  been  rapid  during  the  last  few 
months  covered  by  this  report.  The  agricultural  college  in  each 
State  now  maintains  a  teacher-training  department,  and  many  insti¬ 
tutions  are  preparing  for  large  enrollments  during  the  coming  year. 
The  conspicuous  development  along  this  line  has  been  due  mainly 
to  the  influence  of  the  vocational  education  act — the  so-called  Smith- 
Hughes  Act.  This  has  afforded  a  double  stimulus,  first,  in  the  direc¬ 
tion  of  increasing  the  demand  for  professionally  trained  agricul¬ 
tural  teachers  and,  second,  by  the  appropriation  of  funds  for  the  use 
of  teacher-training  institutions  which  are  designated  by  the  State 
boards  for  vocational  education  of  the  respective  States.  With  one 
exception,  the  agricultural  college  in  each  State  has  been  so  des¬ 
ignated. 

With  the  development  of  plans  for  the  special  training  of  teachers 
of  agriculture  has  come  a  conviction  that  prospective  teachers  must 
be  given  an  opportunity  for  practice  in  teaching  under  normal  con¬ 
ditions  and  under  the  direction  of  experienced  teachers.  Several 
schemes  have  been  worked  out  to  bring  about  the  desired  result.  In 
many  States  the  facilities  for  this  work  are  inadequate,  while  in 
others  very  elaborate  plans  have  been  developed.  While  most  States 
recognize  the  necessity  for  having  a  practice  high  school  where  agri¬ 
culture  is  taught,  many  of  them  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  this 
alone  is  not  sufficient.  There  is  a  marked  tendency  throughout  the 
country  to  follow  the  New  York  plan,  which  provides  for  six  months’ 
apprentice  teaching  under  an  experienced  teacher  in  one  of  the  agri¬ 
cultural  high  schools  of  the  State.  The  prospective  teachers  accept 
employment  as  assistant  teachers  at  a  nominal  salary.  Such  practice 
meets  one  of  the  requirements  for  a  degree  at  the  college,  and  col¬ 
legiate  credit  is  given  for  it. 

Another  movement  which  has  been  slowly  developing  for  some 
time  shows  signs  of  making  rapid  progress  as  a  result  of  war 
experiences.  The  movement  aims  to  broaden  the  sphere  of  the 
agricultural  college  by  the  inclusion  of  all  matters  relating  to  the 
economic  use  of  food  and  clothing.  This  trend  is  emphasized  by  a 
recommendation  contained  in  the  report  of  the  committee  on  college 
organization  and  policy  of  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural 
Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations,  which  reads: 

Tour  committee  believes  that  the  time  has  come  for  our  agricultural  col¬ 
leges  to  plan  to  include  in  their  programs  of  research,  of  teaching,  and  of 
extension,  the  entire  range  of  food  needs  and  resources,  of  food  production, 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


95 


of  food  distribution,  of  food  manufacture  and  conservation,  as  well  as  the  house¬ 
hold  use  of  food;  and  we  include  all  soil-grown  products  in  the  province  of 
our  activities. 

The  agricultural  colleges,  like  other  higher  educational  insti¬ 
tutions,  have  suffered  severely  from  their  inability  to  retain  their 
teachers,  investigators,  and  extension  workers.  Many  of  the  col¬ 
leges  have  requested  increased  appropriations  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  salary  scales.  Some  have  been  successful  in  their  efforts  in 
this  direction,  but  the  loss  to  the  colleges,  and  consequently  to  the 
Nation,  from  changes  in  personnel  has  been  considerable.  The  great¬ 
est  loss  has  been  in  the  research  field.  The  loss  is  conspicuous  in 
the  number  of  unfinished  projects  which  new  workers,  on  account  of 
their  different  qualifications  and  inclinations,  are  unable  to  carry  on. 
The  time  required  for  the  new  workers  to  familiarize  themselves  with 
their  new  fields  represents  an  additional  loss. 

One  of  the  fruitful  results  of  the  war  in  relation  to  the  agricul¬ 
tural  research  program  of  the  colleges  is  the  convincing  demonstra¬ 
tion  that  generous  and  systematic  provision  for  the  encouragement 
of  research  is  an  important  factor  from  the  standpoint  of  national 
prosperity  and  security.  The  response  on  the  part  of  the  agricul¬ 
tural  experiment  stations  for  information  essential  to  the  many 
emergency  problems  has  stimulated  inquiry  and  discussion  as  to 
means  for  so  strengthening  and  broadening  the  scope  of  such  in¬ 
stitutions  as  to  bring  about  their  maximum  efficiency. 

The  several  colleges  are  endeavoring  to  maintain  their  agricul¬ 
tural  extension  programs  at  the  high  level  reached  during  the  emer¬ 
gency.  Large  Federal  and  State  appropriations  enabled  them  to 
increase  their  force  of  workers  very  largely  over  the  prewar  number. 
While  appropriations  for  the  purpose  generally  have  been  reduced 
with  the  passing  of  the  emergency,  the  present  appropriations  are 
much  larger  than  they  were  before  the  war.  The  scarcity  of  food, 
due  to  the  wastage  of  war  and  to  the  necessity  for  heavy  exportations, 
has  directed  special  attention  to  this  phase  of  the  agricultural  college 
program  and  has  done  much  to  stimulate  effort  in  this  direction  and 
to  justify  this  type  of  education. 

Another  hopeful  sign  in  the  colleges  of  agriculture  is  a  generous 
disposition  to  provide  for  a  closer  articulation  with  the  secondary 
vocational  schools  of  agriculture.  The  greatest  advance  in  this 
direction  is  the  attempt  on  the  part  of  a  few  institutions  to  offer  in 
each  of  the  technical  departments  a  basic  course  which  in  scope 
approximates  a  secondary  school  course  in  the  corresponding  sub¬ 
ject.  The  availability  of  such  courses  makes  it  possible  for  students 
who  have  not  had  the  work  in  high  school  to  carry  it  in  college, 
and  for  those  who  have  had  the  work  in  high  school  to  start  with 
more  advanced  work  and  without  unnecessary  repetition. 


96  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

AGRICULTURE  IN  THE  SECONDARY  SCHOOLS. 

Rapid  progress  has  been  made  in  the  establishment  of  agricul¬ 
tural  high  schools,  or  agricultural  departments  in  high  schools,  in 
response  to  the  impetus  of  the  vocational  education  act.  The  move¬ 
ment  received  a  serious  setback  as  a  result  of  the  war.  Most  States 
were  able  to  maintain  a  large  proportion  of  the  schools  previously 
established,  but  owing  to  their  inability  to  obtain  teachers,  they 
were  unable  to  start  new  agricultural  schools  or  departments.  The 
work  suffered  greatly  from  the  necessity  of  making  frequent  changes 
in  personnel.  In  Massachusetts,  for  example,  the  change  in  per¬ 
sonnel  during  the  past  year  is  reported  to  be  80  per  cent.  Not  only 
in  the  break  in  continuity  of  service  has  a  loss  been  suffered,  but 
owing  to  the  necessity  in  many  cases  for  employing  teachers  with¬ 
out  sufficient  training  and  experience,  the  cause  of  secondary  educa¬ 
tion  has  been  seriously  jeopardized  in  the  communities  so  affected. 

Some  States  have  attempted,  with  conspicuous  success,  to  make 
up  for  the  shortcomings  of  unqualified  teachers  by  the  employment 
of  special  supervisors  or  experts  for  training  the  teachers  after  em¬ 
ployment.  Among  the  States  following  this  plan  may  be  mentioned 
Massachusetts,  New  York,  Georgia,  Texas,  and  Illinois.  So  suc¬ 
cessful  has  the  undertaking  been  in  the  States  where  it  has  been 
tried  that  many  administrative  officers  believe  that  it  should  be  con¬ 
tinued  as  a  permanent  feature  of  the  program  for  agricultural  edu¬ 
cation  in  the  secondary  schools. 

A  number  of  other  institutions  offered  emergency  courses  in  con¬ 
nection  with  their  summer  schools.  The  purpose  of  such  courses 
was  to  furnish  opportunhy  for  persons  with  teaching  experience 
to  obtain  a  working  knowledge  of  the  several  phases  of  technical 
agriculture. 

In  the  development  of  plans  for  the  teaching  of  agriculture  in 
secondary  schools  two  distinct  methods  have  been  evolved.  One  of 
the  plans  contemplates  the  establishment  of  special  schools  where 
agriculture  is  the  central  interest.  These  schools  generally  are 
provided  with  a  good  deal  of  land  and  fairly  elaborate  farm 
equipment.  The  farm  serves  both  as  a  school  laboratory  and  as  a 
demonstration  of  farm  practice  and  management.  The  other  plan 
consists  in  the  establishment  of  agricultural  departments  in  high 
schools  wherever  there  is  a  demand  for  them.  Such  schools  are 
seldom  supplied  with  farm  lands  and  equipment,  except  occasionally 
a  small  plat  that  may  be  used  as  a  school  laboratory.  In  such  a 
plan  the  instruction  in  agriculture  centers  about  the  home  projects 
undertaken  by  the  students. 

The  tendency  is  decidedly  away  from  the  former  plan  and  toward 
the  latter.  There  is  a  marked  difference  in  this  respect,  however, 
among  the  several  States.  In  many  of  the  Western  and  Middle 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


97 


States  the  former  plan  has  been  highly  developed  and  is  giving  satis¬ 
factory  results,  while  in  the  East  the  latter  plan  is  by  far  the  more 
popular. 


AGRICULTURE  IN  THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

The  demand  for  “  something  different  ”  in  rural  education  is 
becoming  more  and  more  insistent.  Although  the  demand  clearly 
points  toward  a  program  that  shall  relate  itself  more  intimately 
to  the  activities  and  experiences  of  everyday  life  of  persons  who 
live  in  the  open  country,  no  working  plans  which  meet  the  require¬ 
ments  have  yet  been  presented. 

Just  at  the  time  when  prospects  looked  brightest  for  a  new 
era  in  rural  education  the  war  came,  and  following  it  the  great 
increase  in  the  cost  of  living  which  has  resulted  in  driving  thou¬ 
sands  of  rural  teachers  out  of  the  profession.  The  places  of  these, 
if  they  have  been  filled  at  all,  are  occupied  mainly  by  persons  of 
insufficient  training  and  of  inferior  personal  qualifications.  While 
there  is  a  Nation-wide  campaign  for  the  increase  of  teachers’  salaries, 
the  response  has  been  so  insignificant  compared  with  the  increased 
cost  of  living  that  it  is  estimated  that  there  is  a  shortage  of  at  least 
20,500  teachers  for  rural  schools,  and  that  as  a  result  approximately 

000, 000  children  in  rural  districts  either  will  be  deprived  of  school 
privileges  entirely  or  will  be  at  the  mercy  of  untrained  teachers 
during  the  coming  school  year.  Such  a  statement  falls  far  short 
of  telling  the  whole  story,  for  it  does  not  take  into  consideration 
the  fact  that  thousands  of  children  will  be  forced  to  depend  upon 
teachers  who  have  had  training  of  a  sort  entirely  unsuited  to  the 
needs  of  rural  children. 

There  is  a  widespread  feeling,  therefore,  that,  important  as  the 
problem  of  redirecting  and  enriching  thq  rural  school  curriculum 
may  be,  the  most  urgent  problem  is  to  make  the  work  of  teaching  in 
rural  schools  sufficiently  alluring  to  maintain  an  adequate  supply  of 
trained  teachers. 


XIII.  SCHOOL  AND  HOME  GARDENING. 

School  gardening  and  school-directed  home  gardening  have  made 
rapid  progress  during  the  past  year.  This  has  been  caused  by  three 
factors:  First,  the  shortage  of  food  due  to  the  unusual  economic  con¬ 
ditions  of  the  World  War  and  the  subsequent  reconstruction  period ; 
second  and  more  important,  by  the  awakening  realization  by  school 
officers  and  teachers  of  the  educational  value  of  the  subject;  third, 
by  the  recognition  of  both  of  these  factors  and  the  support  of  garden¬ 
ing  as  a  school  subject  by  the  National  Government. 


98 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


The  expansion  has  been  most  rapid  in  the  cities  because  such  centers 
feel  more  quickly  and  keenly  a  food  shortage  and  the  increasing  prices 
of  the  most  necessary  things  in  life.  The  educational  demand  has  also 
come  from  urban  communities,  because  all  thoughtful  educators 
realize  more  readily  the  full  significance  of  work  with  the  soil  and 
growing  plants  when  this  influence  is  lost  to  the  children  through  the 
growth  of  cities.  This  outline  of  garden  work  of  the  children  of  the 
United  States  is  therefore  confined  largely  to  urban  communities. 
The  garden  reports  received  at  the  Bureau  of  Education  represent 
very  largely  enrollments  in  the  United  States  School  Garden  Army, 
under  which  name  gardening  as  a  school  subject  has  been  advocated. 
Even  where  gardening  has  become  a  regular  part  of  the  school  course 
entire  classes  have  been  enrolled  in  the  United  States  school  garden. 
Class  lessons,  posters,  record  blanks,  and  insignia,  furnished  by  the 
Bureau  of  Education,  have  had  a  decided  influence  in  popularizing 
gardening  as  school  work.  The  plan  of  organization  has  helped 
rather  than  hindered  the  incorporation  of  gardening  as  a  regular  part 
of  the  school  curriculum.  The  large  enrollment  in  the  garden  army 
and  the  success  of  the  garden  work  as  an  educational  and  productive 
subject,  however,  have  been  due  to  the  conscientious  work  of  school 
officials  and  teachers.  The  number  of  children  reported  as  receiving 
instruction  in  gardening  on  August  1  is  given  by  States  and  Terri¬ 
tories  as  follows: 


Alabama _  24, 623 

Arizona _  1,  351 

Arkansas  _  12, 607 

California _ 102,  542 

Colorado _  15,123 

Connecticut _  16, 121 

District  of  Columbia _  23,  630 

Florida _  7,  302 

Georgia _  16,  561 

Idaho _  2,  657 

Illinois  _ 2S4,  977 

Indiana _ 144,  714 

Iowa _  19,  250 

Kansas  _  33, 363 

Kentucky  _  32, 462 

Louisiana _  41, 830 

Maine  _  15, 339 

Maryland  _ _  13, 267 

Massachusetts _  51,  710 

Michigan _  66,  020 

Minnesota _  43,  762 

Mississippi _  1,  405 

Missouri _  33, 700 

Montana  _  23, 963 

Nebraska  _  6,  557 

Nevada _  3,  355 

New  Hampshire _  36,  656 


New  Jersey _  53,  364 

New  Mexico _  350 

New  York _ 13S,  180 

North  Carolina _  13,  700 

North  Dakota _  10,  952 

Ohio _  189,  660 

Oklahoma _  105,  784 

Oregon  _  2, 320 

Pennsylvania _  86, 101 

Rhode  Island _  583 

South  Carolina _  3, 100 

South  Dakota _  13,  986 

Tennessee _  20,  881 

Texas  _  90, 672 

Utah  _ ! —  1,  552 

Vermont _  343 

Virginia  _  30, 872 

Washington _  17, 750 

West  Virginia _ _  6,  737 

Wisconsin  _  40, 563 

Wyoming  _ 210 

Hawaii  _  5, 900 

Philippine  Islands _  5,  934 

Porto  Rico _  100,000 

Alaska _  2,  000 

Guam _  500 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


99 


In  connection  with  this  list  it  should  be  noted  that  many  requests 
have  come  voluntarily  from  rural  schools  for  enrollment  in  garden¬ 
ing.  The  percentage  of  such  enrollments  has  been  large  in  States 
predominatingly  rural,  such  as  Montana,  Nevada,  New  Hampshire, 
Oklahoma,  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  and  Texas.  In  New  Hamp¬ 
shire  the  State’s  course  of  study  prescribes  gardening  as  a  regular 
school  subject. 

No  special  attempt  has  been  made  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  to 
foster  garden  work  in  rural  communities.  This  distinct  province  of 
the  work  was  delegated  to  the  Boys’  and  Girls’  Clubs  of  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  as  shown  by  the  spirit  of  the 
reorganization  act  of  May  8,  1914,  as  follows :  “  That  the  funds  shall 
be  allotted  annually  to  each  State  by  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture 
and  paid  in  the  manner  hereinbefore  provided  in  the  proportion 
which  the  rural  population  of  each  State  bears  to  the  total  rural 
population  of  all  the  States,  as  determined  by  the  preceding  Federal 
census.”  Promotion  of  club  work  under  this  act  is  not  officially  con¬ 
nected  with  the  public  school,  and  thus  not  all  school  children  are 
enrolled.  Much  has  been  done,  however,  to  arouse  rural  children 
to  take  a  real  interest  in  the  farm  and  farm  home. 

In  cities,  towns,  and  villages  two  types  of  gardening  are  recog¬ 
nized — the  school  garden  and  the  school-directed  home  garden.  The 
children  engaged  in  both  of  these  types  are  included  in  the  enrollment 
by  States.  The  school  garden,  located  on  or  near  the  school  grounds, 
is  divided  into  small  individual  gardens,  that  each  pupil  may  have 
his  own  plat.  This  was  the  earliest  type  of  children’s  garden,  but 
it  has  been  largely  replaced  by  the  home  garden  supervised  by  the 
teacher.  The  individual  plat  school  garden  has  a  place  in  the  con¬ 
gested  parts  of  large  cities,  but  its  value  is  more  largely  educative 
than  productive.  Under  the  school-directed  home-garden  plan  there 
may  or  may  not  be  a  garden  at  the  school.  In  some  cases  a  model 
garden  is  planted  on  the  school  ground  as  a  concrete  illustration  of 
methods  of  planning,  planting,  and  cultivating  a  productive  home 
garden.  The  selection  of  a  home  garden  near  the  school  as  a  dem¬ 
onstration  is  usually  more  satisfactory.  By  the  school-directed  home- 
garden  plan  only  classroom  lessons  are  taught  during  school  hours. 
The  actual  instruction  in  the  demonstration  garden  and  the  teaching 
at  the  home  garden  is  usually  done  out  of  school  hours.  For  the 
direction  of  this  after-school  and  vacation  work  a  regular  teacher  is 
paid  an  extra  salary.  During  the  past  }rear  many  teachers  have  vol¬ 
unteered  their  services,  and  credit  for  the  success  of  the  gardening 
during  the  year  is  due  to  the  devotion  of  many  teachers  to  the  sub¬ 
ject.  From  the  standpoint  of  the  permanency  of  gardening,  it  is 
encouraging  to  note  that  there  are  more  paid  garden  teachers  and 
supervisors  than  has  ever  been  the  case  in  the  history  of  the  country. 


100 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


During  the  present  garden  season  of  1919  some  50,000  teachers 
directed  the  work  of  children  who  have  gardens.  The  value  of  this 
direction  depends  on  the  training  of  the  teacher  for  the  work.  Many 
teachers  feel  the  need  of  additional  training  and  attend  the  schools 
which  offer  practical  gardening  courses.  As  the  garden  work  is 
largely  confined  to  the  grammar  grades,  the  logical  place  for  such 
training  is  in  the  State  normal  schools.  Many  normal  schools  have 
recognized  this  demand  and  are  now  offering  special  courses  in  the 
subject.  Noteworthy  examples  of  such  courses  are  to  be  found  in. 
several  of  the  normal  schools  of  Virginia,  one  in  Georgia,  and  one  in 
Mississippi.  In  these  schools  the  classroom  instruction  is  strengthened 
by  the  use  of  student  practice  teachers  of  home  gardening  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  town  where  the  normal  school  is  located.  Many  other 
normal  schools  have  included  courses  in  gardening,  but  in  some  cases 
the  teaching  is  academic  rather  than  practical.  The  worth  of  the 
garden  teaching  to  the  public  schools  is  in  direct  ratio  to  the  training 
of  the  teacher. 

The  value  of  the  products  of  the  many  children’s  gardens  has  been 
large,  but  it  has  been  impossible  to  obtain  a  record  of  all  garden  re¬ 
sults.  With  the  actual  results  in  the  Southeastern  States  as  a  basis, 
it  has  been  estimated  that  the  money  value  of  garden  products  was 
$48,000,000  in  1919.  The  returns  from  a  single  garden  depend  on 
the  training  of  the  teacher  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  child.  The  aver¬ 
age  return  in  a  school  or  a  city  may  be  small,  but  for  the  Nation  the 
aggregate  is  large. 

That  public  sentiment  is  favorable  to  the  incorporation  of  garden¬ 
ing  as  a  school  subject  is  shown  by  its  indorsement  by  many  local  and 
national  organizations.  Chambers  of  commerce,  rotary  clubs,  and 
other  organizations  have  been  influential  in  creating  public  sentiment 
that  has  made  gardening  possible  in  many  towns  and  cities.  Active 
support  of  gardening  under  school  supervision  has  been  especially 
indorsed  by  the  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs  and  the  National 
Council  of  Women,  which  includes  in  its  membership  the  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution,  the  Ladies  of  the  Maccabees,  and  many 
other  organizations  of  a  nation-wide  scope.  These  organizations  not 
only  pledge  their  support  to  the  movement,  but  they  also  urge  the 
continuation  of  school  supervised  gardening  until  the  subject  of 
gardening  becomes  an  integral  part  of  the  school  course.  They  have 
also  pledged  their  assistance  in  securing  a  100  per  cent  enrollment  of 
the  school  children  in  each  State.  Among  the  many  State  Federa¬ 
tions  that  are  conducting  vigorous  campaigns  for  the  establishment 
of  school  gardens  are  those  of  Illinois,  New  York,  Texas,  Michigan, 
Colorado,  New  Jersey,  Kentucky,  Massachusetts,  Kansas,  Oklahoma, 
Minnesota,  Ohio,  and  Indiana. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


101 


The  educational  value  of  school  supervised  gardening  in  cities  is 
now  coming  to  be  fully  recognized.  That  the  city  child  has  little 
occupation  during  out-of-school  hours  and  inadequate  facilities  for 
play  has  been  proven  by  many  surveys  of  city  school  systems.  “  The 
idle  boy  is  father  to  the  man  without  a  job;  the  restless,  unsatisfied 
boy  grows  up  to  be  the  unsatisfied  man.” 

It  has  been  found  on  investigation  that  more  children  are  arrested 
and  brought  before  the  juvenile  court  at  about  the  twelfth  year  than 
at  any  other  age.  It  also  happens  that  this  age  is  the  height  of  the 
interest  period  in  gardening.  While  there  are  other  occupations  that 
furnish  productive  employment  for  city  children,  none  of  them  are 
as  easily  accessible  or  well  adapted  to  the  children  as  school  directed 
home  gardening. 

Shortly  before  her  death  Dr.  Anna  Howard  Shaw  made  the  fol¬ 
lowing  statement  in  regard  to  the  education  value  of  gardening  to 
the  individual  and  to  the  life  of  a  nation : 

The  question  before  the  public  to-day  of  vital  interest  to  the  Nation  is  the 
kind  of  education  the  children  should  have  in  order  to  make  them  intelligent 
citizens. 

It  is  an  undisputed  fact  that  the  power  of  the  German  people  for  destruc¬ 
tion  and  desire  for  military  power  came  through  years  of  education  and  dis¬ 
cipline  of  the  children  in  militarism.  The  future  of  our  country  depends  on 
just  what  educational  methods  are  pursued  here.  The  question  that  now  con¬ 
fronts  America  is  what  kind  of  education  our  children  should  have.  The  ex¬ 
periences  of  war  taught  us  that  the  only  form  of  education  adequate  to  the 
needs  of  civilized  life  is  that  which  demands  that  the  child  shall  be  developed 
in  every  phase  of  his  nature — not  only  the  head  and  hand,  but  the  heart  must 
take  its  place. 

Nothing  has  brought  the  children  of  the  country  into  contact  with  the  needs 
of  the  world  more  than  the  fact  that  their  aid  was  asked  in  the  production  of 
food — and  that  food  is  of  vital  importance. 

The  more  we  can  stimulate  this  thought  in  the  minds  of  children,  the  better 
it  will  be,  not  alone  for  the  material  prosperity  of  the  country,  by  the  added 
value  of  food  production,  but  also  through  developing  in  the  child  an  intimate 
regard  for  the  soil  of  his  country  and  his  country’s  prosperity  as  well  as  a 
spirit  of  thrift  and  industry. 

The  terms  “  mother  earth  ”  and  “  the  motherland  ”  will  have  a  new  and 
deeper  significance.  There  will  be  developed  in  the  child  a  reverence  for  country 
and  for  the  power  of  service  and  make  him  feel  that  he  is  a  part — and  no  small 
part — of  the  country’s  being  and  develop  in  the  Nation  itself  a  knowledge  it 
has  failed  to  grasp  that  the  child  is  the  greatest  asset  to  the  country  and  that 
his  proper  education  should  include  a  knowledge  of  how  to  produce  food  from 
the  soil. 


XIV.  TEACHER  TRAINING. 

The  outstanding  need  of  the  schools  during  this  year  was  that 
of  trained  teachers.  The  unusual  demand  for  workers  in  govern- 
142539°— 19 - 8 


102 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


mental,  economic,  and  industrial  activities  resulting  from  the  war 
caused  many  teachers  to  give  up  their  work  in  the  schools.  This  was 
due  to  patriotic  and  financial  causes.  No  class  of  workers  so  intelli¬ 
gent,  so  well  trained,  and  of  such  capacity  for  new  work  received 
such  low  salaries  as  public-school  teachers.  The  result  was  that  at 
the  opening  of  schools  in  September,  1918,  there  was  a  shortage  of 
25,000  teachers  in  the  schools  of  the  country. 

Of  the  365,000  rural  teachers  employed  in  the  entire  country,  at 
least  122,000  were  without  teaching  experience  or  professional  train¬ 
ing.  Eighty-seven  counties  reported  a  loss  of  365  men  teachers,  and 
Connecticut  reported  no  men  in  the  rural  schools  of  the  State.  The 
total  output  of  teacher-training  institutions  in  the  United  States  is 
approximately  24,000  per  year.  Of  these,  1,000  are  graduates  of 
colleges  and  normal  schools,  11,000  have  had  limited  professional 
training  in  these  institutions,  and  12,000  have  been  trained  in  the 
high-school  normal  courses. 

This  supply  is  inadequate,  and  various  means  have  been  under¬ 
taken  to  meet  the  emergency.  Many  States  issued  temporary  certifi¬ 
cates  to  candidates  unable  to  meet  the  requirements  for  regular  cer¬ 
tificates  ;  a  general  appeal  from  the  Commissioner  of  Education  was 
issued  in  which  former  teachers  were  urged  to  return  to  school 
service  as  a  patriotic  duty.  As  a  result  of  this,  many  teachers  of 
experience,  particularly  married  women,  were  secured  for  school 
service;  special  incentives  were  provided  in  the  form  of  bonus  or 
subsidy  for  those  who  would  continue  teaching  as  well  as  for  those 
who  would  undertake  training  courses  for  teaching. 

As  a  clearing  house  for  teachers  and  school  boards,  the  school  board 
service  section  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  was  created  as  a  war 
emergency  agency,  and  received  support  until  July,  1919.  The 
States  of  Iowa  and  South  Carolina  during  the  year  established  teach¬ 
ers’  employment  directories,  which  acted  as  a  clearing  house  in  the 
respective  States. 

One  of  the  important  movements  for  better  training  of  teachers 
was  the  introduction  of  the  Smith-Towner  bill  providing  for  $15,- 
000,000  annually  for  the  improvement  of  schools  through  training  of 
teachers.  While  this  bill  did  not  pass  in  the  form  presented,  it  is 
still  before  Congress  and  is  receiving  widespread  consideration.  The 
training  of  agricultural  and  vocational  teachers  has  been  greatly 
stimulated  by  the  operation  of  the  Smith-Hughes  bill,  which  provides 
for  the  cooperation  of  the  National  Government  with  the  States  in 
establishing  training  school  departments  for  vocational  "teachers. 
Such  relations  have  been  established  in  each  of  the  48  States. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


103 


AGENCIES  FOR  TRAINING  TEACHERS. 

1.  Normal  schools. — In  tlie  308  normal  schools  reporting  to  the 
Bureau  of  Education  138,178  students  were  enrolled,  of  whom  21,287 
were  men  and  116,887  were  women.  Of  the  24,500  graduates  from 
these  institutions,  2,170  were  men  and  22,331  were  women.  These 
308  schools  comprise  172  State  normal  schools,  34  city  normal  schools, 
45  county  normal  schools,  and  57  private  normal  schools.  A  very  im¬ 
portant  factor  in  teacher  training  is  that  of  county  normal  training 
schools  and  normal  training  departments  in  the  high  schools  of  21 
States.  The  departments  and  classes  number  1,493,  with  an  attend¬ 
ance  of  approximately  27,000  students  and  17,000  graduates. 

2.  Training  of  teachers  in  service. —  ( a )  Summer  schools.  The 
greatest  single  agency  for  training  teachers  in  service  is  the  summer 
school.  Its  growth  has  been  one  of  the  most  significant  movements 
in  recent  years.  The  enrollment  in  summer  schools  of  1918  com¬ 
pared  with  1917  shows  a  decrease  in  the  number  of  men  in  attendance 
from  6,314  in  1917  to  5,064  in  1918.  There  was  a  slight  increase  in 
the  number  of  women  students,  from  48,310  in  1917  to  50,639  in  1918. 
This  shows  a  total  of  approximately  1,000  more  teachers  in  attend¬ 
ance  in  1918. 

(5)  Better  supervision.  The  problem  of  supervision  of  rural 
schools  has  been  attacked  in  various  ways.  Densely  populated  dis¬ 
tricts  are  able  to  provide  a  reasonable  degree  of  supervision,  but  the 
great  majority  of  rural  teachers  have  little  of  it.  Experiments  to 
overcome  the  lack  have  been  tried  in  various  sections  of  the  country. 
In  the  State  of  Kentucky  32  white  supervisors  are  employed  for 
work  in  24  counties  of  the  State,  acting  as  assistant  county  superin¬ 
tendents;  there  are  18  colored  supervisors,  who  assist  teachers  who 
are  in  the  service.  Another  experiment  is  the  supervision  of  13  rural 
schools  of  Brown  County,  S.  Dak.,  under  a  member  of  the  faculty 
of  the  Northern  Normal  and  Industrial  School  of  South  Dakota. 
He  will  visit  each  of  the  schools  once  a  month  and  hold  a  monthly 
meeting  of  all  the  teachers.  Special  attention  is  given  to  reading, 
language,  spelling,  penmanship,  and  arithmetic.  Statistics  will  be 
compiled  to  show  to  what  extent  benefit  is  derived  by  the  schools 
from  that  kind  of  supervision. 

(<?)  Reading  circles.  Thirty-seven  States  maintain  reading  circles 
for  the  improvement  and  training  of  teachers.  Professional  books 
form  an  essential  part  of  all  these  courses.  The  National  Rural 
School  Teachers  Circle  provides  the  courses  available  to  the  teachers 
of  all  the  States,  and  the  Commissioner  of  Education  grants  a  certifi¬ 
cate  for  the  completion  of  satisfactory  work. 


104 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 
PRACTICE  TEACHING. 


One  of  the  most  difficult  problems  in  the  training  of  teachers,  and 
rural  teachers  in  particular,  is  the  opportunity  for  observation  and 
practice  in  typical  schools.  Various  plans  for  rural  practice  schools 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  normal  schools  have  been  successful  to 
a  limited  degree.  It  has  become  increasingly  apparent  that  more 
typical  schools  should  be  reached.  In  order  to  improve  this  condition 
several  plans  have  been  devised.  Nevada,  Mo.,  reports  that  in  their 
normal  training  classes  for  seniors  the  entire  class  is  sent  to  country 
schools  for  a  week  of  observation  and  practice  teaching.  The  plan 
is  for  the  county  superintendent  to  designate  a  number  of  schools 
worthy  of  study,  and  furnish  the  addresses  of  presidents  of  school 
boards  and  the  teachers.  After  consent  is  obtained  the  students  are 
sent  to  live  a  week  in  the  community.  They  observe  school  work  on 
each  Monday,  and  at  some  time  during  the  remaining  days  teach 
each  class  at  least  once.  Observation  of  the  student  teachers  was 
based  on  an  outline  provided  in  advance.  The  teachers  visited  and 
the  country  superintendents  make  reports  on  the  work  of  the  prac¬ 
tice  teachers.  The  reports  from  the  student  teachers  were  made  in 
class  and  formed  the  basis  of  discussion  of  school  problems.  In 
other  places,  teachers  are  sent  from  schools  by  automobiles  to  the 
rural  schools.  One  normal  school  has  recently  purchased  an  one-ton 
truck,  which  will  carry  16  to  20  teachers  in  training  from  the  normal 
school  to  demonstration  rural  schools  for  observation  and  practice. 

SUBSIDIZING  TEACHER  TRAINING. 

Various  plans  have  been  suggested  and  put  into  operation  for 
inducing  teachers  to  take  the  training  necessary  for  successful  work 
in  the  profession.  New  Mexico  has  provided  paid  scholarships  at 
three  State  normal  schools.  All  teachers  who  have  taught  one  year 
on  a  third-grade  certificate  are  eligible.  The  law  provides  for  pay¬ 
ment  of  railroad  fare  for  all  teachers  attending  at  least  60  days  at 
the  State  normal  school.  The  State  of  Maine  has  established  a  plan 
by  which  100  rural  teachers  were  given  additional  training  at  a 
summer  training  school  located  at  the  Eastern  State  Normal  School. 
These  100  teachers  were  selected  on  a  basis  of  physical  and  mental 
ability,  and  had  academic  training.  They  were  required  to  be  21 
years  of  age  and  to  have  demonstrated  fitness  for  and  sympathy  with 
the  rural  school  work.  These  100  teachers  were  given  a  course  of 
six  weeks’  normal  training  and  all  their  expenses  were  paid,  including 
railroad  fare,  board,  and  laundry,  from  the  time  they  left  home 
until  their  return.  One  major  unit  of  work  was  pursued  intensively 
for  each  of  the  six  weeks.  In  addition,  parallel  courses  in  music, 
drawing,  and  physical  education  were  had  throughout  the  six  weeks. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  105 

The  work  of  the  units  was  presented  three  hours  in  the  morning, 
and  physical  education,  music,  and  art  occupied  the  afternoon;  two 
hours  were  given  to  industrial  work  in  the  evening.  The  last  week 
was  devoted  to  conferences.  Educators  of  recognized  standing  were 
selected  as  instructors  and  the  courses  given  included  the  following: 


Unit  1 _ Medical  pedagogy. 

Unit  2 _ Knowing  the  community. 

Unit  3 _ Practical  measurements  and  elementary  surveys. 

Unit  4 _ Social  school  arid  special  activity. 

Unit  5 _ What  constitutes  a  good  school. 

Unit  6 _ Leadership. 


These  teachers,  so  trained,  will  receive  for  this  year  a  bonus  from 
the  State  equal  to  one-fourth  of  their  annual  salary.  They  will  act  as 
teachers  of  model  schools  and  assist  the  county  superintendents  in 
improving  school  conditions. 

New  normal  schools  established  included  the  Second  State  Normal 
School,  in  Indiana,  and  the  Centralia  Normal  School,  in  the  State 
of  Washington. 

XV.  TEACHERS’  ORGANIZATION. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

The  teachers  of  the  United  States  are  organizing,  and  the  only 
question  is  as  to  what  form  the  organization  will  take.  Events  of 
the  past  year  have  presented  this  problem  with  unusual  clearness. 
As  the  National  Education  Association  says  in  its  “  Program  of 
service  ” : 

This  is  a  day  of  organization.  The  trades  are  organized.  So  are  the  farm¬ 
ers  and  the  business  men.  Those  engaged  in  the  other  professions  have  found 
it  necessary  to  organize  and  work  collectively  in  order  to  accomplish  their  pur¬ 
poses.  Teachers  must  do  likewise  if  they  are  to  promote  their  own  welfare 
and  advance  the  interests  of  their  profession. 

Hitherto  the  teachers  have  kept  more  or  less  in  isolated  groups. 
They  have  the  gregarious  instinct,  but  their  coming  together  has 
been  rather  in  numerous  sections  of  the  teaching  body  than  in  any 
large,  all-inclusive  national  organization.  There  were  535  educa¬ 
tional  associations  listed  in  the  Educational  Directory  of  the  Bureau 
of  Education  for  1918.  Of  these,  200  were  classed  as  national  and 
sectional,  243  as  State  associations,  39  as  city  bodies,  and  53  as 
learned  and  civic  organizations.  The  membership  of  practically  all 
of  these  is  made  up  of  teachers,  and  necessarily  overlaps  to  a  con¬ 
siderable  degree. 

The  few  associations  with  claims  to  national  scope  have  never 
enrolled  more  than  an  exceedingly  small  percentage  of  the  total 


106 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


number  of  teachers.  The  National  Education  Association,  for  years 
the  recognized  general  association  of  teachers,  prior  to  1918  never 
exceeded  an  active  membership  list  of  10,000.  During  the  past  year 
the  tendency  for  all  teachers  to  come  together  on  a  national  move¬ 
ment  has  been  marked.  The  National  Education  Association,  as 
a  result  of  a  systematic  drive  for  membership,  ran  its  figures  up  to 
24,000  (October,  1919),  and  the  American  Federation  of  Teachers, 
affiliated  with  the  American  Federation  of  Labor,  which  had  scarcely 
two  dozen  “  locals  ”  and  a  thousand  or  two  members  on  July  1,  1918, 
a  year  later  had  chartered  more  than  100  local  unions  and  enrolled 
some  11,000  teachers.  These  are,  however,  small  numbers,  exceed¬ 
ingly  small  when  it  is  considered  that  there  are  approximately 
750,000  teachers  in  various  types  of  educational  institutions  through¬ 
out  the  United  States  ;  and  especially  small  as  compared  with  Eng¬ 
land,  for  example,  where  out  of  108,732  certificated  teachers,  101,994 
are  members  of  the  National  Union  of  Teachers. 

GROWTH  AND  REORGANIZATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  EDUCA¬ 
TION  ASSOCIATION. 

Recent  activities  of  the  National  Education  Association  have 
recognized  the  need  for  larger  membership  and  more  effective  or¬ 
ganization.  At  the  Pittsburgh  meeting  in  July,  1918,  a  program  of 
active  service  was  adopted,  and  this  was  aggressively  reemphasized 
at  Milwaukee  in  1919.  According  to  the  declaration  of  purpose 
adopted  at  this  meeting,  the  association  will,  through  its  officers,  its 
committees,  its  publications,  and  its  official  staff,  exert  all  its  in¬ 
fluence  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  following  objects: 

(1)  To  secure  the  enactment  of  such  State  and  Federal  legislation  as  will 
give  proper  recognition  and  support  to  public  education  and  provide  adequate 
compensation  for  teachers;  and 

(2)  To  establish  and  maintain  such  educational  standards  with  respect  to 
the  training  and  qualifications  of  teachers,  length  of  school  terms  and  com¬ 
pulsory  attendance,  sanitary  buildings  and  modern  equipment,  organization  for 
the  elimination  of  all  class  distinction  and  privilege,  and  the  most  approved 
educational  policies  and  methods  attainable  through  the  continued  investiga¬ 
tion  and  study  of  educational  problems  in  order  that  public  education  shall 
make  the  largest  possible  contribution  to  the  welfare  of  the  community,  the 
State,  and  the  Nation. 

The  association  realizes  that  to  carry  out  this  purpose  the  teach¬ 
ers  “  must  work  collectively.”  Accordingly,  the  Milwaukee  meeting 
amended  the  by-laws  of  the  association  to  make  active  membership 
easier  for  the  classroom  teacher.  A  plan  for  reorganization  of  the 
association  to  provide  for  affiliation  of  State  and  local  bodies  of 
teachers  failed  for  various  reasons,  some  legal  and  technical,  but 
the  idea  of  a  better  working  cooperation  among  teachers  every- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  107 

where  was  enthusiastically  indorsed  and  has  been  aggressively  car¬ 
ried  forward. 

A  chart  recently  prepared  by  the  association  shows  the  growth  in 
membership  since  1898.  In  that  year  there  were  less  than  2,000  regu¬ 
lar  members,  whereas  in  1918-19  there  were  over  24,000  active  mem¬ 
bers,  as  compared  with  10,104  in  1918  and  8,557  in  1917. 

The  association  wTas  active  during  the  war  and  in  the  period  of 
reconstruction.  A  commission  on  the  emergency  in  education  pre¬ 
pared  a  general  educational  bill  for  introduction  in  Congress,  which 
has  since  been  revised  with  the  help  of  other  organizations,  particu¬ 
larly  the  American  Federation  of  Teachers,  and  is  now  definitely 
before  Congress  as  the  Smith-Towner  bill,  establishing  a  department 
of  education  and  Federal  aid  for  education. 

During  the  past  year  the  association  has  carried  on  a  campaign 
for  better  salaries  for  teachers,  and  has  been  particularly  successful 
in  enlisting  some  of  the  most  representative  magazines  in  behalf  of 
better  pay  for  teachers. 

THE  TEACHERS’  UNION  MOVEMENT. 

Growth  of  the  American  Federation  of  Teachers. — The  teachers’ 
union  movement  may  be  said  to  have  begun  in  Chicago  in  1912, 
when  teachers  of  Chicago  accepted  the  assistance  of  the  Chicago 
Federation  of  Labor  in  the  fight  for  more  adequate  salaries, 
a  fair  deal  from  the  city  authorities,  and  better  educational  condi¬ 
tions  generally.  The  American  Federation  of  Teachers  was  organ¬ 
ized  April  15,  1916,  and  affiliated  with  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor  on  May  9,  1916. 

How  the  affiliation  with  the  labor  movement  came  about  is  thus 
described  in  one  of  the  pamphlets  issued  by  the  federation  under  the 
heading  “  Labor  Our  Ally  ”  : 

The  American  Federation  of  Teachers  came  as  a  result  of  years  of  experience 
on  the  part  of  teachers  in  a  dozen  cities  throughout  the  country.  They  found 
themselves  unable  to  combat  with  success  well-organized  influences  inimical  to 
the  best  interests  of  public  education.  They  had  studied  the  field  carefully  to 
discover  the  strongest  democratic  force  with  which  they  might  ally  themselves. 
This  force  they  found  in  organized  labor.  Admitting  all  its  imperfections,  it  is 
still  the  greatest  single  force  which  recognizes  and  combats  the  very  influences 
which  are  immediately  threatening  to  choke  the  spirit  of  democracy  in  the 
schools.  Condemning  as  heartily  as  any  the  misdeeds  of  individuals  in  the 
labor  movement  who  deserve  condemnation  for  their  misrepresentation  of  the 
ideals  and  methods  of  union  labor,  these  bodies  of  teachers  think  they  find  in 
union  labor’s  essential  altruism  and  fairness  the  best  hope  for  America’s  future. 
Labor’s  power  is  great  and  destined  to  be  immeasurably  greater,  and  we  humbly 
believe  that  teachers,  cooperating  with  labor,  can  give  as  well  as  receive. 

This  view  did  not  originate  with  nor  was  it  confined  to  a  single  group  of 
teachers.  Scattered  organizations  of  teachers  during  more  than  a  decade  had 
requested  and  obtained  charters  from  the  American  Federation  of  Labor. 


108 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Gradually  these  locals  learned  of  each  other’s  existence.  Communication  sprang 
up  among  them  and  with  other  like-minded  groups.  The  Chicago  Teachers’ 
Federation,  as  the  pioneer  and  the  strongest,  led  the  way  to  a  national  organi¬ 
zation.  Together  with  the  Chicago  Federation  of  Men  Teachers  and  the  Chi¬ 
cago  Federation  of  Women  High  School  Teachers  they  issued  the  call  for  action. 
It  was  answered  by  such  groups  as  had  been  able  to  weather  the  storm  of  oppo¬ 
sition  raised  by  those  who  had  cause  to  dread  a  union  of  teachers  with  labor. 
New  York,  Washington,  Scranton,  Oklahoma  City,  and  Gary  joined  the  three 
Chicago  groups.  A  constitution  was  adopted,  officers  elected,  and  a  charter  of 
affiliation  was  granted  by  the  American  Federation  of  Labor. 

The  movement  grew  rather  slowly  until  1918.  On  July  1  of  that 
year  there  were  23  local  unions  in  the  Federation.  By  May  1,  1919, 
the  number  had  increased  to  72,  and  on  October  1  it  was  121,  includ¬ 
ing  organizations  not  only  of  public-school  teachers  but  of  normal 
school  and  college  and  university  instructors.  Among  the  higher  in¬ 
stitutions  where  teachers’  unions  have  recently  been  formed  are 
Harvard  University,  Columbia  University,  Wellesley  College,  the 
University  of  Illinois,  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  Wilson 
Normal  School,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Normal  University,  Normal,  Ill. ; 
and  the  North  Dakota  Agricultural  College. 

Aims  and  purposes. — The  object  of  the  American  Federation  of 
Teachers,  according  to  the  constitution  adopted  at  Pittsburgh,  July 
5-6,  1918,  is— 

to  bring  associations  of  teachers  into  relations  of  mutual  assistance  and  cooper¬ 
ation  ;  to  obtain  for  them  all  the  rights  and  benefits  to  which  they  are  entitled ; 
to  raise  the  standard  of  the  teaching  profession  by  securing  the  conditions 
essential  to  the  best  professional  service;  and  to  promote  such  a  democratiza¬ 
tion  of  the  schools  as  will  enable  them  better  to  equip  their  pupils  to  take  their 
place  in  the  industrial,  social,  and  political  life  of  the  community. 

The  Federation  consists  of  associations  of  public-school  teachers 
and  of  teachers  in  such  endowed  institutions  as  are  not  conducted 
“  primarily  for  religious  purposes  or  for  private  gain.”  Associations 
of  public-school  principals  may  be  admitted  to  the  Federation  after 
the  local  teachers’  union  has  been  in  existence  two  years,  provided  the 
teachers’  union  gives  its  consent.  Any  group  of  seven  or  more  teach¬ 
ers  may  organize  and  apply  for  a  charter. 

The  preamble  of  the  constitution  recites  as  follows  : 

We  believe  in  democracy,  and  in  the  schools  as  the  chief  agency  of  democracy. 

We  believe  that  the  schools  have  failed  of  their  fullest  attainment  because 
of  undemocratic  administration,  adherence  to  tradition,  and  lack  of  responsive¬ 
ness  to  the  needs  of  the  community ;  and  that  the  teachers  must  find  the 
remedy,  if  it  is  to  be  found. 

We  believe  that  servility  breeds  servility,  and  that  if  the  schools  are  to 
produce  free,  unafraid  men  and  women,  American  citizens  of  the  highest  type, 
the  teachers  must  live  and  work  in  an  atmosphere  of  freedom  and  self-respect. 

We  believe  that  the  teacher  is  one  of  the  most  highly  productive  of  workers, 
and  that  the  best  interests  of  the  schools  and  of  the  people  demand  an  intimate 
contact  and  an  effective  cooperation  between  the  teachers  and  the  other  workers 
of  the  community — upon  whom  the  future  of  democracy  must  depend. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


109 


Arguments  for  and  against  teachers ’  umions. — Naturally  the  affili¬ 
ation  of  teachers  with  the  organized  labor  movement  has  led  to  con¬ 
siderable  animated  discussion  over  the  desirability  or  undesirability 
of  such  affiliation.  It  is  frequently  argued  that  teachers’  unions 
might  be  ordered  out  on  strike.  To  this  the  federation  replies : 

Under  the  constitution  of  the  American  Federation  of  Labor  the  American 
Federation  of  Teachers  retains  complete  autonomy.  It  would  be  impossible  for 
the  American  Federation  of  Labor  to  order  a  strike.  The  constitution  of  the 
American  Federation  of  Teachers  contains  no  provision  for  strikes.  In  the 
nature  of  the  case  teachers  must  place  their  chief  dependence  on  an  aroused 
public  opinion  and  political  action. 

Another  objection  is  that  “  Teaching  is  a  profession,  not  a  trade.” 
The  teachers’  union  advocates  profess  to  see  nothing  in  this  objection 
save  snobbery. 

The  one  objection  that  has  had  most  weight  with  those  whose 
record  shows  fairness  to  the  teachers  is  that  teachers,  as  public  em¬ 
ployees,  should  not  ally  themselves  with  any  one  section  of  the  public. 
This  assumes,  the  teachers’  union  people  say,  that  labor  is  a  section 
of  the  public,  instead  of  being,  as  it  is  in  fact,  the  public.  In  Ameri¬ 
can  democratic  society  all  are  workers,  or  are  assumed  to  be.  Ad¬ 
vocates  of  the  teachers’  unions  point  out  that  teachers  are  teaching 
mainly,  especially  in  the  cities,  the  children  of  the  workers  who  are 
themselves  organized  or  eligible  for  organization.  Almost  without 
exception,  they  say,  their  pupils  are  the  children  of  workers  on  wage 
or  salary,  and  the  most  that  could  be  expected  from  a  teacher  affiliated 
with  labor  is  that  she  is  likely  to  find  a  new  interest  in  the  children 
of  all  the  people. 

It  should  further  be  said  that  the  right  of  Government  employees 
to  organize  and  affiliate  with  labor  organizations  was  specifically 
acknowledged,  so  far  as  Federal  employees  are  concerned,  in  an  act 
of  Congress  of  1912. 

The  federation  leaders  appear  to  realize  that  the  argument  against 
affiliation  of  public  employees  is  perhaps  the  strongest  that  can 
be  brought  against  them.  In  a  pamphlet  issued  recently  they  say : 

This  proposition,  pushed  to  its  logical  extremes,  would  practically  dis¬ 
franchise  not  only  teachers,  but  all  public  employees.  It  would  make  sur¬ 
render  of  the  rights  of  citizenship  a  condition  of  public  employment.  It  would 
forbid  membership  in  any  political,  religious,  fraternal,  or  social  organization. 

STATE  AND  LOCAL  ORGANIZATION. 

Without  regard  to  the  controversy  over  teachers’  unions,  the  prob¬ 
lem  before  the  teachers  is  clearly  one  of  so  organizing  as  to  stimulate 
the  individual  teacher  units  to  activity  and  at  the  same  time  create 
a  realization  among  the  teaching  body  throughout  the  country  that 
they  constitute  a  great  national  force.  The  National  Education 


110 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Association,  organized  on  a  national  basis  from  its  inception,  is 
working  back  to  the  individual  teachers.  Hence  its  “  100  per  cent 
campaigns  ”  and  its  reduction  in  the  cost  of  active  membership.  The 
American  Federation  of  Teachers  seeks  to  have  the  teachers  organize 
themselves  locally  first  and  then  apply  to  the  national  headquarters 
for  affiliation.  Both  realize  that  the  salvation  of  the  teaching  pro¬ 
fession  now  depends  on  the  individual  teachers  much  more  than  on 
the  superintendents,  and  back  of  these  upon  the  public  itself. 

It  is  on  the  question  of  enlisting  the  support  of  the  public  that 
State  and  local  groups  of  teachers  are  now  having  difficulty  in  find¬ 
ing  themselves.  Some  are  organizing  State  federations  of  teachers’ 
unions,  as  in  California,  in  affiliation  with  the  American  Federation 
of  Teachers.  Others  are  attempting  to  transform  what  is  often  a 
moribund  or  extinct  State  teachers’  association  into  a  live  force  in 
cooperation  with  the  new  “  drive  ”  of  the  National  Education  Asso¬ 
ciation.  Others,  like  Cincinnati  and  Los  Angeles,  facing  frankly 
the  union  question,  are  unable  to  decide  to  affiliate  with  trade-unions, 
either  because  of  a  desire  to  retain  the  help  of  both  capital  and  labor 
or  for  other  reasons.  Thus  the  Cincinnati  Men’s  High  School 
Teachers’  Association  recentl}-  went  on  record — 

(1)  As  favoring  the  formation  of  a  State  federation  of  teachers,  which  shall 
embrace  in  its  membership  all  men  and  women  who  are  engaged  in  the  actual 
business  of  teaching  in  the  public  i-chools  of  Ohio,  and  which,  in  conjunction 
with  other  organizations,  State  and  local,  shall  exercise  a  direct  influence  on 
legislative  action  looking  to  the  improvement  of  the  schools  and  the  adequate 
compensation  of  teachers. 

(2)  As  favoring  the  immediate  organization  in  Cincinnati  of  a  local  repre¬ 
sentative  body  of  teachers,  which  shall  enlist  the  cooperation  of  other  similar 
bodies  throughout  the  State  in  forming  such  a  federation. 

(3)  As  being  opposed,  on  grounds  of  public  policy,  to  any  formal  alliance 
with  special-clai-  s  interest,  whether  of  capital  or  of  labor. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  California  State  Federation  of  Teachers, 
formed  of  local  unions  belonging  to  the  American  Federation  of 
Teachers,  adopted  at  its  organization  meeting,  May  31,  1919,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  “  professional  creed  ”  as  its  statement  of  principles  and  pur¬ 
poses,  which  shows  that  it  feels  that  it  has  everything  to  hope  and 
nothing  to  fear  from  affiliation  with  labor,  so  far  as  the  public  is  con¬ 
cerned  : 

We  believe  in  universal  right  education  as  the  chief  guaranty  of  human  welfare 
and  progress. 

We  believe  in  the  dignity  of  manhood  and  womanhood,  in  the  essential  equality 
of  the  sexes,  and  in  children  as  the  hope  of  the  race,  for  whom  the  best  we 
have  to  offer  is  none  too  good. 

We  believe  in  nonpartisan  control  of  the  schools. 

We  believe  in  the  highest  possible  standards  of  professional  preparation  and 
work. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


Ill 


We  believe  in  law  and  order,  in  reason  above  force,  in  cooperation  in  the  spirit 
of  the  Golden  Rule. 

As  an  organized  unit  of  the  American  Federation  of  Teachers,  affiliated 
with  the  American  Federation  of  Labor,  we  recognize  the  brotherhood  of 
brain  and  brawn. 

We  believe  in  the  democratization  of  the  schools  and  in  the  improvement  of  the 
condition  of  the  teacher. 

We  believe  in  the  conduct  of  the  schools  only  by  persons  standing  above  all 
partisanship  whether  of  sect  or  party,  clan  or  clique. 

We  believe  in  organic  teacher  participation  in  school  government  in  all  its 
phases,  but  we  stand  for  unselfish  service  rather  than  for  selfish  domination ; 
for  giving  more  than  for  mere  getting. 

We  believe  in  the  merit  system  of  appointment  and  promotion,  and  in  equal  pay 
for  equal  work. 

We  stand  for  the  schools  for  democracy,  and  for  more  democracy  for  the 
schools.  And  so,  with  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  and  justice  for 
all,  with  an  eye  single  to  the  right  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  we  press 
forward  to  achieve  better  schools  for  our  free  citizens  and  more  freedom 
for  the  schools  of  our  beloved  State. 

TEACHERS’  UNIONS  AND  LABOR’S  ATTITUDE  TOWARD 
EDUCATION. 

Tliat  the  teachers’  union  movement  has  made  one  contribution  few 
would  deny.  This  is  in  respect  to  the  attitude  of  organized  labor 
toward  education.  Always  friendly  to  the  public  schools — indeed,  with 
considerable  claim  to  pioneer  leadership  in  creating  public  schools — 
organized  labor  has,  through  the  accession  of  the  teachers,  had  its 
educational  aims  and  purposes  sharply  and  specifically  defined  and 
has  adopted  an  aggressive,  constructive  attitude  toward  accomplish¬ 
ing  educational  betterment.  The  St.  Paul  convention  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Federation  of  Labor  (June,  1918)  went  on  record  as  favoring 
complete  reorganization  of  all  types  of  schools  in  the  interests  of  all 
the  people,  vocational  guidance  and  industrial  education  in  both 
urban  and  rural  schools,  establishment  of  systems  of  modern  physical 
education,  Federal  aid  for  teachers’  salaries,  and  a  Federal  depart¬ 
ment  of  education  headed  by  a  Cabinet  officer.  The  Atlantic  City 
meeting  (June,  1919)  again  adopted  a  comprehensive  program  of 
education,  specifically  indorsed  the  Smith-Towner  bill  as  revised 
after  consultation  among  officers  of  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor,  the  American  Federation  of  Teachers,  and  the  National  Edu¬ 
cation  Association,  and  emphasized  the  need  for  protection  of  teach¬ 
ers  everywhere  against  a  tendency  to  interfere  with  freedom  of 
teaching. 

The  constructive  influence  of  teacher  union  affiliation  with  labor  is 
further  indicated  in  the  section  on  education  of  the  reconstruction 
report  of  the  American  Federation  of  Labor,  one  of  the  briefest  and 
clearest  educational  statements  in  any  of  the  reconstruction  pro¬ 
grams: 


112 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Education  must  not  be  for  a  few,  but  for  all  our  people.  While  there  is  an 
advanced  form  of  public  education  in  many  States,  there  still  remains  a 
lack  of  adequate  educational  facilities  in  several  States  and  communities. 
The  welfare  of  the  Republic  demands  that  public  education  should  be  elevated 
to  the  highest  degree  possible.  The  Government  should  exercise  advisory 
supervision  over  public  education  and  where  necessary  maintain  adequate 
public  education  through  subsidies  without  giving  to  the  Government  power 
to  hamper  or  interfere  with  the  free  development  of  public  education  by  the 
several  States.  It  is  essential  that  our  system  of  public  education  should 
offer  the  wage  earners’  children  the  opportunity  for  the  fullest  possible 
development.  To  attain  this  end  State  colleges  and  universities  should  be 
developed. 

It  is  also  important  that  the  industrial  education  which  is  being  fostered 
and  developed  should  have  for  its  purpose  not  so  much  training  for  efficiency 
in  industry  as  training  for  life  in  an  industrial  society.  A  full  understanding 
must  be  had  of  those  principles  and  activities  that  are  the  foundation  of  all 
productive  efforts.  Children  should  not  only  become  familiar  with  tools  and 
materials,  but  they  should  also  receive  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  principle?; 
of  human  control,  of  force  and  matter  underlying  our  industrial  relations  and 
sciences.  The  danger  that  certain  commercial  and  industrial  interests  may 
dominate  the  character  of  education  must  be  averted  by  insisting  that  the 
workers  shall  have  equal  representation  on  all  boards  of  education  or 
committees  having  control  over  vocational  studies  and  training. 

To  elevate  and  advance  the  interests  of  the  teaching  profession  and  to 
promote  popular  and  democratic  education  the  right  of  the  teachers  to 
organize  and  to  affiliate  with  the  movement  of  the  organized  workers  must  be 
recognized. 


XVI.  HOME  EDUCATION. 

CONFERENCES  ON  CHILD  WELFARE. 

World  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  home  has  been  evidenced  by. 
at  least,  three  great  conferences  during  the  spring  of  1919.  Probably 
the  most  important  conferences  were  held  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Department  of  Labor,  Children’s  Bureau,  on  Standards  of  Child 
Welfare.  Scientists  in  many  fields  of  endeavor  for  human  welfare 
and  the  upbuilding  of  the  home,  public  servants,  social  service  tech¬ 
nicians,  labor  leaders,  publicists,  and  physicians,  and  others  who 
could  bring  to  the  conferences  scientific  methods  in  approaching 
child- welfare  work  were  brought  together  at  Washington,  New  York, 
Cleveland,  Boston,  Chicago,  Denver,  Minneapolis,  San  Francisco,  and 
Seattle.  Among  foreign  countries  sending  representatives  were 
Belgium,  England,  France,  Japan,  Itaty,  and  Serbia. 

Minimum  standards  of  child  welfare  were  outlined.  Among  the 
many  topics  of  discussion,  were  economic  and  social  basis  for  child 
welfare,  child  labor,  the  health  of  children  and  mothers,  children  in 
need  of  special  care,  and  standardization  of  child- welfare  laws.  The 
report  of  the  proceedings  of  the  conferences  issued  by  the  Children’s 
Bureau  is  a  valuable  contribution  of  this  year. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


113 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA. 

The  Second  American  Child  Congress  which  met  in  Montevideo, 
Uruguay,  in  May,  1919,  was  another  important  conference.  Dele¬ 
gates  were  present  from  every  South  American  country  and  from 
the  United  States. 

This  congress  adopted  many  resolutions  of  great  importance  for 
the  care  of  children  in  the  Western  Hemisphere.  Among  these  the 
following  may  be  taken  as  of  prime  importance :  Calling  for  greater 
vigor  in  the  prosecution  by  the  several  countries  of  the  fight  against 
tuberculosis  and  prophylactic  measures  for  children ;  compulsory  in¬ 
struction  in  the  schools  of  America  in  sanitation,  treatment  of  alco¬ 
holism,  etc.;  material  organization  of  special  medical  commissions 
for  the  detection  and  treatment  of  tuberculosis ;  legal  regulation  and 
publication  of  vital  statistics  on  social,  economic,  and  political 
grounds;  organization  in  every  South  American  country  of  pre¬ 
ventive  measures  against  child  mortality,  with  systematic  reports 
on  each  child,  weekly  for  first  month,  monthly  for  the  first  year, 
and  annually  up  to  3  years  of  age;  organized  study  of  conditions 
among  the  proletariat  as  bearing  on  infantile  mortality;  organized 
instruction  of  poorer  classes  in  fundamental  facts  of  life,  care  of 
children  by  means  of  every  possible  socialized  agency;  encourage¬ 
ment  and  establishment  of  mothers’  clubs  in  all  South  American 
centers  of  population;  organized  work  in  sanitation  and  hygiene 
with  relation  to  prevention  of  blindness  and  deafness  of  newly  born 
children;  systematic  attention  to  dental  and  oral  affections  of  chil¬ 
dren. 

The  section  of  the  congress  upon  the  protection  of  children 
adopted  resolutions  urging  (a)  the  establishment  by  each  country  of 
a  directory  or  general  inspection  charged  with  control  of  all  official 
and  private  institutions  related  to  care  of  children;  (b)  the  intrust¬ 
ing  of  charges  relating  to  protection  and  hygiene  of  children  only 
to  accredited  and  qualified  persons. 

The  section  on  sociology  and  legislation  adopted  resolutions  urg¬ 
ing  the  prohibition  of  labor  for  wages  for  minors  under  15  years 
of  age  and  of  industrial  work  for  minors  under  16  years;  the 
limitation  of  daily  hours  of  work  to  6  for  minors  under  19;  the  re¬ 
quirement  of  compulsory  school  attendance  up  to  the  age  of  15; 
prohibiting  the  employment  of  minors  in  work  dangerous  to  life, 
limb,  and  health  or  morals;  the  strict  regulation  of  work  for  wages 
by  expectant  mothers  or  those  with  young  children;  the  establish¬ 
ment  of  courts  for  juvenile  delinquents,  with  necessary  reform 
agencies  and  prohibiting  the  sending  of  minors  to  criminal  prisons; 
the  suppression  of  juvenile  delinquency;  fostering  of  health  and 


114 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


mental  growth  of  children  as  related  to  the  national  economic  fac¬ 
tor;  the  national  furthering  of  vocational  instruction  of  older  chil¬ 
dren  and  adolescents;  the  limitation  of  the  traditional  absolute 
power  of  the  father  over  the  children. 

The  section  of  medicine  passed  resolutions  urging  the  complete 
identification  of  medical  with  sociological  and  educational  reforms, 
and  the  systematic  medical  inspection  of  national  schools,  public  and 
private. 

The  section  of  education  passed  resolutions  urging  compulsory 
attendance  for  the  period  from  8  to  12  years,  and  in  continuation  or 
vocational  schools  from  12  to  15,  and  aisb  urging  the  encouragement 
of  industrial  and  artistic  education,  the  training  of  teachers  in  the 
moral  aspect  of  hygienic  education,  recognizing  the  important  and 
beneficial  place  of  motion  pictures  in  primary  education,  encourag¬ 
ing  worthy  and  elevating  pictures,  and  demanding  the  legal  preven¬ 
tion  of  attendance  by  children  on  those  detrimental  to  morals,  health, 
and  eyesight. 

The  congress  recommended  the  establishment  of  a  permanent  In¬ 
ternational  Association  for  the  Protection  of  Children,  to  be  officially 
recognized  by  all  of  the  countries  of  South  America,  and  located  in 
the  city  of  Montevideo. 

IN  FRzVNCE. 


The  medical  conference  of  the  Inter-Allied  Committee  of  Red 
Cross  Societies  was  held  at  Cannes  in  April  for  the  purpose  of  out¬ 
lining  some  plan  for  reconstruction  of  the  world’s  vitality  and 
health.  Six  sections  represented  needs  of  humanity  in  social  welfare, 
child  welfare,  nursing,  preventive  medicine,  malaria,  tuberculosis, 
and  general  venereal  disease. 

Many  problems  were  discussed,  and  the  committee  on  child  welfare 
recommended  a  world-wide  child-welfare  campaign  as  the  greatest 
need  from  an  economic  and  humanitarian  standpoint. 

Among  the  problems  discussed  by  this  committee  were:  Saving 
infants,  caring  for  dependent  children,  prenatal  care  of  mothers,  the 
education  of  expectant  mothers  by  well-trained  public  health  nurses, 
and  intelligent  cooperation  of  both  parents  in  the  education  of  their 
children. 

COOPERATION  OF  HOME  AND  SCHOOL. 

The  parent-teacher  associations  and  other  organizations  doing 
similar  work  under  different  names  came  into  existence  through  the 
realization  of  parents  and  teachers  that  they  must  have  some  form  of 
cooperation  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  work  of  both. 

The  cooperation  thus  brought  about  has  produced  a  more  har¬ 
monious  atmosphere.  The  parents  understand  the  teachers  better, 
and  the  teacher  understands  the  children  better.  The  organization 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


115 


becomes  an  important  factor  in  the  community,  and  many  needs  of 
the  school  have  been  filled  through  the  efforts  of  the  parent-teacher 
associations. 

About  8,000  organizations  of  this  sort  are  in  existence,  of  which 
982  are  in  California,  under  the  National  Congress  of  Mothers;  766 
in  Virginia,  under  the  direction  of  the  State  department  of  educa¬ 
tion;  619  in  New  York;  501  in  New  Jersey;  394  in  Texas;  354  in 
Illinois;  265  in  Kansas;  261  in  Wisconsin;  and  251  in  South  Caro¬ 
lina,  under  the  direction  of  the  State  department  of  education. 
Every  State  has  at  least  a  few  organizations  working  largely  for 
child  welfare.  Parent-teacher  associations  are  essentially  makers  of 
public  opinion  for  righteousness. 


XVII.  LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES. 

LIBRARY  WAR  SERVICE. 

During  the  year  the  Library  War  Service  of  the  American  Library 
Association  continued  actively  to  supply  reading  matter  for  the 
soldiers  and  sailors,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Up  to  June  1,  1919, 
the  service  had  shipped  overseas  2,561,888  volumes,  and  had  put  into 
use  a  total  of  approximately  7,500,000  books  since  the  war  began. 
The  fund  raised  for  the  work  amounted  to  $5,250,000,  and  the  total 
personnel  employed  on  June  1,  1919,  was  564  persons.  This  fund 
includes  $3,500,000  assigned  to  the  American  Library  Association 
as  its  share  of  the  sum  raised  in  the  United  War  Work  Campaign  of 
November,  1918. 

The  large  libraries  operated  by  the  service  in  the  United  States 
numbered  49;  overseas  libraries,  1,401.  In  addition,  there  were 
numerous  small  camps,  branches,  and  stations,  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  Many  hospitals  and  industrial  war-work  plants  were  sup¬ 
plied  with  books  and  service,  and  many  transports  and  other  ships 
equipped  with  libraries. 

The  total  expenditures  of  the  Library  War  Service  up  to  June  1, 
1919,  for  buildings  and  equipment,  books  and  periodicals,  service 
and  subsistence,  supplies  and  general  equipment,  travel,  freight,  and 
miscellaneous  amounted  to  $3,330,319.98. 

One  of  the  world’s  greatest  library  undertakings  has  thus  been 
successfully  accomplished  by  American  librarians.  At  the  Asbury 
Park  meeting  of  the  American  Library  Association,  1919,  a  chart  was 
exhibited  showing  the  following  comparative  library  statistics,  es¬ 
timated  as  nearly  as  possible:  Library  of  Congress,  2,700,000  vol¬ 
umes;  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  Paris,  3,650,000  volumes;  British 
Museum,  3,900,000  volumes;  American  Library  Association.  Library 
War  Service,  7,500,000  volumes. 


116 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  war-service  committee  of  the  American 
Library  Association  a  definite  decision  was  reached  as  to  the  ulti¬ 
mate  disposition  of  books  now  overseas  and  in  camps  and  hospitals 
in  the  United  States.  Formal  authorization  was  given  for  the  gift 
of  a  reasonable  number  of  books  to  French  and  Belgian  educational 
and  civic  institutions,  and  to  American  schools  and  colleges  in  other 
countries,  such  beneficiaries  to  be  determined  by  the  war-service 
committee.  Gift  was  also  authorized  of  a  certain  number  of  books 
to  the  municipality  of  Beaune,  France,  and  to  the  American  Uni¬ 
versity  Union,  the  Sorbonne,  the  library  of  the  University  of  Lou¬ 
vain,  the  International  Institute  of  Bibliography  at  Brussels  (for 
the  Bureau  of  International  Intercourse),  Robert  College,  in  Con¬ 
stantinople,  and  other  cognate  institutions  in  Europe  which  the 
association  may  deem  it  appropriate  to  assist,  provided  that  the 
total  of  gifts  does  not  exceed  75,000  volumes. 

All  books  and  library  equipment  remaining  in  the  United  States 
after  the  American  Library  Association  has  completed  its  service  to 
the  soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  war  are  to  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
the  War  and  Navy  Departments  for  the  continuance  of  library 
service  to  the  American  military  and  naval  peace  establishments. 
Books  remaining  after  the  Army  and  Navy  needs  have  been  met  will 
be  offered  to  other  Federal  institutions,  such  as  prisons,  Coast  Guards, 
and  lighthouses,  and  to  the  United  States  merchant  marine. 

Any  books  remaining  after  the  foregoing  disposition  are  to  be  dis¬ 
tributed  as  follows.  First,  to  State  library  commissions,  leading 
libraries — the  State  libraries,  if  possible — the  State  Federations  of 
Women’s  Clubs,  and  the  State  departments  of  education;  and,  second, 
to  libraries,  schools,  and  colleges,  State  charitable  and  penal  institu¬ 
tions,  and  to  traveling  library  systems,  to  be  designated  by  the  insti¬ 
tutions  previously  named.  All  these  books  are  to  be  gifts,  not  sales, 
and  some  return  will  be  required  as  to  the  disposal  made  of  them. 

The  general  director  was  authorized  and  empowered  to  dispose 
of  the  Library  War  Service  buildings,  by  gift  for  library  purposes 
only,  or  at  private  sale ;  also  by  salvage,  either  on  the  initiative  of  the 
American  Library  Association  or  by  joint  salvage  with  some  or  all  of 
the  seven  organizations  comprising  the  commission  on  training-camp 
activities. 

The  American  Library  Association  War  Service  will  end  October 
31,  1919.  The  war  service  committee  will  then  make  its  final  report 
to  the  executive  board  and  be  discharged. 

LIBRARY  LEGISLATION. 

A  county  library  law  for  Illinois  was  enacted  by  the  1919  legis¬ 
lature  and  went  into  effect  July  1, 1919.  The  Utah  Legislature  passed 
a  county  library  law  at  its  1919  session  and  also  a  law  allowing  the 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  117 

municipal  library  tax  of  1  mill  to  be  doubled.  One  county  library 
has  already  been  established  in  Utah,  and  action  has  also  been  taken 
looking  toward  changing  the  municipal  library  at  Provo  to  a  county 
library. 

A  bill  appropriating  $6,000  a  year  for  the  work  of  the  Georgia 
library  commission  was  passed  by  the  1919  legislature  of  that  State. 
The  Georgia  library  commission  was  created  22  years  ago,  but  has 
had  no  appropriation  until  now.  New  Hampshire  appropriated 
$2,000  for  each  of  the  years  1919-20  and  1920-21  to  carry  out  the  pro¬ 
visions  of  the  library  law  passed  by  the  legislature  of  1917.  The 
State  commission  will  open  headquarters  at  Concord,  and  an  expert 
will  be  employed  to  give  her  whole  time  to  work  with  the  libraries. 
The  Legislature  of  Nebraska  raised  the  maximum  rate  for  a  library 
levy  from  3  mills  to  5  and  reduced  library  boards  from  nine  to  five 
members. 

An  act  to  amend  and  consolidate  the  law  relating  to  the  State 
library  and  museum,  passed  by  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  in  May, 
1919,  gives  the  exclusive  control,  supervision,  and  management  of 
the  library  and  museum  to  the  State  librarian  and  director  of  the 
museum,  who  is  to  be  appointed  by  the  governor,  and  will  have  full 
power  in  the  employment  and  dismissal  of  the  staff  and  will  receive 
and  disburse  all  moneys.  The  board  of  trustees  of  the  State  library 
is  abolished,  and  the  building  hereafter  comes  under  the  charge  and 
control  of  the  commissioner  of  public  grounds  and  buildings.  There 
will  be  the  following  divisions:  General  library,. law  library,  public 
record,  library  extension,  and  museum.  The  library  extension  divi¬ 
sion  is  to  take  over  the  work  of  the  free  library  commission  and  the 
commission  is  abolished. 

According  to  the  terms  of  a  consitutional  amendment,  the  100 
State  boards  and  departments  in  Massachusetts  will  be  consolidated 
into  20.  On  December  1,  1919,  the  free  public  library  commission 
becomes  a  division  of  the  department  of  education,  retaining,  how¬ 
ever,  its  previous  organization  and  functions. 

Beginning  with  August  1,  1919,  the  Minnesota  State  Library  Com¬ 
mission  terminates  its  existence  as  a  board,  but  its  work  will  be 
continued  as  a  division  of  the  department  of  education. 

The  changes  mentioned  in  Pennsylvania,  Massachusetts,  and  Min¬ 
nesota  illustrate  the  present  tendency  to  consolidate  all  State  educa¬ 
tional  activities  into  single  departments. 

AMERICAN  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION  MEETING. 

The  forty-first  conference  of  the  American  Library  Association 
was  held  at  Asbury  Park,  N.  J.,  June  23-28,  1919.  Nearly  1,200 
members  registered,  which  was  about  double  the  attendance  at  the 
142589°— 19 - 9 


118 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Saratoga  Springs  conference  of  1918.  The  officers  elected  for  the 
coming  year  were  the  following :  President,  Chalmers  Hadley,  libra¬ 
rian  Denver  Public  Library;  first  vice  president,  George  H.  Locke, 
librarian  Toronto  Public  Library;  second  vice  president,  Cornelia 
Marvin,  librarian  Oregon  State  Library.  The  meeting  of  the  asso¬ 
ciation  in  1920  is  to  be  held  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 

Particular  attention  was  given  on  the  program  to  the  Library  War 
Service.  Its  report  for  the  year  ending  June  30  was  received  and 
adopted. 

The  report  of  the  committee  to  investigate  salaries  was  summarized 
in  four  sections,  dealing  with  city  and  county  libraries;  college  and 
university  libraries;  State,  mercantile,  and  endowed  libraries;  and 
Government  department  libraries,  respectively.  The  returns  show 
a  low  average  of  compensation  for  library  workers  in  all  branches, 
and  resolutions  were  passed  strongly  urging  increased  appropriations 
to  remedy  this  condition. 

One  general  session  of  the  conference  was  devoted  to  the  topic, 
“  The  future  of  library  work  in  America.”  At  this  session  papers 
were  presented  on  the  f ollowing  topics :  The  library’s  task  in  recon¬ 
struction  ;  The  high-school  library  of  the  next  decade ;  and  Reaching 
all  classes  of  the  community. 

The  Smith-Towner  bill  for  the  creation  of  a  department  of  edu¬ 
cation  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  meeting  and  discussed. 
Particular  attention  was  directed  to  the  clause  in  the  bill  making 
provision  for  the  extension  and  adoption  of  public  libraries  for  edu¬ 
cational  purposes.  A  motion  to  indorse  the  bill  made  by  Chalmers 
Hadley  was  adopted  by  the  association.  A  resolution  was  also 
adopted  indorsing  the  work  of  the  National  Library  Service  and 
requesting  its  continuance  in  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  council  the  desirability  and  possibility  of  rais  ¬ 
ing  a  permanent  endowment  fund  for  the  peace-time  work  of  the 
American  Library  Association  was  discussed  wdth  considerable  full¬ 
ness.  It  was  decided  to  request  of  the  executive  board  the  appoint¬ 
ment  of  a  committee  to  take  into  consideration  the  entire  subject 
of  enlarged  service  and  report  within  a  year. 

PROPOSED  SURVEY  OF  AMERICAN  LIBRARIES. 

The  leaders  of  the  American  Library  Association  are  resolved  that 
the  momentum  gained  by  the  corporate  activities  of  the  association  in 
war  work  must  be  carried  over  into  peace  times  and  that  the  asso¬ 
ciation  must  now  continue  to  work  as  a  unit  for  the  benefit  of  all 
libraries  and  of  communities  having  no  libraries.  In  preparation 
for  this  new  peace  work  a  preliminary  survey  of  library  conditions 
in  the  United  States  seemed  necessary,  and  accordingly  was  au¬ 
thorized  by  the  executive  board  of  the  American  Library  Associa- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


119 


tion  in  January,  1919,  and  intrusted  to  a  committee  of  five  on  library 
service,  with  the  following  membership:  Arthur  E.  Bostwick,  St. 
Louis  Public  Library,  chairman;  Linda  A.  Eastman,  Cleveland 
Public  Library;  Carl  H.  Milam,  Library  War  Service,  Washington, 
D.  C. ;  Azariah  S.  Root,  Oberlin  College  Library ;  and  C.  C.  William¬ 
son,  New  York  Public  Library.  The  committee  was  charged  with 
the  duty  of  determining  the  actual  conditions  of  American  libraries 
to-day,  their  incomes,  property,  staffs,  salaries,  methods,  and  prac¬ 
tice.  The  survey  report  should  then  present  standards  for  libra¬ 
ries — standards  of  equipment,  buildings,  service  of  all  sorts,  salaries, 
and  income.  It  will  do  for  libraries  what  the  Carnegie  Foundation 
has  done  for  legal  and  medical  education,  and  will  be  analogous  to 
the  reports  on  elementary  and  secondary  education  made  by  com¬ 
mittees  of  the  National  Education  Association.  In  a  way  it  will  be 
a  bringing  up  to  date  of  the  report  on  Public  Libraries  in  the  United 
States — Their  History,  Condition,  and  Management,  published  by 
the  Bureau  of  Education  in  1876. 

A  preliminary  report  on  the  proposed  survey  was  presented  by 
the  committee  to  the  meeting  of  the  American  Library  Association 
in  June,  1919.  The  plan  is  to  send  out  one  questionnaire,  the  answers 
to  which,  when  arranged  and  classified,  shall  constitute  a  body  of 
definitely  ascertained  facts  regarding  the  work  done  by  American 
libraries.  A  consideration  of  methods  of  extension  work  is  then  to 
be  based  on  the  results  of  the  survey. 

The  matter  of  the  proposed  survey  was  also  brought  before  the 
council  of  the  American  Library  Association  at  the  Asbury  Park 
meeting,  1919.  The  chairman  of  the  committee,  Dr.  A.  E.  Bostwick, 
presented  the  topic,  “An  adequate  library  survey:  What  it  would 
accomplish,  what  it  involves,  and  what  it  will  cost.”  He  submitted 
a  proposed  plan  of  work  for  ascertaining  what  libraries  are  now 
doing  over  the  United  States,  a  program  which  would  cover  two 
years  of  continuous  work,  and  requiring  the  services  of  a  director 
with  an  assistant  and  clerical  force,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  about 
$88,000  for  the  two  years.  Dr.  Bostwick  said  the  work  is  going  to 
be  done  whether  this  appropriation  is  made  or  not,  but  will  not  be 
completed  with  the  necessary  thoroughness  if  it  has  to  be  done  by 
volunteers  in  odd  hours. 

After  some  discussion  of  the  proposed  survey  by  members  of  the 
council,  the  committee  was  continued  to  report  further  at  a  subse¬ 
quent  meeting. 


THE  A.  L.  A.  ENLARGED  PROGRAM. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  executive  board  of  the  American  Library  Asso¬ 
ciation,  held  at  Asbury  Park,  N.  J.,  June  27,  1919,  the  following- 
resolution  was  unanimously  adopted : 


120 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Resolved,  (1)  That  the  executive  board  recognizes  the  responsibility  of  the 
American  Library  Association  to  encourage  and  promote  the  development  of 
library  service  for  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  America. 

(2)  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  consider  the  various  reports  and 
suggestions  concerning  the  future  work  of  the  association;  to  prepare  an  en¬ 
larged  program  of  American  library  service ;  and  to  make  a  report  as  soon  as 
possible  with  recommendations — these  recommendations  to  indicate  which  fea¬ 
tures  of  the  program  are  of  immediate  importance  and  to  be  accompanied  by 
definite  plans  for  inaugurating  and  financing  the  work. 

(3)  That  this  committee  consist  of  two  members  of  the  executive  board,  who 
shall  have  power  to  increase  their  numbers  to  five  and  to  appoint  advisory 
subcommittees. 

(4)  That  the  committee  be  known  as  the  committee  on  an  enlarged  program 
for  American  library  service. 

The  members  of  the  committee  for  an  enlarged  program  are  Frank 
P.  Hill,  chairman;  Carl  H.  Milam,  John  Cotton  Dana,  Walter  L. 
Brown,  and  Caroline  F.  Webster.  A  tentative  report  from  this  com¬ 
mittee  was  presented  to  the  executive  board  of  the  American  Library 
Association  at  a  session  held  at  Richfield  Springs,  N.  Y.,  during  the 
week  of  September  8,  1919,  on  the  occasion  of  the  meeting  of  the 
Few  York  Library  Association.  The  report,  which  was  accepted  and 
approved  by  the  executive  board,  provides  for  the  continuance  of 
certain  features  of  library  war  service,  and  for  the  extension  of  the 
work  to  include  many  new  features.  It  is  expected  that  balances  in 
the  hands  of  the  war  service  committee  will  suffice  to  continue  the 
war  service,  and  that  additional  funds  for  carrying  on  the  new  work 
for  four  or  five  years  will  be  raised  by  popular  subscription  in  a 
financial  campaign  next  spring. 

The  following  is  an  outline  of  the  principal  features  of  the  report 
on  an  enlarged  program  for  the  American  Library  Association : 

The  War  Department  has  appointed  a  director  of  Army  libraries 
and  is  taking  over  that  portion  of  the  Library  War  Service  work 
which  concerns  the  Regular  Army.  The  American  Library  Associa¬ 
tion  is  transferring  to  the  department  a  large  part  of  its  books,  build¬ 
ings,  and  personnel.  The  work  is  to  be  carried  on  by  the  War 
Department  with  Government  funds,  and  with  such  additional  funds 
as  may  be  available  from  the  American  Library  Association  balance. 
A  consulting  librarian  has  been  appointed  for  the  Navy  at  American 
Library  Association  expense,  and  it  is  hoped  that  sufficient  funds 
will  be  available  from  the  Government  and  from  the  Library  War 
Service  balance  to  enable  the  continuance  of  work  for  this  branch. 
Other  groups  now  coming  under  Library  War  Service  for  which  the 
American  Library  Association  plans  to  continue  to  provide  books  are 
the  following:  Public  Health  Service  hospitals,  which  contain  many 
ex-service  men  and  men  from  the  merchant  marine ;  blinded  soldiers, 
sailors,  and  marines,  to  be  aided  by  the  publication  of  additional 
books  in  Braille  type  for  their  use;  Coast  Guards  and  Lighthouse 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES.  121 

Service ;  United  States  Shipping  Board  and  other  merchant  vessels ; 
industrial  plants  under  Federal  control ;  discharged  soldiers,  sailors, 
and  marines. 

The  second  part  of  the  report  takes  up  the  enlarged  civilian  service 
proposed  for  the  American  Library  Association.  The  report  asserts 
that  the  American  Library  Association  should  have  the  functions  of 
a  national  library  commission,  so  that  from  its  executive  office  active 
field  workers  may  be  sent  to  the  aid  of  any  State  that  is  seeking  to 
create  a  State  center  or  agency  for  library  propaganda  and  library 
service.  Where  there  is  a  State  library  association,  it  should  have 
the  cooperation  of  the  American  Library  Association  in  securing  the 
needed  legislation.  In  cases  also  where  large  cities  are  noticeably 
lacking  in  library  facilities,  the  American  Library  Association 
should  help  in  the  establishment  of  a  public  library  by  a  campaign 
of  education. 

The  committee  further  recommends  that  the  executive  board  ap¬ 
point  a  national  library  examining  board  of  three  members,  to  hold 
examinations  and  grant  certificates  for  library  service  to  properly 
qualified  candidates  in  grades  A,  B,  and  C. 

The  committee  also  asks  that  an  item  be  placed  in  its  budget  for 
the  enlarged  program,  for  a  library  survey,  and  that  this  survey  in¬ 
clude  a  review  of  the  place  of  the  library  in  the  social  and  educa¬ 
tional  life  of  America,  with  special  reference  to  the  promotion  and 
direction  of  reading  both  by  libraries  and  by  other  agencies,  includ¬ 
ing  educational  institutions,  periodicals,  publishers,  booksellers,  and 
advertisers. 

It  is  further  recommended  that  the  American  Library  Association 
undertake  a  nation-wide  promulgation  of  the  library  idea,  designed 
to  stimulate  the  extension  and  development  of  libraries,  and  to  in¬ 
crease  the  use  of  print,  this  end  to  be  accomplished  by  all  manner 
of  publicity  work. 

Another  recommendation  is  that  the  American  Library  Association 
spend  a  certain  portion  of  its  income  for  bibliographical  work  in 
the  interest  of  learning.  In  this  connection,  the  international  bibli¬ 
ography  of  humanistic  literature  proposed  by  Prof.  F.  J.  Teggart, 
of  the  University  of  California,  would  receive  the  first  attention. 
Consideration  of  a  possible  general  extension  of  the  publishing  ac¬ 
tivities  of  the  American  Library  Association  was  also  advised. 

With  reference  to  National  Library  Service,  the  committee  recom¬ 
mends  that  the  American  Library  Association  go  on  record  as  favoring 
the  taking  over  of  practically  all  the  proposed  items  in  its  en¬ 
larged  program  by  governmental  or  other  organizations  (such  as  the 
National  Marine  League)  whenever  they  are  whiling  and  able  to  do 
so.  It  also  favors  the  taking  over  by  the  Government  of  such  work 
of  the  association  as  might  be  included  in  the  functions  of  a  national 


122 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


library  commission  or  any  part  of  tliat  work  such  as  would  be  trans¬ 
acted  by  the  proposed  National  Library  Service. 

A  statement  showing  that  librarians  “  have  acted  in  no  small  de¬ 
gree  as  leaders  in  the  movement  for  better  citizenship”  was  pre¬ 
pared,  and  it  is  recommended  “that  it  be  widely  distributed  among 
and  in  libraries,  and  that  the  executive  board  urge  that  this  work  be 
continued  and  extended.”  This  includes  the  Americanization  work 
of  libraries. 

It  is  also  declared  b}-  the  committee  to  be — 

a  proper  function  for  the  American  Library  Association  to  serve  as  a  clearing 
house  of  information  to  the  public  by  assembling  at  its  headquarters  office  the 
names  of  institutions  and  individuals  willing  to  furnish  specialized  knowledge, 
and  by  its  ability  and  willingness  to  refer  inquirers  to  available  sources  of 
information. 

The  American  Library  Association  should  also,  in  the  judgment  of 
the  committee,  consider  library  work  in  hospitals  and  in  other  State, 
city,  and  Federal  institutions  a  part  of  its  peace-time  program. 

The  effective  carrying  out  of  the  new  program  seemed  to  the 
committee  and  the  board  to  require  some  changes  in  the  present 
constitution  of  the  American  Library  Association.  A  draft  of  a 
revised  constitution  for  the  association  was  accordingly  presented. 
The  suggestions  made  have  been  passed  on  to  the  special  committee 
of  the  executive  board  on  constitution  and  by-laws  for  consideration. 

The  executive  board  in  session  at  Richfield  Springs,  N.  Y.,  author¬ 
ized  the  committee  on  enlarged  program  to  make  plans  for  a  financial 
campaign  for  $2,000,000  to  be  raised  by  popular  subscription.  The 
committee  was  instructed  to  make  further  investigation  and  report 
at  the  midwinter  meeting  in  Chicago. 

The  death  of  Andrew  Carnegie  on  August  11,  1919,  removed  the 
largest  single  benefactor  to  the  library  cause  in  recent  years.  Mr. 
Carnegie’s  gifts  to  the  cause  in  the  United  States  amounted  to 
$60,364,888  for  2,811  public-library  buildings,  and  $4,165,699  for 
library  buildings  for  colleges  and  universities.  He  also  provided 
for  the  continuance  of  his  benefactions  after  his  death  by  founding 
and  endowing  the  Carnegie  Corporation. 


XVIII.  EDUCATIONAL  LEGISLATION. 

The  legislatures  of  all  the  States  except  those  of  Kentucky, 
Louisiana,  Maryland,  Mississippi,  and  Virginia  were  in  regular 
session  in  1919,  and  a  vast  amount  of  educational  legislation  found 
its  way  to  the  statute  books.  The  two  general  types  of  enactments — 
those  reflecting  important  educational  movements  or  tendencies  and 
those  designed  merely  to  amend  and  strengthen  existing  law  at  weak 
points — were  in  evidence  in  1919,  as  in  previous  years.  The  effort 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


123 


here  is  to  survey  briefly  the  field  of  the  former  type  and  to  show 
something  of  the  extent  to  which  legislative  bodies  have  responded 
to  the  new  demands. 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  WAR. 

The  effects  of  the  war  upon  school  law,  which  were  apparent  as 
early  as  1917  and  so  continued  throughout  the  legislative  sessions 
of  1918,  were  equally  marked  in  1919.  But  the  student  of  tendencies 
in  education  is  too  close  in  point  of  time  to  permit  proper  perspective 
in  appraising  these  effects.  With  the  proclamation  of  peace  still  in 
the  future  and  many  adjustments  yet  to  be  made  before  normal  con¬ 
ditions  are  restored,  the  limitations  of  one’s  insight  into  cause  and 
effect  in  educational  tendencies  are  palpable.  That  a  “new  spirit 
in  education  ”  has  taken  hold  of  the  country  is  not  hard  to  see,  but 
the  interpretation  of  this  spirit  is  difficult.  For  the  purposes  of  the 
reviewer  of  school  legislation,  however,  it  will  suffice  to  give  only 
secondary  consideration  to  underlying  causes  and  then  pass  on  to 
practical  effects  as  seen  in  the  laws  enacted. 

A  NATIONAL  INTEREST  IN  EDUCATION. 

The  one  autstanding  fact  seen  in  the  enactments  of  the  year  is 
the  effort  to  make  the  schools  serve  America  as  a  nation  more 
effectively.  This  does  not  mean  that  the  motive  in  education  is  to 
pass  from  the  community  and  the  State  to  the  Nation,  for  the  former 
are  to  retain  their  interests  and  continue  to  receive  the  usual  benefits, 
but  that  a  more  vigorous  national  interest  is  now  added.  The  indi¬ 
vidual  is  to  be  made  a  more  efficient  social  and  economic  unit  for  the 
community  and  State  not  only,  but  for  the  Nation  as  well.  The  boy 
is  to  be  no  less  a  good  New  Yorker,  Nebraskan,  or  Carolinian,  as  the 
case  may  be,  but  is  to  be  made  a  better  American.  This  broadening 
of  the  view  with  regard  to  education  has  been  going  on  for  a  long 
time,  but  it  is  only  since  the  outbreak  of  the  war  that  many  people 
have  come  to  think  of  serving  the  whole  of  America  by  education  of 
the  individual  wherever  he  may  live  and  whatever  may  be  his  station. 

Out  of  this  nationalistic  idea  of  education  several  tendencies  have 
emerged  or  received  new  emphasis.  That  future  citizens  must  have 
better  mental  preparation,  stronger  bodies,  and  a  keener  sense  of 
patriotic  obligation  than  their  parents  have  had  is  now  a  widespread 
conviction,  and  this  is  being  translated  into  new  aims  in  educational 
tendencies.  Out  of  it  have  come  the  more  insistent  cries  for  “  better 
schools  of  all  kinds,”  “  physical  education,”  “Americanization,”  and 
other  means  of  improvement.  The  appearance  of  thousands  of  men 
at  military  camps  with  little  or  no  education,  the  discovery  of  other 
thousands  with  physical  defects  which  might  have  been  averted  by 
means  of  better  care  and  training  in  earlier  life,  and  the  outbreak 


124 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


of  a  vicious  un-American  spirit  in  some  quarters  and  among  some 
classes  at  the  time  of  our  entry  into  the  war  were  fruitful  of  lessons 
which  could  hardly  go  unheeded.  Though  these  lessons  have  prob¬ 
ably  not  been  thoroughly  understood  by  all  State  legislators,  they 
have  worked  out  wholesome  effects  in  legislation  nevertheless. 

JUSTICE  TO  THE  WEAK. 

Another  result  of  the  war,  a  result  which  had  its  roots  in  the  spirit 
of  America  in  taking  up  arms,  is  the  new  spirit  of  justice  to  the  weak. 
To  “make  the  world  safe  for  democracy”  was  the  entering  slogan, 
and  underlying  this  was  a  strong  feeling  in  the  American  mind  that 
force  was  trying  to  impinge  itself  as  the  proper  ruling  element  upon 
the  world;  that  might  was  trying  to  make  right.  Against  such  an 
effort  as  this  America  was  bound  to  throw  itself,  for  democracy  and 
justice  must  always  oppose  this  doctrine  of  might.  The  effect  of  the 
new  American  spirit  upon  America  itself  was  soon  apparent.  If  we 
were  impelled  to  oppose  the  encroachment  of  the  strong  upon  the 
weak  in  international  affairs,  it  naturally  followed  that  the  strong 
owe  a  duty  to  the  weak  within  our  own  borders,  and  this  principle 
came  to  be  seen  as  never  before.  Translated  into  educational  legis¬ 
lation,  it  appeared  in  the  form  of  largely  increased  State  participa¬ 
tion  in  the  support  of  schools,  more  liberal  provisions  for  negro 
education,  and  better  measures  for  child  welfare.  The  effort  to  ob¬ 
tain  the  passage  by  Congress  of  a  law  providing  for  a  Federal  de¬ 
partment  of  education  and  Federal  aid  to  the  States  for  the  benefit 
of  the  common  schools  had  its  impulse  from  this  principle  as  well  as 
from  the  new  nationalistic  idea.  It  was,  in  fact,  on  this  principle 
that  one  of  the  chief  proponents  of  the  so-called  “  N.  E.  A.  Bill  ” — 
Dr.  J.  Y.  Joyner,  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction  of 
North  Carolina  and  former  president  of  the  National  Education 
Association — based  his  plea  for  Federal  aid  to  the  common  schools 
when  he  appeared  before  the  United  States  Senate  Committee  on 
Education  and  Labor,  December  5,  1918.  At  that  time  Dr.  Joyner 
said:  “Isn’t  this  the  foundation  of  all  public  education  in  a  democ¬ 
racy,  that  all  the  strong  in  a  State  must  help  all  the  weak  in  the 
State  to  make  the  most  possible  of  themselves,  and  stimulate  through 
that  help  all  the  weak  of  the  State  to  help  themselves  in  proportion 
to  their  ability  to  do  it  ?  ”  And,  continuing,  he  asked  if  this  prin¬ 
ciple  is  not  applicable  to  the  Nation  as  well  as  to  the  State. 

A  WIDER  HORIZON  AND  LARGER  IDEAS. 

Still  a  third  result  of  the  war  was  what  might  be  called  a  by¬ 
product  of  the  war  spirit.  When  the  country  once  decided  to  resort 
to  arms  it  went  in  with  a  determination  that  involved  the  use,  if  nec- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


125 


essary,  of  all  the  man  power  and  other  resources  available.  It  began 
to  do  things  on  an  unprecedented  scale  and  continued  to  do  so  to  the 
time  of  the  signing  of  the  armistice.  Never  before  had  the  people 
thought  in  terms  of  an  Army  of  4,000,000  American  men  on  a  Euro¬ 
pean  battle  field,  of  a  Government  bond  issue  of  $5,000,000,000  at 
one  time,  or  of  national  control  and  supervision,  from  a  few  central 
offices  in  Washington,  of  practically  all  the  manufacturing  and  trans¬ 
portation  facilities  of  the  country.  And  yet  these  things  were  now 
happening.  The  result  was  a  new  habit  of  thinking  in  the  popular 
mind.  The  people  became  accustomed  to  thinking  and  doing  big 
things,  and  such  as  the  “  oversubscription  ”  of  a  hitherto  impossible 
“  quota  ”  was  a  common  occurrence.  A  hundred  million  dollars  was 
raised  for  the  Red  Cross,  and  over  $200,000,000  was  later  subscribed 
for  the  War  Camp  Community  Service  and  allied  organizations. 
Nor  did  the  doing  of  big  things  stop  with  the  signing  of  the  armistice. 
In  the  legislatures  of  1919  the  new  spirit  was  seen  in  several  phases, 
but  perhaps  most  of  all  in  provisions  for  highway  construction. 
Only  a  few  years  ago  a  proposal  to  bond  the  average  State  for  a  few 
million  dollars  for  the  purpose  of  building  roads  would  have  met  so 
much  opposition  as  to  bring  ridicule  upon  it,  but  in  1919  a  like  pro¬ 
posal,  but  involving  as  much  as  $25,000,000,  or  even  more,  was  often 
received  with  favor,  and  some  legislatures  made  such  provisions 
apparently  with  no  great  hesitation.  This  new  disposition  to  large 
undertakings  was  hardly  less  noticeable  in  education.  Here  it  took 
several  forms.  In  Massachusetts,  for  example,  a  State  distributive 
school  fund  of  $4,000,000  was  provided  by  the  legislature ;  in  Georgia 
what  the  State  superintendent  characterized  as  the  u  best  educational 
legislation  in  a  generation  ”  was  enacted ;  and  in  Alabama  a  commis¬ 
sion  was  created  to  make  a  survey  of  the  entire  State  school  system, 
and  on  receiving  its  report,  the  legislature  undertook  to  effect  a  great 
increase  in  the  public  revenues  and  to  revise  and  well-nigh  write 
anew  its  whole  body  of  school  law. 

In  noting  the  war’s  effects  on  educational  legislation  it  is  not  the 
purpose  here  to  defend  or  condone  war;  it  is  rather  the  purpose  to 
point  out  that  the  spirit  which  actuated  the  American  people  in  tak¬ 
ing  up  arms  has  reacted  upon  themselves  and  their  institutions  to 
good  effect.  That  the  spirit  of  Americanism,  of  justice  to  the  weak, 
and  of  determination  to  do  things  on  a  still  larger  scale  would  all 
have  their  effects  upon  our  internal  affairs  was  inevitable;  and  that 
education  came  in  for  a  share  of  the  benefits  should  be  gratifying  to 
everyone. 

It  should  not  be  claimed,  however,  that  the  war  spirit  is  creditable 
with  all  recent  important  movements  in  education.  On  the  contrary, 
several  wholesome  tendencies  which  have  been  evident  for  a  number 
of  years  are  seen  in  the  legislation  of  1919.  Among  these  are  the 


126 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


growth  of  the  county-unit  plan  of  school  administration,  the  exten¬ 
sion  of  county  libraries,  increased  provision  for  vocational  education 
and  for  part-time  and  evening  classes,  the  strengthening  of  compul¬ 
sory  attendance  laws,  the  improvement  of  teacher-training  facilities 
particularly  in  high  schools,  the  removal  of  professional  educational 
positions  from  the  influence  of  partisan  politics,  and  the  better  or¬ 
ganization  of  State  and  local  school  administrative  boards. 

Passing  now  to  more  detailed  notice  of  the  enactments  of  1919,  the 
student  of  the  subject  is  at  once  confronted  with  a  mass  of  legislation 
manifestly  too  large  to  admit  of  extensive  treatment  here.  It  must 
suffice,  therefore,  to  notice  only  the  more  important  classes  of  enact¬ 
ments  and  to  indicate  the  main  provisions  of  some  of  those  that  may 
be  considered  typical. 


NEW  SCHOOL  CODES. 

One  of  the  first  things  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  student  of  the 
school  legislation  of  1919  is  the  “  new  school  code.”  The  Legislatures 
of  Alabama,  Delaware,  Georgia,  and  West  Virginia  enacted  laws  of 
this  kind.  Such  an  act  is  generally  designed  completely  to  revise 
and  harmonize  the  wffiole  body  of  the  State’s  school  law.  The  out¬ 
standing  features  of  the  Alabama  law  are  the  abolishment  of  several 
State  boards  having  to  do  with  particular  branches  of  educational 
activity  and  the  creation  of  a  central  State  board  of  education  to  have 
general  control  and  supervision  of  the  public  schools,  including  high 
schools  and  institutions  for  training  teachers ;  a  clearer  definition  of 
the  powers  of  county  boards  of  education  and  of  provisions  for  school 
taxes  and  bond  issues ;  the  creation  of  a  State  council  of  education  to 
“  coordinate  the  educational  efforts  ”  of  the  State  institutions  of  higher 
learning;  the  extension  of  the  application  of  the  compulsory  attend¬ 
ance  law;  and  the  increase  of  funds  for  secondary  schools,  both 
academic  and  vocational. 

In  the  Delaware  code  the  school  lawr  is  harmonized  in  general,  and 
the  powers  and  functions  of  the  State  board  of  education  and  of 
county  boards  are  more  clearly  defined  and  somewhat  enlarged.  One 
of  the  more  important  changes  made  by  this  law  is  in  the  provision 
for  the  appointment  of  the  State  commissioner  of  education  by  the 
State  board.  This  officer  was  formerly  appointed  by  the  governor. 

The  “new’  code”  of  Georgia  provides  for  the  application  of  one- 
half  of  the  income  from  State  taxes  to  the  support  of  the  schools, 
State  supervision  of  schoolhouse  construction,  extension  of  high- 
school  education,  more  rigid  attendance  requirements,  the  issuance  of 
county  and  district  school  bonds,  membership  of  the  State  superin¬ 
tendent  on  boards  of  trustees  of  State  institutions  of  higher  learning, 
and  regulation  of  degree-conferring  institutions. 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


127 


In  West  Virginia,  a  consolidation  of  boards  similar  to  that  in 
Alabama  was  effected,  the  State  distributive  school  fund  was  in¬ 
creased,  more  local  school  revenue  was  provided  for,  the  minimum 
salaries  that  may  be  paid  teachers  were  raised,  the  school  term  was 
made  longer,  and  the  application  of  the  compulsory  attendance  law 
was  extended.  Another  noteworthy  provision  of  this  law  was  the 
increase  of  salaries  of  State  and  county  superintendents. 

REORGANIZED  STATE  DEPARTMENTS. 

Another  class  of  prominent  enactments  in  the  legislation  of  1919 
was  that  having  to  do  with  the  organization  of  State  departments 
of  education.  In  addition  to  States  already  mentioned,  Massachu¬ 
setts,  New  Hampshire,  Connecticut,  Minnesota,  Montana,  and  a  few 
others  enacted  laws  coming  under  this  head.  In  Massachusetts  the 
State  board  of  education  as  formerly  constituted  was  abolished  and 
a  board  was  created  to  serve  in  an  advisory  capacity  to  the  commis¬ 
sioner  of  education.  The  education  department  is  placed  under  the 
general  supervision  and  control  of  the  commissioner,  and  he  is  also 
made  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Massachusetts  Agri¬ 
cultural  College. 

The  New  Hampshire  Legislature  passed  “  an  act  in  amendment 
of  the  laws  relating  to  the  public  schools  and  establishing  a  State 
board  of  education.”  The  board  consists  of  the  governor  and  five 
members  appointed  by  him.  It  is  given  the  “  same  powers  of  man¬ 
agement,  supervision,  and  direction  over  all  public  schools  in  the 
State  as  the  directors  of  the  ordinary  business  corporation  have  over 
the  business  of  the  corporation,  except  as  its  powers  and  duties  may 
be  limited  by  law.”  Other  powers  conferred  include  cooperation 
with  the  Federal  Government  in  educational  endeavor,  prescription 
of  the  qualifications  of  school  superintendents  and  teachers,  and  the 
employment  of  a  commissioner  of  education  as  the  board’s  chief 
executive  officer. 

In  Connecticut  provision  was  made  for  the  reorganization  of  the 
State  board  of  education.  The  board  now  consists  of  the  governor 
and  lieutenant  governor,  ex  officio,  and  nine  other  members  appointed 
by  the  governor.  It  is  authorized  to  appoint  a  secretary,  an  assistant 
secretary,  and  other  agents  and  subordinates. 

The  Minnesota  law  provides  for  a  State  board  to  consist  of  five 
representative  citizens  and  prescribes  its  powers  and  duties,  among 
which  are  the  appointment  of  a  commissioner  of  education,  a  deputy 
commissioner,  and  several  heads  of  departments  and  other  assistants. 

The  Montana  act  confers  additional  powers  upon  the  existing 
State  board,  provides  for  State  certification  of  teachers,  authorizes 
the  establishment  of  part-time  and  evening  classes  for  persons  over 
21  years  of  age,  and  otherwise  revises  the  school  law. 


128  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

INCREASED  STATE  PARTICIPATION  IN  SCHOOL  SUPPORT. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  increased  State  participation 
in  public-school  support.  The  tendency  in  this  direction  has  been 
noticeable  for  some  time,  but  has  been  more  marked  during  the  last 
two  or  three  years  than  formerly.  Some  may  hold  that  the  State  is 
already  doing  its  share  in  this  respect,  and  in  a  case  like  that  of 
New  Jersey  or  Texas  where  the  State  as  such  is  paying  nearly  one- 
half  of  the  cost  of  the  schools  this  may  be  true,  but  that  it  is  true 
throughout  the  country  is  hardly  tenable.  The  equalization  of  the 
burden  of  school  support  and  of  the  opportunities  afforded  by  the 
schools  can  be  accomplished  in  no  other  way  as  efficiently  as  by  State 
contribution. 

Among  the  States  which  in  1919  provided  for  increases  in  their 
contributions  to  the  schools  were  Georgia,  Iowa,  Massachusetts, 
Pennsylvania,  South  Carolina,  Texas,  Utah,  and  West  Virginia. 
In  Iowa,  State  aid  for  consolidated  schools  was  increased  from 
$100,000  to  $150,000.  Pennsylvania  also  provided  aid  for  consolida¬ 
tion  and  increased  its  appropriation  for  the  general  school  budget. 
South  Carolina  provided  State  aid  for  weak  districts,  and  the  Texas 
Legislature  appropriated  $2,000,000  annually  for  rural  schools.  A 
very  liberal  provision  is  made  in  an  amendment  to  the  constitution 
of  Utah  which  was  proposed  at  the  last  session  of  the  legislature  of 
that  State.  If  ratified  by  the  people,  this  amendment  will  permit  a 
State  school  levy  sufficiently  high  to  raise  an  amount  annually  which, 
added  to  other  State  funds  available,  will  equal  $25  per  capita  of 
persons  of  school  age. 

COUNTY  ADMINISTRATION. 

From  the  viewpoint  of  county  administration,  there  was  hardly 
so  much  legislation  in  1919  as  in  some  previous  years,  nor  so  much 
as  in  the  field  of  State  administration.  There  was,  however,  con¬ 
siderable  attention  given  by  legislators  to  county  matters.  The 
“  county  unit  ”  was  in  the  forefront  in  some  legislatures,  and  a 
few  enactments  on  the  subject  came  through  as  law.  Probably  the 
most  noteworthy  of  these  acts  was  that  of  Arkansas,  where  a  county- 
unit  law,  State-wide  in  application,  was  enacted.  It  provides  for 
the  election  of  county  school  boards  by  the  people,  and  for  the  elec¬ 
tion  of  county  superintendents  by  the  county  boards.  The  law,  how¬ 
ever,  does  not  become  operative  until  1920.  It  provides  for  the 
county  plan  of  organization  in  modified  form.  The  county  boards 
are  not  authorized  to  interfere  in  any  way  with  local  district  boards, 
but  are  expected  to  cooperate  with  and  assist  the  local  authorities. 

The  Delaware  law  of  1919  also  provides  for  the  county  plan  in 
modified  form.  This  form  of  organization  is  not  new  in  that  State, 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


129 


for  county  boards  of  education  existed  under  the  older  law,  but  the 
new  code  defines  their  functions  more  clearly  and  extends  their 
powers.  The  superintendent  of  schools,  formerly  appointed  by  the 
governor,  is  now  appointed  by  the  county  board  of  education.  Three 
other  States  in  1919  made  what  may  be  considered  beginnings  with 
the  county  unit.  These  were  Iowa,  Montana,  and  Oregon.  In  the 
first  of  these,  county  boards  of  education  are  provided  for  and  their 
principal  duties  outlined.  These  duties  are  (1)  to  select  textbooks 
in  counties  having  county  uniformity,  (2)  to  pass  on  boundaries  of 
proposed  consolidated  districts  in  case  of  appeal  from  the  county 
superintendent,  and  (3)  to  advise  with  the  county  superintendent  in 
matters  referred  by  him.  In  Montana  an  optional  county  plan  is 
provided  for  third-class  districts,  and  in  Oregon,  any  county  hav¬ 
ing1  25,000  or  more  persons  of  school  age  is  constituted  a  county 
school  district  under  the  supervision  and  control  of  a  county  board, 
but  existing  school  districts  of  the  first  class  are  not  to  be  included 
in  the  new  organization.  On  the  whole  the  county  unit  made 
progress  in  1919,  but  the  laws  enacted  generally  made  provision 
for  the  modified  form  of  organization.  In  one  case  there  was  a 
veering  away  somewhat  from  the  stronger  form,  the  Alabama  Legis¬ 
lature  authorized  district  boards  to  reject  assignments  of  teachers 
to  their  respective  schools. 

In  connection  with  county  administration  it  may  be  noted  that 
legislative  attention  given  to  county  superintendents  in  1919  showed 
the  usual  recent  tendencies.  In  general,  salaries  were  increased, 
assistants  were  provided,  and  the  payment  of  expenses  from  public 
funds  was  authorized. 

The  principal  item  of  progress  seen  in  legislation  affecting  the 
school  district  was  the  continued  upward  trend  of  tax  limits.  Many 
States  revised  their  tax  laws,  and  in  the  matter  of  school  taxes  the 
tendency  generally  was  to  permit  the  authorities  to  make  larger 
levies.  The  Indiana  Legislature  amended  an  act  of  1903  by  raising 
from  50  cents  to  75  cents  on  $100  the  maximum  levy  that  may  be 
made  in  townships,  towns,  and  cities  for  the  purpose  of  providing  a 
“  supplementary  tuition  fund  ”  to  extend  the  terms  of  schools  after 
the  apportionment  from  the  State  tuition  revenues  is  exhausted. 

A  North  Dakota  act  of  1919  affords  an  example — of  which  there 
are  several  in  the  country — of  high  local  school  taxation.  Under  the 
provisions  of  this  act  each  district  school  board  is  empowered  to 
levy  for  school  purposes  of  all  kinds  authorized  by  law  a  tax  not  to 
exceed  in  the  aggregate  30  mills  on  the  dollar  in  any  year,  but  when¬ 
ever  there  are  past  due  warrants  outstanding  in  the  district,  the  board 
may  make  an  additional  levy  not  to  exceed  20  mills  on  the  dollar. 


130 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


A  Pennsylvania  act  increases  permissible  tax  levies  in  districts  of  the 
first  class — Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh.  These  districts  may  now 
levy  a  school  tax  of  not  more  than  8  mills  and  may  thereby  provide 
needed  increments  to  teachers’  salaries  and  otherwise  meet  the  de¬ 
mands  for  more  school  funds. 

TEACHERS’  SALARIES. 

With  regard  to  teachers’  salaries,  there  are  several  items  of  school 
legislation  that  are  pertinent.  The  principal  impulse  to  increase  in 
taxes  springs  from  recognition  of  the  injustice  of  prevailing  wages 
paid  teachers,  or  at  least  from  the  knowledge  that  the  good  teacher 
will  quit  the  profession  and  enter  some  other  pursuit  if  more  adequate 
pay  is  not  forthcoming.  Perhaps  the  principal  increment  to  teachers’ 
wages  will  be  found  finally  in  increases  of  taxes,  but  the  problem  was 
attacked  from  other  angles  in  a  number  of  legislatures.  Minimum 
salary  laws  were  enacted  in  several  States.  Indiana  and  a  few  other 
States  have  laws  in  which  the  lowest  permissible  salary  is  based  on 
the  grades  made  in  the  examination  and  the  amount  of  experience 
which  the  teacher  has  had.  An  Indiana  act  of  1919  increases  mini¬ 
mum  salaries  in  that  State  by  an  amount  estimated  to  be  about  25 
per  cent.  But  most  of  the  recent  laws  of  the  group  here  considered 
fix  a  minimum  that  must  be  paid  for  the  month  or  the  year.  In  New 
Jersey,  for  example,  it  is  unlawful  under  an  act  of  1919  to  pay  a 
teacher  less  than  $70  per  month.  The  new  code  of  West  Virginia  raises 
from  $50  to  $75  the  minimum  monthly  salary  of  holders  of  first- 
grade  certificates,  and  teachers  of  lower  grade  are  similarly  protected. 
A  New  York  act  provides  minimum  salaries  for  teachers  employed 
in  cities  and  for  annual  increments  thereto.  It  also  increases  salaries 
of  teachers  outside  of  cities  in  the  sum  of  $100  each  over  the  amount 
paid  in  the  school  year  1918-19  and  appropriates  money  from  State 
funds  for  reimbursing  districts  for  such  increases.  In  Montana  and 
Texas  the  “  equal-pay  ”  question  was  considered,  and  provision  was 
made  for  like  compensation  for  men  and  women  doing  the  same  grade 
of  work. 

RETIREMENT  FUNDS. 

The  retirement  of  superannuated  teachers  and  teachers  disabled 
in  service,  now  become  a  constant  subject  of  legislation,  was  con¬ 
sidered  by  several  of  the  legislatures  of  1919,  and  Arizona,  New 
Jersey,  Vermont,  and  some  other  States  included  it  in  their  legis¬ 
lative  programs.  The  new  law  of  New  Jersey  is  among  the  more 
noteworthy  of  these  enactments.  By  joint  resolution  of  February  23, 
1918,  the  legislature  of  that  State  provided  for  the  appointment  of 
a  commission  “  to  investigate  the  subject  of  municipal,  county,  and 
State  pensions  and  the  teachers’  retirement  fund.”  This  commis- 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


131 


sion  was  accordingly  appointed  and  made  its  report  January  14,  1919. 
The  report  embodied  the  results  of  a  critical  and  constructive  study 
of  such  matters  as  rates  of  teachers’  contributions,  amounts  which 
certain  specified  contributions  may  be  expected  to  produce  in  a  given 
period  of  time,  annuities,  which  may  be  safely  based  on  proposed 
resources,  and  actuarial  phases  of  the  subject.  A  proposed  act  pro¬ 
viding  for  the  establishment  of  a  teachers’  pension  and  retirement 
fund  was  outlined  in  the  report.  Pursuant  to  the  findings  of  the 
commission,  the  legislature  of  1919  enacted  a  law  designed  to  displace 
the  older  laws  on  the  subject  and  to  establish  teachers4  pensions  on 
a  sound  actuarial  basis.  The  new  plan  involves  contributions  of 
teachers  and  appropriations  of  State  funds.  The  most  important 
phase  of  recent  pension  legislation  is  the  effort  to  make  retirement 
systems  actuarially  sound,  and  New  Jersey’s  effort  in  this  direction 
has  been  among  the  most  thorough  in  the  country. 

Other  matters  affecting  the  teaching  staff  present  no  especially 
noteworthy  features  for  discussion  under  the  head  of  school  legis¬ 
lation.  The  trend  toward  raising  the  qualifications  of  teachers  and 
defining  more  clearly  the  several  types  of  teaching  service  was  notice¬ 
able  in  the  enactments  of  1919,  as  in  those  of  former  years.  The 
training  of  teachers  was  as  usual  the  subject  of  considerable  legisla¬ 
tion  in  the  past  year.  What  appears  to  be  a  new  emphasis  in  teacher- 
training  is  indicated  by  the  provisions  in  some  States,  as  for  example 
in  Maine,  for  additional  educational  opportunities  for  those  already 
in  the  teaching  service. 

IMPROVED  RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

The  insistent  demand  for  school  improvement  in  every  possible 
way  is  nowhere  more  marked  than  in  the  interest  of  the  rural  school. 
This  subject  is  discussed  elsewhere  in  this  report  and  some  notice  is 
given  to  agricultural  training  and  other  aspects  of  country  life,  but 
there  is  one  feature  of  rural-school  improvement  which  may  be 
noticed  here,  since  it  has  been  the  subject  of  considerable  legislation 
within  the  past  few  years.  It  is  the  effort  to  fix  standard  types  for 
schools  and  to  promote  the  standardization  of  as  many  of  the  schools 
as  possible.  The  usual  plan  is  to  prescribe  requirements  which  the 
school  must  meet  in  order  to  be  classed  as  u  standard  ”  and  to  award 
some  mark  of  distinction  to  schools  which  qualify.  These  require¬ 
ments  cover  such  matters  as  length  of  term,  equipment,  sanitary 
conditions,  and  the  inclusion  of  special  subjects,  as  agriculture  and 
home  economics,  in  the  course  of  study. 

An  act  of  the  last  Legislature  of  Maine  provides  for  the  rating 
and  standardization  of  the  schools  of  that  State.  Whenever  the 
State  superintendent  is  requested  so  to  do,  he  may  send  an  agent  to 
investigate  school  conditions  and  report  thereon.  This  law  is  de- 


132 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


signed  to  improve  sanitary  conditions,  equipment,  and  teaching 
processes.  The  Legislature  of  Iowa  passed  “An  act  providing  for  the 
standardization  of  rural  schools  and  granting  State  aid  and  provid¬ 
ing  for  an  appropriation  therefor.”  This  law  defines  a  standard 
school  and  fixes  the  minimum  requirements.  State  aid  will  amount 
to  $6  per  pupil  who  has  attended  the  school  during  the  previous 
year.  The  State  superintendent  is  required  to  furnish  a  suitable  door¬ 
plate  or  other  mark  of  distinction  to  each  school  approved  as  stand¬ 
ard.  In  the  general  appropriation  bill  passed  by  the  Legislature 
of  Missouri  the  State  department  of  education  was  allowed  two 
additional  inspectors  of  rural  schools.  The  movement  for  standardiz¬ 
ing  schools  should  prove  beneficial,  since  it  makes  a  wholesome  appeal 
to  every  community  to  improve  its  school  and  bring  it  up  to  a  pre¬ 
scribed  minimum  of  quality. 

COMPULSORY  ATTENDANCE. 

No  discussion  of  educational  legislation  of  recent  years  would 
approach  completeness  if  compulsory  school  attendance  laws  were 
omitted.  This  is  especially  true,  since  one  large  section  of  the 
country,  the  South,  has  only  in  comparatively  recent  time  begun 
to  enact  such  laws.  When,  however,  a  beginning  was  made,  attend¬ 
ance  requirement  took  root  rapidly  in  that  section,  and  attendance 
laws  were  soon  on  the  statute  books  of  all  the  States — Mississippi 
having  made  the  last  of  the  series  with  the  enactment  of  its  law  of 
1918.  The  history  of  compulsory  education  in  the  States  is  gen¬ 
erally  very  much  the  same  story.  An  initial  law,  often  local  option 
in  effect,  is  enacted,  and  then  comes  a  period  of  effort  to  revise  and 
make  the  law  effective.  The  Southern  States,  particularly  those  of 
the  lower  South,  are  just  now  in  the  second  stage,  or  perhaps  have  just 
passed  through  it.  The  Legislatures  of  Alabama,  Florida,  Georgia, 
North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  and  Tennessee  all  made  their  at¬ 
tendance  laws  stronger  in  1919.  Generally,  the  means  of  enforce¬ 
ment  were  improved,  age  limits  were  extended,  and  the  period  of 
attendance  was  fixed  at  the  full  term  or  at  least  at  five  or  six  months. 

All  the  Southern  States,  with  the  exception  of  Mississippi,  now 
have  reasonably  effective  attendance  requirements,  and  it  is  expected 
that  the  friends  of  the  schools  of  that  State  will  try  in  the  legislature 
of  1920  to  make  their  law  more  effective.  In  other  parts  of  the 
country,  where  compulsory  education  is  of  longer  standing,  the  most 
marked  tendency  is  connected  with  the  upper  age  limits.  Here  the 
requirement  tends  to  reach  up  to  the  sixteenth  birthday  of  the  pupil, 
and  in  a  number  of  States  it  is  made  to  reach  that  limit  where  the 
child  is  not  in  lawful  employment.  Minnesota  now  requires  all  chil¬ 
dren  between  8  and  16  years  of  age  to  attend  school  during  the  entire 
term.  A  Michigan  act  of  1919  requires  all  children  between  7  and 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  UNITED  STATES. 


133 


16  to  attend,  but  provides  that  children  over  14  who  have  completed 
the  work  of  the  sixth  grade  and  whose  services  are  essential  to  the 
support  of  their  parents  may  be  excused  from  attendance  by  the 
county  school  commissioner  or  city  superintendent  on  recommenda¬ 
tion  of  the  proper  school  board.  With  reference  to  attendance  upon 
the  common  schools  the  acts  of  Minnesota  and  Michigan  may  be  re¬ 
garded  as  typical. 

Another  kind  of  attendance  requirement  has  received  new  impetus 
in  legislation  since  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  This  takes  somewhat 
different  forms,  of  course,  but  the  underlying  principle  is  that  minors 
of  certain  ages  who  have  not  acquired  a  prescribed  minimum  of  educa¬ 
tion  or  do  not  speak  and  read  the  English  language,  as  in  the  case  of 
children  of  foreign  parentage,  must  attend  part-time  or  evening 
classes.  The  law  of  California  will  suffice  to  illustrate  the  tendency 
in  this  class  of  legislation.  It  is  entitled  “An  act  to  require  certain 
high-school  districts  to  provide  part-time  educational  opportunities 
in  civic  and  vocational  subjects  for  persons  under  18  years  of  age 
who  are  not  in  attendance  upon  full-time  day  schools,  and  part-time 
educational  opportunities  in  citizenship  for  persons  under  21  years  of 
age  who  can  not  adequately  speak,  read,  or  write  the  English  lan¬ 
guage  ;  to  enforce  attendance  upon  such  part-time  classes  where  estab¬ 
lished,  and  providing  penalties  for  violation  of  the  provisions  of 
this  act.” 

PART-TIME  SCHOOLS. 

One  of  the  prolific  subjects  of  legislation  in  1919  was  the  part-time 
or  evening  school.  Many  of  the  States  made  provision  for  this  means 
of  instruction.  Some  of  these  laws  are  mandatory  and  others  are 
merely  permissive.  The  prevailing  type  would  seem  to  be  a  law 
requiring  school  authorities  to  provide  part-time  or  evening  classes 
whenever  a  specified  number  of  eligible  persons  apply  for  instruc¬ 
tion  or  whenever  such  persons  are  required  by  law  to  attend  thereon. 
An  Oklahoma  enactment  of  1919,  for  example,  requires  the  board  of 
education  of  any  district  in  which  there  are  employed  20  or  more 
minors  over  16  and  under  18  years  of  age  to  maintain  a  part-time 
school  or  class  for  not  less  than  144  hours  in  the  year.  State  aid  for 
such  schools  and  classes  is  provided,  and  the  requirement  is  made 
that  employment  of  minors  between  16  and  18  years  of  age  shall  be 
under  such  conditions  as  to  permit  attendance.  Employed  minors 
between  the  prescribed  ages  are  required  to  attend  upon  part-time 
instruction. 

THE  GERMAN  LANGUAGE. 

The  hatred  always  attendant  upon  a  state  of  war  between  two 
countries  has  probably  not  been  so  acute  in  America  as  in  some  of 
142539°— 19 - 10 


134 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


the  other  countries  in  the  World  War.  There  is,  however,  some  evi¬ 
dence  of  an  aversion  to  enemy  characteristics  and  methods  that  may 
hardly  pass  away  with  the  definite  conclusion  of  peace.  It  would 
seem  to  have  been  this  aversion,  mingled  with  a  fear  that  the  use 
of  an  alien  language  would  produce  disloyalty,  which  gave  impulse- 
to  the  efforts  in  a  number  of  State  legislatures  to  prohibit  the  use 
of  the  German  language  either  as  a  medium  of  instruction  or  as  a 
subject  of  study  in  the  public  schools.  The  requirement  that  school 
subjects  be  taught  by  means  of  the  English  language  has  been  in 
the  law  of  many  (.States  for  a  long  time,  but,  either  to  make  existing 
law  stronger  or  to  write  an  initial  law  where  it  may  have  not  existed, 
a  number  of  States  made  English  the  only  medium  of  instruction 
by  acts  of  1919.  Among  these  States  were  Arkansas,  Colorado, 
Iowa,  Kansas,  Maine,  Minnesota,  Oklahoma,  Pennsylvania,  and 
South  Dakota.  The  usual  provision  applies  to  private  as  well  as  to 
public  schools.  The  efforts  to  eliminate  German  as  a  subject  of  study 
in  the  public  schools  resulted  in  legislative  enactments  in  a  few 
States.  Among  these  were  Indiana,  Iowa,  Nebraska,  and  Pennsyl¬ 
vania.  These  laws  generally  apply  only  to  the  elementary  grades, 
though  the  law  of  Indiana  applies  to  high  schools  as  well. 

On  the  whole,  the  schoolman  and  others  interested  in  educational 
progress  may  find  much  that  is  gratifying  in  the  educational  legisla¬ 
tion  of  1919.  This  year  may  soon  be  excelled  in  the  matter  of 
educational  progress  by  other  years  yet  to  come,  but  as  one  looks 
backward  it  hardly  appears  to  have  been  excelled  in  the  past.1 


1  For  other  discussion  of  legislation,  see  under  Rural  Education,  Vocational  Education, 
Teacher  Training,  Library  Activities,  Physical  Education,  Kindergartens,  and  Americani¬ 
zation. 


PART  IL 

EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


L  EDUCATIONAL  CONDITIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

EDUCATIONAL  RECONSTRUCTION. 

Since  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  French  educational  thought 
has  been  less  radical  than  during  the  progress  of  the  war.  The  con¬ 
crete  task  of  economic  rebuilding,  not  only  in  the  devastated  regions, 
but  also  in  those  where  the  effects  of  the  war  were  not  written  in 
material  chaos,  has  carried  with  it  the  necessity  of  the  rehabilitation 
of  the  school  system.  Influential  publicists  and  engineers  hold  that 
the  problem  of  economic  rehabilitation  is  essentially  an  educational 
problem.  Others,  of  the  humanitarian  school,  are  occupied  with  the 
moral  rather  than  the  economic  training,  holding  that  it  is  necessary 
to  create  in  the  individual  and  in  the  nation  the  higher  morality  that 
will  be  the  most  powerful  factor  in  even  material  progress.  Theirs 
is  the  plea  for  the  “  spiritual  foundations  of  reconstruction.” 

Leaders  of  the  radical  element  of  educational  thought  demand  an 
education  almost  exclusively  scientific  and  technical.  Against  them 
a  group  of  publicists,  in  their  turn,  defend  the  classics;  and  it  is 
interesting  to  see  among  them  a  group  of  distinguished  engineers 
and  captains  of  industry  urging  an  intensive  general  training  pre¬ 
vailingly  cultural.  The  events  of  the  past  five  years  go  far  to  bear 
out  their  position;  and  this  is  the  element  of  educational  thought 
that  has,  more  than  any  other,  inspired  the  Federation  of  Teachers’ 
Associations,  both  on  the  soil  of  France  proper  and  in  her  colonies. 

Even  in  the  regions  where  devastation  has  not  been  actually 
wrought,  the  material  deterioration  of  all  things  necessary  for  man’s 
needs  has  brought  alarming  perils  to  the  national  well-being.  No 
mention  need  be  made  of  the  effect  upon  children  and  adolescents 
of  scarcity  of  food  and  the  lessened  nutritive  value  of  that  which 
remains,  nor  of  the  serious  effects  of  the  condition  of  lodgings,  long 
unrepaired,  overcrowded,  and  infrequently  cleaned,  exposing  the  oc¬ 
cupants  to  every  menace  of  unhygienic  conditions.  Even  more  seri¬ 
ous  has  been  the  intellectual  and  moral  disarrangement  arising  from 
the  absence  of  teachers  and  parents,  with  the  removal  of  restraint. 

135 


136 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


An  ultimate  result,  pointed  to  with  alarm  in  many  quarters,  is  the 
grave  possibility  that  there  are  thousands  of  children  of  school  age 
who  have  said  good-by  to  school  forever. 

Naturally,  public  sentiment,  impatient  and  forgetful  of  the  ap¬ 
palling  magnitude  of  the  task,  has  come  to  expect  impossibilities  of 
the  Government.  So  acute  has  this  become  that  local  organizations 
of  States  General  have  been  revived  for  the  devastated  regions, 
which  have  outlined  administrative  and  financial  plans  of  relief  and 
presented  them  for  action  by  the  Parliament  to  compel  the  executive 
to  take  relief  measures.  Of  similar  nature  are  the  frequent  and 
often  impatient  written  interpellations  of  the  minister  of  educa¬ 
tion  by  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  as  to  what  the  Govern¬ 
ment  is  actually  doing  for  the  material  restoration  of  school  build¬ 
ings,  the  relief  of  teachers,  and  the  resumption  of  actual  teaching. 
Representatives  of  such  industrial  centers  as  Lens  and  Bailleul  voiced 
the  cry  of  all  the  northeastern  Provinces,  “  Open  the  schools.” 

As  was  likewise  to  be  expected,  the  unrest  of  the  nation,  now  first 
relieved  from  the  all-engrossing  demands  of  war,  has  turned  upon 
the  daily  economic  privations.  These  had  been  endured  silently 
under  the  conviction  that  they  were  the  inevitable  accompaniment  of 
war,  and  especially  of  war  upon  the. national  soil.  But  with  no 
economic  relief  from  the  coming  of  peace  the  national  mass  of  in¬ 
choate  thought  and  feeling,  which  in  England  had  found  more  con¬ 
servative  expression  in  the  manifesto  of  the  Labor  Party  (1918),  in 
France  was  skillfully  seized  upon  by  the  Socialist  Party.  Its  leaders 
boldly  proclaimed  that  the  nation  was  entering  upon  a  new  socialistic 
phase,  and  in  their  program  demanded  the  immediate  realization  of 
thoroughgoing  social  and  educational  reforms. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  economic  and  social  background  which  should 
be  kept  steadily  in  mind  for  the  study  of  educational  conditions  and 
tendencies  of  France. 

TEACHERS’  UNIONS. 

In  the  special  domain  of  education,  a  vivid  manifestation  of  the 
national  unrest  is  the  recrudescence  of  the  question  of  the  right  of 
teachers  to  organize,  to  affiliate  with  the  syndicates  of  workmen,  and 
to  go  on  strike.  The  agency  which  has  brought  this  to  the  fore  is 
the  organization  of  Les  Amicales  aux  Syndicats ,  which  dates  back 
to  1915,  when,  in  tentative  fashion,  a  few  scattered  local  branches  of 
teachers  affiliated  with  the  labor  unions.  With  the  increasing  inade¬ 
quacy  of  the  teachers’  salaries,  the  general  association  grew  with 
great  rapidity.  In  April,  1919,  90  departmental  branches  were  in 
existence.  By  September  the  number  is  estimated  to  have  reached 
more  than  300.  Since  the  official  recognition  by  both  chambers  of 
the  right  of  Government  employees,  as  well  as  employees  and  work- 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


137 


men  of  all  kinds,  to  organize,  all  groups  of  teachers  have  been 
earnestly  studying  the  question  of  organic  affiliation  with  labor  or¬ 
ganizations.  Among  the  teachers,  by  and  large,  the  syndicalists 
seem  to  be  in  the  majority;  certainly  they  are  vocal  in  the  national 
press.  Naturally,  the  teachers  of  the  larger  centers,  following  the 
lead  of  Paris,  have  voted  affiliation. 

Not  essentially  linked  with  the  movement  just  outlined,  though 
in  places  affiliated  with  it,  are  the  associations  of  the  teachers  of  the 
Gironde,  founded  for  the  study  and  defense  of  the  rural  school  and 
its  teachers.  It  has  been  called  into  being  by  the  steady  draining  of 
the  best  of  the  rural  teachers  from  the  country  to  the  towns  and 
cities,  a  movement  which,  in  France  as  in  all  other  countries,  has  its 
roots  in  many  complex  economic,  social,  and  professional  conditions. 

REGIONALISM. 

This  leads  to  the  consideration  of  what  is  perhaps  the  furthest 
reaching  movement,  governmental  and  educational,  that  has  ap¬ 
peared  on  the  national  horizon  since  the  armistice.  This  is  the  move¬ 
ment  called  “regionalism.”  Considered  from  one  side,  it  may  be 
regarded  as  a  phase  of  the  universal  one  of  reconstruction. 

The  movement,  while  it  has  not  been  specifically  adopted  in  their 
scheme  of  the  future  by  educational  thinkers,  is  regarded  by  them 
as  substantially  furthering  the  recognition  of  educational  needs  as 
conditioned  by  the  diversified  topography,  population,  industrially 
and  ethnologically  considered,  climate,  productions,  and  relations 
to  trade  currents,  domestic  and  foreign.  Its  champions  hold  that 
the  time  is  ripe  to  get  rid  of  the  lack  of  adaptation  between  local 
needs  and  governmental  decision  and  action  thereon;  that  in  every 
region  of  France  there  are  vital  problems  demanding  action  to-day — 
not  months  or  years  from  now. 

PROPOSED  LINES  OF  EDUCATIONAL  REFORM. 

During  the  war  discussions  of  what  should  constitute  Vecole  de 
Vapres  la  guerre  were  favorite  diversions  for  the  sprightly  Gallic  mind. 
Naturally,  much  of  the  speculation  and  planning  for  reform  was 
ephemeral;  a  large  part  was  the  production  of  teachers  who  found 
this  an  outlet  for  long-pent-up  ideas.  Some,  of  course,  born  of  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  authors,  was  without  practical  value.  All,  how¬ 
ever,  had  the  merit  of  having  steadily  in  view  progression  and  de¬ 
velopment  and  it  served  the  very  useful  purpose  of  preparing  the 
soil  of  national  ideas  among  that  people  with  whom  alone,  as  an 
English  publicist  has  put  it,  “Ideas  are  still  the  most  powerful 
motive  force.” 


138 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Two  main  lines  stand  out: 

1.  First, ’the  plan  of  reform  projected  by  M.  Paul  Lapis,  director 
of  primary  education  under  the  minister  of  public  instruction.  This 
appeals  essentially  to  the  moderate  elements  in  French  educational 
thought  and  it  has  carried  a  quasi-administrative  sanction,  though  no 
official  sponsorship  of  it  has  been  avowed.  M.  Lapie  starts  with  an 
economic  basis,  declaring  it  the  primary  duty  of  the  school  to  fur¬ 
nish  to  the  nation  young  people  capable  of  producing  twice  as  much  as 
their  elders,  while  the  general  training  indispensable  to  all  French¬ 
men  must  not  be  neglected.  The  school  must  and  will  take  on  a 
different  physiognomy  according  to  the  region  where  it  shall  operate. 
In  a  purely  rural  setting  the  school  will  have  its  experimental  farm, 
its  museums  of  seeds,  fertilizers,  and  agricultural  products;  its 
tasks  will  be  taken  from  the  life  of  the  fields;  rural  economy,  agri¬ 
cultural  chemistry,  zoology,  and  botany  will  have  the  major  place  in 
the  lessons.  The  city  school  will  have  annexed  a  shop,  a  museum  of 
materials  used  and  objects  manufactured  in  the  region,  and  a  stadium 
for  physical  exercises  and  for  classes  in  the  open  air.  The  programs 
of  such  a  school  will  give  the  main  place  to  elementary  mechanics, 
physics,  and  chemistry.  All  schools,  no  matter  what  their  economic 
environment,  shall  have  a  common,  irreducible  minimum  of  subjects 
of  general  training.  44  No  compromise  on  the  unity  of  the  school ; 
increase  of  its  net  results  by  judicious  specialization.” 

Such  specialized  schools  demand  specialized  teachers.  The  pros¬ 
pective  teacher  must,  therefore,  on  the  threshold  of  his  training  make 
his  choice  of  being  a  rural  or  a  city  teacher.  This  specialization  will 
be  realized  in  his  training  by  a  reform  in  the  regulations  governing 
the  certificates  of  fitness. 

Normal  schools  should  also  take  on  the  regional  character.  In 
every  academic  district,  certain  normal  schools  should  specialize  in  the 
preparation  of  teachers  in  industrial  subjects,  others  in  the  prepara¬ 
tion  of  teachers  in  agricultural  subjects.  A  normal  school  of  the  sea- 
coast  would  train  teachers  for  that  environment.  Teachers  in  normal 
schools  should  themselves  be  trained  specialists. 

Such  a  forecasting  as  that  by  M.  Lapie  of  the  educational  polity 
of  the  future  naturally  carried  great  weight  with  the  teaching  pro¬ 
fession.  A  number  of  meetings  were  reported  of  local  associations  of 
teachers  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  discussing  it.  Most  representative 
was  that  of  the  meeting  of  the  directors  of  schools  of  the  Seine. 

2.  Second,  the  plan  of  reform  projected  by  the  anonymous  group 
styling  itself  “  Les  C ompagnons.” 

Several  months  before  the  armistice,  the  weekly  review,  L’Opinion, 
published  over  this  signature  a  series  of  articles,  advocating  educa¬ 
tional  reform  of  far-reaching  social  and  educational  nature.  The 
identity  of  the  authors  could  at  the  time  only  be  conjectured;  but  it 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


139 


was  understood  that  they  were  young  men  serving  at  the  front,  most 
of  them  former  teachers  in  primary  and  secondary  education,  and  all 
vitally  interested  in  the  well-being  of  the  profession  to  which  they 
intended  to  return.  Nowhere  could  they  be  ignored. 

The  original  series  of  theses  embodied  the  popular  presentation  of 
their  ideas,  and  directly  appealed  to  the  national  consciousness  of  the 
rank  and  file  of  the  French  people.  They  demanded,  in  order  to 
repair  the  ruin  and  to  replace  the  fallen,  that  the  educational  system 
contribute  with  all  its  forces  to  the  national  rebuilding ;  that  none  of 
the  intellectual  and  moral  riches  of  the  race  be  left  untouched ;  that 
the  national  educational  polity  be  made  completely  democratic ;  that 
the  ecole  unique  be  provided  for  all  children,  progressively  compulsory, 
and  lasting  to  the  age  of  14  years ;  that  this  be  closely  articulated  with 
vocational  instruction,  or  the  lycee,  as  the  pupil’s  aptitudes  may  de¬ 
cide;  that  the  present  system  of  limited  bourses  be  superseded  by  a 
State  system  of  gratuities  for  all  deserving  children;  that  there  be 
fewer  classes,  lighter  programs,  more  individual  work;  that  teachers 
enjoy  freedom  of  initiative;  that  there  be  established  one  great  na¬ 
tional  corporation  of  all  branches  of  education,  State  and  private, 
secondary,  and  higher,  at  once  a  great  national  entity,  and  yet  so  de¬ 
centralized  as  to  permit  the  full  use  of  all  regional  forces.  44  Let  lib¬ 
erty  and  responsibility  rule  everywhere;  they  in  their  turn  will  de¬ 
velop  initiative,  the  mother  of  all  life.” 

ADMINISTRATION. 

In  the  field  of  actual  or  imminent  educational  changes,  the  follow¬ 
ing  bills  have  been  under  consideration  or  actually  passed,  as  in¬ 
dicated  : 

1.  The  law  concerning  technical  education,  passed  in  July,  1919. 

This  law  defines  the  aims  of  technical,  industrial,  and  commercial 
education,  putting  all  under  the  authority  of  the  Superior  Council  of 
Technical  Education  and  Inspection  and  Departmental  and  District 
Committees.  Public  technical  schools  are  divided  into  national,  de¬ 
partmental,  and  local  (business)  schools,  each  with  councils  com¬ 
posed  of  industrial  and  commercial  representatives.  Private  tech¬ 
nical  schools,  urban  and  local,  are  under  the  control  of  the  mayors 
and  the  civil  authorities.  Vocational  courses  are  organized  for 
apprentices,  workers,  and  employees  in  commerce  and  industry, 
compulsory  for  young  men  and  women  under  18  employed  in  com¬ 
merce  and  industry.  Such  schools  shall  be  organized  in  ( a )  desig¬ 
nated  communes,  and  with  courses  of  study  and  programs  outlined  by 
local  vocational  commissions,  and  (b)  by  industrial  and  commercial 
employers,  located  on  the  premises  of  their  business.  Compulsory 
attendance  is  required  on  the  basis  of  a  list  submitted  under 
penalty  of  the  law  by  the  employers  of  all  apprentices  below 


140 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


the  legal  age  of  18.  Fines  are  levied  on  employers,  parents,  and  in¬ 
structors  for  failure  to  comply  with  the  provisions  of  the  law. 

2.  The  organic  law  concerning  the  public  vocational  teaching  of 
agriculture. 

This  law  had  previously  passed  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  and  was 
voted  by  the  Senate  early  in  August,  1918,  by  an  interesting  coin¬ 
cidence,  within  less  than  a  week  of  the  passage  of  the  Fisher  Act  in 
England.  Its  salient  features  are  as  follows: 

I.  For  higher  education. 

1.  The  National  Institute  of  Agronomy.  The  higher  school 

of  agriculture. 

2.  Three  national  schools  of  agriculture  at  Grignon,  Mont¬ 

pellier,  and  Rennes. 

II.  Middle. 

1.  Vocational  schools  of  agriculture  on  the  basis  of  the  present 

practical  schools  multiplied  and  reorganized,  farm 
schools  reorganized,  technical  schools  of  dairying,  horti¬ 
culture,  viticulture,  etc. 

2.  Temporary  winter  schools  independent,  or  annexed  to  col¬ 

lege  or  to  higher  primary  schools. 

3.  Traveling  winter  schools. 

4.  Post-school  courses  of  agricultural  education. 

The  introduction  of  agricultural  education  in  primary  schools 
was  expressly  reserved  for  further  consideration  and  action. 

3.  The  C after t  bill  concerning  the  status  of  marriages  between 
teachers. 

This  was  passed  by  the  Chamber  in  July,  1919,  and  is  under  con¬ 
sideration  by  the  Senate.  It  was  the  outgrowth  of  its  author’s  con¬ 
viction  that  the  present  school  regulations  governing  the  tenure  of 
teaching  posts  by  married  teachers,  with  their  utter  disregard  of  the 
home  life,  often  led  to  the  frequent  sundering  of  households,  or  else 
the  forced  renunciation  of  the  teaching  career  by  the  woman.  This 
attempt  to  remedy  the  manj^  resultant  evils  is  hailed  by  many  as 
a  provision  of  incomparable  aid  in  the  sorely  needed  reconstruction 
of  the  French  family. 

Having  in  mind  the  many  teacher  marriages  that  have  been  con¬ 
tracted  under  war  conditions,  the  bill  provides  that : 

Within  any  Department  all  double  posts  as  teachers  falling  vacant  shall  be 
offered  within  the  current  year  to  every  teacher’s  household  where  both  hus¬ 
band  and  wife  are  teachers  and  serving  in  that  Department.  In  all  cases  of 
such  vacancies  falling  in  other  Departments  precedence  shall  be  given  to  such 
teacher  couples  in  other  Departments  on  the  basis  of  professional  worth,  length 
of  service,  and  number  of  children. 

In  the  field  of  court  decisions  an  important  decision  by  the  Court 
of  Cassation  is  to  be  noted.  Certain  associations  of  parents  having 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


141 


been  organized  in  the  arrondissements  of  the  Basse  Pyrenees,  the 
minister  of  public  instruction  deemed  it  his  duty  to  demand  their 
dissolution.  On  many  points  he  maintained  their  object  to  be 
illegal,  holding  that  the  right  to  supervise  the  education  of  children 
is  an  essentially  personal  attribute,  not  to  be  delegated  to  an  associa¬ 
tion.  A  test  case  having  arisen,  the  court  fully  upheld  the  legal  right 
of  associations  of  citizens  to  control  the  instruction  given  in  French 
schools,  and  allowed  the  widest  latitude  to  any  associations,  no  matter 
under  what  name,  to  enroll  as  members  any  persons,  irrespective  of 
whether  they  be  parents  or  even  celibates. 

DECREE  OF  SALARY  SCALES. 

The  field  of  ministerial  decrees  touching  education  is  enormous, 
owing  to  the  nature  of  the  centralization  of  the  system.  Postwar 
conditions  have  called  forth  an  extraordinarily  large  number  of 
decrees.  Of  these  the  most  important  for  its  bearing  upon  the  life 
and  professional  attitude  of  the  larger  part  of  the  teachers  of  France 
was  the  tentative  ministerial  decree  on  salary  scales  for  primary 
teachers. 

This  was  submitted  to  the  educational  committee  of  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies  in  June,  1919,  and  has  not  yet  received  final  action. 

The  actual  figures  for  this  new  salary  scale,  as  formulated  by  the 
ministry,  ranged  from  2,600  francs  for  stagiaires  (newly  licensed  be¬ 
ginning  teachers)  through  the  six  grades  of  titulaires  (permanent 
teachers),  increasing  by  400  francs  for  each  grade,  to  a  final  total 
of  5,000  francs  for  titulaires  of  the  first  grade.  Special  allowances 
were  made  for  designated  peculiar  circumstances. 

Directors  of  schools  (men  and  women  alike)  start  with  a  salary  of 
3,800  francs,  rising  by  400  francs  annually  to  5,000,  with  original 
allowance  for  residence  of  1,000  francs,  rising  in  four  years  to  2,000. 

Compared  with  the  old  scale,  directors  enjoy  an  increase  of  900 
francs  initial  (30  per  cent)  and  2,100  francs  maximum  (63  per  cent), 
stagiaires,  an  increase  of  1,500  francs  (100  per  cent),  and  titulaires 
(maximum)  an  increase  of  2,600  francs  (115  per  cent). 

Perhaps  the  outstanding  feature  of  the  new  scales  is  that  directors 
(men  and  women)  receive  equal  pay,  and  women  titulaires  of  the 
four  highest  classes  only  100  francs  less  than  men,  though  their  allow¬ 
ance  for  residence  is  somewhat  lower. 

PHYSICAL  TRAINING  WITHIN  AND  WITHOUT  THE  SCHOOLS. 

In  no  other  phase  of  the  national  life  has  the  influence  of  the 
presence  on  French  soil  of  the  British  and  American  armies  been  so 
deep  as  in  the  physical.  Interest  in  all  things  physical  among  the 
people  at  large  has  been  stimulated  to  a  degree  that  will  never  allow 


142 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


the  nation  to  slip  back  to  the  national  indifference  that  prevailed 
before  the  war.  This  wave  registered  itself  in  popular  pressure 
upon  the  educational  authorities.  This  was  subsequently  reenforced 
by  the  more  technical,  but  quite  forcible,  appeal  of  the  physical  pro¬ 
visions  of  the  Fisher  Act. 

The  Commission  upon  Physical  Education,  appointed  by  the 
minister  in  1916,  at  once  began  to  cooperate  with  the  Council  of  the 
National  League  of  School  Hygiene,  with  a  view  to  the  organization 
of  physical  education  in  educational  establishments  of  all  grades. 
The  resolutions  of  the  latter  date  as  touching  teachers  and  adolescents 
may  be  taken  as  a  starting  point  for  physical  training  in  the  schools 
as  applied  to  both  teachers  and  pupils. 

These  recommendations,  like  so  many  others,  moved  slowly  through 
the  war-time  parliamentary  mill;  but  popular  interest,  as  always, 
outran  official  delay.  It  was  fostered  by  regional  meetings  of  the 
several  allied  organizations  for  physical  training. 

The  informal  incorporation  of  physical  training  in  the  educational 
system  was  begun  in  a  number  of  localities  long  before  the  close  of 
hostilities.  According  to  the  report  of  the  inspector  of  the  academy 
of  Seine-et-Oise,  inspectors  and  school  officials  of  the  neighboring 
lycees  and  normal  schools  were  convoked  by  the  Ministers  of  War 
and  Public  Instruction  at  Joinville-le-Pont  in  April,  1918,  for  a  three- 
days’  series  of  conferences  and  practical  demonstrations  by  instruc¬ 
tors  in  the  military  school  at  that  place.  The  example  of  the  school 
of  Joinville  and  the  success  of  its  methods  had  an  enormous  effect 
upon  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  physical  education,  Its  methods 
were  carried  to  many  regional  centers,  and  imparted  to  military  in¬ 
structors  and  then  to  civilian  teachers,  both  men  and  women.  Join¬ 
ville  wras  itself  frequented  by  normal  instructors,  rectors  of  academies, 
and  inspectors. 

With  the  first  opportunity,  as  thorough  an  examination  as  possible 
of  hygienic  and  health  conditions  among  the  children  of  the  devas¬ 
tated  and  occupied  regions  was  made  by  the  French  Academy  of 
Medicine.  The  first  preliminary  report  dealt  with  three  groups  of 
school  children  as  examined.  Those  below  6,  those  from  6  to  12 
years,  those  from  13  to  15  years.  An  appalling  condition  of  below 
weight  was  noted  among  the  children  of  nursery  schools.  Of  those 
attending  elementary  primary  schools  it  was  estimated  that  80  per 
cent  were  below  weight.  The  throats  of  many  were  noted  as  too 
small,  the  heart’s  action  below  normal,  the  arterial  tension  weak.  Of 
the  younger  pupils,  20  per  cent,  and  of  those  from  8  to  13  years,  60  to 
75  per  cent,  were  reported  as  suffering  from  adenoids  and  tracheo¬ 
bronchial  affections.  From  the  pedagogical  point  of  view  all  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  the  vicinity  of  Lille  show  a  school  retardation  of  at  least  two 
years. 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


143 


Conditions  are  necessarily  worse  in  these  regions  than  in  France 
at  large,  but  the  hygienic  and  physiological  deterioration  of  French 
children  is  reported  to  be  general  enough  to  alarm  the  thinkers  of 
the  nation  and  to  arouse  them  to  the  urgent  necessity  of  remedy  by 
the  most  direct  means.  French  educational  thought  has  been  pro¬ 
foundly  stirred  by  the  activities  of  the  leaders  of  the  medical  profes¬ 
sion,  who  have  by  lecture  and  published  book  sought  to  impress  upon 
the  nation  the  duty  of  making  physical  education  the  basis  of  all 
other.  Indeed,  they  have  sought  to  identify  it  with  the  very  exist¬ 
ence  of  the  French  race. 

PRIMARY  EDUCATION. 

The  war-time  demoralization  of  the  schools  could  only  bring  with 
it  a  material  decrease  in  primary-school  attendance.  This  was  so 
marked  as  to  call  for  a  discussion  at  the  1918  meeting  of  the  National 
Association  of  Mayors  and  the  passage  of  a  resolution  demanding 
that  it  be  checked  by  all  possible  methods.  Since  the  armistice  a 
number  of  communes  report  encouraging  increases  in  school  attend¬ 
ance.  The  study  of  juvenile  delinquency  as  a  national  problem  and 
menace  has  been  systematically  taken  up  in  many  localities,  both  by 
teachers  and  by  physicians,  and  it  has  been  logically  linked  up  with 
school  conditions.  Researches  have  been  made  into  the  most  usual 
social,  family,  and  legal  causes  for  the  retrogression  of  the  child  from 
the  poor  scholar  to  the  juvenile  delinquent,  and  medical  opinion  has 
suggested  radical  remedies. 

An  experiment  of  great  value  to  French  education  was  the  institu¬ 
tion  of  mixed  schools  in  small  communes  during  the  war.  This  of 
course  touched  a  phase  invested  with  ingrained  traditional  prejudice. 
According  to  the  report  of  the  inspector  of  the  Academy  of  the 
Gironde,  in  several  communes  the  regular  teacher,  called  to  military 
service,  was  replaced  by  a  woman.  Excellent  results  were  obtained  in 
behavior  and  scholarship.  Not  the  least  of  the  causes  of  improve¬ 
ment  is  the  diminution  of  the  teacher’s  work. 

It  is  to  be  noted,  however,  that  the  educational  officials  in  France 
are  not  yet  converted  to  the  wisdom  or  the  practicality  of  coeduca¬ 
tion  in  primary  education.  By  decree  of  July  1,  “  as  soon  as  condi¬ 
tions  shall  permit  a  return  to  the  normal,  women  teachers  shall  be 
employe  1  in  mixed  schools  only  under  the  regulations  prevailing  in 
pre-war  times,  and  this  applies  to  private  establishments  as  well  as 
those  of  the  State.” 

The  essential  task  of  the  primary  schools  to  discover  ability 
wherever  it  exists  as  a  source  of  supply  for  all  the  higher  stages  of 
education  has  not  diminished  in  the  public  estimation  with  the  com¬ 
ing  of  peace.  Suggestions  still  continue  in  the  press  as  to  the  best 


144 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


methods  to  be  adopted.  The  general  contention  of  the  popular 
journals  such  as  L’Ecole  et  La  Vie  have  had  great  vogue. 

First  of  all,  the  nation  must  look  to  the  great  democratic  masses, 
assured  of  educational  opportunity;  to  the  demobilized  soldiers, 
consisting  of  the  youth  of  the  classes  from  1910  to  1919  who  had 
been  interrupted  in  their  studies ;  to  the  wounded  and  convalescent ; 
even  to  foreigners  who  have  come  to  love  and  to  serve  France;  to 
those  whom  the  war  has  awakened  to  a  new  knowledge  of  them¬ 
selves  and  the  future ;  to  the  great  number  of  children  orphaned  by 
the  war ;  and  to  the  women  whose  powers  and  potentialities  the  war 
has  revealed  as  never  before. 

The  periodically  recurring  agitation  for  increase  of  manual  train¬ 
ing  in  primary  schools  has  been  furthered  by  the  demand  for  a  type 
of  regional  training  better  adapted  to  the  pupils’  environment. 
Scattering  ministerial  decrees  throughout  the  war  encouraged  the 
extension  of  such  courses  in  primary  schools,  especially  those  that 
involved  the  use  of  native  materials  which  might  be  worked  into  the 
finished  products.  The  contention  of  the  advanced  advocates  of 
thoroughgoing  manual  training  in  the  primary  schools  met  unex¬ 
pected  opposition  from  teachers  in  technical  training,  who  main¬ 
tained  that  such  technical  instruction  was  ill  adapted  to  young 
children  because  of  the  harmful  strain  on  their  attention,  and  more 
essentially  from  the  nature  of  the  two  materials,  wood  and  iron, 
in  which  manual  training  had  to  be  given. 

A  strong  move  to  have  manual  arts  given  larger  place  in  the 
lower  normal  schools  must  be  chronicled  for  the  past  three  years, 
based  upon  the  fact  that  most  of  the  teachers  of  the  higher  primary 
schools  come  directly  from  such  schools.  Especially  do  the  advo¬ 
cates  of  emphasizing  manual  arts  dwell  upon  the  fact  that  the  higher 
primary  school  must  soon  become  largely  technical. 

The  use  of  motion  pictures  for  education  purposes  (Cinemas 
Scolaires)  was  some  years  ago  advocated  by  the  French  educational 
authorities;  and  just  before  the  war  a  ‘commission  was  appointed 
by  the  minister  of  public  instruction  to  investigate  their  adapta¬ 
bility  to  educational  purposes.  Various  localities  have  independ¬ 
ently  recognized  the  practicability  of  such  instruction,  notably 
Lyon.  Apparatus  was  installed  in  the  early  spring  of  1919  in  one 
of  the  best  school  buildings  of  the  city;  and  there  are  given  regu¬ 
larly  four  sessions  of  pictures  a  day.  All  are  during  school  hours, 
and  1,200  pupils  daily  can  receive  instruction  in  this  way.  Pupils 
from  the  other  schools  of  the  city,  and  on  occasion,  from  the 
suburbs  and  adjacent  towns  are  brought  in  by  rotation  fixed  in 
advance.  The  program  (in  American,  the  “film”)  remains  un¬ 
changed  for  a  fortnight.  Notices  in  advance  as  to  what  pictures 
will  be  shown  are  sent  to  all  these  schools,  in  order  that  the  teachers 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.  145 

may  explain  to  the  pupils  the  essential  point  and  features  of  each 
film.  A  report  is  required  of  the  pupils  on  the  pictures  they  have 
seen,  orally  of  the  smaller  children,  in  writing  of  the  larger  ones. 

The  application  of  the  cinema  to  educational  purposes  had  already 
been  made  in  France,  initiated  by  the  organization,  Le  Cinema  a  la 
Campagne,  which  began  early  in  the  war  to  operate  from  village  to 
village,  transported  by  motor  vehicles,  and  instructing  the  peasants, 
adults,  and  children  in  all  that  concerned  the  war  and  its  progress 
and  significance  to  France.  It  is  to  be  continued  as  an  essential 
element  in  reconstruction. 

Covering  the  primary  education  of  children  and  of  illiterate 
adults,  the  ministries  of  war  and  public  instruction,  early  in  the 
war,  established  a  system  of  village  instruction  (“  Conferences  au 
Village”).  Neighboring  and  accessible  villages  were  grouped  in 
units;  the  primary  teachers  of  the  district,  generally  women,  took 
voluntarily  the  leadership  in  instruction,  and  the  schools  were  the 
meeting  places.  The  powerful  socializing  and  unifying  part  played 
by  this  instruction  can  hardly  be  overrated. 

An  outgrowth  of  this  movement,  and  one  that  is  steadily  spread¬ 
ing  with  reconstruction,  is  the  organization  of  Reunions  Civiques 
et  Familiales,  which  furthers  family,  local,  and  village  meetings, 
and  sends  out  programs  for  exercises  to  be  rendered  by  children  and 
adults  alike.  These  combine  distinctive  national,  patriotic,  and  educa¬ 
tional  aims.  Old  folk  songs,  local  songs,  patriotic  airs,  and  always  the 
Marseillaise,  with  the  history  of  each ;  selections,  lyric  and  dramatic, 
from  the  best  French  authors  have  been  selected  to  illustrate  such 
general  themes  as:  The  War  and  The  French  Ideal;  Old  France  and 
New  France;  The  Terrible  Year  (1871);  Alsace-Lorraine;  The 
Grief  and  the  Honor  of  the  School,  a  program  consecrated  to  the 
heroic  dead.  Some  local  person  of  note,  the  teacher  or  the  represen¬ 
tative  of  the  civil  authorities,  has  charge  of  the  exercises. 

PRIMARY  TEACHERS. 

In  no  other  of  the  belligerent  countries,  with  the  possible  excep¬ 
tions  of  Germany  and  Austria,  have  the  condition  and  spirit  of 
primary  teachers  been  so  powerfully  affected  as  in  France.  Econom¬ 
ically,  the  teacher’s  lot  became,  in  many  localities,  unendurable. 
There  was  practically  no  increase  of  salaries  during  the  war,  and 
the  ever  increasing  price  of  the  necessaries  of  life  reenforced  by 
the  attraction  of  higher  wages  at  the  start  in  munition  and  industrial 
establishments  (marked  as  well  in  England  and  in  America),  con¬ 
spired  to  draw  an  extraordinary  number  of  teachers  of  all  ranks 
into  other  and  more  immediately  rewarding  lines  of  activity.  Profes¬ 
sionally,  however,  as  an  offset,  it  must  be  chronicled  as  one  of  the 


146  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

chief  social  effects  of  the  war,  that  the  heroism  of  teachers  of  all 
grades  on  the  battle  field  and  the  services  of  all  teachers  back  of 
the  lines — active  in  leadership  and  in  the  formation  of  the  national 
“  Union  Sacree  ” — brought  to  the  teachers  as  a  class  a  standing  and 
a  respect  they  had  never  before  enjoyed.  Teachers  and  educational 
thinkers  alike  joined  in  a  high  and  just  pride  that  the  reorganized 
public  educational  system  had,  within  less  than  50  years,  produced 
a  corps  of  men  and  women  who  so  naturally  took  the  lead  in  the 
nation’s  acute  stress. 

Back  of  all  plans  for  filling  the  depleted  ranks  of  the  teachers 
loomed  up  the  question  of  salaries.  The  minister  of  public  instruc¬ 
tion,  in  his  project  for  the  raising  of  salaries  in  primary  education 
issued  January,  1919,  assumed  that  the  principle  of  obligatory 
continuation  for  adolescents  (as  formulated  in  the  Yiviani  bill)  will 
come  sooner  or  later,  and  with  it  the  need  of  better-trained  teachers : 
The  differentiation  of  salary  by  sex  must  and  should  be  abolished; 
furthermore,  both  men  and  women  would  be  permitted  to  begin 
teaching  at  16,  not  as  hitherto  at  18  and  IT,  respectively. 

M.  Veber,  in  his  report  of  the  budget  for  that  branch  of  education, 
made  in  January,  1919,  maintained  that  the  most  vital  consideration 
was  that  of  recruiting  the  teaching  force.  In  various  ways  6,000 
teachers  were  in  1918  restored  to  their  schools  and  final  demobiliza¬ 
tion  was  continuing  this.  Substitutes,  though  called  to  other  serv¬ 
ices,  had  been  retained  in  encouraging  numbers;  but  a  great  loss  of 
teachers  was  still  recorded  to  be  made  up.  With  the  necessary  de¬ 
velopment  and  restoration  of  schools,  the  State  would  have  to  make 
her  supreme  effort  to  procure  the  teachers  needed.  Recruits  to  the 
teaching  force  must  be  attracted  by  immediate  maintenance  grants 
and  by  better  pay  in  the  future.  Scholarships  must  be  offered  in 
complementary  courses,  and  in  higher  primary  schools  to  children 
who  show  a  pedagogical  bent.  The  expenses  of  pupil  teachers  in 
normal  schools  must  be  entirely  defrayed;  the  teachers  in  actual 
service  must  be  better  paid. 

The  entire  question  of  salary  scale,  as  in  all  countries,  strikes  its 
root  deep  into  innumerable  economic,  social,  and  professional  condi¬ 
tions  and  prejudices;  and,  again  as  in  all  other  countries,  the  adjust¬ 
ment  of  this  most  troublesome  of  all  questions  connected  with  educa¬ 
tion  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties  concerned  is  yet  to  be  found. 

PRIMARY  AGRICULTURAL  EDUCATION. 

When  it  is  considered  that  France  is  essentially  a  country  of  small 
landholdings,  it  appears  certain  that  increasing  attention  will  be 
given  to  systematic  training  in  agriculture  in  the  primary  schools. 
As  yet,  however,  expert  thought,  while  admitting  the  long  step  the 
organic  law  of  agricultural  training,  passed  in  August,  1918,  consti- 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.  147 

tutes  toward  an  organized  instruction  in  agriculture,  and  especially 
in  continuation  and  secondary  schools,  points  out  the  deficiency  of  its 
practical  provisions  for  primary  instruction. 

Even  if  according  to  the  organization  required  by  this  law  1 
vocational  school  of  agriculture,  10  temporary  winter  schools,  and 
10  traveling  schools  should  be  assigned  to  each  of  the  17  Departments, 
the  proponent  of  the  law  himself  estimated  that  only  60,000  favored 
youths  could  enjoy  the  advantages  of  the  reform,  whereas  1,000,000 
boys  destined  to  an  agricultural  life  should  be  taught  in  the  system. 
For  the  more  than  900,000  boys  remaining  there  was  provided  a  post¬ 
school  agricultural  training  of  four  years  (from  13  to  17),  of  150 
hours  yearly,  to  be  established  where  called  for  by  the  municipality 
or  the  departmental  commission. 

The  actual  introduction  of  an  agricultural  section  in  higher  pri¬ 
mary  schools,  though  urged  by  ministerial  decrees,  has  been  effected 
only  in  comparatively  few  localities.  According  to  well-informed 
authorities,  local  prejudices  of  many  kinds  stand  in  the  way.  Avail¬ 
ing  themselves  of  the  local  freedom  allowed  since  the  war,  certain 
schools  have  admitted  to  the  winter  course  pupils  from  14  to  16 
years,  not  only  those  who  had  obtained  the  certificate  of  primary 
studies  and  ceased  to  attend  school  since  the  outbreak  of  the  war, 
but  those  who  were  equally  mature  and  worthy  but  had  been  pre¬ 
vented  by  circumstances  from  obtaining  such  certificate.  Advantage 
was  taken  of  the  Sunday  courses  of  instruction  provided  in  the 
ministerial  decree  which  dealt  with  regional  needs,  and  pupils  were 
assembled  one  afternoon  weekly  throughout  the  summer  for  the 
purpose  of  reviewing  the  theoretical  lessons  of  the  winter  in  the 
growing  crops. 

HIGHER  PRIMARY  AND  CONTINUATION  COURSES. 

The  movement  toward  this  branch  of  instruction  first  began  to  take 
shape  with  the  ministerial  circular  of  May  27,  1918,  which  proposed 
the  topic  of  continuation  courses  (Cours  de  perfectionnement)  for 
discussion  by  the  pedagogical  conferences  of  the  autumn. 

The  teachers  were  called  upon  to  give  their  opinion  on  the  choice 
of  schools  to  which  such  courses  could  be  annexed,  on  the  employ¬ 
ments  to  be  established,  or  teachers  required  as  a  result,  the  program 
and  time  schedule  suitable,  the  working  material  necessary,  and  the 
certificates  to  be  granted  upon  the  completion  of  such  studies. 

The  opinion  of  such  conferences  was  unanimous  as  to  the  value 
and  need  of  such  courses  as  a  transition  to  apprenticeship  instruc¬ 
tion,  if  put  into  the  hands  of  mature  and  trained  teachers,  and  as  a 
guide  to  better  application  of  vocational  knowledge,  and  if  com¬ 
pleted  by  visits  to  factories,  shops,  and  experimental  farms  and  agri¬ 
cultural  tests.  But  the  teachers  were  none  the  less  unanimous  in 


148 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


declaring  that  the  projected  courses  would  have  no  chance  of  suc¬ 
cess  “if  the  law  should  not  oblige  the  apprentices  to  follow  them 
and  the  patrons  to  assure  their  attendance  at  the  hours  fixed.” 

Such  action,  popular  and  professional,  was  intended  to  arouse 
public  sentiment  on  the  subject  of  adolescent  education  and  to  accel¬ 
erate  the  passage  of  the  Yiviani  bill,  described  in  a  previous  report. 
This  bill,  hailed  at  the  time  of  its  introduction,  March,  1917,  as  the 
most  important  educational  event  of  the  past  decade,  had,  like  so 
many  other  bills,  not  received  final  action  in  the  confusion  of  war 
demands.  Word  now  comes  that  it  is  soon  to  be  taken  up  and  passed. 
The  chief  addition  to  the  bill  as  now  before  the  Senate  is  that  of 
compulsory  physical  training  and  a  record  of  the  health  of  the 
adolescent  at  various  stages,  to  be  incorporated  in  the  livret  scolaire. 

PREAPPRENTICESHIP. 

In  the  field  of  pre-apprenticeship  instruction,  which  is  as  yet 
practically  unorganized,  a  number  of  interesting  experiments  in  train¬ 
ing  complementary  to  the  elementary  primary  branch  are  recorded 
by  the  special  commission.  These  schools  conform  to  various  types, 
though  most  offer  three-year  courses  and  all  are  flexible  and  adapted 
to  local  environment.  The  one  that  attracted  most  attention  was 
that  at  Marseille,  maintained  by  the  cooperation  of  the  municipality, 
the  executive  council  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  the  com¬ 
mittees  on  the  employment  of  apprentices  and  on  technical  educa¬ 
tion.  The  courses  were  intended  for  pupils  of  12  to  14  years  and 
had  the  aim  of  affording  additional  instruction  in  general  subjects 
and  of  imparting  a  reasonable  education  of  the  hand  and  eye  in 
drawing,  modeling,  and  related  manual  arts. 

Effects  of  the  labors  of  the  vocational  commission  may  be  seen 
in  the  technical  orientation  of  the  higher  primary  schools  in  various 
localities.  For  example,  at  Villefranclie  the  school  has  been  articu¬ 
lated  with  industrial  and  commercial  careers,  and  the  Conseil  Gen¬ 
eral  has  voted  it  8,000  francs  for  the  maintenance  of  scientific  courses 
for  which  teachers  of  the  local  college  will  be  provided  as  well  as 
experts  from  the  various  factories  in  the  vicinity. 

SECONDARY  EDUCATION  FOR  BOYS. 

The  ending  of  the  war  brought  no  decrease  of  national  interest 
in  the  problems  of  secondary  education  for  boys.  The  undemo¬ 
cratic  character  of  the  larger  bulk  of  secondary  education,  from  the 
viewpoints  of  administration,  contents  of  studies,  lack  of  articulation 
with  primary  work,  and  methods  of  teaching,  has  had  all  possible 
changes  rung  on  it. 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.  149 

The  greater  utility  of  the  subjects  offered  by  the  higher  primary 
schools,  and  their  better  preparation  for  the  practical  pursuits  of 
life,  attract  those  leaving  the  primary  schools  in  the  proportion  of 
nearly  4  to  1.  According  to  the  figures  for  1917,  the  latest  available, 
the  public  higher  primary  schools  enrolled  more  than  300,000  boys; 
the  colleges  and  lycees  about  90,000. 

Criticism,  therefore,  has  set  largely  toward  a  reorganization  along 
scientific  and  useful  lines ;  but  even  the  partisans  of  innovation  hesi¬ 
tate  to  turn  the  schools  of  France  into  commercial  and  technical 
institutions  and  to  put  the  traditional  and  cultural  elements  of  edu¬ 
cation  completely  on  the  side.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  great  ma¬ 
jority  of  critics  recognize  in  various  degree  the  defects  of  the  present 
secondary  school,  and  aim  at  introducing  a  new  spirit  responsive  to 
modern  needs,  while  retaining  and  emphasizing  general  education. 
The  deep-rooted  idealism  at  the  bottom  of  French  secondary  educa¬ 
tion  has  the  traditional  support  of  all  the  governing  and  intellectual 
elements  of  French  national  thought.  Here  is  intrenched  the  train¬ 
ing  of  the  youth  in  the  Latin  spirit,  of  which  France  is  proud  to  think 
herself  the  modern  representative  par  excellence.  To  overthrow  the 
one  institution  which  represents  this  national  pride  or,  indeed,  to 
modify  it  materially,  will  prove  a  formidable  task. 

Criticisms  resolve  themselves  into  projects  to  give  the  traditional 
courses  of  the  tyeee:  (a)  A  distinctively  scientific  tone,  meaning  by 
that  extensive  training  in  physics  and  chemistry,  especially  in  their 
application  to  industry  and  agriculture;  or  (b)  a  commercial  and 
business  tone,  with  emphasis  upon  the  practical  sides  of  the  modern 
languages;  or  (c)  a  content  elective  from  each  of  the  above,  with 
vocational  bias  and  systematic  study  of  the  individual  boy’s  natural 
aptitudes. 

It  is  around  the  study  of  Latin  that  the  contest  rages  hottest,  as  is 
the  case  in  England  and  America.  The  arguments  for  and  against 
have  many  times  been  threshed  out,  and  perhaps  can  not  be  reen¬ 
forced  by  anything  new. 

SECONDARY  EDUCATION  FOR  GIRLS. 

In  the  light  of  the  widespread  extension  of  woman’s  activities,  of 
the  extreme  importance  assumed  by  them  during  the  war,  of  the 
progress  of  feminism  as  a  distinct  national  and  international  force, 
and  the  progress  of  the  idea  of  woman’s  suffrage  in  France  as  in 
all  other  enlightened  countries,  French  educational  thought  of  all 
shades  has  asked  itself  if  the  world  has  here  to  deal  with  an  ephemeral 
movement,  born  of  the  war  and  its  restlessness ;  or,  on  the  contrary, 
with  a  lasting  social  and  economic  evolution,  which  carries  within 
142539°— 19 - 11 


150 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


itself  a  force  and  energy  sufficient  to  be  embodied  into  law  and 
custom  and  so  to  transform  society. 

Whatever  be  the  answer — and  there  is  yet  no  real  unanimity  in 
France — the  interest  in  secondary  education  for  girls  has  continued 
unabated  since  its  awakening  by  the  exigencies  of  the  war.  Public 
sentiment  has  compelled  a  recognition  of  the  problem  and  its 
handling  by  the  educational  authorities. 

The  extraparliamentary  commission,  appointed  by  the  minister 
of  public  instruction  in  January,  for  the  formulation  of  a  special 
baccalaureate  for  women  (le  cinquieme  baccalaureat)  submitted  its 
report  in  May,  1919,  through  Inspector  General  Blutel.  Basing  its 
findings  upon  a  questionnaire  sent  out  to  teachers  in  that  field,  the 
commission  advocated  the  establishment  of  the  fifth  baccalaureate 
along  the  following  lines: 

1.  The  course  will  cover  six  years  instead  of  five,  with  a  prelim¬ 
inary  year  below.  Two  cycles  make  up  the  entire  course:  The  first 
cycle  comprises  the  first  year  (the  old  preparatory),  the  second, 
third,  and  fourth  years.  The  examination  upon  the  fourth  (instead 
of  that  upon  the  old  third)  will  mark  the  transition  to  the  second 
cycle. 

The  second  cycle  comprises  the  fifth  and  sixth  years  with  finishing 
examination,  and  carrying  diploma  of  completion  of  studies,  or,  at 
choice,  the  simple  diploma  reserved  for  the  pupils  of  the  lycee  and 
carrying  the  old  sanctions,  with  the  right  of  the  holders  to  present 
themselves  for  the  examinations  for  the  higher  normals  at  Sevres 
and  Fontenay.  As  regards  content,  along  with  the  body  of  com¬ 
pulsory  teaching  will  go  to  the  option  of  Latin  or  of  the  sciences. 

Summarizing  the  chief  features  of  the  new  plan :  Critics  hold  that  it 
does  not  so  much  constitute  a  privilege  to  which  girls  educated  by  the 
State  are  admitted,  to  the  prejudice  of  those  privately  educated,  as  it 
does  a  privilege  enjoyed  by  the  girls  over  that  enjoyed  by  the  boys. 
Girls  will  continue  as  heretofore  to  be  admitted  to  the  male  baccalau¬ 
reate,  but  boys  will  not  be  admitted  to  those  for  girls.  Phophecies  are 
made  of  resulting  ultimate  injustice  to  boys  and  young  men  who, 
returning  from  the  war,  wounded  it  may  be,  and  exhausted  in  mind 
and  body,  will  find  substitutes  and  girls  with  the  new  baccalaureate 
installed  in  their  places. 

Among  the  women  thinkers  on  educational  subjects  also  the  recom¬ 
mendations  of  the  commission  brought  a  measure  of  dissatisfaction. 
They  would  have  preferred  flat  assimilation  of  subjects,  courses,  and 
requirements  to  those  of  the  boys’  lycees,  with  the  same  preparation 
for  the  same  baccaulaureate  certificates  of  teaching  and  official 
standing.  The  National  Women’s  Council,  the  principal  organ  of 
feminine  thought,  formulated  a  counter  project  for  the  baccalau¬ 
reate  to  be  submitted  to  the  Chamber  of  Deputies. 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.  151 

This  plan  proposes  a  course  of  six  years  for  the  women’s  bacca¬ 
laureate  preceded  by  a  preliminary  course,  locally  optional,  with 
the  years  named  from  first  to  sixth,  conversely  to  the  traditional 
terminology  of  the  boys’  lycees.  With  the  exception  of  Latin,  the 
study  of  which  is  still  to  be  formulated,  the  subjects  of  distinctively 
feminine  education  may  be  admitted,  under  restrictions,  under  cycle 
one. 

TRAINING  IN  DOMESTIC  SCIENCE. 

The  need  has  long  been  recognized  of  reorganizing  and  developing 
training  in  domestic  science  and  related  agriculture  by  courses  for 
girls,  parallel  to  that  in  agriculture  for  boys.  Such  a  counterpart  to 
the  system  outlined  above  in  agriculture  is  provided  in  the  second 
section  of  the  law  just  mentioned.  According  to  this  instruction  in 
domestic  science  will  be  provided  in : 

I.  Higher  education — 

1.  Higher  schools  of  agronomic-domestic  science  established  at 
Grignon,  Montpellier,  and  Rennes. 

II.  Middle— 

1.  Permanent  vocational  schools  in  domestic  science,  correspond¬ 

ing  to  practical  technical  schools  for  boys  and  offering  two- 
year  courses. 

2.  Temporary  domestic-science  courses  for  girls  unable  to  attend 

the  above  class,  annexed  to  agricultural  schools  for  boys 
or  to  other  schools  under  the  control  of  the  Minister  of 
Public  Instruction. 

3.  Traveling  schools  of  domestic  science,  of  the  nature  of  those 

already  tried  in  some  departments  but  multiplied  in  number. 

As  has  been  the  case  with  agricultural  instruction  for  boys,  approxi¬ 
mately  only  60,000  out  of  an  estimated  million  girls  will  thus  be 
provided  with  domestic-science  instruction ;  but,  also  as  in  the  case  of 
boys,  the  law  establishes  a  post-school  instruction  in  agronomic- 
domestic  science  for  girls  over  12  years  of  age,  taught  by  teachers  of 
similar  equipment  to  that  outlined  for  those  of  agricultural  schools 
of  corresponding  grade.  In  such  schools  would  be  taught  house¬ 
keeping,  cooking,  cleaning,  the  care  of  linen  and  clothing,  canning 
and  preserving,  the  care  of  children,  simple  treatments  in  illness, 
practical  training  in  sewing  and  dressmaking,  and  laundering. 

With  increased  efficiency  of  rural  teachers  in  these  practical  lines 
and  sufficient  time  allowed  for  intensive  normal  training  of  recruits 
to  the  teaching  force  there  will  be  added  courses  in  animal  husbandry, 
feeding  and  keeping  of  domestic  animals,  poultry  raising,  the  selec¬ 
tion  and  care  of  milch  cows,  the  raising  of  pork,  beekeeping,  ele¬ 
ments  of  scientific  dairying,  horticulture,  and  even  of  agriculture 
proper. 


152  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

GROWTH  OF  SENTIMENT  FOR  COEDUCATION. 

Four  groups  of  establishments,  official  or  semiofficial,  which  up  to 
the  war  had  opened  their  doors  only  to  male  students,  have  decided 
to  receive  women  on  the  same  terms,  with  a  view  to  preparing  them 
for  industrial  and  commercial  careers.  These  establishments  are : 

1.  The  Central  School  of  Arts  and  Manufactures. 

2.  The  Higher  Schools  of  Commerce  at  Bordeaux,  Dijon,  Marseille, 
Montpellier,  Nancy,  Nantes,  and  Toulouse. 

3.  The  National  School  of  Clockmaking  at  Cluses. 

4.  The  Practical  Schools  of  Commerce  and  Industry  at  Evreux, 
Mans,  and  Saint-Nazaire. 

UNIVERSITIES  AND  PROFESSIONAL  EDUCATION. 

F ar-reaching  changes  in  thought  have  been  steadily  at  work  in  the 
domain  of  higher  education,  which  seem  to  have  been  accelerated 
since  the  armistice.  Under  the  head  of  administration  have  been 
noted :  The  appointment  of  the  extra  Parliamentary  Commission,  of 
which  M.  Leon  Bourgeois  is  president,  charged  with  the  study  of 
higher  education  in  its  national  aspects,  and  the  establishment  of  pro¬ 
fessional  institutes  and  special  diplomas  at  many  universities.  The 
move  to  add  representations  of  industrial  and  agricultural  interests 
to  the  regional  boards  of  universities  is  also  to  be  recorded.  The 
international  sentiment  of  the  French  universities  is  extraordinary. 
The  establishment  of  the  (so-called)  “  Serbian  University  in  the 
Alps,”  at  Mont-Dauphin,  picturesquely  located  at  an  altitude  of  1,000 
meters  and  at  the  junction  of  the  Durance  and  the  Guil,  and  the  as¬ 
signment  of  3,000  American  students  to  the  Sorbonne,  Montpellier, 
and  other  universities  may  be  said  to  have  left  permanent  effects  on 
French  education. 

The  establishment  of  fellowships  at  French  universities,  available 
in  1919-1920,  for  American  students,  is  highly  significant  as  the  first 
step  in  the  policy  of  counteracting  the  prewar  influence  of  German 
universities  and  German  educational  ideals,  and  of  turning  American 
post-graduate  students  to  French  universities. 

By  local  and  regional  academic  celebrations,  international  ties 
with  Czecho-Slovak,  Spanish,  and  Swiss  educational  forces,  have  been 
successively  emphasized  within  the  past  eight  months. 

Altogether,  the  French  universities,  by  force  of  will  and  of  occupy¬ 
ing  the  strategic  position  in  European  thought,  have  taken  the  lead 
in  promoting  closer  intercourse  between  universities  by  exchange  of 
teachers,  by  mutual  facilities  for  student  and  professor,  by  intel¬ 
lectual  and  professional  contact  for  the  promotion  of  mutual  under¬ 
standing  between  friendly  and  allied  nations,  without  sacrifice  of 
the  essential  and  traditional  genius  of  each. 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


153 


REORGANIZATION  OF  MEDICAL  SCHOOLS. 

Under  the  head  of  professional  studies,  while  the  other  fields  ex¬ 
hibit  the  stirring  of  new  ideas  in  readjustment  to  world  thought,  the 
reorganization  of  medical  studies  shows  greatest  activity  as  the  result 
of  war  methods  and  demands. 

The  Council  of  the  Faculty  of  Medicine  of  Paris  has  just  presented 
to  the  minister  an  important  report  in  which  it  examines  the  problem 
of  the  modifications  to  be  effected  after  the  war  in  medical  education. 
Its  avowed  purpose  is  to  keep  abreast  of  the  foreign  faculties  of 
medicine. 

Even  in  time  of  war,  important  reforms  were  realized.  Among 
these,  is  to  be  noted  that,  since  November,  1917,  several  courses  of 
clinical  instruction  have  been  set  for  the  afternoon,  whereas  all  be¬ 
fore  had  been  given  in  the  forenoon.  This  arrangement  permits 
pupils  and  physicians  alike  who  may  be  desirous  of  perfecting  their 
training  to  find  at  every  hour  of  the  day,  in  the  hospitals,  courses 
they  wish  well  coordinated. 

This  clinical  instruction  in  the  afternoon  will  be  further  devel¬ 
oped  and  the  faculty  plans  to  combine  it  with  free  instruction,  en¬ 
trusted  to  the  physicians  of  the  hospitals.  So,  under  one  single  direc¬ 
tion,  and  in  one  common  effort,  will  be  grouped,  as  a  teaching  force, 
all  those  physicians  and  surgeons,  who  by  their  researches  and  their 
worth  as  teachers,  have  won  mastery  of  their  profession. 

The  faculty,  which,  by  the  organization  of  special  courses,  has 
sought  to  further  the  continuation  of  studies  for  demobilized  stu¬ 
dents,  is  keenly  interested  in  extending  its  relations  with  neutrals 
and  allied  nations.  It  has  carefully  studied  the  interchange  of  pupils 
and  teachers,  and  has  organized,  for  the  next  term,  lectures  by  emi¬ 
nent  savants  of  America,  England,  and  Spain. 


II.  EDUCATION  IN  ENGLAND. 

The  cessation  of  military  activities  found  the  public  opinion  in 
England  ready  to  assume  the  responsibilities  created  by  the  war. 
“  The  hard  discipline  of  war,”  states  the  report  of  the  board  of  educa¬ 
tion  for  1917-18,  “  has  taught  the  nation  to  recognize  how  great  is  the 
debt  which  it  owes  to  its  schools  and  to  those  who  teach  in  them.” 
The  slow  but  steady  progress  in  educational  reconstruction  mani¬ 
fested  itself  in  various  ways. 

Provisions  had  to  be  made  for  the  great  army  of  young  demobilized 
munition  workers  who,  it  was  felt,  needed  some  intelligent  assistance 
and  guidance  during  the  period  of  resettlement.  Schemes  for  the 
education  of  thousands  of  young  men  still  enrolled  in  the  British 


154 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


armies  had  to  be  extended  and  facilities  created  for  the  training  of 
the  ever-increasing  army  of  men  discharged  from  the  service. 

Spurred  by  the  board  of  education,  local  education  authorities  made 
special  efforts  to  determine  the  needs  in  their  areas  and  to  formulate 
proposals  in  anticipation  of  the  statutory  requirements  contained  in 
the  new  education  act  of  1918.  The  scheme  involved  the  abolition 
of  child  labor,  the  provision  of  nursery  schools,  the  raising  of  the  age 
of  school  attendance,  the  establishment  of  compulsory  continuation 
schools,  and  the  reorganization  of  the  higher  grades  of  the  elementary 
system  with  a  view  to  coordinating  elementary  and  higher  education. 

Lost  ground  had  to  be  recovered  quickly  if  the  schools  were  to 
benefit  from  measures  under  consideration.  The  regulation  against 
admission  of  children  under  5,  restricted  during  the  war  in  certain 
schools  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  providing  the  necessary  staff, 
was  relaxed.  The  rule  applies  particularly  to  schools  in  poor  and 
congested  districts.  New  admissions  are  henceforth  to  be  made  only 
at  the  commencement  of  a  new  term.  Instruction  in  practical  sub¬ 
jects,  particularly  in  domestic  science,  has  become  a  reality  in  the 
elementary  schools.  The  education  act  is  directly  responsible  for  the 
new  start,  in  that  it  lays  upon  the  education  authorities  the  duty  to 
introduce  practical  instruction  in  the  curriculum  of  public  elementary 
schools. 

Notwithstanding  the  shortage  of  physicians  and  nurses,  the  school 
medical  service  was  maintained  at  a  high  level.  The  total  number  of 
children  inspected  during  the  year  was  1,362,063,  which  represents 
about  seven-tenths  of  the  number  of  children  that  would  come  for 
inspection  in  a  normal  year.  In  view  of  the  additional  duties  im¬ 
posed  by  the  new  act,  local  education  authorities  are  extending  the 
scheme  of  medical  inspection  and  treatment  by  providing  more  school 
clinics  and  enlarging  the  medical  staff.  Physical  training  also  has 
been  promoted  by  the  establishment  of  grants  for  the  salaries  of 
organizers  of  physical  training  in  public  elementary  schools.  Closely 
related  with  this  movement  is  the  practice  of  the  schools  of  conduct¬ 
ing  journeys  and  of  teaching  in  the  open  air  not  only  physically 
defective  but  also  normal  children. 

Child  welfare  is  further  to  be  benefited  by  revised  regulations  for 
the  training  of  health  visitors,  whose  duty  is  to  assist  mothers  in 
the  care  of  children  under  5  years  of  age.  The  regulations  issued  in 
July,  1919,  by  the  board  of  education,  in  consultation  with  the  newly 
created  ministry  of  health,  offers  a  more  thorough  training  to  the 
candidates  and  provides  that  the  new  training  centers  should  be 
associated  with  a  university. 

The  revised  syllabus  for  the  training  of  teachers  in  the  general 
principles  of  hygiene,  u  with  a  view  to  their  practical  application  in 
the  educational  and  personal  interests  of  the  children,”  is  another 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


155 


proof  of  the  widespread  interest  in  the  physical  welfare  of  the  young 
generation. 

The  problem  of  young  boys  and  girls  withdrawn  prematurely 
from  the  discipline  of  school  for  work  in  the  munition  factories,  and 
now  suddenly  released,  was  pressing  for  solution.  The  board  of  edu¬ 
cation  offered  financial  aid  to  local  education  authorities  for  the  pro¬ 
vision  of  special  centers  where  young  people  could  receive  informal 
instruction  until  they  should  obtain  employment.  To  promote  the 
establishment  of  these  centers  the  board  offered  to  bear  all  expenses 
for  the  first  six  months,  while  the  local  authorities  were  to  make  nec¬ 
essary  arrangements  for  premises,  equipment,  and  teachers.  In  the 
event  of  any  authority  desiring  to  continue  an  unemployment  center 
beyond  the  period  of  six  months  the  board  assumed  half  the  responsi¬ 
bility  for  the  cost.  The  ministry  of  labor  supplemented  the  offer  by 
providing  “  out-of-work  donations  ”  to  persons  between  the  ages  of 
15  and  18,  on  condition  that  they  attend  the  centers.  For  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  placing  young  boys  and  girls  in  proper  positions  the  educa¬ 
tion  unemployment  centers  are  to  cooperate  with  the  juvenile  em¬ 
ployment  exchanges  now  under  the  ministry  of  labor. 

A  further  step  in  repairing  the  educational  losses  was  taken  by  the 
trustees  of  the  National  Relief  Fund.  A  sum  of  money  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  local  education  authorities  enabled  them  to  offer  voca¬ 
tional  courses,  generally  of  a  year’s  duration,  to  promising  boys  and 
girls  selected  from  those  who  have  been  in  attendance  at  the  juvenile 
centers.  A  maintenance  allowance  of  20  shillings  per  week  was 
offered  to  candidates. 

The  estimates  for  the  board  of  education  for  England  and  Wales 
show  a  striking  increase,  the  figures  for  the  current  year  being 
£31,353,111,  as  compared  with  £19,206,705  in  1918-19.  The  grants 
for  elementary  education  show  an  increase  of  £9,345,802  over  those 
for  last  year.  The  provision  for  teachers’  pensions  is  next  in  magni¬ 
tude,  the  increase  amounting  to  £1,005,335. 

SECONDARY  EDUCATION. 

The  year  1918-19  has  been  marked  by  considerable  progress  in  sec¬ 
ondary  education.  The  report  of  the  board  of  education  shows  that 
the  total  number  of  schools  on  the  grant  list  in  England  and  Wales 
was  1,065,  as  compared  with  1,061  for  the  previous  year,  and  the 
increase  in  the  number  of  pupils  was  28,877.  The  number  of  new 
admissions  in  1918  was  five  times  as  large  as  in  1913. 

A  still  further  development  in  secondary  education  is  to  be  ex¬ 
pected  from  recent  changes  relating  to  denominational  secondary 
schools.  According  to  the  old  regulations  the  trust  deed  in  schools 
eligible  for  grants  could  not  require  the  majority  of  the  governing 
body  to  belong,  or  not  to  belong,  to  any  particular  religious  denom- 


156 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


ination.  This  provision  is  deleted  from  the  new  regulations.  The 
old  article  further  declared  that  the  trust  deed  must  not  provide  for 
the  appointment  of  the  majority  of  the  governing  body  iby  an  ap¬ 
pointing  authority  required  to  belong,  or  not  to  belong,  to  any  par¬ 
ticular  religious  denomination.  This  provision  has  also  disappeared. 
Further,  there  need  be  no  majority  of  representative  governors,  if 
at  least  one-thircl  of  the  total  number  of  governors  are  appointed  by 
the  local  education  authority.  This  arrangement  places  the  denom¬ 
inational  secondary  schools  on  almost  equal  terms  with  any  other 
secondary  school. 

The  regulations  concerning  advanced  courses  for  pupils  intend¬ 
ing  to  enter  universities  differ  little  from  those  of  1918,  when  an 
important  change  was  made  in  the  modern  studies,  English  taking 
the  place  of  Latin  as  a  main  subject.  The  number  of  courses  ap¬ 
proved  during  the  year  was  239,  of  which  138  were  in  science  and 
mathematics,  26  in  classics,  and  75  in  modern  studies.  The  emphasis 
laid  on  the  study  of  English  will,  no  doubt,  be  in  substantial  agree¬ 
ment  with  the  recommendations  of  the  departmental  committee,  re¬ 
cently  appointed  to  inquire  into  the  position  of  English  not  only  in  a 
liberal  education,  but  in  relation  to  the  needs  of  business,  the  pro¬ 
fessions,  and  the  public  service. 

The  day  or  part-time  continuation  schools  intended  under  the  act 
for  boys  and  girls  between  the  ages  of  14  and  16,  and  ultimately  14 
and  18,  remain  yet  on  a  voluntary  basis.  Although  the  education  act 
was  passed  in  August,  1918,  little  constructive  work  has  been  done 
in  this  respect  by  the  local  education  authorities.  The  slow  progress 
is  undoubtedly  due  not  so  much  to  reluctance  on  the  part  of  the  au¬ 
thorities  as  to  the  enormous  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  necessary  staff 
and  building  accommodations. 

The  board  of  education  seems,  however,  to  be  anxious  to  have  the 
scheme  developed  as  early  as  possible.  In  a  circular  issued  last  J uly 
the  local  education  authorities  were  instructed  to  prepare  and  sub¬ 
mit  schemes  for  educational  developments  in  their  areas.  It  was 
urged  that  “all  forms  of  education  shall  be  considered  as  parts  of  a 
single  whole”  and  “that  all  local  education  authorities,  so  far  as 
their  powders  extend,  shall  contribute  to  the  establishment  of  an 
adequate  national  system.”  Preliminary  investigations  have  been 
started  in  numerous  places,  and  a  realization  of  the  provisions  may 
be  expected  in  the  near  future. 

Pioneer  work  in  part-time  education  is  at  present  undertaken  by 
some  of  the  enlightened  employers  in  the  so-called  works  schools. 
During  the  year  there  was  a  marked  increase  in  attendance  during 
ordinary  working  hours.  The  classes  were  under  control  of  the  local 
education  authorities,  or  the  employers  themselves,  who  in  many 
instances  provided  competent  instructors  for  the  systematic  training 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


157 


of  the  employees  in  their  own  works.  The  establishment  of  w7orks 
schools  by  private  enterprise,  though  encouraged  by  the  board,  is 
viewed  by  labor  with  a  certain  amount  of  suspicion.  Objections  are 
raised  that  these  schools  may  become  biased  in  form  and  narrow  in 
scope,  and  may  fail  to  provide  that  broad  education  which  is  the 
primary  object  of  day  continuation  schools. 

A  memorandum  recently  prepared  by  the  Labor  Party’s  advisory 
committee  on  education  states  that  “the  primary  object  of  the  new 
continuation  schools  should  not  be  to  impart  specialized  industrial  or 
commercial  training,  but  to  give  boys  and  girls  a  good  general  educa¬ 
tion,  to  develop  their  physique  and  character,  and  to  prepare  them  for 
intelligent  citizenship.”  The  program  of  the  Labor  Party  with  re¬ 
gard  to  continuation  education  is  similar  to  that  issued  previously 
by  the  departmental  committee  on  juvenile  education.  The  commit¬ 
tee  recomends,  however,  that  the  subjects  taught  in  these  classes  should 
have  something  of  a  vocational  bias,  as  suggested  by  the  occupation  of 
the  young  workers. 

TEACHERS. 

The  main  difficulty  which  confronts  the  authorities  in  England  is 
the  inadequate  supply  of  teachers.  For  some  years  past  the  influx 
of  entrants  into  the  teaching  profession  has  been  steadily  decreasing, 
with  the  result  that  at  present  the  normal  wastage  caused  by  death 
or  resignation  can  hardly  be  replaced.  In  a  circular  issued  in  August, 
1919,  the  board  of  education  states  that  the  number  of  candidates  who 
are  admitted  to  the  profession  yearly  ought  to  be  more  than  double 
what  it  is  now.  The  problem  became  more  serious  with  the  passing 
of  the  education  act  of  1918.  Under  its  provisions  a  larger  reinforce¬ 
ment  is  required  in  the  public  elementary  schools.  No  less  than 
32,000  teachers  will  be  needed  for  the  new  continuation  schools.  A 
large  number  must  also  be  obtained  for  the  new  secondary  schools, 
while  the  nursery  schools  wTill  also  make  demands  on  the  supply  of 
teachers.  Many  education  authorities  have  taken  steps  to  increase 
teachers’  salaries  in  accordance  with  the  principles  suggested  in  the 
report  of  the  departmental  committee  issued  in  February,  1918,  but 
much  more  will  be  needed  to  attract  new  candidates. 

The  London  County  Council  adopted  a  new  scale  for  elementary 
school-teachers  in  May,  1918.  While  the  new  figures  exhibit  consid¬ 
erable  improvement  over  past  practice  in  the  payment  of  salaries,  the 
new  scale  did  not  meet  the  general  demand.  This  necessitated  another 
revision  of  the  scales,  according  to  which  assistant  teachers  in  public 
elementary  schools  entering  the  London  service  will  begin  at  not  less 
than  £180  per  annum  for  men  and  £165  for  women.  Besides,  the 
progress  through  the  scale  of  increments  to  the  maximum  salary  will 
be  considerably  quickened.  The  revised  scale  will  add  to  the  expendi- 


158 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


ture  for  the  current  financial  year  an  amount  estimated  at  £629,000. 
The  discontent  of  teachers,  which  sometimes  resulted  in  teachers’ 
strikes,  led  to  the  belief  that  the  only  equitable  solution  was  the  adop¬ 
tion  of  a  general  scale  of  salaries  on  a  national  rather  than  local  basis. 
A  conference,  convened  in  July,  1919,  by  the  president  of  the  board 
of  education,  adopted  the  following  resolutions : 

1.  That  it  is  desirable  to  provide  a  central  organization,  representa¬ 
tive  of  local  education  authorities  and  teachers,  to  secure  the  orderly 
and  progressive  solution  of  the  salary  problem  in  public  elementary 
schools  by  agreement,  on  a  national  basis,  and  its  correlation  with  a 
solution  of  the  salary  problem  in  secondary  schools. 

2.  That  for  this  purpose  a  standing  joint  committee  of  representa¬ 
tives  of  local  education  committees  on  the  one  side  and  the  national 
union  of  teachers  on  the  other,  in  equal  numbers,  should  be  constituted. 

8.  That  for  any  resolutions  of  the  committee  the  consent  of  both 
sides  of  the  committee  should  be  required. 

For  the  consideration  of  local  interests  standing  local  advisory 
committees,  representative  of  the  teachers  and  education  authorities, 
have  been  created  in  many  areas.  The  object  of  these  committees, 
defined  by  the  executive  committees  of  the  Association  of  Education 
Committees  and  the  National  Union  of  Teachers,  is  not  only  to  look 
after  financial  adjustment  but  also  to  consider  broader  issues  relating 
to  education. 


AGRICULTURAL  EDUCATION. 

The  urgent  need  of  a  more  comprehensive  system  of  agricultural 
education  and  research  accentuated  during  the  past  few  years  led  to 
far-reaching  proposals  which  entail  an  expenditure  by  the  State  of 
about  £2,000,000  during  the  next  five  years.  The  board  of  agricul¬ 
ture  proposes  to  encourage  higher  agricultural  education  by  liberal 
grants  to  colleges  and  universities.  It  is  also  hoped  in  the  future 
to  bring  the  farmer  into  closer  touch  with  the  colleges  by  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  demonstration  farms  and  other  organizations  calculated 
to  achieve  the  same  purpose.  The  local  education  authorities  are  to 
receive  from  the  State  £2  for  every  £1  they  expend  on  agricultural  ed¬ 
ucation.  This  will  undoubtedly  cause  the  setting  up  of  a  number  of 
farm  schools  or  farm  institutes,  with  short  courses  for  adult  students. 
It  is  expected  that  these  institutes  will  also  provide  facilities  for 
school-teachers  who  wish  to  qualify  in  the  rural  subjects  required  in 
the  day  continuation  schools.  The  proposals  of  the  board  of  agricul¬ 
ture  are  especially  opportune  in  view  of  the  recent  recommendations 
embodied  in  a  very  interesting  memorandum  on  the  reconstruction 
of  agricultural  education  in  England  and  Wales  issued  recently  by 
the  agricultural  education  association. 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


159 


UNIVERSITIES. 

The  war  has  also  brought  into  clearer  relief  the  need  of  State, 
assistance  for  the  more  efficient  development  of  universities  in  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland.  A  standing  committee  has  been  appointed  by 
the  Treasury  “  to  inquire  into  the  financial  needs  of  university  edu¬ 
cation  in  the  United  Kingdom  and  to  advise  the  Government  as  to 
the  application  of  any  grants  that  may  be  made  bv  Parliament 
toward  meeting  them.” 

It  is  felt,  for  instance,  that  the  universities  will  have  to  provide 
greater  facilities  for  those  with  meager  means  who  fail  to  secure  a 
scholarship.  Changes  are  also  expected  in  the  position  of  women 
students.  Finally,  there  is  the  problem  of  readjustment  between  the 
various  schools  of  science  for  more  efficient  cooperation  and  speciali¬ 
zation  of  work. 

The  assumption  that  State  control  is  bound  to  have  a  detrimental 
effect  upon  the  life  of  the  university  loses  much  weight  in  view  of 
Mr.  Fisher’s  repeated  assertions  that  the  board  disclaims  any  idea 
of  interference  with  the  affairs  of  the  universities,  which  must 
remain  free  and  autonomous. 

With  the  resumption  of  the  university  studies  interrupted  during 
the  past  few  years  came  the  demand  for  more  practical  subjects. 
Although  the  campaign  for  removing  the  barrier  of  compulsory 
Greek  at  Oxford  resulted  in  a  close  vote  for  its  retention,  the  oppon¬ 
ents  did  not  give  up  hope  for  an  early  compromise.  The  science 
courses  are  overcrowded  and  the  modern-language  schools  are  re¬ 
ceiving  far  more  attention  than  in  the  past.  The  lack  of  scientific 
training  in  business  is  to  be  remedied  by  the  establishment  of  a  school 
of  commerce  at  the  London  University.  The  courses  are  to  lead  to  a 
bachelor’s  and  a  master’s  degree.  The  salient  feature  of  the  new 
courses  is  that  a  modern  language  is  to  be  taken  throughout.  The 
languages  offered  are  Polish,  Czech,  Roumanian,  modern  Greek,  and 
some  of  the  eastern  languages. 


III.  THE  TREND  IN  THE  SCHOOLS  OF  SCANDINAVIA 
AFTER  THE  WAR. 

LESSONS  OF  THE  WAR. 

The  war  has  simplified  the  interrelations  among  the  Scandinavian 
countries.  It  has  removed  the  menace  which  Sweden  saw  in  the 
East  and  Denmark  in  the  South,  and  thereby  also  effected  a  removal 
of  certain  cross-currents  in  the  relations  between  these  two  coun¬ 
tries  themselves.  The  new  outlook  is  regarded  as  favorable  for  the 


160 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


industrial  and  educational  progress  of  each  country  according  to 
its  individual  character. 

Educators  in  Scandinavia  are  studying  the  school  systems  of 
other  countries,  partly  with  the  view  of  concerted  movements  to¬ 
ward  peace  and  partly  to  see  how  the  schools  of  each  country  have 
met  the  recent  crisis  and  stood  the  test.  The  Norsk  Skoletidende, 
February  5,  1919,  says  that  the  Germans  have  set  up  “  information 
and  instruction  as  their  alpha  and  omega;  the  building  of  character 
has  been  left  either  to  chance  or  taken  up  in  the  school  disciplines 
on  its  passive  side  only — patience,  perserverance,  thoroughness;  not 
initiative  and  courage.  They  have  demanded  the  severity  of  4  drill  ’ 
in  accordance  with  the  words  of  Moltke,  ‘military  discipline  is 
needed  by  every  community.’  ”  44  In  contradistinction  to  these  princi¬ 
ples,”  continues  the  Skoletidende,  44  the  British  and  the  Americans 
have  maintained  that  the  forming  of  character  is  the  chief  task  of  the 
schools  and,  to  speak  with  Locke,  4  information  the  least.’  ” 

In  Denmark,  L.  Mortensen  writing  in  Vor  Ungdon,  has  reached 
identical  conclusions  with  reference  to  the  collapse  of  modern  cul¬ 
ture  during  the  past  few  years.  Impressed  with  its  lessons,  he  goes 
so  far  as  to  draft  the  outlines  for  the  work  of  an  entirely  new  type 
of  school — one  that  should  have  the  building  of  character  as  its 
chief  aim.  None  of  the  schools  now  in  existence,  he  contends,  can  do 
this  in  a  way  fully  to  profit  by  the  lessons  of  recent  events.  44  Their 
work  is  too  diffused  and  their  tasks  too  many  and  too  diverse  to 
admit  of  the  time  necessary  for  the  development  of  character  among 
the  pupils.”  The  school  he  advocates  should  not  supplant  but  sup¬ 
plement  existing  types;  its  mayi  lines  should  be  (1)  physical  train¬ 
ing,  (2)  continued  instruction  in  general  subjects  with  special  stress 
on  vocational  training,  and  (3)  means  and  occasions  for  idealistic 
and  spirtual  influence. 

INTERRELATIONS  AMONG  SCANDINAVIAN  COUNTRIES. 

The  common  interests  of  these  countries  are  being  furthered  by  the 
resumption  of  prewar  activities  and  by  the  forming  of  new  all- 
Scandinavian  organizations.  The  Association  of  the  North,  formed 
in  1918  to  promote  cultural  and  industrial  relations  among  the  peo¬ 
ples  of  the  northern  countries,  is  working  for  a  more  closely  united 
Scandinavia.  In  May,  1919.  representatives  from  Norway,  Sweden, 
Denmark,  Iceland,  and  Finland  met  in  Copenhagen  and  organized 
an  Authors’  Association  with  the  purpose  of  working  in  their  re¬ 
spective  fields  in  closer  cooperation.  The  all-Scandinavian  Teachers’ 
Association,  besides  its  work  as  a  body  of  educators,  wields  a  power- 
fid  influence  in  maintaining  northern  type  characteristics  in  educa¬ 
tion  in  these  countries. 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.  161 

EDUCATIONAL  RELATIONS  WITH  WESTERN  EUROPE  AND 
AMERICA. 

Tlie  war  has  affected  all  movements  in  these  countries,  and,  in  a 
way,  merged  them  so  that  they  are  not  clear-cut  political,  industrial, 
or  educational,  but  present  a  reaction  of  one  upon  the  other.  The 
dislocation  of  Scandinavia’s  foreign  educational  connections  is  due 
in  part  to  a  new  political  trend,  but  mainly  to  a  growing  belief  that 
the  schools  of  their  neighbors  on  the  south  were  not  efficient  in  the 
best  sense  of  the  word.  This  skepticism  has  had  a  twofold  effect: 
It  has  paved  the  way,  first,  for  a  strong  nationalistic  trend;  and, 
second,  for  endeavors  to  establish  educational  connections  with 
France,  England,  and  America. 

Dr.  Fridtjof  Nansen,  the  famous  explorer  and  scientist,,  now  presi¬ 
dent  of  the  National  University  of  Norway,  expresses  the  desire 
that  scholars  of  his  country  may  become  more  fully  familiar  with  the 
work  in  science  done  at  American  universities.  A  Government 
commission  from  Norway  visited  the  United  States  during  1918 
with  the  view  of  studying  commercial  education  here  in  connection 
with  the  founding  of  a  commercial  university  at  Bergen.  They 
were  favorably  impressed  with  the  greater  reciprocity  between  pro¬ 
fessors  and  students  here  than  in  Norway,  also  with  the  close  relations 
of  business  schools  with  the  strong,  brisk  business  life  of  the  country. 

The  exchange  of  students  between  the  United  Statese  and  Scandi¬ 
navia  is  growing  in  its  scope  and  proportions  mainly  under  the 
patronage  of  private  foundations.  Consul  General  Sturm  has  in¬ 
creased  his  original  donation  by  a  quarter  of  a  million  crowns  to 
promote  such  exchange  of  students  with  the  western  countries.  In 
September,  1919,  an  organization  for  this  purpose  was  formed  in 
Sweden;  its  president  is  Svante  Arrhenius;  among  its  supporters 
are  Prof.  Ivar  Benedixon,  Gustav  Dalen,  and  the  political  leader, 
Hjalmar  Branting.  It  has  already  sent  a  number  of  students  to 
this  country  on  stipends  of  $1,000  each.  The  American- Scandinavian 
Foundation,  with  headquarters  in  New  York,  has  long  supplied  funds 
for  a  similar  exchange  of  students,  and  has  increased  the  scope  of  its 
work  by  sending  twice  the  number  of  any  former  year. 

SOCIALIZATION  OF  THE  SCHOOLS. 

War  conditions  pushed  the  work  of  the  schools  beyond  their  estab¬ 
lished  limits,  thereby  calling  attention  to  new  forms  of  service  as 
possible  to  them.  Their  emergency  work  created  a  demand  for  their 
greater  socialization  with  a  view  to  more  direct  practical  service  than 
was  rendered  under  the  old  regime.  But  in  studying  the  fluctuations 
in  educational  values  the  school  men  of  these  countries  show  no 


162  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 

inclinations  to  alter  their  programs  in  accordance  with  immature 
demands. 

Prof.  Beckman,  of  Sweden,  points  out  that  the  new  lines  of  work 
urged  upon  the  schools  are  of  two  kinds — new  ideal  ones  that  really 
belong  to  the  schools,  and  practical  ones,  like  service  needed  by  the 
State.  A  number  of  duties  strictly  belonging  to  the  homes  have 
been  thrust  upon  the  schools — the  care  of  children’s  teeth,  managing 
children’s  savings  banks,  etc. ;  but  in  the  mass  of  its  new  duties,  adds 
Prof.  Beckman,  the  schools  must  not  lose  sight  of  their  intellectual, 
ideal  and  ethical  work. 


PEACE  MOVEMENTS. 

When  the  Ecclesiastical  and  Educational  Department  of  Prussia 
issued  a  warning  against  teaching  history  in  a  spirit  to  glorify  war 
or  to  incite  nations  against  each  other,  a  Norwegian  school  journal 
said  that  the  teachers  of  Norway  had  diligently — at  times  too  dili¬ 
gently — sought  guidance  for  their  school  systems  from  Germany,  but 
here  they  had  at  last  something  fully  worth  their  attention.  The 
view  of  history  instruction,  says  the  Skoletidende,  which  has  prompted 
the  warning  of  the  Prussian  Department  of  Instruction,  has  universal 
application.  In  the  National  Association  of  Folk  School  Teachers 
in  Gothenborg,  August  13-15,  ways  and  means  to  cooperate  with 
other  nations  in  the  interests  of  peace  were  earnestly  discussed. 

The  association  declared  itself  in  favor  of  active  participation  in 
movements  with  respect  to  peace;  of  cooperation  with  teachers’ 
associations  of  other  countries,  and  also  for  the  appointment  of 
an  international  commission,  v^hose  duty  it  should  be  to  inspect  the 
textbooks  in  history  with  a  view  to  neutral  requirements  and 
international  amity. 

Movements  against  war  and  the  spirit  of  war  are  on  foot  in  many 
forms  by  teachers’  and  clergymen’s  associations  and  by  political 
parties.  In  its  platform  and  campaign  program  the  Liberal  Party 
in  Sweden  has  a  plank  maintaining  that  it  devolves  upon  the  schools 
to  work  with  all  their  might  to  secure  permanent  peace  among  the 
nations  of  the  world.  The  peace  sentiments  of  the  Party  of  the 
Bight  (the  conservatives)  are  expressed  in  connection  with  the  duty 
of  maintaining  religious  instruction  in  the  schools  in  “bringing  up 
Sweden’s  people  in  the  fear  of  God  and  in  a  moral  and  healthy  out¬ 
look  on  life.” 


DENMARK. 

In  Denmark  there  is  no  immediate  prospect  for  continuation 
schools  such  as  those  provided  by  law  in  England  and  Sweden  in 
1918  and  in  Germany  by  the  new  Constitution  of  1919.  In  Denmark 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.  163 

the  system  of  folk  schools  permits  children  to  finish  one  stage  of  the 
elementary  work  at  the  age  of  11  and  another  at  14.  At  the  age  of 
18  they  may  resume  work  in  the  well-known  people’s  high  schools, 
where  they  continue  the  study  of  cultural  subjects,  trades,  and  voca¬ 
tions. 

In  this  type  of  schools  Denmark  has  anticipated  educational  prin¬ 
ciples  that  are  now  in  the  process  of  realization  under  the  new  con¬ 
tinuation  laws  of  several  countries.  When  such  a  law  was  passed 
in  Germany  educators  there  at  once  began  to  consider  whether  the 
required  reorganization  could  not  profitably  follow  the  Danish  type, 
allowing,  of  course,  for  such  modifications  as  local  and  national 
needs  would  demand.  In  carrying  out  the  intents  of  the  education  act 
of  England  the  same  procedure  of  encouraging  “  local  schemes  and 
private  enterprise”  must  be  heeded.  The  Danish  school,  by  edu¬ 
cating  the  pupils  back  to  the  farm  and  the  trades  has  reached  a  fair 
solution  of  the  problem  connected  with  the  education  of  the  agri¬ 
cultural  laborer  and  the  craftsman.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  some 
modification  of  the  folk  high  schools  “  will  find  its  way  into  the  local 
scheme  for  continuation  schools  which  the  British  board  of  educa¬ 
tion  requires.” 

The  features  of  these  schools  which  touch  present  needs  are  their 
democratic  appeal  and  patronage;  low  tuition  fees  and  living  ex¬ 
penses  ;  distribution  of  the  school  work  so  as  to  leave  pupils  free  for 
remunerative  employment  a  part  of  the  time;  directness  of  the  in¬ 
struction  toward  attainable  ends;  social  cooperation  among  the  stu¬ 
dents  and  teachers;  ethical  and  moral  basis  for  achievement  in  the 
vocations;  general  aim  of  the  craftsman’s  skill  and  a  liberal  educa¬ 
tion. 

NORWAY. 

One  of  the  leading  school  questions  in  Norway  is  whether  the  time 
for  the  training  of  teachers  should  be  extended  from  three  years 
to  four.  The  added  fourth  year  would  entail  additional  expense  and 
deduct  a  year  from  the  time  of  the  teacher’s  service.  The  contention 
is  also  made  that  the  fourth  year  in  actual  service  would  be  a  fair 
compensation  for  that  much  longer  theoretical  training.  The  teach¬ 
ers  now  in  service  do  not  look  with  favor  upon  the  distinction  in  pro¬ 
fessional  fitness  that  would  be  made  by  the  creation  of  a  fourth-year 
class  with  the  foreign-language  studies  such  training  would  include. 

The  debate  on  the  projected  teachers’  college  has  turned  on  the 
question  of  establishing  this  institution  either  independently  or  as  a 
part  of  the  University  of  Christiania,  with  university  professors  in 
charge  of  the  instruction.  Dr.  Hoverstad,  who  is  the  promoter  of 
the  new  institution,  believes  that  in  order  to  serve  equally  well  the 
needs  of  both  country  and  city  it  should  be  located  in  a  country  town, 
but  near  either  Bergen  or  Christiania.  As  outlined  by  him,  its  aim 


164 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


should  be  to  impart  general  culture  along  three  main  lines  with  a 
chief  branch  of  instruction  characterizing  each  line,  as  science,  his¬ 
tory,  religion.  There  should  be  a  department  for  labor  and  one  for 
teachers  of  the  practical  vocational  branches,  with  special  needs  of 
the  faculties  for  the  continuation  schools. 

Obligatory  continuation  schools  are  under  consideration  in  Nor¬ 
way.  Early  in  1919  the  department  of  education,  upon  the  instance 
of  the  teachers’  association,  appointed  a  committee  to  prepare  a  draft 
for  continuation  and  vocation  schools.  This  committee  was,  how¬ 
ever,  directed  to  prepare  its  draft  for  the  cities  only ;  a  special  com¬ 
mittee,  it  was  thought,  would  be  needed  to  prepare  a  similar  draft 
for  the  rural  districts.  As  some  delay  occurred  in  appointing  the 
second  committee  the  department  of  agriculture  took  up  the  matter 
directly  with  the  Storting,  urging  that  steps  be  taken  with  the  view 
of  cooperation  between  departments  for  general  education  and  for 
practical  work.  The  agricultural  heads  suggested  that  the  commit¬ 
tee  on  obligatory  continued  instruction  in  the  rural  districts  be 
required  to  give  attention  also  to  the  ordering  of  instruction  in 
domestic  science  in  these  schools. 

While  in  America  the  work  in  the  grades  is  expanding  upwards, 
with  a  tendency  to  encroach  on  the  domain  of  the  high  schools,  caus¬ 
ing  these,  in  turn,  to  extend  into  the  domain  of  the  college,  the 
secondary  schools  of  Norway  have  moved  upward  without  com¬ 
mensurate  upward  advance  of  the  folk  schools  and  middle  schools. 
Hence  arises  the  demand  to  improve  the  folk  school  and  to  unify 
it  organically  with  the  entire  system.  The  “  unity  school  ”  (Enhets- 
skole)  problem  in  all  its  significance  is  consequently  before  the  people. 
The  plan  suggested  in  the  committee’s  report  to  build  a  two-year 
middle  school  on  a  seven-year  folk  school  was  found  inadvisable.  To 
appoint  a  new  State  committee  to  work  over  old  and  new  data  with 
the  hope  of  submitting  more  acceptable  recommendations  is  not  re¬ 
garded  with  favor.  Educators,  laymen,  and  the  press  are  now  giving 
it  attention  and  submitting  recommendations  independent  of  com¬ 
mittees. 

The  present  system  includes  a  five-year  folk  school,  four-year 
middle  school,  and  a  three-year  gymnasium.  As  the  folk  school  must 
be  expanded,  the  present  superstructure  must  be  altered  accordingly. 
At  present  general  opinion  seems  to  favor  a  rearticulation  exceedingly 
direct,  but  almost  alone  of  its  kind  in  Europe — a  five-year  gymnasium 
continuing  from  a  seven-year  folk  school,  eliminating  the  middle 
school.  Some  form  of  segregation  of  the  pupils  would  take  place  at 
the  end  of  the  fifth  year  of  the  folk  school,  whereby  certain  ones 
would  be  found  gifted  in  practical  lines  in  which  shorter  courses 
would  meet  their  needs,  while  others  would  proceed  in  the  direction 
of  the  gymnasium  and  the  universit}7. 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.  165 

SWEDEN. 

In  Sweden  the  proposition  to  merge  the  two  supervisory  boards — 
the  one  for  the  folk  schools  and  the  one  for  the  secondary  schools — 
was  approved  by  both  chambers  of  the  Riksdag  on  April  9,  1919. 
Instead  of  special  boards  within  the  folk-school  board  to  control 
vocational  schools  and  others,  the  proposition  adopted  coordinates 
all  boards  for  folk  schools,  as  well  as  secondary  schools,  into  one 
central  department  of  control,  within  which  each  class  of  schools 
holds  an  independent  and  coordinated  rank. 

Greater  unity  also  among  the  various  classes  of  teachers’  training 
schools  is  the  purpose  of  a  proposition  now  pending  before  the 
Riksdag.  At  present  there  is  too  much  separateness,  for  there  are 
independently  constituted  training  schools  for  primary  teachers,  for 
folk-school  teachers,  for  normal-training-school  teachers,  and  for 
teachers  of  advanced  secondary  schools.  The  Riksdag  is  asked:  (1) 
To  have  the  training  schools  for  primary  teachers  taken  over  by  the 
State,  whereby  better  inspectorship  and  closer  articulation  with  the 
training  schools  for  folk-school  teachers  would  be  secured;  (2)  to 
lengthen  the  courses  from  two  to  three  years;  (3)  to  make  the  en¬ 
trance  requirements  the  same  as  those  for  folk-school  teachers;  (4) 
to  make  the  professional  eligibility  for  the  two  classes  equal;  (5)  to 
provide  practice  schools  at  the  primary  seminaries  for  at  least  the 
first  three  years.1 

According  to  Verner  Ryden,  the  most  important  school  question  in 
Sweden  at  present  is  the  organization  of  the  continuation  schools  in 
accordance  with  the  law  of  extended  obligatory  attendance  as  adopted 
in  1918.  This  law  requires  every  community  to  establish  a  sufficient 
number  of  continuation  schools,  to  be  in  operation  by  1924.  Every 
pupil  completing  the  folk  school  is  required  to  attend,  unless  excused 
for  special  reasons ;  lack  of  means  is  not  to  be  a  reason  for  such  excuse. 
The  obligatory  instruction  comprises  360  hours,  which  are  to  be 
completed  within  two  or,  by  exception,  within  three  years. 

The  law  is  expressly  designed  to  meet  local  educational  needs.  As 
an  especial  individual  need  is  instruction  in  the  future  life  work  of 
the  pupil,  the  main  subjects  of  instruction  have  been  selected  with 
this  need  in  view,  hence  three  main  lines — practical  work,  sociology, 
and  the  mother  tongue.  Instruction  in  religion  is  not  obligatory,  but 
moral  training  is  to  be  imparted  in  connection  with  the  other  subjects. 

These  continuation  schools  are  designed  mainly  for  pupils  who 
expect  to  enter  a  practical  calling  involving  actual  manual  labor. 
Those  responsible  for  the  law  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  general  theo¬ 
retical  and  intellectual  schools  that  should  eventually  be  the  com- 


1  Folkskolans  Van.  June  25,  1919. 


142539°— 19 - 12 


166 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


pletion  of  the  continuation  system.  Though  they  began  with  the 
practical  trends  in  the  development,  preliminary  work  is  already  in 
progress  looking  to  the  establishment  of  schools  for  general  educa¬ 
tion,  with  work  chiefly  intellectual.  By  organically  fitting  these  two 
types  into  the  system,  the  folk  school  will  find  its  right  place  as  the 
common  foundation. 

To  insure  the  full  results  of  the  new  organization,  educators  like 
Bergquist  and  many  others  hold  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  segre¬ 
gate  the  pupils  according  to  natural  gifts  and  capacities,  in  order 
that  those  ranking  high  in  natural  endowments  may  not  be  retarded 
in  their  progress  by  the  others. 

In  the  contemplated  division  they  are  avoiding  in  Sweden  the  im¬ 
plication  of  a  higher  and  a  lower  order  of  gifts,  preferring  the  basis 
of  special  or  individual  endowment.  They  are  aware  that  to  classify 
pupils  officially  as  superior  or  inferior  in  gifts  would  have  a  psychic 
effect  upon  them  and  their  parents  that  would  do  incalculable 
damage. 

The  u  study  of  the  home  and  communit}^  ”  (Hembygdskunskap)  is 
an  obligatory  part  of  the  instruction  in  the  primary  schools  in  the 
ages  7  to  9  and  in  the  first  and  second  classes  of  the  folk  schools 
with  pupils  in  the  ages  of  10  and  11.  It  is  a  part  of  the  curriculum 
in  teachers’  training  colleges,  both  in  those  that  train  primary  teach¬ 
ers  and  those  that  train  the  teachers  of  the  folk  school.  Moreover, 
it  is  taught  in  the  coeducational  schools  and  to  some  extent  in  the 
general  secondary  schools. 

Home  and  community  study  makes  the  school  a  part  of  the  vital 
everyday  life  of  the  community;  it  keeps  the  school  from  being  iso¬ 
lated  as  a  thing  apart  from  the  other  activities  and  interests  of  the 
neighborhood. 

The  teacher  finds  that  some  phases  of  home  life  can  be  cast  into  a 
form  suitable  to  be  taken  up  with  the  pupils;  he  finds  instruction 
material  in  the  school  garden,  in  the  woods  and  fields,  with  the  trade, 
traffic,  and  shops  of  the  neighborhood,  in  the  community’s  natural 
features,  in  its  landmarks  and  history.  If  the  community  can  not 
be  brought  into  the  school,  the  school  can  go  out  to  it  and  come  in 
touch  with  it. 

This  study  is  so  managed  that  the  folk  school  is  not  thereby 
crowded  by  the  introduction  of  a  new  subject.  The  hours  scheduled 
for  geography,  natural  history,  physical  exercise,  and  singing  are, 
according  to  circumstances,  released  so  that  the  teacher  can  have 
these  hours  for  the  necessary  trips  and  visits. 

“  Home  and  community  in  the  schools  ”  is  impelling  tedcliers  to  a 
departure  from  old  methods.  Teaching  is  no  longer  exclusively  a 
matter  of  books,  papers,  and  the  teacher’s  voice.  It  is  not  always 
necessary  to  make  the  young  pupil  sit  still  and  keep  still  while  he 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.  167 

is  taught ;  he  may  retain  some  freedom  in  the  exercise  of  limbs  and 
lungs  according  to  his  natural  impulses.  Singing  and  rhythmical 
bodily  movements  are  brought  in  among  the  lesson  exercises. 

The  subject  also  forms  a  natural  transition  stage  from  the  home 
to  the  school,  whereby  the  young  pupil  is  permitted  to  find  himself 
naturally  and  comfortably  in  the  school  regime.  It  emphasizes  con¬ 
tinuity  as  an  essential ;  the  pupil’s  education  does  not  begin  with  the 
first  day  of  school,  but  connects  with  earlier  stages.  After  the  last 
day  the  pupil  does  not  have  to  begin  his  acquaintance  with  the  en¬ 
vironment  or  the  field  of  future  duties,  for  this  has  been  a  part  of 
the  courses  at  school.  The  work  moves  from  proximity  to  remoteness. 
The  pupil  is  placed  in  the  organized  busy  neighborhood  and  enabled 
to  occupy  himself  with  what  is  going  on  there. 

While  in  the  United  States  every  phase  of  the  work  here  described 
is  paralleled  in  detail  in  many  school  activities  and  pursued  under 
the  advantage  of  equipment  not  yet  existing  elsewhere,  Sweden  has 
incorporated  it  as  an  obligatory  unit  ranking  with  subjects  long  es¬ 
tablished  in  the  curriculum. 

The  character  of  the  work  as  in  vogue  in  the  elementary  schools 
points  to  the  development  of  courses  for  adults.  These  are  under 
consideration,  but  have  not  yet  been  carried  out  except  in  the  courses 
for  teachers.  But  the  trend  is  to  establish  lecture  courses  for  home 
and  community  study  in  which  will  be  taken  up  (1)  the  natural 
features  of  a  locality,  their  interest  and  conservation;  (2)  history, 
the  literature,  legends,  songs,  early  history,  and  landmarks  of  the 
locality;  (3)  industries — present  conditions,  undeveloped  resources, 
opportunities. 


IV.  THE  SCHOOLS  OF  GERMANY  AND  THE  NEW  CONSTI¬ 
TUTION. 

GENERAL  TREND  IN  SCHOOL  MOVEMENTS. 

In  Germany  the  schools  are  struggling  with  new  arrangements, 
which,  so  far  as  they  have  developed,  point  toward  greater  unity  in 
organization  and  greater  independence  of  the  teachers.  Like  the 
Constitution  of  Switzerland,  that  of  Germany  contains  general  funda¬ 
mental  laws  about  the  mutual  relations  of  church,  school,  and  state, 
and  the  minimum  requirements  in  the  folk  school ;  beyond  this  each 
State  is  independent.  The  States  are  consequently  engaged  in  elab¬ 
orating  the*  school  regulations  and  adapting  them  to  the  funda¬ 
mental  law  of  the  German  Constitution.1 

In  these  reorganizations,  Prussia  and  the  metropolis,  Berlin,  are 
taking  the  lead.  As  there  is  no  doubt  that  under  the  new  Constitu- 


1  Schweizerische  Lehrerzeitung,  July  26,  1919. 


168 


EDUCATION  REPORT,,  1919. 


tion  Prussia  has  been  reduced  politically  by  curtailing  the  influence 
of  the  Junkers,  the  other  States  are  suggesting  that  she  has  now  the 
opportunity  to  attain  an  educational  supremacy  equal  to  her  former 
political  one. 

INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGION. 

As  early  as  November  27,  1918,  Adolf  Hoffmann,  minister  of  in¬ 
struction,  made  public  a  circular  relieving  teachers  from  the  duty  of 
imparting  instruction  in  Christianity  unless  they  voluntarily  wished 
to  do  so.  Neither  were  parents  required  to  have  their  children  par¬ 
ticipate  in  such  instruction.  When  the  children  had  completed  the 
fourteenth  year  they  were  permitted  to  decide  for  themselves  whether 
or  not  they  wished  to  take  part  in  religious  instruction.  As  immedi¬ 
ate  opposition  arose  against  this  proclamation,  the  Government, 
under  its  pressure,  issued  an  order  on  December  28,  whereby  its 
enforcement  in  Prussia  would  be  postponed  until  the  Prussian 
National  Assembly  should  have  time  to  act. 

But  the  teachers  of  Prussia  were  not  in  favor  of  any  backward 
step.  They  were  disappointed  by  the  vacillating  position  taken  by 
the  Government.  Speaking  through  the  Allgemeine  deutsche  Lehrer- 
zeitung,  they  said  “  that  it  would  appear  that  they  can  not  expect  any 
furthering  of  their  most  vital  concerns  and  protection  of  their  plain¬ 
est  rights  from  the  present  Government ;  and  that  at  a  time  when  self- 
government  is  extended  to  school  children,  teachers  should  not  permit 
themselves  to  be  pushed  back  into  servile  dependence.” 1 

The  continued  discussion  in  which  ministers  and  bishops,  among 
them  Von  Hartmann,  of  Cologne,  took  part  led  to  the  circulation  of 
petitions,  particularly  in  Berlin,  to  maintain  religious  instruction  in 
the  schools  virtually  at  its  old  status  and  under  the  former  system  of 
supervision.  The  position  maintained  by  these  conservatives  is  stated 
by  Frederich  Naumann,  quoted  in  the  Allgemeine  deutsche  Lehrer- 
zeitung  for  January  9,  1919: 

Never  before  have  we  had  less  time  and  occasion  for  sectarian  culture  con¬ 
tentions  than  now.  This  statement  has  its  particular  application  to  the  rash 
and  crude  way  in  which  the  separation  of  church  and  state  in  some  neighbor¬ 
ing  States  is  brought  about.  A  union  grown  up  and  confirmed  for  centuries  can  1 
not  be  dissolved  during  an  afternoon  by  the  stroke  of  a  pen.  Through  injury 
of  its  religious  feeling,  the  people  as  a  unit  may  sustain  most  serious  damage. 
After  the  departure  of  the  State  rulers  it  would  be  expedient  to  provide  for 
the  more  free  relations  between  the  state  and  the  church.  Religious  instruction 
in  the  folk  school  needs  to  be  reorganized  in  order  to  remove  it  from  the 
character  of  compulsion.  Should,  however,  the  German  Republic  wish  to 
appear  as  an  antichurch  party  organization,  it  would  soon  be  digging  its  own 
grave,  for  after  these  bloody  times  of  terror  and  distress  the  people  have  not 
grown  less  churchly,  but  rather  more  inclined  to  lend  an  ear  to  those  who  tell 
them  of  things  beyond  this  earth. 


1  Schweizerische  Lehrerzeitung,  Feb.  15,  1919. 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


169 


Later  in  the  spring,  when  the  position  of  the  German  people  with 
reference  to  the  relations  between  the  church  and  the  school  was  to 
be  defined  in  the  German  Constitution,  there  appeared  such  divergence 
that  some  States,  particularly  those  of  south  Germany,  protested 
against  taking  up  these  matters.  In  the  general  conference  on  the 
order  of  procedure  before  the  committee  on  the  “Arbeitsprogram  ” 
it  was  resolutely  insisted  that  the  Constitution  should  contain  some¬ 
thing  on  the  relations  betAveen  the  church  and  the  state  and  the  gen¬ 
eral  principles  to  govern  the  public  system  of  education.  This  view 
prevailed,  so  that  the  reading  of  the  first  draft  of  the  Constitution, 
which  had  been  altered  during  the  discussion,  was  restored. 

In  reducing  the  principle  adopted  into  form  for  legal  enactment 
the  debates  before  the  parliamentary  committee  showed  that  three 
distinct  views  appeared,  each  supported  by  a  political  faction.  The 
Conservatives  and  the  Center  insisted  that  religious  instruction  should 
be  a  regular  subject  on  the  school  program  and  be  imparted  under 
the  control  and  supervision  of  the  religious  organizations  in  the  com¬ 
munity.  The  majority  of  the  “  Socialdemokraten  ” — by  no  means 
all  of  them — held  that  religious  instruction  should  be  removed  from 
the  schools  and  be  left  to  the  religious  organizations.  The  German 
Democratic  Party  demanded  that  religion  should  be  a  regular  sub¬ 
ject  of  instruction  in  the  school  Avhen  so  ordered  by  the  State,  and 
that  it  should  then  be  under  the  control  of  the  State. 

The  result  of  the  deliberations  as  embodied  in  the  Constitution  of 
the  German  Republic,  adopted  July  31  and  confirmed  on  August  21, 
1919,  is  reported  in  the  Schwezerizsehe  Lehrerzeitung  August  30, 
1919.  Upon  request  by  the  legally  qualified  patrons  of  education 
schools  may  be  established  within  the  communities  in  accordance 
with  the  religious  doctrines  or  philosophy  of  life  (Weltanschauung) 
there  prevailing  in  so  far  as  the  regular  educational  work  suffers  no 
interference  by  schools  of  this  kind.  Consequently  the  authorities 
within  the  communities  will  decide  whether  a  denominational  or 
undenominational  school  is  to  be  maintained.  Stress  is  laid  on  the 
regard  that  must  be  shoAvn  by  the  educational  authorities  for  the 
differences  of  belief  and  opinion  that  prevail  there.  Such  regard, 
according  to  another  clause,  permits  a  minority  of  legally  qualified 
patrons  to  have  a  separate  private  folk  school  established  Avhere  no 
public  school  of  their  confession  or  their  philosophy  of  life  exists,  or 
where  the  educational  authorities  wish  to  further  an  educational  pur¬ 
pose  of  special  interest. 

To  impart  instruction  in  religion  or  to  assist  in  church  activities 
is  optional  with  the  teacher.  With  those  Avho  haA^e  charge  of  the 
religious  instruction  of  the  child  it  is  optional  to  determine  Avhether 
or  not  the  child  shall  take  part  in  the  instruction  in  religious  subjects 
and  in  church  acts  and  solemnities.  The  theological  faculties  of  the 


170 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


universities  are  to  be  maintained.  The  legislative  assemblies  of  each 
State  will  issue  more  specific  regulations  in  accordance  with  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  an  amendment  later  to  be  embodied  in  the  Constitution.1 

Obviously  the  committee  on  Constitution  was  not  sure  of  its  ground 
when  it  formulated  the  regulations  for  instruction  in  religion.  The 
opposition  that  had  developed  against  the  first  radical  steps,  the  con¬ 
flicting  views  held  by  political  parties  and  teachers’  associations,  led 
to  the  postponement  of  the  main  difficulty  by  promise  of  a  supple¬ 
mentary  enactment.  In  the  meantime  the  State  and  the  community 
will  struggle  as  well  as  they  can  with  the  difficulty  of  conducting  the 
instruction  in  religion  both  under  State  supervision  and  in  accord 
with  local  doctrinal  principles.  It  seems  also  that  the  problem  is 
complicated  by  the  twofold  basis  adopted,  namely,  religious  doctrine 
and  philosophy  of  life.2 

THE  EINHEITSSCHULE. 

In  its  issue  of  April  19,  1919,  the  Allgemeine  Deutsche  Lehrerzei- 
tung  says : 

The  fundamental  idea  is  not  to  provide  all  Germans  with  the  same  educa¬ 
tion,  but  to  provide  for  all  of  them  an  equal  opportunity  to  acquire  an  educa¬ 
tion  corresponding  to  their  respective  capacities.  Every  pupil  is  not  to  be  pre¬ 
pared  for  a  university  course,  or  even  all  who  think  themselves  obligated  to  take 
such  a  course  in  order  to  support  the  social  rank  of  their  parents.'  The  “  Ein- 
heitsschule  ”  is  designed  to  put  every  pupil  in  his  proper  place,  to  see  that  every 
one  gets  all  the  education  that  he  can  profitably  utilize.  It  is  no  longer  to  be 
left  to  the  biased  and  incompetent  opinion  of  the  parents  to  decide  what  educa¬ 
tion  their  children  shall  receive. 

To  attain  the  ideal  of  equal  opportunity  independent  of  wealth  or 
standing,  it  has  been  advocated  to  make  the  elementary  courses  uni¬ 
form  for  all.  The  idea  of  uniformity  has  been  heeded  in  the  Consti¬ 
tution  by  providing  that  the  school  system  be  organically  built  up 
and  developed.  From  a  foundation  school  common  to  all  pupils  the 
secondary  and  advanced  schools  are  to  be  built  up,  eight  years  of 
obligatory  folk  school  with  continuation  instruction  till  the  comple¬ 
tion  of  the  eighteenth  year.  The  variety  and  the  scope  of  vocations 
and  life  duties  are  to  determine  their  development  and  organization. 
The  admission  of  a  child  to  any  certain  school  is  to  depend  on  its 
gifts  and  inclinations,  and  not  upon  the  economic  or  social  position 
of  its  parents  or  upon  their  religious  views. 

As  the  first  step  toward  this  end,  it  was  necessary  to  abolish  the 
private  preparatory  schools,  which  in  some  parts  of  north  Germany 


1  Schweizerische  Lehrerzeitung,  Aug.  30,  1919. 

2  Article  149  of  the  Constitution  makes  religion  a  regular  branch  of  school  instruction, 
except  in  the  case  of  schools  acknowledging  no  creed,  or  “  worldly  schools.”  The  same 
article  states,  however,  that  no  teacher  is  required  to  impart  instruction  in  religion  and 
that  no  pupil  is  required  to  attend  such  instruction. 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.  171 

had  attracted  the  mass  of  children,  to  the  depletion  of  the  folk  schools. 
Again,  the  framers  of  the  Constitution  felt  that  if  there  was  to  be  a 
uniform  system  of  schools  there  must  be  a  uniform  system  in  the 
training  of  the  teachers.  Hence  they  placed  this  training  under  the 
direct  control  of  the  Republic,  with  the  view  of  making  it  an  organic 
entity  throughout.  Such  instruction  is  therefore  not  to  be  given  in 
detached  institutions  or  in  those  working  out  of  relations  to  one 
another.  The  regulation  about  school  inspection  was  obviously  made 
with  the  same  purpose  of  uniformity  in  mind.  The  duty  of  inspect¬ 
ing  the  schools  is  vested  in  the  State ;  it  is  to  be  conducted  by  State 
appointees  especially  trained  as  experts  in  their  work. 

THE  TEACHERS  AND  THE  NEW  REGIME. 

The  new  Constitution  invests  the  teachers  in  the  public  schools 
with  the  rights  and  duties  of  State  officials.  The  constitutional  pro¬ 
viso  according  to  the  present  trend  of  development  will  be  expanded 
by  each  State  so  that  the  school  will  become  a  community  institution 
and  the  teacher  a  State  official.  Judging  from  the  views  promulgated 
in  Bavaria,  the  State  should  have  the  power  to  nominate,  elect,  and 
dismiss  a  teacher  and  fix  his  salary.  All  functions  of  this  kind 
should,  according  to  the  same  trend  of  opinion,  be  removed  from  the 
communities.  The  National  Constitution  exempts  him  from  the  duty 
of  assisting  in  the  church  service  as  chorister  or  otherwise. 

The  German  Teachers’  Association,  in  a  memorandum  to  the  com¬ 
mittee  on  the  Constitution,  requested  the  embodiment  of  three  points 
in  the  final  enactment : 

1.  That  the  proviso,  the  teacher  of  public  schools  shall  have  the 
rights  and  duties  of  Government  officials,  should  be  replaced  by  the 
reading,  “  Teachers  of  public  schools  are  Government  officials.” 

2.  That  the  privilege  of  free  tuition  and  free  instruction  material 
shall  be  extended  beyond  the  folk  school  to  advanced  institutions. 

3.  That  communities  as  organizations  for  religious  purposes  shall 
not  have  the  right  to  supervise  religious  instruction  through  per¬ 
sons  especially  appointed  for  that  purpose. 

The  Constitution  as  adopted  disposed  of  points  1  and  3,  retaining 
the  reading  that  teachers  in  public  schools  shall  have  the  rights  and 
duties  of  Government  officials,  and  point  3  by  leaving  the  right  of 
supervision  over  religious  instruction  a  matter  for  the  State,  with 
concessions  to  the  communities.  Point  2  is  left  to  be  dealt  with  by 
the  State  legislative  assemblies.1  The  liberal  trend  of  legislation  af¬ 
fecting  the  standing  of  teachers  may  be  inferred  from  the  draft  of 
an  emergency  school  law  adopted  by  the  People’s  Assembly  in  Saxony. 
A  clause  of  this  law  makes  the  election  of  the  school  principal  the 


1  Schweizerische  Lelirerzeitung,  Aug.  30,  1919. 


172 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


duty  of  the  faculty  of  the  school.  Again,  it  provides  that  the  local 
school  board  shall  be  made  up  to  the  extent  of  one-half  of  its  mem¬ 
bership  by  representatives  of  the  community  and  one-fourth  each  of 
parents  and  teachers.1 

From  teachers’  associations  and  educational  authorities  come  fre¬ 
quent  statements  that  Germany’s  course  to  recovery  from  her  frightful 
losses  lies  through  improved  opportunities  for  all  in  a  better  ordered 
system  of  instruction.  President  Ebert  asserts  that  the  Republic,  the 
State,  and  the  community  will  now  be  more  dependent  than  formerly 
on  educated  people.  The  Government  employees  and  officials,  in¬ 
cluding  the  teachers,  will  have  greater  privileges  than  before  with 
respect  to  concerted  action  toward  remedying  unsatisfactory  condi¬ 
tions.  Such  service  on  the  part  of  the  teachers  is  not  regarded  as  in¬ 
consistent  with  their  own  expressed  wish  to  keep  education  out  of 
politics,  for  they  have  also  declared  that  they  will,  as  long  as  possible, 
cooperate  with  the  ministry  that  furthers  their  wishes  as  in  harmony 
with  the  course  of  State  events.  In  these  endeavors,  party  affiliations 
will  fie  left  out  of  consideration. 

With  the  launching  of  the  idea  that  the  teacher  is  needed  ill 
politics  comes  a  statement  from  a  teachers’  representative  journal 
emphasizing  the  importance  of  keeping  the  notions  of  politics  and 
partisan  politics  clearly  apart.  Among  the  representatives  are  too 
many  who  represent  the  interests.  If  the  teachers  are  to  represent 
any  interests,  it  must  be  that  of  the  folk  school,  not  that  of  the 
teachers. 

Xot  only  are  the  teachers  by  the  pressure  of  events  brought  into 
politics,  but  politics  is  brought  into  the  schools  as  a  subject  of 
instruction.  The  Constitution  just  adopted  provides  that  instruction 
shall  be  given  in  the  civic  organization  of  society,  in  social  outlook 
consistent  with  the  spirit  of  the  German  people,  and  the  reconcilia¬ 
tion  of  the  peoples  of  the  world. 

THE  EXTENDED  OBLIGATORY  PERIOD. 

The  extension  of  the  compulsory  period  till  the  completion  of  the 
eighteenth  year  requires  attendance  at  continuation  schools  which 
will  be  developed  into  secondary  and  vocational  schools.  This  en¬ 
tire  system  of  trade  and  vocational  schools  is  to  be  so  coordinated 
with  the  public  schools  for  general  education  that  they,  too,  prepare 
for  higher  institutions.  During  the  past  15  or  20  years  continuation 
schools  have  developed  their  own  characteristics  in  which  prepara¬ 
tion  for  a  calling  predominates.  Among  these  schools — most  of 
them  trade  and  vocational — no  inner  relation  exists.  They  do  not 
articulate  with  one  another  or  with  the  advanced  schools  for  general 


1  Ibid.,  Aug.  23,  1919. 


EDUCATION  IN  CERTAIN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


173 


education.  They  have  grown  up  under  the  needs  of  separate  locali¬ 
ties,  with  local  characteristics  predominating.  Among  these  there 
is  no  regular  course  of  progression  from  elementary  types  to  the 
more  advanced.  Each  is  complete  within  itself. 

Moreover,  through  the  effects  of  the  new  law  extending  the  obli¬ 
gatory  time,  these  schools  will  receive  a  large  influx,  probably  as 
high  as  90  per  cent  of  the  total  number  leaving  the  folk  school.  In 
the  “  open  road  for  the  gifted,”  educators  have  had  in  mind  mainly 
the  10  per  cent  or  less  who  proceed  in  the  straight  continuation 
toward  the  universities,  not  the  90  per  cent  who  enter  the  callings 
and  the  trades.  To  provide  the  open  road  for  the  gifted  has  meant 
in  the  discussions  those  gifted  with  reference  to  university  studies. 
But  if  each  one  is  to  be  placed  where  his  powers,  inclinations,  and 
ambitions  have  the  best  opportunities,  the  interests  of  those  inclined 
toward  the  vocations  must  also  be  heeded.  How  the  advancement 
of  these  is  to  be  made  till  the  completion  of  the  eighteenth  year  so 
as  to  satisfy  the  new  law  constitutes  an  immediate  problem,  namely, 
to  devise  study  programs  that  lead  with  satisfactory  continuity  from 
the  vocational  studies  to  advanced  work  in  political  science,  lan¬ 
guages,  and  aesthetics. 

Closely  bound  up  with  reorganization  under  the  recent  continua¬ 
tion  law  is  the  “  selection  and  advance  of  gifted  pupils.”  Since 
the  war  greater  significance  is  attached  to  efforts  of  this  kind  than 
formerly.  In  the  general  discussions  it  is  continually  urged  that 
the  State  make  the  fullest  use  of  all  gifted  pupils  in  order  to  recover 
from  the  appalling  losses  of  the  war. 

Among  educators  and  patrons  of  education  there  is  satisfactory 
agreement  that  neither  social  position  nor  lack  of  means  must  keep 
a  talented  pupil  from  the  instruction  that  will  most  fully  develop 
his  talent.  But  beyond  that  the  discussion  tends  back  to  funda¬ 
mentals — how  to  recognize  talent  and  when  and  where  to  make  the 
selection.  Thus  far  the  ground  gained  appears  to  be  that  a  selec¬ 
tion  along  broad  and  general  lines  should  be  made  in  the  folk  school, 
with  consequent  slight  differentiation  of  the  curriculum  for  the 
resulting  divisions;  other  classifications  to  be  made  at  stated  times 
during  the  continuation  period  with  final  selection  before  the  portals 
of  the  university.  To  help  in  the  selection  of  the  gifted,  which  in 
many  cases  is  tantamount  to  the  choice  of  a  calling,  it  is  urged  that 
the  theory  of  vocational  selection  should  be  brought  into  the  courses 
of  study  and  that  individual  conferences  with  pupils  should  be  held. 
It  is  pointed  out  that  gifts  in  the  sense  of  school  requirements  and 
life  requirements  are  not  the  same,  as  the  vast  number  of  cases  in 
which  talent  has  manifested  itself  only  after  school  days  will  testify. 
Whether  the  selection  is  to  be  determined  by  continued  observation 
of  the  pupil's  ambition,  his  achievement,  or  his  intelligence,  or  by 


174 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


all  these  modes,  the  total  worth  of  the  individual  as  to  integrity, 
ambition,  and  capacity  is  to  decide.  In  these  segregations  the  Ger¬ 
man  educators  are  not  overlooking  the  moral  and  psychic  damage 
that  would  be  inflicted  by  officially  pronouncing  pupils  as  inferior, 
hence  they  are  avoiding  designations  of  this  kind. 

Practically  the  selection  of  the  gifted  means  a  separation  into 
classes  where  division  A  is  capable  of  more  rapid  advancement  than 
division  B.  But  if  one  division  can  do  the  same  work  in,  say,  half 
the  time  of  the  other,  the  division  making  the  more  rapid  progress 
would  reach  the  secondary  schools  before  the  age  requirements  would 
admit  them  to  these;  hence  it  is  thought  advisable  to  defer  this 
classification  till  the  last  two  years  of  the  required  period.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  is  £>ointed  out  that  early  graduation  would  not  be  ob¬ 
jectionable  in  view  of  the  lesser  age  of  university  students  of  former 
times,  and,  again,  that  early  graduation  would  permit  of  earlier 
service  to  the  State. 

SCHOOL  REFORMS  IN  SEVERAL  GERMAN  STATES. 

Though  the  school  reforms  in  Prussia  were  looked  upon  as  indi¬ 
cating  the  general  coursS  that  should  be  taken,  independent  move¬ 
ments  uninfluenced  by  Prussia  were  started  elsewhere.  Some  early 
regulations  were  evidently  of  a  temporary  character,  issued  under  the 
pressure  of  popular  demand  and  subject  to  ratification  by  the  State 
Assembly.  In  Baden  the  minister  of  instruction  summoned  the  en¬ 
tire  body  of  teachers  to  cooperate  with  him  through  committees  to 
reach  arrangements  in  accord  with  the  new  outlook.  Bavaria,  in 
resuming  work  on  the  school  laws  after  the  wTar,  found  that  the  new 
order  required  her  to  proceed  along  altered  principles.1  Some  of 
these  reforms  were  regarded  with  apprehension  by  the  private  schools. 
The  extreme  measures  toward  socialization  of  all  educational  insti¬ 
tutions  caused  the  supporters  of  the  private  schools  to  seek  affili¬ 
ations  with  the  conservatives  in  politics.  With  private  school  edu¬ 
cators  the  position  taken  by  the  Minister  of  Education  Haenisch  was 
more  acceptable  than  that  of  Hoffman,  in  so  far  as  the  former  ap¬ 
peared  to  institute  reforms  by  building  upon  and  improving  what 
was  already  established.  In  expectation  of  what  might  come,  the  pri¬ 
vate  schools  began  to  publish  exhaustive  arguments  in  defense  of 
their  institutions. 

The  first  move  against  them  came  in  Saxony,  where  the  people’s 
representative  for  the  department  of  education  made  public  an  order 
to  take  effect  on  Januar}^  1,  1919 : 

Supervision  of  schools  by  religious  bodies  is  abolished.  Schools  that  have  no 
superintendent  (direktor)  are  under  the  supervision  of  local  school  authorities. 


1  Schweirzerische  Lehrerzeitung.  July  26,  1919. 


EDUCATION  IX  CERTAIX  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 


175 


From  Easter  on  tuition  at  folk  schools  and  continuation  schools  will  be  free 
and  the  entire  folk-school  system  reorganized  in  accordance  with  the  principles 
of  the  “  Einlieitsschule.”  Religious  instruction  will  in  the  future  be  imparted 
in  such  a  way  that  no  religious  organization  will  come  to  suffer  thereby.  Per¬ 
mission  to  establish  private  schools  ivill  no  longer  be  granted.  New  elections 
conducted  in  accordance  with  democratic  principles  shall  select  school  boards.1 

This  order  brought  out  a  protest  from  the  supporters  of  private 
schools,  in  which,  among  other  things,  it  was  stated  that  the  National 
Assembly  of  Saxony  was  the  proper  body  to  issue  such  regulations. 

The  new  national  constitution  defines  the  position  of  private 
schools  by  stating  that,  as  a  substitute  for  public  schools,  they  shall 
require  the  approval  of  the  State,  and  that  thejr  shall  be  entirely 
under  the  control  of  the  State. 

Approval  is  to  be  granted  when  the  private  schools  are  equal  to 
the  public  institutions  with  respect  to  their  educational  aims  and 
arrangements  as  well  as  in  the  training  and  education  of  their  teach¬ 
ing  force,  and  provided,  further,  that  they  are  so  organized  and 
managed  that  they  do  not  cause  a  division  of  their  pupils  on  the 
basis  of  the  economic  conditions  of  the  parents.2  Approval  is  to  be 
withheld  wdien  the  economic  and  legal  status  of  the  teaching  force 
is  not  satisfactory. 

A  report  published  in  the  Schweizerische  Lehrerzeitung  for  June 
14,  1919,  states  that  on  May  8  the  minister  of  education  made  public 
the  regulations  for  organizing  teachers’  councils  in  Bavaria,  an  an¬ 
nouncement  hailed  by  the  teachers  of  Bavaria  as  a  veritable  decree 
of  their  emancipation. 

A  series  of  teachers’  organizations — community,  district,  and 
city,  each  a  separate  working  unit — forms  a  national  council  of 
folk  school  teachers  having  the  duty  of  cooperating  with  the  Gov¬ 
ernment  school  authorities.  They  will  be  expected  to  take  the  initia¬ 
tive  toward  furthering  the  interests  of  the  schools  and  to  guard 
the  professional  and  social  interests  of  the  teachers.  The  announce¬ 
ment  specifies  the  manner  of  electing  the  members  of  the  district, 
city,  and  national  councils,  and  the  duties  of  each  of  these  bodies. 
School  inspectors  are  not  eligible  to  membership.  The  city  council 
is  to  provide  teachers’  representation  at  sessions  of  the  community 
authorities.  The  district  council  represents  the  teachers  when  school 
questions,  like  school  supervision,  organization,  and  the  appointment 
of  inspectors,  are  to  be  decided.  The  authorities  may  also  summon 
the  council  or  any  of  its  members  for  conference  on  school  matters. 

The  National  Council  (Landeslehrrat) ,  elected  by  the  entire  num¬ 
ber  of  folk  school  teachers,  consists  of  16  members  and  8  alternates. 


1  Zeitschrift  fur  Kinderforschung,  December-January. 

2  The  history  and  present  status  of  the  private  schools  seem  to  show  that  it  is  exceed¬ 
ingly  difficult  to  conduct  them  without  causing  such  division. 


176 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


This  council  represents  all  the  teachers  in  sessions  with  the  minister 
of  education  where  questions  of  a  fundamental  character  affecting 
teachers  and  schools  are  taken  up.  In  these  matters  the  National 
Teachers’  Council  has  the  right  of  initiative.  The  ministry  of  edu¬ 
cation  can  summon  the  National  Council  or  any  of  its  members  to  a 
conference.  Upon  request  of  the  National  Council  the  ministry  will 
send  representatives  to  its  sessions.  The  fact  that  the  National 
Council  represents  folk  school  teachers  only  is  open  to  criticism,  but 
it  is  obviously  only  a  first  step  which  will  lead  to  similar  councils 
of  all  secondary  schools  and  eventually  to  merging  all  these  in  one 
body  fully  representing  the  teaching  forces  of  the  country. 


PART  III. 

ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


ITS  PLACE  IN  THE  NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  is  the  principal  educational  agency  of 
the  United  States  Government.  It  is  the  one  organization  in  the 
country  whose  outlook  embraces  the  Nation,  and  whose  scope  includes 
every  degree  of  the  business  of  education.  It  performs  no  consider¬ 
able  executive  function  of  its  own.  It  tenders  information,  and  it 
gives  specific  advice,  when  advice  is  asked,  but  neither  the  bureau 
as  an  entity  nor  its  officers  as  individuals  need  concern  themselves 
with  the  execution  of  plans  proposed  for  the  improvement  of  any 
educational  condition.  Its  interests  do  not,  therefore,  encounter 
those  of  any  other  agency,  and  there  can  be  no  reason  nor  excuse  for 
jealousy  or  hostility  toward  it. 

The  members  of  its  staff  are  wholly  free  from  local  bias.  They 
are  in  constant  contact  with  the  best  educational  practice  through¬ 
out  the  country,  and  their  understanding  of  educational  movements 
comes  not  only  from  personal  study  but  from  frequent  discussion 
with  leaders  in  the  several  lines  of  education. 

It  is  natural  that  the  place  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Nation  should  become  larger  with  each  succeeding  year. 
In  its  beginning,  in  1867,  its  influence  came  in  great  measure  from 
the  personal  prestige  of  the  distinguished  educator  at  the  head  of 
it,  Henry  Barnard;  but  each  of  the  able  men  in  the  line  of  commis¬ 
sioners  who  followed  him  has  done  his  part  in  strengthening  the 
position  and  in  extending  the  activities  of  the  bureau.  It  is  now 
approaching  its  full  stature  as  an  advisory  organization.  The  value 
of  its  services  is  generally  recognized,  and  the  place  of  leadership 
is  ungrudgingly  conceded  to  it. 

The  experiences  of  the  war  gave  convincing  evidence  of  the  use¬ 
fulness  of  the  bureau,  and  added  greatty  to  its  prestige.  No  im¬ 
portant  step  involving  education  was  taken  without  the  participa¬ 
tion  of  the  bureau  or  of  its  officers.  The  Students’  Army  Training 
Corps  was  proposed  by  one  of  them,  and  he  aided  materialty  in  its 
development,  and  in  the  development  of  the  permanent  training 

177 


178 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


scheme  of  the  Army  which  followed  it.  In  its  relations  with  the 
colleges  and  educational  institutions  generally,  the  War  Department 
constantly  sought  the  assistance  and  advice  of  the  bureau.  Not  only 
the  Bureau  of  Education,  but  the  Federal  Board  of  Vocational  Edu¬ 
cation,  of  which  the  Commissioner  of  Education  is  a  member,  was 
called  upon  freely  in  planning  and  conducting  the  industrial  train¬ 
ing  of  soldiers  and  sailors.  A  member  of  the  staff  of  the  bureau 
was  commissioned  as  an  officer  in  the  Army  in  order  that  he  might 
aid  the  more  effectively  in  directing  the  educational  work  in  be¬ 
half  of  soldiers  in  the  military  hospitals.  The  bureau  cooperated 
closely  with  the  Council  of  National  Defense  in  the  organization  of 
community  centers  as  an  effective  means  of  popular  cooperation  in 
the  conduct  of  the  war.  The  Capital  Issues  Commission  relied  upon 
the  judgment  of  the  bureau  in  authorizing  or  declining  to  authorize 
the  issue  of  bonds  for  constructing  schoolhouses.  The  President  of 
the  United  States  directed  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to  coop¬ 
erate  with  the  Food  Administration  in  the  preparation  and  distribu¬ 
tion  of  a  series  of  Lessons  in  Community  and  National  Life  whose 
purpose  was  to  aid  in  the  maintenance  and  the  upbuilding  of  the 
national  morale,  through  the  medium  of  the  schools  of  the  country. 
With  the  approval  and  by  the  direction  of  the  President,  the 
Commissioner  of  Education  conducted  a  vigorous  campaign  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  schools  at  full  efficiency,  notwithstanding  dis¬ 
tractions  and  difficulties  due  to  the  war.  The  President  also  as¬ 
signed  to  the  Bureau  of  Education  important  sums  from  his  “  emer¬ 
gency  fund”  for  encouraging  the  production  of  food  by  school 
children;  for  aiding  school  boards  to  find  teachers;  for  hastening 
the  Americanization  of  aliens;  and  for  raising  the  level  of  intelli¬ 
gence  of  the  people  by  means  of  educational  extension. 

The  mention  of  these  facts  is  not  by  any  means  an  enumeration  of 
the  services  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  during  the  war  and  in  the 
reconstruction,  but  an  indication  of  its  place  as  a  factor  in  the 
National  Government.  In  accordance  with  its  traditions  it  did  not 
in  any  instance  actually  control  the  essential  activities  named,  but 
its  influence  in  them  was  none  the  less  direct  and  important. 

SURVEYS. 

In  relation  to  the  schools  and  other  educational  institutions  of  the 
country,  the  functions  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  are  purely  ad¬ 
visory,  and  they  are  still  exercised  principally  through  its  publica¬ 
tions,  which  are  necessarily  of  general  application,  as  a  rule.  But 
more  and  more  the  personal  element  is  entering.  “Surveys”  and 
“  conferences  ”  are  bringing  the  specialists  of  the  bureau  into  direct 
contact  with  the  administration  of  educational  affairs. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


179 


Although  surveys  have  recently  become  a  conspicuous  feature  in 
educational  work,  the  idea  is  not  by  an}7  means  new.  The  first  im¬ 
portant  work  done  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  was  a  survey  of  the 
public  schools  of  the  District  of  Columbia.  The  act  to  establish  the 
“  Department  ”  of  Education  was  approved  March  2,  1867.  Only  a 
few  days  later,  on  March  29,  the  President  approved  the  following 
resolution : 

Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States 
of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  the  Commissioner  of  Education  be 
directed  to  ascertain  the  number  of  children  resident  in  the  District  of  Columbia 
over  the  age  of  6  years  and  under  the  age  of  18  years;  the  number  of  said 
children  that  are  blind  and  the  number  that  are  deaf  and  dumb;  the  number 
and  character  of  public  schoolhouses,  number  of  teachers,  and  the  number  of 
pupils  in  attendance;  number  and  character  of  school  libraries,  character  of 
textbooks  used,  average  period  per  annum  each  pupil  is  taught,  and  cost  of 
tuition,  with  incidental  expenses  of  said  schools,  and  report  the  same  to  Con¬ 
gress  at  its  next  regular  session,  together  with  his  opinion  of  the  relative  effi¬ 
ciency  of  the  system  now  in  force  in  said  District,  and  whether  any  additional 
legislation  is  necessary  in  order  to  secure  the  advantages  of  said  system  to  all 
of  said  children. 

The  report  of  the  survey  was  published  in  a  volume  of  912  pages 
as  the  “  Special  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  on  the 
Condition  and  Improvement  of  Public  Schools  in  the  District  of 
Columbia.”  In  the  thoroughness  of  the  investigation  and  in  the 
wealth  of  comparative  material  in  the  report,  it  has  rarely  been 
equaled  in  the  history  of  educational  surveys.  It  was  done  in  Henry 
Barnard’s  characteristic  style. 

The  next  survey  which  the  Bureau  of  Education  was  called  upon 
to  make  was  in  1892,  while  Dr.  W.  T.  Harris  was  commissioner. 
Once  more  the  schools  of  the  District  of  Columbia  were  investigated, 
this  time  in  accordance  with  the  following  provision  of  the  Act  of 
Congress  approved  July  14,  1892 : 

The  Commissioner  of  Education  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  ex¬ 
amine  and  report  to  Congress,  on  the  first  day  of  its  next  session,  on  the  schools 
of  the  District  of  Columbia,  as  respects  their  organization,  efficiency,  methods 
and  cost,  and  with  said  report  make  such  recommendations  as  to  him  may 
seem  advisable. 

Only  $500  was  appropriated  for  the  work,  and  the  portion  of  that 
sum  which  was  expended  went  almost  entirely  for  carriage  hire  for 
taking  the  “surveyors”  about  the  city.  The  entire  report  was  in¬ 
cluded  in  a  leaflet  of  15  pages  which  was  published  as  a  Senate 
document. 

The  bureau’s  third  survey  was  made  in  1911,  under  the  direction 
of  Commissioner  Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  and  it  covered  the  public 
schools  of  Baltimore,  Md.  The  report  of  it  is  contained  in  Bureau 
of  Education  Bulletin,  1911,  No.  4. 


180 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


During  recent  years  the  survey  idea  has  had  wme  extension,  and 
this  bureau  has  been  repeatedly  asked  to  conduct  such  examinations. 
It  has  responded  favorably  whenever  it  was  possible  to  do  so,  and 
39  surveys  in  all  have  been  undertaken  by  the  Commissioner  of 
Education.  In  some  of  them  all  the  educational  activities  of  entire 
States  have  been  investigated ;  in  others  only  certain  phases  of  edu¬ 
cation  were  considered.  Four  counties  and  twelve  cities  have  been 
surveyed  separately.  The  higher  educational  institutions  of  five 
States  and  four  individual  institutions  have  also  been  investigated. 
In  all  those  instances  full  reports  were  made  to  the  officers  concerned 
and  complete  and  detailed  plans  were  presented  for  the  improvement 
of  the  conditions  that  were  found.1 * * * * * 

During  the  year  1918-19,  surveys  of  two  entire  States,  South  Da¬ 
kota  and  Alabama,  and  of  two  cities,  Columbia,  S.  C.,  and  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  were  completed.  In  addition,  the  survey  of  Lexington,  Ky., 
was  begun,  and  those  of  the  Territory  of  Hawaii  and  the  District 
of  Columbia  were  planned.  Still  others  are  in  contemplation. 

PUBLICATIONS. 

For  reasons  which  were  stated  in  the  Report  of  1918  and  else¬ 
where,  this  bureau  no  longer  makes  an  annual  report  in  the  extended 
form  of  former  reports.  This  document  is  an  example  of  the  Annual 
Reports  which  will  be  issued  hereafter.  A  “  biennial  survey”  will  be 
prepared  in  the  even-numbered  years  and  will  correspond  substan¬ 
tially  to  the  annual  reports  issued  before  1918. 

The  first  volume  of  the  Biennial  Survey  will  contain  an  interpre¬ 
tative  review  of  the  progress  of  education  in  the  United  States  and 
all  other  culture  countries ;  the  second  will  contain  statistics  of  edu¬ 
cation  in  the  United  States.  The  several  chapters  of  each  volume 
w  ill  be  printed  and  distributed  separately,  and  a  small  edition  of  the 
complete  volumes  will  be  issued,  principally  for  the  use  of  libraries. 

The  demands  of  the  war  upon  the  Government  Printing  Office, 
made  directly  and  indirectly,  caused  a  marked  decrease  in  the  publi¬ 
cations  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  during  1918.  In  the  latter  half 
of  the  year  the  list  contained  only  (1)  a  few  bulletins  ordered  long 
before;  (2)  the  regular  numbers  of  the  periodicals,  44  School  Life,” 
44  Americanization,”  and  44  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational 
Periodicals;”  (3)  necessary  reports,  including  those  of  four  sur¬ 
veys  conducted  by  the  bureau;  (4)  eight  advance  chapters  from  the 

1  The  surveys  were  as  follows:  States:  Alabama,  Arizona,  Colorado  (administration 

and  finance),  Delaware  (rural  schools;  in  part),  District  of  Columbia  (1867,  1892,  and 
1919),  Hawaii,  South  Dakota,  Tennessee,  Washington,  Wyoming.  Counties;  Nassau,  N.  Y. ; 

Bell,  Tex. ;  Fall,  Tex. ;  W7alker,  Tex.  Cities  :  Baltimore,  Md. ;  Columbia,  S.  C. ;  Elyria. 

Ohio ;  Jamestown,  N.  Dak. ;  Lexington,  Ky. ;  Memphis,  Tenn. ;  San  Francisco,  Calif. ; 
WTebster  Grove,  Mo.  Higher  Institutions;  Iowa;  North  Carolina,  North  Dakota  (8),  Ore¬ 

gon,  Virginia.  Individual  institutions:  University  of  Nevada;  University  of  Oregon; 

Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute,  Peoria,  Ill. ;  Agricultural  High  School,  La  Crosse,  Wis. ; 

Industrial ;  Richmond,  Va. ;  Wilmington,  Del. ;  Gardens :  Atlanta,  Ga. ;  Richmond,  Ind. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  181 

Biennial  Survey  of  Education;  and  (5)  a  number  of  “  leaflets”  and 
brief  “  circulars,”  of  which  nearly  all  were  directly  in  relation  to 
the  war. 

The  pressure  of  war  work  upon  the  Government  Printing  Office 
did  not.  cease  immediately  after  the  armistice,  for  great  numbers  of 
blank  forms  and  the  like  were  required  for  the  demobilization  of 
the  Army ;  but  in  1919  it  has  been  possible  to  have  a  number  of  docu¬ 
ments  printed  which  is  far  in  excess  of  anything  which  has  been 
done  in  any  other  similar  period  of  the  bureau’s  history. 

Periodicals. — To  enable  the  bureau  to  reach  a  much  larger  number 
of  those  persons  who  are  directly  interested  in  its  work  -than  can  be 
reached  through  the  very  limited  editions  of  its  reports,  bulletins, 
and  leaflets,  near  the  beginning  of  the  fiscal  year  was  begun  the  pub¬ 
lication  of  two  journals — one,  School  Life,  a  16-page,  semimonthly 
journal,  of  each  edition  of  which  approximately  40,000  copies  are 
mailed  to  universities,  colleges,  normal  schools,  State,  county,  and 
city  school  officers  and  to  libraries  and  to  newspapers;  and,  second, 
the  Americanization  Bulletin,  the  title  of  which  was  later  changed 
to  “Americanization,”  a  monthly  journal  of  16  pages,  which  began 
with  an  edition  of  10,000  copies,  increasing  to  22,000  to  meet  the 
growing  demand  for  it  by  societies  and  individuals  directly  inter¬ 
ested  in  the  work  of  Americanization. 

In  December,  1918,  the  bureau  took  over  School  Service,  a  semi¬ 
monthly  paper  of  from  16  to  24  pages,  which  had  been  published 
since  early  in  the  fiscal  year  by  the  Committee  on  Public  Informa¬ 
tion  for  the  purpose  of  giving  teachers  and  pupils  information  as  to 
the  progress  of  the  war  and  the  more  important  activities  of  the 
Federal  Government.  This  publication  was  continued  by  the  Bu¬ 
reau  of  Education  until  May.  Of  each  number  650,000  copies  were 
printed  and  mailed  to  all  the  public  and  private  schools  of  the 
United  States  in  quantities  sufficient  to  give  one  copy  to  each  teacher. 
After  the  middle  of  the  year  the  bureau  took  over  Library  Service, 
a  publication  which  had  been  begun  by  the  Food  Administration, 
and  has  continued  its  publication  at  irregular  intervals.  The  pur¬ 
pose  of  this  publication  is  to  give  public  libraries  constant  informa¬ 
tion  about  the  organization,  the  activities,  and  the  publications  of 
the  various  administrative  departments,  bureaus,  and  boards  of  the 
Federal  Government.  For  this  information  there  is  great  demand, 
and  librarians  everywhere  have  expressed  themselves  as  greatly 
pleased  with  this  service.  The  publication  of  School  Life,  Ameri¬ 
canization,  and  the  Library  Service  is  continued,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  continue  School  Service  without  a  special  appropriation  of  not  less 
than  $150,000  a  year.  Since  the  very  important  task  of  giving  to 
children  in  the  schools  reliable  information  about  the  progress  of  the 
142539°— 19 - 13 


182 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


world  and  creating  in  them  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Government  can  not  be  performed  half  so  effectively  by  any  other 
agency,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  means  may  be  furnished  for  its 
revival  and  continued  publication  at  an  early  date. 

COOPERATION  WITH  PRIVATE  ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  clause  in  the  appropriation  bill  of  1917,  which  became  effective 
July  1,  1919,  makes  it  illegal  for  any  governmental  official  or  em¬ 
ployee  to  receive  any  salary  in  connection  with  his.  services  as  such 
official  or  employee  from  any  source  other  than  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  except  as  may  be  contributed  out  of  the  treasury 
of  any  State,  county,  or  municipality,  and  forbids  any  person,  asso¬ 
ciation,  or  corporation  to  make  any  provision  or  in  any  way  supple¬ 
ment  the  salary  of  any  Government  official  or  employee  for  services 
performed  by  him  for  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  There¬ 
fore,  the  cooperation  of  the  Phelps-Stokes  Fund,  through  which  for 
more  than  seven  years  this  bureau  had  made  very  valuable  studies 
in  the  field  of  negro  education;  the  cooperation  of  the  National 
Kindergarten  Association,  which  had  assisted  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  in  its  work  of  promoting  kindergarten  education;  the  coopera¬ 
tion  of  the  National  Congress  of  Mothers  and  Parent-Teacher  Asso¬ 
ciations,  through  which  the  Home  Education  Division  of  the  bureau 
had  been  maintained,  and  the  cooperation  of  the  Child  Health  Or¬ 
ganization  of  New  York,  which  had  for  a  year  been  very  helpful  to 
the  bureau  in  promoting  health  instruction  and  the  care  of  the  health 
of  children  in  schools,  were  automatically  discontinued  on  that  date. 
The  kindergarten  work,  the  work  of  the  division  of  home  education, 
and  the  work  of  caring  for  the  health  of  children  .in  the  schools  are 
reduced  in  efficiency  until  such  time  as  Congress  shall  make  good 
the  loss  by  larger  appropriations. 

The  Division  of  Negro  Education,  or  the  Division  of  Education  of 
the  Negroes  and  Backward  Races,  as  it  had  come  to  be  called,  has 
wholly  discontinued  at  a  time  when  the  need  for  this  work  is  very 
great.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  bureau  may  soon  be  enabled  to  take 
up  this  work  upon  a  much  larger  scale  and  continue  it  until  the  more 
important  problems  of  this  very  difficult  part  of  the  task  of  public 
education  shall  have  been  solved. 

Another  loss  to  the  bureau,  through  this  law,  and  one  more  diffi¬ 
cult  to  supply,  is  that  of  the  expert  services  of  a  number  of  able 
men,  masters  in  their  particular  subjects,  who  held  positions  as  pro¬ 
fessors  in  such  private  institutions  as  Harvard  University,  Yale  Uni¬ 
versity,  Columbia  University,  the  University  of  Chicago,  Leland 
Stanford  University,  and  the  George  Peabody  College  for  Teachers, 
and  who,  without  additional  pay  except  the  nominal  sum  of  $1  per 
year,  were  giving  the  bureau  services  of  a  character  which  it  could 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


183 


otherwise  obtain  only  by  paying  salaries  to  its  own  specialists  much 
larger  than  the  Government  scale  will  permit.  Congress  might  do 
the  country  and  the  cause  of  education  a  very  great  service  by  so 
amending  this  law  as  to  permit  this  and  other  Government  bureaus 
to  accept  limited  services  from  such  men  in  particular  lines  of  work 
at  nominal  salaries. 

THE  UNITED  STATES  SCHOOL  GARDEN  ARMY. 

Five  years  ago  this  bureau,  through  special  act  of  Congress,  began 
the  promotion  of  school-directed  home  gardening.  This  work  was 
confined  to  cities  and  towns,  as  earlier  investigation  had  shown  that 
the  children  of  urban  communities  did  not  have  educative  or  pro¬ 
ductive  employment  during  the  out-of-school  hours  and  vacation 
periods.  Although  the  original  appropriation  was  small,  the  work 
proved  satisfactory  from  the  standpoint  both  of  production  and  of 
education.  When,  under  war  conditions,  the  necessity  for  food 
production  became  urgent,  the  value  of  school-directed  gardening 
was  recognized  by  the  President  of  the  United  States.  In  Febru¬ 
ary,  1918,  he  allotted  for  use  in  the  expansion  of  this  work  $50,000 
from  the  appropriation  for  the  National  Security  and  Defense. 

In  March,  1918,  the  United  States  School  Garden  Army  was 
organized.  This  change  in  name  did  not  alter  the  previous  policy 
but  added  to  it  a  patriotic  appeal.  Two  main  purposes  prompted 
the  planning  of  the  United  States  School  Garden  Army:  (a)  In¬ 
creased  food  production  and  (b)  training  of  school  children  in 
thrift,  industry,  service,  patriotism,  and  responsibility,  and  giving 
them  such  first-hand  knowledge  of  the  forces  and  phenomena  of  na¬ 
ture  and  of  plant  and  animal  life  as  city  children  can  not  otherwise 
get. 

To  guide  this  new  organization,  a  director  was  appointed  who 
was  responsible  for  organization  and  administration  of  the  work. 
The  country  was  divided  into  climatic  zones,  and  five  regional  di¬ 
rectors  were  appointed.  The  regional  directors  were  responsible 
for  supervision  of  the  work  and  the  preparation  of  garden  lessons 
adapted  to  their  respective  regions. 

The  army  plan  of  organization  was  so  simplified  that  it  could  be 
incorporated  as  a  part  of  the  regular  school  plan,  and  many  schools 
enlisted  their  entire  enrollment  of  children  of  garden  age. 

At  the  end  of  the  fiscal  j^ear  (June  30,  1918)  1,500,000  had  en¬ 
rolled  in  the  United  States  Garden  Army.  Twenty-five  thousand 
acres  of  previously  unproductive  home  and  vacant  lots  were  under 
cultivation.  Boards  of  education  and  superintendents  of  schools 
gave  their  hearty  approval  and  cooperation.  Civic,  commercial,  and 
patriotic  organizations  joined  with  parents  in  making  the  work  a 


184 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


success.  Letters  of  indorsement  were  sent  out  by  governors  of 
States  and  State  educational  officials.  The  work  accomplished  dur¬ 
ing  the  first  few  months  was  so  successful  that  the  President  allotted 
$200,000  for  its  continuation  during  the  fiscal  year  ending  June 
30,  1919. 

This  allotment  made  it  possible  to  enlarge  the  field  force.  Twen- 
ty-nine  assistant  regional  directors  were  appointed.  As  it  was  im¬ 
possible  to  secure  immediately  the  required  number  of  trained  per¬ 
sons  for  this  work,  not  all  were  appointed  at  the  same  time.  The 
average  period  of  service  was  seven  and  one-half  months.  The 
assistant  regional  directors  were  assigned  to  one  or  more  States  on 
the  basis  of  city  population,  and  worked  through  the  offices  of  the 
State  superintendents  of  public  instruction.  In  all  cases  State  edu¬ 
cational  officials  gave  their  full  cooperation  and  in  many  instances 
offices,  equipment,  and  stenographic  services  were  furnished  by  the 
State.  Commercial,  social,  and  patriotic  associations  continued  to 
support  the  work  of  the  United  States  School  Garden  Army, 
Through  the  active  cooperation  of  many  agencies  it  has  been  less 
difficult  for  superintendents  of  schools  to  obtain  money  to  pay  for 
the  services  of  garden  teachers  and  supervisors. 

Manuals  of  lessons  in  gardening  were  issued  for  each  region. 
Over  4,500,000  of  leaflets  and  750,000  manuals  of  garden  instruction 
were  sent  out  during  the  year.  On  our  mailing  list  for  leaflets, 
manuals,  and  directions  for  teaching  these  are  40,361  garden  teach¬ 
ers,  of  whom  36,558  are  in  the  public  schools  and  3,803  in  the  paro¬ 
chial  schools. 

Moving  pictures  have  been  made  of  the  Mary  ITeminway  school 
garden  of  Boston,  the  school  garden  parade  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  gar¬ 
dening  in  Bedlands,  Calif.,  and  a  three-reel  film  giving  practical  in¬ 
struction  in  gardening.  These  films  and  several  sets  of  lantern  slides 
have  had  a  wide  circulation.  A  special  assistant  director  gave  visual 
instruction  in  gardening  in  25  States.  These  were  given  in  public 
and  private  schools,  summer  schools,  normal  schools,  colleges,  uni¬ 
versities,  chambers  of  commerce,  women’s  clubs,  and  at  meetings  of 
the  National  Education  Association  and  the  Department  of  Superin¬ 
tendence  of  this  association.  Audiences  varied  from  a  few  dozen 
to  two  or  three  thousand.  More  than  300,000  persons  have  seen 
these  films. 

Valuable  assistance  and  support  have  been  given  by  the  public 
press.  Hundreds  of  newspapers,  including  metropolitan  dailies  of 
international  prominence  and  little  four-page  papers  of  the  smaller 
towns,  have  alike  given  generously  of  their  space  and  editorial  sup¬ 
port.  Garden  lessons  and  garden  stories  have  been  published  as 
daily  and  weekly  features  in  the  most  prominent  sections  of  the 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


185 


leading  papers  of  practically  every  State  in  the  Union.  The  total 
of  25  columns  of  space  has  been  given  by  each  of  hundreds  of  papers. 

News  articles,  ranging  from  one  column  to  two  and  one-half  col¬ 
umns  in  length,  have  been  printed  by  many  papers  at  frequent  inter¬ 
vals  throughout  the  spring  and  summer,  and  dispatches  have  been 
sent  out  through  the  medium  of  the  Associated  Press  and  the  United 
Press. 

In  addition,  many  papers  published  in  full  the  garden  pageant 
entitled  66  The  Victory  of  the  Gardens,”  while  others  contained  a 
mention  of  the  pageant  and  its  purpose.  The  pageant  was  made  the 
chief  feature  of  the  closing  exercises  at  many  schools  and  colleges. 
Many  playground  associations  have  used  the  pageant  at  great  play 
festivals  in  large  cities. 

Letters  of  commendation  of  our  lessons  and  stories  have  been  re¬ 
ceived  from  every  section  of  the  United  States.  Apparently  food 
and  children  have  once  proved  their  inalienable  right  to  be  known 
as  the  “  Common  Denominators  of  Mankind.” 

Up  to  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year  an  enrollment  of  1,813,552  was  re¬ 
ported  for  2,125  cities  in  the  United  States.  Four  hundred  and  nine 
cities  have  not  yet  reported  enrollments,  or  the  reports  from  these 
cities  were  in  the  hands  of  the  assistant  regional  directors  and  have 
not  yet  reached  this  office.  The  island  possessions  of  the  United 
States  and  Alaska  have  an  enrollment  of  111,331,  making  the  total 
enrollment  1,927,886  soldiers  of  the  School  Garden  Army.  Reports 
are  still  coming  in,  and  it  is  fairly  certain  that  the  number  of  gar¬ 
deners  enrolled  will  reach  2,500,000. 

For  three  years  one  of  the  bureau  specialists  has  been  stationed  in 
the  South  to  make  a  demonstration  of  the  plan  for  school-directed 
home  gardening.  Eight  cities  in  southern  Virginia,  the  Piedmont 
section  of  North  Carolina,  and  in  eastern  Tennessee  were  selected. 
Teachers  were  employed  by  the  local  boards  of  education  to  work 
under  the  direction  and  supervision  of  the  bureau  specialist  after 
school  hours  and  during  the  vacation  period.  In  1917,  3,315  chil¬ 
dren  in  these  cities  produced  an  average  of  $10.15  worth  of  vege¬ 
tables  per  child;  in  1918  the  number  of  gardeners  was  increased  to 
7,869,  and  the  average  per  child  was  $19.20;  up  to  September  1  of 
the  present  garden  season  the  children  of  the  same  cities  have  pro¬ 
duced  an  average  per  gardener  of  $30.35.  While  it  has  been  impos¬ 
sible  to  secure  similar  figures  from  a  large  number  of  cities,  other 
noteworthy  records  of  production  per  child  are  from  Richfield,  Utah, 
of  208  gardeners,  with  an  average  return  of  $21.63;  Fresno,  Calif., 
with  3,100  children,  an  average  of  $15.48. 

On  the  basis  of  a  money  return  of  $19.20  per  child,  the  average  for 
the  1918  garden  season  in  eight  southeastern  cities,  the  total  value  of 


186 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


the  products  for  the  present  garden  year  will  reach  approximately 
$48,000,000.  Many  individual  children  gathered  a  harvest  valued  at 
more  than  $100. 

This  plan  of  school-directed  home  gardening  is  of  value  not  alone 
for  its  economic  results,  but  it  has  a  large  beneficial  influence  on  the 
life  of  the  child.  During  the  period  of  the  war  and  reconstruction 
there  has  been  a  spirit  of  unrest  manifested  among  public-school 
children.  This  unrest  is  accentuated  during  out -of -school  hours, 
because  such  periods  are  largely  loafing  times  for  city  and  town  chil¬ 
dren.  The  work  of  the  United  States  School  Garden  Army  in  pro¬ 
moting  school-directed  home  gardening  has  furnished  some  definite 
occupation  that  has  made  a  patriotic  appeal  and  has  a  definiteness  to 
which  the  child  can  tie.  Statistics  have  proven  that  children  who 
have  definite  employment  are  less  apt  to  commit  juvenile  court  of¬ 
fenses,  and  Garden  Army  members  also  cause  less  trouble  during  the 
school  hours.  The  value  of  this  work  to  education  has  been  stated  by 
one  of  the  teachers  in  the  Greensboro,  N.  C.,  schools  as  follows : 

Three  years  ago  I  was  not  interested  in  school  gardening,  hut  now  after  two 
years’  actual  experience  teaching  it,  both  in  the  classroom  and  as  a  super¬ 
visor,  I  find  that  gardening  is  the  real,  live  subject  in  the  school  course. 
Through  it  the  school  and  the  home,  the  parent  and  the  teacher,  are  brought 
together  and  it  develops  in  the  child  those  traits  of  responsibility  and  of  stick- 
to-it-iveness  as  nothing  else  in  the  school  course  can. 

THE  DIVISION  OF  EDUCATIONAL  EXTENSION. 

Educational  extension  work  has  long  been  popular  in  the  United 
States,  and  has  done  much  to  raise  the  general  level  of  intelligence, 
efficiency,  morality,  and  idealism  of  the  people.  The  debating  society, 
the  lyceum,  the  Chautauqua,  the  fair  and  exposition,  the  reading 
circle,  the  study  club,  the  circulating  and  traveling  library,  the  cor¬ 
respondence  school,  the  community  center,  the  educational  moving 
picture,  the  agricultural  extension  and  farm  demonstration  work,  and 
university  extension  work  have  all  had  their  place  and  played  their 
part  so  well  that  most  of  them  continue  to  grow  in  popularity  and 
power.  The  growing  recognition  of  the  value  of  the  various  forms 
of  university  extension  work  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  in  the  past 
five  years  the  appropriations  for  the  support  of  this  work  in  colleges 
and  universities  have  more  than  doubled,  and  the  number  of  students 
has  increased  more  than  threefold. 

University  extension  work,  other  than  in  agriculture  and  home 
economics,  is  now  carried  on  in  some  form  in  42  States,  and  in 
the  other  States  plans  are  being  made  for  beginning  it.  Nearly  one- 
lialf  of  the  State  universities  carry  on  extension  work  as  an  integral 
part  of  their  service  to  the  States  in  which  they  are  located.  Annual 
expenditure  for  this  work  is  now  more  than  one  and  a  half  million 


ACTIVITIES  OE  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


187 


dollars.  Approximately  120,000  students  are  enrolled  for  work  in 
college  carried  in  classes  and  by  correspondence.  Two  million  per¬ 
sons  are  reached  by  extension  lectures,  and  five  and  one-half  millions 
by  visual  instruction  in  the  form  of  moving  pictures,  steropticon 
slides,  and  exhibits.  Nearly  a  million  are  reached  by  debates  and 
discussions,  and  300,000  persons  by  extension  institutes  and  by  con¬ 
ferences.  From  their  very  nature  some  of  these  extension  education 
agencies  must  remain  independent  and  go  their  own  way  undirected 
by  any  organized  public  agencies,  but  many  of  them  are  capable 
of  being  brought  together  for  cooperation  and  for  direction  in  a 
way  which  will  make  them  much  more  effective  than  they  can  ever 
be  while  working  apart  and  undirected. 

To  effect  such  cooperation  and  to  give  such  direction  constituted 
the  purpose  of  the  Educational  Extension  Division  of  this  bureau, 
which  was  created  in  December,  1918,  and  maintained  until  the  end  of 
the  fiscal  year  with  an  allotment  of  $50,000  from  the  President’s  fund 
for  the  National  Security  and  Defense.  For  many  years  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Library  Association,  the  National  University  Extension  Asso¬ 
ciation,  and  societies  interested  in  visual  instruction,  organizations 
interested  in  the  promotion  of  reading  and  discussion  among  the 
people,  those  interested  in  community  organization,  and  many  other 
individuals  and  societies  had  been  asking  for  such  help  from  the 
bureau,  which  could  be  given  best  by  such  a  division.  After  the 
United  States  entered  the  war  these  requests  became  more  insistent, 
particularly  the  requests  from  the  National  University  Extension 
Association,  which  several  times  sent  committees  to  interview  the 
Commissioner  of  Education  and,  finally,  the  Secretary  of  the  In¬ 
terior.  It  was  in  response  to  the  requests  of  this  association  that  the 
division  was  finally  established. 

The  main  purposes  of  this  division  have  been : 

1.  To  serve  as  a  clearing  house  of  information  on  methods  of  and  materials 
for  educational  extension  and  to  advise  educational  extension  agencies. 

2.  To  salvage  for  general  and  permanent  use  educational  extension  methods 
and  materials  created  and  collected  by  the  Government  in  the  war  emergency. 

For  the  purpose  of  these  functions,  the  division  was  organized  in 
four  sections  corresponding  to  the  main  avenues  of  extension  service 
already  established  in  many  of  the  States:  (1)  Extension  teacher; 
(2)  public  discussion  and  library  service;  (3)  community  center 
service;  (4)  visual  instruction. 

During  the  six  months  of  its  existence  the  division  distributed  to 
the  States  some  of  the  many  Federal  documents,  war  education 
courses,  and  motion-picture  films  available  in  the  several  departments 
in  Washington,  and  gave  valuable  aid  to  State  universities  by  dis¬ 
tributing  data  on  the  methods  and  activities  of  the  different  bureaus. 
The  division  has  sent  out  statistical  data,  budget  for  extension  divi- 


188 


EDUCATION  EEPOKT,  1919. 


sions,  digest  of  educational  bills ;  made  available  selected  “  package 
library  ”  for  the  open-minded,  impartial  study  of  such  questions  as 
Government  ownership  and  operation  of  railroads,  Government  con¬ 
trol  of  prices,  and  reconstruction  work.  It  also  promoted  Americani¬ 
zation  by  gathering  the  experience  of  individuals  and  societies  who 
had  been  working  among  foreigners,  and  making  that  experience 
available  to  universities  and  departments  of  education  in  summaries. 

Through  the  visual  instruction  section  of  the  division,  25,000 
stereopticon  slides  and  more  than  6,000,000  feet  of  moving-picture 
films  have  been  collected,  and  approximately  4,000,000  feet  of  films 
have  been  edited  and  distributed  to  the  extension  divisions  of  uni¬ 
versities  and  colleges  and  State  departments  of  education,  and  are 
now  in  use  by  them.  Among  the  reels  sent  out  are  camouflage  in 
modern  welfare ;  the  work  of  the  American  engineers ;  lumbering  in 
France;  military  communication;  sports  and  entertainments  for 
soldiers;  transportation  of  men  and  supplies;  the  care  of  the 
wounded;  modern  ordnance;  chemical  warfare;  feeding  the  Army; 
air  service;  keeping  the  Army  well;  road  building;  mammoth  cop¬ 
per  mines;  come  clean,  a  dental  hygiene  film;  making  the  desert 
bloom ;  communications  on  the  battle  front ;  the  way  out  and  holding 
on,  two  films  on  the  rehabilitation  of  crippled  soldiers;  treatment  of 
war  wounds ;  work  of  the  United  States  Coast  Guard.  Most  of  these 
films  were  produced  by  the  Army  War  College,  the  Surgeon  Gen¬ 
eral’s  Office,  the  Ordnance  Bureau,  and  other  bureaus  of  the  War 
Department,  the  Committee  on  Public  Information,  and  other  gov¬ 
ernmental  agencies.  Arrangements  have  been  made  with  the  Na¬ 
tional  Automobile  Chamber  of  Commerce,  by  which  the  bureau  will 
have  its  assistance  in  producing  for  distribution  films  illustrating 
the  value  of  good  roads  and  methods  of  road  building.  The  value 
of  this  service  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  reports  made  to  the  bureau 
show  that  3,000  sclioolhouses  have  projecting  lanterns. 

For  the  use  of  the  colleges  and  universities  in  33  States  maintain¬ 
ing  an  information  and  library  service,  this  division  served  as  a 
clearing  house  and  sent  out  nearly  15,000  pieces  of  material  on  cur¬ 
rent  topics  to  be  included  in  package  libraries  to  be  lent  to  clubs, 
societies,  and  individuals;  publications  of  the  United  States  Gov¬ 
ernment  were  brought  to  the  attention  of  extension  workers;  com¬ 
prehensive  bulletins  in  mimeographed  form  were  sent  out  on  the 
following  subjects:  Adult  education;  a  survey  of  public- discussion 
work  in  the  States;  exhibit  of  United  States  publications;  budget  for 
public  discussion,  bureaus,  package  libraries,  and  club  service. 

Directory  service  was  maintained  for  18,000  public  libraries 
through  which  these  libraries  were  constantly  informed  about  valu¬ 
able  publications  issued  by  the  ministerial  departments  of  the  Gov¬ 
ernment.  In  Library  Service,  a  publication  issued  at  irregular 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


189 


intervals,  attractive  and  intelligible  accounts  were  given  of  the 
work  of  the  following  Government  departments:  Agriculture,  Com¬ 
merce,  Labor,  Treasury,  and  Interior. 

Particular  attention  was  given  to  the  distribution  of  material 
valuable  in  such  Americanization  work  as  can  be  done  best  by  uni¬ 
versity  extension  agencies,  and  about  11,000  pieces  of  Americaniza¬ 
tion  literature,  concrete  and  of  specific  value  in  planning  courses  in 
teaching  immigrants,  were  sent  to  extension  agencies  interested  in 
this  work.  Among  these  were  valuable  publications  on  the  teaching 
of  English  prepared  by  the  Massachusetts  Extension  Department; 
publications  of  the  California  State  Commission  on  Immigration  and 
Housing;  publications  of  the  Extension  Division  of  Iowa  for  work 
among  young  people  in  school  and  college,  a  publication  of  Peed 
College,  showing  results  of  surveys  of  American  cities  in  regard  to 
illiteracy,  foreign-born  population,  and  other  significant  items. 

Near  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year,  contracts  were  made  for  the 
preparation  of  manuscripts  on  the  following  subjects  relating  to 
educational  extension  work  as  promoted  and  surveyed  by  this  divi¬ 
sion  of  the  bureau:  Class  extension  work  in  university  extension; 
organization  and  financing  of  correspondence  departments  in  uni¬ 
versities  and  colleges  of  the  United  States;  correspondence  study 
work  in  universities  and  colleges  of  the  United  States ;  public  discus¬ 
sion  and  information  service  through  university  extension;  uni¬ 
versity  extension  in  the  United  States,  its  history,  progress,  theory, 
and  practice ;  the  use  of  Government  resources  to  libraries;  the  visual 
method  in  group  teaching  and  promotion;  visual  instruction  in  the 
United  States;  distribution  and  exhibition  of  materials  of  visual 
instruction ;  the  application  of  commercial  publicity  and  advertising 
methods  to  the  work  of  university  extension.  Most  of  these  manu¬ 
scripts  have  been  delivered. 

THE  DIVISION  OF  AMERICANIZATION. 

The  cooperative  agreement  between  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
and  the  National  Americanization  committee  of  New  York,  made 
May  2,  1918,  for  the  purpose  of  enlarging  as  a  war  measure,  the  work 
which  this  bureau  had  been  carrying  on  since  April,  1914,  with  the 
help  of  that  committee  was  continued  until  March  4,  1919,  on  a 
budget  of  approximately  $100,000  a  year,  and  with  a  corps  of  36 
specialists,  assistants,  and  clerks.  Among  the  immediate  objects  of 
this  work,  as  set  forth  in  the  Statement  of  the  Commissioner  of  Edu¬ 
cation  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  for  the  year  1918,  were  the 
following : 

1.  To  give  the  immigrant  better  opportunities  and  facilities  to  learn  of 
America  and  to  understand  his  duties  to  America. 


190 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


2.  To  unite  in  service  for  America  the  different  factions  among  the  several 
racial  groups  and  to  minimize  in  each  race  the  antagonism  due  to  old-country 
conditions. 

3.  To  cement  the  friendships  and  discourage  the  enmities  existing  among 
races  and  to  bring  them  together  for  America. 

4.  To  bring  native  and  foreign-born  Americans  together  in  more  intimate 
and  friendly  relations. 

5.  To  give  native-born  Americans  a  better  understanding  of  foreign-born 
Americans. 

G.  To  develop  among  employers  a  more  kindly  and  patriotic  feeling  toward 
foreign-born  workmen. 

7.  To  encourage  the  foreign-born  Americans  to  assist  in  the  work  of  Ameri¬ 
canization  and  to  develop  a  more  patriotic  feeling  toward  the  work  in  which 
they  are  engaged. 

8.  To  develop  the  school  as  the  center  for  Americanization  work  for  all 
alike. 

For  the  maintenance  of  this  work,  two  sections  of  this  division 
were  maintained  until  March  4,  one  in  Washington  and  another  in 
New  York  with  offices  in  the  Chemical  Building  at  29  West  Thirty- 
ninth  Street.  The  section  in  Washington  was  charged  particularly 
with  the  promotion  of  education  of  foreign-born  residents  in  this 
country  through  classes  in  schools  and  industrial  plants  and  in  con¬ 
nection  with  social  organizations — a  continuation  of  the  work  which 
the  bureau  had  been  doing  for  several  years  under  the  title  of  u  Im¬ 
migrant  education.” 

The  personnel  of  the  New  York  office  included  editors,  research 
specialists,  translators,  racial  advisers,  and  clerks.  The  racial  ad¬ 
visers  were  men  of  such  ability  and  character  and  such  general 
knowledge  both  of  America  and  of  their  own  people  in  this  country 
as  to  gain  for  them  the  confidence  of  a  large  number  of  their  fellows. 
Such  advisers  were  appointed  for  the  Armenian,  Assyrian,  Greek, 
Italian,  Jewish,  Russian,  Polish,  French,  and  English  racial  groups. 
Through  these  racial  advisers  the  commissioner  was  constantly  ad¬ 
vised  as  to  the  general  conditions  and  needs  of  persons  of  these 
racial  groups  in  this  country,  of  their  attiutde  toward  the  work  of 
Americanization,  the  ideals  and  policies  of  the  Government,  and  of 
the  best  means  of  reaching  them  with  instruction.  They  also  serve 
as  messengers  for  the  bureau,  holding  conferences  of  their  people, 
speaking  in  their  lodges  and  public  gatherings,  translating  material 
for  publication  in  their  foreign-language  papers,  etc.  The  work  of 
this  section  of  this  division  was  that  of  getting  the  various  racial 
groups  in  the  United  States  intelligently  united  behind  the  Ameri¬ 
can  war  policies  and  to  induce  them  to  become  active  participants  in 
the  war  program,  preparing  them  for  a  fundamental  understanding 
of  citizenship,  familiarizing  them  with  the  Government’s  war  ac¬ 
tivities,  provisions,  and  needs  through  war-information  centers,  in¬ 
dustrial  plants,  racial  societies,  and  the  foreign-language  press, 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


191 


bringing  together  foreign  and  native  born  residents  and  emplo}rer3 
and  employees  through  the  American  and  foreign  press  and  securing 
active  cooperation  of  other  Government  agencies  through  which 
foreign-born  residents  would  be  reached. 

General  conferences  of  from  20  to  60  representative  men  of  several 
racial  groups  were  held  by  the  commissioner  in  New  York,  and  one 
conference  of  representatives  of  more  than  30  racial  groups  was  held. 
Many  similar  conferences  were  held  by  the  director  of  the  New  York 
office.  More  than  100  men  of  different  races  were  organized  into 
small  permanent  conference  groups,  each  of  which  held  frequent 
meetings  at  the  New  York  office.  These  men  were  valuable  in  help¬ 
ing  to  work  out  a  sound  policy  and  program  of  racial  relations  and 
in  carrying  our  message  to  their  own  people  through  conference 
lectures,  articles  in  the  foreign-language  press,  and  by  participating 
in  local  activities. 

Many  articles  on  Americanization  were  prepared  for  publication 
in  the  English  and  foreign  language  papers  and  in  the  house  organs 
of  nearly  500  industrial  plants.  These  articles  were  accepted  by 
papers  having  a  total  circulation  of  more  than  5,000,000.  The  policy 
of  appointing  Americanization  committees  composed  of  both  foreign 
and  native  born  citizens  in  industrial  plants  already  begun  was  con¬ 
tinued  until  more  than  800  such  committees  had  been  appointed  and 
were  actively  at  work.  Many  of  these  rendered  a  very  valuable  serv¬ 
ice.  The  division  cooperated  constantly  with  the  National  Council  of 
Defense,  the  Liberty  loan  division  of  the  Treasury,  the  Ordnance  Bu¬ 
reau,  and  the  Provost  Marshal  General’s  Office  of  the  War  Depart¬ 
ment,  and  with  many  other  governmental  agencies.  In  midsummer 
of  1918  the  Americanization  Bulletin,  the  title  of  which  was  later 
changed  to  “  Americanization,”  was  begun  and  was  continued 
through  the  fiscal  year. 

For  the  fuller  support  of  the  Americanization  work  of  the  bureau, 
$18,000  was  set  aside  on  January  1,  1919,  for  the  continuation  of  the 
publication  of  National  School  Service  and  general  educational  ex¬ 
tension  work.  With  this  fund  the  work  of  the  bureau  was  augmented 
until  March  4,  and  then  continued  on  a  much  smaller  scale  until  the 
end  of  the  fiscal  year.  When  this  part  of  the  allotment  from  the 
President’s  fund  was  set  aside  for  this  purpose,  a  director  of  Ameri¬ 
canization  work  was  appointed  and  five  expert  community  organiza¬ 
tions  were  placed  in  the  field  as  follows : 

At  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  charge  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  Massachusetts, 
Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  and  New  York. 

At  Toledo,  Ohio,  in  charge  of  Michigan,  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  West  Virginia. 

At  Chicago,  Ill.,  in  charge  of  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Iowa,  and  Mis¬ 
souri. 

At  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  charge  of  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Dela¬ 
ware,  and  the  District  of  Columbia. 


192 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


In  all  of  the  above  States,  with  the  exception  of  Maine  and  Min¬ 
nesota,  the  regional  directors  have  made  their  contact  with  State 
officials,  heads  of  State  organizations,  men  and  women  of  large  in¬ 
fluence,  and  others.  In  every  State  they  have  urged  legislative  action 
and  have  been  most  helpful  in  a  number  of  instances  in  having  sane 
legislation  provided.  The}7  have  appeared  before  legislative  com¬ 
mittees,  large  State  gatherings,  and  other  meetings.  They  have  pre¬ 
sented  the  problem  to  the  governors  of  the  various  States  and  secured 
their  sympathetic  support  for  effective  legislation. 

Xine  of  the  above  States  have  taken  some  definite  legislative  action 
in  Americanization,  either  creating  an  official  charged  with  the  task 
definitely  or  placing  the  work  in  the  hands  of  some  commissioner  or 
bureau.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  education  is  a  fundamental  part  of 
Americanization,  it  has  been  recommended  that  the  work  within  the 
States  be  placed  in  a  branch  of  the  State  department  of  public  in¬ 
struction,  but  that  there  be  recognition  of  the  fact  that  Americaniza¬ 
tion  is  broader  than  mere  education  through  books. 

In  two  States  the  Department  of  the  Interior  has  named  State 
committees  composed  of  two  representatives  of  State  bodies  whose 
duties  are,  first,  to  try  to  secure  State  legislative  action,  and,  second, 
to  see  that  the  necessary  work  of  Americanization  in  such  States 
does  not  go  by  default  pending  legislation.  In  four  other  States 
tentative  lists  have  been  compiled  for  tlie  appointment  of  similar 
committees. 

In  all  the  States,  the  regional  directors  aided  eliminating  dupli¬ 
cation  and  in  many  cases  friction  existing  among  the  agencies  at 
work.  They  have  brought  about  a  better  understanding  of  the 
problem.  They  have  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  key  men  and 
women  of  the  State  so  that  in  every  State  the  machinery  of  Ameri¬ 
canization  could  be  quickly  set  into  motion  under  the  common  and 
definite  program. 

Although  an  effort  has  been  made  to  avoid  entering  into  particu¬ 
lar  community  projects  until  the  States  were  first  properly  organ¬ 
ized,  yet  the  division  has  been  called  into  a  number  of  large  community 
undertakings.  Some  communities,  like  Toledo  for  instance,  are 
organizing  the  agencies  of  their  city  most  effectively  for  a  real  pro¬ 
gram  of  work.  Funds  have  been  provided  from  various  sources, 
classes  are  organized  in  the  schools  and  in  the  factories  and  a  pro¬ 
gram  put  under  way  which  harmonizes  entirely  with  the  plans  of 
the  division.  In  such  cities  the  regional  directors  have  been  very 
helpful  and  in  some  instances  have,  it  is  thought,  saved  the  cities 
from  mistakes  which  might  have  been  disastrous  to  the  work. 

In  the  Washington  office  since  January  1,  a  large  amount  of  the 
material  on  Americanization  which  had  accumulated  in  the  bureau 
has  been  filed,  classified,  and  digested.  Mimeographed  brochures 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


193 


covering  various  phases  of  Americanization,  bibliographies,  statistics, 
etc.,  have  been  prepared  and  distributed.  The  publication  of 
“Americanization  ”  has  been  continued. 

A  national  conference  on  Americanization  was  held  in  Washington 
in  the  auditorium  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  May  12-15,  and 
was  attended  by  more  than  400  of  the  leading  experienced  workers 
of  the  country.  For  the  first  time  the  social,  the  educational,  the 
industrial,  and  the  racial  workers  met  together  to  consider  their  com¬ 
mon  problem.  Out  of  the  proceedings  of  this  conference,  which  were 
published  as  a  bulletin  of  the  bureau  and  widely  distributed,  the 
director  of  the  division  is  preparing  a  textbook  on  Community  Work 
in  Americanization. 

As  a  result  of  the  work  of  this  division  of  the  bureau,  the  country 
has  obtained  a  broader  and  clearer  conception  of  what  Americaniza¬ 
tion  means,  and  its  importance  has  been  greatly  emphasized.  Several 
States  have  enacted  laws  and  made  appropriations  for  teaching 
English  and  other  subjects  to  foreign-born  residents  in  the  public 
schools  and  elsewhere.  Numerous  societies  have  been  organized  for 
the  promotion  of  Americanization  work,  and  many  more  organized 
for  other  purposes  have  adopted  some  form  of  Americanization  work 
as  a  part  of  their  program.  In  the  20  Northeastern  States,  in  which 
are  found  most  of  the  foreign-born  population  of  the  country,  a  defi¬ 
nite  and  practical  program  could  be  quickly  initiated  and  the  great 
State  agencies  easily  mobilized  to  carry  it  into  effect  if  sufficient  funds 
were  at  the  command  of  the  bureau  for  that  purpose.  Left  entirely 
to  their  own  resources,  Americanization  work  by  the  States  and  com¬ 
munities  will,  no  doubt,  continue  in  the  future  as  in  the  past  to  be  spo¬ 
radic  and  largely  ineffective.  The  time  has  come  whent  his  work  should 
be  undertaken  by  the  Federal  Government  and  the  States  on  a  scale 
comparable  to  the  magnitude  of  the  task  and  the  issues  at  stake. 
This  could  be  done  if  the  bill  now  pending  in  Congress  is  enacted  into 
law.  This  bill  would  provide  an  annual  appropriation  of  $14,250,000 
a  year  for  a  period  of  seven  years  for  the  teaching  of  foreign-born 
residents  of  the  United  States  to  speak,  read,  and  write  the  English 
language  or  give  them  instruction  in  American  geography,  history, 
institutions,  and  life  and  ideals,  and  for  the  teaching  of  adult  illiter¬ 
ates  and  near  illiterates  to  read  and  write  and  give  them  instruction 
in  beginnings  of  arithmetic  and  other  subjects  necessary  for  intelli¬ 
gent  life  and  work. 

Near  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year,  contracts  were  made  for  studies 
and  reports  on  the  following  subjects :  Methods  of  teaching  illiterates ; 
State  Americanization;  methods  of  teaching  English  to  the  foreign 
born;  training  teachers  for  the  foreign  born;  progress  of  education 


194 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


of  persons  of  foreign  birth.  Community  Americanization;  progress 
of  education  of  persons  of  foreign  birth. 

Several  of  these  have  already  been  delivered  and  recommended  for 
publication  as  bulletins  of  the  bureau ;  other  are  to  be  so  recommended 
as  they  are  received  and  approved. 

THE  DIVISION  OF  CIVIC  EDUCATION. 

A  remarkable  stimulation  of  interest  in  civic  education  resulted 
from  the  war,  and  it  is  perhaps  worthy  of  note  that  the  bulletins 
relating  to  civic  education  published  by  the  Bureau  of  Education 
prior  to  this  year  have  been  widely  influential  in  determining  the 
character  of  instruction  introduced  into  the  public  schools  for  pur¬ 
poses  of  civic  training. 

The  demand  for  these  and  other  materials,  and  for  assistance  in 
developing  courses  of  civic  training,  has  greatly  increased  not  only 
from  public  schools,  but  also  from  other  agencies  interested  in  ex¬ 
tending  civic  education  to  various  groups  of  the  people. 

The  pressure  of  war  activities  diverted  the  division  during  the 
past  year  from  the  logical  development  of  work  begun  prior  to  the 
war  and  interfered  with  the  preparation  and  publication  of  ma¬ 
terials  for  which  there  is  a  great  demand,  now  that  the  war  is  over. 
Much  time  was  devoted  to  the  preparation  of  materials  bearing 
directly  upon  the  war  and  upon  governmental  activities  relating  to 
the  war,  these  materials  being  of  more  or  less  transient  usefulness. 
Nevertheless,  material  has  been  assembled  which  it  is  believed  will 
be  serviceable  in  the  extension  of  civic  training  both  in  the  schools 
and  among  citizens  generally. 

The  specialist  in  civic  education  cooperated  with  the  overseas  edu¬ 
cational  commission  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  and 
prepared  a  pamphlet  of  about  100  pages  entitled  “  Team  Work 
Through  Government,”  constituting  an  elementary  course  in  citizen¬ 
ship  for  our  soldiers  overseas.  Of  this  25,000  copies  were  taken. 

The  specialist  in  civic  education  participated  in  the  survey  of  the 
schools  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  prepared  a  report  on  the  conditions 
and  need  of  civic  education  in  that  city.  This  will  be  published  as 
a  part  of  the  report  of  this  survey. 

The  demand  for  this  and  other  material  and  for  assistance  in  de¬ 
veloping  courses  of  civic  training  has  greatly  increased  not  only  from 
public  schools,  but  also  from  other  agencies  interested  in  extending 
civic  education  to  various  groups  of  the  people. 

THE  DIVISION  OF  COMMUNITY  ORGANIZATION. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  has  for  several  years  been  promoting 
community  organization  or  community  center  work,  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  organizing  school  districts  as  communities  and  using  school- 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  195 

houses  as  centers  for  meetings  and  for  cooperative  activities.  The 
slogan  has  been  “Every  community  a  little  democracy,  with  the 
schoolhouse  as  its  capitol.”  The  bureau  has  avoided  and  on  oc¬ 
casion  opposed  efforts  to  bring  together  other  organizations  or 
classes  in  occupational  groups  to  serve  as  community  organizations. 
It  has  also  held  that  schoolhouses  and,  when  desirable,  other  public 
buildings  should  be  available  for  use  by  the  people  of  the  organized 
community  as  a  right  and  not  as  a  privilege  by  permission ;  that  tax 
moneys  should  be  used  in  the  development  and  maintenance  of  com¬ 
munity  organizations  and  centers,  and  that  community  centers 
should  be  administered  through  responsible  public  officials. 

In  this  work  of  the  bureau  several  bulletins  have  been  issued,  a 
large  and  extensive  correspondence  has  been  conducted,  and  many 
addresses  have  been  made  to  local,  State,  and  National  meetings  and 
in  educational  institutions.  The  interest  of  city,  county,  and  State 
school  officials  has  been  enlisted.  Drafts  of  bills  for  State  legisla¬ 
tion  have  been  prepared.  Several  State  and  National  conferences 
have  been  held. 

During  the  fiscal  year  for  which  this  statement  is  made,  a  con¬ 
ference  of  Federal  and  volunteer  agencies  of  community  organiza¬ 
tions  was  held  in  connection  with  the  meeting  of  the  National  Edu¬ 
cation  Association  at  Pittsburgh.  Two  bulletins  were  prepared  and 
printed :  “  The  Discovery  of  America  ”  and  “  Community  Buildings 
as  Soldiers’  Monuments.”  The  first  was  prepared  for  the  use  of 
the  Treasury  in  the  fourth  Liberty  loan  campaign,  and  300,000 
copies  were  distributed.  Of  the  second,  20,000  copies  were  dis¬ 
tributed.  A  curriculum  was  prepared  for  a  new  department  of 
social  ethics  and  community  organization  in  universities,  colleges, 
and  normal  schools.  Such  a  department  has  been  established  in  the 
North  Carolina  State  College  for  Women,  and  one  of  the  bureau’s 
specialists  has  conferred  with  the  authorities  of  Columbia  Univer¬ 
sity,  Harvard  University,  Simmons  College,  and  George  Peabody 
College  for  Teachers,  about  the  establishment  of  such  a  department 
in  these  institutions.  Courses  of  lectures  on  community  organization 
were  given  during  the  year  in  12  universities,  colleges,  and  normal 
schools,  and  more  than  50  communities  wTere  met  at  local,  State,  and 
National  functions.  Relations  have  been  established  with  42  States 
for  the  promotion  of  community  organization,  and  outline  plans  for 
organization  and  suggested  programs  for  meetings  have  been  dis¬ 
tributed. 

A  new  development  of  the  community  organization  during  the 
year  is  its  use  for  cooperative  buying  and  selling,  and  the  use  of 
community  centers  as  points  for  collecting  and  distributing  parcels. 
That  this  may  be  done  effectively  and  at  a  great  economic  ad- 


196 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


vantage  seems  now  to  have  been  definitely  proven  by  experiments 
conducted  between  the  community  centers  in  the  District  of  Co¬ 
lumbia  and  other  centers  near  by  in  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania. 
In  these  experiments  the  Post  Office  Department  and  this  bureau 
are  cooperating. 

SCHOOL  BOARD  SERVICE  DIVISION. 

The  results  of  an  inquiry  made  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  last 
October  indicated  that  more  than  50,000  schools  in  the  United  States 
were  without  teachers.  It  also  indicated  that  more  than  120,000  new 
and  wholly  untrained  teachers  had  been  drawn  into  the  public 
schools  of  the  country,  mostly  boys  and  girls  barely  ahead  of  the 
classes  they  were  expected  to  teach.  This  unusual  shortage  of  teach¬ 
ers  was  caused  by  the  draft  of  men  for  the  Army,  and  of  both  men 
and  women  for  industries  connected  with  the  war.  Also  by  the  at¬ 
traction  of  higher  pay  in  all  kinds  of  industries  and  commercial 
enployments. 

Calls  from  all  parts  of  the  country  came  to  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  to  help  relieve  this  condition.  To  meet  this  most  critical  emer¬ 
gency  in  our  schools  the  President  of  the  United  States,  under  date 
of  September  30,  1918,  allotted  from  the  appropriation  for  national 
security  and  defense  the  sum  of  $25,000  to  the  Secretary  of  the  In¬ 
terior,  who  authorized  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to  establish 
the  school  board  service  section  in  the  Bureau  of  Education.  The’ 
division  continued  its  work  until  July  1,  1919.  During  the  brief 
term  of  its  existence  it  conducted  a  nation-wide  publicity  campaign 
in  newspapers  and  magazines  to  mobilize  the  latent  teaching  forces 
of  the  country,  secured  a  registration  of  about  20,000  persons,  and 
responded  to  15,000  calls  for  teachers  with  as  many  nominations. 

In  preparation  for  more  effective  service  it  made  a  partial  canvass 
of  colleges,  normal  schools,  and  the  better  class  of  high  schools  of 
the  country,  in  order  to  develop  a  national  directory  of  competent 
teachers  whose  names  and  credentials  might  be  referred  to  school 
boards  or  heads  of  institutions  reporting  vacancies. 

As  a  result  of  this  campaign,  it  has  in  its  files  the  records  of  14,000 
active  and  7,000  passive  registrants.  By  the  designations  u  active  ” 
and  “  passive,”  respectively,  is  meant  teachers  who  are  desirous  of 
changing  their  locations,  and  those  who  care  only  to  have  their  names 
in  the  directory. 

Classifying  these  registrants  in  terms  of  academic  training,  the 
directory  includes  nearly  16,000  college  or  university  graduates,  4,200 
special  teachers  of  manual  training,  physical  training,  home  eco¬ 
nomics,  etc.,  who  do  not  hold  college  degrees  but  diplomas  of  techni¬ 
cal  schools,  and  1,050  teachers  of  rural  and  graded  schools  whose 
training  is  of  less  degree. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


197 


Cards  abstracting  the  record  of  each  of  the  14,000  active  regis¬ 
trants  were  made  and  to  each  such  registrant  a  folder  is  assigned  in 
which  his  record  and  all  correspondence  pertaining  to  him  have  been 
placed.  Cards  and  folders  are  arranged  in  alphabetical  sequence. 

The  active  cooperation  of  school  officials  throughout  the  country 
has  been  secured,  and  their  cordial  appreciation  is  evidenced  in  typi¬ 
cal  letters  in  the  files.  The  division  has  responded  to  calls  for  teach¬ 
ers  in  all  grades  of  schools — elementary,  high,  normal,  technical, 
college,  university — and  in  every  subject  of  the  various  curricula. 

THE  DIVISION  OF  RACIAL  GROUPS. 

During -the  year  the  work  of  the  division  has  centered  around 
activities  connected  with  the  war  and  the  educational  problems,  grow¬ 
ing  out  of  the  war.  The  migration  of  Negroes  from  the  South  to 
northern  industrial  centers  has  produced  an  aroused  interest  in  the 
needs  of  the  Negro  and  his  training  for  citizenship  and  for  the  eco¬ 
nomic  responsibilities  which  are  more  and  more  coming  to  him.  This 
interest  has  been  shown  by  increased  appropriations  in  many  sections 
of  the  South  for  the  education  of  Negro  children,  by  conferences 
which  have  been  called  to  consider  these  matters,  and  by  an  increased 
correspondence  with  the  bureau  concerning  ways  and  means  of  meet¬ 
ing  the  enlarged  demands. 

During  the  war  three  men  from  this  division  were  engaged  in  war 
activities.  One  man  became  an  educational  adviser  to  the  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association  in  France,  in  its  dealings  with  the  Negro 
soldier.  Another  was  a  supervisor  under  the  committee  on  educa¬ 
tion  and  special  training  of  the  War  Department.  A  third  was  used 
in  the  personnel  section  of  the  War  Department  to  assist  in  the  plac¬ 
ing  of  Negro  soldiers  in  the  sendee  of  supplies. 

The  field  work  of  the  division  has  consisted  in  preparing  the  report 
on  Negro  education  for  the  Alabama  survey,  and  in  making  investiga¬ 
tions  in  a  number  of  schools  in  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Florida. 
These  investigations  are  recorded  and  are  of  use  in  answering  the 
many  and  varied  queries  addressed  to  the  Bureau  of  Education  by 
organizations  and  individuals  interested  in  the  education  and  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  Negro  population  of  the  country. 

THE  DIVISION  OF  HOME  EDUCATION. 

During  the  year  two  new  reading  courses,  No.  7,  Thirty  World 
Heroes,  and  No.  9,  Thirty  American  Heroes,  were  published,  and  a 
series  of  “  After  the  War  Beading  Courses  ”  and  reading  courses  on 
such  vocational  subjects  as  shipbuilding,  machine-shop  work,  iron  and 
steel,  seamanship,  and  agriculture,  have  been  begun. 

142539°— 19 - 14 


198 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Of  the  standard  reading  courses,  nearly  230,000  copies  have  been 
distributed  through  high  schools,  libraries,  and  other  agencies,  and 
160,000  copies  of  six  “  After  War  Reading  Courses  ”  for  soldiers  were 
distributed  to  camps  and  cantonments  in  the  United  States  and  over¬ 
seas. 

More  than  10,000  readers  are  enrolled  in  the  National  Reading  Cir¬ 
cle.  These  are  mostly  in  rural  communities  and  villages  and  small 
towns,  but  are  not  confined  to  these.  One  of  the  most  successful 
reading  circles  is  one  of  150  members  in  Glendale,  Calif.  In  Cleve¬ 
land  and  Pittsburgh  there  are  reading. circles  having  a  membership 
of  more  than  150  and  in  the  District  of  Columbia  there  is  a  circle 
of  90. 

The  purpose  of  the  work  of  this  division  is  fourfold : 

1.  To  help  parents  in  the  care  and  training  of  their  little  children 
before  the  children  become  of  school  age.  To  this  end  the  division 
has  prepared  a  specially  designed  reading  course  for  parents  to  give 
them  knowledge  of  the  duties  of  parenthood.  It  has  also  sent  out 
public  health  bulletins  on  the  diet  and  the  care  of  babies  and  similar 
publications  issued  by  the  National  Congress  of  Mothers. 

2.  To  help  parents  further  their  own  education.  For  this  purpose 
the  division  has  continued  to  issue  a  series  of  10  reading  courses 
designed  largely  for  general  information  and  cultural  development. 
The  division  requires  written  summaries  of  the  books  and  answers 
to  test  questions  given  for  the  purpose  of  determining  how  carefulty 
the  books  have  been  read  and  how  well  they  have  been  understood. 
When  a  course  has  been  properly  completed  a  certificate  signed  by 
the  Commissioner  of  Education  is  issued  to  the  reader. 

3.  To  promote  the  education  of  boys  and  girls  who  have  left  school 
and  of  older  persons.  Two  courses  have  been  especially  designed,  a 
miscellaneous  course  for  girls  and  a  like  course  for  boys,  to  be  read 
by  young  people  who  have  left  school  at  an  early  age,  but  are  still 
at  home. 

4.  To  promote  a  closer  cooperation  of  home  and  school  by  the 
organization  of  parent-teacher  associations.  At  the  inception  of 
this  division  the  names  were  obtained  of  60,000  women  living  near 
to  country  and  village  schools  who  would  be  willing  to  assist  in 
bringing  about  a  closer  relation  between  home  and  school.  These 
women  have  distributed  material  regarding  the  organization  of 
parent-teacher  associations,  have  assisted  in  placing  information  on 
the  care  of  babies  in  the  hands  of  mothers  of  young  children,  and 
have  helped  in  maintaining  the  interest  of  parents  in  the  schools. 

During  the  war  the  division  extended  jts  work  to  include  several 
reading  courses  for  soldiers  in  the  camps.  Since  demobilization 
these  courses  have  been  continued  for  discharged  soldiers  in  their 
homes. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


199 


ALASKA  DIVISION. 

During  the  year  the  field  force  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  in 
Alaska  consisted  of  3  superintendents,  3  acting  superintendents, 
121  teachers,  8  physicians,  and  11  nurses.  Sixty-eight  schools  were 
maintained,  with  an  enrollment  of  3,700. 

In  October,  1918,  following  the  line  of  steamship  transportation 
from  Seattle,  influenza  broke  out  in  the  coast  towns  of  Alaska  and 
rapidly  spread  to  the  interior  settlements.  Furnishing  relief  to  the 
native  races  of  Alaska  is  a  duty  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  but, 
in  the  great  emergency  created  by  the  epidemic,  the  Bureau  of 
Education  could  not,  by  itself,  effectively  cope  with  the  situation. 
Gov.  Riggs,  therefore,  as  executive  head  of  the  Territory,  accepted 
the  responsibility  of  directing  the  fight  against  the  disease,  and 
took  immediate,  energetic,  and  effective  action  to  check  its  ravages 
among  the  native  races  of  Alaska,  as  well  as  among  the  white 
people. 

The  Surgeon  General  of  the  Public  Health  Service  authorized 
Gov.  Riggs  to  employ  physicians  and  nurses  and  to  purchase  medi¬ 
cines.  As  a  sufficient  number  of  doctors  and  nurses  could  not  be 
had  in  Alaska,  19  physicians  and  3  nurses  were  secured  in  the  State 
of  Washington  and  sent  to  southern  Alaska  on  the  naval  collier 
Brutus .  All  of  the  Bureau  of  Education’s  physicians,  nurses,  super¬ 
intendents,  and  teachers  were  placed  at  the  governor’s  disposal  and 
rendered  zealous  service  in  fighting  the  epidemic  in  the  native  vil¬ 
lages.  White  people  throughout  the  Territory  cooperated  heartily. 
The  assistance  of  the  Red  Cross  was  also  secured. 

Up  to  January  31,  1919,  the  epidemic  had  resulted  in  the  death 
of  more  than  1,600  natives.  At  least  150  orphans  were  cared  for 
and  fed.  About  90  per  cent  of  the  fatalities  and  of  the  indigency  was 
among  the  native  population. 

The  epidemic  was  especially  severe  in  the  Nome  and  St.  Michael 
regions,  where  it  resulted  in  the  death  of  at  least  850  natives,  more 
than  150  children  being  left  orphans.  It  will,  however,  be  possible 
to  find  homes  for  these  orphans  among  the  Eskimos  in  the  villages 
on  the  coast  north  of  Bering  Strait. 

Among  the  victims  of  the  epidemic  were  Mr.  Walter  C.  Shields, 
who  for  many  years  had  been  superintendent  of  the  work  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education  in  the  northwestern  district;  Dr.  Frank  W. 
Lamb,  physician  in  charge  of  the  Bureau  of  Education’s  hospital 
at  Akiak ;  and  Mrs.  Harriet  T.  Hansome,  assistant  teacher  at  Hyda- 
burg. 

In  May  influenza  made  its  appearance  among  the  Eskimos  in 
the  Bristol  Bay  region  and  among  the  Aleuts  at  Unalaska.  As  in 
the  previous  epidemic,  vigorous  measures  were  taken  to  combat  the 


200 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


disease.  The  Navy  Department  sent  the  TJnalga,  the  Bear,  the  Vicks¬ 
burg,  and  the  Marblehead  with  physicians  and  nurses  to  the  stricken 
districts.  In  the  village  of  Unalaska  the  epidemic  caused  45  deaths 
and  in  the  Bristol  Bay  region  440  deaths. 

An  orphanage  is  being  erected  at  Kanakanak,  in  which  the  bureau 
will  care  for  about  150  destitute  children  who  were  made  orphans 
by  the  epidemic. 

In  1911  the  bureau  entered  upon  the  policy  of  encouraging  the 
establishment  in  native  villages  of  cooperative  enterprises,  financed 
by  native  capital  and  conducted  by  the  natives  themselves,  under  the 
supervision  of  the  teacher  of  the  local  United  States  public  school. 
Such  enterprises  are  now  in  successful  operation  in  nine  villages  in 
widely  separated  regions.  Each  enterprise  is  bringing  prosperity 
to  the  village  in  which  it  is  located. 

Conspicuous  among  these  undertakings  is  the  Metlakatla  Com¬ 
mercial  Co.,  on  Annette  Island,  in  southeastern  Alaska,  which  was 
organized  in  1916  with  a  capital  of  $2,295,  and  30  shareholders.  The 
auditing  of  the  affairs  of  the  company  in  January,  1919,  showed  a 
capital  of  $21,140  at  that  date,  and  a  net  profit  of  $13,721.  The 
number  of  stockholders  had  increased  to  156.  The  returns  to  the 
natives  of  Metlakatla  from  the  Annette  Island  Packing  Co.,  having 
fish-trapping  privileges  within  the  reserved  waters  adjacent  to 
Annette  Island  and  permission  to  erect  and  operate  a  cannery  on 
Annette  Island,  amounted  during  the  season  of  1918  to  $70,252.55 
for  fish  royalties,  trap  fees,  labor,  and  lumber  purchased  from  the 
local  sawmill. 

The  successful  operation  of  the  lease  granted  to  the  Annette  Island 
Packing  Co.  at  Metlakatla  led  to  the  adoption  of  similar  policy  at 
Tyonek,  in  southwestern  Alaska.  For  several  years  canneries  and 
packing  companies  have  provided  the  natives  of  Tyonek  with  fishing 
equipment  and  have  purchased  the  fish  caught.  Under  this  arrange¬ 
ment  the  Tyonek  natives  never  realized  more  than  $4,000  in  a  season. 
Under  a  lease  entered  into  during  January,  1919,  with  a  Seattle 
capitalist  granting  him  the  privilege  of  operating  a  saltery  and  fish 
trap  within  the  Tyonek  reservation,  the  annual  income  to  the  Tyonek 
natives  from  royalties  and  wages  paid  will  be  about  $10,000. 

Congress  appropriated  $75,000  for  the  support  of  the  medical 
work  of  the  bureau  among  the  natives  of  Alaska  during  the  fiscal 
year  1918-19.  Eight  physicians  and  11  nurses  were  employed; 
hospitals  were  maintained  by  the  bureau  at  Juneau,  Nulato,  Kana- 
kanak,  Akiak,  and  Kotzebue;  the  hospital  at  Haines  was  operated 
in  cooperation  with  the  Woman’s  Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Materials  for  use  in  erecting  a  hospital  build¬ 
ing  at  Noorvik,  in  Arctic  Alaska,  were  shipped  from  Seattle  in  June, 
1919.  As  heretofore,  all  teachers  in  settlements  remote  from  a 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


201 


hospital,  physician,  or  nurse  were  supplied  with  medicines  for  use 
in  relieving  less  serious  illness. 

The  policy  of  receiving  native  girls  for  theoretical  and  practical 
training  as  nurses,  inaugurated  in  1918,  has  been  successfully  pur¬ 
sued  at  the  hospital  in  J uneau. 

Reports  from  the  reindeer  stations  for  the  past  year  have  not  yet 
been  received.  Assuming  that  there  has  been  the  usual  net  increase 
of  20  per  cent  in  the  number  of  reindeer  during  the  year,  there 
should  be  approximately  145,000  reindeer  in  the  herds  in  Alaska, 
June  80,  1919. 

The  magnitude  and  value  of  the  reindeer  enterprise  have  ren¬ 
dered  necessary  the  employment  of  an  expert  in  animal  industry, 
who  has  proceeded  to  northwestern  Alaska,  where  he  will  carefully 
study  the  prevention  and  treatment  of  diseases  among  the  reindeer, 
as  well  as  scientific  breeding,  herding,  butchering,  and  marketing. 

On  account  of  the  vast  extent  of  the  Territory  of  Alaska,  with 
its  villages  scattered  at  intervals  along  thousands  of  miles  of  coast 
line  and  on  its  great  rivers,  the  taking  of  the  census  of  Alaska  is  an 
undertaking  of  great  difficulty.  Through  its  district  superintend¬ 
ents,  physicians,  and  teachers,  located  in  all  parts  of  the  Territory, 
with  accurate  knowledge  of  their  respective  districts,  and  with 
facilities  for  reaching  the  remote  settlements,  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  will  cooperate  with  the  Bureau  of  the  Census  in  taking  the  1920 
census  of  Alaska. 

THE  DIVISION  OF  RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

In  addition  to  the  routine  work  of  correspondence,  keeping  in 
touch  with  the  progress  of  rural  education  throughout  the  country, 
noting  the  important  legislation  affecting  rural  schools,  studying 
noteworthy  departures  in  rural-school  practice,  including  changes  in 
courses  of  study  and  methods  in  organization  and  teaching,  giving 
information  and  advice  to  school  officers  and  teachers  in  response  to 
thousands  of  inquiries  by  letter  and  personal  visitation,  attending 
and  addressing  teachers’  institutes  and  local  and  State  and  national 
meetings  of  associations  of  teachers,  school  officers,  and  citizens  inter¬ 
ested  in  rural  schools  and  the  means  of  their  improvement,  the 
division  of  rural  schools  and  its  members  accomplished  the  following 
work: 

The  division  completed  for  publication  the  portions  of  the  report 
of  the  educational  survey  of  the  State  of  South  Dakota  pertaining 
to  the  general  school  system  and  the  rural  schools  and  normal 
schools.  This  survey  was  made  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  of 
this  division  in  the  winter  and  spring  of  1918  at  the  request  of  the 
State  Survey  Commission  created  by  act  of  the  legislature. 


202 


EDUCATION  REPOKT,  1919. 


At  the  request  of  the  board  of  trustees  and  the  superintendent  of 
schools  of  La  Crosse  County  and  of  the  State  superintendent  of 
schools  of  Wisconsin,  a  study  was  made  of  the  work  of  the  county 
agricultural  school  of  La  Crosse  County,  Wis.,  and  of  its  place  in 
the  county  system  of  schools,  and  a  report  with  recommendations 
submitted. 

Studies  of  rural  education  in  Nebraska  were  completed  and  a  re¬ 
port  prepared  for  publication  as  a  bulletin  of  the  Bureau  of  Educa-1 
tion.  These  studies  were  made  in  cooperation  with  the  school  of 
education  of  the  University  of  Nebraska. 

A  survey  of  rural  schools  of  Walker  County,  Tex.,  and  a  report 
with  recommendations  were  prepared  for  publication  as  a  bulletin  of 
the  bureau. 

A  report  of  the  survey  of  the  rural  schools  of  Falls  County,  Tex.,1 ' 
made  in  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30, 1918,  was  completed  for  publi-j 
cation  as  a  bulletin  of  the  bureau. 

At  the  request  of  the  survey  committee  of  the  State  of  Alabama,1 
created  by  act  of  the  legislature  of  the  State  during  the  first  half  of 
its  quadrennial  session,  the  Bureau  of  Education  undertook  a  com¬ 
prehensive  survey  of  the  State  system  of  education  and  of  all  of  its 
parts,  including  the  higher  institutions  of  learning,  schools  for  the 
blind  and  deaf,  and  other  exceptional  children.  The  whole  of  the 
survey  was  made  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  of  the  rural  school 
division  of  the  bureau,  and  other  members  of  this  division  assisted 
in  the  survey  of  the  rural  schools,  including  the  county  high  schools, 
normal  schools,  and  district  agricultural  schools.  The  report  of  the 
survey  was  prepared  and  published  as  a  bulletin  of  the  bureau,  and 
a  great  majority  of  its  recommendations  were  embodied  in  a  new 
and  comprehensive  school  code  during  the  second  half  of  the  session 
of  the  legislature.  The  entire  report,  with  all  of  its  recommenda¬ 
tions,  received  the  hearty  approval  of  the  State  survey  commission, 
and  it  is  believed  that  further  recommendations  not  embodied  in  the 
school  code  will  be  adopted  as  soon  as  necessary  amendments  to  the 
constitution  of  the  State  can  be  had  and  when  further  developments 
of  the  system  make  their  adoption  advisable. 

In  surveys  of  this  kind,  it'  is  not  the  policy  of  this  bureau  to  make 
only  those  recommendations  that  can  be  put  into  operation  at  once, 
but  rather  to  make  such  constructive  recommendations  as  may  serve 
for  the  improvement'  of  the  schools  and  the  school  system  for  5  or  10 
or  more  years. 

A  detailed  study  of  the  possibilities  of  consolidating  seven  one- 
room  one- teacher  schools  of  Mount  Joy  Township,  Adams  County, 
Pa.,  into  one  school,  and  of  the  advantages  that  might  be  expected  to 
accrue  from  such  consolidation,  was  made  at  the  request  of  the  su¬ 
perintendent  of  schools  of  Adams  County  and  of  the  State  superin- 


ACTIVITIES  OE  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  203 

tendent  of  education.  The  results  of  this  study  will  be  published 
as  a  bulletin  of  the  Bureau  of  Education.  One  of  the  special  rea¬ 
sons  for  this  survey  at  this  time  was  the  desire  of  the  people  of  this 
township  to  use  the  consolidated  school  as  a  community  center,  both 
for  the  ordinary  purposes  of  such  a  center  and  also  for  cooperative 
buying  and  selling  and  exchange  of  products  with  community  or¬ 
ganizations  in  the  city  of  Washington.  The  Post  Office  Department 
assisted  in  establishing  the  cooperative  exchange. 

A  thorough  and  comprehensive  study  of  rural  school  consolidation 
in  the  country  at  large  and  in  typical  counties  in  which  consolida¬ 
tion  has  made  most  progress  has  been  made.  This  study  includes 
readjustments  in  courses  of  study  and  improvement  in  methods  and 
results  made  possible  by  consolidation.  It  is  the  most  comprehen¬ 
sive  and  full  study  of  the  kind  yet  made.  The  results  of  the  study 
are  being  prepared  and  are  now  almost  ready  for  publication  in 
three  separate  bulletins  of  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

Last  fall  a  Nation-wide  inquiry  was  made  to  ascertain  the  extent  of 
the  shortage  of  teachers.  Results  of  the  inquiry  showed  a  shortage 
of  rural  teachers  in  almost  every  section  of  every  State.  It  is  esti¬ 
mated  there  was  a  total  shortage  of  approximately  50,000  teachers, 
and  there  was  an  unusual  number  of  young,  inexperienced  teachers, 
and  a  consequent  lowering  of  standards.  As  a  result  of  this  inquiry 
the  Commissioner  of  Education,  assisted  by  the  Division  of  Rural 
Schools,  entered  upon  a  campaign  for  recruiting  all  rural  teachers 
from  the  ranks  of  married  women  and  others  who  had  previously 
had  successful  experience  as  teachers  and  whose  circumstances  were 
such  as  to  permit  them  to  reenter  the  schools  temporarily  at  least 
for  this  important,  patriotic  service.  Forseeing  the  continuance  of 
this  shortage  of  teachers,  normal  schools  and  colleges  and  universi¬ 
ties,  having  departments  of  education  connected  with  them,  were 
urged  to  offer  special  short  courses  for  these  persons,  and  otherwise  to 
increase  their  efforts  for  the  preparation  of  teachers ;  and  young  men 
and  women  having  suitable  preparation  were  urged  to  enter  these 
schools  and  prepare  themselves  for  teaching.  As  a  further  result  of 
the  findings  of  this  inquiry  the  President  allotted  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  $25,000  out  of  the  appropriation  for  the  National  Se¬ 
curity  and  Defense  to  establish  and  maintain  through  the  remainder 
of  the  fiscal  year  the  school  board  service  division  of  the  bureau 
referred  to  elsewhere  in  this  statement. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  reported  increase  in  prices  and  the 
cost  of  living,  this  bureau  has  been  urging  boards  of  education,  legis¬ 
latures,  city  councils,  and  other  legislative  bodies  to  increase  salaries 
of  teachers,  and  to  make  the  necessary  provisions  therefor  through 
increased  appropriations  and  tax  levies,  to  the  end  not  only  that  the 
pay  of  teachers  might  keep  pace  with  the  rise  in  prices  and  in  pay  for 


204 


EDUCATION  EEPOIiT,  1919. 


other  forms  of  service  as  was  necessary  to  prevent  lowering  of  stand¬ 
ards  in  the  qualifications  of  teachers  and  the  work  of  the  schools 
through  the  loss  of  the  more  competent  teachers  to  other  employment, 
but  also  that,  if  possible,  these  standards  might  be  raised  to  meet  the 
new  and  urgent  demands  made  upon  the  schools.  Reports  made  to 
this  bureau  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1918,  show  an  average  in¬ 
crease  of  about  IT  per  cent  in  the  total  expenditures  for  the  pay  of 
teachers’  salaries  for  the  annual  period  1917  and  1918,  but  the  sepa¬ 
rate  inquiry  made  to  the  rural  school  division  as  to  the  salaries  of 
rural  school  teachers  indicated  that  the  increase  in  pay  of  these  teach¬ 
ers  has  not  been  so  large  as  that  of  the  average,  which  has  been 
raised  chiefly  by  the  increase  in  the  pay  of  city  school  teachers.  On 
the  basis  of  the  revelations  of  this  inquiry,  State  legislatures,  and 
county,  township,  and  district  tax  levying  bodies,  on  whose  action 
any  increase  in  funds  available  for  paying  teachers  in  rural  schools 
must  depend,  have  been  urged  to  make  relatively  large  increases  in 
appropriations  and  tax  levies  for  this  purpose.  Plainly  little  or 
nothing  is  to  be  gained  by  increasing  the  monthly  rate  of  the  pay  of 
teachers  at  the  expense  of  shortening  the  school  term.  It  is  the  total 
amount  of  pay  for  the  school  year  rather  than  the  wages  per  month 
that  counts. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  legislatures  of  more  than  four-fifths  of 
the  States  were  to  meet  in  the  calendar  j7ear  1919,  this  division  of  the 
bureau  prepared  for  the  use  of  the  State  departments  of  education 
and  members  of  such  legislatures  a  legislative  manual,  in  which  were 
summarized  in  forms  easily  read  and  understood  all  of  the  most  im¬ 
portant  educational  statistics,  showing  in  a  comparative  way  the 
conditions  and  needs  of  the  rural  schools  in  the  United  States.  This 
manual  was  published  as  Bureau  of  Education  Bulletin,  1919,  No.  4, 
and  was  distributed  to  the  persons  for  whose  use  it  was  designed. 

A  comprehensive  study  of  the  certification  of  teachers  in  the  sev¬ 
eral  States  is  now  almost  finished  and  will  soon  be  published  as  a 
bulletin  of  the  bureau. 

An  investigation  has  been  in  progress  in  regard  to  the  standardiza¬ 
tion  of  rural  schools  in  the  several  States.  The  purpose  of  the  investi¬ 
gation  is  to  bring  together  in  compact  form  the  standards  which  have 
been  adopted  for  school  buildings,  school  equipment,  school  sanita¬ 
tion,  courses  of  study,  etc.  The  results  of  the  investigation  will  be 
published  as  a  bulletin  of  the  bureau. 

A  comprehensive  study  of  free  public  libraries  as  they  affect  the 
rural  population  of  the  country,  of  the  need  of  county  libraries  and 
of  the  policy  of  counties  to  maintain  them,  has  been  completed  and 
will  be  published  as  a  bulletin  of  the  Bureau  of  Education.  This 
study  shows  that  2,200  counties,  or  about  two-thirds  of  all  of  the 
counties  of  the  United  States,  have  no  public  libraries  or  none  con- 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


205 


taming  as  many  as  10, COO  volumes;  that  more  than  half  the  people 
of  the  United  States  have  no  access  to  any  adequate  collection  of 
books ;  and  that  practically  all  of  these  counties  might,  at  a  cost  that 
would  not  involve  excessive  taxation,  maintain  good  libraries  at  the 
county  seats  or  elsewhere,  with  branch  libraries  in  the  most  important 
towns  and  villages,  making  use  of  the  schools  as  distributing  centers. 
In  this  way  the  general  educational  facilities  of  these  counties  might 
be  increased  in  large  proportion.  The  study  also  shows  how,  through 
cooperation  of  cities  and  counties,  the  city  libraries  might  easily  be 
made  available  for  the  free  use  of  the  rural  population  of  the  counties 
in  which  they  are  located. 

Believing  the  schools  in  the  villages  and  small  towns  to  be  capable 
of  assuming  a  much  more  important  place  among  the  educational 
agencies  of  the  country  than  they  now  have,  and  conscious  of  the  com¬ 
parative  neglect  of  these  schools  in  all  these  studies  of  education  and 
in  all  plans  for  school  improvement,  much  attention  has  been  given  to 
this  subject.  In  the  past  year  and  a  half  two  interesing  and  valuable 
national  conferences  on  village  schools  have  been  held,  one  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  meeting  of  the  National  Education  Association  at 
Pittsburgh  in  July,  1918,  and  one  in  connection  with  the  meeting  of 
the  Department  of  Superintendence  of  the  National  Education  Asso¬ 
ciation  at  Chicago,  in  February,  1919.  Two  conferences  on  the  special 
needs  of  schools  in  mining  villages  and  small  mining  towns  have  been 
held,  and  one  member  of  this  division  has  devoted  several  weeks 
to  a  first-hand  study  of  conditions  in  mining  villages  in  Pennsyl¬ 
vania  and  West  Virginia  coal  fields.  Another  member  of  this  divi¬ 
sion  and  the  specialist  in  educational  systems  attached  to  the  Division 
of  City  School  Administration  have  given  special  attention  to  the 
condition  and  needs  of  southern  cotton  mill  villages,  with  a  view  to 
making  recommendations  for  the  improvement  of  their  schools. 

A  bulletin  has  been  prepared  showing  the  present  practice  in  vil¬ 
lage  and  small  town  school  organization  and  showing  the  opportuni¬ 
ties  for  their  improvement  and  particularly  for  their  use  as  consoli¬ 
dation  centers.  The  studies  already  made  indicate  that  this  is  a  very 
useful  field,  and  this  work  will  be  continued  and  enlarged.  There 
are  in  the  United  States  more  than  10,000  villages  and  towns  having 
a  population  under  2,500  and  a  total  population  of  more  than 
8,000,000. 

With  the  assistance  of  other  members  of  this  division,  the  school  ex¬ 
tension  agent  has  held  three  important  national  and  sectional  con¬ 
ferences  on  rural  education,  one  at  Stevens  Point,  Wis.,  December 
22-25,  1918;  one  at  Daytona,  Fla.,  February  1-4,  1919;  and  one  at 
Oklahoma  City,  April  30-May  3,  1919.  Plans  were  made  for  a  con¬ 
ference  at  Sioux  Falls,  S.  Dak.,  in  the  early  spring,  but  the  conference 
was  postponed  on  acount  of  the  epidemic  of  influenza,  in  the  North 


206 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


Central  States  at  that  time,  and  will  be  held  in  October,  1919.  These 
conferences  were  largely  attended  by  educators,  governors  of  States, 
and  other  public  officials,  and  laymen  interested  in  the  cause  of  rural 
education.  The  Oklahoma  City  conference  was  the  twelfth  of  these 
conferences  on  rural  education  held  by  the  Bureau  of  Education,  the 
first  having  been  held  in  Chicago  in  1914.  They  have  proven  very 
valuable  in  stimulating  intelligent  interest  in  rural-school  improve¬ 
ment  and  in  getting  before  the  people  for  consideration  and  discus¬ 
sion  the  program  of  this  bureau  for  rural-school  improvement.  This 
program,  now  generally  accepted  as  a  working  basis,  includes  the  fol¬ 
lowing  12  recommendations: 

1.  An  academic  term  of  not  less  than  160  days  in  every  rural  community. 

2.  A  sufficient  number  of  teachers  adequately  prepared  for  their  work. 

3.  Consolidation  of  rural  schools  where  practicable. 

4.  Teacher’s  home  and  demonstration  farm  of  five  or  more  acres  as  a  part 
of  the  school  property. 

5.  An  all-year  school  session  adapted  to  local  conditions. 

6.  A  country  library  with  branch  libraries  at  the  centers  of  population,  the 
public  schools  to  be  used  as  distributing  centers. 

7.  Community  organization  with  the  school  as  the  intellectual,  industrial, 
and  social  center. 

8.  A  high-school  education  for  all  country  boys  and  girls,  without  severing 
home  ties  in  obtaining  that  education. 

9.  Such  readjustment  and  reformation  of  the  course  of  study  in  elementary 
and  secondary  rural  school  as  will  adapt  them  to  the  needs  of  rural  life. 

10.  Federal  aid  in  public  education. 

11.  The  elimination  of  illiteracy. 

12.  Americanization  of  all  citizens  through  a  better  civic  and  patriotic 
instruction. 

The  rural  school  extension  agent  and  other  members  of  the  divi¬ 
sion  cooperated  with  the  State  superintendents  of  schools  of  Texas 
in  planning  and  holding  a  rural  school  conference  in  that  State  in 
June,  1919,  in  connection  with  summer  schools  at  four  normal  schools, 
the  State  university,  and  the  State  college  of  agriculture. 

The  work  of  the  rural  teachers  reading  circle  has  been  continued 
under  the  direction  of  this  division.  The  number  of  readers  is 
increasing.  Its  purpose  is  to  stimulate  the  best  and  most  progressive 
rural  teachers,  superintendents,  and  supervisors  of  schools  to  read 
systematically  a  good  number  of  the  stimulating  and  instructive 
books  on  the  fundamental  purposes  and  practices  of  education,  on 
rural  economics  and  rural  life,  and  on  the  organization  and  condu2t 
of  rural  schools. 

The  educational  section  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  exposi¬ 
tion  in  the  spring  of  1919  was  prepared  under  the  direction  of  this 
division  of  the  bureau.  Among  other  items  of  this  display  were  a 
modern  rural  school,  a  modern  home  garden,  and  charts  showing  the 
work  of  the  various  divisions  of  the  bureau,  and  displays  from  the 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  207 

Americanization  division  and  the  educational  extension  division  of 
the  bureau,  including  the  visual  instruction  division. 

DIVISION  OF  CITY  SCHOOL  ADMINISTRATION. 

In  addition  to  the  routine  work  of  correspondence,  holding  con¬ 
ference,  and  the  giving  of  information  and  advice  to  school  officers 
and  teachers,  the  Division  of  City  School  Administration,  to  which 
are  attached  the  kindergarten  specialists,  assistants,  and  collabora-; 
tors,  reports  as  follows : 

This  division  completed  the  report  of  the  survey  of  the  schools  of 
Columbia,  S.  C,  made  in  the  preceding  year,  and  prepared  it  for  pub¬ 
lication.  The  chief  of  the  division  directed  that  part  of  the  survey 
of  the  educational  system  of  the  State  of  Alabama  relating  to  the 
organization,  support,  equipment,  and  work  of  the  schools  systems 
of  the  46  cities  of  the  State,  and  prepared  the  report  on  this  part  of 
the  survey. 

The  chief  of  the  division  has  immediate  direction  of  the  survey  of 
the  schools  of  the  city  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  made  by  this  bureau  last 
spring.  Two  other  members  of  the  division  assisted  in  the  survey, 
and  the  division  put  the  several  parts  of  this  report  into  final  shape 
for  printing. 

The  division  has  conducted  a  study  of  the  relation  of  education  to 
industrial  and  social  conditions  in  the  city  of  Passaic,  N.  J.  The 
study  will  be  continued  and  completed  within  the  current  year. 

The  specialist  in  school  systems,  attached  to  this  division,  has  be¬ 
gun  a  study  of  the  schools  at  Erlanger,  a  typical  cotton-mill  village 
near  Lexington,  N.  C.,  and  will,  under  the  direction  of  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education,  assist  in  reorganizing  these  schools  and  in 
readjusting  their  courses  of  study  so  as  to  adapt  them  to  the  condi¬ 
tions  and  needs  of  the  people.  As  an  introduction  to  the  study  of 
local  economics  and  as  a  coordinating  subject  in  these  schools,  there 
has  been  collected  and  prepared  an  extensive  course  on  the  cultiva¬ 
tion,  manufacture,  and  uses  of  cotton.  The  schools  of  this  mill 
town  have  been  taken  as  typical  of  the  schools  of  cotton-mill  towns 
in  the  South. 

The  specialist1  in  school  systems  has  also  prepared  a  bulletin  on 
the  phonic  method  of  teaching  reading. 

The  division  outlined  for  the  superintendent  and  board  of  educa¬ 
tion  of  Elizabeth  City,  N.  C.,  a  plan  for  the  survey  of  the  schools 
of  that  city. 

A  study  has  been  made  of  the  causes  of  failure  and  nonpromotion 
in  the  primary  grades  of  the  public  schools. 

Among  the  important  conferences  held  was  a  conference  of  sup¬ 
erintendents  of  schools  in  cities  having  large  industrial  interests,  for 


208 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


the  purpose  of  discussing  plans  whereby  school  terms  and  hours  of 
attendance  might  be  adjusted  to  the  needs  of  older  boys  and  girls 
who,  under  pressure  of  war  needs,  were  seeking  employment  in  in¬ 
dustrial  plants. 

Kindergartens. — Three  studies  relating  to  the  kindergarten  have 
been  completed  and  published  as  bulletins  of  the  bureau :  “  Kinder¬ 
garten  Supervision  in  City  Schools,”  “A  Survey  of  Kindergarten 
Education  for  the  Years  1916  to  1918,”  and  “  The  Kindergarten 
Curriculum.”  Studies  now  in  progress,  the  results  of  which  will  be 
published  by  the  bureau,  are:  “Salaries  and  Hours  of  Work  of 
Kindergarten  Teachers  as  Compared  with  Those  of  the  First 
Grade,”  “  Modifications  in  Kindergarten  Equipment,”  and  “  Train¬ 
ing  Courses  in  Colleges  for  Women.”  In  cooperation  with  the  Na¬ 
tional  Kindergarten  Union,  work  is  in  progress  on  a  curriculum  for 
the  first  grade,  based  on  the  work  of  the  kindergarten.  An  illus¬ 
trated  bulletin  is  in  preparation  for  publication,  showing  the  more 
important  activities  of  children  in  the  kindergartens. 

Many  thousands  of  circular  letters  have  been  sent  to  kindergarten 
teachers,  and  more  than  60,000  leaflets  on  the  kindergarten  have 
been  sent  to  legislators  and  other  persons  whom  it  was  desired  to 
interest  in  kindergarten  legislation  and  other  means  of  promoting 
the  kindergarten.  Special  assistance  has  been  given  to  the  workers 
for  kindergartens  in  several  States  in  planning  and  promoting  legis¬ 
lative  programs.  An  intensive  campaign  for  the  establishment  of 
kindergartens  was  conducted  in  the  State  of  Texas. 

A  reading  course  for  graduate  kindergartners  has  resulted  in  an 
enrollment  of  readers  from  every  part  of  the  country.  A  leaflet  em¬ 
phasizing  practical  ways  in  which  the  kindergarten  can  further  the 
work  of  Americanization  has  had  wide  distribution  among  school 
superintendents  and  kindergarten  teachers  in  cities  and  towns  hav¬ 
ing  large  foreign-born  population. 

The  chief  of  the  Division  of  City  School  Administration  cooper¬ 
ated  with  the  French  High  Commission  in  placing  French  teachers 
in  the  schools  of  the  United  States.  The  kindergarten  specialist  as¬ 
sisted  the  Ordnance  Bureau  of  the  War  Department  in  connection 
with  the  equipment  of  kindergartens  in  the  Government  schools  at 
munition  plants.  All  members  of  the  division  participated  in  the 
war  work  in  many  ways. 

School  administration. — The  specialist  in  school  administration 
has  brought  up  to  date  the  bulletin  on  laws  pertaining  to  the  adop¬ 
tion  and  supply  of  textbooks,  prepared  a  brief  summary  of  the  his¬ 
tory  of  education  in  the  State  of  Alabama,  which  was  published  as 
a  chapter  in  the  Educational  Survey  of  Alabama,  prepared  a  sum¬ 
mary  review  of  educational  legislation  in  the  several  States  in  1917 
and  1918,  wThich  was  published  as  Bulletin  No.  13,  1919,  has  begun  a 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  209 

similar  review  of  educational  legislation  for  the  years  1918  and  1919, 
has  made  a  study  of  the  educational  activities  of  governmental 
departments  in  Washington,  and  lias  continued  the  study  already 
begun  on  the  source  of  school  revenues  in  the  several  States.  While 
the  legislatures  were  in  session  he  distributed  to  State  departments 
of  education  and  legislative  committees  copies  of  24  legislative  circu¬ 
lars  summarizing  pending  and  completed  legislation  in  the  several 
States. 


DIVISION  OF  HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

Special  wo,r  activities. — The  normal  procedure  of  the  Division  of 
Higher  Education  was  altered  by  the  war.  A  large  part  of  the  time 
of  all  members  of  the  division  was  devoted  to  various  emergency 
services  rendered  necessary  by  the  fact  that  the  country  was  at  war. 
In  the  following  paragraphs  the  more  important  of  these  activities 
are  listed: 

The  specialist  in  higher  education  was  a  member  of  the  advisory 
board  of  the  committee  on  education  and  special  training  of  the  War 
Department  from  the  time  of  its  organization  in  February,  1918. 
Through  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1918  this  committee  had  charge 
of  the  training  of  mechanics  and  technicians  for  the  Army  in  civilian 
institutions  and  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps,  established 
in  nearly  all  the  colleges  and  universities  of  the  country.  In  the 
formulation  of  the  plans  for  all  these  activities  and  in  the  actual 
administration  of  them,  the  division’s  representative  was  almost 
constantly  occupied  up  to  December,  1918. 

The  specialist  in  higher  education  served  also  as  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  educational  relations  of  the  National  Research  Council 
and  as  a  member  of  the  advisory  committee  of  the  educational  bureau 
of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association.  Other  members  of  the 
division  were  called  upon  from  time  to  time  to  prepare  data  for  the 
use  of  these  and  other  emergency  bodies. 

PublicatioTis. — The  publications  of  the  division  have  dealt  in  large 
part  with  the  war  situation  as  it  affected  higher  education.  Thus 
the  division  has  prepared  a  section  on  higher  education  for  the  Re¬ 
port  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  a  biennial  survey  of  higher 
education,  1916-1918,  and  has  issued  three  circulars  in  the  series  en¬ 
titled  “  The  Work  of  American  Colleges  and  Universities  During  the 
War.”  Of  these  the  most  important  was  Circular  No.  12,  entitled 
“  Opportunities  at  College  for  Returning  Soldiers,”  issued  Decem¬ 
ber,  1918,  and  presenting  a  summarized  statement  of  the  special  con¬ 
cessions  colleges  were  willing  to  make  for  the  benefit  of  discharged 
soldiers,  sailors,  and  marines.  In  addition,  it  issued  to  college  officers 
a  multigraphecl  circular  entitled  “  Suggestions  to  Colleges  Concern- 


210 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


ing  the  Admission  of  Returning  Soldiers,”  in  which  it  proposed  the 
relaxation  of  formal  entrance  requirements  and  the  substitution  of 
Army  intelligence  tests  in  the  case  of  returning  soldiers  with  defec¬ 
tive  secondary  school  preparation.  The  response  of  the  colleges  to 
these  suggestions  was  summarized  in  another  circular  sent  to  de¬ 
mobilization  camps.  Other  publications  of  the  division  have  been 
Bulletin,  1918,  No.  16,  “Facilidades  Ofrecidas  a  los  Estados  Unidos”; 
Bulletin,  1918,  No.  29,  “American  Agricultural  Colleges”;  Bulletin, 
1918,  No.  30,  “Resources  and  Standards  of  Colleges  of  Arts  and 
Sciences”;  Bulletin,  1918,  No.  51,  “Statistics  of  State  Universities 
and  State  Colleges  ” ;  a  section  on  higher  education  in  Bulletin,  1919, 

No.  41,  entitled  “An  Educational  Study  of  Alabama.”  The  divi-  J 
sion  has  prepared  for  publication  manuscripts  of  bulletins  as  fol¬ 
lows  :  “  Survey  of  Higher  Educational  Institutions  of  South  Da¬ 
kota,”  “  Requirements  for  the  Bachelor’s  Degree  in  the  United  j 
States,”  “  The  Curricula  of  the  Students  Army  Training  Corps,”  a  j 
report  of  the  committee  on  agricultural  education  of  the  National 
Education  Association  commission  on  the  reorganization  of  the  sec-  , 
ondary  school  curricula.  It  has  also  prepared  a  circular  on  “Salaries  } 
of  College  Teachers.” 

Other  activities. — All  the  members  of  the  division  were  engaged 
during  the  spring  of  1919  in  work  connected  with  the  study  of 
higher  institutions  in  Alabama.  The  specialist  in  higher  educa¬ 
tion,  the  specialist  in  agricultural  education,  and  the  specialist  in 
land-grant  college  statistics  spent  several  weeks  in  field  work  in  : 
Alabama  in  connection  with  this  survey.  The  report,  which  was 
presented  to  the  Alabama  Educational  Commission  by  the  specialist  I 
in  higher  education  on  June  9,  contained  42  recommendations  relat-  1 
ing  to  the  administration  and  support  of  the  higher  educational  in¬ 
stitutions  of  the  .State.  In  recommending  an  apportionment  of  the  j 
field  of  professional  training  between  the  University  of  Alabama  and 
Alabama  Polytechnic  Institute,  the  report  followed  the  now  familiar  I 
policy  of  the  bureau  of  dividing  the  work  of  these  institutions  into  ; 
major  and  service  lines.  Perhaps  the  most  important  new  recom¬ 
mendation  was  that  providing  for  the  creation  of  a  State  council 
of  education,  composed  of  representatives  of  the  administration  of 
the  State  school  system  and  each  of  the  higher  institutions ;  the  fu¬ 
ture  determination  by  it  of  State  needs  in  the  field  of  professional 
training;  and  the  allocation  of  the  different  portions  of  the  tasks  of 
professional  training  among  the  several  higher  institutions  in 
harmony  with  the  definition  of  the  spheres  of  those  institutions. 

At  the  request  of  The  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army,  the  division 
has  passed  upon  the  eligibility  for  accrediting  by  the  United  States 
Military  Academy  of  473  institutions. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  211 

The  division  lias  prepared  for  the  Biennia]  Report  of  the  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education  statistics  of  higher  institutions  and  special  sta¬ 
tistics  of  land-grant  colleges. 

One  specialist  in  higher  education  represented  the  division  at  the 
following  important  educational  gatherings,  at  all  but  two  of  which 
he  delivered  addresses: 

The  Section  on  Higher  Education  of  the  National  Education  Association,  1918. 

The  American  Council  on  Education,  1918. 

College  Entrance  Examination  Board,  1918. 

National  Association  of  State  Universities,  1918. 

Association  of  Colleges  and  Preparatory  Schools  of  the  Middle  States  and 
Maryland,  1918. 

Association  of  American  Universities,  1918. 

Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering  Education,  1918. 

National  Conference  Committee  on  Standards  of  Colleges  and  Secondary 
Schools,  1919. 

The  convention  of  the  Association  of  Collegiate  Alumnae,  1919. 

The  inauguration  of  President  McConaughy,  of  Knox  College,  1919. 

The  specialist  in  agricultural  education  has  represented  the  divi¬ 
sion  at  meetings  of  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Col¬ 
leges  and  Experiment  Stations,  the  National  Society  for  Vocational 
Education,  and  conferences  on  commercial  engineering,  all  in  1919. 

The  specialist  in  land-grant  college  statistics  represented  the  di¬ 
vision  at  the  meeting  of  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural 
Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations  and  the  Department  of  Superin¬ 
tendence  of  the  National  Education  Association,  both  in  1919. 

The  division  organized  a  series  of  conferences  of  specialists  in 
agricultural  education  for  the  preparation  of  courses  of  study  in 
agriculture.  It  participated  in  conferences  of  the  War  Department 
with  representatives  of  colleges  and  universities  in  regard  to  the  pro¬ 
motion  of  military  training  in  higher  institutions.  It  took  part  in 
conferences  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  overseas  edu¬ 
cational  commission,  and  it  conducted  conferences  for  Reserve 
Officers’  Training  Corps  commanders  at  Camp  Lee. 

The  division  was  intimately  connected  with  the  entertainment  of 
the  British  educational  mission  in  the  autumn  of  1918.  The  special¬ 
ist  in  higher  education  served  on  the  entertainment  committee  of  the 
American  Council  on  Education,  had  charge  of  the  arrangements 
for  the  entertainment  of  the  mission  in  Washington,  and  assisted  in 
organizing  the  itinerary  of  the  mission  through  the  United  States. 
For  the  benefit  of  the  mission  the  division  prepared  a  report  on  fel¬ 
lowships  and  scholarships  available  for  British  students  in  American 
universities. 

DIVISION  OF  EDUCATION  IN  INDUSTRIES  AND  HOME  MAKING. 

Conferences  were  organized  and  held  in  Washington  by  the 
bureau  for  the  purpose  of  considering  and  making  recommendations 


212 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919* 


regarding:  (1)  Part-time  schools  in  cities,  as  a  means  of  reaching 
boys  and  girls  who  left  school  to  work;  (2)  special  provision  of  even¬ 
ing  classes  for  Government  employees  in  the  District  of  Columbia; 
(3)  effect  of  the  war  on  high-school  enrollment;  (4)  promotion  of 
cooperation  between  the  public  schools,  chambers  of  commerce,  and 
labor  unions;  (5)  preparation  of  bulletins  on  conservation  of  food, 
for  use  by  teachers  of  home  economics. 

Conferences  of  specialists  called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Educa¬ 
tion  were  conducted  as  follows:  (1)  Specialists  engaged  in  training 
teachers  of  manual  training  and  industrial  education  in  institutions 
in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  held  at  the  State  Normal  School,  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.;  (2)  specialists  in  industrial  education,  held  at  the 
Statler  Hotel,  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  (3)  directors  of  vocational  units, 
Students’  Army  Training  Corps,  held  at  the  office  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  Chicago,  Ill. 

The  specialist  in  industrial  education  has  rendered  assistance  to  the 
committee  on  education  and  special  training  of  the  War  Department 
in  preparing  a  series  of  outlines  of  courses  of  instruction  in  me¬ 
chanical  trades  for  the  use  of  institutions  engaged  in  training 
soldiers.  He  has  been  detailed  to  field  work  for  an  aggregate  of  44 
days,  holding  conferences  of  specialists  in  industrial  education,  as¬ 
sisting  in  the  survey  of  the  schools  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  representing 
the  bureau  at  educational  conventions,  and  similar  duties.  Since 
March  10  he  has  been  detailed  to  special  duties  as  assistant  to  the 
commissioner. 

The  specialists  in  home  economics  have  assisted  in  the  surveys  of  the 
public  schools  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  the  State  systems  of  public 
schools  of  Tennessee  and  Alabama,  lectured  on  home  economics  in 
teachers’  institutes  and  summer  schools,  held  conferences  of  special¬ 
ists  in  home  economics,  and  represented  the  bureau  at  educational 
conventions. 

They  also  rendered  assistance  to  the  Food  Administration  and  to 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  in  formulating  material  for  publica¬ 
tion  in  bulletins  on  home  economics.  One  specialist  assisted  in  the 
nursing  and  food  service  at  the  emergency  hospital  in  Washington 
during  the  influenza  epidemic  in  November.  Special  studies  have 
been  begun  of  the  reorganization  of  home  economics  instruction  in 
secondary  schools,  and  of  State  and  Federal  legislation  relating  to 
home  economics  in  the  schools. 

This  division  prepared  the  chapters  on  “Vocational  Education” 
and  “  Home  Economics  ”  for  the  Biennial  Survey  of  the  Bureau  of 
Education,  and  a  revised  “  Bibliography  of  Home  Economics  In¬ 
struction,”  also  the  manuscripts  for  the  following  publications: 

Pndustrial  Education  Circular  No.  1,  Lessons  from  the  War  and  Their  Ap¬ 
plication  in  the  Training  of  Teachers. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


213 


Industrial  Education  Circular  No.  2,  The  Cooperative  School. 

Industrial  Education  Circular  No.  4,  The  Army  Trade  Tests. 

Home  Economics  Circular  No.  7,  Effect  of  War  Conditions  on  Clothing  and 
Textile  Courses.  „ 

Home  Economics  Circular  No.  8,  Brief  Courses  in  Home  Making  for  Normal 
Schools. 

DIVISION  OF  SCHOOL  HYGIENE  AND  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION. 

During  the  year  1918-19,  the  Division  of  School  Hygiene  and 
Physical  Education  has  had  the  full-time  services  of  one  specialist 
in  hygiene  and  physical  education  and  one  assistant;  the  part-time 
services  of  one  special  agent  in  schoolhouse  construction  and  sanita¬ 
tion:  the  services  for  six  months  of  a  field  agent  for  school  health 
organization,  in  cooperation  with  the  Public  Health  Service;  valu¬ 
able  expert  and  clerical  assistance  through  the  cooperation  of  the 
Child  Health  Organization  of  New  York;  and  the  cooperative  serv¬ 
ices  of  several  special  collaborators. 

The  work  of  the  division  has  included  correspondence,  office  and 
research  work,  publications,  attendance  upon  meetings  of  associa¬ 
tions,  addresses,  conferences,  surveys  and  investigations,  special 
studies  and  cooperation  with  other  Government  and  voluntary  or¬ 
ganizations. 

The  correspondence  of  the  division  has  been  large  and  varied, 
covering  all  phases  of  school  hygiene  and  physical  education.  The 
correspondence  relative  to  schoolhouse  construction  and  sanitation 
has  been  taken  care  of  by  the  special  agent  in  school  sanitation,  with 
offices  at  George  Peabody  College  for  Teachers,  Nashville,  Tenn.  It 
has  included  help  to  school  boards  in  planning  school  buildings, 
selection  of  sites,  and  criticisms  of  proposed  plans  submitted  by 
architects. 

The  general  office  work  has  included  preparation  of  memoranda 
for  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  the  examination  and  report 
upon  manuscripts  on  school  sanitation,  health  instruction,  and  physi¬ 
cal  education  submitted  for  publication  (about  25  in  number),  re¬ 
vision  of  manuscripts  for  publication,  assistance  to  other  divisions 
relative  to  hygiene  and  physical  education,  the  preparation  of  special 
bibliographies,  preparing  and  furnishing  special  information  to  re¬ 
sponsible  inquiries  (e.  g.,  a  list  of  organizations  interested  in  con¬ 
servation  of  vision),  indexing  and  filing  correspondence,  indexing 
and  keeping  the  card  catalogue  up  to  date  on  the  reference  in  cur¬ 
rent  literature  for  the  various  phases  of  school  hygiene  and  physical 
education. 

The  specialist  in  school  hygiene  and  physical  education  has  at¬ 
tended  and  addressed  a  large  number  of  meetings,  including  the 
National  Education  Association,  Aunerican  Public  Health  Associa¬ 
tion,  National  Child  Labor  Committee,  Southern  Sociological  Con- 
1425390 — 19 - 15 


214 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


gress,  American  Physical  Education  Association,  the  Missouri  State 
Health  Conference,  and  others.  He  has  organized  and  held  con¬ 
ferences  in  connection  with  meetings  of  the  Department  of  Super¬ 
intendence  of  the  National  Education  Association  and  the  American 
Physical  Education  Association. 

The  division,  through  the  specialist  and  special  agents,  has  taken 
part  in  the  bureau’s  surveys  of  the  school  systems  in  the  State  of 
Alabama  and  the  city  of  Memphis.  Their  work  has  covered  sites 
and  buildings,  health  supervision,  health  instruction,  and  physical 
training  activities.  In  addition,  special  field  studies  have  been  made 
in  the  organization  of  physical  education  and  health  work  in  the 
schools.  School  authorities  have  been  conferred  with  and  advised 
with  respect  to  these  matters.  The  special  agent  in  schoolhouse  con¬ 
struction  has  given  personal  aid  to  school  hoards  in  the  following 
cities  with  respect  to  their  building  plans:  Montgomery,  Ala.; 
Tuscaloosa,  Ala. ;  Bristol,  R.  I. ;  Helena,  Ark. ;  Reno,  Nev. 

The  specialist  in  school  hygiene  and  physical  education  has  pre¬ 
pared  for  the  Biennial  Survey  a  summary  of  important  developments 
in  education  in  hygiene  during  the  biennium  of  1916-1918;  in  co¬ 
operation  with  Dr.  T.  A.  Storey,  Bulletin  No.  40,  1919,  “Recent 
State  Legislation  for  Physical  Education;”  an  analytical  summary 
of  the  legislation  in  question  and  statement  of  principles  giving  such 
legislation;  a  preliminary  report  on  “The  Closure  of  Schools  as  a 
Means  of  Controlling  Communicable  Diseases”  (in  cooperation  with 
the  committee  of  the  American  Public  Health  Association). 

The  study  of  physical  education  in  normal  schools  begun  last  year 
has  been  continued  with  an  attempt  to  get  reports  from  all  normal 
schools  on  this  phase  of  work.  This  is  not  intended  for  publication 
at  this  time. 

In  collaboration  with  Supt.  Grover  C.  Thames,  of  Magnolia,  Miss., 
a  study  has  been  made  by  questionnaire  of  physical  education  in  the 
State  of  Mississippi.  This  work  is  incomplete. 

A  complete  study  of  the  organization  and  conduct  of  school  health 
supervision  has  been  outlined  and  begun.  A  preliminary  tabulation 
and  analytical  study  of  the  State  laws  have  been  completed.  A  ques¬ 
tionnaire  has  been  outlined  for  all  cities  of  2,500  inhabitants  and  will 
be  sent  out  in  the  fall.  It  is  proposed  to  extend  this  inquiry  to  rural 
and  village  communities.  The  object  is  to  get,  at  the  end  of  the 
five-year  period,  as  complete  a  picture  as  possible  of  the  character 
and  extent  of  school  health  supervision  throughout  the  country. 

A  study  of  janitor  service  in  city  schools  has  been  begun  in  co¬ 
operation  with  the  division  of  city  schools. 

Every  effort  has  been  made  to  cooperate  with  other  governmental 
and  voluntary  agencies  which  have  to  do  with  school  hygiene  and 
physical  education,  with  the  ultimate  object  of  coordinating  as  far 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


215 


as  possible  the  forces  and  influences  that  touch  the  schools.  Some 
effective  cooperation  has  been  carried  on  with  the  Public  Health 
Service,  Interdepartmental  Social  Hygiene  Board,  Boys’  Working 
Reserve,  Junior  Red  Cross,  the  American  Physical  Education  Asso¬ 
ciation,  the  Child  Health  Organization,  National  Anti-Tuberculosis 
Association,  and  others.  The  following  special  pieces  of  cooperation 
have  been  noteworthy : 

In  cooperation  with  the  Child  Health  Organization,  the  bureau  has 
undertaken  to  direct  the  wide-spread  interest  in  health  incident  to 
the  war  toward  simple  and  practical  methods  of  health  teaching  in 
the  schools.  To  this  end  a  health  education  series,  consisting  of  Class¬ 
room  Weight  Record  and  four  pamphlets,  has  been  published.  The 
cooperation  of  30  State  superintendents  and  hundreds  of  city  and 
county  superintendents  has  resulted  in  a  widespread  use  of  this  ma¬ 
terial.  A  number  of  large  cities  have  adopted  the  plan  as  part  of 
their  regular  curriculum.  Among  these  are  Chicago,  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  and  Portland,  Oreg.  The  program  has  aroused  enthusiastic  in¬ 
terest  of  many  organizations,  including  the  National  Tuberculosis 
Association,  the  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs,  the  woman’s  commit¬ 
tee  of  the  Council  of  Defense,  State  health  boards,  the  home  demon¬ 
stration  agents  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  and  others.  Very 
important  service  has  been  rendered  by  such  organizations  in  bring¬ 
ing  this  method  of  health  education  to  the  attention  of  communities, 
which  in  turn,  have  made  it  possible  for  the  school  authorities  to  put 
the  plan  into  effective  use  in  the  schools.  The  interest  in  the  work 
is  constantly  growing  as  is  indicated  by  the  rapidly  increasing  num¬ 
ber  of  inquiries  and  requests  for  material  and  assistance. 

At  the  request  of  the  Public  Health  Service,  the  specialist  in  school 
hygiene  was  detailed  to  advise  with  the  officers  of  the  division  of 
venereal  diseases  of  the  Public  Health  Service  relative  to  “  plans  for 
sex  education  and  measures  for  securing  the  necessary  cooperation  of 
the  educational  systems  of  the  country.”  Many  informal  and  a  few 
formal  conferences  have  been  held  with  representatives  of  the  Public 
Health  Service  for  the  purpose  of  making  effective  the  terms  of  the 
detail.  The  object  was  to  bring  together,  for  exchange  of  views  and 
experiences,  teachers  and  others  who  might  have  something  to  con¬ 
tribute.  As  a  result  there  has  been  brought  to  light  a  good  deal  of 
intelligent  sex  education  work  in  connection  with  home  economics, 
physical  education,  civics,  and  literature.  The  keynote  has  been  the 
development  of  positive  ideals  of  physical  strength  and  vigor  and 
social  uprightness. 

A  series  of  pamphlets  for  high-school  teachers  has  been  planned, 
largely  influenced  by  conference  experiences. 

As  reported  last  year,  a  national  committee  on  physical  education, 
consisting  of  representatives  of  national  organizations,  was  formed 


216 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  legislation  for  physical  education. 
At  the  request  of  the  committee,  the  Playground  and  Recreation  As¬ 
sociation  of  America  established  a  new  branch  under  the  title  of 
the  National  Physical  Education  Service,  with  the  specific  object  of 
furthering  legislation  for  physical  education. 

DIVISION  OF  COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION. 

Because  of  the  great  interest  now  manifest  in  commercial  educa¬ 
tion,  especially  for  our  large  prospective  foreign  commerce  and  in 
education  for  foreign  service  in  industrial  enterprises  and  otherwise, 
the  pressure  on  the  Division  of  Commercial  Education  has  been  very 
great. 

During  the  fiscal  year  1918-19  the  bureau  conducted  the  following 
surveys,  the  complete  results  of  which  will  be  published  as  bulletins 
of  this  bureau : 

1.  A  survey  of  15  major  cities  in  cooperation  with  the  Bureau  of 
Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce,  Committee  of  Fifteen  on  Educa¬ 
tional  Preparation  for  Foreign  Service,  American  Association  of 
Urban  Universities,  and  local  committees  with  representation  from 
trade,  industries,  and  education. 

2.  A  survey  of  all  cities  with  25,000  inhabitants  and  over,  about 
250  in  all,  carried  on  direct  from  the  bureau  in  cooperation  with 
local  committees,  of  which  the  city  superintendent  of  schools  acted 
as  chairman. 

The  purpose  of  these  two  surveys  is  to  ascertain  the  extent  and 
character  of  the  foreign  business  of  these  cities,  the  number  of  people 
employed,  and  the  kind  of  service  rendered  by  them,  and  whether 
and  how  the  schools  and  colleges  can  train  men  and  women  for 
foreign  business. 

3.  In  cooperation  with  the  educational  director  of  that  associa¬ 
tion,  surveys  of  the  work  conducted  by  the  educational  departments 
of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association. 

4.  A  survey  of  all  commercial  teacher- training  work  carried  on 
in  colleges,  universities,  and  normal  schools. 

5.  A  survey  of  colleges  and  universities  to  ascertain  what  facilities 
they  offer  in  preparation  of  the  students  in  engineering  or  business 
for  management  positions  in  industry  and  commerce,  and  for  over¬ 
seas  engineering  development  project  and  commercial  enterprises. 

The  results  of  this  last  investigation  served  as  a  basis  for  the  con¬ 
structive  work  of  the  commercial  engineering  conferences  of  Febru¬ 
ary  22,  March  31,  and  April  1,  and  June  23  and  24,  which  were  held 
in  St.  Louis  and  Washington.  The  genesis  and  development  of  this 
project,  including  the  proceedings  in  full  of  the  public  conference 
of  June  23  and  24,  have  been  prepared  for  publication  as  a  bulletin  of 
this  bureau. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


217 


In  addition  to  these  surveys  a  bulletin  has  been  prepared  on 
“Training  for  Foreign  Service”;  and,  in  cooperation  with  a  com¬ 
mittee  from  the  Association  of  Accredited  Schools  a  “  Course  of 
Study  for  Use  in  Private  Business  Schools.”  A  brief  but  definite 
statement  is  in  preparation  in  respect  to  training  for  business  in  the 
21  countries  constituting  the  Pan-American  Union.  This  work  is 
being  done  in  cooperation  with  a  well-equipped  scholar  in  each  of 
these  countries. 

STATISTICAL  DIVISION. 

The  statistical  blanks  used  in  gathering  information  from  the  vari- 
our  schools  and  school  systems  were  revised  in  July,  1918.  This  re¬ 
vision  was  completed  after  a  consultation  with  a  committee  of  State 
superintendents  appointed  by  the  National  Education  Association 
for  the  purpose  of  cooperating  with  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  re¬ 
vising  statistical  schedules  and  in  bringing  about  a  uniform  method 
of  collecting  educational  statistics.  Blanks  were  completed  in  July 
and  August. 

During  July,  August,  and  September,  1918,  the  Statistical  Division 
continued  the  attempt  to  complete  a  mailing  list  of  all  school  build¬ 
ings  in  the  United  States.  During  this  time  about  65,000  additional 
schools  were  added  to  this  list.  The  list  of  buildings  now  contains 
approximately  240,000  plates,  each  of  which  represents  a  school 
building.  The  greater  paid  of  this  list  was  completed  during  the 
preceding  fiscal  year. 

In  July,  August,  and  September,  1918,  this  division  prepared  the 
following  sections  of  the  educational  directory  for  1918-19:  List  of 
principal  State  school  officers,  county  superintendents,  city  superin¬ 
tendents,  normal  schools,  and  colleges  and  universities. 

Statistical  blanks  were  mailed  to  approximately  40,000  different 
schools  and  school  systems.  The  returns  from  the  480  summer 
schools  reporting  were  tabulated  and  completed  in  April,  1919,  and 
the  report  sent  to  the  printing  office.  The  chapter  on  private  com¬ 
mercial  and  business  schools  was  completed  in  June,  1919.  None  of 
the  other  chapters  were  completed  during  the  fiscal  year,  but  they 
were  all  in  progress.  Work  was  done  on  the  following  chapters: 
State  reports,  State  school  systems,  city  public  schools,  public  high 
schools,  private  high  schools,  schools  for  the  deaf,  schools  for  the 
blind,  schools  for  the  feeble-minded,  industrial  schools  for  delin¬ 
quents,  nurse-training  schools,  normal  schools,  and  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities. 

A  great  volume  of  work  is  involved  in  sending  forms  to  such  a 
large  list  of  schools,  in  checking  these  returns,  in  editing  the  reports, 
in  tabulating  the  data,  and  interpreting  the  statistics.  The  modifica¬ 
tions  incorporating  the  blanks  made  it  increasingly  difficult  to  secure 


218 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


complete  returns,  but  the  modifications  incorporated  promise  greater 
uniformity  in  reports  in  the  future.  The  work  during  the  year  was 
also  more  or  less  delayed  by  the  fact  that  a  number  of  schools 
were  closed  for  several  weeks  on  account  of  the  epidemic  of  Spanish 
influenza. 

DOCUMENTS  ISSUED  DURING  THE  YEAR  1918-19. 

BULLETINS,  1918. 

2.  The  publications  of  the  United  States  Government. 

5.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  natives  of  Alaska. 

6.  The  curriculum  of  the  woman’s  college. 

10.  Public  school  classes  for  crippled  children. 

15.  Educational  survey  of  Elyria,  Ohio. 

16.  Facilidades  ofrecidas  a  los  estudiantes  extranjeros. 

17.  History  of  public  school  education  in  Arizona. 

18.  Americanization  as  a  war  measure. 

19.  Vocational  guidance  in  secondary  education. 

20.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  June,  1918. 

21.  Instruction  in  journalism  in  institutions  of  higher  education. 

22.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  index,  February,  1917- 

January,  1918. 

25.  Industrial  education  in  Wilmington,  Del. 

26.  The  National  Council  of  Primary  Education.  (Reprinted.) 

27.  Rural-teacher  preparation  in  State  normal  schools. 

28.  The  public  schools  of  Columbia,  S.  C. 

29.  American  agricultural  colleges.  (Reprinted.) 

30.  Resources  and  standards  of  colleges  of  arts  and  sciences. 

31.  The  educational  system  of  South  Dakota. 

32.  Teaching  American  ideals  through  literature. 

33.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  September,  1918. 

34.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  October,  1918. 

35.  Cardinal  principles  of  secondary  education. 

36.  Educational  directory,  1918-19. 

37.  Courses  of  study  for  the  preparation  of  teachers  of  manual  arts. 

38.  Kindergarten  supervision  in  city  schools. 

39.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  November,  1918. 

40.  Recent  State  legislation  for  physical  education. 

41.  Statistics  of  agricultural  and  mechanical  colleges,  1916-17. 

42.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  December,  1918. 

43.  Instruction  in  art  in  the  United  States.  (Advance  sheets  from  biennial 

survey,  1916-1918.) 

44.  Agricultural  education. 

45.  Educational  surveys. 

46.  Medical  education. 

47.  Secondary  education. 

48.  Public  education  in  the  cities  of  the  United  States. 

49.  Kindergarten  education. 

50.  Home  economics. 

51.  Statistics  of  State  universities  and  State  colleges. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


219 


BULLETINS,  1919. 

1.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  January,  1918. 

3.  Home  education. 

4.  A  manual  of  educational  legislation. 

5.  Instruction  in  music. 

6.  A  half-time  mill  school. 

7.  Rural  education. 

8.  Life  of  Henry  Barnard. 

9.  Education  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

10.  Educational  work  of  the  churches  in  1916-1918. 

11.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  February,  1919. 

12.  Education  in  the  Territories  and  dependencies. 

13.  Review  of  educational  legislation,  1917  and  1918. 

14.  Monthly  record  of  educational  publications,  March,  1919. 

16.  The  kindergarten  curriculum. 

17.  Educational  conditions  in  Spain. 

18.  Commercial  education. 

19.  Engineering  education. 

21.  Education  in  Germany. 

23.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  April,  1919. 

24.  Educational  work  of  the  Boy  Scouts. 

25.  Vocational  education. 

26.  The  United  States  School  Garden  Army. 

27.  Recent  progress  in  Negro  education. 

29.  Schools  of  Scandinavia,  Finland,  and  Holland. 

30.  The  American  spirit  in  education. 

32.  Monthly  record  of  educational  publications:  Index,  February,  1918-January, 

1919. 

33.  Girl  Scouts  as  an  educational  force. 

34.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  May,  1919. 

36.  Education  in  Italy. 

38.  Education  in  Switzerland,  1916-1918. 

41.  An  educational  study  of  Alabama. 

42.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  June,  1919. 

teachers’  leaflets. 

No.  1.  Opportunities  for  history  teachers. 

No.  2.  Education  in  patriotism. 

No.  3.  Government  policies  involving  the  schools  in  war  time. 

No.  4.  Outline  of  an  emergency  course  of  instruction  on  the  war. 

No.  5.  Certain  defects  in  American  education,  and  the  remedies  for  them. 

LIBRARY  LEAFLETS. 

No.  1.  List  of  references  on  rural  life  and  culture. 

No.  2.  List  of  references  on  educational  tests  and  measurements. 

No.  3.  List  of  references  on  play  and  playgrounds. 

No.  4.  List  of  references  on  the  economic  value  of  education. 

No.  5.  List  of  references  on  the  junior  high  school. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION  SERIES. 

No.  1.  Wanted  teachers  to  enlist  for  child-health  service. 

No.  2.  Diet  for  the  school  child. 


220 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1919. 


No.  3.  Summer  health  and  play  school. 

No.  4.  Methods  of  teaching  health. 

Cards — Right  height  and  weight 
Poster — Health,  strength,  and  joy. 

KINDERGARTEN  CIRCULARS. 

No.  3.  The  kindergarten  and  Americanization. 

SECONDARY  SCHOOL  CIRCULARS. 

No.  3.  Science  teaching  in  secondary  schools  in  the  war  emergency. 

No.  4.  Industrial  arts  in  secondary  schools  in  the  war  emergency. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 

No.  11.  The  Bureau  of  Education  and  the  educational  survey  movement 
No.  12.  Opportunities  at  college  for  returning  soldiers. 

No.  13.  The  college  catalogue. 

No.  14.  Advanced  educational  work  within  a  Government  bureau. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 

No.  1.  Lessons  from  the  war  and  their  application  in  the  training  of  teachers. 
No.  2.  The  cooperative  school. 

No.  3.  Industrial  art  as  a  national  asset 
No.  4.  The  Army  trade  tests. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  CIRCULARS. 

No.  2.  Current  problems  in  home  economics. 

No.  3.  Teaching  in  small  high  schools. 

No.  4.  Principles  and  policies  in  home  economics  education. 

No.  5.  Government  publications  for  home  economics  teachers  and  students. 
No.  6.  A  course  in  food  economics  for  the  housekeeper. 

No.  7.  Effect  of  war  conditions  on  clothing  and  textiles  courses. 

No.  8.  Brief  courses  in  home  making  for  normal  schools. 

READING  COURSES. 

No.  1.  The  world’s  great  literary  Bibles. 

No.  2.  Great  literature — Ancient,  medieval,  and  modern. 

No.  6.  Thirty  books  of  great  fiction ;  sections  A  and  B. 

No.  7.  Thirty  world  heroes ;  sections  B  and  C. 

No.  9.  Thirty  American  heroes. 

No.  10.  American  history  (reprint)  ;  sections  A  and  B. 

COMMUNITY  CENTER  CIRCULARS. 

No.  1.  Constitution  of  community  associations. 

No.  2.  Community  buildings  as  soldiers’  memorials. 

LESSONS  IN  COMMUNITY  AND  NATIONAL  LIFE. 

Series  A,  B,  and  C. 

SCHOOL  LIFE  (SEMIMONTHLY). 

Index  and  title  page,  Vol.  1,  August-December. 

Yol.  1,  ten  numbers,  beginning  August  1,  1918. 

Vol.  2,  twelve  numbers. 

Vol.  3,  two  numbers. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


221 


AMERICANIZATION  (MONTHLY). 

Vol.  1,  ten  numbers,  beginning  September  1,  1918. 

MISCELLANEOUS  PUBLICATIONS. 

Rules  and  regulations  regarding  the  United  States  reindeer  service  in  Alaska. 
Europe’s  educational  message  to  America. 

Broadside — Three  genies  of  the  hand  grenade. 

UNFINISHED  PRINTING. 

The  following  documents  wrere  in  the  hands  of  the  printer  at  the  close  of  the 
year: 

The  National  Council  of  Primary  Education. 

Standardization  of  medical  inspection  facilities. 

The  adjustment  of  the  teaching  load  in  a  university. 

The  rural  teachers  of  Nebraska. 

A  survey  of  higher  education,  1916-1918. 

Educational  periodicals  during  the  nineteenth  century. 

Summer  schools  in  1919. 

The  junior  college. 

Educational  changes  in  Russia. 

Training  little  children. 

Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  natives  of  Alaska. 

Education  in  France. 

Modern  education  in  China. 

Library  Leaflet  No.  6 :  Stories  for  young  children. 

Kindergarten  Education  Circular :  Manufacturers  indorse  the  kindergarten. 
Reading  Course:  France  and  her  history. 


INDEX. 


Agricultural  education,  93-97 ;  Eng¬ 
land,  158 ;  France,  146-147. 

Alabama,  home  economics  teaching, 
34-35;  school  survey,  81-82. 

Alaska,  education,  199-201. 

Alberta,  University  of,  home  economics, 
35. 

American  Child  Congress,  meeting  in 
Montevideo,  Uruguay,  113-14. 

American  Council  of  Education,  activi¬ 
ties,  6,  17-18. 

American  expeditionary  forces,  uni¬ 
versity  at  Beaune,  France,  14-17. 

American  Federation  of  Teachers, 
growth,  107-109. 

American  Library  Association,  meet¬ 
ing,  117-122 ;  proposed  survey  of 
American  libraries,  118-119 ;  war 
service,  115-116. 

American  University  Union  in  Europe, 
activities,  19. 

Americanization,  42-46 ; 

social  aspect  of  kindergarten,  86- 
87; 

work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
189-194. 

Arizona,  kindergarten  legislation,  83. 

Art  Alliance  of  America,  activities,  29. 

Association  of  American  Agricultural 
Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations, 
recommendations,  94-95. 

Associations  and  conferences,  rural 
schools,  92-93. 

Barber  clinic,  schools  of  Kenosha,  Wis., 
62. 

Bennett,  C.  A.,  plan  for  national  school 
of  industrial  art,  28-29. 

Bridgeport,  Conn.,  mouth  hygiene,  60- 
61. 

British  Educational  Mission,  activities, 
18-19. 

Bureau  of  Education,  activities,  177- 
221; 

publications,  180-182,  218-221. 


California  State  Federation  of  Teach¬ 
ers,  professional  creed,  110-111. 
Campbell,  Macfie,  on  place  of  mental 
hygiene  in  child  welfare  movement, 

67. 

Carnegie  Institute  of  Technology,  and 
cooperative  schools,  26. 

Child  Health  Organization,  activities, 

68. 

Child  welfare,  conferences,  112-113; 
extended  and  improved  courses, 
32-33. 

Children’s  Bureau,  conferences  on 
standards  of  child  welfare,  65-70. 
City  schools,  administrative  problem, 
74-76; 

assistant  superintendents  of  voca¬ 
tional  education,  23-24 ; 
building  operations,  78-79 ; 
course  of  study,  79-80; 
surveys,  80-82; 
teachers’  salaries,  76-78. 

Civic  education,  awakened  interest, 
46-55; 

work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
194. 

Coeducation,  growth  of  sentiment  in 
France,  152. 

Colleges  and  universities,  agricultural 
education,  93-95; 

American  expeditionary  forces  uni¬ 
versity,  14-17 ; 

courses  in  home  economies,  33-34 ; 
courses  of  study,  9; 

England,  159; 
financial  status,  12-14; 
new  organization  of  humanistic 
training,  9-11; 

preparation  of  vocational  teachers, 
21-22 ; 

professional  education,  France, 
152. 

See  also  Higher  education,  Stu¬ 
dents’  Army  Training  Corps. 

223 


224 


INDEX. 


Commercial  education,  71-74,  216-217. 

Commercial  engineering,  higher  edu¬ 
cation,  72-73. 

Community  organization,  development, 
36-42; 

work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
194-196. 

Compulsory  attendance,  legislation, 
132-133. 

Consolidation  and  standardization  of 
schools,  92. 

Continuation  courses,  higher  primary, 
France,  147-148. 

Cooperative  schools,  New  York  City, 
25-26; 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  26-27. 

Council  of  National  Defense,  and  child 
welfare,  65-67. 

County  administration,  legislation, 
128-130. 

Courses  of  study,  city  schools,  79-80; 

colleges  and  universities,  9. 

Delaware,  Kindergarten  legislation,  83. 

Denmark,  education,  162-163. 

Domestic  science,  France,  151. 

Educational  extension,  work  of  Bu¬ 
reau  of  Education,  186-189. 

Educational  hygiene,  55-70. 

Educational  legislation.  See  School 
legislation. 

Educational  surveys,  home  economics, 
34-35. 

Elementary  education,  87-88;  France, 
143-148. 

Emergency  Council  on  Education.  See 
American  Council  on  Education. 

Engineers,  business  training,  73. 

England,  education,  153-159. 

Evening  schools,  commercial  courses, 
72. 

Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Educa¬ 
tion,  work,  20-21; 

rehabilitation  of  soldiers,  30. 

Finance,  colleges  and  universities,  12- 
14. 

Foreign  countries,  education,  135-176. 

France,  educational  reconstruction, 
135-153 ; 

kindergarten  unit,  86. 

Gardening,  school  and  home,  97-101. 

Gary  schools,  home  economics,  35. 

German  language,  legislation,  133-134. 


Germany,  schools  and  the  new  consti¬ 
tution,  167-176. 

High  schools,  facilities  for  rural  chil¬ 
dren,  91-92; 

sex  education,  63-65. 

Higher  education,  5-20; 

work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
209-211. 

See  also  Colleges  and  universities. 

Home  and  school,  cooperation,  114-115. 

Home  economics,  education,  31-36; 
fund  for  school  of  motherhood  and 
home-making,  Detroit,  Mich.,  34. 

Home  education,  112-115; 

work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
197-198. 

Humanistic  training,  new  organization, 
9-11. 

Idaho  Springs,  Colo.,  school  survey, 
80,  82. 

India,  school  of  home  economics,  35. 

Indiana,  kindergarten  legislation,  83. 

Indiana,  University  of,  training  teach¬ 
ers  for  vocational  work,  22. 

Industrial  art,  increased  emphasis,  27- 
30. 

Institute  of  International  Education, 
purpose,  19-20. 

Inter-Allied  Committee  of  Red  Cross 
Societies,  medical  conference  at 
Cannes,  France,  114. 

Interdepartmental  Social  Hygiene 
Board,  activities,  64-65. 

International  Association  of  Rotary 
Clubs,  work  among  boys,  70. 

Jones,  Henry  A.,  on  civic  education, 
47. 

Junior  Red  Cross,  activities,  69-70. 

Kindergartens,  education,  83-88 ;  work 
of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  207-209. 

Kurtzworth,  H.  M.,  on  industrial  art, 
28. 

Labor,  attitude  toward  education,  111- 

112. 

Leavitt,  on  advantages  of  the  coopera¬ 
tive  schools,  27. 

Legislation.  See  School  legislation. 

Lexington,  Ky.,  survey  of  school  build¬ 
ings,  81. 

Libraries,  activities,  115-122; 
legislation,  116-117. 

Medical  education,  France,  153. 


INDEX. 


225 


Memphis,  Tenn.,  school  survey,  81. 
Military  instruction,  5-11. 

Minnesota,  University  of,  courses  in 
home  making,  32. 

Modern  Health  Crusaders,  activities, 

70. 

National  Army  Training  Corps,  organ¬ 
ization  and  activities,  5. 

National  Child  Welfare  Association, 
activities,  68-70. 

National  Country  Life  Conference, 
meeting,  93. 

National  Education  Association, 
growth  and  reorganization,  106-107 ; 
report  on  business  education  in 
secondary  schools,  71-72. 
National  Physical  Education  Service, 
activities,  69. 

Negro  education,  197. 

New  York  City,  cooperative  schools, 

25- 26. 

Normal  schools,  statistics,  103. 
Norway,  education,  163-164. 

Nutrition,  classes,  61-62;  clinics  for 
delicate  children,  Boston,  62. 

Oral  hygiene,  60-61. 

Part-time  schools,  legislation,  133. 
Physical  correction  procedure,  62-63. 
Physical  training,  France,  141-143. 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  cooperative  schools, 

26- 27. 

Preapprenticeship,  France,  148. 
Primary  education,  France,  143-148. 
Public  schools,  home-economics  teach¬ 
ing,  35. 

Reading  circles,  103. 

Red  Cross,  114.  See  also  Junior  Red 
Cross. 

Religious  education,  Germany,  168- 
170. 

Reserve  Officers  Training  Corps,  ac¬ 
tivities,  11-12. 

Retirement  funds,  teachers’,  130-131. 
Rural  education,  88-93 ; 

work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
201-207. 

Rural  schools,  agriculture,  97 ; 

legislation,  131-132. 

Scandinavia,  education,  159-162. 

School  administration,  74r-76,  207-209. 
School  and  home  gardening,  97-101. 
School  gardens,  183-186. 


Schoolhouses,  erection,  78-79. 

School  hygiene,  work  of  the  Bureau 
of  Education,  213-216. 

School  legislation,  122-134 ; 

educational  hygiene,  55-60 ; 
France,  139-141; 
kindergartens,  83-84. 

School  surveys,  city  school  systems, 
80-S2 ;  conducted  by  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation,  178-180. 

Secondary  education,  England,  155- 
157; 

France,  148-151. 

Secondary  schools,  agriculture,  96-97. 
Sex  education,  high  schools,  63-65. 
Soldiers  and  sailors,  educational  work 
of  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  14-17. 

State  departments  of  education,  legis¬ 
lation,  127. 

Statistics,  educational,  work  of  Bu¬ 
reau  of  Education,  217-218. 
Students’  Army  Training  Corps,  ac¬ 
tivities,  5-11. 

Summer  schools,  home  economics,  31. 
Sweden,  education,  165-167. 

Teachers,  associations  of  high  school, 
and  instruction  in  commerce,  72  ; 
Germany,  171-172; 
inadequate  supply  in  England, 
157-158 ; 

organization,  105-112; 
preparation  for  vocational  work, 
21-22,  33-34 ; 

primary,  France,  145-146; 
retirement  funds,  130-131; 
school  board  service  division  of 
the  Bureau  of  Education,  196- 
197; 

shortage  in  rural  schools,  90-91; 
training,  101-105. 

Teachers’  salaries,  76-78,  84-85; 
France,  141; 
legislation,  130. 

Teachers’  unions,  and  labor’s  attitude 
toward  education,  111-112 ; 

France,  136-137; 
general  movement,  107-112. 

Texas,  kindergarten  extension,  83. 
True,  H.  F.,  on  correctible  defects 
among  high-school  boys,  62-63. 
United  States  Bureau  of  Education. 
See  Bureau  of  Education. 


226 


INDEX. 


United  States  School  Garden  Army, 
183-186. 

Universities.  See  Colleges  and  univer¬ 
sities. 

Utah,  health  education  law,  57-58. 
Vocational  education,  20-30; 
cooperative  schools,  25-27 ; 
lessons  from  the  war,  24. 
Vocational  rehabilitation  of  soldiers 
and  sailors,  30. 


War  Department,  and  military  educa¬ 
tion,  5-11. 

Wilson,  President,  on  civic  education, 
47. 

Woodbridge,  Dean,  on  humanistic 
training,  9. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  business  education,  73-74 ; 
educational  work  for  soldiers,  14- 

17. 


o 


REPORT 


OF  THE 


Commissioner  of  Education 


THE  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1920 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 


THE  UNITED  STATES  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 

Created  as  a  Department  March  2,  1867. 

Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869. 


COMMISSIONERS. 


Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D., 

March  1 4-,  1867 ,  to  March  15,  1870. 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 

March  16, 1870 ,  to  August  5, 1886. 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D., 
August  6, 1886,  to  September  3, 1889. 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 

September  12, 1889 ,  to  June  30, 1906. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  1, 1906,  to  June  30, 1911. 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  8, 1911 ,  to  date. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Letter  of  transmittal _  5 

Part  I.  Some  aspects  of  education  in  tlie  United  States _  7 

Higher  education _  7 

City  schools _  17 

Tendencies  in  primary  education _  27 

Kindergarten  education _  33 

Rural  education _ _ _  39 

Vocational  education _  43 

Home  economics  education _  52 

Agricultural  education _ _ _ 1 _  60 

Educational  hygiene _ = _  65 

Civic  education _  71 

Educational  legislation _ 73 

General  Education  Board _  80 

Library  activities _  81 

Part  II.  Activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Education _ _ _  88 

Functions  of  the  bureau _  88 

I.  A  clearing  house  for  educational  information _  88 

II.  A  clearing  house  for  expert  opinion  on  education _  99 

III.  Advisory  _  102 

IV.  Promotion  _ 1 _  105 

V.  Research  work  to  determine  standards  in  education _  119 

VI.  Administrative  duties _  121 

Organization  of  the  bureau _  124 

List  of  publications _  124 


3 


LETTER  OP  TRANSMITTAL. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 

W ashington,  October  17,  1920. 

My  Dear  Mr.  Secretary  :  I  am  transmitting  herewith  the  Report 
of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30, 
1920.  Following  the  custom  adopted  three  years  ago,  this  annual 
report  is  made  in  brief  form  and  contains  only  brief  summaries 
of  progress  in  the  more  important  phases  of  education  in  the  United 
States  and,  also  in  condensed  form,  a  statement  of  the  activities  of 
this  bureau. 

Formerly  the  annual  report  was  printed  in  two  large  volumes,  one 
containing  statistics  of  education  in  the  United  States,  the  other  con¬ 
taining  interpretative  accounts  of  the  progress  of  education  in  the 
United  States  and  other  culture  countries.  Four  years  ago  it  was 
thought  best  to  discontinue  this  form  of  the  annual  report  and  to 
make  such  a  report  biennially.  This  is  done  under  the  title  “  Bien¬ 
nial  Survey  of  Education.”  The  last  biennial  survey  was  for  the 
period  ending  June  30,  1918.  The  biennial  survey  for  the  two  years 
ending  June  30, 1920,  will  be  prepared  and  printed  as  soon  as  returns 
from  the  several  States,  cities,  and  individual  institutions  of  educa¬ 
tion  can  be  obtained,  tabulated,  and  interpreted. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

P.  P.  Claxton, 

Commissioner. 


5 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION. 


PART  I. 

SOME  ASPECTS  OF  EDUCATION  IN  THE  UNITED 
STATES. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

During  the  past  year  institutions  of  higher  learning  have  been 
attempting  to  adjust  themselves  to  the  effects  of  the  war.  The  first 
one  of  these  was  the  great  increase  in  the  student  enrollment  in  the 
colleges  and  universities  at  the  beginning  of  the  college  year  1919-20. 
Notwithstanding  the  losses  in  registration  during  the  war,  the  num¬ 
ber  of  students  attending  colleges  and  universities  in  the  college 
year  following  the  war  increased  about  25  per  cent  over  the  number 
attending  in  1916-17,  the  year  prior  to  the  war.  Undoubtedly  a 
deferment  of  registration  by  those  who  had  planned  to  enter  college 
during  the  two  previous  years  accounts  in  large  part  for  the  tre¬ 
mendous  increase  in  student  attendance. 

Such  an  increase  in  the  student  body  in  nearly  all  cases  called  for 
considerable  additions  to  the  faculty.  This  demand  was  a  source  of 
unusual  financial  embarrassment  for  the  reason  that  the  budgets 
of  colleges  and  universities,  whether  State  or  privately  controlled, 
had  been  made  up  on  the  basis  of  definite  incomes,  which  allowed 
little  expansion.  Furthermore,  members  of  the  faculty  who  had 
remained  loyal  to  the  institutions  and  were  suffering  from  the  effects 
of  the  high  cost  of  living  deserved  very  generous  increases  in  salary. 

The  embarrassing  financial  conditions  in  higher  institutions  called 
for  speedy  action  wherever  possible.  State  institutions  were  seldom 
able  to  secure  relief  at  once,  as  the  majority  of  State  legislatures  did 
not  meet  during  the  academic  year  1919-20.  In  the  winter  of 
1920-21  four-fifths  of  them  will  be  in  regular  session,  when,  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  tremendous  increase  in  the  cost  of  instruction  and  the 
number  of  students  attending  higher  institutions,  they  will  be  con¬ 
fronted  with  the  necessity  of  appropriating  unprecedented  funds  for 
the  support  of  higher  education. 

Colleges  and  universities  supported  by  private  funds,  though  not 
experiencing  in  general  quite  the  great  increase  in  students  as  the 


8 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


State  institutions,  nevertheless  realized  at  once  the  necessity  of 
appealing  to  their  constituents  for  financial  relief.  As  a  result  drives 
for  increased  endowments  for  privately  supported  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities  have  been  during  the  year  both  widespread  and  intensive. 
In  Wisconsin  the  presidents  of  the  private  colleges  effected  an  or¬ 
ganization  whereby  their  efforts  for  increased  support  could  be 
pooled  into  one  united  drive.  The  smaller  colleges,  many  of  which 
are  controlled  by  or  affiliated  with  some  religious  denomination,  are 
securing  increased  endowments  through  the  efforts  of  their  respective 
denominations,  nearly  all  of  which  are  conducting  intensive  drives 
for  increased  funds. 

Naturally  the  endowment  campaigns  which  have  come  most  to 
public  attention  are  those  of  the  large  privately  controlled  colleges 
and  universities,  such  as  Harvard,  Cornell,  Chicago,  Massachusetts 
Institute  of  Technology,  Princeton,  Northwestern,  Smith,  Wellesley, 
and  New  York  University.  The  campaigns  of  three  of  the  institu¬ 
tions — Harvard,  Princeton,  and  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Tech¬ 
nology — have  received  noteworthy  assistance  through  the  will  of 
Henry  C.  Frick,  who  left  them  a  total  of  $20,000,000. 

In  the  meantime  the  character  of  work  done  at  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities  has  suffered  a  severe  handicap.  Classes  have  perforce  been 
much  larger  than  experience  shows  to  be  wise.  Immature  and  in 
some  cases  relatively  untrained  men  have  been  called  in  to  carry  on 
the  work  of  instruction.  Older  members  of  the  faculty  who  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  increasing  their  value  as  teachers  and  enriching 
the  entire  scientific  world  by  their  research,  have  been  called  away 
from  the  library  and  the  laboratory  to  teach  overcrowded  classes. 
Other  professors  of  long  experience  as  teachers  have  succumbed  to 
the  temptation  of  larger  salaries  to  be  gained  in  business  and  in¬ 
dustry,  which  seem  suddenly  to  have  realized  more  than  ever  before 
the  value  of  college-t rained  men.  None  of  these  adverse  conditions 
can  be  relieved  until  an  adequate  program  of  financial  support  for 
higher  institutions  in  the  United  States  is  adopted.  It  is  now  be¬ 
ginning  to  be  a  question  frequently  discussed  as  to  whether  the  Fed¬ 
eral  Government,  with  greater  taxing  possibilities,  should  not  assume 
greater  responsibility  than  it  does  at  present  for  the  development 
of  higher  education. 

ATTENDANCE  AT  COLLEGES  AND  UNIVERSITIES. 

In  order  to  indicate  more  clearly  the  character  of  the  increased 
attendance  at  colleges  and  universities  during  the  year  1919-20  as 
compared  to  attendance  before  the  war,  the  following  table  is  pre¬ 
sented.  The  table  was  compiled  from  reports  received  from  250  of 
the  colleges  and  universities  of  the  country.  Of  particular  signifi¬ 
cance  is  the  growth  of  attendance  at  the  publicly  supported  institu- 


HIGHER  EDUCATION. 


9 


tions  as  compared  to  the  privately  supported  ones.  It  should  be 
noticed,  however,  that  the  smallest  institutions  have  made  the  largest 
relative  increase  in  student  enrollment,  while  the  largest  institutions 
increased  at  the  next  fastest  rate.  The  great  increase  is,  as  might  be 
expected,  in  the  freshman  class. 


Three  years  of  attendance  at  colleges  and  universities. 

PUBLIC  AND  PRIVATE  INSTITUTIONS. 


Institu¬ 
tions  re¬ 
porting. 

Seniors. 

Freshmen. 

Total  enrollment.1 

Nov.  1, 
1916. 

Nov.  1, 
1919. 

Per 
cent 
of  in¬ 
crease. 

Nov.  1, 
1916. 

Nov.  1, 
1919. 

Per 
cent 
of  in¬ 
crease. 

Nov.  1, 
1916. 

Nov.  1, 
1919. 

Per 
cent 
of  in¬ 
crease. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

Public . 

56 

8,818 

9,562 

8.4 

21,399 

34,620 

61.8 

67,022 

87,932 

31.2 

Private . . . 

194 

12, 802 

13, 502 

5.5 

26, 578 

35, 487 

33.5 

82, 511 

98, 932 

19.9 

Total . 

250 

21,620 

23,064 

6.7 

47,977 

70, 107 

46.1 

149, 533 

186,864 

25.0 

CLASSIFICATION  AS  TO  ENROLLMENT  IN  1916. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

Enrollment  less 

than  250 . 

122 

2,311 

2,525 

9.3 

6,291 

9,273 

47.4 

16,342  j 

22,544 

38,0 

Enrollment,  250  to 

499 . 

47 

2,263 

2,379 

5.1 

5,468 

7,986 

46.0 

16,341 

19,649 

20.2 

Enrollment,  500  to 

999 . 

44 

3,539 

3,912 

10.5 

10,553 

13,053 

23.7 

29,592 

33,889 

14.5 

Enrollment,  1,000  to 

1,999 . 

22 

4,147 

4,516 

8.9 

9,484 

12,802 

35.0 

30,991 

37,949 

22.5 

Enrollment,  2,000  or 

over . 

15 

9,360 

9,732 

4.0 

16,181 

26,993 

66.8 

56,267 

72,833 

29.4 

Total . 

250 

21,620 

23,064 

6.7 

47,977 

70,107 

46.1 

149,533 

186,864 

25.0 

INSTITUTIONS  FOR  MEN, 

FOR  WOMEN, 

OR  COEDUCATIONAL. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9  ! 

10 

11 

Coeducational . 

160 

16,525 

17,333 

4.9 

36,397 

54,211 

48.9 

115, 605 

144, 949 

25.4 

Men  only . 

49 

2,774 

2,932 

5.7 

6,411 

9,419 

46.9 

18, 089 

23,280 

28.7 

Women  only . 

41 

2,321 

2,799 

20.6 

5,169 

6,477 

25.3 

15,  839 

18,  635 

17.7 

Total . 

250 

21,620 

23,064 

6.7 

47,977 

70, 107 

46.1 

149,533 

186,864 

25.0 

GROWTH  BY  SECTIONS  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

1  8 

9 

10 

11 

United  States . 

250 

21,620 

23,064 

6.7 

47,977 

70,107 

|  46.1 

149,533 

186, 864 

25.0 

North  Atlantic 
Division . 

46 

7,055 

7,370 

4.5 

11,694 

14,230 

21.7 

42, 046 

48, 755 

15.1 

North  Central 
Division . 

101 

8,790 

9,336 

6.2 

21,406 

32,343 

51.1 

61,006 

75,027 

23.0 

South  Atlantic 
Division . 

41 

1,675 

1,948 

16.3 

4,747 

7,263 

53.0 

14, 159 

18,890 

33.4 

South  Central 
'  Division . 

31 

1,295 

1,308 

1.0 

3,860 

5,940 

53.9 

11,164 

14,651 

31.2 

WestemDivision 

31 

2,805 

3,102 

10.6 

6,270 

10,331 

64.8 

21,158 

29,541 

39.6 

'For  all  4  classes. 


10 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


SALARIES  AT  COLLEGES  AND  UNIVERSITIES. 

During  the  year  the  Bureau  of  Education  made  an  exhaustive 
study  of  salaries  at  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities  in  the  country.  A  summary  of  them  is  given  in  the  follow¬ 
ing  table : 

Salaries  in  universities  and  colleges. 

IN  PUBLIC  INSTITUTIONS. 


Title  of  position. 

Number 
of  per¬ 
sons. 

Mini¬ 

mum 

salary. 

Maxi¬ 

mum 

salary. 

Average 

salary. 

Median 

salary. 

Most 

frequent 

salary. 

President  or  chancellor. . . 

Dean  or  director . 

Professor . 

Associate  professor . 

Assistant  professor . 

Instructor . 

Assistant . 

77 

367 

2,460 

822 

1,705 

2,138 

855 

$2,500 

1,200 

300 

300 

500 

300 

75 

$12,500 

10,000 

10,000 

4,000 

1,000 

3,100 

2,500 

$6,647 

3,819 

3,126 

2,514 

2,053 

1,552 

801 

$6,000 

3.500 
3,000 

2.500 
2,000 

1.500 
750 

$6,000 

3,000 

3,000 

3,000 

1,800 

1,500 

1,200 

IN  PRIVATE  INSTITUTIONS. 


President  or  chancellor. . 

287 

$900 

400 

$12,000 
10, 000 

$3,918 

2,3:9 

2,504 

2,4:3 

1,770 

$3,500 

2,000 

$3,000 

2,000 

Dean  or  director . 

504 

Professor . 

3,781 

100 

10,000 

2,000 

1,500 

Associate  professor . 

357 

600 

4,500 

2,300 

1,800 

2,000 

2,000 

1,200 

Assistant  professor . 

1,261 

75 

5,000 

4,000 

2,000 

Instructor . 

1,810 

50 

1,205 

1,200 

Assistant . 

574 

10 

472 

400 

500 

These  figures  reveal  the  very  serious  condition  of  the  teaching 
profession  in  higher  institutions.  Salaries  of  college  professors  and 
instructors  have  not  only  fallen  far  below  those  paid  in  many  other 
professions,  but  they  have  been  reduced  to  a  level  even  below  the 
average  wage  received  by  many  mechanics  and  tradesmen.  As  long 
as  this  condition  obtains  it  will  be  difficult  to  induce  men  of  superior 
ability  to  spend  the  needed  years  of  collegiate  and  postgraduate  study 
necessary  to  fit  them  for  positions  in  higher  institutions. 

JUNIOR  COLLEGES. 

The  increase  in  collegiate  attendance  has  intensified  the  growing 
demand  for  some  reorganization  or  readjustment  of  higher  education 
in  which  the  junior  college  as  a  possible  solution  has  played  a  promi¬ 
nent  part.  Privately  supported  junior  colleges  have  so  far  exceeded 
in  number  the  public  junior  colleges.  Partly  by  reason  of  denomina¬ 
tional  encouragement  and  partly  through  the  realization  that  a 
much  better  grade  of  work  can  be  done  if  they  confine  themselves  to 
the  freshmen  and  sophomore  years,  a  considerable  number  of  four- 
year  colleges  with  inadequate  support  have  become  junior  colleges. 
In  Texas  and  Missouri  especially  they  have  affiliated  their  work 
closely  with  the  State  universities. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION. 


11 


On  the  other  hand,  the  numbers  of  publicly  supported  junior  col¬ 
leges  have  recently  increased  notably,  the  way  being  led  by  Califor¬ 
nia  several  years  ago.  Minnesota,  Illinois,  and  Michigan  have  estab¬ 
lished  several  junior  colleges  in  the  large  cities.  Newark,  N.  J.,  is 
the  first  city  in  the  Eastern  States  to  establish  a  junior  college. 

So  extensive  has  the  junior-college  movement  become  that  at  the 
call  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  the  first  conference  of  repre¬ 
sentatives  from  junior  colleges  met  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  30,  and 
July  1,  1920.  The  conference  was  attended  by  30  representatives 
from  junior  colleges  located  all  over  the  country.  The  development 
of  junior  colleges  and  the  problems  of  junior  colleges,  including  the 
curriculum,  were  the  subjects  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  those  at  the 
conference.  The  benefits  to  be  gained  from  similar  meetings  ap¬ 
peared  to  be  so  clear  that  at  the  close  of  the  two-day  session  it  was 
unanimously  decided  to  effect  a  permanent  organization.  The  new 
association  expects  to  hold  annual  meetings. 

RESERVE  OFFICERS’  TRAINING  CORPS. 

The  Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps  has  passed  through  the  first 
year  following  its  reestablishment  in  colleges  and  universities  after 
the  demobilization  of  the  Students’  Army  Training  Corps.  During 
this  time  units  have  been  located  in  142  higher  institutions,  with  a 
total  enrollment  of  43,687.  The  infantry  units  greatly  predominate 
in  number,  but  an  attempt  is  making  to  diversify  the  character  of 
the  units,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  table : 

Reserve  Officers'  Training  Corps  units. 


Senior  Enroll- 
units.  ment. 


Infantry . 

Cavalry . 

Field  Artillery . 

Coast  Artillery . 

Engineer  Corps . 

Signal  Corps . 

Motor  Transport  Corps. 
Ordnance  Department . 

Total . 


119 

10 

20 

18 

19 

11 


32,390 

948 

4,348 

2,687 

1,948 

704 


43,687 


The  war  not  only  demonstrated  the  ability  in  general  of  college 
men  to  qualify  quickly  for  the  usual  assignments  as  military  officers, 
but  it  also  revealed  the  value  of  higher  technical  training  in  the 
prosecution  of  modern  warfare.  For  these  reasons  the  colleges  and 
universities  appear  to  be  a  fertile  field  for  producing  reserve  officers. 
The  number  of  colleges  which  have  voluntarily  added  units  of  the 
Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps  is  nearly  twice  as  great  as  the 
number  which  previously  had  military  training  under  the  provi- 


12 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


sions  of  the  Morrill  Act.  This  fact  is  a  testimony  to  the  new  and 
favorable  attitude  which  college  executives  are  taking  toward  mili¬ 
tary  training.  At  the  same  time  it  should  be  remembered  that  the 
type  of  training  provided  in  the  Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps 
units  comprises  less  of  the  old  formal  drills  and  more  of  the  scientific 
and  technical  work  useful  in  civil  as  well  as  military  life. 

As  a  means  of  providing  reserve  military  officers,  the  Reserve 
Officers’  Training  Corps  has  not  been  in  operation  long  enough  to 
afford  an  opportunity  for  an  accurate  estimate.  In  June,  1920,  982 
students  completed  the  advanced  course,  which  comprises  the  last 
two  years  of  the  usual  four-year  course.  Of  these,  483  were  21  years 
of  age  or  older,  and  were  therefore  eligible  for  commissions  imme¬ 
diately.  When  the  Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps  is  in  full  swing 
it  is  expected  that  the  number  of  persons  eligible  annually  for  re¬ 
serve  commissions  will  reach  5,000. 

Junior  units  of  the  Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps  have  been 
established  in  39  essentially  military  schools  of  secondary  grade,  in 
49  public  high  schools,  and  in  19  private  secondary  schools.  The 
total  enrollment  in  the  junior  units  at  the  close  of  the  year  June  30, 
1920,  was  44,777.  In  the  secondary  schools  the  usual  military  drills 
occupy  the  greater  portion  of  the  time  devoted  to  the  Reserve  Officers’ 
Training  Corps  work. 

With  the  removal  in  the  Army  reorganization  act  of  June  4,  1920, 
of  the  limitation  on  the  number  of  officers  who  can  be  located  with 
Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps  units,  it  becomes  practicable  to 
extend  the  number  of  units  materially.  During  the  year  just  closed 
388  military  officers  were  assigned  to  Reserve  Officers’  Training 
Corps  units  in  colleges  and  secondary  schools. 

THE  NATIONAL  RESEARCH  COUNCIL. 

On  June  30,  1919,  the  National  Research  Council  severed  its  direct 
connection  with  the  Government,  which  during  the  war  had  been 
maintained  through  the  Council  of  National  Defense.  Even  previ¬ 
ous  to  that  time  it  had  so  far  as  possible  finished  the  research  pro¬ 
gram  undertaken  during  the  war  and  had  turned  its  attention  to  the 
problems  of  peace.  Dr.  Vernon  Kellogg,  chairman  of  one  of  the 
council’s  divisions,  states  a  portion  of  the  program  confronting  the 
council  in  the  following  way : 

We  need  a  great  cooperative  scientific  investigation  of  food  and  nutrition ; 
the  National  Research  Council  has  put  it  under  way.  We  need  far  more  study 
on  a  very  wide  scale  of  the  problems  connected  with  the  preparation  and  use 
of  fertilizers,  of  ceramics,  of  alloy  steels,  of  synthetic  drugs.  The  council  has 
begun  this  study.  There  are  great  scientific  problems  of  direct  bearing  on  our 
national  well-being  in  connection  with  public  health  and  sanitation,  with  for¬ 
estry,  with  intensive  agriculture.  And  there  are  many  others  which  may  not 


HIGHER  EDUCATION. 


13 


at  the  moment  seem  to  have  so  tangible  a  relation  to  practical  affairs,  the  solu¬ 
tion  of  which  may,  nevertheless,  serve  as  the  indispensable  fundamental  basis 
for  future  practical  use. 

In  order  to  carry  out  this  program  it  has  been  necessary  for  the 
National  Research  Council  to  secure  from  outside  agencies  funds 
which  have  been  generously  supplied  by  the  Carnegie  Corporation, 
the  Rockefeller  Foundation,  and  the  General  Education  Board.  The 
funds  are  used  to  establish  research  fellowships  in  physics  and  chem¬ 
istry,  for  the  current  expenses  of  the  council,  and  for  erecting  a  build¬ 
ing  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  which  will  house  both  the  National  Re¬ 
search  Council  and  the  Academy  of  Sciences. 

The  council  conducts  its  work  through  divisions  which  are  of  two 
types,  general  relations  and  divisions  of  science  and  technology.  Of 
especial  interest  to  the  colleges  and  universities  of  the  country  is  the 
Division  of  Educational  Relations,  which  during  the  past  year  has 
carried  out  a  survey  of  research  conditions  in  the  higher  institutions. 
The  survey  has  been  made  more  complete  by  a  large  number  of  per¬ 
sonal  visits  to  many  colleges  and  universities  by  members  of  the 
council’s  staff.  The  conditions  existing  in  these  institutions  not  only 
reveal  the  pressing  need  for  more  adequate  training  of  men  and 
women  in  research  methods  but  for  time  in  which  competent  members 
of  the  faculty  may  pursue  researches  in  pure  science.  Failing  this 
time,  many  able  men  will  shun  the  teaching  profession  in  higher  in¬ 
stitutions,  and  those  who  are  located  there  at  present  will  be  sorely 
tempted  to  enter  the  industrial  world,  where  facilities  for  commercial 
research  are  constantly  increasing. 

The  National  Research  Council  is  conducting  a  campaign  for  a 
more  adequate  recognition  of  the  value  of  research  to  higher  institu¬ 
tions.  At  the  same  time  it  is  attempting  to  coordinate  research  work 
in  all  fields  by  stimulating  research  in  some  directions  and  preventing 
duplication  in  others. 

GENERAL  INTELLIGENCE  TESTS. 

During  the  year  considerable  use  has  been  made  of  the  general  in¬ 
telligence  tests,  which  were  first  popularized  in  the  Army  during  the 
World  War.  The  Army  tests,  which  were  taken  by  1,726,966  officers 
and  enlisted  men,  were  regarded  as  so  successful  in  the  selection  of 
capable  men  that  the  question  has  been  raised  seriously  in  colleges 
and  universities  as  to  whether  they  ought  not  to  be  substituted  in 
whole  or  in  part  for  the  usual  content  examinations,  especially  en¬ 
trance  examinations. 

At  Columbia  University  students  may  use  the  intelligence  tests  as 
an  alternative  means  of  entering  the  university.  In  September,  1919, 
about  200  students  passed  the  intelligence  tests  at  Columbia.  In  his 
annual  report  for  1919  President  Butler  states  that  44  the  results  were 


14 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


found  to  be  effective  in  selecting  students  of  high  quality,  both  intel¬ 
lectually,  morally,  and  socially.” 

The  number  of  colleges  and  universities  which  have  given  the  gen¬ 
eral  intelligence  tests  is  quite  large.  In  May,  1920,  the  Bureau  of 
Education  ascertained  that  124  colleges  and  universities  out  of  a  total 
of  228,  which  replied  to  a  letter  of  inquiry,  had  given  some  form  of 
the  tests.  Not  included  in  this  number,  however,  are  a  number  of 
higher  institutions  which  have  been  cooperating  with  a  committee 
on  intelligence  tests  of  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering 
Education.  It  is  safe  to  estimate  that  about  200  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities  have  used  intelligence  tests. 

At  many  other  colleges  and  universities  the  tests  have  been  given 
not  only  to  determine  their  value  as  an  alternative  method  of  college 
entrance  but  to  help  students  in  the  choice  of  college  courses  of  study 
and  of  vocations  after  graduation.  In  fact,  it  seems  clear  that  with 
the  proper  organization  in  higher  institutions  the  general  intelli¬ 
gence  tests  could  be  made  of  great  value.  Prof.  Edward  L.  Thorn¬ 
dike,  of  Columbia  University,  one  of  the  greatest  advocates  of  the 
tests,  has  the  following  to  say  concerning  them : 

Given  a  well-planned  and  sufficiently  extensive  team  of  tests,  a  correlation  of 
0.60  (1  being  a  perfect  score)  is  obtained  between  the  candidate’s  score  and 
his  academic  achievement  during  the  first  half  of  the  freshman  year.  Inas¬ 
much  as  the  academic  achievement  of  a  pupil  is  determined  in  part  by  his 
health,  economic  conditions,  and  moral  qualities,  an  absolutely  omniscient  judge 
of  his  intellect  could  probably  not  give  ratings  that  would  correlate  with  his 
academic  achievement  much  more  than  0.70.  Also  the  college  ratings  are  them¬ 
selves  not  infallible,  and  these  errors  reduce  or  “  attenuate  ”  the  correlation. 
The  psychologist  may  then  fairly  claim  that  the  factors  of  intellectual  ability 
as  born  in  the  boy  and  developed  to  date  by  the  training  he  has  had  are  sub¬ 
stantially  summed  up  in  his  score  in  the  psychological  tests.  *  *  * 

This  0.60  is  a  closer  prophecy  than  any  three-hour  examination  of  the  tradi¬ 
tional  type  has  ever  been  shown  to  give.  It  is,  in  fact,  as  good  as  the  correla¬ 
tion  obtained  by  using  the  total  information  from  16  to  20  hours  of  examina¬ 
tions  of  the  traditional  type.  Much  more  important  than  this,  however,  is  the 
fact  that  by  adding  it  to  a  system  of  content  examinations,  or  a  system  of 
ratings  of  the  candidate  by  the  school  whence  he  comes,  or  a  system  of  inspec¬ 
tions  of  that  school  by  the  college,  the  selection  is  improved.  A  competent 
psychological  examination,  that  is,  gets  at  factors  which  have  prophetic  value 
and  which  no  other  existing  systems  get  at  in  the  same  way.  It  may  or  may 
not  be  desirable  in  certain  cases  as  an  alternative  to  these  various  systems,  but 
it  certainly  improves  the  selective  action  of  any  of  them. 

Its  value  as  an  adjunct  to  a  system  of  crediting  school  work,  in  fact,  deserves 
special  mention.  Such  systems,  beneficent  as  they  are,  have  the  necessary 
weakness  of  overweighting  educational  regularity,  docility,  and  good  intent. 
The  boy  or  girl  who  does  the  regular  thing  in  the  regular  way  and  wins  the 
moral  approval  of  his  teachers  may  slip  along  into  the  university  in  spite  of  a 
lack  of  the  essential  brain  power  needed  to  profit  by  a  college  or  professional 
course.  You  all  know  such  cases.  A  competent  intelligence  examination  dis¬ 
covers  them  almost  without  fail.  On  the  other  hand,  the  boy  or  girl  whose 


HIGHER  EDUCATION. 


15 


schooling  has  been  irregular  or  whose  abilities  are  specialized  or  whose  con¬ 
formity  to  teachers’  edicts  is  imperfect  finds  himself  delayed  or  even  barred 
in  his  progress  on  to  college.  A  competent  intelligence  examination  differen¬ 
tiates  these  irregulars  into  the  strong,  who  are  just  the  element  our  colleges 
need,  and  the  weak,  who  have  not  met  past  requirements  by  reason  of  their 
weakness. 

SURVEY  OF  THE  COLLEGE  OF  HAWAII. 

During  the  year  the  Bureau  of  Education  made  a  survey  of  the 
school  system  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  including  the  College  of 
Hawaii.  The  survey  revealed  that,  of  the  393  students  from  Hawaii 
who  during  the  past  10  years  have  attended  higher  institutions,  only 
113,  or  29  per  cent,  have  gone  to  the  College  of  Hawaii.  One  of  the 
reasons  for  this  situation  has  been  the  natural  desire  of  emigrants 
from  the  mainland  to  have  their  sons  and  daughters  educated  at  old 
and  well-established  higher  institutions  in  the  United  States.  Fur¬ 
thermore,  the  character  of  training  which  students  have  been  able  to 
secure  at  the  College  of  'Hawaii  has  been  restricted  to  the  kind 
usually  obtaining  in  a  land-grant  college.  Responding  to  a  well- 
defined  popular  demand,  the  Territorial  legislature  early  in  1920 
expanded  the  work  of  the  College  of  Hawaii  into  the  University  of 
Hawaii  by  adding  a  considerable  number  of  courses  in  arts  and 
sciences. 

In  order  that  the  new  university  may  do  its  work  more  effectively, 
the  survey  commission  recommended  that  provision  be  made  for 
members  of  the  faculty  to  visit  higher  institutions  on  the  mainland 
at  regular  intervals:  that  instruction  and  research  in  agriculture  be 
more  closely  coordinated ;  that  “  Territory-wide  ”  extension  activities 
should  be  established;  and  that  plans  be  effected  for  training  sec¬ 
ondary-school  teachers  more  adequately. 

COOPERATION  BETWEEN  INDUSTRY  AND  HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS. 

During  the  year  two  distinct  movements  toward  cooperation  be¬ 
tween  industry  and  higher  institutions  have  taken  shape.  One  of 
these  movements,  a  very  comprehensive  one,  was  begun  by  Dr.  Hollis 
Godfrey,  president  of  the  Drexel  Institute,  in  cooperation  with  the 
American  Council  on  Education,  representing  the  higher  institutions, 
and  with  representatives  of  a  large  number  of  industries.  The  in¬ 
dustries  are  to  write  the  specifications  of  the  men  whom  they  will 
need  to  employ.  These  specifications  will  then  be  reviewed  by  a 
committee  of  the  American  Council  on  Education  and  passed  on  to 
the  colleges  and  universities  for  their  guidance  in  training  men. 

The  other  movement  in  this  direction  has  been  conducted  by  the 
Bureau  of  Education,  with  the  cooperation  of  representatives  from 
the  National  Bureau  of  Public  Roads,  higher  institutions,  and  the 
automobile  industries.  At  a  national  conference  held  in  Washing- 


16 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


ton  May  14  and  15,  1920,  plans  were  devised,  which  have  later  been 
carefully  worked  out,  to  ascertain  the  number  of  men  who  are  needed 
to  fill  positions  in  highway  construction  on  the  one  hand  and  in 
the  automobile  industries  on  the  others.  This  information  will  be 
distributed  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  the  colleges  and  universi¬ 
ties  of  the  country. 

Through  such  means  it  is  hoped  to  bring  the  higher  institutions 
into  closer  relations  with  the  needs  of  the  industries.  That  so  little 
attention  has  been  paid  in  the  past  to  possibilities  of  this  character 
seems  very  strange,  and  it  argues  for  the  necessity  of  speedy  action 
in  the  solution  of  the  difficulties. 

THE  AMERICAN  COUNCIL  ON  EDUCATION. 

Following  the  war  the  American  Council  on  Education,  which 
had  been  established  during  the  war  emergency  as  a  coordinating 
central  agency  of  higher  institutions,  was  reorganized  for  a  peace¬ 
time  program,  and  a  director,  Dr.  S.  P.  Capen,  was  appointed  to 
devote  full  time  to  the  council’s  activities.  Dr.  Capen  has  the  follow¬ 
ing  to  say  concerning  the  council’s  object  and  membership : 

The  American  Council  on  Education  is  the  central  organization  in  which  the 
great  national  associations  are  represented.  Its  general  object  is  to  promote 
and  carry  out  cooperative  action  in  matters  of  common  interest  to  the  asso¬ 
ciations  and  to  the  institutions  composing  them.  It  has  three  classes  of  mem¬ 
bers — constituent,  associate,  and  institutional.  The  constituent  members  are 
16  national  educational  associations.  Each  is  represented  by  three  delegates, 
who  vote  as  a  unit  at  meetings  of  the  council  through  a  designated  person. 
Associate  members  are  educational  or  scientific  organizations  having  interests 
related  to  the  work  of  the  council.  Associate  members  may  send  one  repre¬ 
sentative  each  to  the  meetings  of  the  council  without  right  to  vote.  Institutional 
members  are  colleges,  universities,  professional  and  technical  schools  contrib¬ 
uting  not  less  than  $100  a  year  to  the  treasury  of  the  council.  Each  may  be 
represented  by  one  delegate  at  meetings  of  the  council  without  right  to  vote. 

Although  the  council  has  been  active  for  only  a  little  more  than 
one-half  of  the  year,  it  has  already  accomplished  a  variety  of  useful 
objects.  One  of  these  has  been  to  hold  a  referendum  among  colleges 
and  universities  to  secure  a  consensus  of  opinion  on  the  Smith- 
Towner  bill  now  before  Congress.  Tentative  plans  have  also  been 
adopted  for  a  uniform  treatment  of  holders  of  French  degrees  and 
certificates.  If  this  plan  is  adopted  by  the  colleges  and  universities, 
an  important  step  will  have  been  taken  in  the  direction  of  standard¬ 
izing  the  treatment  of  foreign  students  in  this  country. 

The  council  has  from  the  beginning  been  greatly  interested  in  the 
movements  to  induce  a  larger  number  of  foreign  students  to  matricu¬ 
late  in  American  higher  institutions.  For  this  reason  the  Associa¬ 
tion  of  American  Colleges  early  in  1920  transferred  to  the  council 
the  supervision  of  the  scholarships  granted  by  American  colleges  to 


CITY  SCHOOLS. 


17 


young  women  from  France.  In  1919-20,  182  French  girls  attended 
colleges  in  this  country.  The  council  has  also  selected  the  20  Ameri¬ 
can  young  women  who  are  attending  F rench  lycees  and  the  16  yoimg 
men  who,  through  the  generosity  of  the  French  Government,  hold 
graduate  scholarships  and  fellowships  at  the  Universities  of  Bor¬ 
deaux  and  Toulouse. 

INTERNATIONAL  HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

Two  organizations  of  recent  origin,  the  Institute  of  International 
Education  and  the  American  University  Union  in  Europe,  have  done 
important  service  in  fostering  international  higher  education.  The 
former  has  collected  and  sent  to  American  colleges  and  universities 
information  concerning  foreign  educational  missions  and  concerning 
professors  who  are  willing  to  accept  temporary  appointments  in 
American  colleges  and  universities.  It  has  also  stimulated  the  move¬ 
ment  toward  the  establishment  of  international  fellowships  and 
scholarships.  Through  the  action  of  American  colleges,  the  Rocke¬ 
feller  Foundation,  the  French  Government,  the  American-Scandi- 
navian  Foundation,  and  a  number  of  other  agencies,  the  number 
of  American  students  studying  in  foreign  higher  institutions  and  of 
foreign  students  enrolled  at  colleges  and  universities  in  this  country 
has  increased  greatly.  Such  an  exchange  of  students  and  professors 
will  be  an  important  element  in  building  an  enduring  international 
friendship. 

The  American  University  Union  in  Europe  is  attempting  to  serve 
American  students  and  professors  temporarily  residing  in  foreign 
higher  institutions.  It  has  established  branches  in  London  and 
Paris,  with  a  competent  personnel  in  charge.  In  Paris  the  municipal 
council  has  presented  the  union  with  a  valuable  building  site,  con¬ 
venient^  located,  on  which  it  is  planned  to  erect  a  maison  des 
etudiants.  In  London  the  offices  have  been  obtained  in  the  same 
building  with  the  Universities  Bureau  of  the  British  Empire,  where 
also  may  be  found  the  Office  National  des  Universites  et  Ecoles 
Frangaises.  The  offices  of  the  union  in  Rome  has  been  discontinued 
and  its  interests  turned  over  to  the  director  of  the  American  Academy 
in  Rome. 

CITY  SCHOOLS. 

CITIES  RETARDED  WITH  THEIR  BUILDING  PROGRAMS. 

Because  of  the  fact  that  all  the  resources  of  the  country  were 
mobilized  to  win  the  war,  the  restrictions  in  the  use  of  building 
materials  being  particularly  rigid,  the  erection  of  school  buildings 
almost  completely  stopped  during  the  war.  City  systems  now  find 
14032°— 20 - 2 


18 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


themselves  seriously  handicapped  because  of  crowded  buildings;  in 
consequence  they  are  faced  not  only  with  the  problem  of  housing  the 
normal  growth,  but  with  the  necessity,  as  well,  of  providing  accom¬ 
modations  for  a  cumulative  growth  of  from  four  to  six  years. 

Undoubtedly  one  of  the  direct  results  of  the  war  has  been  to  de¬ 
velop  and  confirm  the  faith  of  the  people  in  education  and  to  impress 
upon  their  minds  that  the  schools  of  the  country  can  be  made  to 
render  an  invaluable  service.  A  renaissance  of  interest  in  education 
is  taking  place;  in  consequence  of  which  the  people  generally  are 
responding  with  commendable  earnestness  to  the  needs  of  the  schools. 
Bonds  for  large  sums  in  the  aggregate  have  been  issued  in  many 
cities,  and  there  is  scarcely  an  instance  to  be  found  since  the  period 
of  the  war  where  bond  issues  for  school-building  purposes  have  not 
been  approved  by  the  voters.  Owing,  however,  to  interest  rates 
which  money  is  able  to  command  in  the  markets  of  the  country, 
cities  which  have  authorized  bond  issues  for  building  and  other  pur¬ 
poses  are  experiencing  difficulty  in  disposing  of  their  issues  without 
large  sacrifices,  adding  thereby  materially  to  the  cost  of  construction. 
School  bonds  which  prior  to  the  war  were  looked  upon  as  a  desir¬ 
able  form  of  investment  now  go  begging  even  at  prices  which  would 
net  the  investor  6  per  cent  interest  or  even  more.  Some  States  are 
fortunate  enough  to  have  made  provision  for  this  exigency  in  their 
laws  through  making  it  possible  for  certain  State  funds  of  permanent 
character  to  be  invested  in  school  bonds.  Most  of  the  States,  however, 
have  no  such  provision,  consequently  most  cities  find  themselves 
without  any  means  of  relief  in  this  matter  except  through  the  usual 
appeal  to  the  bond  market.  Although  this  is  a  serious  difficulty 
operating  to  increase  building  cost  greatly,  the  situation  will  be 
rectified  as  conditions  become  more  nearly  normal,  and  bond  buyers 
will  again  find  in  issues  for  school  construction  an  attractive  invest¬ 
ment. 

COST  OF  SCHOOL-BUILDING  CONSTRUCTION. 

The  past  25  or  30  years  have  witnessed  a  complete  transformation 
in  school-building  construction.  Cheap  unsubstantial  buildings  with 
small  capacity,  planned  with  little  thought  of  health  or  convenience, 
without  regard  to  esthetic  considerations,  and  poorly  equipped,  have 
given  way  to  the  modern  fireproof  structure  built  of  the  most  sub¬ 
stantial  materials  and  equipped  with  every  device  for  conserving 
health  that  science  can  suggest.  With  this  shift  in  type  the  cost  has 
risen  enormously.  Buildings  of  this  character  are  now  costing  from 
$14,000  to  $16,000  per  standard  classroom  unit.  This  unprecedented 
cost,  however,  is  largely  accounted  for  by  the  enormous  advance  in 
the  cost  of  labor  and  of  building  materials  during  the  war  period. 
Indeed,  the  general  level  of  advance  in  the  cost  of  school  buildings 


CITY  SCHOOLS. 


19 


over  the  prewar  level  has  been  fixed  at  200  per  cent,  the  conclusion 
reached  by  Burgess  after  a  careful  study  just  completed  of  the  trend 
of  school-building  costs.1 

In  figuring  building  costs,  to  this  estimated  advance  of  200  per 
cent  over  prewar  costs  must  be  added  the  discount  which  school 
boards  must  accept  in  order  to  market  their  bonds.  Thus  an  aggre¬ 
gate  is  reached  so  large  as  to  cause  many  communities  to  seek  relief, 
during  this  period  of  readjustment,  through  expedients  of  temporary 
character. 


THE  SEMIPERMANENT  TYPE  OF  SCHOOL  BUILDING. 

In  many  cases  old  buildings  are  renovated  and  remodeled  to 
make  them  usable  for  a  few  years  longer  at  least.  In  other  cases 
portable  rooms  and  buildings  are  erected  to  house  the  children  until 
conditions  become  such  that  permanent  buildings  of  modern  char¬ 
acter  can  be  constructed.  Several  milling  firms  have  developed 
types  of  portable  school  buildings  which  can  be  set  up  in  units  and 
provide  at  a  fraction  of  the  expense  of  a  permanent  building  a  more 
or  less  satisfactory  substitute.  Still  other  places  are  experimenting 
with  a  type  of  building  modeled  after  the  factory  building  which  is 
put  up  very  rapidly  and  in  units  as  needed.  Indeed,  it  is  probable 
that  many  school  authorities  may  arrive  at  the  opinion  that  this  type 
of  building  of  a  semipermanent  character,  costing  very  much  less 
than  a  permanent  structure,  may,  indeed,  be  best  adapted  to  condi¬ 
tions  in  rapidly  growing  cities  where  oftentimes  populations  shift  so 
within  a  period  of  a  few  years  as  to  render  the  erection  of  a  building 
of  a  permanent  character  a  doubtful  procedure. 

It  is  reported  that  the  school  authorities  of  Minneapolis  have  de¬ 
veloped  a  type  of  semipermanent  sectional  schoolhouses  which,  in 
every  respect  except  in  being  fireproof,  is  equal  to  a  permanent  build¬ 
ing.  Provision  is  made  for  hot-water  heating ;  for  ventilating,  auto¬ 
matic  temperature,  and  humidity  control;  and  for  adequate  toilet 
facilities.  It  can  be  expanded  from  one  or  two  rooms  to  20  rooms  or 
more  as  desired.  While  the  building  is  portable,  it  will  last  for  25 
years,  it  is  asserted.  Experiments  with  buildings  of  the  semiper¬ 
manent  type  have  not  been  extensive  enough  to  justify  positive  con¬ 
clusions,  but,  without  doubt,  school  boards  and  architects  will  seri¬ 
ously  consider  whether  it  is  wise  to  erect  the  permanent  type  of 
school  building  that  now  costs  from  $14,000  to  $16,000  per  class 
room-unit  and  a  type,  too,  so  rigid  and  inflexible  that  changes  to  meet 
new  conditions  as  they  arise  are  impossible. 

1 W.  Randolph  Burgess,  Trend  of  School  Costs,  Russell  Sage  Foundation,  New  York 
City,  1920. 


20 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


Still  other  cities,  either  in  all  of  their  schools  or  in  part,  are  or¬ 
ganizing  the  pupils  into  half-day  shifts — one-half  attending  school 
in  the  forenoon,  the  other  half  in  the  afternoon.  A  number  of  modi¬ 
fications  of  part-time  attendance  have  been  worked  out,  but  all  are 
of  doubtful  value,  for  in  the  end  they  rest  upon  a  makeshift  arrange¬ 
ment  which  does  not  fully  make  up  to  the  child  what  he  loses  because 
of  lack  of  sufficient  housing  accommodations. 

This  building  exigency  is  giving  an  impetus  to  still  another  type 
of  school  organization — that  known  as  the  work-study-play  plan,  the 
plan  of  organization  which  has  been  most  prominently  brought  to 
the  attention  of  the  public  through  the  work  of  Supt.  William  Wirt, 
of  Gary,  Ind. 

WORK-STUDY-PLAY  PLAN  OF  SCHOOL  ORGANIZATION. 

According  to  this  plan  of  organization  the  grades  of  a  school  are 
divided  longitudinally  into  two  parts,  each  having  the  same  number 
of  classes  or  grades.  The  first  half,  for  example,  is  assigned  at  a 
given  time,  say  in  the  morning,  to  regular  academic  work  in  the 
classroom,  while  the  other  half,  at  the  same  time,  is  divided  up 
among  certain  special  activities  which  can  be  conducted  without  the 
use  of  the  traditional  classroom,  as,  for  example,  activities  centering 
about  the  auditorium,  activities  held  in  connection  with  the  play¬ 
ground,  likewise  activities  having  to  do  with  shops,  laboratories, 
and  drawing  and  music  rooms.  That  is  to  say,  while  one-half  of  the 
school  is  carrying  forward  its  regular  academic  activities  during  a 
given  period,  the  other  half  of  the  school  is  divided  up  among  audi¬ 
torium  activities,  playground  activities,  and  shop  and  special  room 
activities.  At  the  end  of  a  designated  period  a  shift  is  made;  the 
children  are  called  into  the  regular  classrooms,  from  these  special 
activities,  and  those  who  have  just  completed  their  work  for  the 
time  being  in  the  regular  classrooms  are  distributed  among  the 
special  activities.  The  daily  program  is  so  arranged  that  a  rotation 
of  activities  is  secured  whereby  intensive  study  in  academic  subjects 
is  relieved  from  time  to  time  by  the  special  activities,  the  playground 
at  one  time,  the  auditorium  at  another  time,  shop  and  laboratory  and 
music  and  drawing  at  still  another. 

HOW  THIS  PLAN  RELIEVES  CONGESTION. 

It  is  obvious  that  this  plan  of  organization  requires  only  half  the 
number  of  regular  classrooms  required  by  the  traditional  form  of 
school  organization.  It  should  be  added,  however,  that  while  a 
saving  of  50  per  cent  in  the  number  of  regularly  equipped  classrooms 
is  effected,  offsetting  this  an  auditorium  must  be  provided,  ample 
playground  space  for  out-of-door  activities  must  be  at  hand,  and 


CITY  SCHOOLS. 


21 


also  provision  for  certain  special  rooms  such  as  shops  and  labora¬ 
tories  must  be  made.  It  is  now  generally  recognized,  however,  that 
in  every  modern  school  plant,  even  organized  on  the  traditional  basis, 
there  must  be  an  auditorium,  there  must  be  ample  playground  space, 
and  there  must  be  shops  and  laboratories.  Comparing,  then,  the 
work-study-play  plan  of  organization  with  a  modern  school  plant 
fully  equipped,  it  is  clear  that  it  will  save  the  expense  of  half  the 
number  of  regularly  equipped  school  classrooms. 

Comparing  it  with  a  school  plant  of  the  traditional  type,  which 
does  not  have  an  auditorium  and  special  rooms  for  shop  and  labora¬ 
tory,  the  saving  in  expense  is  in  the  fact  that  it  costs  less  to  provide 
an  auditorium  and  the  necessary  shops  and  laboratories  for  these 
special  activities  than  to  provide  the  number  of  fully-equipped  class¬ 
rooms  required  under  the  traditional  plan.  In  either  case,  then,  the 
work-study-play  plan  of  school  organization  effects  a  distinct  econ¬ 
omy  in  building  and  equipment.  This  is  one  reason,  then,  that  at 
this  time  in  particular  school  authorities  are  examining  this  type  of 
school  organization  with  an  interest  never  before  displayed. 

EDUCATIONAL  VALUE  OF  THE  WORK- STUDY-PLAY  PLAN. 

However,  no  plan  of  school  organization  is  justified  merely  be¬ 
cause  it  is  cheap,  for  what  the  American  public  wants  first  of  all  is 
the  assurance  that  its  children  shall  have  an  opportunity  to  secure 
their  education  in  ways  which  are  pedagogically  sound  and  effective. 
The  work-study-play  plan  of  school  organization,  if  it  had  no  merit 
other  than  mere  economy,  would  not  deserve  serious  considera¬ 
tion.  However,  happily  it  combines  both  economy  and  pedagogical 
efficiency. 

On  the  educational  side  those  who  have  had  experience  with  this 
form  of  organization  are  nearly  a  unit  in  claiming  for  it  the  follow¬ 
ing  advantages : 

1.  It  keeps  every  part  of  the  school  plant  working  full  time. 

2.  It  provides  a  flexible  program  of  study,  making  it  possible  for 
each  community  to  adapt  the  program  to  its  particular  needs. 

3.  It  is  so  flexible  that  it  is  easy  to  make  provision  for  the  individual 
needs  of  pupils. 

4.  It  provides  opportunity  for  healthful  work  and  play  and  study, 
thus  giving  back  to  the  child  what  city  conditions  of  living  have  taken 
away  from  him  in  opportunities  particularly  for  work  and  play. 

5.  It  gives  the  pupil  a  large  measure  of  freedom  and  permits  many 
opportunities  for  the  exercise  of  initiative  and  the  training  of  judg¬ 
ment. 

A  thoughtful  examination  of  the  foregoing  advantages  urged  as 
characteristic  of  the  work-study-play  plan  of  organization  discloses 


22 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


the  fact  that  no  advantage  is  adduced  except  perhaps  the  first,  which 
can  not  be  secured  in  schools  organized  on  the  traditional  basis, 
assuming,  of  course,  that  such  schools  have  made  provision  for  play¬ 
grounds,  auditoriums,  swimming  pools,  shops,  and  laboratories. 
This,  however,  seems  clear,  that  this  plan  of  school  organization  is 
a  form  of  organization  which  makes  definite  provision  in  its  pro¬ 
gram  for  types  of  activity  which  in  most  schools  of  the  traditional 
type  are  usually  incidental,  spasmodic,  and  not  an  integral  part  of 
school  procedure.  Indeed,  the  plan  has  been  evolved  for  the  express 
purpose  of  making  such  activities  an  essential  part  of  the  work. 
Furthermore,  it  must  be  obvious  that  opportunities  and  advantages 
of  an  all-around  education  of  this  character  can  be  secured  by  this 
plan  of  organization  at  a  greatly  reduced  cost  as  compared  with 
securing  the  same  results  under  the  traditional  plan  of  organization. 
Passaic,  N.  J.,  for  example,  reports  the  per  capita  cost  per  student- 
hour  for  pupils  in  the  traditional  schools  to  be  $0,045,  while  for  those 
in  the  schools  organized  on  the  work-study-play  basis  the  cost  is 
$0,034  per  student-hour.  On  grounds,  then,  of  economy  and  of  peda¬ 
gogical  soundness,  it  may  confidently  be  expected  that  this  type  of 
school  organization  will  be  given  increasing  consideration. 

SCHOOL  CONSOLIDATION  MOVEMENT  IN  CITIES. 

This  period  of  the  enforced  cessation  of  school  construction,  while 
it  has  caused  a  piling  up  of  pupils  which  is  embarrassing,  neverthe¬ 
less  has  not  been  without  a  distinct  advantage  in  one  particular  at 
least.  For  school  boards,  forced  to  go  to  the  people  for  large  bond 
issues,  have  in  a  number  of  instances  recognized  that  in  submitting 
their  building  programs  this  is  an  opportune  time  to  make  a  thor¬ 
oughgoing  reorganization  of  their  buildings.  In  many  of  the  older 
cities  of  the  country,  particularly  of  the  East,  buildings  erected  50 
years  ago  are  small,  are  badly  situated  in  respect  to  population 
groups,  and  are  without  modern  facilities. 

The  necessity  of  going  to  the  people  with  bond  issues  for  relatively 
large  amounts  is  providing  the  opportunity  for  a  proposal  to  con¬ 
solidate  many  of  these  small  attendance  districts,  selling,  in  instances, 
the  properties  and  buying  plats  at  better  situations  and  erecting 
thereon  large  buildings  of  modern  type.  Curiously  enough,  there  is 
as  much  of  a  need  in  many  of  our  older  cities  for  organizing  consoli¬ 
dated  schools  as  there  is  in  rural  communities.  Many  boards  are 
seizing  this  opportunity  and  are  entering  upon  a  comprehensive 
building  plan  which  will  put  their  school  systems  in  this  respect 
on  a  modern  basis. 


CITY  SCHOOLS. 


23 


teachers’  salaries. 

In  response  to  the  rapidly  rising  curve  of  living  expense,  resulting 
in  lowering  the  purchasing  power  of  a  dollar  to  50  cents,  or  to  44 
according  to  some  authorities,  boards  of  city  schools  very  generally 
throughout  the  country  have  made  substantial  advances  in  salaries 
paid  to  the  teaching  staff  and  to  other  school  employees.  Owing  to 
the  fact  that  budgets  have  to  be  prepared  in  advance  and  having  once 
been  adopted  by  tax-levying  authorities  can  not  usually  be  changed 
during  the  current  fiscal  year,  the  increase  in  salaries  has  lagged  far 
behind  increases  in  living  cost.  In  consequence,  many  of  the  most 
capable  teachers  withdrew  from  the  teaching  profession,  temporarily 
at  least,  and  entered  other  vocations  which  were  able  to  respond  more 
quickly.  The  current,  too,  of  young  people  entering  teacher-training 
institutions  was  likewise  diverted  to  other  and  more  remunerative 
occupations.  For  a  time  the  schools  of  the  country  were  in  a  serious 
predicament,  from  which,  it  is  to  be  noted,  they  have  not  yet  fully 
recovered.  Indeed,  so  serious  did  this  situation  become  that  nation¬ 
wide  campaigns  of  publicity  were  entered  upon,  serving  to  accelerate 
the  readjustment  of  salary  schedules. 

Despite  these  efforts,  however,  in  the  cases  of  certain  cities  the 
teaching  body  itself,  chafing  under  delays  and  hard  pressed  by 
economic  conditions,  took  matters  into  its  own  hands,  and  teacher 
strikes  occurred  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  public-school  sys¬ 
tems  of  this  country.  In  other  instances  the  teaching  corps  itself- 
raised  funds,  organized  itself  for  publicity  work,  and  deliberately 
set  about  educating  the  taxpayers  of  the  community  as  to  the  facts 
of  the  situation,  and  without  resorting  to  radical  measures  was  able 
to  secure  a  measure  of  relief. 

During  the  five-year  period  riow  closing  a  range  of  salary  advance 
from  a  third  to  a  half  of  that  paid  at  the  beginning  of  the  period  will 
include  the  great  bulk  of  the  cities  of  the  tJnited  States.  This  ad¬ 
vance  by  no  means  makes  up  to  the  teachers  the  loss  they  have  suf¬ 
fered  through  the  decline  in  the  purchasing  power  of  their  salaries. 
Burgess’s  study,2  indeed,  shows  that  the  teacher’s  salary  now,  despite 
the  advances  that  have  been  made,  is  actually  less  in  purchasing  value 
than  at  any  other  time  since  the  Civil  War.  Nevertheless,  serious 
efforts  have  been  made  to  lessen  the  discrepancy.  The  conscience  of 
the  people,  as  never  before,  has  been  touched  respecting  the  work  and 
economic  status  of  the  teachti.  Without  doubt  when  a  decline  in 
living  coots  sets  in,  as  it  now  bids  fair  to  do,  and  conditions  become 
more  nearly  normal  the  teachers  of  the  country  will  find  that  they 

2  W.  Randolph  Burgess,  Trend  of  School  Costs,  Russell  Sage  Foundation,  New  York 
City,  1920. 


24 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


will  have  made  a  distinct  gain,  and  that  their  status  financially,  as 
well  as  in  other  important  respects,  will  have  been  greatly  bettered. 

THE  TEACHER  SHORTAGE. 

Although  there  is  still  a  teacher  shortage,  without  question  the 
tide  drift  is  setting  back  toward  the  teaching  profession.  For  some 
time  to  come  some  localities  may  have  difficulty  in  securing  as  many 
teachers  as  they  desire  of  the  type  they  prefer,  but  already  the  more 
favored  localities  are  reporting  a  surplus.  Furthermore,  it  is  to  be 
noted  that  in  all  periods  of  rapid  expansion,  when  new  activities  are 
springing  up,  calling  without  much  discrimination  for  help  of  all 
kinds  and  in  a  position  to  pay  salaries  considerably  above  those  which 
the  more  stabilized  professions  and  occupations  pay,  it  is  natural 
that  the  latter  should  suffer.  On  the  other  hand,  when  expansion 
ceases  and  contraction  sets  in,  and  when  new  activities  shut  down,  it 
will  always  be  found  that  the  stabilized  occupations  and  professions 
will  be  swamped  with  persons  seeking  employment.  So,  although 
the  schools  have  suffered  in  this  respect  during  the  past  five-year 
period,  nevertheless  to  the  mind  which  recognized  that  the  period  of 
abnormal  expansion  would  be  followed  by  a  period  of  contraction  the 
situation  had  nothing  in  it  to  cause  alarm. 

Fortunately  the  good  sense  of  school  authorities  prevented  them 
from  becoming  panicky  in  the  situation,  which  might  have  resulted 
in  the  wholesale  lowering  of  standards  of  teacher  qualification  and 
training.  To  an  unexpected  and  commendable  degree  the  schools  of 
the  country  held  out  stoutly  for  the  maintenance  of  prewar  standards 
in  these  particulars,  and,  indeed,  definite  efforts  have. been  made  to 
raise  these  standards  in  the  belief  that  high  standards  with  compen¬ 
sating  salaries  would  attract  the  mDst  capable  persons.  Moreover, 
it  was  definitely  asserted  that  because  public  attention  is  focused  more 
sharply  on  this  problem  now  than  ever  before  this  is  the  golden  op¬ 
portunity  for  making  the  profession  what  it  ought  to  be,  and  that, 
instead  of  letting  down  the  bars,  much  thought  should  be  given  to 
means  for  making  the  teaching  profession  permanently  attractive  to 
persons  of  marked  ability.  A  good  expression  of  this  point  of  view 
is  to  be  found  in  the  following  resolution,  adopted  by  the  city  school 
division  of  the  National  Citizens’  Conference  cn  Education,  which 
convened  at  Washington  in  May,  called  by  the  Commissioner  of 
Education : 

1.  The  interests  of  the  Nation  anti  the  welfare  of  its  children  require  the 
creation  of  a  body  of  thoroughly  prepared  professional  teachers  sufficient  in 
numbers  so  that  every  American  schoolroom  shall  have  in  it  a  competent 
teacher.  *  *  * 


CITY  SCHOOLS. 


25 


2.  For  this  supply  of  professionally  prepared  teachers  for  the  public  schools, 

the  Nation  must,  and  should,  depend  upon  the  normal  schools  (they  should  be 
named  and  at  once  made,  in  fact,  teachers’  colleges)  to  attract  a  sufficient  num¬ 
ber  of  young  men  and  women  of  the  best  quality  to  prepare  for  duty  in  all 
grades  of  the  Nation’s  public  schools.  *  *  * 

3.  The  appropriation  for  teacher-preparing  schools  must  be  largely  in¬ 
creased.  *  *  * 

To  secure  sufficient  revenues  for  carrying  out  such  a  program  for  the  prepara¬ 
tion  of  teachers,  requiring  an  expenditure  two  or  three  times  as  great  as  at 
present,  it  will  be  necessary  that  the  Federal  Government  come  to  the  aid  of 
the  State  in  the  support  of  these  schools. 

TEACHER  PARTICIPATION  IN  SCHOOL  ADMINISTRATION. 

Another  by-product,  to  a  degree  the  result  of  the  analysis  of  school 
conditions  which  was  made  and  the  efforts  to  meet  the  problem  of 
teacher  shortage  which  followed,  is  the  pretty  general  recognition 
of  the  fact  that  school  administrators  must  devise  means  whereby  the 
rank  and  file  of  the  teaching  corps  shall  have  a  voice  in  the  discus¬ 
sion  of  school  policies.  The  creating  of  teachers’  councils,  the  or¬ 
ganizing  of  teachers’  unions,  the  more  radical  demands  in  some  quar¬ 
ters  that  the  teaching  body  have  direct  representation  on  the  board 
of  education,  and  that  the  question  of  the  retention  or  dismissal  of 
the  superintendent  of  schools  shall  be  submitted  at  stated  intervals 
to  a  vote  of  the  teaching  staff,  indicate  a  rising  tide  of  opinion  which 
undoubtedly  will  modify  materially  the  relationship  existing  be¬ 
tween  boards  of  education  and  the  superintendent  of  schools,  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  teaching  corps,  on  the  other.  This  new  note  in 
school  administration  was  likewise  voiced  in  the  city  school  division 
of  the  National  Citizens’  Conference  on  Education,  as  is  witnessed  by 
the  resolution  which  follows: 

The  attitude  of  the  board  of  education  and  of  its  chief  executive  officers  to¬ 
ward  the  teaching  staff  should  be  such  that,  while  preserving  inviolate  their 
authority  to  make  final  decisions,  it,  nevertheless,  encourages  to  the  utmost  the 
exercise  of  both  the  individual  and  collective  initiative  of  the  teaching  staff, 
for  in  no  other  way  can  systems  of  schools  be  prevented  from  becoming  unduly 
autocratic  and  therefore  static  and  ineffective. 

RESEGMENTATION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 

The  movement  among  city  school  systems  looking  toward  a  reseg¬ 
mentation  of  the  chief  divisions  of  the  public- school  system’  which 
began  in  1909  with  the  first  attempt  to  reorganize  a  school  system 
on  the  basis  of  the  6-3-3  grouping  plan  of  grades,  has  gathered 
momentum  with  the  passing  years.  Now,  10  years  later,  official  re¬ 
ports  made  to  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  year  1917-18,  show 
the  following  impressive  facts  as  to  the  number  of  city  school  sys- 


26 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


terns  which  have  reorganized  their  systems  in  part  or  in  whole  to 
provide  for  a  junior  high-school  segment: 


Statistics  of  junior  high  schools  (1917-18). 


Cities  grouped  by  population. 

Number 
reporting 
junior  high 
schools. 

Total 
number  • 
of  such 
schools. 

Total 

number 

of 

teachers. 

Total 

enroll¬ 

ment. 

Group  I  (100,000  and  over) . 

17 

76 

1,821 

1,355 

1,066 

875 

51,031 

35,782 

33,108 

26,824 

11,363 

Group  II  (30,000  to  100,000) . 

38 

90 

Group  III  (10,000  to  30,000) . 

68 

93 

Group  IV  (5,000  to  10,000) . 

99 

1C2 

Group  V  (2,500  to  5,000) . 

70 

70 

428 

Total . 

292 

431 

5,545 

158, 108 

It  should  be  added  that  the  movement  is  by  no  means  confined  to 
the  cities,  for  many  rural  and  small  village  communities  report  the 
organization  of  junior  high  schools. 

In  some  of  the  States  difficulty  is  experienced  in  effecting  such  re¬ 
organization  because  the  laws  defining  elementary  and  secondary 
education  and  prescribing  curricula  and  textbooks  are  so  drawn  that 
the  junior  high-school  organization  is  impracticable.  In  fully  75 
per  cent  of  the  States,  however,  no  legal  difficulties  obtain,  and  in 
these  the  resegmentation  to  admit  of  the  junior  high-school  unit  is 
proceeding  rapidly.  While  official  reports  are  thus  seen  to  indicate 
a  growth  of  the  movement  of  unprecedented  rapidity,  nevertheless 
it  must  be  said  that  a  number  of  the  cities  reporting  junior  high 
schools  have  gone  no  further  than  to  adopt  the  junior  high-school 
form  of  organization.  If  such  cities  stop  merely  with  an  outward 
resegmentation  of  their  systems  they  will  miss  a  great  and  much- 
needed  opportunity  for  radically  changing  the  character  and  content 
of  courses  of  study  and  the  entire  spirit  of  dealing  with  the  child  of 
adolescent  years. 

EXTENDING  THE  HIGH  SCHOOL  UPWARD. 

Within  a  year  of  the  reorganization  of  the  first  school  system  of 
this  country  on  a  junior  high-school  basis  (Berkeley,  Calif.,  1909), 
another  California  city  (Fresno,  1910)  extended  its  four-year  high- 
school  course  upward  to  include  the  first  two  years  of  college  work. 
Three  years  before,  California  had  passed  an  act  which  permitted 
this  extension.  Within  four  years  10  such  schools,  or  “junior  col¬ 
leges,”  were  established  in  the  State;  recent  reports  indicate  that 
there  are  now  more  than  20  school  systems  in  California  which  have 
made  this  extension  upward  in  at  least  one  of  their  high  schools.  So 
also,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  Iowa,  Idaho,  Indiana,  Missouri, 
Texas,  and  Washington  report  one  or  more  public  high  schools  in 


TENDENCIES  IN  PRIMARY  EDUCATION. 


27 


each  so  organized.  With  the  single  exception  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  the 
East  has  as  yet  made  no  response  to  the  idea. 

In  the  States  just  mentioned  these  schools  are  supported  by  tuition 
and  by  local  taxation.  In  California,  however,  no  tuition  fees  are 
required,  as  the  State  provides  aid  to  supplement  local  taxation. 

This  movement  creating  public  junior  colleges  and  making  them 
integral  parts  of  the  public-school  system  has  sprung  up  in  response 
to  the  demand  that  educational  opportunity  be  brought  close  to  the 
people  in  order  that  every  young  person  may  have  the  chance  to  carry 
his  training  as  far  forward  as  his  will  and  his  ability  permit.  More 
and  more  the  people  are  demanding  for  their  children  that  oppor¬ 
tunity  shall  be  provided  for  securing  at  least  the  first  two  years  of 
college  work  without  having  to  send  their  children  long  distances 
from  home. 

While  it  is  thoroughly  impracticable  for  every  high  school  to  at¬ 
tempt  the  beginnings  of  college  work,  nevertheless  in  the  larger  cen¬ 
ters  easily  accessible  to  both  urban  and  rural  high  schools  it  may 
confidently  be  expected  that  the  public  junior  college  will  increas¬ 
ingly  find  favor.3 

TENDENCIES  IN  PRIMARY  EDUCATION. 

Grading  the  child  according  to  his  ability. — The  two  extremes, 
the  retarded  pupil  and  the  very  bright  pupil,  have  received  a  major 
share  of  consideration  during  the  last  two  years  from  educators  who 
are  working  on  problems  in  primary  education  in  psychological 
clinics  and  departments  of  research  in  city  school  systems.  Several 
books  have  been  written  and  numerous  articles  have  appeared  in 
current  magazines  bearing  upon  this  subject. 

Attempts  are  made  to  measure  these  children  by  a  new  standard. 
Heretofore  the  child’s  accomplishment  in  the  subject  of  reading  for 
the  first  year  of  his  school  life  has  been  the  unit  of  measurement  in 
most  schools  in  the  United  States.  If  he  could  read  a  page  of  the 
first  reader  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  he  was  promoted.  If  he 
stumbled  through  the  reading  exercises,  was  unable  to  call  all  the 
words,  and  hesitated  before  certain  words  and  phrases,  he  was 
accounted  a  failure  and  was  required  to  take  the  work  over.  He 
reentered  the  school  the  second  year  where  he  began  the  year  before 
and  dragged  his  weary  spirit  through  a  repetition  of  the  successes 
and  failures  of  his  first  year’s  experience. 

Retardation  never  yet  brightened  a  child’s  intellect.  It  has  a 
tendency,  on  the  contrary,  to  benumb  his  faculties  and  to  inhibit 
those  natural  abilities  with  which  he  has  been  endowed. 


3  For  a  detailed  and  valuable  study  of  various  types  of  junior  colleges,  recently  made, 
see  F.  M.  McDowell,  The  Junior  College,  Bureau  of  Education  Bulletin,  1919,  No.  35, 
Government  Printing  Office,  Washington,  D.  C. 


28 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


The  appalling  percentage  of  retardation  in  the  first  grade,  about 
one  pupil  in  four  being  counted  out  at  the  end  of  the  year  as  a 
failure,  has  aroused  the  thinking  educator  to  the  lack  of  efficiency  in 
this  method  of  early  education. 

Attention  has  at  last  been  turned  from  methods  of  teaching  reading 
to  the  child  himself,  to  ascertain  why  he  fails  and  in  what  way  he 
differs  from  his  classmates  who  have  passed  on  to  a  higher  grade  and 
have  left  him  stranded.  It  is  proposed  to  take  a  simple  measure  of 
his  mental  ability,  usually  by  some  modification  of  the  Binet  scale, 
and  then  attempt  to  adapt  the  course  of  study  and  the  methods  of 
teaching  to  his  particular  type  of  competency. 

Many  city  school  systems  have  begun  this  important  reorganiza¬ 
tion  of  primary  education  and  many  more  are  about  to  undertake  it. 
Providence,  R.  I.,  is  one  of  the  former,  and  Detroit,  Mich.,  one  of  the 
latter.  The  plan  for  Detroit  is  similar  to  that  tried  in  most  cities. 
The  children  of  the  first  grade,  by  means  of  a  group  test,  are  classi¬ 
fied,  tentatively,  into  three  divisions,  X,  Y,  and  Z,  the  X  group 
being  made  up  of  the  brightest  pupils  and  Z  of  the  dullest.  The 
present  course  of  study  is  to  be  used  for  the  Y  group,  a  richer  course 
will  be  developed  for  the  X  group,  and  minimum  essentials  only  will 
be  given  to  the  Z  group.  To  judge  from  the  reports  from  Provi¬ 
dence  this  system  has  made  a  reformation  in  the  grades  where  it  has 
been  tried.  Practically  under  this  regime  all  the  pupils  are  pro¬ 
moted,  the  bright  pupils  do  not  become  impatient  and  idle,  classes 
are  uniform  in  ability  and  responsiveness,  and  disciplinary  problems 
are  eliminated. 

The  child  with  the  unusually  good  endowment  has  suffered  as  much 
in  the  primary  treadmill  as  the  child  who  is  retarded.  It  seems 
apparent,  even  to  a  casual  observer,  that  his  measure  of  accomplish¬ 
ment  should  not  be  judged  by  the  same  standard  applied  to  the 
“  failure  ”  or  even  to  the  average  pupil.  The  very  bright  child  will 
learn  to  read  and  write  and  cipher,  willy-nilly,  given  the  least  oppor¬ 
tunity,  and  there  is  no  power  that  can  stop  him.  How  he  must  fret 
and  chafe  under  the  restrictions  that  are  imposed  upon  him  by  the 
slower  mental  processes  of  his  classmates !  He  is  quicker,  more  alert, 
and  more  intelligent  than  the  ordinary  child.  His  measure  of  com¬ 
petency  should  be  ascertained,  and  he  should  be  given  the  appropriate 
stimuli  in  his  public-school  course  which  shall  train  his  superior 
ability. 

The  first  grade  has  since  its  establishment  been  a  clearing  house 
wherein  a  child  has  found  his  level  by  a  standard  wholly  outside  of 
himself  and  unrelated  to  his  particular  endowment.  Under  this 
recent  scientific  treatment  the  pupil  in  the  first  grade  obtains  the  right 
to  find  himself  and  to  develop  all  his  capabilities  unrestricted  by  those 


TENDENCIES  IN  PRIMARY  EDUCATION.  29 

above  him  and  undeterred  by  those  below  him  in  the  scale  of  mental 
equipment. 

THE  CURRICULUM. 

Basing  courses  of  study  and  subject  matter  upon  the  child'' s  ex- 
pe'rience. — Much  is  said  regarding  the  child’s  experience  as  a  potent 
factor  in  the  primary  curriculum,  but  universally  it  is  ignored  in 
the  primary  courses  of  study  and  in  the  average  schoolroom  prac¬ 
tice.  The  formal  subjects  of  study  still  occupy  the  primary  teacher’s 
program,  and  drills  and  mechanical  exercises  receive  most  of  her 
attention.  A  certain  number  of  pages  of  the  reading  book,  of  com¬ 
binations  in  number,  of  families  in  phonic  drills  are  still  the  level 
of  accomplishment  for  the  first-grade  child  in  the  average  city 
2>ublic-school  system. 

The  committee  on  materials  of  education  of  the  National  Society 
for  the  Study  of  Education  have  issued  a  series  of  reading  lessons 
for  first-grade  pupils  which  are  based  directly  upon  some  phase  of 
community  life  which  they  have  recently  observed.1  One  series  is 
a  report  of  a  trip  to  the  Rock  County  Fair,  in  Janesville,  Wis., 
which  was  formulated  into  reading  lessons  during  the  regular  read¬ 
ing  period  by  the  pupils  of  that  city.  The  sentences  are  grouped 
under  three  heads,  as  follows: 

THE  FAIR. 


We  went  to  the  fair. 

We  saw  some  cattle. 

We  saw  some  kewpie  dolls. 

We  threw  some  balls  to  get  them. 

We  saw  an  aeroplane. 

It  did  tricks  up  in  the  sky. 

ICE  CREAM  CONES. 

We  saw  some  ice  cream  cones. 

A  man  sold  them. 

We  bought  some. 

They  cost  10  cents. 

The  ice  cream  cones  were  good. 

We  like  them. 

THE  HAND  ORGAN. 

We  saw  a  man  and  a  monkey. 

The  man  had  a  hand  organ. 

It  made  music. 

The  monkey  danced. 

We  gave  the  monkey  a  penny. 

He  put  it  in  his  pocket. 

He  made  us  laugh. 


1  Nineteenth  Yearbook,  Dr.  C.  H.  Judd,  Chicago  University,  chairman. 


30 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


“  These  exercises,”  the  writer  affirms,  “  have  the  advantage  of  draw¬ 
ing  on  a  familiar  but  relatively  diversified  oral  vocabulary  and  at 
the  same  time  the  pupils,  recognizing  the  sentences  as  the  result  of 
their  own  authorship,  pass  readily  from  oral  speech  to  reading.” 
The  teacher  of  these  children  is  convinced  that  the  pupils  grasp  these 
sentences  very  quickly  because  of  the  vivid  experiences  which  lie 
behind  them. 

From  St.  Louis  a  series  of  reading  lessons  are  reported  that  were 
developed  from  the  children’s  community  experiences  after  viewing 
a  pageant,  a  balloon  race,  and  a  flag  presentation,  and  after  listening 
to  a  talk  on  fire  prevention  by  a  visiting  fireman  in  their  vicinity. 

An  imaginary  visit  to  a  farm  served  as  a  basis  for  one  of  these 
reading  lessons  in  the  first  grade  at  Lakewood,  Ohio.  The  subject 
of  “Bubbles,”  after  a  soap-bubble  blowing  contest;  of  “Jack-o’- 
lanterns,”  following  the  pupil’s  Hallowe’en  experiences ;  of  “  Making 
Lakewood  Safe,”  in  connection  with  the  city’s  “Safety  First”  cam¬ 
paign  ;  and  the  lines  of  the  old  familiar  song,  “  This  is  the  Mother,” 
furnished  most  appropriate  material  for  motivated  reading  lessons 
of  this  kind. 

Reading  lessons  for  children  in  non- English-speaking  families. — 
Another  series  of  reading  lessons  for  those  children  who  are  strug¬ 
gling  to  learn  the  English  language,  both  oral  and  written,  is  given 
by  this  committee  as  better  material  for  this  work  than  that  sup¬ 
plied  “  in  the  ordinary  America  primers.”  These  lessons  are  also 
based  upon  the  child’s  experience,  in  the  home  principally,  and 
cover  many  activities  with  which  he  is  especially  familiar.  Setting 
the  table,  taking  care  of  the  baby,  bathing  and  dressing,  washing, 
sweeping,  dusting,  and  baking  are  some  of  the  subjects  that  have 
been  developed  in  these  early  reading  lessons,  as  well  as  sports  and 
games  like  playing  ball,  jumping  rope,  flying  kites,  coasting,  and 
playing  with  dolls.  A  series  on  pets  under  the  subjects  of  “Kitty” 
and  “  Chickens  ”  is  also  included,  and  many  lessons  on  patriotism  are 
taught  to  these  little  aliens  in  the  series  on  “  Thanksgiving  ”  and 
“  Flag  Day.”  The  following  examples  taken  from  400  of  these 
short  simple  sentences  will  give  some  idea  of  the  form  and  scope : 

LESSON  53. 

I  get  the  broom  and  dustpan. 

I  take  them  into  the  bedroom. 

I  open  the  window. 

I  move  the  bed  and  the  dresser. 

I  sweep  the  floor  clean. 

I  put  the  broom  and  dustpan  away. 


TENDENCIES  IN  PRIMARY  EDUCATION. 


31 


FLAG  DAY. 

This  is  flag  day. 

Our  flag  is  red,  white,  and  blue. 

It  has  thirteen  stripes. 

It  has  seven  red  stripes. 

It  has  six  white  stripes. 

It  has  many  whfte  stars. 

George  Washington  loved  the  flag. 

Abraham  Lincoln  loved  the  flag. 

We  love  the  flag. 

It  tells  us  to  be  good,  brave,  and  true. 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  has  made  this  valuable  contribution  to  a  phase  of 
primary  education  which  presents  grave  difficulties  for  the  first-grade 
teacher,  who  will  welcome  these  pertinent  suggestions  at  a  time  when 
there  is  a  dearth  of  material  on  this  subject. 

Projects  which  relate  to  the  child's  civic  interests.-^- Every  effort  is 
made  in  many  localities  to  incorporate  into  revised  curricula,  as 
larger  units  of  study,  those  materials  in  civics,  history,  and  geography 
which  appeal  to  the  child’s  interest  because  of  their  relation  to  his 
own  immediate  environment.  In  some  of  the  cotton-mill  villages  of 
the  South  the  child’s  daily  program  in  school  is  centered  around  the 
activities  of  the  mill  community,  which  offer  many  opportunities  for 
the  application  of  those  principles  of  education  he  is  acquiring 
through  the  more  formal  subjects  of  study. 

The  subject  of  cotton,  its  growth  and  manufacture,  find  a  place  in 
these  courses  of  study.  The  village  store,  its  produce,  their  sources 
and  preparation  for  market,  with  transportation  and  use,  form  an 
interesting  unit  of  study.  The  buildings  in  the  village,  the  com¬ 
munity  dairy  and  piggery,  the  community  garden,  and  the  child’s 
own  home  garden  have  been  incorporated  into  the  course  of  study  as 
topics  of  peculiar  interest  to  the  children  in  these  schools. 

From  the  West,  the  East,  the  North,  and  South  reports  are  coming 
in  of  studies  made  in  many  localities  which  indicate  a  decided 
tendency  in  this  direction.  The  Bay  City,  Mich.,  schools  have  written 
a  book  on  the  history  of  Bay  County,  past  and  present,  which  is  given 
in  detail  in  the  report  of  the  committee  on  materials  of  education. 
“  Real  Stories  from  Baltimore  County  ”  is  another  valuable  study  of 
environment  made  by  the  schools  in  that  section  of  the  country. 
“Indians  of  the  Maumee  Valley”  is  a  similar  contribution  growing 
out  of  a  study  by  the  third  grade  in  the  training  school  at  Bowling 
Green,  Ohio,  also  reported  by  this  committee.  “  The  Live  Stock  In¬ 
dustry  in  Nebraska  ”  represents  a  State-wide  interest  as  written  by  the 
pupils  of  the  Omaha  schools,  and  a  study  of  the  “  Geography  of 
Superior  ”  by  the  schools  of  that  city  in  Wisconsin  is  also  included  in 
this  report.  A  booklet  from  Decatur,  Ill.,  entitled  “The  City  of 


32 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


Decatur,”  has  been  issued  by  the  schools  of  that  city.  It  was  written, 
illustrated,  and  bound  by  the  pupils  in  the  elementary  grades  of  that 
school  and  is  a  most  artistic  and  suggestive  contribution  to  materials 
of  this  kind. 

Primary  education  in  the  school  survey. — A  survey  of  primary 
education  in  a  few  city  school  systems  has  been  undertaken  by  the 
Bureau  of  Education  during  the  past  two  years.  In  estimating  the 
work  of  these  grades  the  survey  committee  have  secured  their  data 
in  two  ways — by  observation  and  stenographic  reports  of  actual 
schoolroom  practice,  and  by  findings  derived  from  the  standard 
educational  tests  in  the  formal  subjects  of  study. 

More  than  an  estimate  of  the  work,  however,  has  been  attempted 
in  these  surveys.  An  effort  has  been  made,  given  a  certain  effect, 
to  trace  back  to  its  source,  if  possible,  the  cause  of  conditions  as  they 
are  found  to  exist  and  to  suggest  measures  for  rectifying  then;. 
There  is,  undoubtedly,  a  decided  similarity  in  the  work  of  the  schools 
of  the  South  and  North  and  those  of  the  East  and  West.  Each 
primary  school  survey  reports  virtually  the  same  condition  and  sug¬ 
gests  a  like  revision,  in  each  case,  of  the  present  course  of  study,  with 
corresponding  changes  for  each  school  in  methods  of  instruction 
which  shall  be  more  in  harmony  with  modern  movements  in  edu¬ 
cation. 

One  outstanding  fact  in  each  survey  demands  attention  and  calls 
for  reform  in  present  primary  procedure;  for  it  has  been  found  by 
these  investigations  that  the  average  primary  teacher,  through  lack 
of  training  or  study,  profits  little  by  the  campaigns  conducted  in 
State  and  national  associations  and  in  educational  periodicals  for  a 
larger  freedom  for  the  child,  a  more  elastic  program,  and  greater 
adaptation  of  the  work  of  the  school  to  the  needs  of  the  children 
under  its  care. 

Routine  is  still  omnipresent.  It  holds  the  teacher,  as  of  old,  to 
the  accomplishment  of  a  single  purpose,  the  abstract  drill  in  a 
mechanical  exercise  from  a  formal  subject  of  study. 

W orh  of  the  committees  of  the  National  Council  of  Primary  Edu¬ 
cation. — Two  lines  of  work  have  occupied  the  Primary  Council  dur¬ 
ing  the  past  two  years,  one  to  determine  by  a  consensus  of  opinion 
what  is  understood  as  an  acceptable  day’s  work  in  the  primary 
grades,  and  the  other,  what  may  constitute  the  suitable  furnishings 
and  equipment  for  the  primary  schoolroom.  Observations  have  been 
made  and  reported,  questionnaires  sent  out  to  many  primary  workers, 
and  much  correspondence  has  been  devoted  to  these  questions,  and 
reports  of  findings  have  been  issued  in  the  form  of  Bureau  of 
Education  bulletins. 

One  free  period,  at  least,  for  each  day  and  for  each  child  has  been 
advocated  in  which  the  pupil  may  select  any  activity  he  likes  and 


KINDERGARTEN  EDUCATION. 


33 


occupy  the  time  of  this  period  as  his  inclination  may  suggest.  A 
superintendent  who  has  acted  upon  the  suggestion  of  the  committee 
in  this  regard  testifies  as  follows : 

An  observer  can  not  help  but  notice  a  difference  in  the  atmosphere  of  the 
room.  There  is  greater  freedom  at  all  times.  The  children  have  gained 
sufficient  self-control  during  the  free  period  so  that  more  liberty  is  allowed 
during  the  quiet  periods.  There  is  consequently  less  restlessness.  The  at¬ 
mosphere  is  more  democratic,  as  petty  troubles  are  referred  to  the  children  to 
settle.  The  children  are  more  natural  at  all  times  and  have  a  happy  emotional 
attitude  toward  their  school. 

In  the  matter  of  furnishings  the  movable  desk  has  been  recom¬ 
mended,  an  outside  porch  for  each  room,  cupboards  not  higher  than 
5  feet,  a  storeroom,  the  classroom  lined  with  books,  display  boards, 
and  shelves  for  books  and  treasures.  All  reports  are  so  far  tentative, 
but  will  eventually  lead  to  a  standardization  of  equipment  in  the 
primary  grades. 


KINDERGARTEN  EDUCATION. 

EXTENSION  WORK. 

The  education  department  of  the  General  Federation  of  Women’s 
Clubs  has  begun  a  campaign  which  has  as  its  object  a  kindergarten  in 
every  elementary  school  in  the  United  States.  The  subject  of  kinder¬ 
garten  extension  was  presented  at  two  sessions  of  the  biennial  meet¬ 
ing  in  Des  Moines,  June,  1920.  A  kindergarten  chairman  has  been 
appointed  in  each  State  who  will  cooperate  with  the  kindergarten 
chairman  of  the  General  Federation  in  making  a  State  survey  of 
kindergarten  conditions.  The  subject  of  kindergarten  extension  is  to 
be  a  part  of  the  program  of  each  State  meeting. 

An  intensive  campaign  is  being  carried  on  in  North  Dakota  by  the 
State  kindergarten  chairman.  The  names  of  organizations  and  indi¬ 
viduals  interested  in  kindergarten  extension  are  secured  through  the 
cooperation  of  county  superintendents;  presidents  of  local  clubs  are 
then  to  form  a  kindergarten  committee  to  cooperate  with  the  county 
superintendent.  In  this  way  it  is  expected  that  public  interest  will 
be  aroused,  and  petitions,  with  the  required  number  of  signatures 
requesting  the  establishment  of  kindergartens,  will  be  presented  to 
local  school  boards.  Local  club  presidents  are  including  the  subject 
of  kindergarten  education  in  their  yearly  programs.  When  it  is  not 
possible  to  secure  a  speaker,  a  lecture  with  accompanying  lantern 
slides,  provided  by  the  kindergarten  division  of  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation,  is  presented. 

The  formation  of  State  kindergarten  associations,  provided  for  by 
an  amendment  to  the  constitution  of  the  International  Kindergarten 


34 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


Union,  is  proving  another  means  of  coordinating  kindergarten  inter¬ 
ests  in  the  several  States.  Indiana  has  formed  a  State  organization, 
and  Michigan,  New  York,  and  Wisconsin  have  tentative  organiza¬ 
tions  on  a  State-wide  basis.  Ohio  has  had  a  State  organization  for  a 
number  of  years  and  is  carrying  on  a  vigorous  campaign  for  more 
kindergartens  under  the  slogan,  “  First  aid  to  the  uninjured!” 

Virginia  at  its  State  Teachers’  Association  meeting  in  Richmond 
passed  a  resolution  dissolving  the  separate  kindergarten  and  ele¬ 
mentary  sections  and  established  in  their  stead  an  organization 
“  which  shall  have  as  its  aim  the  education  of  children  from  4  to  8 
years  of  age.”  Virginia  has  just  included  permissive  kindergarten 
legislation  in  her  new  State  code. 

The  New  York  State  Association  is  working  for  the  passage  of  a 
mandatory-on-petition  kindergarten  bill.  Illinois  is  also  organized 
for  progressive  kindergarten  legislation,  and  Washington  is  carrying 
on  an  educational  campaign  under  the  auspices  of  the  State  normal 
school.  The  Louisville  (Ky.)  Kindergarten  Association  is  planning 
a  State  campaign. 

As  a  result  of  the  activities  of  the  Baltimore  (Md.)  Kindergarten 
Club,  the  board  of  education  of  that  city  has  made  provision  for  10 
new  kindergartens  in  the  public  schools,  and  a  preprimary  training 
department  has  been  established  in  the  Baltimore  Teachers’  Training 
School. 

KINDERGARTENS  IN  TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES. 

While  the  statistics  of  1917-18  showed  a  large  increase  in  the 
number  of  kindergartens  in  towns  under  2,500  population,  the  need 
for  further  extension  of  the  kindergarten  in  the  rural  districts  has 
been  recognized  in  a  number  of  States.  A  campaign  to  reach  rural 
communities  has  been  organized  in  Texas.  That  this  campaign  is  in 
relation  to  a  real  need  is  evidenced  by  letters  received  by  the  kinder¬ 
garten  division  of  the  Bureau  of  Education.  A  mother  in  Texas 
writes : 

Please  do  not  forget  the  rural  schools  in  this  movement.  I  have  just  read  in 
the  Dallas  Times-Herald  where  you  are  launching  a  movement  for  better 
kindergarten  work  in  Texas,  and  I  want  to  wish  you  godspeed.  I  am  a  country 
mother  with  two  small  sons,  and  I  have  a  horror  of  putting  them  in  a  school, 
knowing  they  will  have  to  sit  on  a  seat  from  8  a.  m.  until  4  p.  m.  with  perhaps 
two  or  three  10-minute  reading  lessons  and  maybe  a  little  number  work.  I 
believe  every  rural  school  should  have  a  kindergarten  teacher.  They  might 
combine  kindergarten  and  first-grade  work. 

A  teacher  in  a  Maryland  country  community  writes  as  follows : 

We  are  in  great  need  of  a  kindergarten  here  in  this  town.  Many  children 
are  solitary  little  ones  from  isolated  small  farms  and  country  homes  and  need 
badly  the  socializing  influence  of  the  kindergarten  and  supervised  work  and 
play.  They  have  few  toys  and  no  books  in  the  homes,  and  we  do  the  best  we 


KINDERGARTEN  EDUCATION. 


35 


can  during  their  first  and  second  grades  to  have  the  play  spirit,  but  with  our 
course  to  cover  and  78  little  ones  in  the  first  and  second  grades  it  is  about 
impossible. 

A  county  superintendent  in  North  Dakota  writes: 

In  our  consolidated  school  I  can  see  my  way  clear  to  recommend  strongly 
the  installation  of  kindergartens.  In  this  county  there  are  about  600  children 
who  should  receive  the  benefit  of  kindergarten  training.  So  far  as  I  know, 
'  there  has  been  only  one  attempt  made  at  this  work  in  this  county,  and  that  was 
a  private  kindergarten  in  which  I  had  my  two  little  youngsters  enrollecl.  This 
is  a  work  that  the  public  in  general  has  had  very  little  time  to  consider  so  far, 
but  I  keenly  feel  the  great  necessity  for  vigorous  and  determined  action  along 
this  line  of  work. 

In  Lufkin,  Tex.,  a  small  group  of  club  women  solved  the  problem 
of  securing  a  kindergarten  by  collecting  $1  for  each  inhabitant  and 
building  a  beautiful  little  bungalow,  which  was  presented  to  the 
board  of  education,  and  the  town  had  a  kindergarten. 

A  kindergarten  primary  course  is  given  at  the  Chico  (Calif.) 
Normal  School,  with  special  emphasis  upon  training  teachers  in  rural 
schools  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  younger  children.  The  fact  that  all 
of  the  State  normal  schools  of  Texas  have  opened  kindergarten  train¬ 
ing  departments  gives  promise  of  enough  trained  kindergarten  teach¬ 
ers  for  the  towns  and  villages  that  open  new  kindergartens. 

AMERICANIZATION. 

The  impetus  given  by  the  war  to  all  phases  of  Americanization 
work  has  brought  about  a  new  appreciation  of  the  social  value  of 
the  kindergarten.  A  letter  from  Berkeley,  Calif.,  gives  this  testi¬ 
mony  : 

When  war  was  declared  a  few  extremely  patriotic  women  with  exceptional 
vision  conceived  the  idea  of  organizing  the  women  of  Berkeley  under  the  Army 
plan  for  all  kinds  of  war  service.  When  the  armistice  was  signed  these  women 
refused  to  be  demobilized.  They  had  learned  to  labor  together,  and  they  loved 
it;  consequently,  we  simply  changed  our  program  from  war  to  peace.  Amer¬ 
icanization  of  ourselves  as  well  as  our  foreign  born  is  our  motive.  Our  first 
bit  of  work  came  last  summer.  One  of  our  canning  factories,  employing  between 
300  and  400  foreign  women,  presented  an  ideal  situation  for  Americanization. 
Many  of  these  women  could  not  work  in  the  factory  because  they  had  small 
children.  The  factory  people  needed  the  labor,  so  they  set  aside  one  room  in 
a  vacant  house  and  put  the  factory  nurse  in  charge.  The  matter  was  reported 
to  us  and  we  saw  our  opportunity.  We  visited  the  place  one  day  and  the  next 
morning  at  9  o’clock  we  opened  a  first-class  kindergarten  with  a  trained  and 
experienced  teacher  in  charge  of  73  children  ranging  in  ages  from  3  to  12. 
We  borrowed  the  furniture  from  the  school  department,  bought  several  yards 
of  burlap,  and  put  up  many  educational  pictures.  In  three  or  four  days  we  had 
a  party  for  the  children  and  invited  the  mothers  to  come  in  and  see  for  them¬ 
selves.  We  decorated  with  flowers  and  more  flowers — even  the  little  dirty 
dresses  and  coats  were  made  beautiful  with  bouquets  of  sweet  peas.  Their 
little  faces  were  the  cleanest  they  had  been  in  a  long  time,  and,  oh,  so  happy 


36 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


when  the  storyteller  told  something  funny !  The  mothers  were  equally  happy, 
even  if  their  aprons  were  all  dirty  and  stained  with  fruit. 

Sidney  L.  Gulick,  tvho  has  given  much  study  to  the  Japanese  prob¬ 
lem  on  our  Pacific  coast  and  in  Hawaii,  says : 

To  my  mind  the  most  important  thing  is  to  have  kindergartens  for  Japanese 
children  between  4  and  6  years  of  age,  when  the  children  can  really  learn 
English  without  any  effort  whatever,  and  the  impressions  and  ideas  derived 
from  patriotic  kindergarten  teachers  would  have  an  enormous  influence  in  mak¬ 
ing  good  citizens  of  these  thousands  upon  thousands  of  Japanese  children  who 
will  have  little  opportunity  of  associating  with  American  children  and  thus 
of  becoming  really  Americanized.  I  believe  the  importance  of  having  kinder¬ 
gartens  for  Japanese  children  can  hardly  be  exaggerated. 

The  kindergarten  teachers  in  the  public-school  kindergartens  of 
Pittsburgh  have  done  such  effective  work  in  home  visiting  that  their 
services  are  to  be  employed  as  school  visitors  in  the  homes  of  the 
children  in  the  grades  as  well  as  in  the  homes  of  the  kindergarten 
children.  This  social  work  is  made  the  basis  upon  which  the  kinder¬ 
garten  teachers  receive  the  same  salary  as  the  teachers  of  the  ele¬ 
mentary  grades. 

A  kindergarten  teacher  has  recently  been  appointed  as  director  of 
immigrant  education  in  Springfield.  The  peculiar  fitness  of  women 
with  kindergarten  training  and  experience  to  do  this  type  of  work  has 
already  been  recognized  in  Chicago,  Ill.,  and  Washington,  D.  C., 
where  kindergarten  teachers  have  been  made  directors  of  American¬ 
ization  work  in  connection  with  the  public  schools. 

The  International  Institute  of  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation  is  a  service  bureau  for  the  foreign  born.  In  appreciation  of 
the  value  of  the  kindergarten  to  the  foreign  mother,  a  kindergarten 
pamphlet  has  been  prepared  and  published  in  16  foreign  languages. 
It  explains  in  a  simple,  readable  manner  what  the  kindergarten  does 
for  the  child  and  how  it  helps  the  mother.  Through  cooperation  with 
the  kindergarten  division  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  this  pamphlet 
has  been  widely  distributed  in  cities  throughout  the  country  having  a 
large  foreign  population.  The  practical  work  of  the  international 
institute  is  divided  into  two  classes:  Case  work  and  group  work. 
F rom  Pittsburgh  is  sent  this  statement : 

The  group  work  is  both  educational  and  recreational  in  character,  with  a 
strong  emphasis  on  the  recreational  side.  In  all  group  work,  as  far  as  possible, 
the  idea  of  reciprocity  is  brought  out  and  the  fact  that  American  culture  is  com¬ 
posed  of  contributions  from  ail  the  world  is  emphasized.  Groups  are  gathered 
from  various  sources,  but  it  is  felt  that  work  with  the  groups  formed  in  seven 
schools  through  the  cooperation  of  the  kindergartens  will  have  a  far-reaching 
result.  Pittsburgh  kindergarteners  in  the  foreign  districts  of  the  city  realize  the 
immense  difficulty  of  getting  the  foreign-born  women  to  come  to  the  mothers’ 
meetings.  The  reluctance  on  the  part  of  the  foreign  women  is  quite  understand¬ 
able.  Inability  to  speak  or  to  understand  English,  timidity  in  the  presence  of 


KINDERGARTEN  EDUCATION. 


37 


the  American  mothers,  often  make  the  meeting  anything  but  pleasurable.  How¬ 
ever,  the  kindergartens  have  met  with  a  measure  of  success,  but  after  the  chil¬ 
dren  leave  kindergarten,  the  mothers  practically  never  come  in  contact  with  the 
school. 

THE  KINDERGARTEN  UNIT  IN  FRANCE. 

The  kindergarten  unit  in  France  brought  joy  to  many  French  chil¬ 
dren  at  Christmas  time  when  large  Christmas  trees  were  brought  from 
Belgium  and  erected  in  the  devastated  villages  of  the  Aisne  where  the 
unit  has  been  carrying  on  its  work.  The  children  of  Boston  sent  1,500 
dolls  to  their  little  F rench  sisters. 

As  an  outgrowth  of  the  work  in  France,  a  kindergarten  has  been 
established  in  an  orphanage  for  war  orphans  in  Belgrade,  Serbia. 

The  French  Government  has  been  convinced  of  the  value  of  the  edu¬ 
cational  methods  of  the  American  kindergarten  teachers  as  well  as  of 
the  value  of  their  social  work.  A  J ardin  D’Enf ants  training  depart¬ 
ment  is  to  be  opened  in  Sevres  College  in  October  by  the  French  Gov¬ 
ernment.  Mademoiselle  Amieux,  the  president  of  the  college,  is 
heartily  in  sympathy  with  the  aims  and  methods  of  kindergarten 
work  and  welcomes  the  incorporation  of  a  kindergarten  training  de¬ 
partment  in  this  college  for  training  teachers  in  France. 

THE  KINDERGARTEN  AND  THE  HOME. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  committee  of  the  International  Kinder¬ 
garten  Union  is  making  a  study  of  the  curricula  of  women’s  colleges 
in  order  to  determine  what  these  institutions  for  higher  education 
are  doing  to  train  young  women  for  the  responsibilities  of  home 
making  and  child  training.  To  quote  from  the  report  of  the  chair¬ 
man  of  the  committee : 

The  inquiry  has  hardly  more  than  begun,  but  it  is  already  apparent  that  a 
conception  of  fundamental  importance  in  the  preparation  of  young  women  for 
life  is  being  ignored — that  of  the  significance  of  the  child  in  the  home  and  to 
society,  and  the  relation  of  women  to  its  development  and  training.  Many  of 
the  colleges  whose  curricula  have  been  studied  have  well-equipped  home  eco¬ 
nomics  departments,  and  offer  admirable  courses  in  dietetics,  textiles,  household 
management,  and  the  several  household  arts.  Practically  none  of  these  offer 
courses  in  that  highest  of  arts — the  directing  of  young  lives  into  channels 
of  right  thinking  and  doing.  The  kindergarten  training  school  has  been  almost 
alone  among  educational  institutions  in  standing  for  the  need  of  training  for 
motherhood.  Because  of  the  experience  of  kindergarten  graduates  as  to  the 
value  of  such  training,  kindergartners  feel  that  they  have  a  contribution  to 
make  to  the  curricula  of  other  institutions  for  the  education  of  young  women. 
To  attempt  to  convert  the  women’s  college  to  this  view  may  be  an  ambitious 
task,  but  it  is  one  to  which  the  committee  in  question  is  committed. 

The  University  of  Minnesota  has  recognized  the  importance  of  in¬ 
cluding  child  training  as  a  part  of  home  making  by  offering  a  course  in 


38 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


child  training  by  a  kindergarten  specialist  to  the  students  of  the 
home  economics  courses. 

Two  newspaper  bulletins  on  kindergarten  principles  applied  to 
the  training  of  children  in  the  home  have  been  prepared  by  the 
kindergarten  division  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  and  have  been 
widely  distributed  to  newspapers  throughout  the  country.  Such 
topics  as  “  Baby  talk,”  “  Common  sense  in  managing  children,” 
“  Children  and  their  toys  ”  have  been  treated  by  the  foremost  special¬ 
ists  in  kindergarten  education  in  the  country  with  the  purpose  of 
helping  mothers  in  the  upbringing  of  their  children  in  the  com¬ 
plexity  of  modern  life.  The  National  Kindergarten  Association  has 
distributed  weekly  articles  on  the  training  of  children  to  many 
magazines  and  newspapers  throughout  the  country.  The  first  series 
of  articles  has  been  published  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  as  a  bul¬ 
letin  entitled  “  Training  Little  Children.”  Copies  for  free  distribu¬ 
tion  have  been  exhausted,  indicating  the  wide  demand  on  the  part  of 
parents  for  suggestions  on  training  children  in  the  home  according 
to  kindergarten  principles. 

THE  KINDERGARTEN  AND  THE  PRIMARY  SCHOOL. 

A  more  organic  relation  between  the  kindergarten  and  the  ele¬ 
mentary  school  has  been  brought  about  in  a  number  of  cities  by 
employing  teachers  in  the  kindergarten  and  the  first  grade  who 
have  had  training  in  both  kindergarten  and  primary  work.  It  is 
possible  to  secure  the  service  of  teachers  with  this  training,  because 
kindergarten-primary  courses  are  being  offered  in  many  normal 
schools.  Because  of  this  training  the  kindergarten  teacher  under¬ 
stands  the  work  of  the  grade  for  which  her  children  are  being  pre¬ 
pared,  and  the  primary  teacher  is  able  to  build  upon  the  work  of  the 
kindergarten.  In  a  number  of  cities,  among  which  are  Denver, 
Colo.;  Trenton,  N.  J. ;  and  New  York  City,  the  kindergarten  teacher 
passes  on  with  her  children  into  the  first  grade,  alternating  terms  in 
the  kindergarten  and  first  grade.  In  this  way  a  continuity  in  the 
work  is  established  just  as  there  is  continuity  between  any  other  two 
grades  in  a  school  system. 

Supervision  of  the  kindergartens  and  primary  grades  by  one  who 
has  had  training  and  experience  in  "both  fields  has  also  tended,  in  a 
number  of  cities,  to  unify  the  work  of  the  first  years  of  school  life. 

A  kindergarten  representative  in  the  State  department  of  educa¬ 
tion  in  Pennsylvania  is  to  be  appointed  by  the  State  superintendent, 
whose  duties  shall  be  the  extension  of  kindergartens  throughout  the 
State  and  the  unification  of  the  work  of  the  kindergarten  and  the 
primary  school  in  those  cities  where  kindergartens  are  already  estab¬ 
lished. 


RURAL  EDUCATION. 


39 


SURVEYS  RECOMMEND  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  KINDERGARTENS. 

A  survey  of  education  in  Hawaii,  made  by  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion,  recognizes  the  valuable  work  being  done  by  the  Free  Kinder¬ 
garten  and  Children’s  Aid  Association  of  Hawaii.  The  following 
statement  occurs  in  the  report : 

Recently  one  of  the  members  of  the  survey  commission,  visiting  the  public 
plantation  school  at  Hamakuapoko,  Maui,  observed  that  the  children  of  the 
class  of  beginners,  made  up  almost  entirely  of  orientals,  were  unusually  respon¬ 
sive  to  the  questions  of  their  teacher,  and  replying  in  language  of  a  much  better 
quality  than  most  beginning  children  on  the  plantations  can  command.  Upon 
inquiry  it  was  learned  that  the  entire  class  had  been  training  in  a  near-by 
kindergarten  maintained  privately  by  one  of  the  plantation  owners. 

Largely  in  response  to  the  excellent  work  done  by  the  Free  Kindergarten  and 
Children’s  Aid  Association  of  Hawaii,  the  Territorial  legislature  at  its  last 
session  authorized  the  department  of  education  to  organize  one  kindergarten 
on  each  of  the  four  principal  islands.  While  this  program  has  not  yet  been 
fully  executed,  as  sufficient  funds  were  not  provided,  nevertheless  it  is  the 
first  step  in  a  plan  which  the  commission  sincerely  hopes  will  lead,  within  a 
very  short  time,  to  the  organization  of  a  kindergarten  in  every  school  in  the 
Territory.  The  commission  is  convinced,  after  a  careful  study  of  the  condi¬ 
tions  which  obtain  in  the  islands,  that  no  more  important  single  step  in 
Americanizing  the  children  of  the  foreign  born  can  be  taken  than  in  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  a  kindergarten  or  kindergartens  in  every  settlement  in  the  Terri¬ 
tory.  In  order  to  make  such  a  project  a  success  it  will  be  necessary  for  the 
department  to  secure  an  efficient  head  to  this  work  and  to  establish  training 
courses  under  competent  directors  for  the  training  of  teachers  for  kindergarten 
work.  In  this  connection  the  commission  would  recommend  that  the  training 
of  teachers  for  the  kindergarten  be  made  a  part  of  the  work  of  the  educational 
department  of  the  university,  which  the  commission  has  recommended  in 
another  part  of  this  chapter. 

The  survey  commission  which  conducted  a  survey  of  the  schools  of 
Winchester,  Mass.,  made  a  recommendation  to  increase  the  number 
of  kindergartens  so  that  all  the  children  of  Winchester  might  have 
the  privilege  of  kindergarten  training  now  enjoyed  in  only  two  of 
the  elementary  schools. 

RURAL  EDUCATION. 

The  rural  schools  of  the  country  comprise  a  vast  organization.  Of 
the  20,853,516  children  enrolled  in  the  schools,  12,266,915  are  in  the 
rural  schools,  with  an  average  daily  attendance  of  8,788,600,  while 
the  cities  enroll  only  8,586,601  and  have  an  average  daily  attendance 
of  6,760,314.  There  are  in  the  rural  schools  80,100  men  teachers  and 
329,000  women  teachers.  The  average  salaries  of  the  rural  teachers 
in  1918  was  $479,  while  the  average  city  teachers’  salaries  in  the  city 
was  $854.  By  the  latest  reports  the  rural  communities  pay  $24.13 
each  year  per  pupil  enrolled,  while  the  cities  pay  $40.60  for  the  same 
item.  With  this  variation  it  can  be  seen  that  the  problems  of  the 


40  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 

rural  schools  are  more  difficult  of  solution  than  those  of  the  city 
schools. 

The  past  year  has  been  marked  by  certain  definite  problems  in  the 
rural  schools.  First  was  the  problem  of  finding  a  sufficient  number 
of  teachers;  second,  the  problem  of  financing  the  schools  and,  par¬ 
ticularly,  paying  the  salaries  of  rural  teachers;  third,  the  problem 
of  adapting  the  rural  schools  to  the  needs  of  the  pupils. 

TEACHERS  SHORTAGE. 

An  investigation  in  February,  1920,  brought  to  light  the  fact  that 
State  school  officials  reported  18,279  schools  closed  because  of  lack  of 
teachers  and  41,900  schools  taught  by  teachers  characterized  as  “the 
low  standard,  but  taken  on  temporarily  in  emergency.”  The  largest 
shortages  were  reported  as  follows:  Kentucky,  2,250;  Texas,  2,055; 
Virginia,  2,000;  Georgia,  1,500;  North  Carolina,  700;  Iowa,  600. 

Substandard  teachers  were  reported  as  follows:  Texas,  400;  Vir¬ 
ginia,  3,500 ;  Alabama,  3,500 ;  Georgia,  3,000 ;  Tennessee,  3,000 ;  Min¬ 
nesota,  1,880;  Illinois,  1,200;  Kentucky,  11,000;  New  York,  11,000; 
South  Carolina,  1,000. 

These  closed  schools  and  substandard  teachers  were  for  the  most 
part  found  in  rural  communities,  as  the  cities  were  better  able  to 
raise  salaries  and  offer  extra  inducements  to  retain  good  teachers. 

One  hundred  and  ninety  State,  county,  city,  and  private  normal 
schools  reported  11,503  fewer  students  than  they  had  the  year  pre¬ 
vious  to  the  war.  The  schools  reporting  represent  60  per  cent  of 
the  total  normal  schools,  and  on  this  basis  it  is  estimated  that  there 
were  19,000  fewer  normal  students  and  7,000  fewer  graduates  from 
normal  schools  in  1920.  Teachers’  training  courses  in  college  show 
the  same  falling  off,  and  the  loss  of  students  in  some  State  normals 
report  a  shrinkage  in  students  of  25,  30,  and  as  high  as  50  per  cent. 

The  opportunities  in  the  commercial  world  under  the  new  economic 
conditions  make  it  impossible  to  hold  teachers  without  additional 
inducements.  Plans  were  taken  in  various  States  to  arouse  public 
sentiment  in  regard  to  this  question,  and  the  governors  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Iowa,  Nevada,  and  a  number  of  other  States  set  aside  cer¬ 
tain  weeks  as  “education  week.”  In  these  campaigns  every  effort 
was  made  to  emphasize  the  importance  of  education  and  to  show  the 
true  condition  relative  to  the  teacher  emergency. 

Fourteen  States  reported  that  there  is  a  general  interest  in  the 
movement  to  pay  teachers  better  salaries.  Three  States  reported  an 
increase  of  10  to  20  per  cent ;  one  State,  40  per  cent ;  three  States,  25 
per  cent;  and  three  States,  50  per  cent.  This  increase,  however,  was 
based  on  a  very  low  previous  salary  and  does  not  represent  in  many 
cases  an  adequate  living  salary. 


RURAL  EDUCATION. 


41 


The  percentage  of  men  teachers  has  been  decreasing  rapidly,  until 
in  1918  only  one  teacher  in  six  was  a  man,  and  these  men  were  found 
largely  in  city  schools.  Connecticut  reports  no  men  in  the  rural 
schools. 

The  situation  with  regard  to  high-school  teachers  has  been  shown 
to  be  especially  urgent.  Seven  thousand  high  schools,  employing 
65,857  teachers,  report  that  they  will  require  17,275  new  teachers  in 
September  to  provide  for  the  normal  increase  in  enrollment  and  to 
take  the  places  of  those  who  are  leaving  school  for  other  work. 
Three  hundred  and  twenty-three  colleges  show  that  10,680  men  and 
9,327  women  graduate  this  year,  and  1,730  men  and  4,742  women 
will  take  up  the  work  of  high-school  teaching.  On  this  basis,  it  is 
estimated  that  only  10,620  members  of  this  year’s  graduating  class 
will  accept  positions  in  the  high  schools,  while  there  are  25,978  places 
to  be  filled.  The  shortage  of  15,358  teachers  must  be  filled  by  a 
shifting  of  teachers  or  the  employment  of  teachers  who  have  not  com¬ 
pleted  a  college  course. 

Evidently  the  greatest  difficulty  in  obtaining  and  holding  good 
teachers  will  be  in  the  rural  high  schools.  In  these  schools,  where 
an  attempt  is  made  to  adapt  the  course  of  study  to  the  rural  life,  and 
where  teachers  trained  for  high-school  and  rural  work  are  engaged, 
the  commercial  world  and  the  city  schools  have  made  marked  in¬ 
roads. 

In  attempting  to  meet  the  emergency  in  a  practical  way  the  State 
of  Maine  has  inaugurated  a  training  school  for  rural  teachers  at 
the  normal  school  at  Castine,  Me.,  where  100  rural  teachers,  selected 
on  account  of  efficiency  in  the  work,  are  sent  at  the  expense  of  the 
State  for  a  six  weeks’  course  of  summer  training.  The  results  of 
last  year’s  work  as  reported  by  the  State  superintendent,  A.  O. 
Thomas,  are  satisfactory  to  a  marked  degree  and  indicate  a  means 
of  developing  teachers  in  service  which  promises  possibilities  in 
other  States. 

New  Jersey  by  a  recent  law  has  inaugurated  a  system  of  so-called 
“  helping  teachers.”  By  this  law  teachers,  in  addition  to  the  regular 
schoolroom  rural  teachers,  are  provided  to  assist  in  detail  work  of 
the  rural  schools.  An  indefinite  number  of  schools  are  assigned  to 
the  helping  teacher,  who  is  selected  for  special  fitness. 

SALARY  SCHEDULES. 

Salaries  of  school-teachers,  which  advanced  from  $563  in  1916  to 
$635  in  1918,  showed  a  marked  increase  during  the  past  year.  Re¬ 
ports  from  47  States,  based  on  three  counties  selected  at  random 
from  each  State,  give  data  for  the  salaries  of  rural  teachers.  For 
the  first  time  there  is  a  basis  for  an  estimate  of  teachers  in  rural 


42 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


schools.  The  8,581  teachers  who  were  reported  were  engaged  in 
elementary  and  high-school  work  in  rural  schools.  The  average 
salary  for  all  was  $635.96  for  the  year  1919-20.  The  white  man 
average,  $711.68;  the  white  woman,  $629.61;  and  the  colored  man’s 
average,  $372.64;  and  the  colored  woman,  $360.96. 

INCREASED  SALARIES. 

Throughout  the  country  there  has  been  a  definite  movement  toward 
the  increase  of  teachers’  salaries  which  involves  not  only  the  city 
schools  but  the  rural  schools  also.  State  schedules  are  being  adopted, 
one  of  the  most  recent  being  the  law  enacted  at  the  special  session 
of  the  Indiana  Legislature,  where  a  definite  increase  based  on  exami¬ 
nation  and  successful  experience  has  made  a  marked  showing  in  the 
minimum  salaries  of  all  teachers  of  the  State.  There  is  a  decided 
movement  toward  minimum  salaries  above  which  the  local  com¬ 
munities  can  pay  as  much  as  they  desire. 

All  salary  schedules  to  be  of  value  must  be  based  on  ability  and 
experience.  The  recent  conference  of  national  organizations  passed 
a  resolution  in  favor  of  higher  salaries  for  teachers,  in  which  the  fol¬ 
lowing  recommendation  was  made :  “  That  salaries  of  teachers  should 
be  equal  to  the  salaries  paid  in  other  lines  of  work  to  persons  having 
the  same  preparation,  ability,  and  experience.” 

CONSOLIDATION. 

The  past  year  has  seen  marked  progress  in  the  matter  of  consoli¬ 
dation.  Probably  the  greatest  advancement  has  been  made  in  the 
State  of  Iowa,  which  has  averaged  one  consolidation  effected  for  each 
day  of  the  school  year.  By  consolidation  is  meant  the  union  of  school 
districts  for  the  establishment  of  a  graded  school  with  the  advantages 
which  come  from  a  modern  school  plant  organized  and  administered 
by  trained  educators. 

The  plan  of  Iowa  and  Minnesota,  which  gives  aid  to  the.  consoli: 
dated  school,  has  brought  to  these  two  States  unusual  progress.  The 
consolidated  schools  in  the  United  States  number  now  about  12,000. 
The  greatest  development  has  been  in  the  Middle  West.  Indiana, 
Minnesota,  Iowa,  North  Dakota,  and  Colorado  are  some  of  the  lead¬ 
ing  States  in  this  movement.  The  Sargent  School,  in  Rio  Grande 
County,  Calif.,  is  a  conspicuous  example  which  has  been  widely  dis¬ 
cussed.  The  press  has  given  much  attention  to  the  matter  of  con¬ 
solidation  during  the  past  year,  and  the  movement  is  gaining  much 
headway. 

A  compilation  of  reports  from  1,400  farmers  who  have  tried  con¬ 
solidation  in  Iowa  gives  abundant  proof  that  the  people  of  the  coun¬ 
try  are  well  satisfied.  Ninety- four  per  cent  of  the  1,400  patrons 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION. 


43 


express  themselves  as  highly  pleased  with  the  results  of  schools  which 
have  been  in  operation  for  several  years.  Eighty-five  per  cent  of  the 
patrons  whose  children  ride  5  to  6  miles  each  way  each  day  say  they 
are  well  pleased.  Transportation  and  good  roads  are  intimately  con¬ 
nected  with  the  movement  for  consolidation  and  better  schools.  Con¬ 
solidation  has  been  shown  to  be  advisable  in  any  district  in  which  the 
children  can  be  transported  in  comfort.  The  coming  of  the  automo¬ 
bile  bus  has  simplified  many  problems.  Consolidation,  with  the  bene¬ 
fit  of  graded  schools  and  high  schools,  community  work,  and  good 
roads,  promises  much  toward  the  solution  of  the  rural-school  problem. 
It  also  makes  possible  the  planning  of  a  school  which  conforms  to  the 
laws  of  sanitation,  convenience,  and  efficiency.  It  also  makes  possible 
a  teachers’  home  in  connection  with  the  school,  which  is  one  of  the 
great  problems  of  the  rural  school  to-day.  It  is  estimated  that  18,000 
rural  schools  were  closed  or  filled  with  substandard  teachers  because 
there  were  no  convenient  or  suitable  homes  for  the  teachers. 

VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION. 

EDUCATION  IN  THE  ARMY. 

One  of  the  outstanding  phases  of  the  year’s  progress  in  vocational 
education  is  the  development  that  has  taken  place  in  the  United 
Sates  Army.  Time  was  when  the  conditions  surrounding  the  service 
were  not  such  as  to  appeal  to  the  best  type  of  our  young  men,  but 
these  conditions  have  undergone  radical  change.  Indeed,  it  would 
now  be  difficult  to  tell  the  plain  facts  about  the  opportunities  for 
education,  and  especially  vocational  education  open  to  the  young 
man  who  enlists  in  the  Army  without  making  this  section  read  like 
recruiting  propaganda. 

According  to  a  statement  issued  in  March,  1920,  by  the  office  of  the 
Chief  of  Staff,  over  100  different  courses  of  study  are  now  available 
to  the  enlisted  men  in  the  Army,  2,500  classes  are  receiving  instruc¬ 
tion  in  these  courses,  and  approximately  100,000  soldiers  are  enrolled. 
The  Army  schools  are  located  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States  as  well 
as  overseas,  the  number  of  subjects  taught  in  the  various  camps 
ranging  from  10  to  40. 

The  fundamentals  of  many  lines  of  work  are  offered  at  all  the 
larger  camps,  while  the  individual  soldier  can  obtain  instruction  in 
the  higher  and  more  technical  phases  of  his  chosen  vocation  by  trans¬ 
fer  to  one  of  the  camps  specializing  in  that  field.  For  example,  in  all 
the  larger  camps,  with  a  few  exceptions,  elementary  instruction  is 
offered  in  such  occupations  as  blacksmith,  machinist,  electrician, 
photographer,  lithographer,  surveyor,  autogenous  welder,  auto- 
repair  man,  mason,  draftsman,  carpenter.  For  the  more  advanced 


44 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


work  in  these  and  other  lines  the  Corps  of  Engineers  maintains  a 
school  at  Camp  Humphreys,  Va.  Similarly,  the  Chemical  Warfare 
Service,  the  Medical  Department,  the  Motor  Transport  Corps,  and 
other  branches  of  the  service  maintain  special  schools  in  which  the 
most  advanced  instruction  is  available. 

All  courses  manifestly  can  not  be  conducted  at  all  posts  and  camps ;  but,  con¬ 
sistent  with  its  facilities,  every  camp,  post,  or  station  will  offer  the  maximum 
possible  choice  in  educational  and  vocational  education. 

Henceforth,  the  young  man  who  enters  the  United  States  Army  will  be  given 
a  course  of  training  which  will  be  equivalent  to  an  industrial  training  school. 
When  he  has  completed  the  years  of  his  service  as  a  soldier  and  returns  to 
civil  life  he  will  return  qualified  for  a  definite  occupation.  Those  who  seek 
expert  employees  will  look  to  “  graduated  ”  Army  men  as  probably  the  best- 
equipped  technically  trained  men  to  be  had. 

The  Army  training  will,  howrever,  be  broader  than  merely  to  fit  a  man  into 
industry.  It  will  make  a  better  citizen,  a  broader-minded  man  in  every  way. 
It  will  bring  to  thoroughly  practical  industrial  training  the  culture  that  can 
reasonably  be  combined  therewith. 

It  is  proposed  to  make  the  Army  not  only  a  military  force  to  be  trained  and 
ready  in  time  of  national  emergency,  but  to  make  it  a  great  educational  insti¬ 
tution  where  young  men  with  the  best  mental,  moral,  and  physical  qualities, 
and  with  the  highest  ideals  of  patriotic  citizenship,  will  be  produced. 

The  Adjutant  General’s  Office  made  public  a  statement  showing 
that  on  December  31,  1919,  there  were  93,423  men  receiving  instruc¬ 
tion,  or  54  per  cent  of  the  total  Army  strength  of  172,266.  Of  these, 
58,508,  or  34  per  cent  of  the  entire  personnel,  were  enrolled  in  voca¬ 
tional  courses. 

The  significance  of  the  Army  contribution  to  vocational  education 
may  be  partially  visualized  by  considering  what  the  conditions  would 
be  if  the  opportunities  open  to  the  soldiers  were  to  be  opened  to  the 
entire  population  in  the  same  proportion.  There  are  in  the  United 
States  not  far  from  15,000,000  youth  of  both  sexes,  of  ages  18  to  25 
years,  inclusive.  If  34  per  cent  of  these  were  enrolled  in  vocational 
schools,  the  number  of  students  would  be  approximately  5,000,000. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  doubtful  if  more  than  400,000  persons  of  all 
ages  in  all  the  United  States  are  receiving  definitely  organized  voca¬ 
tional  instruction. 

EDUCATION  IN  THE  NAVY. 

Recent  developments  in  the  Navy  have  been  scarcely  less  note¬ 
worthy  than  those  in  the  Army.  For  years  the  Navy  has  been  com¬ 
mitted  to  a  thoroughgoing  policy  of  education,  and  since  the  cessa¬ 
tion  of  hostilities  the  work  has  been  reorganized  in  such  a  way  as  to 
utilize  the  results  of  observations  made  during  the  war. 

On  June  1,  1920,  after  some  months  of  preparation,  a  new  educa¬ 
tional  plan  was  put  into  operation  for  men  at  sea.  The  Rochester , 
flagship  of  a  destroyer  flotilla,  was  selected  for  the  purpose  of  trying 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION. 


45 


out  the  new  plans,  and  later  the  Dixie,  which  is  the  repair  ship  for 
the  same  flotilla. 

During  the  summer  .of  1919  there  was  organized  the  sixth  division 
of  the  Bureau  of  Navigation,  charged  with  responsibility  for  educa¬ 
tion,  recreation,  athletic  sports,  motion  pictures,  music,  dramatics, 
social  hygiene.  The  Navy  has  laid  much  emphasis  on  the  advantages 
of  travel  and  study  afforded  by  enlistment. 

Neither  travel  without  study  nor  study  without  travel  spells  education.  To 
study  for  a  long  period  and  then  travel  for  a  like  period  is  not  the  ideal ;  but 
to  study  while  traveling  and  to  travel  while  studying  in  the  ideal. 

A  more  definite  attempt  than  ever  before  is  now  to  be  made  to  stimu¬ 
late  the  men  to  take  advantage  of  available  opportunities.  The 
strictly  educational  part  of  the  Navy  plan  is  based  on  the  following 
features : 

1.  The  school  work  is  optional. 

2.  An  education  officer  is  detailed  to  the  ship  to  encourage  and  aid  the  men 
in  their  school  work. 

8.  The  commanding  officer  sets  aside  specific  time  for  study. 

4.  The  chief  methods  of  instruction  include  the  use  of  study  outlines  based 
on  the  best  experience  of  correspondence  schools;  the  use  of  motion  pictures, 
lantern  slides,  charts,  etc.,  and  the  counsel  of  an  education  officer. 

5.  The  education  officer  observes  a  definite  schedule  of  office  hours  in  order 
to  be  accessible  to  the  men  for  individual  interviews. 

The  plan  proposes  to  utilize  the  advantages  of  the  better  type  of 
correspondence  instruction,  with  the  addition  of  the  personal  atten¬ 
tion  and  guidance  of  experts  in  various  lines,  chosen  from  among 
the  officers  on  board  the  ship.  Practically  every  man  in  the  entire 
Navy  personnel  of  100,000  is  receiving  some  vocational  education  in 
connection  with  the  training  for  his  regular  duties.  The  new  plan 
supplements  this  training  by  providing  opportunities  for  systematic 
instruction  looking  beyond  the  demands  of  immediate  daily  duties. 

NEW  STATUS  OF  VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION. 

Not  only  are  the  changes  in  attitude  and  practice  which  have  taken 
place  in  these  two  branches  of  the  Government  revolutionary  so  far 
as  the  services  themselves  are  concerned,  but  they  are  to  be  accounted 
among  the  most  striking  evidences  of  the  growing  recognition  by  the 
American  people  of  the  value  of  genuine  vocational  education.  It  is 
not  sufficient,  nor  is  it  quite  correct,  to  attribute  these  changes  to 
lessons  learned  from  the  Great  War,  for  their  beginnings,  especially 
in  the  Navy,  can  be  traced  further  back. 

It  is  well  for  educators,  and  the  Nation  generally,  to  recognize 
that  the  controlling  reason  for  introducing  the  means  of  vocational 
education  into  the  Army  and  Navy  is  that,  when  efficiently  adminis¬ 
tered,  they  produce  desired  results.  The  Army  is  charged  with  the 


46 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


responsibility  of  making  young  men  into  efficient  soldiers,  the  Navy 
into  efficient  seamen.  To  make  a  man  a  high-grade  automobile 
mechanic,  or  chemist,  or  electrician,  is  only  a  part  of  the  task  in 
either  case.  The  significant  thing  is  that  those  in  authority  have 
come  to  perceive  that  it  is  a  part,  and  that  it  is  an  essential  part. 

There  is  no  evidence  that  the  making  of  soldiers  and  sailors  is 
subordinated  to  the  making  of  mechanics  and  engineers,  and  it  does 
not  appear  that  any  serious  difficulty  along  this  line  is  anticipated. 
In  other  words,  vocational  education  is  not  “running  away”  with 
the  Army  and  Navy,  as  might  be  expected  or  prognosticated  from  the 
alarmist  views  expressed  from  time  to  time  by  certain  critics  of  voca¬ 
tional  education. 

Leaders  of  educational  thought  have  accepted  the  validity  of  the 
conservative  claims  of  vocational  education.  They  welcome  this 
impressive  demonstration,  which  will  not  fail  of  its  effect  upon  their 
followers,  and  upon  the  people  themselves.  The  task  of  public 
education  in  America  is  to  make  young  men  and  young  women  into 
intelligent,  responsible,  and  efficient  citizens.  An  indispensable  part 
of  this  task  consists  of  making  them  also  capable  machinists,  sales¬ 
men,  draftsmen,  homemakers. 

A  part  of  this  work  has  long  been  done,  without  serious  complaint 
or  outcry  from  any  influential  source.  A  favored  few  find  abundant 
opportunities,  provided  at  public  expense,  for  the  most  advanced 
training  in  the  law,  medicine,  engineering,  and  a  few  other  lines. 
That  an  enlightened  civilization  should  permit  thousands  of  boys 
and  girls  from  the  less-favored  homes,  because  of  limited  vision,  to 
abandon  their  educational  opportunities  at  an  immature  age,  to  take 
potluck  with  the  exploiters  of  youthful  inexperience  and  the  drivers 
of  child  labor,  is  no  less  than  scandalous. 

Some  way  must  and  will  be  found  to  train  youth  for  economic  inde¬ 
pendence  and  productivity  without  sacrifice  of  the  essential  general 
education  requisite  for  responsible  citizenship  and  the  intelligent  dis¬ 
charge  of  social  duties.  The  contribution  of  the  Army  and  Navy 
may  be  likened  to  the  searchlight  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  pilot 
of  a  ship  on  a  dark  night. 

PROGRESS  IN  THE  STATES. 

Reports  from  State  directors  of  vocational  education  show  sub¬ 
stantial  progress  in  many  directions.  It  is  impossible  in  the  brief 
space  available  to  do  more  than  summarize  a  few  of  the  more  im¬ 
portant  points  brought  out.  In  a  number  of  States  the  establish¬ 
ment  of  new  schools  and  classes  has  proceeded  just  as  rapidly  as  the 
State  representatives  could  take  the  necessary  official  action.  This 
is  especially  true  in  States  which  organized  vocational  education  de- 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION.  47 

partments  for  the  first  time  after  the  passage  of  the  Smith-Hughes 
Act. 

Among  the  evidences  of  progress  cited  in  the  State  reports  are  the 
following : 

Increased  interest  in  vocational  classes  and  more  sympathetic  cooperation 
on  the  part  of  the  regular  school  superintendents,  principals,  and  teachers. 

Splendid  cooperation  on  the  part  of  organized  wage  earners. 

Wholesome  development  of  public  sentiment  in  regard  to  vocational  education, 
and  especially  a  more  favorable  attitude  on  the  part  of  State  legislatures. 

Removal  of  legal  restrictions,  and  extension  of  the  benefits  provided. 

More  rapid  development,,  relatively,  of  part-time  classes  and  evening  classes. 

Increased  efficiency  in  the  administration  of  plans  for  the  preparation  of 
teachers. 

Development  of  plans  for  the  improvement  of  teachers  in  service. 

Increased  efficiency,  due  to  additions  to  State  supervisory  staffs. 

Improvement  in  the  quality  of  the  work  done  and  the  methods  employed  in 
vocational  schools. 

The  task  of  preparing  or  discovering  teachers  for  vocational 
schools  continues  one  of  the  serious  problems,  several  States  report¬ 
ing  inability  to  secure  qualified  teachers  rapidly  enough  to  use  all 
available  appropriations. 

STATISTICAL  EVIDENCE  OF  PROGRESS. 

Under  the  provision  of  the  Smith-Hughes  vocational  education 
act,  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education  is  charged  with  the 
promotion  of  certain  specific  types  of  instruction,  “  the  controlling 
purposes  of  which  must  be  to  fit  for  useful  employment,”  which  must 
be  “  of  less  than  college  grade,”  and  “  must  be  designed  to  meet  the 
needs  of  persons  over  14  years  of  age  who  have  entered  upon  or  who 
are  preparing  to  enter  upon  a  vocation.”  The  board  is  authorized 
to  require  reports  from  schools  receiving  Federal  aid,  and,  conse¬ 
quently,  as  pointed  out  in  these  pages  last  year,  the  annual  report  of 
the  board  now  furnishes  a  basis  for  a  quantitative  study  of  the  prog¬ 
ress  of  vocational  education  which  has  been  lacking  heretofore.  It 
is  to  be  noted  that  the  figures  given  relate  to  that  portion  of  the 
field  of  vocational  education  comprised  within  the  activities  of  the 
board. 

The  third  annual  report  of  the  board,  which  has  appeared  during 
the  period  under  review,  shows  that  during  the  fiscal  year  ended 
June  30,  1919,  the  total  number  of  schools  reporting  federally  aided 
vocational  instruction  was  2, 039. 4  This  is  an  increase  from  1,741  in 
1918  of  298,  or  17.1  per  cent.  The  report  calls  attention  to  certain 
reasons  why  the  number  of  schools  is  not  an  accurate  measure  of  the 
development  which  is  taking  place  in  the  work. 


*  Third  An.  Rept.  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education,  1919,  Table  1,  p.  193. 


48 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


In  Table  2  of  the  same  report  the  number  of  vocational  teachers, 
or,  more  properly,  “  teaching  positions,”  in  schools  federally  aided 
is  given  as  5,257  in  1918  and  6,378  in  1919,  an  increase  of  1,121,  or 
21.3  per  cent.  The  number  of  vocational  pupils  in  these  schools, 
Table  3,  was  164,183  in  1918  and  194,895  in  1919,  an  increase  of 
30,712,  or  18.7  per  cent. 

The  figures  for  expenditures  show  somewhat  greater  expansion. 
The  amount  of  Federal  money  expended  by  the  States  for  reimburse¬ 
ment  was  $829,783.96  in  1918  and  $1,136,519.01  in  1919,  an  increase 
of  $306,735.05,  or  36.9  per  cent. 

The  increased  use  of  Federal  funds  in  the  States  is  fairly  well  distributed 
through  the  several  geographical  regions  in  which  the  States  are  grouped  for 
administrative  purposes.  *  *  *  AVith  the  exception  of  North  Dakota,  every 

State  received  a  larger  amount  of  Federal  money  for  reimbursement  of  schools 
in  1919  than  it  received  in  the  preceding  year.  With  few  exceptions,  it  is  true 
also  that  the  States  increased  their  utilization  of  each  of  the  several  Federal 
funds  available. 

From  the  figures  quoted  above  it  appears  that  the  Federal  Gov¬ 
ernment  reimbursed  the  States  an  average  amount  of  $476.61  per 
school  in  1918  and  $557.39  in  1919;  $157.84  per  teacher  in  1918  and 
$178.19  in  1919;  $5.05  per  pupil  enrolled  in  1918  and  $5.84  in  1919. 

From  the  figures  given  in  Table  14  of  the  report  of  the  Federal 
board,  the  following  table  has  been  prepared  to  indicate  the  distribu¬ 
tion  of  schools  throughout  the  States.  Nine  (States  (Maine,  New 
Hampshire,  Vermont,  Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  Minnesota,  Oklahoma)  report  270  fewer  vocational  schools 
federally  aided  in  1919  than  in  1918.  Two  States  (Nevada  and 
Wyoming)  report  the  same  number  of  schools.  The  remaining  37 
States  report  increases  in  the  number  of  schools  from  1  to  70.  The 
States  reporting  the  largest  increases  in  number  of  schools  are  Ohio, 
70;  Illinois,  57:  West  Virginia,  32;  Utah,  31;  Kentucky,  27;  Vir¬ 
ginia,  27. 


Number  of  vocational  schools  federally  aided,  by  States,  for  years  ended  June 
30,  1919  and  1918. 


Number  of  schools. 

Number  in  1919. 

Numberin  1918. 

States. 

Schools. 

States. 

Schools. 

1 

9 

8 

47 

10-19 . 

12 

163 

13 

173 

20-29 .  . . . 

10 

242 

14 

343 

30-39 . 

5 

170 

1 

34 

40-49 . 

6 

261 

3 

142 

50-59 . 

5 

268 

60-09 . 

1 

67 

4 

253 

70-79 . 

3 

216 

1 

71 

80-89 . 

1 

84 

2 

171 

90-99  .  . 

90 

100-199 . 

2 

233 

1 

114 

200-299 

1 

236 

300-399 . 

2 

393 

Total . . . 

48 

2,039 

48 

1,741 

VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION. 


49 


It  will  be  observed,  further,  that  in  1918,  85  States  reported  fewer 
than  30  schools,  and  that  in  1919  this  number  of  States  was  reduced 
to  23.  The  number  of  States  reporting  50  or  more  schools  increased 
from  9  to  14. 

In  1918  there  were  94  institutions  (besides  additional  extension 
training  centers)  in  42  States  receiving  Federal  aid  for  the  prepara¬ 
tion  of  vocational  teachers.  In  1919  all  of  the  48  States  participated 
in  this  phase  of  the  work,  reporting  144  institutions.  The  number 
of  prospective  teachers  in  training  at  these  institutions  increased 
from  6,579  in  1918  to  7,364  in  1919.  In  this  connection  it  may  be 
noted  that  the  number  of  teaching  positions  in  federally  aided  voca¬ 
tional  schools  increased  from  5,257  in  1918  to  6,378  in  1919. 

STUDY  OF  INDUSTRIAL  RELATIONSHIPS. 

At  the  annual  conference  of  specialists  engaged  in  the  preparation 
of  teachers  for  vocational  schools  called  by  the  Commissioner  of 
Education  and  held  at  the  University  of  Cincinnati  December  4-6, 
1919,  Charles  R,  Allen,  of  the  Federal  board,  reported  that  in  a  series 
of  conferences  and  discussions  with  a  group  of  foremen  “  over  70 
per  cent  of  the  problems  suggested  by  the  foremen  related  to  re¬ 
sponsibilities  connected  with  handling  men.”  Prof.  MacDonald,  of 
the  University  of  Cincinnati,  expressed  the  conviction,  which  was 
echoed  by  others  present,  that  a  study  of  “  industrial  relationships  ” 
must  be  included  in  a  course  for  the  preparation  of  industrial 
teachers. 

The  increasing  emphasis  on  the  importance  of  this  topic  during 
recent  years  is  another  indication  of  the  tendency  in  the  vocational 
education  movement  to  take  the  broader  statesmanlike  view  of  the 
educational  problem  rather  than  the  narrower  view,  so  frequently 
and  justly  criticized,  of  simply  fitting  individuals  for  specific  tasks. 
Vocational  education,  to  function  properly,  must  indeed  be  specific 
and  must  prepare  individuals  to  render  definite  service,  but  the  point 
is  that  the  vocational  training  must  be  given  as  part  of  a  complete 
education  which  gives  full  recognition  to  and  makes  full  provision 
for  the  other  important  duties  of  life  besides  wage  earning. 

A  broad-gauged  study  of  the  problems  of  preparing  efficient  wage 
earners  in  industrial  plants,  therefore,  has  emphasized  the  necessity 
of  taking  into  account  the  essential  relationships :  The  wage  earner 
and  his  employer,  the  wage  earner  and  the  foreman,  the  wage  earner 
and  his  fellows,  and  the  like. 

That  this  problem  is  receiving  serious  consideration  is  evident  in 
the  fact  that  at  least  16  institutions  are  offering  definite  courses  of 
instruction  in  the  theory  and  practice  of  employment  management, 
14032°— 20 - 4 


50 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


labor  administration,  organization  of  personnel  departments,  factory 
management,  applied  commercial  and  industrial  psychology,  and 
other  phases  of  “  industrial  relationships.” 

The  report  of  a  recent  study  lists  the  following  institutions  as  offer¬ 
ing  courses  of  this  description  : 5 

College  of  Business  Administration,  Boston  University,  Boston,  Mass. 

The  Carola  Woerishoffer  Graduate  Department  of  Social  Economy  and  Social 
Research,  Bryn  Mawr  College,  Bryn  Mawr,  Pa. 

The  Bureau  of  Industrial  Research,  New  York  City,  cooperating  with  the 
New  School  for  Social  Research,  and  the  Training  School  for  Public  Service  of 
the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research. 

College  of  Education,  University  of  California,  Berkeley,  Calif. 

School  of  Business,  Columbia  University,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

The  Amos  Tuck  School  of  Administration  and  Finance,  Dartmouth  College, 
Hanover,  N.  H. 

School  of  Accounts  and  Finance,  University  of  Denver,  Denver,  Colo. 

The  Bureau  of  Vocational  Guidance,  and  the  Graduate  School  of  Business 
Administration,  Harvard  University,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

School  of  Commerce,  Northwestern  University,  Evanston,  Ill. 

Ohio  Mechanics  Institute,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Pacific  Coast  Bureau  of  Employment  Research,  San  Francisco,  Calif. 

The  Wharton  School  of  Finance  and  Commerce.  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Washington  University,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Dunwoody  Institute,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

The  Extension  Division,  University  of  Wisconsin,  Madison,  Wis. 

Sheffield  Scientific  School,  Yale  University,  New  Haven.  Conn. 

To  this  list  should  be  added  the  Department  of  Vocational  Educa¬ 
tion,  Indiana  University,  Bloomington,  Ind. 

JOINT  CONVENTION  OF  VOCATIONAL  EDUCATIONAL  ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  joint  convention  of  the  National  Society  for  Vocational  Edu¬ 
cation  (thirteenth  annual  meeting)  and  the  Vocational  Education 
Association  of  the  Middle  West  (sixth  annual  meeting),  held  in 
Chicago  February  19-21,  1920,  was  authoritatively  characterized  as 
“  the  largest  and  most  representative  convention  ever  held  in  America 
in  the  interests  of  vocational  education.”  Every  State  in  the  Union 
except  one  was  represented  in  the  attendance.  Fifteen  States  and 
the  District  of  Columbia  were  represented  by  10  or  more  representa¬ 
tives  each  and  Canada  by  3. 

The  main  topics  considered  were : 

1.  Vocational  education  and  the  present  economic  interest. 

2.  Vocational  education  in  conjunction  with  military  service. 

3.  Full  and  part-time  vocational  education  in  secondary  schools. 

4.  Future  problems  of  State  and  national  administration  of  voca¬ 
tional  education. 


3  Memorandum,  Industrial  Information  Service,  Boston  University,  Boston,  Mass. 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION. 


51 


COMMITTEE  REPORTS. 

One  notable  feature  of  the  program  consisted  of  the  reports  pre¬ 
sented  by  a  number  of  working  committees.  Of  especial  interest 
was  the  report  of  the  committee  on  women  in  industry,  Miss  Cleo 
Murtland,  chairman.  The  committee  presented  a  carefully  pre¬ 
pared  statement,  declaring  that — 

Vocational  education  for  trade  and  industrial  occupations  for  women  should 
he  greatly  extended  in  order  that  each  individual  girl  or  woman  may  be  assured 
the  opportunity  of  doing  the  highest  type  of  productive  work  of  which  she  is 
capable  during  the  period  previous  to  marriage,  or,  if  she  does  not  marry,  for 
the  period  of  her  working  life,  or  for  the  married  woman  who,  because  of  widow¬ 
hood.  desertion,  childlessness,  or  some  other  deviation  from  normal  married 
life,  returns  to  industry  as  a  wage  earner. 

Estimating  that  11,000,000  of  the  girls  and  women  over  10  years 
of  age  in  1919  were  wage  earners,  the  report  analyzes  the  objection¬ 
able  conditions  which  have  surrounded  girls  and  women  in  industry. 
It  recognizes  that  vocational  education  for  girls  and  women  is  a  two¬ 
fold  problem,  preparation  for  wage  earning  and  preparation  for 
home  making.  The  discussion,  however,  is  confined  to  preparation 
for  wage  earning  in  industry.  Among  the  “  solutions  of  these  prob¬ 
lems  ”  the  following  recommendations  are  made : 

Better  general  education  (at  least  8  to  10  years  of  schooling)  and  better  voca¬ 
tional  education ;  a  considerable  part  of  both  should  be  assured  prior  to  the 
beginning  of  wage  earning,  but  part  can  only  be  given  parallel  to  the  pursuit 
of  such  work. 

One  fundamental  aim  should  be  to  give  girls  understanding  of  conditions  of 
wage  earning  and  of  the  possibilities  available  for  the  protection  of  health, 
morals,  earning  capacity,  and  promotion  to  higher  levels  of  employment. 

Employment  in  one  stage  of  specialized  work  should  be  regarded  as  but  one 
stage  from  which  the  individual  should  advance  as  experience,  maturity,  and 
additional  training  justify  advancement. 

Efforts  must  be  made  to  counteract  the  social  prejudice  against  industrial 
occupations  for  girls  and  women  and  to  promote  knowledge  of  the  job,  group 
consciousness,  and  working  integrity  among  women  workers. 

Another  committee,  Prof.  Edwin  A.  Lee,  chairman,  presented  in  a 
12-page  pamphlet  the  results  of  a  careful  study  of  “the  conditions 
of  successful  vocational  training  in  high  schools.”  The  aim  of  voca¬ 
tional  training  in  high  schools  is  stated  to  be  the  preparation  of 
individuals  for  entrance  into  industrial  occupations  with  some  ac¬ 
quaintance  with  the  technic  of  the  trade  studied,  understanding  of 
the  related  technical  knowledge  of  the  trade,  appreciation  of  the 
human-nature  element  in  industry,  some  degree  of  skill  in  certain 
general  operations  of  the  trade,  and  for  intelligent  and  responsible 
citizenship.  Among  the  essential  conditions  outlined  by  the  com¬ 
mittee  are  the  following : 


52 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


Vocational  teachers  should  have  professional  training  and  teaching  skill  as 
well  as  technical  knowledge  of  their  trades ;  attendance  upon  advanced  teacher¬ 
training  courses,  when  available,  should  be  a  condition  of  increase  in  salary. 

The  school  plant  and  equipment  must  be  such  as  to  afford  or  interpret  real 
vocational  experience. 

Cordial  cooperation  and  support  of  the  school  program  on  the  part  of  em¬ 
ployers  and  employees. 

Positive  support  of  the  vocational  program  by  the  superintendent  of  schools 
and  intelligent  understanding  of  it  by  the  high-school  principal  and  the  entire 
teaching  staff. 

The  special  committee  on  vestibule  and  upgrading  schools,  in  a 
statement  by  H.  E.  Miles,  offered  the  following  conclusions: 

The  ground  covered  by  an  apprenticeship  under  ordinary  conditions  can  be 
covered  by  upgrading  methods  in  a  factory  training  department  in  one-third  to 
one-half  less  time. 

Vocational  training  as  given  in  our  public  schools  has  substantially  no  rela¬ 
tion  to  the  needs  of  90  per  cent  of  our  industrial  workers. 

Vocational  teachers  should  have  a  clear  understanding  of  the  methods  of 
factory  production. 

Another  valuable  report  was  that  of  a  special  committee  on  social 
science  in  vocational  classes,  Miss  Ruth  Mary  Weeks,  chairman. 
The  report  outlined  a  series  of  lessons  for  one  year’s  study  of  the 
essentials  of  history,  economics,  and  sociology. 

The  following  paragraphs  are  condensed  from  the  report  of  the 
committee  on  resolutions,  adopted  by  the  convention  : 

Recommending  that  the  Department  of  Superintendence  of  the  National 
Education  Association  be  requested  to  provide  a  strong  program  of  vocational 
education  at  its  next  annual  convention. 

Urging  State  and  Federal  authorities  to  adopt  more  vigorous  methods  for  the 
promotion  of  industrial  education  for  girls  and  women. 

Urging  more  effective  measures  for  the  training  of  foremen  and  factory 
superin  tendents. 

Recommending  Federal  aid  for  vocational  commercial  education,  and  in¬ 
creased  Federal  appropriations  for  vocational  home-making  education. 

Recommending  the  development  of  suitable  tests  of  individuals,  by  try-out 
courses  and  other  means,  to  precede  -entrance  into  vocational  courses. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  EDUCATION. 

Home  economics  educational  courses  have  undergone  a  satisfac¬ 
tory  reorganization  following  the  disturbed  condition  due  to  the  war. 

A  vigorous  and  sustained  effort  has  developed  to  emphasize,  in  all 
classes,  the  relation  of  home  economics  instruction  to  healthful  liv¬ 
ing,  financial  thrift,  and  social  service. 

A  number  of  extraneous  forces  have  reacted  upon  home  economics 
education.  The  widespread  interest  in  child  health  and  welfare, 
with  special  stress  upon  the  widely  prevailing  condition  of  malnu¬ 
trition,  has  opened  avenues  to  women  trained  in  home  economics  for 
service  in  the  conduct  of  food  clinics,  nutrition  classes,  and  the  redi- 


HOME  ECONOMICS  EDUCATION. 


53 


rection  of  school  lunch-room  management.  Physicians  and  hospi¬ 
tal  authorities  have  recognized,  more  than  ever  before  in  the  practice 
of  medicine,  the  relation  of  diet  to  disease,  and  the  need  of  highly 
trained  home  economics  women  as  prescribing  dietitians.  Opera¬ 
tors  of  industrial  plants  and  administrators  of  mercantile  establish¬ 
ments  have  employed  home  economics  women  to  supervise  their 
social  service.  Banks  have  established  home  economics  graduates 
as  advisors  of  their  women  depositors  in  methods  of  wise  spending. 
These  forces  have  modified,  as  well  as  intensified  the  home  economics 
instruction  given  in  universities,  colleges,  and  normal  schools. 

UNIVERSITIES,  COLLEGES,  AND  NORMAL  SCHOOLS  OFFERING  HOME 
ECONOMICS  COURSES. 

The  number  of  institutions  of  higher  education  maintaining 
courses  in  home  economics  has  not  greatly  increased  during  the  past 
3^ear.  At  present  all  State  universities  except  six  and  all  land-grant 
colleges  for  white  students  except  five  offer  home  economics.  Those 
which  do  not  provide  for  this  instruction  are  usually  institutions  for 
men  which  either  actually  exclude  women  or  discourage  their  at¬ 
tendance. 

One  hundred  and  seventy-seven  normal  schools  support  home  eco¬ 
nomics  departments  and  employ  379  teachers;  306  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities  employ  1,133  teachers  of  home  economics.  Besides  these 
institutions,  almost  all  academies  and  junior  colleges  admitting  girls 
offer  courses  in  this  subject. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  IN  LIBERAL  ARTS  COURSES. 

Home  economics  is  now  accepted  in  many  liberal  arts  schools  as 
an  essential  part  of  a  woman’s  well-rounded  education.  This  senti¬ 
ment  is  reflected  in  the  University  of  Oregon,  where  there  is  a  strong 
demand  for  certain  courses  that  will  be  of  special  value  to  students 
preparing  for  professional  life  as  journalists,  doctors,  social  workers, 
physical-training  teachers,  etc.  It  is  felt  that  the  courses  in  care  of 
children  and  care  of  the  sick,  together  with  elementary  dietetics  and 
household  budget  making,  are  particularly  needed  by  practically  all 
women  students  as  a  part  of  a  well-rounded  training  for  citizenship 
(as  apart  from  a  definite  “home  making”  or  a  professional  home 
economics  career)  and  these  courses,  already  very  much  in  demand 
and  successfully  developed  during  the  past  two  years,  will  be  greatly 
strengthened  in  the  future. 

NEW  COURSES  IN  CHILD  FEEDING  AND  WELFARE. 

Child-feeding  and  child-welfare  courses  have  been  added  to  the 
home  economics  departments  of  many  institutions  of  higher  educa- 


54 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


tion;  and  special  instruction  in  advanced  nutrition  classes  has  been 
given  a  prominent  place  in  these  schools. 

In  Purdue  University  two  new  courses  were  developed  in  the  past 
3Tear;  the  first  being  a  course  in  child  care  and  management,  offered  to 
seniors  specializing  in  home  economics.  This  course  included  three 
lectures  and  demonstrations  per  week  for  one  semester.  There  were 
63  enrolled  in  the  class,  and  the  students  were  greatly  interested  in 
the  work.  The  instructor  is  a  graduate  nurse  who  is  also  a  graduate 
in  home  economics,  and  is  a  woman  who  has  had  a  great  deal  of 
experience  in  connection  with  the  care  and  handling  of  children. 

The  Michigan  Agricultural  College  offered  an  elective  course  in 
advanced  nutrition,  which  attracted  41  seniors.  It  is  especially 
planned  that  this  course  shall  lead  to  nutrition  clinics  for  the 
mothers  and  children  of  Lansing.  Already  these  graduates  have 
been  called  to  assist  in  other  cities  in  this  type  of  social  service. 

Oregon  Agricultural  College,  the  University  of  Minnesota,  Cor¬ 
nell  University,  and  other  colleges  and  universities  had  .babies  or 
small  children  in  the  practice  houses,  in  order  that  their  courses  in 
child  care  might  be  more  valuable. 

COURSES  IN  THE  CONDUCT  OF  SCHOOL  LUNCHES. 

A  generally  accepted  dictum  is  “  that  all  public-school  lunch  rooms 
should  be  under  the  supervision  of  the  home  economics  departments/’ 
In  consequence  of  this  cafeteria  courses  have  been  established  in 
many  institutions.  Purdue  University,  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College,  and  Oregon  Agricultural  College  are  among  the  colleges  re¬ 
porting  these  courses. 

The  rural-school  hot  lunch  has  been  given  especial  attention  in  the 
normal  school’s  home  economic  departments.  Georgia  Normal 
School,  at  Milledgeville ;  South  Dakota  Normal  School,  at  Aberdeen; 
and  the  normal  schools  of  the  State  of  Washington  have  conducted 
intensive  courses  in  rural-school  lunch  work. 

SPECIALIZED  COURSES  FOR  DIETITIANS. 

These  courses  are  now  offered  in  all  leading  home  economics  schools. 
The  Battle  Creek  School  of  Home  Economics  requires  that  its  gradu¬ 
ates  have  actual  experience  as  student  dietitians  before  accepting  ad¬ 
ministrative  positions. 

At  Drexel  Institute  the  course  comprises  two  years’  work  after 
high-school  graduation.  The  students  curry  standard  courses  in  or¬ 
ganic  chemistry,  inorganic  chemistry,  technical  chemistry,  physiologi¬ 
cal  chemistry,  and  pathological  chemistry,  physics,  bacteriology, 
physiology,  accounting,  principles  of  food  preparation  and  nutrition, 
institutional  cookery,  and  management. 


HOME  ECONOMICS  EDUCATION. 


55 


Graduates  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  the  Ohio  State  Uni¬ 
versity,  Iowa  State  University,  and  other  similar  institutions  are 
now  prepared  to  be  prescribing  dietitians. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  IN  PUBLIC  HIGH  SCHOOLS. 

There  are  now  more  than  8,000  high  schools  offering  the  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  girls  to  elect  one  or  more  years  of  this  work.  The  annual 
increase  in  the  number  of  high  schools  offering  home  economics  has 
been  about  600.  A  questionnaire  sent  to  all  high-school  principals 
resulted  in  answers  from  about  50  per  cent  of  them.  One  State — 
Illinois — contributed  311  replies.  Of  the  311  high  schools,  184  main¬ 
tained  courses  in  home  economics  and  enrolled  13,334  students  in 
regular  high-school  home  economics  and  1,753  in  high-school  classes 
aided  under  the  Smith-Hughes  law. 

Since  it  is  the  larger  high  schools  which  support  departments  of 
home  economics,  it  is  evident  that  the  majority  of  all  high-school 
girls  in  the  United  States  now  have  an  opportunity  to  study  home 
economics  if  they  so  elect. 

Statistics  show  that  high-school  girls  frequently  fail  to  avail  them¬ 
selves  of  the  opportunity.  This  failure  may  be  traced  to  difficulties 
in  adjusting  schedules  to  courses  requiring  the  long  period  usually 
considered  necessary  for  home-economics  work.  Chicago  is  leading 
in  the  experiment  of  teaching  home  economics  in  a  60-minute  period. 

High-school  girls  generally  enter  commercial  courses,  trade  courses, 
or  courses  in  liberal  arts,  preparing  for  college  entrance.  A  fully 
organized  continuous  home-economics  course  either  interferes  with 
their  pursuit  of  a  chosen  course,  or  else  is  not  so  presented  that  they 
realize  the  real  value  of  home  economics  as  a  part  of  their  general 
education. 

In  order  to  make  home  economics  attractive  to  all  high-school  girls, 
the  home  economics  high-school  teachers  of  Chicago  passed  a  resolu¬ 
tion  and  presented  it  to  the  city  superintendent  of  schools,  requesting 
that  the  present  four-year  course  be  abandoned  and  in  its  place  six 
separate  semester  courses  be  offered.  They  further  requested  that  in 
planning  high-school  courses  next  year  it  be  made  possible  for  every 
girl  in  a  regular  course  to  take  an  elective  in  household  arts  in  any 
semester. 

The  idea  actuating  these  requests  is,  that  all  high-school  girls 
should  have  an  opportunity  to  take  some  home  economics  instead  of 
being  forced  to  choose  either  a  four-years’  course  or  no  home  eco¬ 
nomics  at  all. 

In  Los  Angeles  and  several  other  cities,  home  economics  is  now 
required  for  one  high-school  year,  while  in  Berkeley,  Calif.,  certain 
home-economics  units  are  classified  as  social-science  subjects  in  the 
social-science  course. 


56 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


HOME  ECONOMICS  IN  PUBLIC  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS. 

The  rate  of  increase  in  the  number  of  public  schools  main¬ 
taining  departments  of  home  economics  has  been  normal.  Two- 
thirds  of  all  the  larger  school  systems  report  that  home  economics 
is  required  of  all  girls  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades.  In  a  con¬ 
siderable  proportion  of  cities  it  is  required  of  fifth  and  sixth  grade 
girls  as  well  as  of  those  in  the  upper  two  grades. 

The  great  number  of  girls  reached  by  instruction  in  home  economics 
is  indicated  by  the  following  figures  taken  from  reports  of  various 
cities  chosen  at  random  : 


Boston,  Mass.  : 

Fourth  grade —  5,  950 

Fifth  grade—  5,234 

Sixth  grade _  5,  335 

Seventh  grade—  4,  900 
Eighth  grade _ 4,  561 

Total _  25,980 


Los  Angeles,  Calif. : 

Fourth  grade--  2, 498 
Fifth  grade—  4,300 

Sixth  grade _  3,  931 

Seventh  grade _ 3,  385 

Eighth  grade- _  2,  305 

Total— _ 16,419 


Philadelphia,  Pa. : 

Fifth  grade _ 13,126 

Sixth  grade—  12,  117 

Seventh  grade _ 9,  298 

Eighth  grade —  8,  035 

Total _  42,576 


In  the  elementary  schools  of  these  three  cities  alone  84,975  girls 
received  some  training  in  the  arts  of  the  household.  When  to  these 
are  added  all  of  the  girls  in  the  sixth  and  seventh  and  eighth  grades 
in  Chicago,  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  in  New  York,  in  Cleveland, 
in  Detroit,  and  all  other  larger  cities  in  the  United  States,  it  is 
inevitable  that  there  must  be  finally  a  marked  effect  on  all  American 
homes. 

There  is  a  general  effort  to  insure  that  the  school  home  economics 
education  functions  in  the  home  life  of  the  girl,  that  efficient  methods 
of  work  are  taught,  and  that  the  best  standards  of  American  living, 
are  maintained.  Establishment  of  health  habits  and  preparation  for 
home  helpfulness  are  the  dominant  motives  now  determining  the 
courses  of  study  and  the  methods  of  instruction.  Hence,  home  eco¬ 
nomics  in  the  elementary  schools  has  undergone  interesting  modifi¬ 
cations  of  work,  as  the  following  quotation  from  one  city  supervisor 
of  home  economics  indicates : 

This  year  we  have  made  the  work  in  nutrition  more  concrete  and  vital  by 
relating  it  more  closely  to  the  feeding  of  children.  Every  girl  was  weighed  and 
measured  and  taught  to  keep  her  own  record.  If  through  her  knowledge  of 
foodstuffs  her  weight  did  not  become  normal  through  modified  diet,  then  the 
cause  was  found.  This  gave  rise  to  the  relation  of  personal  hygiene,  tonsils, 
adenoids,  teeth,  etc.,  to  health. 

The  results  were  most  gratifying.  In  many  cases  parents  appreciated  the 
situation  and  responded,  and  the  whole  family  benefited. 

We  plan  next  year  to  have  every  girl  in  the  schools  taking  domestic  science 
to  be  personally  responsible  for  the  improvement  in  diet  and  health  of  at  least 
one  child  outside  her  immediate  family.  Credit  will  be  given  on  the  results. 

In  San  Francisco  the  liome-economics  department  took  over  the 
management  of  the  lunch  room  of  the  Buena  Vista  School,  where  a 
group  of  50  undernourished  children  were  cared  for  in  open-air 


HOME  ECONOMICS  EDUCATION. 


57 


classrooms  by  the  Associated  Charities  and  the  Antituberculosis  As¬ 
sociation.  There  were  18  girls  in  the  cooking  class  of  this  school,  who 
prepared  the  hot  drink  or  hot  dish  that  was  served  every  day.  The 
girls  worked  in  groups  of  four,  under  the  supervision  of  a  domestic- 
science  teacher  on  one  day  of  the  week,  and  with  a  student-teacher 
from  the  Lux  School  on  the  other  days.  The  meal  was  served  in 
pleasant  surroundings,  and  the  children  fed  gained  in  weight.  They 
were  taught  table  manners  and  habits  of  neatness. 

The  making  of  simple  wash  dresses  is  now  introduced  in  the  sixth 
grade  of  Los  Angeles  schools,  whereas  a  few  years  ago  the  use  of 
the  sewing  machine  was  delayed  until  the  high  school  was  reached. 

HOME  TEACHERS. 

The  law  of  California  permits  the  employment  of  one  home 
teacher  for  every  500  pupils  in  attendance.  Not  all  the  cities  have 
availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity  of  articulating  the  school 
with  the  home,  but  in  January,  1920,  the  board  of  education  of 
Berkeley  appointed  a  home-economics  teacher  as  the  first  home 
teacher  in  the  schools  of  that  city.  Her  function  is  the  correlation 
of  the  work  of  the  home  and  of  the  school.  She  counsels  with  the 
mothers,  and  in  nearly  every  case  brings  about  improved  conditions, 
either  through  cooperation  with  the  Berkeley  dispensary  or  through 
beneficial  changes  in  the  home.  She  conducts  nutrition  classes  for 
the  pupils  of  the  fifth  and  sixth  grades  in  the  two  schools  where  she 
works.  Among  the  results  already  accomplished  are  the  substitu¬ 
tion  of  milk  or  chocolate  and  cereal  for  the  coffee  and  bread  which 
formally  composed  the  breakfast  for  a  large  proportion  of  the  chil¬ 
dren  ;  the  formation  of  “  anticoffee  clubs,”  the  increased  use  of  fruits 
and  vegetables,  and  the  general  intelligent  reorganization  of  the  diet, 
not  of  the  children  only  but  of  many  entire  families. 

It  is  the  aim  of  the  home  teacher  to  use  the  facilities  of  the  domes¬ 
tic  science  rooms  to  give  lessons  in  better  home  making  to  the  for¬ 
eign-born  mothers.  Promising  beginnings  have  been  made  this  year. 
It  is  only  a  question  of  time  when  there  will  be  regular  classes  of 
women  meeting  in  the  two  schools  for  the  study  of  nutrition,  hygiene, 
and  other  subjects  that  make  for  better  homes  and  families. 

VOCATIONAL  HOME  ECONOMICS. 

Almost  all  the  State  supervisors  of  home  economics  are  paid  about 
one-half  of  their  salary  out  of  Federal  money,  appropriated  by  the 
Smith- Hughes  Act.  Following  the  appointment  of  these  super¬ 
visors,  vocational  home  economics  has  been  developed  along  different 
lines  in  different  States,  depending  almost  wholly  on  the  interpreta¬ 
tion  placed  upon  “  vocational  home  economics.”  If  this  term  is 


58 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


given  by  the  State  authorities  the  interpretation  generally  accepted 
by  educators  as  the  meaning  of  “  vocational,”  then  the  report  re¬ 
sembles  the  following  received  from  Wisconsin :  44  Total  number  of 
schools  receiving  Smith-Hughes  aid  for  home  economics,  68,  divided 
as  follows :  4  Part-time  schools,’  32 ;  4  night  schools,’  30 ;  4  all-day 
schools,’  6.” 

If  it  is  assumed  that  all  home  economics  is  vocational,  then  the 
reports  are  similar  to  that  of  Nebraska,  which  gives  Federal  aid  and 
partly  federally  supported  supervision  to  2  night  schools  and  43 
standard  high  schools,  or  that  of  Minnesota,  where  Federal  aid  is 
extended  to  1  night-school  class  and  8  regular  day  schools. 

The  confusion  as  to  the  meaning  of  vocational  home  economics 
will  tend  to  clarify  itself  in  succeeding  years. 

HOME  DEMONSTRATION  WORK  UNDER  THE  SMITH-LEVER  ACT. 

More  than  a  thousand  women  are  now  engaged  as  agents  in  home 
demonstration  work.  This  is  one  of  the  most  important  types  of 
home-economics  education.  Usually  these  agents  are  women  edu¬ 
cated  in  home  economics  and  graduates  of  colleges,  universities,  or 
normal  schools. 

Their  methods  of  approach  in  their  special  field  differs  in  different 
sections  of  the  country.  One  county  agent  in  Tennessee  established 
a  nutrition  clinic  for  rural  children.  She  cooperated  with  the  farm 
bureau,  the  county  board  of  education,  and  the  local  parent-teacher 
association.  Two  thousand  five  hundred  children  were  examined 
and  a  class  of  15  selected  for  demonstrating  methods  of  overcoming 
the  condition  of  malnutrition. 

In  general,  the  home  demonstration  agent  strives  to  assist  the 
rural  housewives  in  applying  business  principles  to  household  tasks 
for  the  purpose  of  making  the  farm  home  as  efficient  as  the  farm, 
thus  contributing  to  the  development  of  a  better  type  of  rural  life. 

HOME-ECONOMICS  EDUCATION  IN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES. 

Belgium. — As  a  result  of  the  efforts  of  M.  Paul  He  Vuyst,  director 
general,  ministry  of  agriculture,  a  college  of  agriculture  and  home 
economics  for  women  is  being  established  in  Lierref,  one  of  the  sub¬ 
urbs  of  Brussels. 

New  Zealand. — A  very  fine  addition  to  the  Otago  University  has 
just  been  made,  at  a  cost  of  nearly  £10,000,  of  well-equipped  labora¬ 
tories  for  teaching  domestic  science.  Domestic  science  is  growing  in 
favor,  and  last  year  these  classes  were  well  attended  by  38  holders  of 
Government  scholarships. 

At  Brighton-on-the- Sands,  Sidney,  there  is  an  experimental  school 
where  girls  are  taught  domestic  economy  in  its  various  phases. 


HOME  ECONOMICS  EDUCATION. 


59 


England . — In  discussing  the  reorganization  of  English  public- 
school  education,  Sir  Aukland  Geddes  says :  “  The  secondary  school 
(age  range  at  12-17,  maybe  10-18)  has  not  been  neglected  and  the 
arrangements  there  are  of  considerable  interest.  *  *  *  For  girls, 

needlework,  cookery,  laundry  work,  housekeeping,  and  household 
hygiene  are  compulsory  subjects.” 

P oland. — Elementary  schools’  seven-year  program  provides  for 
needlework  two  hours  a  week  in  grades  3  to  7,  inclusive.  The 
normal  schools  for  girls  teach  gardening,  agriculture,  cooking,  sew¬ 
ing,  and  dressmaking.  There  is  a  free  course  of  one  year  in 'the 
State  seminary  for  the  training  of  home  economics  teachers. 

Chile. — In  Santiago  home  economics  was  first  established  in  1907 
by  a  teacher  brought  from  Sweden.  Great  efforts  are  being  made  to 
adapt  the  instruction  to  the  social  and  economic  conditions  existing 
in  a  country  where  there  is  a  superabundance  of  labor  for  household 
employment.  There  is  now  a  three-years’  course  in  teacher  training 
leading  to  the  title  “professor”  and  including  not  only  cooking, 
garment  making,  and  child-care,  but  also  the  history  of  education, 
psychology,  pedagogy,  civics,  political  science,  and  other  subjects. 

Canada — Saskatchewan  teachers’  courses. — Acting  upon  the  request  of  the 
department  of  education,  the  council  of  the  University  of  Saskatchewan  has 
recommended  to  the  Senate  the  establishment,  during  the  academic  year  1920- 
21,  of  a  one-year  course  in  household  science  for  teachers  in  provincial  schools. 

The  object  of  this  course  is  to  give,  within  the  period  of  the  ordinary  aca¬ 
demic  year,  work  which  will  be  of  substantial  service  to  teachers  in  improving 
their  equipment  in  household  science.  The  course  will  include  both  foods  and 
textiles,  as  well  as  the  related  subjects,  including  chemistry. 

To  be  admitted  to  this  course  teachers  must  have  a  second-class  license  or 
higher  credentials.  Preference  will  be  given  to  teachers  having  three  or  more 
years’  experience  in  the  public  schools.  The  class  will  be  limited  in  number, 
and  therefore  it  is  suggested  that  early  application  for  admission  be  made  to 
the  registrar  of  the  university.  It  is  recommended  also  that  those  teachers  who 
have  not  had  the  work  in  chemistry  required  for  first-class  diploma  should,  if 
possible,  take  the  course  in  chemistry  to  be  given  at  the  summer  session  of  the 
university. — Journal  of  Horne  Economics. 

Constantinople  College. — The  American  Home  Economics  Asso¬ 
ciation  raised  a  fund  of  $6,000  to  support  a  professorship  in  home 
economics  in  the  Constantinople  College  for  Girls.  The  fund  will 
support  the  chair  for  three  years,  after  which  is  expected  that  the 
trustees  of  the  college  will  be  able  to  continue  its  maintenance. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  American  Home  Economic  Association  is  the  national  organi¬ 
zation  of  professional  women,  and  admits  to  its  membership  anyone 
interested  and  in  sympathy  with  its  objectives.  The  Journal  of  Home 
Economics  is  sustained  by  the  association  and  is  the  only  technical 
and  professional  journal  of  its  kind  in  the  country. 


60 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


In  addition  to  the  national  association,  there  are  regional,  State, 
and  city  organizations  of  home  economics  women,  all  bending  their 
efforts  to  increase  interest  in  home  economics  education,  in  scientific 
research,  affecting  the  problems  of  the  home,  to  improved  conditions 
for  the  welfare  of  children,  in  careful  use  of  national  wealth,  and  in 
personal  thrift  and  intelligent  investment  of  savings. 

*  AGRICULTURAL  EDUCATION. 

AGRICULTURE  IN  THE  COLLEGES. 

Following  the  arrested  development  during  the  period  of  the  war, 
the  year  covered  by  this  report  is  marked  by  many  conspicuous 
changes  in  the  organization  and  policies  of  the  colleges  of  agricul¬ 
ture.  The  lessons  growing  out  of  the  Nation’s  experiences  connected 
with  the  raising  of  an  efficient  fighting  force  and  the  enormous  prob¬ 
lem  of  maintaining  an  adequate  food  supply  are  responsible  to  some 
e&tent  for  the  activity  of  the  colleges  in  the  development  of  efficient 
organizations. 

On  the  other  hand,  owing  to  greatly  increased  enrollment,  coupled 
with  the  diminished  purchasing  power  of  the  dollar,  many  institu¬ 
tions  have  had  great  difficulty  in  maintaining  themselves.  The  dean 
of  the  college  of  agriculture  in  one  of  the  larger  universities  sums 
up  the  situation  at  his  institution  as  follows : 

We  have  been  caught  with  a  greatly  increased  attendance  and  a  decreased 
faculty,  and  it  has  been  a  case  for  the  last  year  of  meeting  situations  as  best 
we  could  from  time  to  time.  We  have  about  35  vacancies  on  our  faculty  which 
we  can  not  hope  to  fill,  and  the  result  is  that  we  are  not  only  unable  to  do  new 
things,  but  we  can  not  do  the  old  things  as  well  as  heretofore. 

Changes  in  organization. — The  most  conspicuous  change  in  organi¬ 
zation  during  the  year  is  that  illustrated  by  the  action  of  California 
and  Cornell  Universities  in  relieving  their  respective  deans  of  agri¬ 
culture  of  the  details  of  administration  by  the  appointment  of  sub¬ 
ordinate  administrative  officers  in  charge  of  the  three  familiar  lines 
of  work — resident  teaching,  research,  and  extension.  One  of  the 
chief  objects  of  such  action  is  to  facilitate  the  concentration  of  effort 
on  the  respective  programs  of  the  college.  This  tendency  among  the 
colleges,  it  is  believed,  will  result  in  more  efficient  service,  especially 
in  the  improvement  of  instruction. 

In  some  of  the  colleges,  notably  the  Alabama  Polytechnic  Institute 
and  the  Maryland  State  College  of  Agriculture,  the  responsibility  of 
the  officers  in  charge  of  the  three  lines  of  service  extend  throughout 
the  institution.  That  is,  the  direction  of  resident  instruction  is 
responsible  for  the  proper  development  of  the  curricula  and  the 
improvement  of  instruction  in  all  divisions,  such  as  agriculture,  engi¬ 
neering,  general  science,  veterinary  science,  etc.;  the  director  of  the 


AGRICULTURAL  EDUCATION. 


61 


experiment  station  is  responsible  for  research  in  all  divisions;  and 
the  director  of  the  extension  service  is  responsible  for  the  extension 
activities  of  the  entire  institution. 

Relation  with  secondary  schools . — Since  most  of  the  States  have 
developed  strong  secondary  schools  of  agriculture,  an  earnest  effort 
has  been  made  to  establish  closer  articulation  between  secondary  and 
collegiate  courses  in  agriculture.  The  past  year  has  witnessed  con¬ 
spicuous  progress  in  this  respect.  The  movement  has  been  greatly 
stimulated  by  the  action  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  committee  on 
course  of  study  in  agriculture.  This  committee,  composed  of  promi¬ 
nent  men  engaged  in  agricultural  education,  recommended  that  there 
should  be  offered  in  each  of  the  main  departments  of  the  college  of 
agriculture  a  basic  course  which  should  be  substantially  equivalent 
in  scope  and  value  to  the  instruction  in  the  corresponding  subject 
as  given  in  the  best  secondary  agricultural  courses  and  should  be 
required  only  by  students  who  have  not  taken  such  work  before  enter¬ 
ing  college.  The  plan  contemplates  that  students  entering  college 
from  approved  secondary  schools  of  agriculture  may  receive  full 
credit  for  work  satisfactorily  completed  and  that  they  may  be  allowed 
to  enter  immediately  the  more  advanced  technical  courses.  The 
action  of  the  University  of  California,  as  published  in  its  recent 
announcement,  indicates  the  tendency  in  this  direction : 

Three  new  courses  in  general  agriculture,  one  in  each  agronomy,  animal 
husbandry,  and  horticulture,  will  be  offered  and  may  he  taken  as  elective  work 
throughout  the  freshman  year  and  the  first  term  of  the  sophomore  year.  Stu¬ 
dents  who  have  completed  satisfactory  high-school  work  in  agriculture  will  not 
ordinarily  take  these  three  college  courses  and  will  therefore  have  more  time 
for  other  college  work. 

There  is  a  growing  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  colleges  of  agri¬ 
culture  to  accept  work  in  vocational  agriculture  at  full  value  toward 
satisfying  the  requirements  for  admission.  The  faculty  of  New  York 
State  College  of  Agriculture,  for  example,  has  adopted  the  following 
resolution  bearing  upon  this  subject: 

A  vocational  diploma  in  agriculture  or  home  making  from  the  University  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  or  evidence  of  equivalent  vocational  training,  will  be 
accepted  for  admission  to  the  New  York  State  College  of  Agriculture.  If  the 
applicant  does  not  present  three  units  of  foreign  language,  he  shall  elect  the 
equivalent  amount  of  work  in  the  university  in  one  or  more  of  the  following  sub¬ 
jects :  Foreign  language,  English,  mathematics,  philosophy,  psychology,  history, 
.economics,  political  and  social  science. 

From  the  reports  available  it  is  shown  that  20  States  grant  full 
credit  for  the  agricultural  work  done  in  approved  high  schools.  Many 
others  allow  as  high  as  four  units  of  credit  for  such  work. 

Modifications  in  curricula. — During  recent  years  there  has  been  a 
disposition  on  the  part  of  a  number  of  the  larger  colleges  of  agricul¬ 
ture  to  allow  students  the  greatest  freedom  of  choice  in  the  matter  of 


62 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


specialization.  Students  have  not  only  been  allowed  to  specialize  in 
subjects  like  animal  husbandry  or  horticulture,  but  in  many  institu¬ 
tions  they  have  been  permitted  to  carry  their  major  work  in  such 
narrow  lines  as  horse  raising,  sheep  husbandry,  fruit  growing,  vege¬ 
table  growing,  plant  breeding,  microbiology,  soils,  etc.  It  is  interest¬ 
ing  to  note  a  decided  reaction  toward  the  limitation  of  specialization. 

The  Universit}^  of  California,  for  example,  has  reduced  the  number 
of  major  subjects  in  the  college  of  agriculture  from  17  to  6.  In  keep¬ 
ing  with  the  same  general  policy,  this  institution  has  stricken  40 
courses  from  the  list  offered  by  the  college  of  agriculture.  The  in¬ 
struction  contained  in  these  courses  is  now  organized  in  18  new 
courses,  making  a  net  reduction  of  21.  It  is  the  belief  of  the  authori¬ 
ties  that  this  reorganization  of  instruction  will  obviate  excessive  dupli¬ 
cation  and  reduce  the  number  of  small  classes  and  prevent  overspe¬ 
cialization. 

On  the  other  hand,  many  colleges  continue  to  introduce  new  courses 
to  meet  the  advanced  requirements  of  professional  groups.  New 
York  State  College  of  Agriculture,  for  example,  has  recently  intro¬ 
duced  specialized  courses  for  fertilizer  salesmen,  poultry  judges,  and 
bee  keepers.  The  University  of  Wisconsin  also  has  introduced  spe¬ 
cialized  courses  for  boys’  and  girls’  club  leaders,  and  for  county 
demonstration  agents.  Such  courses,  however,  have  a  definite  aim 
and,  taken  with  other  related  courses  in  the  curriculum,  serve  to  make 
the  instruction  more  comprehensive  rather  than  to  restrict  its  scope. 

There  is  also  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  colleges  of  agriculture  to 
require  more  work  in  economics  and  sociology,  and  to  bring  about  a 
closer  relationship  between  the  instruction  in  economics  and  that  in 
technical  branches  and  more  particularly  the  instruction  in  farm 
management.  The  New  York  State  College  of  Agriculture  has 
united  the  departments  of  rural  economy  and  farm  management  and 
has  established  a  new  department  of  rural  social  organization  in 
which  five  new  courses  are  offered. 

The  course  designated  “  agricultural  relationships,”  as  offered  last 
year  for  the  first  time  by  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  is 
also  an  attempt  to  give  the  student  a  knowledge  of  the  whole  field  of 
agriculture  from  the  economic  standpoint. 

The  one,  two,  and  three  year  subcollegiate  curricula,  as  offered  by 
many  of  the  colleges,  are  still  very  popular  despite  the  rapid  develop¬ 
ment  of  agricultural  courses  in  high  schools.  Massachusetts  Agri¬ 
cultural  College  has  established  a  two-year  curriculum  to  meet  the 
demand  for  instruction  of  this  nature.  Connecticut  Agricultural 
College  has  shortened  its  two-year  curriculum  by  reducing  the  num¬ 
ber  of  months  in  each  session  from  nine  to  five,  and  has  raised  the 
minimum  age  from  16  to  18  years.  Although  of  a  secondary  na¬ 
ture,  such  courses  meet  the  need  of  men  of  mature  years  who  are 


AGRICULTURAL  EDUCATION. 


63 


not  willing  to  attend  classes  with  students  of  secondary  school  age. 
The  tendency  in  the  colleges  is  to  limit  more  and  more  the  enrollment 
in  these  curricula  to  mature  students. 

Agriculture  for  women. — Possibly  as  a  result  of  the  interest  in 
agricultural  pursuits  developed  by  women  during  the  war,  there  has 
come  a  demand  on  the  part  of. women  for  collegiate  instruction  in 
this  subject.  Some  of  the  colleges  have  already  responded  to  this 
demand  and  many  women  students  are  now  enrolled.  The  Massa¬ 
chusetts  Agricultural  College,  for  example,  has  introduced  a  limited 
amount  of  work  in  home  economics  for  the  benefit  of  young  women 
who  desire  training  for  agricultural  vocations.  At  the  University 
of’ Wisconsin  12  women  students  taking  agriculture  are  members  of 
the  first  agricultural  women’s  association  ever  formed,  and  through 
it  propose  to  encourage  women  who  are  in  attendance  at  the  college 
of  agriculture. 

Training  teachers  of  agriculture. — Teacher  training  has  now  be¬ 
come  an  important  feature  in  the  program  of  the  colleges  of  agricul¬ 
ture.  A  number  of  the  institutions  have  offered  courses  for  teachers 
for  several  years,  but  previous  to  the  passage  of  the  Federal  voca¬ 
tional  education  act  the  work  was  not  seriously  considered  except  in 
about  six  colleges.  The  past  year,  however,  has  seen  the  development 
of  a  well-planned  teacher-training  curriculum  in  each  of  the  remain¬ 
ing  institutions.  As  an  example  of  the  rapid  development  of  this 
work,  attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  at  the  University  of  Mis¬ 
souri  the  agricultural  teacher-training  curriculum  was  established 
in  1918-19  and  that  during  the  following  year  164  students  were 
registered  for  the  work.  Thirty-five  colleges,  out  of  50  reporting, 
enrolled  540  students  in  special  teacher-training  curricula.  Of  this 
number,  262  graduated  in  1920. 

Many  of  the  colleges  have  also  offered  short  special  courses  for  the 
training  of  teachers  in  agriculture.  Some  of  these  courses  were 
planned  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  needed  technical  informa¬ 
tion  to  persons  who  already  possessed  the  necessary  professional 
training  and  teaching  experience,  while  others  were  designed  for 
agricultural  graduates  who  needed  the  professional  training  in  edu¬ 
cation  to  qualify  for  teachers’  certificates. 

The  salary  problem. — The  colleges  of  agriculture  have  suffered  as 
much,  or  even  more,  than  some  of  the  other  colleges  as  a  result  of  the 
peculiar  economic  conditions  resulting  from  the  war.  Their  teach¬ 
ers,  who,  even  before  the  war,  were  barely  able  to  support  themselves 
and  their  families  with  comfort,  have  been  drawn  from  the  service 
in  large  numbers.  The  salaries  offered  by  outside  concerns  and  the 
unusual  opportunities  in  farming  enterprises  have  been  so  alluring 
under  the  stress  of  circumstances  that  even  the  spirit  of  consecration 


64 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


and  institutional  attachment  have  not  been  strong  enough  to  hold 
many  members  of  the  several  teaching  faculties. 

In  several  States  maintenance  appropriations  were  increased  suffi¬ 
ciently  to  provide  for  a  general  advance  in  salaries,  but  in  many 
cases  such  increased  appropriations  were  barely  sufficient  to  take 
care  of  the  increased  expense  resulting  from  the  advance  in  the  cost 
of  supplies  and  equipment.  In  many  cases  serious  curtailment  in 
the  purchase  of  supplies  was  necessary  to  provide  for  the  increase 
of  salaries  of  individuals  whose  services  could  scarcely  have  been 
spared.  Twenty  colleges  out  of  35  reporting  made  general  advances 
in  salary  during  the  year.  Such  advances  range  from  10  to  30  per 
cent.  The  colleges  of  Colorado,  New  York,  South  Carolina,  and 
Tennessee  have  reported  30  per  cent  advances  for  full  professors 
and  proportionate  increases  for  teachers  of  lower  rank.  New  Mexico 
reports  an  average  advance  of  $200  and  Oklahoma  $400  for  teachers 
of  all  ranks.  Florida  and  Maine  report  a  flat  increase  of  $300  for 
full  professors  and  proportionate  increases  for  teachers  of  lower 
rank.  Wisconsin  reports  average  increases  of  from  15  to  27  per  cent, 
according  to  rank. 

New  buildings  and  equipment. — On  account  of  the  fact  that  only 
12  legislatures  held  sessions  during  the  period  covered  by  this  report, 
relatively  fewT  appropriations  have  been  made  for  new  buildings. 
In  a  number  of  cases  where  funds  are  available  for  this  purpose 
building  operations  have  been  postponed  on  account  of  the  high  cost 
of  labor  and  materials.  Several  colleges  report  that  hundreds  of 
students  have  been  turned  away  on  account  of  inadequate  laboratory, 
classroom,  or  dormitory  facilities.  Short  winter  courses  in  some 
institutions  have  been  abandoned  because  of  lack  of  dormitory 
facilities. 

The  institutions  have  suffered  also  on  account  of  inability  to  buy 
the  regular  amount  of  equipment  and  supplies,  owing  to  the  decreased 
purchasing  power  of  their  appropriations,  and,  as  noted  elsewhere, 
several  colleges  were  forced  to  use  funds  intended  for  this  purpose 
to  increase  the  salaries  of  certain  members  of  the  faculty  whose 
services  otherwise  would  have  been  lost. 

AGRICULTURE  IN  SECONDARY  SCHOOLS. 

Number  of  schools  teaching  agriculture. — The  development  of 
vocational  agriculture  in  the  secondary  schools  was  somewThat  ham¬ 
pered  during  the  war  on  account  of  the  shortage  of  qualified  teachers, 
but  the  past  year  has  been  marked  by  remarkable  progress  in  this 
direction.  The  total  number  of  public  secondary  schools  reported 
as  giving  vocational  work  in  agriculture  during  the  year  is  1,797. 
Of  this  number,  1,179  receive  aid  from  the  Federal  Government 


EDUCATIONAL  HYGIENE. 


65 


under  the  provisions  of  the  vocational  education  act.  This  shows  a 
gam  of  316  over  the  preceding  year,  when  863  schools  received  Fed¬ 
eral  aid.  Equally  striking  is  the  growth  in  the  enrollment  of  agri¬ 
cultural  students  in  these  schools.  The  enrollment  for  1919  was 
19,933,  compared  with  27,755  for  1920,  showing  a  gain  of  7,822. 

Part-time  schools  of  agriculture . — It  should  be  noted,  in  addition 
to  the  enrollment  of  all-day  students,  as  shown  above,  many  of  the 
schools  have  held  part-time  or  evening  classes.  Such  classes  were 
reported  in  139  centers  during  the  year.  These  classes  are  intended 
mainly  for  men  of  mature  j^ears  or  those  who  have  passed  school  age. 
Generally  they  are  held  at  night  and  extend  Qver  a  period  of  from 
6  to  12  weeks.  One  class  in  Georgia  was  composed  of  38  students, 
ranging  in  age  from  15  to  60.  Thirty  of  these  pupils  were  over 
21  years  of  age,  and  19  were  over  30  years  of  age.  This  class  met 
three  times  a  week  over  a  period  of  three  months.  The  instruction 
was  of  a  general  nature  and  included  supervised  practice  or  home- 
project  work,  mainly  in  corn  and  cotton  growing.  One  student  was 
a  woman  who  carried  on  a  vegetable  project. 

Improvement  of  teachers  in  service. — On  account  of  the  rapid 
development  of  this  work  it  has  been  necessary  to  employ  many 
teachers  whose  qualifications  have  not  been  up  to  standard.  To  make 
up  for  such  deficiencies  and  to  insure  professional  •  improvement 
among  teachers,  many  States  have  employed  one  or  more  itinerant 
teachers  whose  duties  consist  in  the  visitation  of  the  several  schools 
for  the  purpose  of  assisting  the  agricultural  instructors  and  strength¬ 
ening  their  teaching  ability.  Thirteen  States  report  that  at  least 
one  man  has  been  engaged  on  full  time  for  such  work,  and  two  report 
that  half  the  time  of  an  instructor  from  the  college  has  been  pro¬ 
vided  for.  In  other  States  the  agricultural  supervisors  devote  a 
good  deal  of  attention  to  professional  improvement  of  teachers. 

EDUCATIONAL  HYGIENE. 

In  the  summary  of  educational  hygiene  in  the  report  for  the  year 
1918-19  it  was  stated  that  “  in  no  former  year  has  so  much,  so  varied, 
and  so  far-reaching  work  been  done  in  the  field  of  educational 
hygiene.”  The  emotional  intensity  caused  by  the  war  was  at  full  tide, 
and  the  projects  thus  initiated  were  going  ahead  proportionately. 
During  the  year  just  ended  there  has  been  some  decrease  of  emotional 
intensity  and  evidence  of  a  wholesome  tendency  to  deal  in  a  con¬ 
structive  critical  way  with  new  plans  and  programs — the  field  of 
educational  hygiene.  On  the  other  hand  the  momentum  generated 
during  the  war  period  is  working  steadily  and  without  serious  abate¬ 
ment  both  in  long-established  channels  and  in  the  channels  newly 
14032°—  20 - 5  \ 


66 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


broken  out.  Gains  have  been  consolidated  and  fruitful  new  lines 
of  effort  have  been  extended. 

STATE  LEGISLATION. 

In  the  summary  of  last  year  it  was  shown  that  14  States  had 
enacted  special  laws  for  physical  education  since  1915.  By  revision 
of  the  school  code  two  other  States  had  made  some  provision  for 
physical  education  without  special  legislation.  The  volume  of  new 
legislation  in  the  past  year  has  been  small.  Only  11  State  legislatures 
were  in  regular  session.  Four  of  these  have  enacted  legislation  which 
more  or  less  effectively  initiates  State-wide  programs  of  physical 
education.  The  following  20  States  now  have  physical  education : 

(1)  Legislation  enacted  prior  to  1919:  Illinois,  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  California,  Delaware,  Rhode  Island,  Nevada,  Maryland. 

(2)  Legislation  in  1919:  Maine,  Oregon,  Washington,  Indiana, 
Utah,  Michigan,  Alabama,  Pennsylvania  (the  two  last  by  revision 
of  school  code). 

(3)  Legislation  in  1920:  Kentucky,  Mississippi,  Virginia,  Georgia. 

In  Virginia  the  legislation  is  backed  by  administrative  appropria¬ 
tions  of  $25,000  to  the  State  board  of  education  for  physical  educa¬ 
tion,  and  $25,000  to  the  State  board  of  health  for  child  welfare  and 
school  medical  inspection.  The  law  authorizes  local  public  au¬ 
thorities  to  appropriate  funds  for  the  health  examination  and  physi¬ 
cal  education  of  school  children  and  the  employment  of  school  nurses, 
physicians,  and  physical  directors.  Appointments  are  to  be  approved 
by  the  health  commissioner  and  the  State  superintendent  of  public 
instruction. 

The  laws  passed  in  the  other  three  States  follow  the  general  lines 
of  the  Virginia  law,  but  do  not  carry  the  same  degree  of  compulsion 
in  requiring  the  establishment  of  physical  education  by  local  school 
committees.  A  director  of  physical  education  has  been  appointed  in 
Kentucky.  It  is  probable  that  similar  appointment  will  be  made  in 
Mississippi  in  the  near  future.  The  Mississippi  law  does  not  become 
operative  until  Federal  funds  shall  be  made  available  for  the  assist¬ 
ance  of  the  'State  in  carrying  on  the  work. 

PENDING  FEDERAL  LEGISLATION. 

The  Smith-Towner  bill,  as  is  well  known,  includes  physical  edu¬ 
cation  as  one  of  the  five  major  objects  for  which  Federal  aid  shall 
be  extended  to  the  States. 

The  Fess-Capper  physical  education  bill  (H.  R.  12652;  S.  3950) 
was  introduced  into  Congress  February  20,  1920.  This  bill  is  the 
result  of  two  years’  work  on  the  part  of  the  National  Committee  on 
Physical  Education  and  of  the  successor  of  that  committee,  the 


EDUCATIONAL  HYGIENE. 


67 


National  Physical  Education  Service,  in  the  interest  of  Federal 
legislation.  Senator  Capper  in  introducing  the  bill  indicated  its 
purpose  as  follows: 

Physical  education  means  more  than  exercise.  It  includes  adequate  super¬ 
vision  of  the  health  and  physical  condition  of  the  children  and  practical  in¬ 
struction  in  the  principles  of  healthful  living.  Great  pains  have  been  taken 
in  the  preparation  of  the  bill  to  make  sure  that  State  autonomy  is  abundantly 
safeguarded.  Certain  minimum  requirements  must  be  met  by  the  States 
before  Federal  assistance  can  be  %iven.  States  must  appropriate  sums  equal 
to  the  amount  received  from  the  Federal  Government  and  each  State  must 
establish  physical  education  on  a  State-wide  basis. 

The  initial  appropriation  asked  for  is  $10,000,000.  Payments  to 
States  are  to  be  based  upon  the  principle  of  allotting  $1  per  child 
of  school  age  as  shown  by  the  decennial  census. 

The  action  of  the  Mississippi  Legislature,  noted  above,  in  delaying 
the  operation  of  its  physical  education  act  until  Federal  assistance 
shall  be  available  emphasizes  the  importance  of  the  Fess-Capper  bill. 

INTERDEPARTMENTAL  SOCIAL  HYGIENE  BOARD. 

The  initial  activities  of  this  recently  established  Federal  board  were 
described  in  the  report  of  last  year.  Through  its  educational  re¬ 
search  and  development  fund  this  board  is  making  a  very  important 
contribution  in  the  field  of  educational  hygiene.  Under  the  terms  of 
the  act  creating  the  Interdepartmental  Social  Hygiene  Board  this 
fund,  in  conforming  with  regulations  established  by  the  board,  is 
paid  to  universities  and  other  suitable  institutions  and  organizations 
“  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  and  developing  more  effective  edu¬ 
cational  measures  in  the  prevention  of  the  venereal  diseases.”  In  ful¬ 
fillment  of  this  purpose  the  board  has  assisted  selected  institutions 
to  establish  departments  of  hygiene  which  shall  coordinate  and  in¬ 
tegrate  in  one  department  or  service  the  teaching  of  informational 
hygiene,  individual  health  examination,  consultation,  and  confer¬ 
ence;  the  physical  training  activities;  the  emergency  care  of  stu¬ 
dents  in  clinic  and  infirmary ;  the  sanitary  supervision  of  the  various 
parts  of  the  institutions;  and  the  development  of  a  hygiene  con¬ 
sciousness  in  the  institution  as  a  whole. 

Instruction  relative  to  the  venereal  diseases  must  be  integrated — 
not  submerged — in  the  composite  program  of  hygiene,  “  emphasizing 
with  appropriate  and  due  proportion  and  with  proper  tact  and 
persistency  the  serious  importance  of  the  venereal  diseases,  their 
causes,  carriers,  and  prevention.” 

During  the  past  year  28  normal  schools,  colleges,  and  universities 
havb  cooperated  in  this  way  with  the  Interdepartmental  Social 
Hygiene  Board.  Up  to  July  1,  1920,  the  appropriations  had  been 
made  to  12  other  institutions  to  assist  them  in  establishing  such  de- 


68 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


partments.  This  total  of  40  includes  16  exclusively  for  training  of 
teaching  (normal  schools  or  colleges  for  teachers),  15  State  univer¬ 
sities,  8  endowed  colleges  or  universities,  and  1  medical  school. 

The  following  statement  of  the  results  of  the  first  year’s  work  in 
one  of  the  cooperating  schools  is  typical : 

We  feel  that  the  net  result  of  the  year’s  work  has  been  to — 

1.  Improve  materially  the  health,  both  mental  and  physical,  of  a  goodly 
number  of  students. 

2.  To  stimulate  an  intelligent  interest  in  health  knowledge. 

3.  To  convince  a  large  number  of  them  that  systematic  exercise  is  a  sine 
qua  non  of  good  health. 

4.  To  establish  among  them,  or  at  least  to  have  made  beginnings  toward  the 
establishment,  of  an  honest,  wholesome  attitude  toward  the  question  of  sex 
and  an  intelligent  appreciation  of  the  venereal  disease  problem. 

SEX  EDUCATION. 

The  joint  activities  of  the  Public  Health  Service  and  the  Bureau  of 
Education  in  the  interest  of  appropriate  sex  instruction  in  the  high 
school  has  continued  along  the  lines  reported  last  year.  State  and 
regional  conferences  and  sex  education  in  high  schools  have  been 
organized.  Information  has  been  secured  by  questionnaires  answered 
by  more  than  6,000  high  schools  as  to  the  need  of  sex  instruction  in 
the  high  school,  the  extent  of  such  teaching  at  present,  and  the  mat¬ 
ter  and  method  of  such  instruction.  A  pamphlet  is  in  preparation 
which  will  embod}7  not  only  the  results  of  this  study  but  also  the 
results  of  the  work  of  a  special  committee  formed  in  the  spring  of 
1919  to  prepare  a  manual  on  sex  instruction  in  the  high  school. 

PROGRESS  OF  HEALTH  EDUCATION. 

In  the  spring  of  1920  the  Bureau  of  Education  sent  a  questionnaire 
to  about  10  per  cent  of  the  schools  of  the  country  to  ascertain  the  ex¬ 
tent  of  health  education  throughout  the  country  and  particularly  to 
what  extent  the  plan  of  health  education  started  by  the  bureau  a 
year  before  was  used. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  received  4,016  answers  to  questionnaires. 
Forty-eight  per  cent  of  the  schools  showed  health  teaching  of  some 
sort.  Thirty-two  per  cent  used  classroom  instruction  of  one  kind  or 
another  and  textbooks  and  sent  up  clamorous  calls  for  more  and 
better  material.  Nineteen  per  cent  weigh  and  measure  the  children 
according  to  the  plan  suggested  by  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

A  few,  of  course,  struggle  against  cruel  handicaps,  especially  in 
rural  localities  and  where  the  curriculum  is  crowded,  but  the  ma¬ 
jority  of  educators  seem  anxious  and  ready  to  devise  ways  and 
means  of  procuring  life  more  abundant  for  the  American  school 
child,  and  making  it  part  of  their  manifold  duties  to  see  that  he 
knows  how  to  live  a  healthy  and  a  happy  life. 


EDUCATIONAL  HYGIENE. 


69 


A  relatively  small  percentage  of  these  schools,  1.9  per  cent,  re¬ 
ported  medical  inspection,  and  se\7enty-two  hundredths  of  1  per 
cent  have  nutritional  clinics  and  feedings. 

Comment  on  the  situation  received  through  the  questionnaire  has 
been  sometimes  discouraging  or  unenlightened,  but  the  general  spirit 
is  one  of  quick  cooperation,  and  often  original  methods  of  health 
education  have  come  to  light. 

The  section  of  the  country  quickest  to  adopt  modem  health  edu¬ 
cation  in  the  schools  has  been,  according  to  these  reports,  the  West. 
Utah  stands  out  bravely  at  the  head  of  the  list,  with  72  per  cent  of 
her  schools  doing  weighing.  Iowa  comes  next  with  54  per  cent  of 
the  schools  using  the  height  and  weight  standard  for  child  health. 
Minnesota  is  third  with  31  per  cent  of  her  schools  weighing  the 
children.  And  so  the  States  come  up  with  a  will  out  of  their  welter 
of  ignorance  and  irresponsibility  toward  physical  young  America. 

VOLUNTARY  ORGANIZATIONS. 

Brief  summaries  of  some  of  the  more  important  activities  of  vol¬ 
untary  organization  in  the  field  of  educational  hygiene  are  shown. 

(1)  National  Physical  Education  Service. — The  National  Physical 
Education  Service  was  established  about  two  years  ago  by  the  Play¬ 
ground  and  Recreation  Association  of  America.  The  creation  of 
this  new  service  resulted  from  a  request  by  the  National  Committee 
on  Physical  Education  formed  in  the  spring  of  1918.  The  National 
Physical  Education  Service  is  actively  engaged  in  promotion  of 
State  and  Federal  legislation  for  physical  education.  It  has  con¬ 
tributed  largely  to  the  success  of  the  State  campaigns  for  physical 
education  legislation,  and  is  directing  the  movement  for  Federal 
legislation. 

(2)  The  Child  Health  Organization  of  America. — This  organiza¬ 
tion  continued  its  work  along  the  lines  indicated  in  our  1918-19 
annual  report.  Their  general  health  program  stresses  five  particu¬ 
lar  points:  (1)  A  scale  in  every  school;  (2)  time  allowed  in  every 
school  day  for  the  teaching  of  health  habits;  (3)  a  hot  school  lunch 
available  for  every  child;  (4)  teachers  trained  in  normal  schools  to 
teach  health  habits;  (5)  every  child’s  weight  record  sent  home  on 
the  monthly  report  card. 

They  have  published  an  attractive  child  health  alphabet,  a  health 
reader,  and  other  literature  on  health  education. 

Cho-Cho,  the  health  clown,  has  traveled  froni  coast  to  coast  demon¬ 
strating  the  value  of  teaching  health  through  fun  and  make-believe. 
The  picture  man,  a  clever  cartoonist,  and  a  health  fairy  are  also  sent 
out  by  this  organization  and  have  met  with  great  success. 

A  special  conference  of  well-known  educators  was  called  by  the 
child-health  organization  last  December  to  suggest  a  program  of 


70 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


child  health  adapted  to  the  work  of  the  elementary  grades  and  high 
schools.  As  a  result  of  this  conference  a  bulletin  entitled  “  Further 
Steps  in  Teaching  Health  ”  was  prepared  for  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  and  printed  on  the  Government  presses. 

In  order  to  create  a  wider  interest  and  secure  from  a  large  circle 
suggestions  for  a  modern  health  syllabus  to  meet  the  needs  for  health 
teaching  in  all  grades,  a  $1,000  fellowship,  including  one  year’s  study 
in  modern  health  work  at  Columbia  University,  was  offered  for  the 
best  graded  plan  on  modern  health  teaching.  The  results  of  this 
contest  will  be  made  available  in  a  short  time  for  the  use  of  superin¬ 
tendents  of  State  and  city  schools. 

(3)  Modern  Health  Crusade. — Reports  from  over  the  country  indi¬ 
cate  no  less  than  6,000,000  enlistments  of  children  as  Modern  Health 
Crusaders  through  the  performance  of  the  health  chores. 

During  1919-20  the  Modern  Health  Crusade  was  adopted  on 
a  State-wide  basis  as  obligatory  or  authorized  curriculum  work 
throughout  Maine,  Alabama,  Tennessee,  Indiana,  Wyoming,  Idaho, 
and  Utah.  The  crusade  has  been  officially  adopted  also  in  the  Dis¬ 
trict  of  Columbia,  in  Alaska,  and  in  hundreds  of  cities  and  counties 
outside  of  the  seven  States. 

Under  the  policy  of  a  progressive  program  the  Order  of  the  Round 
Table  has  been  re-created  for  Modern  Health  Crusaders  after  a  plan 
worked  out  by  the  National  Tuberculosis  Association  in  consultation 
with  other  national  organizations  engaged  in  child-health  work.  The 
new  order  is  designed  to  stimulate  interest  in  physical  and  athletic 
fitness.  The  boy  or  girl  to,  be  admitted  to  the  Round  Table  earns 
points  by  demonstrating  athletic  ability ;  by  passing  weight,  posture, 
and  physical  examinations ;  and  by  obtaining  a  high  grade  in  health 
studies.  The  standards  are  those  set  by  the  Child  Health  Organiza¬ 
tion,  the  Playground  and  Recreation  Association  of  America,  the 
American  Posture  League,  the  First  Aid  Division  of  the  American 
Red  Cross,  the  Boy  Scouts  of  America,  the  Girl  Scouts,  and  the 
Camp  Fire  Girls. 

The  National  Tuberculosis  Association  desires  to  make  the  move¬ 
ment  a  means  of  bringing  to  the  schools  improved  methods  of  health 
instruction.  Correlation  of  crusade  work  with  such  studies  as  Eng¬ 
lish  composition,  history,  arithmetic,  and  civics,  as  well  as  with 
hygiene,  has  been  readily  carried  out. 

The  Record  of  Health  Chores  is  now  published  in  primary,  stand¬ 
ard  (intermediate),  and  senior  editions,  corresponding  to  grades 
1  to  3,  4  to  6,  7  or  8,  and  to  the  higher  grades.  With  the  three 
editions  of  chores  as  foundation,  schools  may  at  their  discretion  add 
features  of  the  program  set  forth  in  the  crusade  manual,  thus  afford¬ 
ing  a  further  progression  through  the  grades.  The  manual,  a  32- 


CIVIC  EDUCATION. 


71 


page  booklet,  may  be  obtained  from  the  National  Tuberculosis  Asso¬ 
ciation,  381  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York. 

(4)  Committee  on  Health  Problems  in  Education  of  the  National 
Council  of  Education . — The  committee  reports  completion  of  its 
study  and  report  upon  health  improvement  in  the  rural  schools. 
It  also  reports  that  a  study  of  standards  of  health  norms  and  health 
defects  of  school  children  is  being  conducted.  A  report  on  this 
practical  and  important  matter,  supported  by  our  joint  health  com¬ 
mittee,  promises  to  add  greatly  through  improved  uniformity  of  find¬ 
ings  and  methods  to  the  practical  health  work  for  the  school  children 
of  the  entire  country. 


CIVIC  EDUCATION. 

The  interest  in  civic  education  stimulated  by  war  conditions  has 
persisted  since  the  armistice  and  has  resulted  in  widespread  efforts 
to  make  training  for  citizenship  both  universal  and  effective. 

State  after  State  has  enacted  legislation  relating  to  the  subject. 
The  school  laws  of  some  of  the  States  have  for  years  required  the 
schools  to  give  instruction  in  “  patriotism,”  or  “  citizenship,”  and  to 
include  civics  and  American  history  in  the  course  of  study.  Since 
the  war  began,  however,  a  majority  of  the  States  have  enacted  legis¬ 
lation  for  the  Americanization  of  our  foreign  population.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  this,  at  least  a  third  of  the  States  have,  in  this  period,  enacted 
laws  expressly  or  by  implication  calling  for  more  emphasis  upon  civic 
training  in  the  schools.  Some  of  these  laws  are  very  explicit,  re¬ 
quiring  continuous  civic  training  throughout  the  elementary  and 
secondary  grades  and,  in  a  few  cases,  as  in  New  Jersey,  specifying 
such  recently  developed  subjects  as  “  Community  Civics  ”  and  “  Prob¬ 
lems  of  Democracy  ”  for  the  high-school  years. 

Appropriate  administrative  action  on  the  part  of  State  depart¬ 
ments  of  education  has  followed  in  many  cases  to  give  effect  to  the 
new  laws.  In  other  cases  such  action  has  been  taken  without  special 
legislative  authorization.  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  New  York, 
Iowa,  and  Utah  are  examples  of  States  that  are  thoroughly  revising 
their  courses  of  study  with  civic  training  as  a  conspicuous  objective. 
Pennsylvania  has  created  a  special  State  supervisor  of  civic  education, 
and  a  number  of  States  have  directors  of  the  work  as  it  applies  to 
the  foreign  population. 

State  action,  however,  represents  only  a  small  part  of  the  effort 
in  this  field.  A  constantly  increasing  number  of  local  school  systems 
are  recasting  and  vitalizing  their  courses  of  civic  training.  Among 
the  significant  tendencies  of  this  reconstruction  are:  (1)  Provision 
for  continuous  civic  training  through  all  the  years  of  school  life; 
(2)  the  organization  of  civic  training  and  instruction,  especially  in 


72 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


the  elementary  grades,  around  the  normal  interests  and  activities  of 
the  children  themselves;  and  (3)  the  reorganization  of  the  social 
studies  in  the  secondary  school  period,  including  history,  with  a 
view  to  their  more  direct  application  to  the  interpretation  of  present- 
day  problems. 

The  emergencies  of  the  war  opened  the  doors  of  the  schools  to  a 
wide  variety  of  activities,  initiated  for  the  most  part  by  agencies 
outside  of  the  schools.  An  astonishing  capacity  on  the  part  of 
Young  America  for  service  that  counts  in  time  of  national  need  was 
disclosed.  Since  the  close  of  the  war,  the  schools  have  properly 
sought  to  resume  their  normal  educational  function.  But  the  ex¬ 
perience  of  the  war  period  has  left  the  conviction  with  many  school 
authorities  that  the  normal  educational  function  of  the  schools  can 
be  more  effectively  performed  and  their  work  greatly  enriched  by 
utilizing,  with  wise  discretion,  many  of  the  activities  begun  during 
the  war.  A  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  National  Education  Asso¬ 
ciation  at  its  meeting  in  July,  1920,  recognizing  the  educational  value, 
and  especially  the  civic  educational  value,  of  the  programs  of  activity 
and  of  service  introduced  into  the  schools  through  the  medium  of 
outside  agencies,  and  urging  the  schools  of  the  country  to  utilize 
these  programs  to  the  fullest  extent  possible. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  has  issued  this  year  a  Teacher’s  Leaflet 
(No.  8)  under  the  title  of  44  Civic  Training  Through  Service.”  This 
leaflet  is  descriptive  of  the  program  of  the  Junior  Red  Cross,  whose 
peace-time  slogan  furnishes  the  title  for  the  leaflet,  is  explanatory  of 
methods  by  which  this  program  may  be  utilized  by  the  schools,  and 
is  typical  of  the  movement  referred  to  in  the  preceding  paragraph. 
The  significant  thing,  however,  is  the  favorable  response  that  this 
leaflet  has  evoked  from  the  schools,  and  the  commendation  it  has 
received  in  this  country  and  abroad  from  those  who  see  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  sound  civic  training  as  a  factor  in  world  reconstruction. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  has  also  published,  with  the  cooperation 
of  the  Junior  Red  Cross,  a  series  of  44  Lessons  in  Civics  for  the  Six 
Elementary  Grades  of  City  Schools,”  for  which  there  is  already  a 
large  demand  indicative  of  the  prevalent  interest  in  the  subject. 

The  new  interest  manifested  in  civic  education  is  by  no  means  con¬ 
fined  to  the  schools  and  to  such  civic  organizations  as  the  Red  Cross, 
the  National  Security  League,  the  Boy  Scouts,  and  others.  The 
activity  of  the  Greater  Terre  Haute  (Ind.)  Club  is  typical  of  the 
interest  of  similar  organizations  in  many  cities.  This  club  is  urging 
a  course  of  instruction  in  civics  for  the  schools,  homes,  offices,  and 
workshops  of  its  city.  It  sent  out  a  letter  of  inquiry  to  100  repre¬ 
sentative  cities  to  ascertain  what  other  cities  are  doing  in  the  same 
direction.  A  summary  of  the  replies  received  from  60  cities  was  pub¬ 
lished  in  School  Life,  September  1,  1920.  These  replies  indicate 


EDUCATIONAL  LEGISLATION.  73 

widespread  interest,  though  they  give  a  very  inadequate  idea  of  the 
actual  achievement  in  some  of  the  cities  mentioned. 

The  new  interest  in  civic  education  is  not  attributable  to  the  war  sit¬ 
uation  entirely.  One  of  the  most  potent  influences  for  civic  training  is 
the  acquisition  of  the  suffrage  by  women.  The  women  of  the  country 
are  conducting  a  vigorous  compaign,  not  only  for  their  own  educa¬ 
tion  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  exercise  of  the  suffrage,  but  also  for 
the  extension  of  civic  education  to  all  through  the  medium  of  the 
schools  and  other  agencies. 

EDUCATIONAL  LEGISLATION. 

With  the  exception  of  several  special  sessions  heid  for  the  most 
part  to  consider  the  woman-suffrage  amendment  to  the  Federal  Con¬ 
stitution,  the  number  of  legislatures  in  session  in  1920  was  the  small 
number  usual  in  even-numbered  years.  Aside  from  the  six  States 
whose  legislative  bodies  meet  annually,  there  were  only  five,  Ken¬ 
tucky,  Louisiana,  Maryland,  Mississippi,  and  Virginia,  which  held 
regular  sessions  in  1920.  Including  the  enactments  in  States  whose 
legislatures  met  in  special  session,  the  mass  of  school  laws  enacted 
this  year  was  comparatively  small. 

There  has  been  enough  legislation,  however,  to  disclose  the  usual 
tendencies  and  also  any  trend  toward  new  policies  and  undertak¬ 
ings.  The  work  of  a  single  legislative  session  will  usually  serve  to 
show  a  measure  of  progress  and  something  of  what  the  friends  of  the 
schools  are  attempting  in  the  way  of  improvement. 

As  the  reader  within  the  past  two  or  three  years  has  read  princi¬ 
pally  of  teachers’  pay,  a  better  system  of  school  support,  health 
education,  “Americanization,”  and,  in  general,  of  a  cry  for  more  and 
better  education  in  every  respect,  so  these  phases  of  education  which 
have  been  foremost  in  public  print  and  in  the  minds  of  the  people 
have  proved  the  principal  subjects  of  legislation.  Laws  affecting 
teachers’  salaries  and  the  training  of  teachers,  increased  State  appro¬ 
priations  for  schools  and  revisions  of  tax  limitations,  provisions  for 
physical  training  and  other  health  education,  requirements  of  school 
attendance  through  longer  terms  and  longer  periods  of  child  life, 
efforts  toward  the  enhancement  of  vocational  efficiency,  measures 
designed  to  promote  “Americanization  ”  and  a  stronger  sense  of  civic 
responsibility — these  and  like  measures  constitute  the  main  body 
of  school  laws  going  into  present-day  statute  books. 

TEACHERS7  SALARIES. 

Several  States  in  1920  showed  their  appreciation  of  the  importance 
of  adequate  pay  rates  for  teachers.  While  other  excellent  laws  in 
this  field  were  enacted  within  the  last  year,  that  of  New  York  prob- 


74 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


ably  deserves  first  rank,  since  it  carries  a  large  increase  of  State  par¬ 
ticipation  in  school  support  and  embodies  an  elaborate  salary 
schedule  for  all  the  elementary  and  high-school  teachers  of  the  State. 
The  act  as  passed  makes  a  State  appropriation  of  $20,550,000  for  the 
purpose  of  increasing  salaries.  The  following  is  quoted  from  a 
summary  prepared  by  Frank  B.  Gilbert  and  published  in  a  recent 
bulletin  of  the  New  York  State  education  department: 

The  salary  of  each  teacher  employed  in  a  common  school  district  under  the 
provisions  of  this  act  shall  not  be  less  than  at  the  rate  of  $800  for  a  term  of  40 
weelss.  This  means  at  least  $20  a  week,  and  is  effective  for  the  school  year  be¬ 
ginning  August  1,  1920. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  district  and  regular  teachers’  quotas,  the  quota 
under  this  act  to  a  district  employing  more  than  one  teacher  is  $250  for  each 
full-time  teacher.  Districts  employing  but  one  teacher  and  having  an  assessed 
valuation  of  over  $100,000  will  receive  a  quota  of  $200.  Districts  employing 
but  one  teacher  and  having  an  assessed  valuation  of  $100,000  or  less  shall  re¬ 
ceive  a  quota  of  $200  and  in  addition  $2  for  each  entire  $1,000  that  the  assessed 
valuation  is  less  than  $100,000. 

Where  teachers  are  employed  for  a  school  year  of  less  than  40  weeks,  the 
quotas  will  be  reduced  proportionately. 

In  union  free  school  districts  of  over  4,500  population  having  a  superintendent 
of  schools  the  minimum  salary  for  elementary  teachers  is  $1,000  and  for  high- 
school  teachers  is  $1,150.  The  number  of  increments  in  each  case  must  be  not 
less  than  eight.  The  quota  under  the  new  bill  is  $350  a  teacher,  which  is  in 
addition  to  the  regular  district  and  regular  teachers’  quotas. 

In  union  free  school  districts  of  less  than  4,500  population  maintaining  an 
approved  academic  department,  the  minimum-  salary  for  elementary  teachers  is 
$800  and  for  high-school  teachers  $900.  The  number  of  increments  in  each  case 
must  be  not  less  than  eight.  The  quota  is  $300  a  teacher. 

In  districts  not  maintaining  an  academic  department  the  salary  must  be  at 
least  $800  for  the  school  year  of  40  weeks.  The  quota  is  $250  a  teacher,  if  em¬ 
ploying  more  than  one  teacher. 

All  union  free  school  districts  maintaining  academic  departments  must  file 
schedules  of  salaries  effective  August  1,  1920,  which  shall  be  not  less  than  those 
prescribed  in  the  bill.  Quotas  will  not  be  apportioned  unless  such  schedules  are 
filed  with  the  department. 

It  must  appear  that  each  teacher  who  has  been  retained  in  the  school  since 
the  school  year  1918-1919  is  being  paid  for  the  school  year  beginning  August  1, 
1920,  at  least  the  amount  of  the  quota  apportioned  under  this  law  on  account 
of  such  teacher  in  excess  of  the  salary  paid  under  the  schedule  or  contract  in 
effect  March  1,  1919. 

Where  new  positions  are  created  and  additional  teachers  employed  they  must 
be  paid  according  to  the  schedules  adopted  and  filed. 

Other  provisions  of  the  law  relate  to  quotas  for  cities  and  are  simi¬ 
lar  to  those  for  common  school  districts  and  union  free  school  dis¬ 
tricts,  except  that  higher  minimum  salaries  are  specified,  and  quotas 
are  larger. 

The  minimum  salary  law  of  Indiana,  which  bases  minimum  rates 
of  pay  on  the  grade  made  by  the  teacher  at  examination  and  on  suc¬ 
cessful  experience  in  teaching,  was  amended  at  a  special  session  of 


EDUCATIONAL  LEGISLATION. 


75 


the  legislature  in  1920.  The  effect  of  the  amendment  is  to  raise  the 
minimum  for  each  of  the  classes  defined.  For  beginners,  the  pay 
hereafter  must  be  at  least  equal  to  the  amount  obtained  by  multiply¬ 
ing  4^  cents  by  the  general  average  made  by  the  teacher  on  his  ex¬ 
amination  for  a  certificate.  For  those  with  successful  experience, 
additional  amounts  are  provided  in  proportion  to  the  years  of  service, 
and  2  per  cent  is  added  to  the  teacher’s  average  grade  for  attendance 
upon  the  county  institute.  Teachers  exempted  from  examination 
will  under  this  act  receive  not  less  than  6|  cents  multiplied  by  their 
respective  general  averages.  No  salary  of  any  teacher  in  the  common 
schools  will  be  less  than  $800  in  any  year.  In  commenting  on  the 
new  rates  of  pay,  State  Supt.  L.  N.  Hines  notes  the  increasing  dispo¬ 
sition  on  the.  part  of  the  people  to  appreciate  at  its  true  value  the 
work  of  the  teacher. 

In  Mississippi,  the  legislature  of  1920  enacted  legislation  designed 
to  provide  equal  terms  for  all  the  common  schools  in  so  far  as  the 
State  funds  go.  Under  this  equalization  plan  State  aid  to  the  com¬ 
mon  schools  has  been  increased  all  the  way  from  5  per  cent  to  200 
or  300  per  cent  in  the  various  counties.  State  Superintendent  W.  F. 
Bond  now  claims  for  Mississippi  the  distinction  of  leading  all  the 
other  Southern  States  in  the  matter  of  teachers’  salaries. 

A  Kentucky  act  of  1920  fixes  a  minimum  salary  of  $75  per  month 
for  all  public-school  teachers.  This  is  more  than  double  the  minimum 
heretofore  paid  in  some  of  the  counties.  Maryland  also  provided 
increases  for  teachers,  and  New  Jersey  raised  the  pay  of  helping 
teachers  in  the  counties  and  instructors  in  the  normal  schools. 
At  a  special  session  of  the  Texas  Legislature,  an  appropriation  of 
$4,000,000  was  made  to  increase  teachers’  salaries. 

PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SUPPORT. 

__  A  subject  vitally  related  to  teachers’  salaries  is  the  more  general 
subject,  public  school  support,  for  salaries  can  be  raised  only  when 
more  funds  are  provided.  Reference  has  been  made  already  to  the 
State  appropriation  of  more  than  $20,000,000  in  New  York  and  to 
the  enlarged  amount  of  State  aid  in  Mississippi.  Several  States  this 
year  proposed  to  increase  their  school  funds  by  means  of  amend¬ 
ments  to  their  constitutions.  In  Georgia  it  is  proposed  by  an  amend¬ 
ment  to  remove  the  restriction  on  taxation  for  high  schools,  The 
present  constitutional  provision  auhorizes  “  taxation  over  the  whole 
State  ”  for  “  educational  purposes  in  instructing  children  in  the 
elementary  branches  of  an  English  education  only.”  The  proposed 
amendment  would  remove  this  restriction  of  the  applicability  of 
school  funds  to  the  elementary  grades. 

The  Louisiana  Legislature  of  1920  proposed  two  educational 
amendments  to  the  Constitution  of  that  State.  One  of  these  (Act 


76 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


No.  51)  raises  the  limit  of  special  maintenance  taxes  which  may  be 
voted  by  a  parish  (county)  or  a  school  district  from  5  mills  to  8 
mills,  and  fixes  the  school  funds  in  New  Orleans  at  7  mills  on  the 
parish  assessment.  The  other  proposed  amendment  would  provide 
an  additional  State  school  tax  of  1  mill  on  the  dollar.  A  proposed 
amendment  in  Virginia  would  remove  the  constitutional  limitation 
on  local  taxation  for  school  purposes  and  leave  to  the  legislature  the 
matter  of  fixing  such  tax  limits.  Virginia  also  increased  the  State 
appropriation  for  schools  by  more  than  $1,000,000.  A  constitutional 
change  proposed  by  the  Kentucky  Legislature  provides  that  10  per 
cent  of  the  State  school  fund  be  distributed  to  counties  and  cities 
otherwise  than  on  a  per  capita  basis.  The  purpose  of  this  proposal 
is  to  create  a  fund  with  which  effort  may  be  stimulated  and  oppor¬ 
tunity  equalized  in  the  several  counties. 

The  South  Carolina  Legislature  changed  the  law  of  that  State 
both  as  to  State  contribution  to  school  support  and  in  relation  to 
local  taxation.  The  annual  State  appropriation  for  the  schools  was 
increased  more  than  $200,000,  and  a  new  maximum  district  tax  limit 
of  15  mills  for  the  maintenance  of  the  common  schools  was  fixed. 
The  legislature  also  adopted  a  resolution  providing  for  a  joint  com¬ 
mittee  to  study  the  tax  system  of  the  State.  The  Legislature  of 
Rhode  Island  made  a  similar  provision.  It  provided  for  a  commis¬ 
sion  to  make  a  survey  of  school  finance,  both  revenues  and  expendi¬ 
tures,  and  to  report  in  1921.  Some  other  States,  as,  for  example, 
Georgia  and  Kentucky,  provided  for  higher  rates  of  local  taxation. 

School-support  conditions  in  this  country,  in  general,  remain  about 
as  in  other  years,  particularly  since  the  advent  of  high  prices.  The 
need  is  for  more  school  funds,  and  the  tendency  is  to  provide  them. 
Another  tendency  is,  as  heretofore  noted  in  publications  of  the  Bu¬ 
reau  of  Education,  toward  increased  participation  by  the  larger 
units,  State  and  county,  in  the  support  of  the  schools.  As  the  people 
many  years  ago  progressed  from  the  idea  of  individual  parental 
effort  to  the  broader  conception  of  community  cooperation  in  the 
provision  of  education  for  the  child,  so  in  more  recent  years  they 
would  appear  to  be  progressing  to  the  still  broader  view  that  the 
State  itself  should  be  the  principal  agency  in  school-fund  provision. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION. 

As  the  European  war  made  clear  the  need  of  more  and  better  edu¬ 
cation  on  the  mental  side,  so  the  want  of  adequate  physical  fitness 
in  our  young  manhood  was  revealed  by  the  same  agency;  and  in 
consequence  schools  are  now  to  take  up  more  vigorously  the  task  of 
promoting  proper  physical  functioning.  In  1919  seven  States — 
Indiana,  Maine,  Michigan,  Oregon,  Pennsylvania,  Utah,  and  Wash- 


EDUCATION  AX,  XEGISXATION. 


77 


ington — passed  laws  designed  to  provide  more  definite  programs  of 
physical  training  in  the  schools,  and  in  1920  Georgia,  Kentucky, 
Mississippi,  and  Virginia  adopted  similar  measures. 

The  Georgia  act  requires  physical  education  in  all  normal  and 
public  schools.  The  amount  of  such  training  must  be  at  least  one- 
half  hour  each  school  day.  The  Kentucky  act  provides  for  physical 
education  as  a  part  of  the  school  course  in  all  of  the  schools  of  the 
State.  It  requires  the  State  university  and  normal  schools  to  give 
courses  in  physical  education,  and  after  July  1,  1921,  all  graduates 
of  teacher-training  departments  in  these  institutions  must  have  com¬ 
pleted  one  or  more  of  the  required  courses. 

The  physical  education  bill  which  was  passed  by  the  Legislature 
of  Mississippi  carries  a  provision  that  makes  it  inoperative  till  Fed¬ 
eral  legislation  is  enacted  on  the  subject. 

Physical  training  and  the  medical  inspection  of  school  children  are 
provided  for  in  the  Virginia  statute.  Under  its  provisions  the  State 
board  of  education  is  to  emphasize  the  need  of  physical  fitness,  em¬ 
ploy  a  State  director  for  the  work,  and  cooperate  with  the  several 
school  divisions  in  carrying  out  a  well-ordered  plan  of  training. 

COMPULSORY  ATTENDANCE. 

No  field  in  education,  with  the  possible  exception  of  school  reve¬ 
nues,  has  in  recent  years  been  more  prolific  of  progress  as  regards 
legislative  provisions  than  has  compulsory  school  attendance. 
Within  the  past  decade  the  seven  States  which  had  previously  en¬ 
acted  no  laws  on  the  subject  all  enacted  initial  requirements,  and 
they  and  various  other  States  have  by  this  time  made  their  laws 
stronger  and  extended  their  application.  The  last  of  the  States  to 
make  the  initial  requirement  was  Mississippi,  whose  first  attendance 
law  was  passed  in  1918.  This  law,  however,  was  of  the  local-option 
type  and  was  otherwise  inadequate.  An  act  of  1920  displaces  the 
older  law  and  puts  more  effective  provisions  in  force.  It  is  State¬ 
wide  in  application  and  requires  all  children  between  the  ages  of  7 
and  14  years,  inclusive,  to  attend  school  four  months  in  each  school 
year. 

A  Kentucky  act  of  the  current  year  provides  for  the  appointment 
of  attendance  officers  and  makes  attendance  compulsory  up  to  the  age 
of  16,  unless  the  youth  has  completed  the  work  of  the  eighth  grade 
cf  the  elementary  schools.  Exemption  is  made  of  certain  lawfully 
employed  minors  between  the  ages  of  14  and  16. 

In  the  matter  of  compulsory  attendance,  an  anomalous  condition 
obtains  in  Virginia,  for  a  constitutional  provision,  designed,  no 
doubt,  to  promote  legislation  on  the  subject,  has  in  recent  years  had 
a  prohibitive  effect  upon  any  proposal  to  require  children  over  12 


78 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


years  of  age  to  attend  school.  This  provision  is  section  138  of  the 
constitution  of  1902,  and  authorizes  the  legislature,  in  its  discretion, 
to  “  provide  for  the  compulsory  education  of  children  between  the 
ages  of  8  and  12  years.”  The  legislature  of  1920  proposed  an  amend¬ 
ment  designed  to  remove  this  limitation. 

AMERICANIZATION. 

Strictly  speaking,  this  term  should  apply  to  the  process  of  Ameri¬ 
canizing  aliens,  or  foreigners,  who  come  to  our  country  to  live.  But 
this  restriction  of  the  word  has  met  with  some  objection,  and,  be¬ 
sides,  there  are  not  a  few  people  of  American  birth  and  residence  in 
whom  sufficient  intelligence  and  a  proper  sense  of  civic  responsi¬ 
bility  have  not  been  developed,  hence  the  word  tends  toward  a  wider 
significance  than  merely  “  Americanizing  ”  the  foreign  born.  This 
tendency  may  be  seen,  for  example,  in  several  bills  now  before  Con¬ 
gress  in  which  the  instruction  of  immigrants  and  the  elimination  of 
illiteracy  among  the  native  population  are  linked  together.  “  Ameri¬ 
canization  ”  will  accordingly  be  used  here  for  those  legislative  meas¬ 
ures  which  in  effect  will  promote  a  more  vigorous  and  intelligent 
sense  of  civic  respsonsibility,  a  closer  identification  of  the  individual 
with  American  interests  and  aims.  Several  laws  of  this  class  were 
enacted  in  1920. 

A  New  Jersey  act  (ch.  197)  authorizes  the  board  of  education  of 
any  school  district  to  establish  and  maintain  a  class  or  classes  for 
the  instruction  of  foreign-born  residents  over  14  years  of  age.  This 
instruction  is  to  embrace  the  English  language,  the  form  of  our  Gov¬ 
ernment,  and  the  laws  of  New  Jersey  and  the  United  States.  The 
State  commissioner  of  education  is  to  have  general  supervision  and 
direction  of  the  work,  and  teachers  of  the  classes  are  to  receive  ap¬ 
portionment  of  State  and  county  funds. 

Rhode  Island  acts  of  1920  require  attendance  officers  to  enforce  the 
Americanization  law  of  1919,  and  increase  the  State  appropriation 
for  Americanization  work.  In  Massachusetts,  under  an  act  of  1920, 
American  history  and  civics  must  be  taught  in  all  public  elementary 
and  high  schools.  The  aim  of  this  law  is  better  fitting  for  the  duties 
of  citizenship. 

A  Georgia  act  of  1920  legalizes  the  expenditure  of  county  school 
funds  for  training  illiterates,  and  in  Mississippi  a  biehnial  appro¬ 
priation  of  $25,000  is  made  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  “  indus¬ 
trial  education,  sanitation,  and  good  citizenship  ”  among  the 
Negroes.  An  extension  agent  operating  from  Alcorn  College  (col¬ 
ored)  is  provided  for  this  purpose. 

While  not  strictly  coming  under  the  head  “Americanization,”  laws 
of  Maryland  and  Mississippi  may  be  mentioned  here  as  being 
“  patriotic  ”  in  aim.  The  former  State  now  requires  the  “  Star 


EDUCATIONAL  LEGISLATION. 


79 


Spangled  Banner”  to  be  sung  in  certain  schools  each  day,  and  the 
latter  requires  that  the  United  States  flag  be  displayed  at  public 
school  houses  during  school  hours. 

SCHOOL  ORGANIZATION. 

The' machinery  of  school  administration,  State,  county,  and  dis¬ 
trict,  is  a  constant  subject  of  legislation.  In  State  organization  the 
tendency  would  seem  to  be  toward  a  State  board  of  education  com¬ 
posed  of  some  five,  six,  or  seven  members  appointed  by  the  governor, 
or  made  up  principally  of  appointive  members,  and  a  principal 
school  officer  appointed  by  such  board  and  designated  “  commissioner 
of  education.”  The  Virginia  Legislature  of  1920  proposed  an  amend¬ 
ment  to  the  State  constitution  designed  to  remove  from  that  instru¬ 
ment  the  enumeration  of  powers  and  duties  of  the  State  board  of 
education  and  to  vest  in  the  legislature  the  authority  to  prescribe  the 
board’s  functions.  This  is  in  keeping  with  other  proposals  of  the 
recent  legislature  of  that  State,  which  would  take  various  statutory 
provisions  out- of  the  constitution  and  leave  them  to  legislative  dis¬ 
cretion. 

The  Legislature  of  Kentucky  also  proposed  an  amendment  relative 
to  the  State  department  of  education,  but  in  this  case  it  is  the  office 
of  State  superintendent  that  is  affected.  The  amendment  provides 
that  the  State  superintendent  may  be  appointed  instead  of  elected, 
and,  if  elected,  may  succeed  himself.  At  present  this  officer  can  not 
be  his  own  successor,  no  matter  how  efficient  or  popular  he  may  prove 
to  be.  In  Rhode  Island  the  title  “  commissioner  of  education,”  under 
an  act  of  1920,  displaces  “commissioner  of  public  schools”  for  the 
principal  school  officer  of  that  State.  At  a  special  session  of  the 
Delaware  Legislature,  the  “  new  school  code  ”  of  1919  was  amended 
in  various  particulars.  One  of  the  more  important  changes  provided 
for  the  appointment  of  the  commissioner  of  education  for  a  term  of 
one  year  instead  of  two  years,  as  formerly,  and  that  officer’s  func¬ 
tions  were  somewhat  more  restricted. 

In  county  administration,  Kentucky  and  Virginia  passed  note¬ 
worthy  acts  in  1920.  The  former  State  created  in  each  county  a 
nonpartisan  county  school  board  of  five  members,  elected  at  large 
and  authorized  to  establish  districts  and  appoint  county  superintend¬ 
ents  and  teachers.  The  Virginia  act  is  a  proposed  constitutional 
amendment  which  would  give  to  the  legislature  more  discretion  in 
determining  the  unit  of  local  school  administration. 

CONGRESS  AND  EDUCATION. 

Hardly  any  Congress  in  recent  years  has  had  before  it  more 
numerous  and  important  educational  measures  than  has  the  Sixty- 


80 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


sixth  Congress.  Chief  among  these  were  the  “  Smith-Towner  bill,” 
or  “N.  E.  A.  bill,”  providing  for  a  Federal  department  of  education 
coordinate  with  the  other  10  departments  of  the  Government  and  for 
Federal  aid  to  common-school  education;  the  “Americanization  bill,” 
providing  for  the  Americanization  of  immigrants  and  the  elimina¬ 
tion  of  illiteracy  among  the  native  born ;  the  “  physical  education 
bill,”  providing  for  Federal  aid  to  the  States  in  providing  health 
education;  and  the  “vocational  rehabilitation  bill,”  providing  for 
the  rehabilitation  of  persons  disabled  in  industry  or  otherwise.  The 
last-mentioned  measure  passed  the  two  Houses  and  was  approved  by 
the  President  June  2,  1920.  It  appropriates  $750,000  for  the  fiscal 
year  ending  June  30,  1921,  and  $1,000,000  for  each  of  the  three  suc¬ 
ceeding  years  to  promote  the  “  rehabilitation  of  persons  disabled  in 
industry  or  in  any  legitimate  occupation  and  their  return  to  civil  em¬ 
ployment.”  These  sums  are  to  be  allotted  to  the  States  in  the  propor¬ 
tion  which  their  respective  populations  bear  to  the  total  population 
of  the  United  States,  not  including  Territories,  outlying  possessions, 
and  the  District  of  Columbia,  but  no  State  is  to  receive  less  than 
$5,000,  and  additional  appropriation  is  made  to  provide  this  mini¬ 
mum  allotment.  The  appropriations  must  be  expended  in  accord¬ 
ance  with  the  following  conditions : 

(1)  States  or  local  authorities  therein  must  expend  at  least  an 
equal  amount;  (2)  State  boards  must  annually  submit  plans  for  the 
approval  of  the  Federal  board;  (3)  State  boards  must  make  annual 
reports  to  the  Federal  board;  (4)  no  Federal  moneys  shall  be  ex¬ 
pended  for  buildings,  equipment,  or  lands;  (5)  courses  shall  be  made 
available  as  directed  by  the  rules  and .  regulations  of  the  F ederal 
board.  Any  State,  in  order  to  receive  the  benefits  of  this  act,  must 
(1)  accept  its  provisions;  (2)  designate  its  State  board  for  voca¬ 
tional  education  to  cooperate  with  the  Federal  board;  (3)  provide 
for  cooperation  between  its  State  board  for  vocational  education  and 
its  board  for  the  administration  of  the  workmen’s  compensation  act, 
where  the  latter  exists;  (4)  provide  for  the  support  and  supervision 
of  the  courses;  and  (5)  designate  its  State  treasurer  as  custodian  of 
funds.  The  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education  is  empowered 
and  directed  to  administer  this  act. 

GENERAL  EDUCATION  BOARD. 

The  financial  operations  of  the  General  Education  Board,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  report  of  the  treasurer  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1920,  were  as  follows:  The 
income  for  the  year  amounted  to  $4,741,223.66.  The  income  carried 
over  from  the  preceding  year,  after  adding  sums  refunded,  amounted 
to  $9,996,875.85,  making  a  total  of  $14,738,099.51  available  for  dis- 


LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES. 


81 


bursement.  Of  this  sum  $3,631,027.99  was  disbursed,  leaving  a  bal¬ 
ance  of  $11,107,071.52.  The  statement- of  appropriations  for  the 
year  is  as  follows — For  whites:  Universities  and  colleges,  $17,039,- 
307.72;  medical  schools,  $9,304,247.73;  professors  of  secondary  edu¬ 
cation,  $91,291.63;  rural  school  agents,  $80,817.17;  Lincoln  School, 
$497,201.52;  State  agents  for  secondary  education,  $116,100.  For 
Negroes:  Colleges  and  schools,  $1,579,000;  medical  schools,  $257,500; 
rural  school  agents,  $71,837.50;  summer  schools,  $28,400;  county 
training  schools,  $160,000;  expenses  of  special  students  at  summer 
schools,  $15,000;  Negro  rural  school  fund,  $65,000;  John  F.  Slater 
fund,  $4,500;  critic  teachers,  $9,000.  Miscellaneous:  General  sur¬ 
vey  of  educational  conditions  and  needs  in  North  Carolina,  $4,000; 
increases  in  salaries  of  State  agents,  $40,000;  model  county  organiza¬ 
tion,  $7,400;  conferences,  $4,546.72;  National  Committee  on  Mathe¬ 
matical  Requirements,  $25,000;  vocational  arts  survey,  $60,000;  divi¬ 
sion  of  educational  relations,  $10,000;  educational  investigation  and 
research,  $6,000.  Total,  $29,476,149.99. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  the  sum  of  $9,475  was  appropriated 
from  the  income  of  the  Anna  T.  Jeanes  fund  for  Negro  rural  schools, 
making  a  combined  total  of  $29,485,624.99. 

On  January  1,  1920,  the  last  installment  of  Mr.  Rockfeller’s  gift 
from  his  special  fund  of  approximately  $10,000,000  was  transferred 
by  the  University  of  Chicago  in  trust  to  itself.  All  control  of  the 
board  over  this  fund  having  ceased,  it  is  now  eliminated  from  the 
board’s  books. 

LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES. 

GENERAL  TENDENCIES. 

The  keynote  of  the  program  which  American  librarians  have  set 
before  themselves  during  the  past  year  has  been  mobilization  for 
reconstruction  and  for  general  service  in  time  of  peace,  just  as  in 
previous  years  they  mobilized  for  the  library  war  service.  The  war 
service  brought  libraries  and  library  organizations  into  a  national 
prominence  which  they  had  not  before  enjoyed,  and  a  determination 
is  felt  to  retain  the  position  gained  and  to  utilize  it  for  greater 
service  in  peace  activities.  The  most  conspicuous  evidence  of  this 
determination  has  been  the  movement  for  an  enlarged  program  for 
the  American  Library  Association  and  the  appeal  for  funds  to 
finance  this  undertaking,  which  is  still  in  progress  at  this  writing. 
Librarians  are  convinced  that  in  the  supply  of  suitable  books  and 
other  printed  material  to  all  classes  of  the  community  they  have  a 
service  to  perform  which  is  essential  to  the  welfare  and  true  progress 
of  our  country. 

14032°— 20 - 6 


82 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


The  extraordinary  conditions  during  and  following  the  war  have 
disarranged  library  staffs  by  drawing  off  many  of  the  best  assistants, 
who  have  found  opportunity  to  win  larger  returns  in  other  occupa¬ 
tions.  In  this  respect  the  experience  of  library  workers  has  been 
analogous  to  that  of  the  teaching  profession.  Notwithstanding  these 
disadvantages,  the  libraries  have  continued  to  function  vigorously 
and  even  to  extend  their  work,  and  the  public  circulation  of  books  has 
been  maintained  at  a  high  level. 

COUNTY  LIBRARY  PROGRESS. 

The  county  library  plan  continues  to  be  in  favor  and  was  adopted 
by  a  number  of  additional  States  in  1919  and  1920.  The  States 
enacting  county  library  laws  for  the  first  time  at  their  1919  legis¬ 
lative  sessions  were  Alabama,  Illinois,  and  Utah.  Minnesota  and 
Oregon  passed  new  county  library  laws  superseding  previous  stat¬ 
utes.  Important  amendments  to  the  county  library  laws  of  Texas 
and  Wisconsin  were  also  made  in  1919.  The  county  library  system 
was  introduced  into  Kentucky  and  New  Jersey  by  legislative  enact¬ 
ment  in  1920.  The  Kentucky  law  permits  the  establishment  of  a 
library  on  petition  from  the  freeholders  of  all  parts  of  a  county 
without  requiring  an  election,  and  contains  provisions  for  an  ade¬ 
quate  tax.  It  also  provides  for  making  arrangements  with  a  library 
already  existing  to  extend  its  service  to  the  county.  The  New  Jersey 
law  provides  that  upon  the  vote  of  the  people  of  a  county  a  county 
•library  may  be  established  for  those  districts  in  the  county  not 
already  maintaining  free  public  libraries,  and  that  such  districts  as 
are  already  maintaining  free  public  libraries  may  become  a  part  of 
the  county  library  system  and  benefit  therefrom  upon  request.  A 
tax  rate  with  a  fixed  minimum  is  provided  in  the  law. 

In  13  States  not  now  having  county  library  laws  library  workers 
are  reported  to  be  planning  the  introduction  of  bills  for  county 
service  in  the  next  legislature.  These  States  are  Arizona,  Arkansas, 
Colorado,  Georgia,  Idaho,  Kansas,  Nevada,  New  Mexico,  North  Da¬ 
kota,  California,  Tennessee,  Virginia,  and  Washington.  The  last- 
named  State  is  temporarily  without  a  county  library  law,  because  its 
1915  legislature,  in  revising  the  former  library  law,  unintentionally 
omitted  the  word  “  county.” 

New  England  is  the  only  large  section  of  the  United  States  in 
Avhich  the  county  library  idea  does  not  take  root.  The  cause  of  this 
is  that  in  New  England  the  people  think  in  terms  of  the  township 
(or  town  as  it  is  called  there),  not  of  the  county. 

Utah  has  made  a  record  for  rapidity  in  establishing  county 
libraries,  having  established  10  of  them  during  the  first  three  months 
after  May  6,  1919,  when  the  Utah  county  library  law  went  into  effect. 


LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES. 


83 


Of  the  58  counties  in  California,  the  number  having  county  free 
libraries  has  now  reached  44. 

The  total  number  of  States  having  county  library  laws  of  some 
form  is  now  26,  as  follows:  Alabama,  California,  Illinois,  Indiana, 
Iowa,  Kentucky,  Louisiana,  Maryland,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  Mis¬ 
souri,  Montana,  Nebraska,  New  Jersey,  New  York,  North  Carolina, 
Ohio,  Oregon,  Pennsylvania,  South  Carolina,  South  Dakota,  Texas, 
Utah,  West  Virginia,  Wisconsin,  and  Wyoming.  There  is  great 
diversity  in  the  provisions  of  these  laws,  some  of  them  merely 
authorizing  a  contract  for  county  service  with  a  library  already 
existing,  and  some  of  them  make  the  establishment  of  county  libraries 
so  difficult  that  little  has  been  accomplished  under  them. 

CERTIFICATION  OF  LIBRARIANS. 

The  movement  for  standardization  of  library  training  and  for  cer¬ 
tification  of  librarians  has  made  further  progress  during  the  year. 
The  proposed  plan  for  an  enlarged  program  of  the  American  Library 
Association  contained  a  provision  for  standardization  of  qualifica¬ 
tions  and  national  certification  of  librarians.  In  the  absence  of  any 
national  system,  various  State  library  associations  are  taking  action 
looking  toward  the  adoption  of  plans  for  standardization  and  certifi¬ 
cation.  Plans  for  the  certification  of  librarians  of  all  public  libraries 
except  the  very  smallest  were  adopted  by  the  New  York  State  Library 
Association  and  by  the  Iowa  Library  Association  at  their  meetings 
in  1919.  The  plans  provide  for  different  grades  of  certificates  for 
life  and  for  limited  periods,  based  on  education,  training,  and  ex¬ 
perience  of  the  candidates,  similar  to  the  certificates  granted  to  teach¬ 
ers.  In  New  York  the  plan  is  to  be  administered  by  a  State  board 
of  library  examiners  under  the  direction  of  the  board  of  regents. 
New  York  is  now  the  only  State  which  has  the  legal  power  to  hold 
examinations  for  librarians  and  grant  certificates.  Action  under 
the  Iowa  plan  can  have  only  an  advisory  authority.  A  committee 
of  the  Minnesota  Library  Association  has  reported  a  plan  for  certi¬ 
fication  which  the  1920  meeting  of  the  association  is  expected  to 
adopt.  These  systems  are  not  retroactive,  but  apply  only  to  librarians 
hereafter  to  be  appointed. 

California  has  a  system  in  operation  for  examining  and  certifying 
librarians  for  county  libraries.  In  Massachusetts  the  State  library 
commission  gives  optional  examinations  to  candidates  who  wish  its 
recommendation.  A  bill  for  the  certification  of  librarians  passed 
by  the  Ohio  Legislature  was  vetoed  by  the  governor,  and  similar  bills 
have  been  introduced  in  the  Legislatures  of  Illinois  and  Indiana,  but 
no'  brought  to  final  action. 


84 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


SALARIES  OF  LIBRARY  WORKERS. 

In  view  of  the  present  inflated  prices  for  the  necessities  of  life, 
the  question  of  increases  in  salary  for  library  workers  remains  press¬ 
ing  and  a  subject  for  serious  discussion  at  library  conferences. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  American  Library  Association  at  Colorado 
Springs,  Colo.,  in  June,  1920,  the  address  of  the  president,  Chalmers 
Hadley,  was  entitled  “  The  American  Library  Association  and  the 
library  worker,”  and  brought  out  with  emphasis  the  interest  of  the 
association  in  maintaining  the  salaries  and  other  working  conditions 
of  library  employees  at  a  proper  level.  The  library  workers  are 
coming  to  appreciate  the  strength  which  organization  gives  to  their 
cause.  The  question  now  demanding  attention  is  the  kind  of  organi¬ 
zation  best  adapted  to  them,  whether  the  library  unions  affiliated 
with  the  American  Federation  of  Labor,  which  have  been  formed  in 
some  places,  or  other  organizations  which  insist  upon  the  professional 
character  of  library  work. 

A  new  organization  just  established  and  called  the  “  Library 
Workers’  Association  ”  is  designed  to  assist  members  who  are  not 
graduates  of  library  schools,  but  whose  professional  standing  is 
based  on  their  actual  experience.  The  association  will  serve  its  mem¬ 
bers  as  an  employment  bureau  and  will  work  in  cooperation  with  the 
American  Library  Association.  The  new  association  is  gaining  con¬ 
siderable  support  among  the  constituency  to  which  it  makes  its 
appeal. 

In  the  public  libraries  of  many  cities  the  salary  rates  for  library 
workers  have  been  advanced  during  the  past  year.  In  New  York 
City  a  salary  campaign  under  the  lead  of  the  New  York  Public 
Library  Staff  Association  accomplished  a  notable  success  in  inducing 
the  city  administration  to  include  the  library  workers  in  the  increases 
of  salary  granted  to  city  employees  by  the  board  of  estimate  and 
apportionment. 

The  report  of  the  Joint  Congressional  Commission  on  the  Reclassi¬ 
fication  of  Salaries  of  Government  Employees,  submitted  to  Congress 
in  March,  1920,  recommends  a  revised  scale  of  salaries  for  librarians 
in  the  District  of  Columbia  which  constitutes  a  distinct  improvement 
over  present  conditions.  The  report  also  provides  means  for  the 
presentation  of  grievances  and  for  the  rectification  of  inequalities 
found  to  exist.  Nevertheless,  librarians  considered  the  salary  sched¬ 
ule  allotted  to  them  unjust  because  it  fell  below  the  allotments  made 
to  other  scientific,  technical,  and  professional  employees  of  the  Gov¬ 
ernment  whose  education,  training,  and  general  professional  quali¬ 
fications  were  no  higher  than  those  required  from  library  workers. 
Accordingly  the  library  advisory  wage  committee  has  given  careful 
study  to  the  subject  and  has  prepared  a  substitute  library  reclassifica- 


LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES. 


85 


tion,  which  it  is  hoped  the  commission  will  adopt  as  correcting  the 
inequities  of  the  original  schedule. 

STATE  LIBRARY  COMMISSIONS. 

The  library -interests  of  every  State  need  the  leadership  and  en¬ 
couragement  which  are  afforded  by  a  State  library  commission  or 
similar  agency.  Thirty-nine  of  the  States  now  have  either  a  regular 
library  commission  or  some  official  body  performing  functions  equiv¬ 
alent  or  similar  to  those  of  a  library  commission.  In  28  of  these 
States  there  is  a  regular  library  commission.  These  are  all  inde¬ 
pendent  bodies,  with  the  exception  of  the  Massachusetts  Free  Public 
Library  Commission,  which  is  now  a  division  of  the  State  department 
of  education,  and  the  State  public  library  commission  of  North 
Dakota,  which  is  now  connected  with  the  North  Dakota  Board  of 
Administration,  the  department  which  under  present  law  has  charge 
of  all  the  educational  interests  of  that  State.  Two  of  these  com¬ 
missions — those  of  Arkansas  and  Colorado — are  not  provided  with 
any  appropriation  to  carry  on  active  work.  In  each  of  two  States — 
Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island — there  is  a  State  library  committee, 
appointed  by  the  State  education  department,  to  look  after  public 
library  interests.  Alabama  has  a  State  department  of  archives  and 
history,  with  a  library  extension  division.  In  Minnesota  the  former 
State  library  commission  is  now  the  library  division  of  the  State 
department  of  education.  Tennessee  has  abolished  its  former  library 
commission  and  now  has  a  division  of  library  extension  in  its  de¬ 
partment  of  public  instruction. 

In  the  following  six  States  the  State  library  exercises  the  func¬ 
tions  of  a  library  commission:  California,  New  York,  Oregon,  Penn¬ 
sylvania,  Utah,  and  Virginia.  The  library  commissions  are  giving 
energetic  attention  to  the  library’s  part  in  the  work  of  educational 
reconstruction  following  the  war.  They  cooperate  in  a  League  of 
Library  Commissions,  an  organization  affiliated  with  the  American 
Library  Association.  There  is  a  movement  on  foot  to  organize 
library  commissions  in  those  States  which  now  lack  them.  Bills  to 
establish  library  commissions  were  introduced  into  the  Legislatures 
of  Lousiana  and  South  Carolina  at  the  1920  sessions,  and  the  Louisi¬ 
ana  measure  was  enacted  into  law.  The  following  nine  States  are 
still  without  library  commissions:  Arizona,  Florida,  Mississippi, 
Montana,  Nevada,  New  Mexico,  South  Carolina,  West  Virginia, 
and  Wyoming. 

A  number  of  important  changes  in  the  executive  officers  of  State 
library  commissions  have  occurred  for  the  current  year.  In  place  of 
Thomas  M.  Owen,  deceased,  Mrs.  Marie  B.  Owen  has  become  direc¬ 
tor  of  the  State  department  of  archives  and  history  of  Alabama. 


86 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


Nellie  Williams  becomes  secretary  of  the  State  public  library  com¬ 
mission  of  Nebraska  in  succession  to  Charlotte  Templeton,  who  is 
now  secretary  and  organizer  of  the,  Georgia  Library  Commission. 
Irving  R.  Bundy  succeeds  Elizabeth  B.  Wales  as  secretary  of  the 
Missouri  Library  Commission.  Matthew  S.  Dudgeon,  who  has  be¬ 
come  librarian  of  the  Milwaukee  Public  Library,  is  succeeded  as 
secretary  of  the  Wisconsin  Free  Library  Commission  by  Clarence  B. 
Lester.  Other  new  appointees  are  S.  Blanche  Hedrick  as  director  of 
the  North  Dakota  Public  Library  Commission  and  Leora  J.  Lewis  as 
field  librarian  of  the  State  free  library  commission  of  South  Dakota. 

NEW  LIBRARY  BUILDINGS. 

The  close  of  the  war  has  been  followed  by  a  revival  of  activity  in 
the  erection  of  library  buildings  for  both  public  and  institutional 
purposes.  The  completion  and  formal  opening  of  the  new  Detroit 
Public  Library  building  is  expected  during  1920.  It  is  hoped  also 
that  Philadelphia  may  make  good  progress  in  erecting  its  new 
library  building,  and  that  one  wing  of  the  large  building  planned  for 
the  Brooklyn  Public  Library  may  be  completed.  Cleveland  is  await¬ 
ing  the  erection  of  a  public  library  building,  for  which  $2,000,000  in 
city  bonds  have  already  been  issued  and  for  which  a  second  issue  of 
$1,500,000  is  expected.  A  bond  issue  of  $1,000,000  is  to  be  made  for 
a  library  building  for  Minneapolis,  to  be  placed  on  a  spacious  site 
already  provided.  Providence,  R.  I.,  is  also  planning  a  library 
building  to  cost  more  than  $300,000.  A  new  building  for  the  Wil¬ 
mington  (Del.)  Institute  Free  Library,  for  which  a  fund  of  $325,000 
is  available,  is  also  under  construction.  Plans  are  under  way  for 
a  building  at  Sacramento,  Calif.,  to  house  the  State  library  and  the 
supreme  court,  which  will  cost  nearly  $2,000,000. 

The  new  general  library  building  of  the  University  of  Michigan  was 
dedicated  with  appropriate  exercises  in  January,  1920.  Leland  Stan¬ 
ford  Junior  University  has  a  fine  new  library  building,  completed 
in  1919,  at  a  cost  of  $700,000.  The  new  library  building  of  the  George 
Peabody  College  for  Teachers,  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  is  the  gift  of 
Andrew  Carnegie,  at  a  cost  of  $180,000.  A  new  library  building  is 
planned  as  part  of  the  enlargement  of  Teachers  College,  Columbia 
University,  New  York  City.  It  is  to  be  a  six-story  building  costing 
about  $1,500,000,  of  which  about  $1,000,000  has  been  appropriated  by 
the  General  Education  Board.  The  Iowa  Legislature,  at  its  1919  ses¬ 
sion,  appropriated  $300,000  for  erecting  the  first  wing  of  a  library 
building  for  Iowa  State  College  at  Ames.  Yale  University  also  is 
contemplating  the  erection  of  a  new  library  building.  A  new  educa¬ 
tion  building  was  recently  dedicated  at  the  University  of  Texas. 
Austin,  containing  a  special  room  for  the  Wrenn  library.  This 


LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES. 


87 


library  was  originally  owned  by  John  H.  Wrenn,  of  Chicago,  and 
was  purchased  for  $250,000  for  the  University  of  Texas  by  Maj. 
George  W.  Littlefield,  who  also  donated  funds  to  furnish  a  suitable 
room  for  the  collection  in  the  education  building. 

A  project  which  has  met  with  approval  in  many  communities  is  the 
construction  of  library  buildings  as  memorials  to  the  men  who 
served  in  the  World  War.  The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  at  its 
1920  session  passed  a  bill  providing  that  if  the  city  of  Richmond  will 
donate  a  suitable  site,  the  State  will  erect  thereon  a  memorial  library 
building  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  $2,000,000.  The  building  will  also 
contain  an  auditorium  as  well  as  appropriate  memorial  tablets  and 
trophies  of  Virginian  soldiers. 

Another  bill  passed  by  the  Virginia  senate,  but  not  by  the  house, 
provided  (a)  for  a  system  of  local  libraries  by  giving  the  boards  of 
supervisors  of  any  county,  or  the  council  of  any  city,  power  to  levy 
an  annual  tax  of  not  exceeding  2  mills  for  providing  a  memorial 
library  building  and  for  its  maintenance;  (b)  for  State  aid  annually 
in  the  sum  of  $500  to  any  locality  spending  a  similar  amount,  except 
that  in  places  of  over  10,000  population  a  similar  expenditure  by  the 
State  was  authorized  up  to  a  limit  of  $5,000. 

This  plan  to  establish  a  system  of  public  libraries  throughout  Vir¬ 
ginia  to  commemorate  the  services  of  Virginians  in  the  World  War 
has  been  unanimously  indorsed  by  the  executive  committee  of  the 
American  Legion  of  the  State.  It  is  intended  to  bring  the  matter 
up  again  in  the  next  general  assembly. 

The  plan  for  library  buildings  as  memorials  to  soldiers  and  sailors 
has  been  taken  up  in  many  cities  and  towns  throughout  the  country. 
A  $150,000  memorial  library  for  Mobile  County,  Ala.,  is  proposed. 
Other  cities  for  which  memorial  libraries  are  under  consideration  are 
Cincinnati,  Los  Angeles,  and  Wilkes-Barre  and  York,  Pa. 


PART  n. 

ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


FUNCTIONS  OF  THE  BUREAU. 

The  act  which  established  the  Bureau  of  Education  provides  that 
it  is  “  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  such  statistics  and  facts  as  shall 
show  the  condition  and  progress  of  education  in  the  several  States 
and  Territories,  and  of  diffusing  such  information  respecting  the 
organization  and  management  of  schools  and  school  systems  and 
methods  of  teaching  as  shall  aid  the  people  of  the  United  States  in 
the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  efficient  school  systems  and 
otherwise  promote  the  cause  of  education  throughout  the  country.” 

The  bureau  has  no  direct  administrative  duties  except  those  in¬ 
volved  in  the  education,  support,  and  medical  relief  of  the  natives  of 
Alaska,  and  in  approving  expenditures  of  funds  appropriated  by  the 
Federal  Government  for  the  colleges  of  agriculture  and  mechanic 
arts  which  receive  aid  from  the  Federal  Government.  As  far  as  the 
moneys  appropriated  to  it  by  the  Congress  will  permit,  the  bureau 
attempts  to  carry  out  the  spirit  of  the  act  quoted  and  to  function  as 
an  agency  of  information,  of  advice,  of  research,  of  organization,  of 
opinion,  and  of  propaganda. 

In  the  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1915,  five  lines  of  work 
which  the  bureau  was  then  carrying  on  were  set  forth.  Briefly,  these 
were  to  gather  and  disseminate  accurate  and  comprehensive  educa¬ 
tional  data,  to  serve  as  a  clearing  house  for  the  best  opinion  on  educa¬ 
tional  matters,  to  advise  with  persons  interested  in  education,  to 
promote  desirable  educational  tendencies,  and  to  conduct'  and  direct 
experiments  in  education.  Except  for  some  interruption  during  the 
war  period,  the  plans  announced  at  that  time  have  been  steadily  fol¬ 
lowed.  They  will  be  here  repeated  more  fully  to  serve  as  a  back¬ 
ground  upon  which  to  show  the  efforts  of  the  bureau  for  the  past 
fiscal  year. 

I.  A  CLEARING  HOUSE  FOR  EDUCATIONAL  INFORMATION. 

The  bureau  attempts,  first,  “  to  serve  as  a  clearing  house  for  accurate 
and  comprehensive  information  in  respect  to  all  educational  agencies 
88 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


89 


and  all  forms  of  education  in  the  United  States  and  all  foreign  coun¬ 
tries,  and  to  disseminate  this  information  among  school  officers, 
teachers,  students  of  education,  and  all  others  directly  interested  in 
any  form  of  educational  activity.”  In  attaining  this  end  the  bureau 
does  by  far  the  larger  and  more  important  part  of  its  work  in  the 
regular  routine  of  daily  duties  at  the  offices  in  Washington.  By 
means  of  letters  of  inquiry,  questionnaires,  personal  interviews,  volun¬ 
tary  reports  from  school  officials  and  others,  and  studies  of  original 
documents  it  gathers  facts  and  makes  the  information  thus  gained 
available  to  the  public  in  the  form  of  pamphlets,  bulletins,  circulars, 
and  letters  to  individuals  and  to  the  press. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 

During  the  year  there  were  received  at  the  Washington  office  alone 
166,746  letters,  45,828  library  publications,  and  58,287  forms  of 
various  kinds.  This  does  not  take  into  account  any  of  the  mail 
matter  received  at  the  various  research  stations  and  by  special  agents 
and  at  bureau  offices  other  than  those  in  the  Pension  Building.  This 
is  a  decrease  from  the  figures  of  the  year  1918-19,  an  unusually  active 
year  because  of  war  conditions.  It  is  more  than  eight  times  the  vol¬ 
ume  of  the  bureau’s  correspondence  in  1910. 

PUBLICATIONS. 

Although  the  increased  cost  of  printing  caused  its  appropriation 
for  that  purpose  to  be  exhausted  early  in  the  year,  the  bureau 
published  62  bulletins,  1  annual  report,  1  annual  statement  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  6  library  leaflets,  2  health  education 
publications,  4  kindergarten  circulars,  5  higher-education  circulars, 
1  reading  course,  1  community  center  leaflet,  8  School  Garden  Army 
publications,  1  school-extension  leaflet,  24  numbers  of  School  Life,  4 
numbers  of  Americanization,  and  numerous  reprints  and  miscella¬ 
neous  documents.  The  circulation  of  School  Life  is  approximately 
40,000.  Its  subscription  list  is  composed  almost  wholly  of  the  names 
of  members  of  boards  of  education,  superintendents,  principals,  and 
teachers.  It  is  a  semimonthly  school  periodical  whose  columns  are 
devoted  to  current  educational  items  of  interest  and  to  discussions 
of  educational  problems  both  in  the  United  States  and  foreign  coun¬ 
tries. 

With  the  cooperation  of  the  National  Geographic  Society,  a  Geo¬ 
graphic  News  bulletin  to  be  used  as  an  aid  in  teaching  geography 
and  history  was  published  weekly  for  the  greater  part  of  the  school 
term.  It  reached  a  circulation  among  teachers  of  70,000. 


90 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


STATISTICS. 

In  1918  an  arrangement  was  begun  by  which  the  educational  sta¬ 
tistics  of  each  State  are  to  be  collected  through  the  State  departments 
of  education.  This  arrangement  was  completed.  Seven  chapters 
of  the  statistical  report  for  the  year  1917-18,  those  dealing  with  sum¬ 
mer  schools,  schools  for  the  deaf,  blind,  and  feeble-minded,  indus¬ 
trial  schools  for  delinquents,  private  high  schools,  and  State  school 
systems  were  compiled  and  printed.  The  five  chapters  on  normal 
schools,  nurse-training  schools,  private  commercial  schools,  public 
high  schools,  and  city  school  systems  were  compiled,  but  have  not  yet 
come  from  the  press.  A  chapter  on  colleges,  universities,  and  normal 
schools  and  a  review  chapter  of  the  entire  report  are  not  yet  com¬ 
pleted.  • 

In  this  report,  more  than  has  been  the  practice  heretofore,  the 
important  points  of  educational  practice  have  been  focalized  in  dia¬ 
grams  and  graphic  representations.  A  text  has  been  added  to  clarify 
the  report  and  explain  the  methods  employed  in  arriving  at  certain 
statistical  data  and  conclusions. 

A  directory  giving  the  name  and  location  of  all  the  more  important 
educational  agencies  and  the  names  and  addresses  of  administrative 
officers  in  education  throughout  the  United  States  was  compiled  and 
published. 

LIBRARY  WORK. 

The  bureau  maintains  an  educational  library  of  175,000  volumes 
and  pamphlets  for  the  use  of  its  own  workers  and  the  general  public. 
As  far  as  is  possible  with  its  fund  of  $500,  the  library  is  kept  sup¬ 
plied  with  the  most  valuable  and  up-to-date  books,  periodicals,  pam¬ 
phlets,  and  reports  on  education  in  several  languages.  In  1919-20 
1,244  volumes  were  added  by  gift,  exchange  and  purchase.  Copy¬ 
right  transfers  from  the  Library  of  Congress  were  390  volumes; 
serial  numbers  accessioned  were  3.520:  periodical  numbers,  8,358; 
received  from  the  bindery,  656  volumes. 

Visitors  and  research  workers  are  welcomed  at  the  library.  Read¬ 
ing  tables  are  arranged  for  their  convenience.  During  the  year  810 
calls  of  consultation  were  made  by  people  from  without  the  bureau. 
Volumes  are  loaned  on  personal  or  written  request.  Two  thousand 
one  hundred  and  fifty-one  loans  were  made,  mostly  to  people  outside 
of  the  city  of  Washington. 

The  library  keeps  at  hand  a  steadily  increasing  list  of  bibliogra¬ 
phies  for  distribution.  One  hundred  and  twelve  of  the  earlier  lists 
were  revised  during  the  year  and  84  new  ones  were  added.  In  addi¬ 
tion  there  were  prepared  by  the  library  and  published  six  leaflets, 
giving  lists  of  references  on  vocational  education,  teachers’  salaries, 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


91 


the  project  method  in  education,  education  for  citizenship,  consoli¬ 
dation  of  schools,  and  student  self-government. 

LIBRARY  INFORMATION  SERVICE. 

As  an  indirect  result  of  the  European  war,  public  libraries  all  over 
the  United  States  were  awakened  to  the  part  which  the  publications 
of  the  National  Government  might  and  should  play  in  the  lives  of 
the  people.  In  order  to  encourage  acquaintance  with  these  publica¬ 
tions  the  Library  Information  Service  in  September,  1919,  issued 
a  bulletin  entitled  “  The  Federal  Executive  Departments  as  Sources 
of  Information  for  Libraries.5’  The  bulletin  contains  brief  accounts 
of  the  work  performed  and  the  lands  of  printed  matter  prepared  in 
the  10  executive  departments  of  the  Government. 

The  general  character  of  the  printed  matter  and  the  sources  from 
which  it  emanates  having  been  indicated,  the  next  step  was  to  assist 
librarians  in  obtaining  the  documents  wliich  they  desired  and  to 
call  their  attention  to  publications  of  special  interest.  The  bureau 
has  sought  to  perform  this  service  to  the  best  of  its  ability. 

ASSISTANCE  TO  RETURNED  SOLDIERS. 

• 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war  the  bureau  took  up  the  work  of 
informing  returned  soldiers  of  the  opportunities  offered  them  by 
universities,  colleges,  and  other  schools. 

It  was  found  that  within  six  months  after  the  end  of  hostilities 
over  40,000  discharged  soldiers  had  written  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  to  say  that  they  were  interested  in  his  plan  to  provide  work 
and  farms  for  them.  Incidentally,  his  plan  proposed  educational 
opportunities  for  the  ex-soldiers  while  they  were  reclaiming  the  lands 
they  expected  to  own  as  farms.  Finally,  the  number  writing  to  the 
Secretary  in  regard  to  the  reclamation  plan  reached  a  figure  above 
150,000.  While  awaiting  necessary  legislation  it  was  decided  to  give 
the  first  40,000  inquirers  information  concerning  the  special  courses 
arranged  for  them  in  the  summer  schools  of  the  agricultural  and 
mechanical  colleges.  A  separate  circular  was  prepared  for  each 
State,  so  that  each  one  of  the  40,000  received  something  specific  about 
the  opportunities  offered  by  his  own  State  institution.  Subsequently 
similar  information  was  compiled  relating  to  short  winter  courses 
in  the  agricultural  and  mechanical  colleges.  To  answer  the  many  in¬ 
quiries,  circular  letters  were  prepared  and  sent  with  such  printed  mat¬ 
ter  as  was  applicable.  The  large  edition  of  Higher  Education  Cir¬ 
cular  No.  12 — “Opportunities  at  College  for  Returning  Soldiers” — 
was  soon  exhausted  in  answering  these  inquiries.  Many  soldier  letters 
were  forwarded  to  the  bureau  by  the  chief  of  the  rehabilitation 
division  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education.  Before  the 


92 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


end  of  1919  that  division  had  on  file  more  than  250,000  letters  from 
soldiers  needing  vocational  training.  The  rehabilitation  act  pro¬ 
vided  for  the  reeducation  or  vocational  training  of  men  who  had  been 
discharged  from  the  service  with  a  disability,  but  the  impression  had 
prevailed  throughout  the  Army  that  all  discharged  soldiers  would 
be  entitled  to  free  vocational  education.  This  caused  thousands  of 
able-bodied  ex-soldiers  to  apply  to  the  Federal  Board.  The  Bureau 
of  Education  attempted  to  give  helpful  information  to  as  many 
of  these  ex-service  men  as  possible.  The  student  enrollment  in  uni¬ 
versities  and  colleges  for  1919-20  was  the  largest  in  the  history  of 
the  country,  and  included  many  thousands  of  former  soldiers  of  the 
World  War.  It  is,  however,  a  regrettable  fact  that  many  thousands 
more  were  not  financially  able  to  resume  their  school  or  college 
courses,  interrupted  by  the  war. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

In  gathering  and  arranging  information  for  the  field  of  higher 
education  the  bureau  completed  the  work  on  a  bulletin  on  “  Statistics 
of  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Colleges,  1917-18,”  which  is  now  in 
press.  It  examined,  with  a  view  to  possible  publication  as  bulletins 
or  higher-education  circulars,  a  large  number  of  manuscripts,  of 
which  the  following  have  been  accepted  and  published,  or  are  still  in 
press:  “The  Rhodes  Scholarships,  1919-20”;  “How  Much  Does 
Higher  Education  Cost”;  “The  Rhodes  Scholarship,  1920-21”; 
“  The  Ohio  Plan  for  the  Training  of  Teachers  and  the  Improvement 
of  Teachers  in  Service  ” ;  “  Training  Teachers  of  Agriculture  ” ;  “  The 
Universit}T  Extension  Movement”;  “Class  Extension  Work  in  Uni¬ 
versities  and  Colleges  of  the  United  States  ” ;  “  Public  Discussion  and 
Information  Service  of  University  Extension”;  “Administration  of 
Correspondence  Study  Departments  in  Universities  and  Colleges”; 
“  The  Junior  College  ” ;  “  Correspondence  Study  in  Universities  and 
Colleges  ” ;  “  Development  of  Agricultural  Instruction  in  Secondary 
Schools.” 

The  following  listed  bulletins,  prepared  for  distribution,  have  been 
completed  and  are  ready  for  the  press :  “  Opportunities  for  Graduate 
Study  at  American  Universities  ” ;  “  Opportunities  for  the  Study  of 
Engineering  in  the  United  States  ” ;  revision  of  the  bulletin  on  “  Op¬ 
portunities  for  Foreign  Students  at  Colleges  and  Universities  in  the 
United  States  ” ;  “  Statistics  of  State  Universities  and  State  Colleges, 
1919.” 

Information  has  been  gathered  from  the  colleges  and  universities 
concerning  the  growth  and  status  of  the  teaching  of  Slavonic  lan¬ 
guages  and  literatures  in  the  United  States ;  general  intelligence  tests ; 
the  teaching  of  history  and  citizenship  courses  in  normal  schools,  col- 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


93 


leges,  and  universities ;  forestry  instruction ;  and  the  evolution  of  the 
land-grant  college  curricula.  This  information  will  serve  as  the  basis 
for  several  circulars  and  brief  bulletins. 

RURAL  EDUCATION. 

Twelve  and  a  half  millions  of  children  are  enrolled  in  the  rural 
schools  of  the  United  States.  How  they  shall  be  best  taught,  how 
their  teachers  shall  be  trained,  how  the  rural  schools  shall  be  or¬ 
ganized,  how  their  courses  of  study  shall  be  made  most  nearly  to 
meet  the  needs  of  rural  life,  and  how  the  education  of  these  children 
shall  differ  from  that  given  in  cities  and  towns  are  all  problems  of 
greatest  importance  in  rural-school  work.  The  bureau  has  studied 
and  reported  on  such  topics  as  the  following : 

1.  A  study  of  consolidated  schools  in  the  United  States.  This  is 
a  report  based  upon  reports  of  investigations  by  committees  ap¬ 
pointed  by  the  State  authorities  in  the  various  States.  It  is  the  most 
exhaustive  study  of  this  important  question.  Its  early  publication  is 
especially  desirable. 

2.  A  study  of  the  legal  provisions  for  the  certification  of  teachers 
in  each  of  the  States. 

3.  A  study  of  county  libraries  based  on  the  ability  and  need  of 
each  county  in  the  United  States. 

4.  A  study  of  worth-while  schools  from  material  furnished  by  cer¬ 
tain  schools  designated  by  State  departments  as  doing  unusually 
good  work. 

5.  A  study  of  the  salary  of  county  superintendents  as  compared 
with  the  salaries  of  1916. 

6.  A  study  of  high-school  dormitories  in  connection  with  rural 
high  schools  in  sparsely  settled  communities. 

7.  A  study  of  standardization  of  rural  schools  as  practiced  in  the 
various  States  and  the  methods  employed  of  awarding  State  aid  for 
effort  in  this  direction. 

8.  A  study  of  the  salary  of  all  the  rural-school  teachers  in  three 
counties  in  each  of  the  States.  This  study  has  given  for  the  first 
time  a  basis  for  the  discussion  of  rural  teachers’  salaries  as  compared 
with  the  salaries  of  other  teachers. 

9.  A  study  of  the  shortage  of  school-teachers  in  the  United  States. 
This  study  revealed  18,000  schools  closed  and  42,000  schools  taught 
by  substandard  teachers.  These  figures  have  been  accepted  as  the 
basis  for  the  Nation-wide  discussion  of  the  teacher  shortage. 

10.  A  study  of  the  shortage  of  high-school  teachers,  which  revealed 
the  fact  that  there  will  be  a  need  in  September,  1920,  of  at  least 
15,000  adequately  prepared  high-school  teachers  in  excess  of  the 
visible  supply  of  such  teachers. 


94 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


CITY  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS. 

Informative  studies  and  publications  of  a  general  character  on 
city  school  systems  for  the  year  have  been  few  in  number  because 
the  members  of  the  bureau  engaged  in  that  work  have  devoted  much 
of  their  time  to  educational  surveys.  The  schools  of  villages  and 
towns  have  been  studied  and  definite  and  active  attempts  made  to 
further  kindergarten  education.  Bulletins  were  prepared  and  dis¬ 
tributed  as  follows:  Administration  and  Supervision  of  Village 
Schools ;  Schools  in  the  Bituminous  Coal  Regions  of  the  Appalachian 
Mountains ;  Kindergarten  Housing  and  Equipment ;  and  Train¬ 
ing  Little  Children.  The  bulletin  entitled  “  Training  Little  Chil¬ 
dren”  contains  the  series  of  articles  furnished  to  newspapers  by 
the  National  Kindergarten  Association.  The  circular  entitled  “  The 
Child  and  the  Kindergarten”  consists  of  28  pictures  of  children 
engaged  in  kindergarten  activities,  with  a  text  which  is  a  running 
commentary  on  the  pictures.  Another  circular  presents  the  kinder¬ 
garten  as  an  effective  Americanization  agency,  and  the  leaflet  enti¬ 
tled  “  How  to  Arouse  Public  Interest  in  Kindergartens  ”  is  No.  1 
of  a  series  of  extension  leaflets.  The  remainder  of  the  series  are 
in  course  of  preparation,  and  will  contain  the  kindergarten  statistics 
for  1918.  There  is  to  be  one  for  each  of  the  48  States  giving  the 
status  of  the  kindergarten  in  that  State. 

Material  relating  to  kindergarten  extension  has  been  prepared 
and  distributed  in  the  form  of : 

1.  Ten  thousand  circular  letters  sent  to  kindergarten  teachers 
inclosing  practical  suggestions  for  extension  activities. 

2.  Suggestions  for  those  who  wish  to  write  kindergarten  articles 
for  the  press. 

3.  Requests  for  reports  for  Americanization  work  sent  with  the 
Kenyon  Americanization  bill. 

4.  Tentative  plans  for  State  kindergarten  associations. 

5.  Two  kindergarten  broadsides  containing  popular  articles  on 
the  kindergarten,  sent  to  5,000  newspapers. 

6.  Americanization  leaflets  sent  to  a  mailing  list  of  25,000  cham¬ 
bers  of  commerce. 

7.  An  illustrated  pamphlet  on  the  kindergarten  published  in  15 
foreign  languages  and  distributed  in  cooperation  with  the  Young 
Women’s  Christian  Association. 

Other  studies  begun  but  not  yet  completed  deal  with  “  The  Devel¬ 
opment  of  Teachers’  Councils,”  “  Certification  and  Qualifications 
Required  of  Junior  High  School  Teachers,”  “  School  Practice  in 
Dealing  with  Gifted  Children,”  and  “A  Primary  Curriculum.” 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


95 


HOME  ECONOMICS. 

There  has  been  arranged  for  distribution  a  complete  list  of  all 
higher  institutions  offering  home  economics  work.  Material  relating 
to  National  and  State  laws  affecting  home  economics  teaching  has 
been  secured  and  partly  prepared  for  publication.  A  questionnaire 
concerning  the  status  of  home  economics  teaching  in  public  elemen¬ 
tary  and  secondary  schools  was  sent  out  and  the  returns  in  part  tabu¬ 
lated.  There  were  prepared  for  publication  bulletins  on  “  Keor- 
ganization  of  Home  Economics  Courses  in  Secondary  Schools  ”  and 
“  Kural  School  Lunches.” 


SCHOOL  HYGIENE. 

In  promoting  the  cause  of  public  health  through  the  care  of  the 
health  of  school  children  the  bureau  has  prepared,  or  caused  to  be 
prepared  under  its  supervision,  five  special  studies.  These  are : 

1.  A  study  of  school  janitor  service,  based  upon  questionnaires  sent 
by  the  bureau  to  all  the  cities  in  the  country.  This  work  has  been 
completed  within  the  }rear,  and  the  manuscript  made  ready  for  press. 

2.  A  study  of  school  health  supervision.  This  is  based  upon  ques¬ 
tionnaires  sent  to  State,  city,  and  county  school  authorities,  from 
which  more  than  2,000  returns  were  received.  The  material  has  been 
analyzed  and  classified,  and  the  report  is  ready  for  final  revision. 

3.  A  study  of  the  one-story  school  buildings.  A  letter  of  inquiry 
has  been  sent  to  the  school  officials  in  municipalities  where  one-story 
school  buildings  are  known  to  exist.  The  study  is  still  in  progress. 

4.  Study  of  the  age- weight-height-grade  standards  for  elementary 
school  athletics.  This  study  has  been  undertaken  by  the  extension 
division  of  the  University  of  Indiana  in  cooperation  with  the  Bureau 
of  Education. 

5.  A  study  of  health  examinations  and  physical  education  in  col¬ 
leges  and  universities  in  cooperation  with  the  Society  of  Physical 
Directors  in  Colleges. 

TRADE  TRAINING. 

The  National  Association  of  Accredited  Commercial  Schools  re¬ 
quested  the  cooperation  of  the  bureau  in  the  preparation  of  stand¬ 
ardized  courses  of  study  for  use  by  the  member  schools  of  the  asso¬ 
ciation.  In  the  preparation  of  these  courses  it  was  endeavored  to 
keep  in  mind  two  things,  namely,  the  assured  ability  of  the  better 
business  schools  of  to-day  to  train  for  business  by  the  use  of  stand¬ 
ardized  courses  of  study,  and  the  consequent  gain  thereby  to  these 
schools  and  to  business  which  they  would  and  should  efficiently 
serve.  These  courses  have  been  submitted  to  all  private  business 


96 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


schools  on  the  mailing  list  of  the  bureau  with  the  hope  that  they 
might  be  found  helpful  in  standardizing  the  work  at  this  time  of 
increasing  need  for  better  training  to  meet  the  new  demands  of  our 
expanding  trade. 

Material  has  been  gathered  for  a  descriptive  and  statistical  state¬ 
ment  upon  the  business  training  courses  of  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association  schools,  and  a  report  in  cooperation  with  the  educational 
director  of  this  association  is  now  in  course  of  preparation 

It  has  not  yet  been  possible  to  print  the  two  renorts  upon  the 
foreign-trade  training  surveys  that  were  undertaken.  The  survey 
has  been  finished  in  12  of  the  15  major  cities  included  in  a  survey 
to  be  carried  on  in  cooperation  with  the  Committee  of  Fifteen  on 
Educational  Preparation  for  Foreign  Service  and  the  Association  of 
Urban  Universities.  A  report  upon  the  results  thus  far  secured  was 
prepared  and  submitted  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Association 
of  Urban  Universities  in  Boston,  December  12,  1919.  The  survey  of 
250  cities  with  a  similar  object,  which  is  being  conducted  direct  from 
the  bureau  in  cooperation  with  local  city  school  superintendents,  is  of 
such  magnitude  that  no  complete  report  can  be  made  before  the  end 
of  the  present  fiscal  year.  The  report  upon  educational  preparation 
for  foreign  service  for  use  in  higher  institutions  has  been  completed 
and  advanced  for  printing  as  a  bulletin  of  the  Bureau  of  Education. 
This  bulletin  has  been  prepared  in  collaboration  with  university 
specialists  and  others  who  speak  with  authority  upon  the  several 
subjects  naturally  included  in  a  course  of  study  in  preparation  for 
foreign  service. 

FOREIGN  EDUCATIONAL  SYSTEMS. 

In  treating  of  foreign  educational  systems  the  bureau  kept  steadily 
in  view  the  tasks  of  delineating  the  changes  and  developments  in 
the  education  of  foreign  countries  wrought  by  the  World  War  and 
of  interpreting  them  in  such  ways  as  should  be  most  useful  to  Ameri¬ 
can  teachers  and  to  the  steadily  increasing  numbers  of  general 
readers  interested  in  the  currents  of  international  education.  It  is 
believed  that  during  the  period  under  consideration  educational  de¬ 
partures  were  attempted  and  effected,  especially  in  the  more  advanced 
countries  of  Great  Britain,  France,  and  the  Scandinavian  countries, 
which  have  great  ducational  value  for  the  future  American  educa¬ 
tional  polity.  This  is  especially  true  in  the  fields  of  physical  and 
hygienic  instruction  and  adult,  continuation,  and  municipally  sup¬ 
ported  vocational  education ;  the  maintenance  of  the  supply  of  teach¬ 
ers  in  rural  schools ;  the  systematic  increase  of  teachers’  salaries ;  and 
the  establishment  of  equitable  pension  systems  for  teachers. 

The  publications  along  these  lines  have  been : 

1.  Schools  of  Scandinavia,  Finland,  and  Holland. — In  addition 
to  the  resume  of  school  organizations,  general  movements,  and  the 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  97 

effect  of  the  war  on  school  work,  special  attention  was  devoted  to 
school  excursions  in  Denmark,  the  communal  middle  school  of 
Sweden,  home  and  locality  as  a  school  subject,  school  gardens,  and 
school-welfare  activities  in  Norway. 

2.  Education  in  Switzerland. — In  addition  to  the  general  resume 
of  conditions  and  characteristics,  there  were  discussed  health  meas¬ 
ures  as  applied  in  the  schools  and  the  practical  trend  in  school  work 
taken  during  the  biennium,  with  the  expansion  of  preschool  service 
for  young  children  and  post-school  service  for  folk-school  graduates, 
and  its  inclusion  of  teacher  guidance  in  trades  or  business. 

3.  Education  in  parts  of  the  British  Empire. — General  educational 
activities  of  the  biennium  1916-1918  along  traditional  lines  were  cov¬ 
ered,  but  especial  attention  was  devoted  to  new  movements,  such  as 
progressive  instruction  in  agriculture,  vocational  work  for  returned 
soldiers,  rural  education  and  the  maintenance  of  the  supply  of  rural 
teachers,  superannuation  provisions  for  teachers,  consolidation,  short¬ 
term  sessions,  and  reorganization  of  administrative  units.  Through¬ 
out,  the  diverse  social,  racial,  and  climatic  conditions  which  go  to 
affect  all  educational  movements  were  duly  considered. 

4.  The  schools  of  Austria-Hungary. — In  this  were  discussed  State 
or  local  control  of  schools,  reorganizations  now  pending,  higher  edu¬ 
cation,  the  teachers,  the  pupils,  and  the  effects  of  the  war. 

5.  Educational  conditions  in  Japan. — Special  developments  in  ad¬ 
ministration  and  curriculum  of  the  middle  schools,  education  of  girls 
and  women,  and  vocational  and  technical  continuation  schools  were 
treated. 

6.  Some  phases  of  educational  progress  in  Latin  America. — As 
most  completely  representative  of  South  American  education,  the 
countries  of  Argentina,  Chile,  and  Uruguay  were  selected  to  show 
tendencies  of  a  general  nature  as  well  as  movements  in  the  awaken¬ 
ing  to  illiteracy  and  the  struggle  against  it,  educational  legislation 
since  1917,  increasingly  specialized  training  of  teachers,  and  the  de¬ 
velopment  of  rural  schools,  especially  in  remote  territories.  In  the 
cases  of  Central  America,  Brazil,  and  Venezuela  the  treatment  of 
the  educational  situation  was  purposely  restricted  to  practical,  voca¬ 
tional,  and  technical  instruction  in  arts  and  crafts,  these  lines  show¬ 
ing  noteworthy  progress. 

7.  Natural  science  teaching  in  Great  Britain. — Report  of  the  com¬ 
mittee  appointed  by  the  prime  minister  to  inquire  into  the  position  of 
natural  science  in  the  educational  system  of  Great  Britain.  This 
report  was  at  once  upon  its  appearance  recognized  as  possessing  so 
many  features  of  value  to  American  education  that  the  division  was 
authorized  to  compile  and  adapt  it  for  such  use,  omitting  the  portions 
applicable  only  to  British  conditions  and  needs. 

14032°— 20 - 7 


98 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


In  addition  to  the  bulletins  outlined  above  there  was  written 
Part  II  (pp.  135-176)  of  the  Report  of  the  Commissioner  for  1919. 

SCHOOL  BOARD  SERVICE. 

Because  of  inadequate  salaries  and  the  high  cost  of  living,  the 
allurements  of  the  business  world,  and  in  war  time  the  desire  to  aid 
in  governmental  activity,  the  teaching  force  of  the  United  States  has 
been  greatly  depleted.  The  difficulty  in  finding  teachers  has  been  so 
great  that  in  1918  a  school  board  service  division  was  established  to 
register  teachers,  especially  those  so  certificated  that  they  could  move 
easily  from  State  to  State,  and  send  their  names  out  on  request  to 
school  authorities. 

Through  lack  of  appropriation  this  service  was  inactive  from  July 
1  to  December  1,  1919,  a  period  of  five  months,  in  the  fiscal  year 
1919  and  1920.  In  December  the  work  was  resumed  on  a  deficiency 
appropriation  of  $5,000.  An  assistant  director,  with  the  aid  of  a 
stenographic  force  of  three,  during  the  months  of  December,  January, 
February,  and  March,  rearranged  the  files  of  the  division  and  sent  a 
form  letter  to  the  14,000  teachers  who  had  registered  in  the  previous 
fiscal  year.  The  letter  called  the  attention  of  each  registrant  to  the 
reopening  of  the  division,  and  asked  him  to  reregister,  add  any 
further  information  he  might  wish  to  about  himself,  and  signify 
whether  or  not  it  was  his  desire  to  be  placed  on  a  list  of  persons  who 
wished  to  be  actively  engaged  in  teaching  work  and  were  available 
for  positions.  Another  letter  mailed  to  all  universities,  colleges,  and 
normal  schools  offered  the  services  of  the  bureau  in  securing  compe¬ 
tent  instructors.  A  questionnaire  was  prepared  and  submitted  to 
State  superintendents  of  public  instruction,  in  order  to  ascertain 
what  State  offices  maintained  teacher-placement  bureaus,  the  status 
of  the  work,  and  the  method  of  operation.  The  replies  were  tabu¬ 
lated  and  the  tabulations  mailed  out  in  response  to  occasional  requests 
for  such  information. 

In  April  a  director  for  this  work  and  two  assistants  in  teacher 
placement  were  appointed  and  the  force  increased  to  10  persons. 

By  circular  letter  the  aid  of  the  bureau  was  offered  to  20,000  high 
schools,  public  and  private.  The  immediate  response  was  a  call  for 
nominations  for  985  teaching  positions  in  the  last  16  days  of  April 
and  4,101  in  May.  Approximately  5,000  nominations  were  made  in 
response  to  1,200  of  these  requests. 

The  registration  files  of  teachers  were  steadily  augmented  by  new 
names,  and  attempts  were  made  to  increase  the  list  of  well-trained, 
competent  persons  who  might  accept  positions  in  any  State.  The 
division  now  has  a  file  of  approximately  6,000  active  registrants. 

A  classification  scheme  for  arranging  the  requests  by  subjects  and 
kind  of  service  desired  was  worked  out.  In  addition,  5,600  cards 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


99 


were  made,  on  which  was  placed  in  condensed  form  all  of  the  data 
which  came  to  the  division  on  the  requests  for  teachers.  From  these 
there  has  been  begun  a  study  of  the  nature  of  the  experience  and 
qualifications  in  teachers  more  often  asked  for  by  school  administra¬ 
tive  officers  and  the  salaries  which  they  are  willing  to  pay  in  order 
to  secure  the  things  for  which  they  ask. 

A  request  was  sent  to  all  of  the  State  directors  of  vocational  train¬ 
ing  in  home  economics,  agriculture,  trades,  and  industries  in  order 
to  ascertain  the  qualifications  necessary  for  teaching  work  under  the 
Smith-Hughes  law.  The  returns  were  indexed,  filed,  and  partially 
tabulated. 

II.  A  CLEARING  HOUSE  FOR  EXPERT  OPINION  ON  EDUCATION. 

-  The  second  important  function  is  “  to  serve  as  a  clearing  house  for 
the  best  opinions  on  school  organization  and  administration,  courses 
of  study,  methods  of  teaching,  and  many  other  matters  connected 
with  popular  education.  For  each  of  these  subjects  there  are  a  few 
men  and  women  in  the  United  States  and  elsewhere  whose  opinions, 
because  of  their  greater  knowledge  of  the  subject,  are  most  valuable. 
This  bureau  tries  to  find  for  each  subject  who  these  persons  are  and 
to  make  lists  of  expert  advisers  whom  it  may  consult  and  to  whom 
it  may  refer  others.  It  also  undertakes,  after  correspondence  and 
personal  conference  with  these  experts,  to  formulate  the  consensus 
of  expert  opinion.  In  carrying  on  this  part  of  its  work  the  bureau’s 
experts  attend  and  participate  in  congresses  and  conferences  of  edu¬ 
cators.”  In  the  fiscal  year  1919-20  a  number  of  these  were  held. 

It  gathers  the  best  opinion  available  through  direct  correspond¬ 
ence  with  individuals  by  means  of  questionnaires,  by  studies  of  the 
most  important  current  publications  on  education,  and  by  special 
conferences  of  experts  on  particular  subjects,  such  as  science  in  sec¬ 
ondary  schools;  home  economics  in  colleges;  the  better  organization 
of  agriculture  in  elementary  schools,  high  schools,  and  colleges ;  health 
education;  Americanization;  education  in  trades  and  industries; 
school  administration;  and  education  in  highway  engineering  and 
highway  transport.  The  opinion  thus  gathered  is  given  out  through 
brief  bulletins,  addresses,  and  correspondence. 

HIGHWAY  ENGINEERING  AND  HIGHWAY  TRANSPORT. 

In  recent  years  the  National  Government  has  encouraged  better 
public  highways  by  means  of  very  large  Federal  appropriations 
contingent  upon  State  and  county  appropriations.  Because  of  this 
and  because  of  the  enormous  transportation  problems  that  arose  dur¬ 
ing  the  war  and  which  the  railroads  were  not  then  and  are  not  yet 
fully  prepared  to  meet,  a  greatly  awakened  national  interest  has  been 


100 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


taken  in  highway  transportation.  The  men  who  are  trying  to  solve 
this  problem  feel  keenly  the  need  of  trained  workers  along  this  line, 
and  are  asking  that  the  colleges  provide  adequate  courses  in  highway 
engineering  and  highway  transport,  and  that  a  much  larger  number 
of  young  men  be  encouraged  to  enter  them. 

To  aid  in  furthering  this  movement  the  bureau  held  a  preliminary 
conference  in  Washington  and  took  part  in  other  conferences  at. 
Detroit  and  Ann  Arbor.  As  a  result  of  the  Ann  Arbor  meeting  the 
bureau  called  a  national  conference  at  Washington  on  May  14  and 
15.  There  were  present  nearly  100  highway  engineers,  representatives 
pf  the  State  highway  departments,  automotive  and  tire  industries, 
national  highway  associations  and  educators,  who  recommended 
definite  plans  for  the  use  of  colleges  in  furthering  the  interests  of 
highway  engineering  and  highway  transport.  At  the  request  of  the 
conference  the  Commissioner  of  Education  appointed  a  permanent 
committee  of  seven  members  known  as  the  Highway  Engineering  and 
Highway  Transport  Education  Committee.  The  purpose  of  the  com¬ 
mittee  is  to  develop  a  permanent  organization  working  under  the 
best  direction  to  collect  fundamental  source  material  covering  the 
entire  field  of  highway  engineering,  highway  transport,  and  auto¬ 
motive  engineering  and  other  cognate  research  problems  for  use  in 
preparing  suitable  textbooks  in  highway  engineering  and  highway 
transport.  This  work  is  being  actively  continued  and  expanded 
during  the  present  year. 


THE  JUNIOR  COLLEGE. 

The  last  week  in  June  the  bureau  held  a  conference  of  presidents 
and  deans  of  junior  colleges  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  and 
formulating  policies  for  these  institutions  which  are  helping  to  solve 
some  very  important  problems  in  the  organization  of  higher  educa¬ 
tion,  and  the  number  of  which  is  rapidly  increasing. 

AMERICANIZATION  CONFERENCES. 

A  national  Americanization  conference  was  held  at  Minneapolis 
May  16-18  to  discuss  educational  phases  of  Americanization  and 
their  organization  and  administration  in  school,  industry,  and  home. 
Two  hundred  and  eighteen  religious,  civic,  educational,  and  indus¬ 
trial  bodies  of  14  States  were  represented.  The  purpose  of  the  con¬ 
ference  was  to  put  the  Americanization  work  on  a  scientific  basis. 
There  were  considered  such  topics  as  Federal  participation;  the  cre¬ 
ation  of  State  departments  of  Americanization;  State  programs; 
State  supervision;  the  place  of  the  board  of  education  in  city-wide 
plans  of  Americanization ;  the  duties  of  native-born,  social,  educa¬ 
tional,  and  fraternal  organizations  in  the  city- wide  plan;  the  Federal 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


101 


course  in  teacher  training;  the  course  in  English;  and  the  industrial 
program. 

At  its  close  the  conference  adopted  resolutions  that  Americaniza¬ 
tion  be  recognized  as  an  educational,  social,  and  economic  undertak¬ 
ing  ;  that  it  is  the  civic  obligation  of  the  public  schools  to  assume  the 
responsibility  for  selecting  and  training  supervisors  and  paying 
teachers  for  the  work;  that  the  public-school  equipment  be  used 
liberally  for  recreational  purposes  for  the  Americanization  school ; 
that  the  foreign  born  as  well  as  the  native  born  assume  responsibility 
for  the  carrying  out  of  the  socializing  phase  of  Americanization; 
and  that  the  Federal  Government  cooperate  with  the  several  States 
in  the  education  of  the  illiterates  and  other  persons  unable  to  under¬ 
stand,  speak,  read,  or  write  the  English  language. 

The  Americanization  conference  held  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Feb¬ 
ruary  24  and  25,  and  attended  by  representatives  from  the  different 
States,  met  to  discuss  the  methods  by  which  the  Americanization 
work  could  be  carried  on  successfully  and  to  review  the  results  ob¬ 
tained  in  the  cities  where  it  has  been  going  on  for  some  time.  The 
Commissioner  of  Education  emphasized  the  point  that  Americani¬ 
zation  would  always  be  an  essential  part  of  education.  The  general 
opinion  of  the  conference  was  that  the  basic  need  of  the  country  is 
to  encourage  teacher  training  and  to  formulate  classes  for  that  pur¬ 
pose.  In  New  York  State,  as  a  result  of  the  teacher-training  work 
already  carried  on,  it  was  stated,  5,000  teachers  could  be  put  into  the 
work  at  that  time.  In  Pennsylvania  the  results  of  an  investigation 
of  the  industries  to  see  what  Americanization  work  was  being  carried 
on  brought  out  the  information  that,  of  the  1,063  plants  observed, 
751  did  some  kind  of  Americanization  work  comprising  welfare  work, 
training  in  safety  and  first  aid,  social  and  educational  departments. 
In  Massachusetts  cooperation  between  the  Bureau  of  Naturalization 
and  the  Massachusetts  Division  of  University  Extension,  through 
which  the  Americanization  program  was  carried  on,  has  been  suc¬ 
cessful  to  the  extent  that  70  cities  have  practically  adopted  the  State’s 
program  and  increased  the  number  of  Americanization  classes  from 
3,281  in  1918  to  9,030  in  1919.  Other  States  have  had  varying  success 
in  their  efforts,  but  all  showed  a  tendency  toward  increased  exertion 
in  that  direction. 

SCHOOLS  IN  MINING  TOWNS. 

In  November  of  1919  a  conference  was  held  at  Pittsburgh  on 
problems  of  education  in  mining  towns.  It  was  attended  by  school 
principals,  superintendents,  and  teachers,  representatives  of  mining 
companies  in  western  Pennsylvania  and  West  Virginia,  and  welfare 
workers.  The  meeting  considered  such  questions  as  vocational  train¬ 
ing  in  mining  for  boys  14  to  18  years  of  age  and  for  adults;  the 


102 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


education  of  the  miner’s  wife  and  daughters  in  home  making ;  group¬ 
ing  mining  schools  for  vocational  training  in  mining ;  the  feasibility 
of  the  all-year  school ;  and  better  financial  support  for  mining  town 
schools. 

VILLAGE  SCHOOLS. 

There  are  about  12,000  villages  of  less  than  2,500  population  in  the 
United  States.  To  consider  the  welfare  of  the  schools  in  these  was 
the  purpose  of  a  village  conference  held  at  Cleveland  during  the 
meeting  of  the  department  of  superintendence  of  the  National  Educa¬ 
tion  Association.  The  program  comprised  the  topics  relating  to  the 
village  school  course  of  study  and  to  the  general  intellectual  and 
social  life  of  the  village.  Its  advantages  in  opportunity  for  teaching 
practical  lessons  in  civics,  its  possibilities  for  community  music  and 
drama,  its  health  conditions,  and  its  relation  to  the  surrounding 
country  were  all  subjects  of  discussion. 

III.  ADVISORY. 

A  third  activity  of  the  bureau  is  “to  advise  legislatures,  school 
officers,  teachers,  and  others  engaged  in  .  promoting  and  directing 
education.  Its  experts,  upon  request,  address  legislatures,  meet  with 
legislative  committees  and  commissions,  with  State,  county,  and  city 
school  boards,  with  boards  of  trustees  and  faculties  of  normal  schools, 
colleges,  and  universities,  with  library  commissions,  and  with  other 
similar  bodies.  It  makes  or  directs  surveys  of  State,  county,  and  city 
school  systems,  and  of  individual  schools  or  groups  of  schools,  and 
reports  its  findings,  together  with  constructive  suggestions,  to  the 
proper  officials.” 

SURVEYS.  * 

In  the  fiscal  year  1919-20,  12  such  surveys  were  made.  Five  of 
these  were  detailed  and  comprehensive.  The  largest  and  most  diffi¬ 
cult  was  an  exhaustive  inquiry  into  the  entire  public  and  private 
school  system  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  Members  of  the  survey  com¬ 
mittee  spent  four  months  in  the  islands  examining  the  conditions 
and  the  work  of  the  schools.  A  preliminary  report  of  four  chapters 
that  deals  with  problems  of  administration  and  reorganization  was 
printed  so  that  it  might  be  used  in  a  special  session  of  the  Hawaiian 
Legislature.  The  remaining  chapters  are  now  ready  for  printing. 
This  study  is  of  special  interest  because  it  is  the  first  made  of  any 
of  the  insular  possessions  of  the  United  States,  and  because  of  the 
problems  involved  in  educating  several  racial  groups  that  differ 
widely. 

Another  study  was  that  made  of  the  entire  school  system  of  the 
city  of  Memphis,  Tenn.  The  difficulties  incident  upon  establishing 
and  maintaining  a  school  system  that  could  expand  to  meet  ade- 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


103 


quately  the  educational  needs  of  a  rapidly  growing  industrial  city 
having  a  large  proportion  of  Negro  population  were  analyzed  and 
constructive  programs  were  submitted  to  the  board  of  education. 
The  report  is  issued  in  seven  parts  for  general  distribution.  The 
field  work  of  this  survey  was  made  in  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30, 
1919. 

Of  equal  interest  but  of  an  entirely  different  type  is  the  school 
system  of  Winchester,  Mass.,  a  well-to-do  city  suburban  to  a  big  city. 
The  bureau  made  a  careful  survey  of  this  system.  The  report  is  not 
yet  completed. 

A  complete  and  careful  investigation  of  a  small  southern  system 
of  city  and  county  schools  as  represented  in  the  schools  of  the  city 
of  Brunswick  and  of  Glynn  County,  Ga.,  was  carried  to  completion. 
The  report  will  soon  be  issued  for  general  circulation. 

At  the  request  of  the  superintendent  of  a  cotton  mill  at  Erlanger, 
N.  C.,  a  detailed  study  of  the  mill  village  and  its  school  was  under¬ 
taken  by  the  bureau.  The  survey  of  the  school  and  village  paved 
the  way  for  the  reorganization  of  the  whole  school  system,  based  upon 
a  course  of  study  especially  prepared  for  the  children  who  live  in  the 
community.  The  State  course  was  followed  in  the  fundamentals  and 
an  application  of  these  principles  of  education  was  made  to  the 
child’s  experience  through  a  study  of  the  various  activities  carried 
on  in  the  mills  and  the  village.  The  report  of  this  work  to  be  issued 
later  will  furnish  suggestive  material  for  a  daily  program  in  similar 
schools  throughout  the  cotton  belt. 

Seven  reports  were  made  on  some  special  phase  of  one  or  another 
school  system. 

A  partial  survey  dealing  only  with  the  building  and  financial  needs 
of  the  school  department  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  accompanied  by 
methods  and  plans  designed  to  assist  in  a  local  campaign  for  in¬ 
creased  bond  issues  was  completed. 

The  examination  of  the  business  methods  of  the  board  of  education 
of  Augusta,  Ga.,  and  of  the  school  department  of  the  city  and  county 
in  which  Augusta  is  situated,  was  reported  in  typewritten  form  to 
the  board  of  education.  The  report  comprised  a  discussion  of  the 
financial  situation,  together  with  a  series  of  forms  carefully  worked 
out  in  detail  with  a  simple  bookkeeping  and  accounting  system  for 
schools  of  the  type  to  which  Augusta  belongs.  In  this  the  bureau  had 
the  help  of  the  Bureau  of  Efficiency.  It  is  proposed  to  print  this 
report  for  general  distribution  after  it  has  been  so  modified  in  details 
that  it  is  more  suitable  to  the  school  departments  of  the  smaller  cities. 

Another  study  was  made  of  adult  education  in  Passaic,  N.  J.  This 
comprised  a  first-hand  examination  of  the  social  and  industrial  con¬ 
ditions  obtaining  in  a  manufacturing  city  with  an  unusually  high 
per  cent  of  foreign  population,  together  with  an  examination  of  the 


104 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


means  and  methods  employed  by  the  school  department  of  that  city 
in  teaching  English  to  adult  foreigners.  The  report  is  issued  as  a 
bulletin  of  the  bureau. 

Surveys  limited  entirely  to  the  building  needs  of  the  school  depart¬ 
ments  were  made  of  the  cities  of  Meriden,  Conn.,  and  Gloucester, 
Mass. 

The  principle  of  consolidation  as  applied  to  the  one-teacher  school 
of  a  particular  township,  Mount  Joy  Township,  Pa.,  was  made  as  a 
type  study.  The  report  will  soon  be  issued  in  printed  form  for  gen¬ 
eral  distribution. 

A  report  was  made,  after  careful  investigation,  to  the  board  of 
education  and  board  of  estimates  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  on  the  proposi¬ 
tion  of  erecting  a  modern  school  building  for  the  children  and  people 
of  the  Locust  Point  community.  The  school  for  this  community 
had  been  partially  destroyed  by  fire.  The  section  of  the  city  is  one 
made  up  largely  of  foreign-born  people,  1,400  or  1,500  of  whom  are 
of  school  age.  Recommendations  were  made  for  a  modern  school 
building  erected  in  a  10-acre  park  and  with  ample  provision  for 
assembly  rooms,  laboratories,  and  shops  for  the  day  school  and  con¬ 
tinuation  and  part-time  work,  examination  and  clinic  rooms  for  the 
use  of  school  and  community  nurse,  reading  rooms  and  rooms  for 
junior  high-school  work.  The  report  will  be  published  as  an  indus¬ 
trial  education  leaflet. 

ADVICE  IN.  REGARD  TO  SCHOOL  LEGISLATION. 

Through  analysis,  comparison,  and  interpretation  of  school  laws, 
the  bureau  assists  State  legislatures  in  determining  what  the  general 
legal  status  of  any  particular  phase  of  education  is  and  in  enacting 
laws  in  the  light  of  the  best  practice  and  experience.  Each  year  a 
legislative  circular,  designed  to  show  the  progress  and  final  disposi¬ 
tion  of  proposed  school  legislation  in  State  legislatures  in  session, 
is  prepared  and  distributed  to  State  departments  of  education  and 
legislative  committees.  In  1919-20  this  piece  of  work  was  done, 
and  in  addition  a  bulletin  on  laws  relating  to  the  adoption  and  sup¬ 
ply  of  textbooks  has  been  brought  up  to  date;  the  study  of  public- 
school  revenues  previously  begun  has  been  continued  and  is  now  in 
a  fair  way  to  be  carried  to  conclusion;  a  special  study  of  continua¬ 
tion-school  laws  has  been  prepared;  and  various  agencies  interested 
in  the  promotion  of  improved  State  school  legislation  have  been 
assisted  as  far  as  practicable.  There  has  been  completed  and  sub¬ 
mitted  for  publication  the  biennial  summary  and  digest  of  school 
legislation  in  the  several  States.  This  is  a  presentation  in  formal 
summary  of  all  school  legislation  enacted  by  the  legislatures  of  1918 
and  1919. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


105 


SCHOOL-PLANT  CONSTRUCTION. 

The  bureau  has  the  part-time  service  of  a  special  agent  who  gives 
help  in  planning  school  plants  so  that  they  may  be  adequate,  sani¬ 
tary,  and  hygienic.  This  agent  is  stationed  at  the  George  Peabody 
College  for  Teachers,  Nashville,  Tenn.  He  has  kept  up  a  heavy  cor¬ 
respondence  relating  to  school  buildings,  supplied  such  bulletins  on 
schoolhouses  as  the  bureau  had  available,  helped  architects  from 
various  parts  of  the  country  in  making  plans  and  corrections,  and 
had  direct  charge  in  an  advisory  capacity  of  constructing  a  number 
of  school  buildings.  He  has  made  trips  to  J ohnson  City,  Livingston, 
Carthage,  McKenzie,  Hartsville,  Green  Brier,  and  Knoxville  in 
Tennessee,  to  Paducah  and  Lexington  in  Kentucky,  and  to  Albany, 
Montgomery,  and  Gadsden  in  Alabama  for  the  purpose  of  counseling 
with  school  boards  and  school  officers  about  selecting  school  sites, 
planning  buildings,  and  advising  in  general  with  reference  to  the 
various  problems  of  school  equipment. 

IV.  PROMOTION. 

Of  perhaps  a  more  constructive  character  than  those  already  re¬ 
counted  is  a  fourth  line  of  work  carried  on  by  the  bureau.  This  is 
“  to  promote  on  its  own  initiative  and  to  assist  education  officers  and 
the  people  of  the  several  States  and  local  communities  in  promoting 
what  it  believes  to  be  necessary  and  desirable  tendencies  in  education 
and  in  the  organization  of  educational  agencies,  to  the  end  that  there 
may  be  full  and  equal  opportunity  of  education  for  all.”  Through 
its  conferences,  publications,  and  correspondence,  and  by  means  of 
addresses  at  meetings  of  educators  and  of  citizens,  and  in  consulta¬ 
tions  with  visitors  to  the  bureau,  it  has  done  definite  work  within  the 
year  for  lengthening  the  average  school  term ;  more  adequate  salaries 
for  teachers  of  all  grades  and  kinds ;  better  teacher  training ;  aiding 
school  officials  in  securing  competent  teachers;  advancing  education 
in  agriculture,  home  economics,  trades,  and  industries;  adoption  of 
the  work-study-play  plan  in  city  schools ;  the  increased  use  of  visual 
instruction ;  better  school  plant  construction ;  better  health  training ; 
increased  school  revenues ;  training  for  citizenship ;  education  in  the 
home;  home  gardening;  the  reorganization  of  schools  so  as  to  give 
six  years  to  the  elementary  school  and  six  years  to  the  high  school, 
the  six  high-school  years  being  divided  into  three  years  of  junior 
high  school  and  three  years  of  senior  high  school ;  the  organization 
of  junior  colleges  to  do  thoroughly  and  well  the  work  of  the  first  two 
college  years  instead  of  attempting  without  sufficient  means  to  do  the 
full  four  years  of  college  work;  the  consolidation  of  rural  schools 
and  the  building  of  homes  for  teachers;  and  many  other  phases  of 
education  that  experience  has  shown  to  be  desirable. 


106 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


A  NATIONAL  CAMPAIGN  FOR  EDUCATION. 

During  the  last  months  of  the  year  the  initial  steps  were  taken  in  a 
national  popular  campaign  of  “  education  for  education.”  For  some 
time  it  has  been  evident  that  there  is  need  of  a  nation-wide  awaken¬ 
ing  to  a  situation  which  threatens  the  very  foundations  of  democracy. 

Educators  have  been  discussing  various  phases  of  the  situation  and 
have  suggested  remedies  from  time  to  time.  In  the  belief  that  the 
citizens  themselves,  rather  than  educational  experts  exclusively, 
should  have  opportunity  to  consider  these  matters,  I  proposed  a 
national  citizens’  conference  on  and  for  education.  In  addition  to 
the  appeal  which  you  sent  to  the  governors  of  the  several  States, 
invitations  were  sent  to  many  organizations  and  individuals  known 
to  be  interested  in  education. 

The  conference  was  held  in  Washington  on  May  19  to  21.  Official 
representatives*  were  in  attendance  from  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  the 
Philippine  Islands,  Porto  Rico,  and  all  of  the  States  except  four. 
The  registration,  though  not  complete,  included  525  names,  of  which 
266  were  those  of  representatives  of  civic  and  commercial  organiza¬ 
tions,  women’s  clubs,  farmers’  organizations,  labor  unions,  editors, 
and  official  delegates  appointed  by  the  governors. 

Of  the  25  speakers  scheduled  for  the  five  general  sessions,  only  9 
were  educators,  while  the  remainder  represented  various  civic,  social, 
industrial,  and  political  interests.  A  number  of  sectional  meetings 
were  arranged  for  the  purpose  of  stimulating  free  and  open  discus¬ 
sion  on  the  part  of  the  delegates. 

A  national  emergency  in  education. — That  the  Nation  will  have  to 
spend  two  or  three  times  as  much  money  as  it  is  now  paying  for  edu¬ 
cation  ;  that  new  sources  of  revenue  and  new  systems  of  taxation  will 
have  to  be  discovered;  and  that  immediate  emergency  measures  will 
have  to  be  adopted,  were  among  the  conclusions  reached  by  the  con¬ 
ference.  The  bureau  was  also  asked  to  create  a  commission  to  make  a 
special  study  of  school-revenue  problems. 

With  110,000  vacancies  assured  in  teaching  positions  in  elementary 
schools  in  the  United  States  this  coming  year,  there  will  be  only 
30,000  graduates  of  teacher-training  institutions  to  fill  them,  leaving 
a  net  loss  of  80,000  trained  teachers,  according  to  figures  presented  to 
the  conference. 

Reports  just  received  from  the  high  schools  of  the  country  indicate 
that  the  situation  will  be  even  more  serious  in  the  high  schools  than 
in  the  elementary  schools.  One-fifth  of  the  84,000  teachers  now  in 
the  high  schools  are  reported  as  intending  to  leave  their  positions  to 
enter  some  other  occupation ;  8,000  teachers  will  be  needed  to  fill  new 
positions  created  next  year  by  the  growth  of  high  schools.  The  great¬ 
est  possible  number  of  new  eligibles  for  high-school  teaching  is  9,000, 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  10  7 

so  that  15,000  of  the  24.000  positions  can  not  be  filled  by  adequately 
prepared  teachers. 

National  significance  of  the  shortage. — This  shortage  comes  at  a 
time  when  the  Nation  can  least  afford  to  neglect  education.  The  new 
conditions  require  that  the  schools  shall  be  more  efficient  and  more 
effective  than  they  have  been  in  the  past,  and  we  are  faced  with  the 
danger  that  they  may  not  be  so  effective  as  in  the  past.  We  are  con¬ 
fronted  with  a  great  shortage  of  teachers,  and  there  seems  to  be  little 
chance  of  immediate  relief.  According  to  the  most  careful  estimates 
that  can  be  secured,  between  300,000  and  400,000  children  were  de¬ 
prived  of  schooling  this  past  year  because  of  schools  closed  as  the 
result  of  shortage. 

Even  more  serious  is  the  rapidly  growing  number  of  substandard 
teachers.  More  than  half  the  teachers  of  the  Nation — 350,000 — are 
not  prepared  according  to  any  reasonable  standard  for  the  work  of 
teaching,  a  reasonable  standard  being  understood  to  mean  the  mini¬ 
mum  standard  that  progressive  communities  have  long  insisted 
upon — two  years  of  professional  training  beyond  the  four-year  high- 
school  course. 

A  conservative  figure  for  the  number  of  new  teachers  that  will  be 
required  this  fall  is  110,000.  It  is  more  likely  to  be  120,000,  and  it 
may  reach  150,000.  The  number  of  graduates  of  normal  schools  this 
year  is  25  per  cent  less  than  in  1916,  or  about  16,000.  If  we  add  to 
these  the  graduates  from  other  schools  who  have  had  some  instruc¬ 
tion  in  teaching  and  school  management,  we  shall  have  at  the  outside 
30,000  prepared  teachers  to  fill  the  vacancies,  or  a  deficit  of  at  least 
80,000. 

At  the  close  of  the  conference  a  general  committee  on  a  statement 
of  principles  submitted  a  report  in  which  it  pointed  out  that  educa¬ 
tion  is  the  vital  concern  of  every  American  citizen ;  that  the  number 
of  children  and  young  people  seeking  an  education  is  constantly 
increasing  and  the  number  of  competent  teachers  constantly  de¬ 
creasing  ;  that  since  the  welfare  of  the  American  citizen  is  a  matter  of 
concern  equally  to  the  Nation  and  the  State,  the  National  Govern¬ 
ment  should  assume  a  share  of  the  financial  burden  of  offering- 
education,  and  that  there  must  be  provided  everywhere  more  adequate 
educational  funds. 

SPECIAL  CONFERENCE  ON  EDUCATIONAL  CAMPAIGNS. 

The  next  step  was  taken  by  calling  a  special  conference  on  educa¬ 
tional  campaigns,  to  meet  in  Washington  on  June  25.  There  were 
present  at  this  conference  representatives,  of  34  national  organiza¬ 
tions,  having  a  combined  membership  of  several  million  persons, 
who  unanimously  promised  hearty  cooperation  in  and  support  of  the 
proposed  campaign. 


108 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


After  discussion,  the  conference  adopted  unanimously  a  report 
offered  by  the  committee  on  resolutions.  The  report  recites  the 
urgent  need  for  an  adequate  supply  of  properly  prepared  teachers, 
increased  financial  support  for  schools  of  all  kinds,  and  an  entire 
readjustment  of  educational  programs  to  meet  the  demands  of  the 
new  era. 

The  conference  also  went  on  record  as  favoring  a  consideration  of 
the  entire  educational  system  of  the  country  as  a  unit,  the  promotion 
of  a  comprehensive  plan  of  extensive  education,  provision  for  more 
liberal  support  of  teacher-training  institutions,  and  the  adoption  of 
increased  salaries  for  teachers. 

The  promotion  of  the  national  campaign  for  education  and  assist¬ 
ance  in  similar  sectional,  State,  and  local  campaigns  to  the  extent  of 
its  resources  will  constitute  one  of  the  major  projects  of  the  bureau 
during  the  coming  year. 

THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  CONFERENCE. 

As  a  result  of  the  National  Citizens’  Conference  on  Education,  held 
in  Washington  May  19-21,  many  similar  State  and  sectional  con¬ 
ferences  have  been  planned.  One  of  these  was  called  by  the  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education  and  held  at  Greensboro,  N.  C.,  at  the  request  of 
the  governor  and  the  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction  of 
that  State,  the  conference  being  held  a  few  weeks  before  the  meeting 
of  the  conference  in  Washington.  The  North  Carolina  conference 
was  attended  by  a  large  number  of  State  officials  and  educators  and 
citizens  interested  in  all  phases  of  education,  public  and  private. 
Resolutions  were  adopted  looking  toward  a  large  expansion  and  bet¬ 
ter  organization  of  the  educational  sj^stem  of  the  State.  Many  county 
conferences  have  been  held  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  these  to  the 
people  and  getting  their  cooperation. 

OTHER  CONFERENCES. 

Somewhat  more  restricted  in  their  scope  and  limited  in  their  aims 
than  the  national  conference  were  the  conferences  that  were  held  in 
commercial,  industrial,  home  economics,  rural,  higher,  and  agricul¬ 
tural  education. 

Commercial. — To  meet  the  increasing  demands  of  the  business 
world  for  technically  trained  men  and  women,  the  commissioner 
called  12  preliminary  regional  conferences  and  invited  representa¬ 
tives  of  normal  schools,  colleges,  and  universities  and  city  school 
systems  to  discuss,  first,  commercial  teacher  training;  second,  college 
entrance  credits  in  commercial  branches ;  third,  vocational  commercial 
subjects  in  relation  to  general  training  or  the  local  requirements  of 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


109 


business.  Nine  of  these  conferences  were  held  between  April  10  and 
June  4.  The  series  was  planned  to  include  the  whole  of  the  United 
States. 

Industrial  and  home  economics . — Specialists  engaged  in  training 
teachers  of  manual  training  and  industrial  education  in  the  Missis¬ 
sippi  Valley  held  a  conference  at  the  University  of  Cincinnati.  An¬ 
other  such  conference  was  held  in  Chicago.  A  meeting  of  home  eco¬ 
nomics  supervisors,  lasting  two  days,  was  held  at  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
The  reorganization  of  home  economics  in  secondary  courses  was  the 
object  of  a  three-day  conference  with  members  of  the  National  Educa¬ 
tion  Association  who  were  serving  as  a  special  committee  on  that  sub¬ 
ject.  The  home-economics  work  in  the  schools  of  Grand  Rapids, 
Mich.,  was  discussed  in  a  special  meeting  with  members  of  the  board 
of  education  of  that  city. 

Rural . — Conferences  on  rural  education  were  held  at  the  following- 
named  places ;  University  of  Virginia ;  State  normal  schools  of  Texas ; 
Sioux  Falls,  S.  Dak.;  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa;  Chandler,  Okla.;  Emporia, 
Kans. ;  Berea,  Ky. ;  Durant,  Okla.;  Tahlequah,  Okla.;  Rio  Grande 
County.  Colo. ;  Castine,  Me. ;  and  Montpelier,  Vt. 

These  conferences,  most  of  which  were  attended  by  educators,  states¬ 
men,  and  representative  citizens  from  the  country  at  large  or  from 
adjoining  States,  were  a  continuation  of  an  active  campaign  that  has 
been  carried  on  by  the  bureau  for  some  years  for  the  improvement  of 
rural  schools  and  rural  community  life.  Special  emphasis  was  placed 
on  longer  school  terms,  better  paid  and  better  prepared  teachers,  the 
elimination  of  illiteracy,  consolidation  of  schools  wherever  practica¬ 
ble,  and  a  course  of  study  based  on  the  needs  of  country  life.  The 
conference  at  Cedar  Falls  was  devoted  almost  entirely  to  the  consoli¬ 
dation  of  schools  and  has  already  had  valuable  results. 

LECTURES  AND  ADDRESSES. 

It  does  not  seem  necessary  to  attempt  a  detailed  account  of  the  ad¬ 
dresses  given  by  members  of  the  bureau  to  all  kinds  of  educational 
gatherings  and  to  mass  meetings  of  citizens,  and  occasional  series  of 
lectures  at  various  institutions  throughout  the  United  States.  It  is 
deemed  sufficient  to  say  that  to  the  extent  of  the  rather  limited  travel¬ 
ing  fund  and  in  so  far  as  other  duties  permit,  bureau  members  at¬ 
tend  at,  take  part  in,  and  help  at  all  kinds  of  educational  gatherings. 
Participations  of  this  kind  number  well  into  the  hundreds  each  year 
and  constitute  one  of  the  regular  means  by  which  the  bureau  promotes 
educational  lines  of  thought  and  activity  that  it  believes  to  be  de¬ 
sirable,  gives  help  and  advice,  and  keeps  up  contact  with  the  live, 
working  educational  world. 


110 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


CITIZENSHIP  TRAINING. 

The  great  need  for  training  in  citizenship  is  very  evident.  The 
process  of  civic  training  is  fundamentally  the  same  in  all  communi¬ 
ties  ;  but  an  essential  principle  in  that  process  is  that  it  must  consist 
largely  in  deriving  educational  values  from  the  actual  civic  situations 
in  which  the  young  citizen  normally  finds  himself.  If  he  has  a  back¬ 
ground  of  rural  experience,  he  needs  civics  instruction  that  takes  its 
point  of  departure  in  that  experience  and  refers  back  to  it.  For  this 
reason  much  time  has  been  given  during  the  past  year  to  a  study  of 
the  adaptation  of  civics  instruction  to  the  requirements  of  schools 
in  rural  communities. 

For  city  schools  a  series  of  graded  “Lessons  in  civics  for  the  six 
elementary  grades  ”  was  prepared.  They  are  unique  in  their  direct 
and  complete  organization  around  activities  and  experiences  arising 
from  situations  typical  of  the  years  in  the  children’s  lives  for  which 
they  are  designed.  They  are  based  consistently  on  the  principle  that 
44  any  material  which  has  a  legitimate  place  in  the  course  holds  that 
place  because  it  is  related  to  some  4  civic  situation  ’  in  which  the  child 
is  normally  to  be  found  and  his  reaction  to  which  is  capable  of  being 
modified  by  a  4  civics  lesson.’  ”  These  lessons  were  planned  in  recog¬ 
nition  of  the  necessity  of  beginning  the  civic  training  of  the  young 
citizen  with  the  first  year  of  school  life  and  making  it  continuous. 
They  afford  the  best  preparation  for  citizenship  because  they  provide 
persistent  training  in  citizenship  through  these  early  formative  years. 
They  constitute  a  distinct  contribution  to  the  available  means  of 
“Americanizing  ”  both  foreign  born  and  native  born,  and  it  is  hoped 
will  extend  their  influence  beyond  the  children  in  the  school  to  the 
parents  in  the  home. 

These  44  Lessons  in  civics  for  the  six  elementary  grades  ”  are  being 
issued  in  Bulletin,  1920,  No.  18,  and  are  available  for  use  in  the 
schools  in  quantities  at  cost  price.  Their  completion  and  distribution 
in  time  for  use  in  the  schools  in  the  fall  of  1920  was  made  possible 
by  the  cooperation  of  the  Junior  Bed  Cross.  The  Junior  Bed  Cross 
also  printed  for  the  bureau  the  44  Lessons  for  the  three  primary 
grades  ”  in  Teachers’  Leaflet  No.  9,  in  order  that  they  might  be  avail¬ 
able  during  the  summer. 

SCHOOL-DIRECTED  HOME  GARDENING. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  bureau  has  endeavored  to  promote  home 
gardening,  directed  by  the  school,  in  all  cities,  towns,  and  industrial 
villages.  In  the  war  period  the  work  was  expanded  to  a  44  United 
States  School  Garden  Army  ”  and  financed  to  the  extent  of  $250,000 
from  the  fund  for  national  security  and  defense.  This  lapsed  on 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


Ill 


June  30,  1919.  The  working  force  was  immediately  reduced  to  con¬ 
form  to  the  appropriation  of  $25,000. 

This  reduced  working  force  was  confronted  by  the  fact  that  the 
production  of  food  was  the  most  urgent  need  of  the  world.  The  work 
of  the  two  previous  years  was  of  great  assistance  from  the  outset. 
The  mailing  list  of  36,558  public-school  and  3,805  parochial-school 
teachers  wTho  were  actively  interested  and  engaged  in  gardening  was 
of  great  value.  This  list  has  been  constantly  revised,  and  at  the  end 
of  this  fiscal  year  totaled  over  45,000  teachers. 

Early  in  the  year  all  the  single-sheet  mimeographed  lessons  that 
had  been  used  during  1918-19  were  revised  and  printed  in  manual 
form.  The  printed  manuals  reduced  the  cost  of  production  and  the 
labor  of  mailing  and  added  to  the  attractiveness  and  usefulness  of 
these  lessons.  These  manuals  are  used  in  many  schools  as  teachers’ 
reference  texts  in  connection  with  the  teaching  of  classroom  lessons 
and  also  by  the  teachers  as  guides  when  giving  instruction  in 
gardening. 

Manuals  of  garden  lessons  adapted  to  the  five  climatic  zones  of  the 
United  States  have  been  published.  A  short  description  of  each 
publication  is  given  below. 

NORTHEASTERN  STATES. 

Three  pamphlets  have  been  printed  for  use  by  teachers  in  the  North¬ 
eastern  States  in  the  work  of  the  School  Garden  Army.  The  first  of 
these  is  a  manual  of  vegetables,  with  more  than  a  hundred  lessons 
upon  various  phases  of  planning  gardens  and  growing  crops.  It  is 
divided  into  10  sections,  as  follows :  Planning  the  garden ;  soils ;  en¬ 
riching  the  soil;  the  seed;  planting  the  crop;  growing  the  crop; 
garden  crops;  garden  pests;  gathering  and  disposing  of  the  crop; 
fall  gardening. 

The  second  is  a  manual  treating  of  flowers  in  a  similar  way,  illus¬ 
trated  bj'  many  photographs  of  flowers  as  adapted  to  school  use.  It 
includes  the  results  of  many  years’  experience  in  growing  bulbs, 
foliage,  and  flowering  plants  in  connection  with  school-supervised 
gardening. 

The  third  pamphlet  is  devoted  to  courses  in  school-supervised 
gardening,  and  includes  outlines  for  the  first  six  grades,  with  definite 
suggestions  upon  various  phases  of  nature  study  and  gardening  for 
each  grade.  The  most  important  of  these  courses  is  entitled  “  A 
course  in  gardening  based  on  nature  study  for  the  first  six  grades  of 
the  elementary  schools,”  and  this  course  is  arranged  by  seasons  and 
subjects  in  such  a  way  that  it  can  be  followed  by  any  teacher. 


112 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


SOUTHEA STEEN  STATES. 

“Lessons  in  School- Supervised  Gardening  for  the  Southeastern 
States  ”  contains  80  practical  garden  lessons.  It  is  divided  into  eight 
sections :  Planning  the  garden ;  soil  preparation ;  enriching  the  soil ; 
seeds';  planting  and  care  of  the  crop;  garden  crops;  enemies  of  the 
garden ;  harvesting  and  use  of  crops. 

Mimeographed  outlines  for  teachers  were  issued  to  cover  the  fall, 
winter,  spring,  and  summer  seasons.  A  list  of  vegetables  to  be  planted 
in  each  climatical  zone,  by  months  and  methods  of  planting  each  crop, 
was  issued  in  tabular  form. 

“  Home  Gardening  for  City  Children  of  the  Fifth,  Sixth,  and  Sev¬ 
enth  Grades  ”  is  the  result  of  three  years’  experience  of  the  special  held 
demonstrator  in  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  This  manual  is  prepared 
on  the  project  basis  and  is  used  as  a  textbook  in  many  southeastern 
cities. 

SOUTHWESTERN  STATES. 

The  “  Garden  Manual  for  the  Southwestern  Region  ”  contains  84 
lessons  adapted  to  the  climatic  conditions  and  constituting  a  }rear’s 
work  in  gardening.  Teachers’  outlines  for  the  four  garden  seasons 
were  issued  at  the  beginning  of  each  quarter  to  accompany  this  man¬ 
ual.  Separate  outlines  were  prepared  for  grades  four,  five,  six,  and 
seven.  The  suggestions  for  each  school  term  were  designed  to  be 
timely  and  practical. 

Forty  lessons  in  gardening  are  included  in  “Lessons  in  Gardening 
for  the  Southwestern  Region.”  This  publication  is  adapted  for  the 
use  of  teachers  who  wish  to  conduct  the  work  during  the  second  school 
semester  and  summer  vacation.  It  is  also  adapted  to  use  in  schools 
giving  one  lesson  per  week  throughout  the  year. 

Manuals  on  fruits  and  flowers  are  new  in  preparation. 

CENTRAL  STATES. 

“  Lessons  in  gardening  for  the  Central  States  region  ”  have  been 
brought  together  in  Garden  Manuals  Nos.  1  and  2.  Manual  No.  1 
deals  with  “  Getting  the  garden  ready  and  planting  and  caring  for 
the  crops.”  Manual  No.  2  is  divided  into  “  Planting  and  caring  for 
crops”  (vegetables  not  covered  in  No.  1),  “Preventing  and  con¬ 
trolling  pests  and  plant  diseases,”  and  “  Getting  ready  for  next 
year’s  crop.”  These  two  manuals  constitute  a  year’s  course  in  vege¬ 
table  gardening. 

A  teacher’s  outline  was  issued  at  the  beginning  of  each  quarter 
to  accompany  the  manuals. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


113 


WESTERN  STATES. 

The  manual  of  school-supervised  gardening  for  the  Western  States 
is  divided  into  two  parts :  Part  1  contains  48  practical  garden  lessons 
dealing  with  the  problems  peculiar  to  the  Western  States;  part  2, 
“  Suggestions  to  teachers,”  contains  outline  courses  of  study,  sug¬ 
gestions  for  organization,  and  plans  for  keeping  up  interest  in  garden 
work  with  children. 

The  information  contained  in  the  manuals  of  garden  lessons  is 
not  new  from  a  horticultural  standpoint.  Experiences  of  four  years 
in  promoting  gardening,  however,  had  demonstrated  conclusively 
that  the  public-school  teachers  could  make  very  little  use  of  the 
average  garden  bulletin  without  reorganizing  the  material  com¬ 
pletely.  The  information,  word  and  sentence  formation,  in  these 
manuals  was  therefore  simplified  to  conform  to  the  ages  and  school 
grades  of  children  they  were  intended  to  reach.  For  the  convenience 
of  the  teachers  all  manuals  were  divided  into  lessons  adapted  to  the 
seasons  of  the  year  and  the  varying  climatic  conditions  of  the 
regions. 

Four  sets  of  lantern  slides  which  were  added  to  the  equipment  of 
this  division  were  used  in  visual  instruction.  Lectures  on  gardening 
were  written  to  accompany  these  slides.  Sets  of  slides  were  loaned 
to  garden  supervisors  and  teachers,  and,  together  with  the  moving- 
picture  films  purchased  in  1919,  were  in  constant  use.  Through  the 
medium  of  slides  and  films  the  garden  message  was  conveyed  to 
thousands  of  adults  and  children.  This  part  of  the  work  could  be 
expanded  with  profit.  Sets  of  slides  and  films  showing  actual  garden 
practices  for  a  year  under  differing  climatic  conditions  would  be 
invaluable  supplements  to  classroom  and  field  instruction. 

Two  monthly  series  of  broadsides  were  sent  to  the  press  mailing 
list.  One  series  comprised  a  number  of  stories  based  on  the  myths  and 
legends  of  literature  into  which  was  ingeniously  woven  practical 
garden  information ;  and  the  other  series  contained  practical  garden 
lessons  of  the  month  which  was  distributed  during  the  growing 
season. 

FIELD  SERVICE. 

Under  the  plan  of  reorganization  the  regional  director  for  the 
Southeastern  States  was  promoted  to  the  directorship.  The  States 
under  his  supervision  were  placed  under  the  direction  of  the  regional 
director  for  the  Southwestern  States.  The  territory  in  this  reor¬ 
ganized  region  was  so  large  and  the  distances  between  cities  so  great 
that  the  States  of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico  were  transferred  to  the 
Western  States  region  and  Kentucky  to  the  Central  States.  The 
regional  directors  for  the  Western  and  Southwestern  States  were 
14032°— 20 - 8 


114 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


continued  on  full-time  and  the  services  of  the  Central  and  North¬ 
eastern  States  directors  were  retained  on  a  part-time  basis.  The  29 
assistant  regional  directors  were  discontinued  because  of  lack  of 
funds. 

The  granting  of  a  deficiency  appropriation,  in  November,  made  it 
possible  to  enlarge  the  field  force.  The  real  success  of  promotion 
of  a  new  educational  project  depends  largely  on  personal  work  of 
field  representatives.  Rigid  economy  was,  therefore,  practiced  in 
the  central  office  in  order  that  the  field  force  might  be  increased. 
Assistant  regional  directors  were  appointed  in  the  Central  and 
Northeastern  States,  the  regions  having  the  largest  city  population. 
An  assistant  regional  director  was  also  appointed  for  the  south¬ 
western  region,  but  as  he  resigned  after  one  month’s  service  the  posi¬ 
tion  was  not  continued.  Part-time  assistant  directors,  who  limited 
their  work  to  single  States  or  sections  of  several  States  having  large 
city  population,  were  appointed  as  follows :  One  in  the  Northeastern 
States,  two  in  the  Central  States,  two  in  the  Western  States,  and 
three  in  the  Southern- Southwestern  States.  Sixty-three  collabora¬ 
tors  assisted  in  promoting  gardening  either  in  large  cities  or  geo¬ 
graphical  regions. 

The  directors  and  assistant  directors  attended  State  teachers’  asso¬ 
ciations,  teachers’  institutes,  and  public  meetings  where  the  maxi¬ 
mum  number  of  teachers  could  be  reached  by  minimum  travel.  The 
reduction  in  the  number  of  directors  of  the  previous  year  made  im¬ 
possible  to  give  the  same  personal  assistance  in  organizing  the  work 
as  was  given  last  year.  The  results  of  the  previous  year  were  con¬ 
stantly  referred  to,  and  by  holding  conferences  in  important  centers 
and  by  much  correspondence  a  high  quality  of  service  was  rendered 
by  the  field  agents. 

MANUSCRIPTS  COMPLETED. 

A  leaflet  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  outlining  the  educa¬ 
tional  and  economic  value  of  school  directed  home  gardening,  has  been 
reprinted  and  widely  distributed.  A  printed  folder,  which  could  be 
used  as  a  poster  on  school  bulletin  boards,  and  mimeographed  leaflets 
outlining  the  plan  of  the  Garden  Army  in  1920,  were  issued.  Each 
regional  director  prepared  an  outline  course  of  study  adapted  to  the 
four  seasons  in  his  region.  The  course  of  study  for  the  Northeastern 
States  was  published  and  the  others  went  to  teachers  in  mimeo¬ 
graphed  form.  The  manuals  of  garden  lessons  and  courses  of  study 
form  comprehensive  and  fairly  complete  junior  project  publications. 

PLANS  AND  POLICIES  OF  THE  YEAR. 

The  main  effort  of  the  year  has  been  to  make  gardening  a  more 
permanent  part  of  the  school  curriculum  and  to  increase  the  educa- 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  115 

tional  value  of  the  subject.  It  was  clearly  seen  that  the  motto  of  the 
Garden  Army  “A  garden  for  every  child,  every  child  a  gardener,” 
could  only  be  realized  when  gardening  became  a  definite  part  of 
school  work.  This  aim  on  the  part  of  the  Garden  Army  officials  to 
work  for  permanency  and  greater  educational  efficiency  conformed 
to  the  desires  of  school  officials.  It  is  estimated  that  more  than 
2,000,000  children  did  leisure  garden  work  under  the  direction  of 
individuals  and  produced  last  year  more  than  $40,000,000  of  food. 

VISUAL  INSTRUCTION. 

During  the  war  the  National  Government  made  and  used  for  vari¬ 
ous  purposes  great  numbers  of  moving  pictures.  With  the  inception 
of  peace  the  films  of  these  were  largely  useless  for  governmental 
activities.  It  was  believed  that  they  might  serve  an  excellent  pur¬ 
pose,  both  in  direct  instructional  value  and  in  promoting  the  more 
general  use  of  the  moving  picture  as  a  school  aid,  if  they  were  dis¬ 
tributed  to  schools  throughout  the  United  States. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  received  2,160,000  feet  of  film  during 
the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1920,  and  deposited  982,000  feet  with 
its  State  distributing  centers.  It  now  has  a  total  of  8,275,000  feet  of 
film,  4,927,000  feet  of  which  are  in  circulation,  and  the  remaining 
3,348,000  feet  are  held  in  the  vault  to  be  repaired,  assembled,  and 
inspected.  The  film  material  was  received  through  the  very  cour¬ 
teous  cooperation  of  the  departments  of  the  Government,  of  allied 
organizations,  and  industrial  companies,  as  shown  by  the  lists  which 
follow. 

The  distribution  of  films  has  been  carried  on  through  the  extensive 
cooperation  of  the  extension  departments  of  the  State  universities, 
which  act  as  distributing  centers  for  their  respective  States,  and  are 
held  responsible  for  the  proper  circulation  of  films  in  their  own 
territory.  It  is  to  be  understood,  then,  that  the  bureau  does  not 
send  out  films  direct  to  users,  but  releases  and  deposits  such  films 
with  its  State  distributing  centers,  where  universities,  normal,  high, 
and  elementary  schools,  churches,  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associations, 
community  centers,  etc.,  may  obtain  the  use  of  them  for  educational 
and  recreational  exhibitional  purposes.  There  are  now  a  total  of  42 
distributing  centers,  11  of  which  were  established  during  the  past 
fiscal  year.  The  work  is,  therefore,  principally  the  salvaging  of 
educational  and  war  films  and  systematically  distributing  them 
throughout  the  country  for  use  through  educational  and  other  public 
organizations. 

The  war  films  in  circulation  cover  a  fairly  complete  review  of  the 
war,  and  include  the  following  topics:  Communications  and  camou¬ 
flage  in  modern  warfare,  work  of  the  American  engineer,  the  trans¬ 
portation  of  men  and  supplies,  lumbering  and  shipbuilding,  construe- 


116 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


tion  of  airplanes,  the  Air  Service,  sports  and  entertainment  for 
soldiers,  American  Expeditionary  Forces  activities  and  actual  battle 
scenes,  care  of  the  wounded,  modern  ordnance,  chemical  warfare, 
submarines,  generals  and  officials  of  the  war,  feeding  the  Army, 
training  of  the  soldier,  and  keeping  the  Army  well.  Among  the 
educational  films  the  following  topics  are  the  most  important :  Health, 
oral  hygiene,  surgery,  rehabilitation  of  the  crippled  soldier,  industry, 
road  building,  agriculture,  farming,  Coast  Guard  defense,  and  travel. 

A  system  has  been  outlined  whereby  State  distributing  centers  are 
required  to  submit  monthly  reports  stating  where  the  films  were 
shown,  date,  and  attendance.  The  system  has  worked  very  success¬ 
fully.  It  appears  from  the  reports  submitted  during  the  past  seven 
mpnths,  the  period  during  which  this  system  has  been  in  operation, 
that  the  4,927,000  feet  of  film  in  circulation  were  exhibited  to 
8,600,000  persons.  The  records  indicate  that  the  average  attendance 
at  each  exhibition  was  300.  A  local  distributing  service  is  also  car¬ 
ried  on  from  this  office  for  the  benefit  of  educational  institutions, 
Government  bureaus,  and  civic  organizations  in  the  District  of 
Columbia.  Approximately  720,000  feet  of  film  was  circulated  in  the 
District,  with  an  average  attendance  of  350  per  exhibition. 

The  30,000  lantern  slides  collected  were  deposited  with  distribut¬ 
ing  centers,  where  they  may  be  procured  for  educational  purposes. 
Distributing  centers  also  receive  slides  and  films  from  other  sources. 
The  following  motion-picture  subjects  were  assembled  and  edited 
and  prints  reproduced  from  the  negative  for  circulation :  “  Camou¬ 
flage  in  Modern  Warfare,”  “  Communications  on  the  Battle  Field,” 
and  “Making  the  Desert  Blossom.”  Three  thousand  feet  of  leader 
film,  entitled  “U.  S.  Government  Film — Distributed  by  the  Visual 
Instruction  Section — U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education — Department  of  the 
Interior,”  was  printed  and  placed  on  the  films  which  are  being  cir¬ 
culated. 

Approximately  50,000  feet  of  negative  on  medical  subjects  was 
loaned  by  the  Surgeon  General’s  Office,  War  Department.  The  nega¬ 
tive  was  cut  and  assembled  and  arranged  in  proper  condition  to  re¬ 
produce  positive  prints.  Plans  were  arranged  so  that  educational 
institutions  could  secure  copies  at  cost  of  production. 

The  following  two  motion-picture  bulletins  were  published ;  Edu¬ 
cational  Institutions  Equipped  with  Projection  Machines;  Motion 
Pictures  and  Motion  Picture  Equipment. 

The  titles  of  a  great  many  of  the  film  subjects  were  copied  and 
mimeographed  and  copies  mailed  to  distributing  centers.  Many 
valuable  lists  were  made  available  to  the  public,  showing  where  edu¬ 
cational  films  on  specific  subjects  could  be  secured.  Other  valuable 
data  on  motion-picture  activities  were  compiled.  A  great  deal  of 
time  was  consumed  in  examining  and  exhibiting  educational  films 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  117 

sent  by  various  organizations  for  synopsis  and  approval  of  their 
educational  value. 

EDUCATION  IN  THE  HOME. 

Along  this  line  the  purposes  have  been  to  bring  education  into  the 
homes  of  those  who  have  had  limited  opportunities ;  to  help  parents 
in  the  care  and  training  of  their  little  children  before  they  are  of 
school  age;  and  to  promote  a  closer  cooperation  of  home  and  school 
so  that  parents  and  teachers  may  work  together  intelligently  for  the 
best  interests  of  their  children.  In  furthering  these  purposes  22 
reading  courses  have  been  prepared,  of  which  17  have  been  issued  in 
leaflet  form  and  distributed.  Sixteen  of  the  courses  were  “After¬ 
war  courses  ”  and  about  150,000  of  these  have  been  distributed  in  the 
camps  and  cantonments.  About  13,000  readers  reading  for  formal 
recognition  have  been  enrolled  in  the  various  courses  in  all  States, 
the  largest  enrollments  being  in  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Cali¬ 
fornia,  Illinois,  and  Massachusetts. 

A  plan  of  cooperation  between  the  State  departments  of  educa¬ 
tion,  extension  departments  of  State  universities  and  the  bureau  in 
connection  with  the  home-reading  courses  was  arranged.  This  plan 
has  been  presented  in  Virginia,  Pennsylvania,  Massachusetts,  Rhode 
Island,  Connecticut,  Wisconsin,  Indiana,  Kentucky,  South  Carolina, 
North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  Arizona,  and  Iowa.  In  nine  of  these 
States  it  has  been  accepted  and  put  into  operation  and  special  col¬ 
laborators  appointed  to  carry  out  the  work.  These  States  are  In¬ 
diana,  Kentucky,  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  Virginia,  South  Caro¬ 
lina,  Arizona,  Iowa,  and  Wisconsin. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  the  American  Library  Association,  which 
has  cooperated  in  the  preparation  of  new  reading  courses,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  courses  are  ready  for  printing :  Heroes  of  American  Democ¬ 
racy,  The  Call  of  Blue  Waters,  Iron  and  Steel,  Shipbuilding,  Ma¬ 
chine-Shop  Work. 

These  vocational  courses  are  issued  as  a  series  of  “After-war 
courses”  and  are  offered  to  meet  the  demand  for  such  courses  from 
men  who  have  not  had  technical  training,  but  who  wish  to  read  books 
of  technical  value  in  their  field  of  labor ;  96,343  reading  courses,  1,821 
bulletins,  and  5,000  posters  have  been  sent  out.  Through  women  co- 
operators  in  North  Carolina  44,058  “After- war  courses”  have  been 
distributed  to  returned  soldiers  in  that  State. 

COMMUNITY  ORGANIZATION. 

The  public-school  plant  may  be  as  effective  a  headquarters  of 
adult-citizen  expression  as  it  is  a  center  of  child  instruction.  It 
affords  for  the  people  a  ready  medium  of  service  contact  by  which 
the  community  may  deal  with  such  problems  as  public  health  and 


118 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


sanitation,  improvement  of  agricultural  and  industrial  methods, 
promotion  of  thrift,  and  processes  of  Americanization. 

For  1919-20  the  bureau  has  aided  the  growth  of  the  sentiment  for 
the  use  of  the  school  as  a  community  center  by  giving  special  help 
to  the  actual  community  development,  which  is  going  forward  within 
and  out  from  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  by  the  presentation  of 
the  community-center  program  in  addresses  and  conferences  in 
various  parts  of  the  country. 

Community-center  development  in  the  District  of  Columbia  has 
been  legally  recognized  and  supported  by  congressional  appropri¬ 
ation  for  three  years.  It  is  hoped  that  the  work  in  the  District  will 
serve  as  an  example  and  radiation  base  for  its  spread  throughout 
the  Nation.  Assistance  has  been  given  to  the  17  sections  thus  far 
organized  in  the  District  by  holding  a  series  of  weekly  meetings  with 
the  community  secretaries,  by  coordinating  the  civic,  recreational,  and 
economic  use  of  the  school  plant  by  adults  and  older  youth,  and  by 
inaugurating  a  plan  of  cooperation  between  the  public  school  and  the 
Postal  Service. 

In  presenting  community-center  programs  to  the  country  at  large 
104  single  lectures  were  delivered  to  State  conventions,  teachers’  in¬ 
stitutes,  chambers  of  commerce,  and  similar  organizations.  Special 
courses  of  six  lectures  on  community  work  were  delivered  at  Rock 
Hill,  S.  C. ;  Peabody  College,  Tennessee;  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y. ; 
University  of  North  Carolina ;  Charleroi,  Pa. ;  Pittsburgh,  Pa. ;  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Virginia ;  Berea  College,  Kentucky ;  University  of  Ken¬ 
tucky;  and  Bloomsburg,  Pa. 

A  plan  was  developed  for  cities  and  counties  and  put  in  operation 
in  one  State  by  which  the  municipal  and  volunteer  agencies  of  public 
welfare  can  coordinate  their  activities  and  prevent  waste  of  money 
and  good  will. 

The  far-reaching  results  of  this  work  of  the  bureau  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  the  principle  of  community  organization  with  the  school- 
house  as  the  center  is  now  genera  lty  accepted,  and  both  in  city  and 
in  county  new  schoolhouses  are  planned  for  the  use  of  the  adult 
population  of  the  country  as  well  as  for  the  use  of  the  children. 
Probably  no  single  educational  movement  has  such  great  possibilities 
for  good. 

CHILD  HEALTH. 

The  bureau  has  furthered  better  health  teaching  in  the  public 
schools  and  better  observance  on  the  part  of  the  children  of  the 
common  rules  of  healthful  living.  The  outline  of  the  program  is 
briefly  as  follows : 

1.  A  pair  of  scales  in  every  school  and  every  child  weighed  and 
measured  monthly.  (Weight  for  height  and  age  is  accepted  as  an 
index  of  nutrition  and  progress  in  growth. ) 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


119 


2.  Time  definitely  laid  aside  for  the  teaching  of  health. 

3.  Health  report  sent  home  on  monthly  report  card. 

4.  School  lunch  available  for  every  child. 

5.  Correction  of  physical  defects  with  special  care  for  mal¬ 
nourished  children. 

A  series  of  health-education  pamphlets  have  been  prepared  and 
printed.  It  consists  of  the  classroom  weight  record  and  seven 
pamphlets.  Four  of  these,  “Wanted,  Teachers  for  Child  Health 
Service,”  “  Diet  for  the  School  Child,”  “  Summer  Health  and  Flay 
School,”  and  “Teaching  Health”  were  published  before  July,  1919. 
These  pamphlets  have  filled  a  widespread  demand  and  have  had  a 
rery  large  sale  through  the  Superintendent  of  Documents.  Three 
new  pamphlets  in  the  series  have  been  issued  during  the  year — 
Child  Health  Program  for  Parent-Teacher  Associations  and 
Women’s  Clubs,”  “Further  Steps  in  Health  Teaching,”  and  “The 
Lunch  Hour  at  School.”  The  height  and  weight  tables  compiled 
have  been  printed  in  large  poster  form  to  meet  a  demand  from  clinics, 
schoolrooms,  etc. 

The  health  education  of  the  bureau  has  been  carried  on  largely 
through  correspondence  and  distribution  of  literature.  The  demand 
for  assistance  has  been  enormous  and  varied,  as  shown  by  the  many 
letters  (over  6,000)  received  during  the  year.  Personal  attention  has 
been  given  to  all  letters  and  approximately  500,000  pieces  of  material 
have  been  sent  upon  request.  Assistance  has  been  given  not  only 
to  teachers,  but  to  requests  and  inquiries  which  have  poured  in 
from  Fed  Cross  workers,  home  demonstration  agents,  public  health 
nurses,  tuberculosis  associations,  women’s  clubs,  departments  of 
health,  hospitals,  libraries,  etc.  Public  health  agencies  and  associa¬ 
tions  have  realized  the  importance  of  universal  health  education,  and 
have  shown  great  interest  and  cooperation  in  the  furtherance  of  our 
program.  Sometimes  a  school  has  become  interested  through  a  school 
nurse,  or  a  home  demonstration  agent,  or  a  Fed  Cross  worker.  Often 
an  individual  teacher  has  started  weighing  and  measuring  in  her 
classroom,  and  from  her  room  it  has  spread  into  the  whole  school 
system.  Sometimes  the  home  economics  department  introduces  the 
plan.  Sometimes  it  is  brought  in  in  connection  with  a  milk  cam¬ 
paign  or  a  poster  contest  in  the  art  department.  The  child  health 
organization  of  New  York  has  done  much  for  the  promotion  of  this 
program  in  bringing  it  to  the  attention  of  teachers  and  school  officers 
and  otherwise. 

V.  RESEARCH  WORK  TO  DETERMINE  STANDARDS  IN  EDUCATION. 

The  fifth  activity  of  the  bureau,  and  one  to  which  it  has  been  able 
to  give  the  least  attention  because  no  appropriation  has  been  made 
for  it,  is  “  to  determine  standards  of  measurement  in  education  and 


120 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


to  conduct  and  direct  experiments  in  education,  to  the  end  that  we 
may  finally  have  a  larger  body  of  definite  scientific  knowledge  about 
education  and  educational  processes  and  methods.”  In  September, 
1919,  the  commissioner  arranged  a  plan  for  the  establishment  of  re¬ 
search  stations  to  utilize  in  a  national  way  such  special  resources  and 
facilities  as  might  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  bureau  by  cooperat¬ 
ing  institutions.  The  plan  contemplates  a  cooperative  arrangement 
in  each  case  between  the  bureau  and  an  educational  institution. 

The  essential  features  of  the  plan  are : 

1.  Selection  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  of  a  number  of 
educational  institutions  to  be  invited  to  participate. 

2.  Acceptance  by  president  and  board  of  trustees  of  the  terms  and 
conditions  outlined. 

3.  Recommendation  by  the  president  of  the  institution  of  one  or 
more  representatives  to  serve  as  special  collaborators  of  the  Bureau 
of  Education,  at  the  nominal  salary  of  $1  per  year  each. 

4.  Appointment  of  special  collaborators,  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  upon  recommendation  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education. 
Of  the  special  collaborators  forming  the  staff  of  each  research  station, 
one  will  be  informally  designated  “  director  ”  by  the  Commissioner 
of  Education. 

5.  Acceptance  by  appointees  of  appointments  as  special  collabora¬ 
tors,  who  will  then  take  the  oath  of  office  and  file  papers  furnished  by 
the  Commissioner  of  Education. 

6.  Approval  of  definite  projects  and  procedure  by  the  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education,  after  correspondence  with  the  director  of  each 
research  station. 

7.  Consideration  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  of  reports 
made  by  the  several  research  stations,  and  publication  of  those  found 
to  be  available. 

8.  Due  credit  will  be  given  to  stations  and  individuals  for  direc¬ 
tion  of  projects  and  authorship  of  reports. 

A  large  number  of  topics  were  suggested  as  typical  of  studies  and 
investigations  that  seemed  to  be  worthy  of  attention.  Stations  were 
established  at  the  universities  of  California,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Kansas, 
Michigan,  Minnesota,  Mississippi,  Missouri,  North  Carolina,  Texas, 
Utah,  Wisconsin,  Virginia,  Washington,  Cornell  University,  and  the 
Oregon  Agricultural  College.  Among  the  questions  being  studied 
are:  Common  knowledge  of  health  matters;  the  drama  in  colleges 
and  universities ;  student  loan  funds ;  democratic  elements  now  exist¬ 
ing  in  American  education;  student  self-government;  educational 
tests ;  the  use  of  the  motion  picture  in  the  schools ;  and  the  education 
of  girls  and  women.  The  work  of  these  stations  was  organized  and 
given  direction  in  two  conferences  of  the  directors  held  at  St.  Louis 
and  at  Cleveland,  Ohio. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


121 


VI.  ADMINISTRATIVE  DUTIES. 

LAND-GRANT  COLLEGES. 

Congress  has  authorized  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  perform  cer¬ 
tain  duties  in  connection  with  the  administration  of  the  income  re¬ 
sulting  from  the  principal  obtained  by  the  sale  of  lands  granted 
under  the  first  Morrill  Act,  an  amount  approximating  $1,009,225,  and 
of  the  Morrill-Nelson  fund,  which  amounts  to  $2,500,000  annually, 
$50,000  a  year  going  to  each  State.  The  bureau  is  required  to  see  that 
the  interest  from  the  first  fund  is  at  least  5  per  cent  and  that  it  is 
expended  according  to  the  requirements  of  the  first  Morrill  Act.  It 
must  also  audit  the  expenditure  of  the  $50,000  granted  annually  to 
each  State  for  the  college  or  colleges  of  agricultural  and  mechanic 
arts.  Very  definite  limitations  are  set  on  the  expenditure  of  these 
moneys  and  the  bank  interest  on  them  must  be  used  for  the  original 
purposes  of  the  act. 

The  bureau  must  also  prepare  annually  reports  based  upon  in¬ 
formation  received  from  these  institutions  regarding  the  financial 
administration  of  the  land-grant  colleges.  The  report  for  1917-18 
shows  that  125,673  young  men  and  women  were  being  educated  in 
them.  For  the  year  1919-20  there  will  probably  be  an  increase  of  25 
per  cent  over  that  number.  Each  institution  having  met  the  require¬ 
ments,  the  Commissioner  of  Education  then  certifies  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  that  the  money  has  been  spent  according  to  law.  He 
also  certifies  to  the  President  of  the  Senate  and  the  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Kepresentatives  authorizing  Congress  to  continue  the 
annual  appropriations  according  to  the  Morrill-Nelson  Acts. 

ALASKA. 

The  greater  part  of  the  administrative  duties  of  the  bureau  are 
those  connected  with  the  education,  medical  relief,  and  support  of  the 
natives  of  Alaska. 

During  the  year  the  field  force  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  in 
Alaska  consisted  of  6  superintendents,  133  teachers,  9  physicians, 
and  13  nurses.  Sixty-seven  schools  were  maintained. 

As  the  result  of  the  epidemics  of  influenza  among  the  natives  of 
northern  and  western  Alaska  during  the  autumn  of  1918  and  the 
spring  of  1919  about  250  children  were  left  orphans.  In  the  Nome 
region  it  was  found  possible  to  distribute  the  orphans  among  Eskimo 
families,  but  in  the  Bristol  Bay  and  Cook  Inlet  districts  it  was  neces¬ 
sary  for  the  bureau  to  assume  their  entire  care  in  orphanages  which 
were  erected  at  Kanakanak  and  Tyonek. 

The  appropriation  of  $80,000  for  medical  relief  was  expended  in 
maintaining  hospitals  at  Juneau,  Kanakanak,  Akiak,  Nulato,  and 
Kotzebue ;  9  physicians  and  13  nurses  were  employed.  To  assist  them 


122 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


in  providing  medical  relief,  each  teacher  is  provided  with  a  standard 
medical  equipment  with  which  to  attend  to  ordinary  ailments  and 
less  serious  injuries. 

The  rehabilitation  of  the  colony  at  Metlakatla,  on  Annette  Island, 
is  progressing  satisfactorily.  In  1917  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
on  behalf  of  the  Metlakatlans,  entered  into  a  five-year  lease  with  the 
Annette  Island  Packing  Co.,  of  Seattle,  granting  fish-trap  privileges 
within  the  reserved  waters  adjacent  to  Annette  Island  and  permis¬ 
sion  to  erect  and  operate  a  cannery  within  the  reserve.  The  returns 
to  the  Metlakatlans  for  fish  royalties,  trap  fees,  labor,  and  for  lum¬ 
ber  purchased  from  the  local  sawmill  amounted  during  the  season  of 
1919  to  $90,032.88.  It  is  hoped  that  in  1921  the  revenues  accruing 
from  the  lease  will  enable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to  take  over 
for  the  Metlakatlans  the  property  of  the  lessee  within  the  reserve 
and  to  arrange  for  the  operation  of  the  cannery  by  the  natives  them¬ 
selves.  The  Metlakatla  Commercial  Co.,  organized  by  the  Bureau 
of  Education,  continues  successfully  to  conduct  the  mercantile  busi¬ 
ness  of  the  colony  and  to  operate  the  sawmill.  The  importation  into 
Alaska  of  laborers  needed  by  the  salmon  canneries  has  been  a  trouble¬ 
some  problem  to  the  operators  of  the  canneries  and  a  great  detri¬ 
ment  to  the  natives  of  the  villages  in  which  the  canneries  are  located. 
The  Metlakatla  Commercial  Co.  successfully  fulfilled  its  contract 
with  the  Annette  Island  Packing  Co.  for  the  furnishing  locally  of 
the  labor  required  by  the  cannery  in  Metlakatla,  thus  solving  the 
problem  in  so  far  as  their  village  is  concerned. 

Assuming  that  there  has  been  the  usual  net  increase  of  20  per  cent 
in  the  number  of  reindeer  during  the  year,  there  should  be,  approxi¬ 
mately,  180,000  reindeer  in  Alaska  June  30,  1920.  The  magnitude 
and  value  of  the  industry  have  resulted  in  the  making  by  Congress 
of  an  appropriation  to  enable  the  Bureau  of  Biological  Survey, 
Department  of  Agriculture,  in  cooperation  with  the  Bureau  of 
Education,  to  make  investigations,  experiments,  and  demonstra¬ 
tions  for  the  improvement  of  the  reindeer  industry  in  Alaska;  the 
Chief  of  the  Biological  Survey  has  proceeded  to  Alaska  in  order 
to  organize  this  work.  The  distribution  of  reindeer  among  the 
natives  and  the  use  of  the  enterprise  as  the  form  of  industrial 
education  best  adapted  to  the  races  inhabiting  the  untimbered  re¬ 
gions  of  Alaska  will  remain  under  the  supervision  of  the  Bureau 
of  Education. 

Regulations  were  adopted  making  effective  the  authority  granted 
by  Congress  for  the  sale  of  surplus  male  reindeer  belonging  to  the 
Government  and  the  use  of  the  proceeds  of  such  sales  in  the  exten¬ 
sion  of  the  industry.  The  first  sale  under  these  regulations  was 
made  at  Mountain  Village,  on  the  Yukon  River,  during  the  autumn 
of  1919.  Under  judicious  management  the  proceeds  of  such  sales 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION.  123 

might  provide  the  funds  necessary  for  the  support  and  extension 
of  the  reindeer  industry  independently  of  appropriations  made  by 
Congress.  It  is  very  desirable  that  the  reindeer  industry  be  extended 
into  the  region  tributary  to  the  Government  railway  in  Alaska. 
The  area  suitable  for  pasturage  of  reindeer  in  the  Broad  Pass 
region,  reached  by  the  railway  and  extending  eastward  along  the 
northern  and  southern  slopes  of  the  Alaska  range  is,  approximately, 
12,000  square  miles.  Most  of  this  region  is  timberless  and  more 
than  2,000  feet  above  sea  level;  it  is,  therefore,  swept  by  mountain 
breezes,  which  would  serve  to  protect  herds  against  mosquitoes  and 
flies.  After  the  Government  has  demonstrated  the  practicability 
of  raising  reindeer  in  that  part  of  Alaska,  private  owners  would 
undoubtedly  drive  their  herds  into  that  region  in  order  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  market  afforded  by  railway  transportation. 

The  67  villages  in  Alaska  in  which  the  work  of  the  Bureau  of 
Education  is  carried  on  are  scattered  along  thousands  of  miles  of 
coast  line  and  on  the  great  rivers.  Very  many  villages  are  not  on 
the  routes  of  commercial  vessels.  Some  of  the  settlements  can  be 
brought  into  touch  with  the  outside  world  only  during  the  short 
season  of  open  navigation  in  midsummer.  The  securing  of  trans¬ 
portation  from  Seattle  to  their  remote  destinations  of  teachers,  phy¬ 
sicians,  and  nurses,  and  of  the  supplies  and  building  materials 
required  in  the  Alaska  school  service,  the  Alaska  medical  service, 
and  the  Alaska  reindeer  service  is  an  undertaking  of  great  diffi¬ 
culty.  The  problem  was  acute  during  the  summer  of  1919,  trans¬ 
portation  to  and  in  Alaska  being  in  a  chaotic  condition  as  the  result 
of  war  conditions  and  because  vessels  carrying  freight  for  western 
and  northern  Alaska  had  left  Seattle  before  the  passage  of  the 
appropriations  for  the  support  of  the  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  in  Alaska.  Even  on  the  established  routes  rates  were  exces¬ 
sive  and  steamers  were  unable  to  maintain  their  time  schedules; 
there  were  long  delays  of  passengers  and  freight  at  transfer  points ; 
in  several  instances  excessive  emergency  transportation  of  employees 
and  supplies  had  to  be  secured.  For  a  long  series  of  years  the  Coast 
Guard  Service,  through  its  vessels  cruising  in  Alaskan  waters,  has 
willingly  cooperated  with  the  Bureau  of  Education,  but  its  vessels 
are  not  adapted  to  the  carrying  of  passengers  and  freight,  and  they 
have  numerous  other  duties  to  perform. 

Experience  has  shown  that  the  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education 
in  Alaska  can  never  be  administered  effectively  and  economically 
until  the  bureau  owns  and  controls  its  own  vessel.  Bequest  was 
therefore  made  to  the  Navy  Department  for  a  vessel  suitable  for  use 
by  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  connection  with  its  work  in  Alaska. 
Complying  with  the  request,  the  Navy  Department  transferred  to 
the  Department  of  the  Interior  the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer ,  a  staunch  wooden 


124 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


vessel  with  a  carrying  capacity  of  about  450  tons  and  admirably 
adapted  for  the  purpose  contemplated.  The  endeavor  to  secure  a 
congressional  appropriation  to  meet  the  expense  of  refitting  the 
Boxer  for  service  in  Alaskan  waters  did  not  meet  with  success.  The 
vessel  is  held  at  the  Naval  Training  Station,  Newport,  R.  I.,  pending 
the  securing  of  an  appropriation. 

The  vast  extent  of  the  Territory,  the  remoteness  of  many  of  the 
settlements,  and  lack  of  transportation  facilities  make  the  taking  of 
the  census  of  Alaska  a  matter  of  great  difficulty.  At  the  request  of 
the  Bureau  of  the  Census,  Mr.  W.  T.  Lopp,  superintendent  of  educa¬ 
tion  of  natives  of  Alaska,  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  entire  work  of 
the  Alaska  census  of  1920,  with  the  bureau’s  superintendents,  phy¬ 
sicians,  and  teachers  in  all  parts  of  the  Territory  as  special  agents 
and  enumerators.  This  cooperative  arrangement,  while  greatly  in¬ 
creasing  the  duties  of  the  bureau’s  employees  during  the  year,  proved 
to  be  mutually  economical  and  advantageous. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  BUREAU. 

The  bureau  is  organized  under  the  following  divisions:  Office  of 
chief  clerk,  editorial,  statistical,  library,  city  school  systems,  higher 
education,  rural  education,  foreign  educational  systems,  industrial 
education,  home  economics,  home  education,  school  hygiene,  civic 
education,  school-directed  home  gardening,  community  organizations, 
Americanization  information  service,  visual  instruction,  school-board 
service,  Alaska,  and  stenographic.  Because  of  decreased  appropria¬ 
tions  the  work  in  school-directed  home  gardening,  Americanization, 
and  school-board  service  was  greatly  curtailed.  A  specialist  in  indus¬ 
trial  and  economic  relations  in  education  was  added  to  the  city  school 
division.  Specialists  from  the  bureau  have  worked  with  the  Com¬ 
mittee  on  Reclassification  of  Salaries,  the  Interdepartmental  Social 
Hygiene  Board,  and  the  Red  Cross.  The  lines  of  work  carried  on  bv 
the  several  divisions  have  been  given  in  the  general  statement. 

LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS. 

A  list  by  title  of  the  publications  of  the  bureau  for  the  year  is  here 
given : 

BULLETINS,  1919. 

2.  Standardization  of  Medical  Inspection. 

6.  A  Half  Time  Mill  School. 

8.  Life  of  Henry  Barnard. 

15.  The  Adjustment  of  the  Teaching  Load  in  a  University. 

20.  The  Rural  Teacher  of  Nebraska. 

22.  A  Survey  of  Higher  Education,  1916-1918. 

28.  Educational  Periodicals  during  the  19th  Century. 

29.  Schools  of  Scandinavia.  Finland,  and  Holland. 

31.  Summer  Schools  in  1918. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


125 


35.  Tlie  Junior  College. 

36.  Education  in  Italy. 

37.  Educational  Changes  in  Russia. 

38.  Education  in  Switzerland,  1916-1918. 

39.  Training  Little  Children. 

40.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  Natives  of  Alaska,  1917-18. 

41.  Educational  Study  of  Alabama.  Reprint  of  Chapter  2. 

43.  Education  in  France  in  1916-1918. 

44.  Modern  Education  in  China. 

45.  Accredited  Secondary  Schools  of  the  North  Central  Association. 

46.  Bibliography  of  Home  Economics. 

48.  Educational  Hygiene. 

49.  Education  in  Parts  of  the  British  Empire. 

50.  The  Public  School  System  of  Memphis,  Tenn. 

Part  1.  An  Industrial  and  Social  Study  of  Memphis ;  School  Organiza¬ 
tion,  Supervision,  and  Finance ;  The  Building  Problem. 

Part  2.  The  Elementary  School ;  The  High  Schools. 

Part  3.  Civic  Education. 

Part  4.  Science. 

Part  5.  Music. 

Part  6.  Industrial  Arts,  Home  Economics,  and  Gardening. 

Part  7.  Health  Work. 

51.  The  Application  of  Commercial  Advertising  to  University  Extension. 

52.  Industrial  Schools  for  Delinquents,  1917-18. 

53.  Educational  Work  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  1916-1918. 

54.  The  Schools  of  Austria-Hungary. 

55.  Business  Education  in  Secondary  Schools. 

56.  The  Administration  of  Correspondence  Study  Departments  of  Universities 

and  Colleges. 

57.  Educational  Conditions  in  Japan. 

58.  Commercial  Engineering. 

59.  Some  Phases  of  Progress  in  Latin  America. 

60.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Publications,  September,  1919. 

61.  Public  Discussion  and  Information  Service  of  University  Extension. 

62.  Class  Extension  Work  in  the  Universities  and  Colleges. 

64.  Library  Activities,  1916-1918. 

66.  Training  Teachers  of  Agriculture. 

67.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  October,  1919. 

68.  Financial -and  Building  Needs  of  the  Schools  of  Lexington,  Ky. 

69.  Proceedings  of  the  Fourth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  National  Council  of  Pri¬ 

mary  Education.  (Held  at  Chicago,  Ill.,  Feb.  25,  1919.) 

70.  Schools  and  Classes  for  Feeble-Minded  and  Subnormal  Children. 

71.  Educational  Directory. 

Part  1.  Government  Educational  Activities. 

Part  2.  Public  School  Systems. 

Part  3.  Higher  Education. 

Part  4.  Special  Schools. 

Part  5.  Summer  School  Directors. 

Part  6.  Libraries  and  Museums. 

Part  7.  Miscellaneous  Educational  Organizations. 

72.  An  Abstract  of  the  Report  of  the  Public  School  System  of  Memphis,  Tenn. 
74.  The  Federal  Executive  Departments  as  Sources  of  Information  for  Libra¬ 
ries.  (Also  Reprint.) 


126 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


75.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  November,  1919. 

76.  Community  Americanization. 

77.  State  Americanization. 

78.  Schools  and  Classes  for  the  Blind,  1917-18. 

79.  Schools  for  the  Deaf,  1917-18. 

80.  Teaching  English  to  Foreign-Born. 

82.  Motion  Pictures  and  Motion-Picture  Equipment. 

S3.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  December,  1919. 

BULLETINS,  1920. 

1.  The  Problem  of  Mathematics  in  Secondary  Schools. 

2.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  January,  1920. 

3.  Private  High  Schools  and  Academies. 

4.  The  Problem  of  Adult  Education  in  Passaic,  N.  J. 

5.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  February,  1920. 

6.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  March,  1920. 

11.  Statistics  of  State  School  Systems,  1917-18. 

14.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  April,  1920. 

15.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  May,  1920. 

16.  A  Survey  of  Education  in  Hawaii.  (Preliminary  Edition.) 

REPORTS. 

Annual  Statement  of  the  Commissioner,  1919. 

Annual  Report  of  the  Commissioner,  1918-19. 

LIBRARY  LEAFLETS - LIST  OF  REFERENCES. 

No.  3.  List  of  References  on  Play  and  Playgrounds.  (Reprint.) 

No.  5.  List  of  References  on  the  Junior  High  School.  (Reprint.) 

No.  6.  List  of  References  on  Stories  for  Young  Children.  (Also  Reprint.) 

No.  7.  List  of  References  on  Vocational  Education. 

No.  8.  List  of  References  on  Teachers’  Salaries. 

No.  9.  List  of  References  on  the  Project  Method  in  Education. 

No.  10.  List  of  References  on  Education  for  Citizenship. 

No.  11.  List  of  References  on  Consolidation  of  Schools. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION  SERIES. 

No.  1.  Wanted  Teachers  to  Enlist  for  Child  Health  Service.  (Reprint.) 
No.  2.  Diet  for  the  School  Child.  (Reprint.) 

No.  5.  Child  Health  Program. 

No.  6.  Further  Steps  in  Teaching  Health. 

Poster — Right  Height  for  Boys.  (Also  Reprint.) 

Poster — Right  Height  for  Girls.  (Also  Reprint.) 

Classroom  Weight  Record.  (Reprint.) 

Folding  Poster — Right  Height  and  Weight.  (Reprint.) 

KINDERGARTEN  CIRCULARS. 

No.  4.  Manufacturers  Endorse  the  Kindergarten. 

No.  5.  The  Kindergarten  as  an  Americanizer. 

No.  6.  The  Child  and  the  Kindergarten. 

Kindergarten  Extension  Series  No.  1. 

Answers  to  Objections  to  the  Kindergarten.  (Reprint.) 

Broadside — The  Kindergarten  Division. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


12 


SECONDARY  SCHOOL  CIRCULARS. 

No.  5.  The  Reorganization  of  the  First  Courses  in  Secondary  School  Mathe¬ 
matics. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 

No.  15.  Increases  in  Salaries  of  College  Teachers. 

No.  16.  The  Rhodes  Scholarships. 

No.  17.  How  Much  Does  Education  Cost? 

No.  18.  The  Ohio  Plan  for  the  Training  of  Teachers  and  the  Improvement  of 
Teachers  in  Service. 

No.  19.  The  Rhodes  Scholarships,  1920. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 

No.  3.  Industrial  Art  as  a  National  Asset.  (Reprint.) 

No.  4.  The  Army  Trade  Tests.  (Reprint.) 

HOME  ECONOMICS  CIRCULARS. 

No.  2.  Current  Problems  in  Home  Economics.  (Reprint.) 

No.  4.  Principles  and  Policies  in  Home  Economics  Education.  (Reprint.) 

No.  5.  Government  Publications  for  Home  Economics  Teachers  and  Students. 
( Reprint. ) 

READING  COURSES. 

No.  6.  Thirty  Books  of  Great  Fiction.  (Reprint.) 

Thirty  Books  of  Great  Fiction.  (Section  A — Reprint.) 

Thirty  Books  of  Great  Fiction.  (Section  B — Reprint.) 

No.  7.  Thirty  World  Heroes.  (Section  B — Reprint.) 

Thirty  World  Heroes.  (Section  C — Reprint.) 

No.  10.  American  History.  (Section  A — Reprint.) 

American  History.  (Section  B — Reprint.) 

No.  11.  France  and  Her  History.  (Also  Reprint.) 

Broadside — Greatest  Books  of  All  Ages. 

Posters — Your  Public  Library  is  Free — Use  It. 


COMMUNITY  CENTER  CIRCULARS. 


No.  3.  The  Forum. 


SCHOOL  LIFE. 

Volume  3 :  Nos.  1-12. 

Volume  4 :  Nos.  1-12. 

Volume  4 :  Nos.  9-10,  May  1-15,  1920,  Reprint  pages  14-15. 
Index  and  title-page,  volume  2,  January-June. 

Index  and  title-page,  volume  3,  July-December. 


AMERICANIZATION. 

Americanization,  August  1,  1919. 
Americanization,  No.  13,  September  1,  1919. 
Americanization,  vol.  2,  No.  2,  October  1,  1919. 
Americanization,  November  1,  1919. 


UNITED  STATES  SCHOOL  GARDEN  ARMY  SERIES. 

A  Manual  of  School-Supervised  Gardening  for  the  Northeastern  States.  Part 
I.  Vegetables.  (Also  Reprint.) 


128 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1920. 


A  Manual  of  School-Supervised  Gardening  for  the  Northeastern  States.  Part 
II.  Flowers.  (Also  Reprint.) 

Courses  in  School-Supervised  Gardening  for  the  Northeastern  States.  (Also 
Reprint. ) 

Lessons  in  School  Supervised  Gardening  for  the  Southeastern  States. 

Home  Gardening  for  City  Children  of  the  Fifth,  Sixth,  and  Seventh  Grades. 
(Also  Reprint.) 

A  Manual  of  School  Supervised  Gardening  for  the  Western  States. 

School  Garden  Army  Leaflet  No.  1,  Home  Gardening  for  Town  Children. 
Northeastern  States  Leaflet  No.  96,  School  Supervised  Gardening  in  a  City 
School  System. 

Broadside — The  Garden  Lady’s  Stories  No.  2. 

Broadside — The  Garden  Lady’s  Stories  No.  3. 

Broadside — The  School  Garden  Army  in  1920.  (Also  Reprint.) 

Broadside — Lessons  in  Gardening  and  Floriculture. 

Broadside — Little  Girl — Big  Boy. 

Broadside — Be  Sure  You’re  Right,  Then  Hoe  Ahead. 

Broadside — Dame  Ladybird  and  Her  Friends. 

School  Garden  Army  Certificates. 

Individual  Garden  Report  Forms. 

EXTENSION  LEAFLETS. 

No.  1.  Educational  Institutions  equipped  with  Motion  Picture  Projection  Ma¬ 
chines. 

MISCELLANEOUS  PUBLICATIONS. 

Available  Publications  of  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education,  August,  1919. 

Available  Publications  of  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education,  December,  1919. 

Available  Publications  of  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education,  April,  1920. 

Flag  Exercises  for  the  Schools  of  the  Nation.  (Reprint.) 

Bulletin — Education  for  the  Establishment  of  Democracy,  P.  P.  Claxton. 
Broadside — Why  Children  Cannot  Develop,  etc. 


UNFINISHED  PRINTING. 


The  following  were  in  the  hands  of  the  printer  at  the  close  of  the 
year: 


BULLETINS. 


Natural  Science  Teaching  in  Great  Britain. 

Private  Commercial  and  Business  Schools,  1917-18. 

Nurse  Training  Schools,  1918. 

Normal  Schools,  1917-18. 

The’ Eyesight  of  School  Children. 

The  University  Extension  Movement. 

Development  of  Agricultural  Instruction  in  Secondary  Schools. 

Administration  and  Supervision  of  Village  Schools. 

Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1916-1918.  (Vols.  1-2.) 

The  Feasibility  of  Consolidating*  the  Schools  of  Mount  Joy  Township,  Adams 
County,  Pa. 

Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Colleges. 

Requirements  for  the  Bachelor’s  Degree. 

Correspondence  Study  in  Universities  and  Colleges. 

Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  June,  1920. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


129 


TEACHERS’  LEAFLETS. 

No.  7.  Recreation  and  Rural  Health. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION  SERIES. 

No.  7.  The  Lunch  Hour  at  School. 

Health  Education  Publications.  (Price  List.) 

READING  COURSES. 

No.  13.  The  Call  of  Blue  Waters. 

No.  14.  Iron  and  Steel. 

No.  15.  Shipbuilding. 

No.  16.  Machine-Shop  Work. 


EXTENSION  LEAFLETS. 

No.  2.  Motion  Picture  Films  of  Educational  Value  in  the  Possession  of  Asso¬ 
ciations  and  Commercial  and  Manufacturing  Companies. 


INDEX 


Agricultural  education,  60-65 ;  for  women,  63. 

Alabama,  county  library  laws,  82. 

Alaska,  educational  activities,  121-124. 

American  Council  on  Education,  activities,  16-17. 

American  Home  Economics  Association,  activities,  50-60. 

American  Library  Association,  activities,  81-82. 

American  University  Union  in  Europe,  activities,  17. 

Americanization,  conferences,  100-101 ;  kindergartens,  35-37 ;  legislation  in 
various  States,  78-79. 

Army,  vocational  education,  43-44. 

Army  tests.  See  General  intelligence  tests. 

Attendance,  colleges  and  universities,  8-10.  See  also  Compulsory  attendance. 
Belgium,  home  economics  education,  58. 

Benefactions,  appropriations  for  education  by  General  Education  Board,  80-81 ; 

colleges  and  universities,  8. 

Building  programs,  cities  retarded,  17-18. 

Buildings,  school.  See  School  buildings. 

Bureau  of  Education,  functions  and  activities,  88-129;  list  of  publications, 
124-129. 

California,  certification  of  librarians,  83 ;  employment  of  home  teachers,  57. 
Campaigns,  educational.  See  Educational  campaigns. 

Canada,  home  economics  education,  59. 

Capen,  S.  P.,  on  activities  of  American  Council  on  Education,  16-17. 

Child  feeding  and  welfare,  new  courses,  53-54. 

Child  health,  publications  of  Bureau  of  Education,  118-119. 

Child  Health  Organization  of  America,  work,  69-70. 

Child  training,  women’s  colleges,  37-38. 

Chile,  home  economics  education,  59. 

Cho-Cho,  the  health  clown,  69. 

Citizenship  training,  publications  of  Bureau  of  Education,  110. 

City  school  systems.  See  School  systems,  city. 

City  schools,  general  activities,  17-27. 

Civic  education,  71-73. 

Civic  interests,  projects  relating  to,  31-32. 

College  of  Hawraii,  survey  by  Bureau  of  Education,  15. 

Colleges  and  universities,  7-17 ;  agricultural  education,  60-61 ;  cooperation  with 
industries,  15-16;  home  economics  courses,  53,  55;  new  library  buildings, 
86-87.  See  also  Higher  education. 

Columbia  University,  general  intelligence  tests,  13-15. 

Commercial  education,  conference,  108-109. 

Community  civics,  course  in  high  schools,  71. 

Community  organization,  117-118. 

Compulsory  attendance,  legislation  in -various  States,  77-78. 

Congress  and  education,  79-80. 

Consolidation  of  schools,  22,  42-43. 

Constantinople  College,  home  economics,  59. 

County  library  plan,  82-83. 

Courses  of  study  based  on  the  child’s  experience.  29. 


131 


132 


INDEX. 


Delaware,  educational  legislation,  79. 

Detroit,  Mich.,  grading  children  according  to  ability,  28. 

Dietitians,  specialized  courses,  54,  55. 

District  of  Columbia,  community  organization,  118. 

Educational  campaigns,  endowment  for  colleges  and  universities,  8;  national, 
106-108. 

Educational  hygiene,  65-71. 

Educational  legislation,  66,  73-80 ;  advice  in  regard  to,  105. 

Educational  surveys,  Hawaii,  15;  conducted  by  Bureau  of  Education,  102-104. 
Elementary  schools,  home  economics  courses,  56-57. 

Endowment  campaigns,  colleges  and  universities,  8. 

England,  home  economics  education,  59. 

Enrollment,  colleges  and  universities,  7,  9. 

Federal  aid  to  education,  79-80 ;  effects  of  Smith-Hughes  Act,  47-49. 

Fess-Capper  bill,  physical  education,  66-67. 

Foreign  educational  systems,  publications  of  Bureau  of  Education,  96-98. 

Free  Kindergarten  and  Children’s  Aid  Association  of  Hawaii,  work,  39. 

Frick,  Henry  C.,  bequests  to  education,  8. 

General  Education  Board,  financial  operations,  80-81. 

General  intelligence  tests,  Columbia  University,  13-15. 

George  Peabody  College  for  Teachers,  new  library  building,  86. 

Georgia,  educational  legislation,  75,  76,  77,  78. 

Grading  children  according  to  ability,  27-29. 

Hawaii,  educational  survey,  39. 

Hawaii,  College  of,  survey  by  Bureau  of  Education,  15. 

Health  education,  legislation  in  various  States,  76-77 ;  progress,  68-69. 

High  schools,  agricultural  education,  64-65  ;  extending  its  course  upward,  26-27  ; 

home  economics  courses,  55 ;  vocational  education,  51-52. 

Higher  education,  7-17 ;  publications  of  Bureau  of  Education,  92-93.  See  also 
Colleges  and  universities. 

Highway  engineering  and  transport,  conference,  99-100. 

Home  demonstration  work,  under  Smith-Lever  Act,  58. 

Home  economics,  education,  52-60 ;  publications  of  Bureau  of  Education,  95. 
Home  education,  117. 

Home  gardening,  school  directed,  work  of  Bureau  of  Education,  110-115. 

Home  teachers,  employment  in  California,  57. 

Hygiene,  school,  65-71 ;  publications  of  Bureau  of  Education,  95. 

Illinois,  county  library  laws,  82. 

Indiana,  minimum  salary  law,  74-75,  76. 

Industrial  and  home  economics,  conference,  109. 

Industrial  relationships,  study,  49-50. 

Industry  and  higher  institutions,  cooperation,  15-16. 

Institute  of  International  Education,  activities,  17. 

Intelligence  tests.  See  General  intelligence  tests. 

Interdepartmental  Social  Hygiene  Board,  activities,  67-68. 

International  higher  education,  17. 

Junior  colleges,  activities,  10-11;  conference,  100. 

Junior  high  schools,  statistics,  26. 

Kellogg,  Vernon,  on  program  of  the  National  Research  Council.  12-13. 

Kentucky,  county  library  laws,  82 ;  educational  legislation,  76,  77,  79 ;  teachers’ 
salaries,  legislation,  75,  77. 

Kindergartens,  Americanization  work,  35-37 ;  and  the  home,  37-38 ;  and  the 
primary  school,  38 ;  extension  work,  33-34 ;  Hawaii,  39 ;  towns  and  villages, 
34-35 ;  unit  in  France,  37. 


INDEX. 


133 


Land-grant  colleges,  121. 

Lectures  and  addresses,  educational,  109. 

Legislation,  educational.  See  Educational  legislation. 

Leland  Stanford  Junior  University,  new  library  building,  86. 

Librarians,  certification,  83;  salaries,  84-35. 

Libraries,  activities,  81-87 ;  buildings  as  memorials  to  soldiers  and  sailors,  87 ; 

work  of  Bureau  of  Education,  90-91. 

Library  Workers’  Association,  established,  84. 

Louisiana,  educational  legislation,  75-76. 

Lunches,  schools,  courses,  54. 

Maine,  educational  legislation,  76. 

Maryland,  educational  legislation,  78-79 ;  teachers’  salaries,  legislation,  75. 
Massachusetts,  educational  legislation,  78. 

Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  agriculture  for  women,  63. 

Mental  tests.  See  General  intelligence  tests. 

Michigan,  educational  legislation,  76. 

Mining  towns,  schools,  101-102. 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  semipermanent  type  of  school  buildings,  19. 

Minnesota,  county  library  laws,  82. 

Mississippi,  educational  legislation,  78 ;  teachers’  salaries,  legislation,  75,  77. 
Modern  Health  Crusaders,  work,  70. 

Moving  pictures,  use  in  education,  lf5-117. 

National  Citizens’  Conference  on  Education,  2-L-25,  106-107. 

National  Council  of  Education,  committee  on  health  problems,  71. 

National  Council  of  Primary  Education,  work,  32-33. 

National  Physical  Education  Service,  work,  69. 

National  Research  Council,  activities,  12-13. 

National  Society  for  the  Study  of  Education,  reading  lessons  based  on  com¬ 
munity  life,  29-30. 

National  Society  for  Vocational  Education,  joint  meeting  with  Vocational 
Education  Association  of  the  Middle  West,  50-52. 

Navy,  vocational  education,  44—45. 

Negroes,  appropriations  for  schools,  81. 

New  Jersey,  county  library  laws,  82 ;  educational  legislation,  78 ;  teachers’  sal¬ 
aries,  legislation,  75. 

New  York,  teachers’  salaries,  legislation,  74. 

New  York  State  College  of  Agriculture,  specialized  courses  for  fertilizer  sales¬ 
men,  poultry  judges,  and  bee  keepers,  62. 

New  York  State  Library  Association,  certification  of  librarians,  83. 

New  Zealand,  home-economics  education,  58. 

Normal  schools,  home-economics  courses,  53. 

North  Carolina,  conference  on  education,  108. 

Oregon,  county  library  laws,  82 ;  educational  legislation,  76. 

Organization  of  schools.  See  School  organization. 

Part-time  schools,  agriculture,  65. 

Pennsylvania,  educational  legislation,  76. 

Physical  education,  legislation,  66-67. 

Poland,  home-economics  education,  59. 

Primary  education,  tendencies,  27-33. 

Primary  schools,  organic  relations  to  kindergarten,  38. 

Promotion  of  education,  work  of  Bureau  of  Education,  105. 

Providence,  R.  I.,  grading  children  according  to  ability,  28. 

Public  schools,  support,  75-76. 


134 


INDEX. 


Reading,  lessons  based  on  community  life,  29-30;  lessons  for  children  in  non- 
English-speaking  families,  30-31. 

Reindeer,  increase  in  Alaska,  122-123. 

Resegmentation  of  the  school  system,  25-2,6. 

Reserve  Officers’  Training  Corps,  activities,  11-12. 

Retardation,  27-28. 

Rhode  Island,  educational  legislation,  76,  78,  79. 

Rural  education,  39l-43  ;  conferences,  109 ;  studies  of  Bureau  of  Education,  93. 
School-board  service,  work  of  Bureau  of  Education,  98-99. 

School  buildings,  cost  of  construction  in  cities,  18-19 ;  semipermanent  type. 
19-20. 

School  consolidation,  movement  in  the  cities,  22. 

School  hygiene,  65-71 ;  publications  of  Bureau  of  Education,  95. 

School  lunches,  courses  in  the  conduct  of,  54. 

School  organization,  legislation,  79 ;  work-study-play  plan,  20-22. 

School-plant  construction,  105. 

School  surveys,  primary  education,  32. 

School  systems,  city,  publications  of  Bureau  of  Education,  94 ;  resegmentation, 
25-26. 

Secondary  schools,  agricultural  education,  64-65. 

Smith-Hughes  Act,  effects,  47-49. 

Smith-Lever  Act  and  home-demonstration  work,  58. 

Smith-Towner  bill,  provisions,  80. 

Social  science  in  vocational  classes,  52. 

Soldiers,  educational  opportunities,  91-92. 

South  Carolina,  educational  legislation,  76. 

Standards  in  education,  research  work  of  Bureau  of  Education,  119-12,0. 

State  library  commissions,  85-86. 

Surveys,  educational.  See  Educational  surveys. 

Teachers,  agriculture,  63 ;  participation  in  school  administration,  25 ;  shortage, 
24-25,  40-41. 

Teachers’  salaries,  23-24,  41-42 ;  colleges  and  universities,  10 ;  colleges  of  agri¬ 
culture,  63-64 ;  legislation,  73-75. 

Texas,  county  library  laws,  82 ;  teachers’  salaries,  legislation,  75. 

Thorndike,  E.  L.,  on  general  intelligence  tests,  14-15. 

Trade  training,  95-96. 

University  of  California,  reduction  of  number  of  major  subjects  in  college  of 
agriculture,  62. 

University  of  Chicago,  and  General  Education  Board,  81. 

University  of  Hawaii,  survey,  15. 

University  of  Missouri,  agricultural  teacher  training,  63. 

Utah,  county  library  laws,  82 ;  educational  legislation,  76. 

Vestibule  and  upgrading  schools,  52. 

Village  schools,  conference,  102. 

Virginia,  educational  legislation,  76,  77,  79. 

Visual  instruction,  work  of  Bureau  of  Education  in  promoting,  115-117. 
Vocational  education,  43-52 ;  joint  convention  of  organizations,  50-52. 
Vocational  Education  Association  of  thd  Middle  West,  activities,  50-52. 
Vocational  home  economics,  57-58. 

Washington,  educational  legislation,  76-77. 

Wisconsin,  county  library  laws,  82. 

Women  in  industry,  51. 

Work-study-play  plan,  20-22. 


o 


REPORT 


OF  THE 

Commissioner  of  Education 


THE  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1921 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1921 


THE  UNITED  STATES  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


Created  as  a  Department  March  2,  1867. 

Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869. 


COMMISSIONERS. 


Henry  Barnard,  LIy.  D., 
March  11,,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870. 


John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1886. 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D., 
August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889. 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  1,  1906 ,  to  June  30,  1911. 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921. 


2 


John  James  Tigert,  j\L  A.  (Oxon),  LL.  D., 
June  2,  1921,  to  date. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

I.  General  activities  of  the  bureau _  5 

Organization  and  functions _  5 

Present  personnel  of  the  bureau _  6 

Basis  of  reorganization _  6 

Continuing  or  stated  activities _  6 

Educational  research  and  promotion _  7 

Activities  discontinued _  7 

Statistics _  7 

Correspondence _  S 

Library  _  8 

Editorial  Division _  30 

Higher  education _ /. _  14 

Land-grant  college _ : -  15 

Rural  schools _  1G 

City  school  administration _  17 

Vocational  education _ 19 

Home  economics _ = _  20 

Commercial  education _  21 

- —  Home  education _  22 

School  hygiene  and  physical  education _  24 

Foreign  educational  systems _  25 

Activities  in  Alaska _  26 

II.  Educational  surveys,  conferences,  and  campaigns _  28 

Educational  surveys _ _ _ 28 

Educational  conferences _  81 

Educational  campaigns _  35 

III.  Appropriations - - - - -  36 

IV.  Recommendations -  37 

3 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 

W  ashing  ton,  D.  C September  1 , 1921. 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  opera¬ 
tions  of  this  office  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1921,  together 
with  recommendations  for  the  extension  and  improvement  of  its 
work,  as  required  by  act  of  Congress  approved  March  2,  1867. 

I.  GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 
organization  and  functions. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  is  charged  with  certain  administra¬ 
tive  functions.  These  include  the  administration  of  a  system  of 
education  for  the  natives  of  Alaska  and  duties  connected  with  the 
administration  of  the  income  resulting  from  the  principal  obtained 
by  the  sale  of  lands  granted  under  the  first  Morrill  Act,  an  amount 
approximating  $1,009,225,  and  of  the  Morrill-Nelson  fund,  which 
amounts  to  $2,500,000  annually,  $50,000  a  year  going  to  each  State. 
The  bureau  is  required  to  see  that  the  interest  from  the  first  fund 
is  at  least  5  per  cent  and  that  it  is  expended  according  to  the  re¬ 
quirements  of  the  first  Morrill  Act.  It  must  also  audit  the  ex¬ 
penditure  of  the  $50,000  granted  annually  to  each  State  for  the 
college  or  colleges  of  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts. 

The  chief  functions  of  the  bureau,  however,  are  nonadministrative. 

The  act  creating  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  defines 
its  purposes  and  duties  as  those  of  collecting  such  statistics  and 
facts  as  will  show  the  condition  and  progress  of  education  in  the 
several  States  and  Territories,  and  of  diffusing  such  information  re¬ 
specting  the  organization  and  management  of  schools  and  school 
systems  and  methods  of  teaching  as  shall  aid  the  people  of  the 
United  States  in  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  efficient 
school  systems  and  otherwise  promote  the  cause  of  education 
throughout  the  county . 

This  statement  of  the  functions  of  the  bureau  makes  it  primarily 
an  institution  for  scientific  research  and  gives  it  no  administrative 
duties.  Such  administrative  duties  as  it  has  have  been  subsequently 
assigned  to  it.  Broadly  stated,  then,  the  functions  of  the  bureau  are 
as  follows: 

(1)  To  be  informed  on  all  subjects  pertaining  to  education. 

(2)  To  disseminate  such  information. 

(3)  To  promote  the  cause  of  education  generally. 


5 


6 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


I  find  that  the  bureau  in  attempting  to  discharge  these  functions 
has  been  undertaking  a  considerable  variety  of  activities,  which  may 
be  divided  roughly  into  two  main  types,  with  subdivisions  as  follows : 

(1)  Continuing  or  stated  activities. —  (a)  Business  administra¬ 
tion  of  the  office;  (6)  administration  of  the  educational  system, 
medical  relief,  and  reindeer  herds  for  the  natives  of  Alaska;  ( c )  ad¬ 
ministration  of  certain  provisions  of  law  relating  to  the  State 
colleges  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts  ;  ( d )  collecting  and 
compiling  statistics;  (e)  library  service;  (/)  publication  and  distri¬ 
bution  of  documents;  (g)  stenographic.,  clerical,  and  other  incidental 
service. 

(2)  Educational  research  and  'promotion . —  {a)  Studies  of  various 
phases  of  education  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  and  digesting 
information;  ( b )  preparation  of  manuscripts  for  publication  as  cir¬ 
culars  of  information,  or  bulletins,  or  portions  of  bulletins;  (<?)  coun¬ 
seling  with  school  officers,  legislative  committees,  boards  of  school 
trustees,  and  others,  and  giving  advice  on  educational  matters;  (d) 
official  correspondence  with  seekers  after  information,  advice,  and 
other  assistance;  ( e )  representation  at  educational  conventions  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  in  touch  with  leaders  and  movements;  (/) 
public  addresses  on  educational  topics;  (g)  organization  and  con¬ 
duct  of  special  conferences  of  educators  and  others;  (h)  organiza¬ 
tion  and  conduct  of  educational  surveys  and  preparation  of  reports 
and  recommendations  based  upon  such  studies. 

PRESENT  PERSONNEL  OF  THE  BUREAU. 

For  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  bureau,  exclusive  of  the  work  in 
Alaska,  we  have  now  In  the  offices  at  Washington  87  people.  Of 
these  approximately  one- fourth  are  specialists  engaged  in  the  va¬ 
rious  lines  of  educational  research  and  promotion,  the  remainder 
being  made  up  of  employees  in  the  statistical  division,  librarians, 
stenographers,  clerks,  and  others. 

Under  the  administration  of  my  predecessor  the  activities  of  these 
people  were  very  largely  directed  bv  the  commissioner  personally. 
Dr.  Claxton’s  experience  before  and  during  his  10  years  in  the  com- 
missionership  gave  him  a  knowledge  of  education  and  its  technique 
which  perhaps  no  other  man  in  America  could  have.  In  attempting 
to  assume  the  duties  which  he  had  been  discharging  I  found  it  im¬ 
possible  to  carry  on  the  activities  of  the  bureau  as  he  had  done.  It 
became  necessary  for  me  to  effect  some  kind  of  reorganization. 

BASIS  OF  REORGANIZATION. 

The  form  of  organization  is  based  on  the  analysis  of  activities  in¬ 
dicated  above.  We  have  in  the  bureau  these  two  general  types  of 
activities:  First,  the  activities  of  a  more  or  less  routine  character, 
which  I  have  termed  stated  or  continuing  activities ;  and,  second,  the 
activities  of  highly  trained  experts  in  various  fields  of  education, 
whom  I  have  designated  the  technical  staff. 

CONTINUING  OR  STATED  ACTIVITIES. 

There  are  seven  divisions  of  those  activities  which  I  have  termed 
continuing  or  stated  activities :  Editorial,  Library,  Statistics,  Alaska, 
Stenographic,  Mails  and  Files,  and  Messenger  Service.  These  have 
all  been  placed  under  the  general  direction  of  the  chief  clerk. 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


7 


EDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH  AND  PROMOTION. 

The  technical  staff  has  been  organized  into  four  divisions  under 
the  direction  of  the  assistant  to  the  commissioner :  Higher  education, 
rural  schools,  city  schools,  and  service  division.  The  latter  com¬ 
prises  certain  individuals  and  smaller  divisions,  which  have  been 
consolidated  into  one,  including  physical  education  and  school 
hygiene,  industrial  education,  home  economics,  commercial  educa¬ 
tion,  educational  legislation,  and  foreign  education. 

ACTIVITIES  DISCONTINUED. 

Owing  to  the  lack  of  appropriations  it  has  been  necessary  for  the 
bureau  to  discontinue  some  of  the  important  work  previously  car¬ 
ried  on  by  it.  Congress  failed  to  provide  an  appropriation  for  the 
fiscal  year  1921  for  the  work  in  school  and  home  gardening  which 
had  been  conducted  by  the  bureau  with  considerable  success  since 
1914.  During  the  past  year  the  work  was  gradually  discontinued, 
the  bureau  having  the  part-time  services  of  a  special  agent  and  of 
40  special  collaborators.  At  the  close  of  the  year  1921  this  work 
was  entirely  discontinued. 

The  school  board  service  division,  which  had  for  its  object  the 
establishment  of  a  teachers’  register  so  that  it  could  assist  school 
boards  and  heads  of  educational  institutions  in  finding  qualified 
teachers  for  vacancies,  was  discontinued  on  June  30,  1920. 

Work  in  community  organization  which  had  been  carried  on  since 
1916  was  discontinued  in  April,  1921.  During  the  five  years  of  his 
service,  the  specialist  in  community  organization  gave  most  of  his 
time  to  the  establishment  of  community  centers  in  connection  with 
public  schools  in  the  District  of  Columbia  where  the  work  is  now 
wTeli  established. 

For  several  years  this  bureau  cooperated  with  the  National  Geo¬ 
graphic  Society  in  the  distribution,  weekly,  to  teachers  and  school 
officers  throughout  the  United  States  of  the  Geographic  News  Bulle¬ 
tin,  prepared  and  printed  by  the  society,  which,  also  furnished  the 
labor  necessary  to  mail  the  publication.  On  account  of  various 
technical  and  legal  questions  which  arose  during  the  year  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  that  publication  and  in  the  interest  of  economy,  it  has  been 
necessary  to  discontinue  the  cooperative  arrangement  with  the  Na¬ 
tional  Geographic  Society.  The  bulletin  referred  to  will  not,  there¬ 
fore,  be  issued  this  year  from  this  bureau. 

STATISTICS. 

The  Statistical  Division  completed  the  following  statistical  reports 
which  had  been  begun  during  the  preceding  year:  (1)  Bulletin  No. 
31,  1920,  Statistical  Survey  of  Education;  (2)  Bulletin  No.  24,  1920, 
Statistics  of  City  School  Systems;  and  (3)  Bulletin  No.  34,  1920, 
Statistics  of  Universities,  Colleges,  and  Professional  Schools. 

Each  of  these  bulletins  contained  statistics  for  the  year  1917-18. 

In  the  summer  of  1920  this  division  prepared  a  large  section  of  the 
Educational  Directory,  dealing  with  officials  in  State  departments  of 
education,  in  the  offices  of  county  and  city  superintendents,  and  in 
higher  educational  institutions,  such  as  normal  schools,  professional 
schools,  summer  schools,  colleges,  and  universities.  It  also  revised  to 
date  the  following  mailing  lists:  Public  high  schools,  private  high 


8 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


schools,  commercial  schools,  city  schools,  normal  schools,  nurse-train¬ 
ing*  schools,  colleges  and  universities,  and  kindergartens. 

A  study  has  been  made  of  the  salaries  and  training  of  high-school 
teachers  for  1918  and  1921,  including  a  study  of  approximately  70,000 
teachers  of  each  date.  The  returns  were  put  on  punched  cards,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  punch  about  75,000  cards  to  accommodate  the  re¬ 
turns.  The  cards  were  tabulated  on  the  Powers’s  accounting  ma¬ 
chines  in  the  Department  of  the  Treasury,  Income-Tax  Unit.  The 
1918  returns  were  tabulated  in  December,  1920,  and  the  1921  returns 
in  June,  1921.  The  report  will  be  submitted  shortly  for  publication. 

The  Statistical  Division  has  been  editing  the  various  statistical 
reports  for  1920.  This  work  on  the  private  commercial  schools,  nurse¬ 
training  schools,  and  private  high  schools  has  been  practically  com¬ 
pleted.  Considerable  work  of  this  nature  has  also  been  done  on  the 
returns  for  colleges  and  universities,  normal  schools,  city  schools,  and 
State  school  systems.  About  34,000  cards  for  the  report  on  public 
high  schools  have  been  punched.  During  the  year  one  calculating  ma¬ 
chine  has  been  added  to  the  equipment. 

The  catalogue  files  for  the  following  schools  have  been  revised : 
Private  high  schools,  nurse-training  schools,  industrial  schools,  nor¬ 
mal  schools,  commercial  schools,  and  universities  and  colleges. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 

During  the  year  there  were  received  at  the  bureau  139,920  letters, 
41,664  library  publications,  and  66,639  statistical  reports  of  various 
kinds.  This  does  not  take  into  account  any  of  the  mail  matter  re¬ 
ceived  at  the  various  research  stations  and  by  special  agents  and 
bureau  offices  outside  of  Washington. 

During  the  year  the  following  publications  have  been  distributed 
under  the  direction  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  by  the  superintendent 
of  documents : 

Bulletins-: _  422,022 

Annual  reports _ _ _  14,  324 

Miscellaneous  circulars _  368,  952 


Total _ _ _  805,298 

In  addition,  an  aggregate  of  1,232,373  sheets  of  mimeograph  ma¬ 
terial  were  distributed  from  the  mailing  room  of  the  bureau,  con¬ 
sisting  of  circulars  of  information,  blanks  for  office  records,  ques¬ 
tionnaires  relating  to  investigations,  bibliographies  on  educational 
subjects,  articles  on  educational  topics  for  publication  in  newspapers, 
announcements  of  conferences  called  by  the  commissioner,  home  read¬ 
ing  courses,  and  form  letters  to  be  used  in  answering  certain  kinds  of 
correspondence. 

In  addition  to  inquiries  which  could  be  answered  by  form  letters, 
approximately  40,000  personal  letters  were  prepared  and  mailed  out 
from  the  bureau  during  the  year. 

LIBRARY. 

The  library  continued  during  the  year  its  usual  bibliographic  and 
reference  service  both  to  members  of  the  bureau  and  to  outside  visi¬ 
tors  and  correspondents.  The  printed,  mimeographed,  and  type- 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


9 


written  bibliographies  prepared  by  the  division  were  in  great 
demand  and  were  widely  distributed.  During  the  year  48  new  bib¬ 
liographies  were  compiled,  and  206  of  the  earlier  reference  lists  were 
thoroughly  revised  and  brought  up  to  date.  Since  funds  were  not 
available  for  printing  additional  numbers  in  the  series  of  library 
leaflets,  many  of  the  new  lists  were  issued  in  mimeographed  form. 

The  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  pre¬ 
pared  by  the  Library  Division,  was  issued  throughout  the  year. 
Owing  to  the  early  exhaustion  of  the  printing  fund,  the  publication 
of  the  record  during  the  first  half  of  1921  was  greatly  delayed,  and 
it  was  found  necessary  to  combine  the  issues  of  four  months  into 
two  double  numbers  for  March- April  and  May- June,  respectively. 

At  fairly  regular  intervals  throughout  the  year  the  chief  of  the 
division  contributed  to  School  Life  an  annotated  list  of  new  books 
in  education,  covering  nearly  a  page  of  the  periodical  in  each  case. 

The  library  continues  to  cooperate  in  the  production  of  printed 
catalogue  cards  for  educational  books  with  the  Card  Division  of  the 
Library  of  Congress,  which  distributes  these  cards  with  its  regular 
stock  for  use  in  libraries  all  over  the  country.  During  the  past  year 
the  cataloguing  of  current  accessions  to  the  library  was  kept  up,  and 
considerable  progress  was  also  made  in  cataloguing  and  classifying 
school  textbooks  which  had  been  acquired  at  an  earlier  date.  The 
total  number  of  volumes  catalogued  and  classified  was  3,108;  titles, 
2,271. 

The  library  acquired  copies  of  nearly  all  educational  books  of  im¬ 
portance  published  in  the  United  States  during  the  past  year,  also 
many  foreign  educational  works.  The  volumes  and  pamphlets  added 
by  gift,  by  exchange,  and  by  purchase  numbered  1.392.  Copyright 
transfers  from  the  Library  of  Congress  were  530  volumes;  serial 
numbers  accessioned,  3,984;  periodical  numbers,  9,134;  volumes  re¬ 
ceived  from  bindery,  434.  Lack  of  funds  prevented  the  purchase 
of  many  desirable  books  and  periodicals,  and  the  same  cause  held  up 
much  necessary  binding  during  the  year. 

During  the  year  the  library  loaned  to  borrowers  outside  the  office 
2,045  volumes,  many  of  which  were  forwarded  by  mail  to  points  away 
from  Washington.  The  number  of  visitors  registered  as  consulting 
the  library  amounted  to  1,229  for  the  year. 

The  library  answered  during  the  year  4,589  letters  requesting  in¬ 
formation  or  publications. 

The  library  has  made  preliminary  plans  for  a  new  edition  of 
Bulletin  1915,  No.  25,  Statistics  of  Public,  Society,  and  School 
Libraries,  with  the  advice  and  cooperation  of  the  committee  on 
Federal  and  State  relations  of  the  American  Library  Association. 

The  assignment  of  a  room  adjoining  the  library  as  a  reading  room 
for  bureau  specialists  and  visitors  has  greatly  facilitated  the  use  of 
the  library  by  all  classes  of  persons  consulting  it. 

The  Chief  of  the  Library  Division  contributed  a  section  on  library 
activities  to  the  annual  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for 
1920.  He  also  presented  a  report  on  methods  of  organization  of  rural 
library  work  at  the  annual  conference  of  the  American  County  Life 
Association  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  October,  1920,  and  attended  the 
conference  of  the  American  Library  Association  at  Swampscott, 
Mass.,  in  June,  1921,  as  official  representative  of  the  bureau. 

67444°— 21 - 2 


10 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


EDITORIAL  DIVISION. 

Continued  difficulty  in  procuring  the  printing  of  the  documents  of 
the  bureau  marked  the  fiscal  year  1920-21.  The  shortage  in  paper, 
which  began  during  the  war,  became  acute  in  the  spring  of  1920,  and 
it  showed  little  abatement  during  that  year. 

The  matter  was  frequently  called  to  the  attention  of  Government 
officers  concerned  with  printing,  and  they  were  cautioned  formally 
and  informally  to  restrict  their  orders  as  much  as  possible. 

In  March,  1920,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  approved  an  order 
that  all  minor  publications  of  the  department  and  its  bureaus  be 
issued  without  covers  in  order  to  save  paper.  In  June  a  drastic  order 
came  from  the  same  source  by  which  it  was  directed  that  the  amount 
of  printing  be  at  once  reduced  to  a  minimum,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
suspension  of  all  publication.  It  was  required  thereafter  that  every 
requisition  for  printing  should  be  accompanied  by  a  statement  show¬ 
ing  clearly  the  necessity  for  issuing  the  publication  promptly,  and 
pointing  out  specifically  how  the  public  interests  would  suffer  if  the 
printing  of  the  publication  were  postponed. 

Under  this  order,  issued  just  before  the  beginning  of  the  fiscal  year 
1920-21,  it  became  necessary  to  hold  indefinitely  a  number  of  manu¬ 
scripts  which  otherwise  would  have  been  sent  to  the  printer  im¬ 
mediately  after  the  appropriation  for  1920-21  became  available.  A 
few  were  sent,  however,  for.  their  character  was  such  as  to  require 
immediate  action. 

Then  another  set  of  causes  operated  even  more  effectively  than 
departmental  orders  in  reducing  the  bureau’s  activity  in  this  par¬ 
ticular.  The  price  of  paper  rose  to  such  heights  that,  combined  with 
the  extraordinary  costs  of  other  materials  and  of  labor,  the  appro¬ 
priations  allotted  to  this  office  were  exhausted  early  in  1921,  even 
though  the  requisitions  had  been  reduced  to  urgent  needs.  With  no 
money  there  was  naturally  no  printing. 

Request  was  made  for  a  deficiency  appropriation,  but  in  the  rush 
of  the  closing  days  of  the  short  session  of  the  Congress  the  clause 
containing  the  appropriation  was  omitted  from  the  proper  bill.  It 
was  enacted  later  at  the  special  session  of  the  Congress,  but  the  money 
came  too  late  in  the  fiscal  year  to  be  of  much  benefit,  and  nearly  ail 
of  it  lapsed  into  the  Treasury. 

The  documents  actually  issued  in  1920-21  consisted  principally  of 
reports  of  educational  surveys  conducted  by  the  bureau,  statistical 
reports  for  1917-18,  whose  publication  previously  had  been  impos¬ 
sible,  leaflets  of  small  size,  and  a  few  documents  which  had  been 
ordered  long  before.  A  list  of  them  is  appended. 

When  the  deficiency  appropriation  was  made  available,  near  the 
end  of  the  fiscal  year,  several  chapters  of  the  Biennial  Survey  of 
Education  for  19i8-20,  with  a  number  of  other  manuscripts,  were 
at  once  sent  to  the  printer.  Some  work  was  done  on  a  few  of  them, 
but  nearly  all  appear  in  the  list  of  documents  awaiting  action. 

School  Life,  the  semimonthly  periodical  of  the  bureau,  was  issued 
regularly  and  fairly  promptly  to  May  1,  but  the  numbers  for  May 
15,  June  1,  and  June  15  were  each  delayed  unduly  by  the  failure  of 
the  appropriation.  This  periodical  will  in  future  be  issued  monthly, 
excepting  July  and  August.  Each  number  will,  however,  contain  24 
pages  instead  of  16,  as  heretofore. 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


11 


List  of  Publications. 

BULLETINS.  1919. 

No.  47.  Private  Commercial  and  Business  Schools,  1917-18.  .  H.  R.  Bonner. 
Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey. 

No.  63.  Natural  Science  Teaching  in  Great  Britain. 

No.  65.  The  Eyesight  of  School  Children.  .T.  H.  Berkowitz. 

No.  73.  Nurse  Training  Schools,  1917-18.  H.  R.  Bonner.  Advance  sheets  from 
the  Biennial  Survey. 

No.  81.  Statistics  of  State  Normal  Schools,  1917-18.  L.  E.  Blauch  and  H.  R. 
Bonner.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey. 

No.  84.  The  University  Extension  Movement.  W.  S.  Bittner. 

No.  85.  Development  of  Agricultural  Instruction  in  Secondary  Schools.  H.  P. 
Barrows. 

No.  86.  Administration  and  Supervision  of  Village  Schools.  W.  S.  Deffen- 
baugh  and  J.  C.  Muerman. 

No.  87.  Statistics  of  State  Universities  and  State  Colleges  for  the  Year  Ended 
June  30,  1919. 

BULLETINS,  1920. 

No.  7.  Requirements  for  the  Bachelor’s  Degree.  W.  C.  John. 

No.  8.  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Colleges.  W.  C.  John. 

No.  9.  The  Feasibility  of  Consolidating  the  Schools  of ‘Mount  Joy  Township, 
Adams  County,  Pa.  Mrs.  K.  M.  Cook  and  W.  S.  Deffenbaugh. 

No.  10.  Correspondence  Study  in  Universities  and  Colleges.  A.  J.  Klein. 

No.  12.  Training  Teachers  for  Americanization.  J.  J.  Mahoney. 

No.  13.  Educational  Work  of  the  Commercial  Museum  of  Philadelphia.  C.  B. 
Toothaker. 

No.  16.  A  Survey  of  Education  in  Hawaii. 

No.  17.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  June,  1920. 

No.  18.  Lessons  in  Civics  for  the  Six  Elementary  Grades.  Hannah  Margaret 
Harris. 

No.  19.  Statistics  of  Public  High  Schools,  1917-18.  H.  R.  Bonner.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey. 

No.  20.  Salaries  in  Universities  and  Colleges  in  1920.  L.  A.  Kalbach. 

No.  21.  Schools  in  the  Bituminous  Coal  Regions  of  the  Appalachian  Mountains. 
W.  S.  Deffenbaugh. 

No.  22.  A  School-Building  Program  for  Meriden,  Conn.  Alice  Barrows  Fer¬ 
nandez. 

No.  23.  A  School-Building  Program  for  Gloucester,  Mass. 

No.  24.  Statistics  of  City-School  Systems,  1917-18.  H.  R.  Bonner.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey. 

No.  25.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  September,  1920. 
No.  26.  Reorganization  of  Science  in  Secondary  Schools.  A  report  of  the 
Commission  on  the  Reorganization  of  Secondary  Education. 

No.  27.  Survey  of  the  Schools  of  Brunswick  and  of  Glynn  County,  Ga. 

No.  28.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications.  Index,  Feb¬ 
ruary,  1919,  January,  1920. 

No.  29.  The  National  Crisis  in  Education :  An  Appeal  to  the  People. 

No.  31.  Statistical  Survey  of  Education,  1917-18.  H.  R.  Bonner.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey. 

No.  32.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  October,  1920. 
No.  33.  Educational  Directory,  1920-21. 

No.  34.  Statistics  of  Universities,  Colleges,  and  Professional  Schools,  1917-18. 
II.  R.  Bonner.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey. 

No.  35.  Agriculture  in  Secondary  Schools :  A  Report  of  the  Commission  on  the 
Reorganization  of  Secondary  Education. 

No.  36.  Preliminary  Survey  of  the  Schools  of  the  District  of  Columbia. 

No.  38.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  November,  1920. 
No.  40.  The  Curriculum  of  the  College  of  Agriculture.  Carl  R.  Woodward. 

No.  41.  The  Francis  Scott  Key  School,  Locust  Point,  Baltimore,  Md.  C.  A. 
Bennett. 

No.  42.  Education  for  Highway  Engineering  and  Highway  Transport.  F.  L. 
Bishop  and  W.  C.  John. 

No.  43.  Survey  of  the  Schools  of  Winchester,  Mass. 


12 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


No.  44.  Salaries  of  Principals  of  High  Schools.  W.  T.  Bawden. 

No.  45.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  December,  1920. 
No.  46.  Organization  of  State  Departments  of  Education.  L.  A.  Kalbach  and 
A.  O.  Neal. 

BULLETINS,  1921. 


No.  1.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  January,  1921. 
No.  2.  Survey  of  the  Schools  of  Wilmington,  Del.  Part  1. 

No.  3.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  February,  1921. 
No.  4.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  March-April, 
1921. 


Annual  Statement  of  the  Commissioner,  1920.' 
Annual  Report  of  the  Commissioner,  1919-20. 


teachers’  leaflets. 


No.  7.  Recreation  and  Rural  Health.  E.  C.  Lindeman. 

No.  8.  Civic  Training  through  Service.  A.  W.  Dunn. 

No.  9.  Lessons  in  Civics  for  the  Three  Primary  Grades.  Hannah  Margaret 
Harris. 

No.  11.  Rural  School  Playgrounds  and  Equipment.  K.  C.  Richmond. 

No.  14.  Modern  Language  Teaching. 

LIBRARY  LEAFLETS - LIST  OF  REFERENCES. 


No.  12.  October,  1920.  Educational  Surveys. 

No.  13.  December,  1920.  The  Use  of  Pictures  in  Education. 


HEALTH  EDUCATION  SERIES. 

No.  5.  Child  Health  Program.  (Reprint.) 

No.  6.  Further  Steps  in  Teaching  Health.  (Reprint.) 

No.  7.  The  Lunch  Hour  at  School.  (Reprint.) 

No.  8.  Health  Training  for  Teachers. 

No.  9.  Your  Opportunity  in  the  Schools. 

Poster.  Right  Height  and  Weight  for  Boys.  (Reprint.) 

Poster.  Right  Height  and  Weight  for  Girls.  (Reprint.) 

Classroom  Weight  Record.  (Reprint.) 

Health  Education  Publications.  Price  List. 

Health  Card  No.  1.  What  is  Health? 

Health  Education — School  Life  Supplements  1-8. 

KINDERGARTEN  CIRCULAR. 

No.  6.  The  Child  and  the  Kindergarten.  Julia  Wade  Abbot.  (Reprint.) 
SECONDARY  SCHOOL  CIRCULARS. 

No.  6.  Junior  High  School  Mathematics:  A  Preliminary  Report  by  the  Na¬ 
tional  Committee  on  Mathematical  Requirements. 

No.  7.  The  Problem  of  Summer  Teaching  in  Connection  with  Project  Super¬ 
vision.  Aretas  W.  Nolan. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 

No.  20.  Opportunities  for  the  Study  of  Engineering  at  American  Higher 
Institutions. 

No.  21.  Report  of  the  Progress  of  the  Subcommittee  on  College  Instruction  in 
Agriculture. 

No.  22.  Opportunities  for  the  Study  of  Medicine  in  the  United  States.  George 
F.  Zook. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 


No.  5.  Progress  in  the  Preparation  of  Industrial  Teachers.  W.  T.  Bawden. 
No.  6.  Examples  of  Good  Teaching  in  Industrial  Education.  W.  T.  Bawden. 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


13 


HOME  ECONOMICS  CIRCULAR. 

No.  9.  Home  Economics  Courses  of  Study  for  Junior  High  Schools. 

READING  COURSES. 

No.  1.  The  World’s  Great  Literary  Bibles.  (Revised.) 

No.  2.  Great  Literature — Ancient,  Medieval,  and  Modern.  (Revised.) 

No.  3.  Reading  Course  for  Parents.  (Revised.) 

No.  4.  Reading  Course  for  Boys.  (Revised.) 

No.  5.  Reading  Course  for  Girls.  (Revised.) 

No.  6.  Thirty  Books  of  Great  Fiction.  (Revised.) 

No.  7.  Thirty  World  Heroes.  (Revised.) 

No.  8.  American  Literature.  (Revised.) 

No.  9.  Thirty  American  Heroes.  (Revised.) 

No.  10.  American  History.  (Revised.) 

No.  13.  The  Call  of  Blue  Waters. 

No.  14.  Iron  and  Steel. 

No.  15.  Shipbuilding. 

No.  16.  Machine  Shop  Work. 

MISCELLANEOUS  PUBLICATIONS. 

Available  Publications  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education,  November,  1920. 
Joy  and  Health  Through  Play.  G.  E.  Schlafer. 

Broadside — New  High  Schools,  Etc. 

Broadside — School  Directed  Home  Gardening. 

Broadside — Observance  of  School  Week. 

Broadside — History  of  the  City  School  Dollar. 

SCHOOL  LIFE. 


Volume  5,  nos.  1-12. 

Volume  6,  nos.  1-11. 

Index  and  title-page,  vol.  4,  January-June,  1920. 

Index  and  title-page,  vol.  5,  July-December,  1920. 

Unfinished  Printing,  1920-21. 

BULLETINS,  1919. 

No.  S8.  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1916-18.  Vol.  1. 

No.  89.  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1916-18.  Vol.  2. 

No.  90.  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1916-18.  Vol.  3. 

No.  91.  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1916-18.  Vol.  4. 

BULLETINS,  1920. 

No.  30.  State  Laws  Relating  to  Education  Enacted  in  1918-19.  W.  R.  Hood. 
No.  39.  Opportunities  for  Foreign  Students  at  Colleges  and  Universities  in  the 
United  States.  S.  P.  Capen. 

No.  47.  Proceedings  of  the  Fifth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  National  Council  of 
Primary  Education. 

No.  48.  Statistics  of  State  Universities  and  State  Colleges  for  the  Year 
Ended  June  30,  1920. 

BULLETINS,  1921. 

No.  2.  Survey  of  the  Schools  of  Wilmington,  Del.  Part  2. 

No.  5.  Part-Time  Education  of  Various  Types :  A  Report  of  the  Commission 
on  the  Reorganization  of  Secondary  Education. 

No.  6.  Opportunities  for  Study  at  American  Graduate  Schools.  G.  F.  Zook. 
No.  7.  Organization  for  Visual  Instruction.  W.  H.  Dudley. 

No  9.  Present  Status  of  Music  Instruction  in  the  Colleges  and  High  Schools 
in  the  United  States.  Osbourne  McConathy. 

No.  10.  The  Visiting  Teacher.  Sophia  C.  Gleim. 

No.  11.  Pharmaceutical  Education.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey, 
1918-20. 


14 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


No.  13.  The  Housing  and  Equipment  of  Kindergartens.  ' 

No.  14.  Education  of  the  Deaf.  Percival  Hall.  Advance  sheets  from  the 
Biennial  Survey.  1918-20. 

No.  15.  Medical  Education,  1918-20.  N.  P.  Colwell.  Advance  sheets  from  the 
Biennial  Survey,  1918-20. 

No.  16.  Special  Features  in  the  Education  of  the  Blind.  E.  E.  Allen.  Ad¬ 
vance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey,  1918-20. 

No.  17.  Educational  Boards  and  Foundations.  Henry  R.  Evans.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey,  1918-20. 

No.  18.  Education  in  Homeopathic  Medicine.  W.  A.  Dewey.  Advance  sheets 
from  the  Biennial  Survey,  1918-20. 

No.  19.  Kindergarten  Education.  Julia  Wade  Abbot.  Advance  sheets  from 
the  Biennial  Survey,  1918-20. 

No.  20.  Developments  in  Nursing  Education  since  1918.  M.  Adelaide  Nut¬ 
ting  and  Isabel  M.  Stewart.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey,  1918-20. 

No.  21.  Higher  Education.  G.  F.  Zook.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial 
Survey,  1918-20. 

No.  22.  State  Laws  and  Regulations  Governing  Teachers’  Certificates.  Kath¬ 
erine  M.  Cook. 

No.  23.  Monthly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  May- June, 
1921. 


SECONDARY  SCHOOL  CIRCULAR. 

No.  8.  The  Function  Concept  in  Secondary  School  Mathematics :  Report  of 
the  National  Committee  in  Mathematical  Requirements. 

READING  COURSE. 

No.  12.  Heroes  of  American  Democracy. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION  SERIES. 

No.  10.  Suggestions  for  a  Program  for  Health  Teaching  in  the  Elementary 
Schools. 

Health  card  No.  2.  Rules  of  the  Health  Game. 

Health  Education — School  Life  Supplement  No.  9. 

SCHOOL  LIFE. 


Volume  6,  no.  12. 


MISCELLANEOUS  PUBLICATIONS. 

The  Teaching  of  Civics  as  an  Agency  for  Community  Interest  and  Citizen¬ 
ship.  John  J.  Tigert. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

Available  Publications  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education,  September, 
1921. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

During  the  year  the  specialist  in  higher  education  made  an  in¬ 
spection  of  all  the  institutions  of  higher  learning  in  the  State  of 
Arkansas,  in  order  to  classify  these  institutions  according  to  a  set 
of  standards  previously  adopted  by  the  college  presidents  of  that 
State.  The  report  on  the  inspection  was  submitted  to  the  State 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  May,  1921.  The  report  will 
be  published  by  the  Arkansas  State  department  of  education. 

In  November,  1920,  the  specialist  in  agricultural  education  made 
a  brief  survey  of  the  University  of  Tennessee.  In  connection  with 
this  survey  the  specialist  in  higher  education  made  an  inspection  of 
the  medical,  dental,  and  pharmaceutical  work  of  the  university  at 
Memphis.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  survey  a  report  was  prepared 
and  submitted  to  the  president  of  the  University  of  Tennessee. 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


15 


The  State  Legislature  of  Arkansas  enacted  a  law  appropriating 
$2,000  for  a  survey  of  the  University  of  Arkansas  and  authorizing 
a  legislative  committee  to  invite  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  make 
the  survey.  The  specialist  in  higher  education  was  chairman  of  the 
commission  which  undertook  the  survey.  The  other  members  of 
the  commission  were:  President  W.  M.  jardine,  Kansas  State  Agri¬ 
cultural  College;  Dean  Anson  Marston,  Iowa  State  College;  Mrs. 
Henrietta  W.  Calvin,  specialist  in  home  economics,  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation;  and  Mr.  L.  E.  Blauch,  assistant.  The  report  on  the  survey 
is  being  prepared  and  will  be  submitted  to  the  legislative  committee 
on  or  before  September  1,  1921. 

In  connection  with  the  educational  campaign  conducted  by  the 
Bureau  of  Education  last  winter  the  division  prepared  a  consider¬ 
able' amount  of  mimeographed  material  relating  to  salaries  in  and 
appropriations  for  State  universities,  colleges,  and  normal  schools. 
The  material  was  used  by  officials  of  these  institutions  in  order  to 
prosecute  their  campaigns  for  increased  funds  before  the  State 
legislatures. 

During  the  year  the  specialist  in  higher  education  addressed  the 
annual  meetings  of  the  following  associations:  Higher  education 
division  of  the  National  Education  Association,  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah;  Association  of  American  Colleges,  New  York  City;  National 
Association  of  State  Universities,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  American 
Council  on  Education,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  history  section  of  the 
Association  of  Colleges  and  Preparatory  Schools  of  the  Middle 
States  and  Maryland,  Baltimore,  Md. ;  Junior  College  Association, 
Chicago,  Ill.;  Catholic  Educational  Association,  Cincinnati,  Ohio; 
Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools  of  the  Southern 
States,  Chattanooga,  Tenn. ;  and  Association  of  Georgia  Colleges, 
Atlanta,  Ga. 

He  also  delivered  addresses  before  meetings  of  the  college  presi¬ 
dents,  before  trustees  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Baltimore,  and 
before  the  Indiana  Schoolmen’s  Club,  Indianapolis. 

During  the  fiscal  year,  the  division  of  higher  education  published 
a  number  of  pamphlets  and  circulars  relating  to  higher  education, 
which  are  listed  in  the  section  on  the  Editorial  Division  (p.  12). 
The  following  circulars  and  pamphlets  are  ready  for  the  printer: 
Proceedings  of  the  Junior  College  Conference  at  St.  Louis,  June 
30-July  1,  1921;  Opportunities  for  the  Study  of  Slavonic  Lan¬ 
guages  and  Literature  at  American  Colleges  and  Universities;  and 
Statistics  of  Land-Grant  Colleges  for  the  year  1918-19.  The  divi¬ 
sion  has  material  on  hand  for  the  preparation  of  the  following  cir¬ 
culars  or  bulletins:  Opportunities  for  the  Study  of  Dental  Surgery 
in  the  LTnited  States;  Opportunities  for  the  Study  of  Agriculture 
in  the  United  States;  and  revisions  of  the  bulletins  on  accredited 
secondary  schools,  and  accredited  higher  institutions.  Some  of  the 
foregoing  are  nearing  completion. 

LAND-GRANT  COLLEGES. 

The  specialist  in  land-grant  college  statistics  audited  the  annual 
reports  of  the  treasurers  of  land-grant  colleges  on  the  expenditures 
of  the  1862  land-grant  college  funds  and  the  annual  appropriations 
under  the  Morrill-Nelson  Acts.  He  also  prepared  the  necessary  data 


16 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


for  the  annual  certification  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  and  for  the  annual  report  to  Congress  re¬ 
quired  by  law.  He  also  prepared  the  annual  bulletin  of  educational 
and  financial  statistics  showing  the  progress  of  the  land-grant  insti¬ 
tutions. 

In  October  and  November,  1920,  the  specialist  in  land-grant  col¬ 
lege  statistics  visited  each  of  the  land-grant  institutions  for  the 
education  of  Negroes.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  inspection  of  these 
institutions  a  conference  on  Negro  education  was  called  by  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education,  at  Atlanta,  Ga.  A  large  number  of  repre¬ 
sentatives  from  schools  and  colleges  for  Negroes  were  present  at  the 
conference.  It  is  expected  that  the  bureau  will,  in  the  near  future, 
publish  a  digest  of  the  proceedings  of  this  conference. 

RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

The  division  of  rural  schools  acts  as  a  clearing  house  for  in¬ 
formation  concerning  progressive  movements  in  rural  education  and 
general  school  conditions  in  rural  communities  throughout  the  coun¬ 
try  through  correspondence,  circulars  of  information,  addresses, 
press  articles,  and  the  like;  assists  State,  county,  and  local  school 
officers  with  legislative  programs,  school  organization  and  practice, 
consolidation,  and  other  movements  concerned  with  the  improvement 
of  schools  in  rural  communities;  and  makes  studies  and  reports  of 
all  matters  concerning  rural  education  in  the  United  States. 

During  the  year  the  division  has  prepared  for  and  made  some 
progress  toward  the  completion  of  the  following : 

1.  A  study  of  the  movement  for  consolidating  schools  in  the  open 
country  and  villages  in  the  48  States — the  number  of  such  schools, 
enrollment,  courses  of  study,  methods  and  cost  of  transportation, 
preparation  and  salaries  of  teachers,  and  the  like.  This  study  con¬ 
templates  a  comprehensive  investigation  of  the  history,  progress, 
and  results  of  consolidation  throughout  the  country. 

2.  A  study  of  the  cost,  courses  of  study,  preparation  of  teachers, 
etc.,  in  one-teacher  schools  in  those  remote  communities  in  which 
consolidation  is  not  feasible. 

3.  A  study  of  homes  for  teachers  in  rural  communities  owned  or 
controlled  by  school  trustees. 

4.  A  study  of  plans  and  provisions  for  the  supervision  of  rural 
schools  in  the  several  States. 

There  have  been  completed  for  publication  or  distribution  in  some 
form  the  following:  A  study  of  dormitory  facilities  for  high-school 
pupils  throughout  the  United  States;  a  study  of  former  teachers 
employed  in  the  War  Risk  Bureau;  a  survey  of  school  buildings  in 
Colorado  Springs,  Colo. ;  a  survey  of  the  school  sj^stem  of  Currituck 
County,  N.  C. ;  and  a  study  of  the  extent  and  operation  of  the  county 
unit  of  organization  for  administration  in  the  United  States. 

Circulars  of  information,  and  press  articles,  or  letters  have  been 
issued  on  the  following  subjects:  Rural  teacher  preparation  in  the 
United  States;  salary  and  shortage  of  rural  teachers;  systems  for 
certificating  teachers;  educational  prerequisites  for  teaching  certi¬ 
ficates;  rural  supervisors  in  the  United  States;  the  school  building 
shortage  in  cities  and  towns;  the  school-building  shortage  in  rural 
communities;  developing  the  human  wealth  of  North  Carolina; 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


17 


teacher  placement  and  public  agencies  in  the  United  States;  the 
centennial  celebration  at  the  University  of  Virginia;  standardization 
of  rural  schools;  an  account  of  the  proceedings  of  general  and  sec¬ 
tional  meetings  of  the  National  Education  Association  at  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  of  the  department  of  superintendence  at  Atlantic  City; 
advantages  and  costs  of  consolidated  schools. 

Members  of  the  division  have  assisted  in  arranging  for  13  regional 
citizens’  conferences  on  education;  and  have  participated  in  con¬ 
ferences  and  meetings  of  school  officers,  parents,  and  teachers  in  the 
following  States:  West  Virginia,  South  Dakota,  Oklahoma,  Wis¬ 
consin,  District  of  Columbia,  Virginia,  Kansas,  Missouri,  Iowa, 
Illinois,  Michigan,  and  Maryland. 

CITY  SCHOOL  ADMINISTRATION. 

The  members  of  the  City  School  Division  devoted  much  of  their 
time  the  past  year  to  the  school  surveys  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands; 
Winchester,  Mass.;  Wilmington,  Del.;  Elizabeth  City,  N.  C.;  and 
Wheeling,  W.  Va.  The  field  work  on  the  surveys  of  Hawaii  and 
Winchester  was  completed  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1919-20,  and 
the  reports  prepared  early  in  the  year  1920-21. 

The  greater  part  of  the  time  of  the  specialist  in  social  and  indus¬ 
trial  relations  has  been  given  to  school  building  surveys.  There  has 
been  a  wide  demand  for  this  work,  owing  to  the  great  development 
of  school  building  programs  all  over  the  country  during  the  past 
year. 

The  specialist  in  educational  systems  has  assisted  in  city  school 
surveys  the  past  year  by  investigating  and  reporting  on  administra¬ 
tion,  supervision,  courses  of  study,  methods  of  teaching  and  teacher 
training  in  the  primary  grades,  and  by  conducting  and  tabulating 
educational  tests  in  the  elementary  grades  of  those  cities.  A  report 
on  the  reorganization  of  a  cotton  mill  village  school  system  has  been 
successfully  completed,  based  upon  the  experiences  and  interests 
of  children  in  such  localities.  The  report  furnishes  suggestive  mate¬ 
rial  for  the  work  of  similar  schools.  Special  investigation  of 
psychological  tests  and  measurements  in  kindergarten  and  primary 
schools  has  been  made  looking  toward  the  final  working  out  of 
courses  of  study  particularly  adapted  to  different  types  of  mental 
ability.  The  study  of  causes  which  lead  to  retardation  in  first  grades 
has  been  completed  and  reports  tabulated.  Cooperation  with  the 
National  Council  of  Primary  Education  as  editor  of  the  annual 
report  has  been  continued  by  the  specialist,  under  whose  direction 
the  bureau  issues  each  year  the  proceedings  of  the  council.  Reports 
have  been  prepared  by  the  specialist  to  meet  requests  from  school 
officers  on  schoolroom  theory  and  practice,  supervision,  equipment, 
courses  of  study,  retardation  and  acceleration  of  pupils  in  first 
grades,  and  educational  and  psychological  tests  and  measurements  in 
elementary  schools. 

Tables  of  kindergarten  statistics  have  been  compiled  for  the  bulle¬ 
tin,  A  Statistical  Survey  of  Education  for  1917-18.  One  table  shows 
the  number  of  cities  and  villages  having  kindergartens  in  each  State, 
and  the  other  the  proportion  of  children  of  kindergarten  age  en¬ 
rolled.  These  tables  have  been  sent  to  presidents  of  State  kinder¬ 
garten  associations  in  which  legislative  campaigns  are  in  progress,  to 
67444—21 - 3 


18  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 

principals  of  training  schools,  and  to  State  and  city  superintendents 
of  schools. 

A  new  set  of  lantern  slides  showing  modern  activities  in  kinder¬ 
garten  and  primary  rooms  has  been  prepared,  and  fi  sets  with  an 
accompanying  lecture  will  be  ready  for  extension  purposes  in  Sep¬ 
tember.  The  5  sets  of  lantern  slides  which  the  kindergarten  section 
has  now  in  circulation  have  been  in  constant  use  in  the  field.  The  12 
sets  of  kindergarten  charts  secured  during  the  year  have  proved  a 
practical  means  of  publicity.  They  have  been  sent  to  communities 
for  use  at  educational  meetings  in  North  Dakota,  Indiana,  Ohio, 
North  Carolina,  Wyoming,  Ehode  Island,  Florida,  Wisconsin,  Brit¬ 
ish  West  Indies,  and  Ottawa,  Canada. 

Maps  of  the  different  States  showing  the  distribution  of  kinder¬ 
gartens  and  kindergarten  training  schools  in  each  State  have  been 
completed  and  will  be  used  in  the  series  of  legislative  leaflets  which 
are  in  course  of  preparation.  Enlarged  maps  of  17  typical  States 
have  been  made  for  use  in  kindergarten  campaigns. 

New  readers  have  been  enrolled  in  the  reading  course  for  graduate 
kindergarten  teachers  from  the  following  States :  Connecticut, 
Florida,  Massachusetts,  Mississippi,  New  Jersey,  New  York,  Penn¬ 
sylvania,  Texas,  and  Utah.  The  total  enrollment  represents  40 
States. 

Material  for  publication  is  being  prepared  on  the  following  sub¬ 
jects:  A  kindergarten  housing  and  equipment  bulletin;  the  health 
aspect  of  kindergarten  education ;  programs  for  mothers’  meetings ; 
legislative  and  other  leaflets.  In  coopeTation  with  the  International 
Kindergarten  Union,  a  primary  curriculum  is  being  prepared,  based 
upon  the  kindergarten  curriculum  which  has  been  published  as  a 
bulletin  by  the  bureau. 

Another  project  which  is  being  worked  out  in  cooperation  with 
the  International  Kindergarten  Union  is  the  preparation  of  a 
moving-picture  film.  Sixteen  cities  have  volunteered  to  provide 
units  of  typical  kindergarten  activities,  and  these  will  be  coordi¬ 
nated  by  the  kindergarten  specialists  into  one  film,  which  may  be 
used  in  the  field  to  illustrate  both  the  education  and  the  extension 
phases  of  kindergarten  work. 

There  has  been  close  cooperation  between  the  kindergarten  spe¬ 
cialists  and  the  educational  departments  of  the  Federation  of 
Women’s  Clubs  and  the  Congress  of  Mothers  and  Parent -Teacher 
Associations.  The  kindergarten  section  has  furthered  the  formation 
of  State  kindergarten  associations,  which  are  a  medium  for  uniting 
the  efforts  of  all  organizations  in  the  State  that  are  engaged  in 
kindergarten  extension. 

The  chief  of  the  division  prepared  a  program  for  an  important 
educational  conference  to  be  held  in  Honolulu  in  August,  1921. 
Topics  of  far-reaching  importance  educationally  are  to  be  discussed 
by  representatives  from  nations  bordering  on  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

Another  conference  of  importance  was  held  at  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh  in  November  to  discuss  the  educational  problems  of  the 
mining  towns  of  West  Virginia  and  western  Pennsylvania.  The 
conference  was  made  up  of  schoolmen,  social  workers,  and  representa¬ 
tives  of  some  of  the  coal  companies. 

A  bulletin  on  the  administration  of  schools  in  the  smaller  cities  has 
been  partly  completed.  All  the  data  have  been  collected  and  nearly 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


19 


all  have  been  tabulated.  This  bulletin  presents  facts  and  their  inter¬ 
pretation  regarding  boards  of  education,  the  promotion  of  pupils, 
salary  schedules,  and  other  phases  of  school  administration. 

A  bulletin  entitled  “  Salaries  of  Administrative  and  Supervisory 
Officials  in  the  Larger  Cities,”  prepared  by  the  division,  gives  for 
cities  of  100,000  or  more  population  the  administrative,  supervisory, 
and  clerical  positions  connected  with  the  office  of  the  city  superin¬ 
tendent  of  schools  and  the  salary  attached  to  each  position. 

Numerous  memoranda  have  been  compiled  from  questionnaires, 
from  city  school  reports,  and  from  other  sources.  Some  of  these  have 
been  embodied  in  city  school  circulars  for  general  distribution ;  others 
are  used  in  making  replies  to  letters  requesting  information  or  are 
published  in  School  Life  or  other  educational  publications.  Among 
these  memoranda  are:  Psychological  service  in  city  schools;  expe¬ 
rience  of  city  and  country  teachers;  normal  school  enrollment  in 
1916  and  1919;  the  number  and  per  cent  of  pupils  promoted  in 
each  of  the  elementary  grades  in  36  cities;  the  city  school  tax  rate 
in  some  of  the  smaller  cities ;  the  length  of  the  school  day ;  a  compari¬ 
son  of  the  salaries  of  the  principal  administrative  school  officials  in 
the  larger  cities  for  the  years  1917  and  1921;  reduced  car  fare  for 
school  children ;  and  teachers’  councils  in  the  United  States. 

SCHOOL  LEGISLATION. 

One  of  the  branches  of  the  bureau’s  activities  as  a  clearing  house 
of  educational  information  is  the  work  of  collecting  and  compiling 
the  school  laws,  particularly  the  recent  enactments,  of  the  several 
States  and  giving  out  data  relative  thereto.  Generally  speaking, 
the  States  do  not  now  enact  new  legislation  in  the  same  haphazard 
way  as  formerly,  but  pass  their  new  laws  more  in  the  light  of  the 
experience  of  States  already  having  similar  legal  provisions.  It 
is  the  effort  of  the  bureau  in  its  school-law  work  to  give,  as  far  as 
possible,  information  and  assistance  of  the  kind  needed  by  the  States 
in  conforming  their  new  legislation  to  the  best  practice  elsewhere. 
Within  the  year,  the  specialist  in  school  legislation  has  made  a 
formal  digest  of  the  educational  enactments  of  the  legislatures  of 
1920 ;  prepared  a  brief  interpretative  review  of  the  same  enactments, 
which  was  published  in  the  report  of  the  commissioner;  prepared 
a  more  extended  review  of  the  school  legislation  of  the  biennial 
period  1919-20,  which  was  designed  as  a  part  of  the  Biennial  Survey 
of  Education ;  made  special  studies  of  school  revenues  and  the  county 
unit  of  school  administration,  and  has  given  out  information  and 
assistance  through  correspondence  and  circulars.  While  the  several 
legislatures  were  in  session  he  distributed  to  State  departments  of 
education  and  legislative  committees  copies  of  20  “legislative  cir¬ 
culars  ”  summarizing  pending  and  enacted  school  legislation. 

VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION. 

Conferences  of  specialists  called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Educa¬ 
tion  were  conducted  as  follows:  (1)  Specialists  engaged  in  training 
teachers  of  manual  training  and  industrial  education  in  institutions 
in  the  Mississippi  V alley,  held  in  cooperation  with  the  State  Univer¬ 
sity  of  Indiana,  at  Indianapolis;  (2)  specialists  in  industrial  educa- 


20 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


tion,  held  in  cooperation  with  the  V ocational  Education  Association 
of  the  Middle  West,  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.;  (3)  specialists  in  in¬ 
dustrial  education,  held  in  cooperation  with  the_  National  Society 
for  Vocational  Education,  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.;  (4)  specialists 
in  industrial  education,  held  in  cooperation  with  the  Eastern  Arts 
Association,  at  Baltimore,  Md. 

The  specialist  in  industrial  education  has  been  detailed  to  field 
duty  for  an  aggregate  of  93  days,  including  conduct  of  the  conferences 
of  specialists  referred  to  above;  assisting  in  the  educational  survey 
of  Wilmington,  Del. ;  direction  of  the  educational  surveys  in  Eliza¬ 
beth  City,  hi.  C.,  and  Wheeling,  W.  Va.;  representing  the  bureau  at 
educational  conventions ;  and  similar  duties.  For  approximately  one- 
fourth  of  the  time  he  lias  been  assigned  to  special  duties  as  assistant 
to  the  commissioner. 

HOME  ECONOMICS. 

The  work  of  the  year  has  developed  along  two  general  lines:  First, 
field  work,  which  may  be  subdivided  into  participation  in  educa¬ 
tional  surveys,  investigations  into  the  teaching  of  home  economics 
in  universities,  colleges,  normal  schools,  and  in  city  schools,  visits  to 
cities  and  State  educational  institutions  for  the  purpose  of  participa¬ 
tion  in  conferences  and  educational  association  meetings,  and  giving 
addresses  before  groups  of  persons  interested  in  home  economics 
education ;  second,  office  work,  which  has  consisted  of  writing  survey 
reports,  work  upon  material  for  publication,  caring  for  the  cor¬ 
respondence  relating  to  home  economics  education,  preparing  ques¬ 
tionnaires  and  studying  returns,  planning  programs  for  home 
economics  meetings,  and  holding  office  conferences  with  official 
visitors  from  this  and  other  countries. 

Assistance  was  given  in  four  educational  surveys,  viz :  Wilmington, 
Del.,  city  schools;  Elizabeth  City,  N.  C.,  city  schools;  Wheeling,  W. 
Va.,  city  schools;  and  the  University  of  Arkansas,  which  necessitated 
visits  to  the  city  schools  of  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  the  normal  school  at 
Conway,  Ark.,  the  agricultural  school  at  Russellville,  Ark.,  and  the 
State  university  at  Fayetteville,  Ark.  Each  of  these  surveys  re¬ 
quired  about  two  weeks  of  time  away  from  the  office.  The  Arkansas 
survey  took  slightly  longer  because  of  the  distance  to  be  traveled 
going  and  coming. 

Twenty -six  home  economics  departments  in  colleges,  normal 
schools,  and  city  school  systems  in  12  different  States  were  visited. 
Investigation  was  made  of  the  courses  given,  the  methods  of  teaching 
in  vogue,  the  equipment  of  rooms,  and  the  general  status  of  home 
economics  teaching.  In  almost  all  places  visited  one  or  more  ad¬ 
dresses  were  given  to  the  students  and  teachers  of  home  economics, 
and  frequent  conferences  were  held. 

Fifteen  educational  conferences  and  meetings  of  educational  asso¬ 
ciations  were  attended.  At  these  conventions,  meetings  were  con¬ 
ducted,  addresses  given,  committee  service  rendered,  and  programs 
arranged. 

The  demand  for  assistance  at  various  educational  conferences  was 
much  greater  than  could  be  supplied,  and  many  invitations  were 
of  necessity  refused. 

The  home  economics  division  assisted  the  Civil  Service  Commission 
in  preparing  an  examination  for  Public  Health  Service  dieticians, 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


21 


and  assisted  in  grading  papers  of  same ;  completed  the  preparation 
of  material  for  a  bulletin  entitled  “  Keorganization  of  Home  Eco¬ 
nomics  Courses  in  Secondary  Schools  ” ;  and  published  a  bulletin  on 
rural  school  hot  lunches. 

COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION. 

During  the  year  the  commercial  education  division  concluded  the 
series  of  12  regional  conferences  on  business  training  and  commer¬ 
cial  education  which  were  begun  in  the  spring  of  1920.  It  also 
began  the  organization,  with  the  cooperation  of  the  several  States,  of 
a  business  education  investigation  survey  to  carry  on  the  work  in  the 
States  as  proposed  at  the  preceding  12  regional  conferences. 

On  invitation  of  the  State  Board  of  Education  of  Indiana  the 
bureau’s  specialist  in  commercial  education,  in  company  with  the 
State  supervisor  of  teacher  training,  inspected  in  October,  1920, 
certain  educational  institutions  in  that  State  with  the  object  of 
making  recommendations  in  respect  to  the  teaching  of  commercial 
branches  and  training  of  commercial  teachers.  Their  recommenda¬ 
tions  in  first  draft  were  tentatively  approved  by  the  committee  on 
teacher  training  of  the  State  board  of  education.  It  is  planned  to 
have  these  recommendations  in  final  form  adopted  early  in  the 
school  year  192i-22. 

The  situation  in  Indiana  calls  for  a  teacher-training  course  one 
to  four  years,  each  section  of  which,  namely,  a  one-year,  two-year, 
three-year,  or  four-year  course,  is  complete  in  itself ;  graduation  from 
any  one  of  which  implies  preparation  in  a  school  or  college  of  a 
certain  type  and  qualifications  to  teach  in  a  school  of  certain  grade. 
The  course  of  study  must  not  only  therefore  show  proper  sequence 
in  respect  to  subject  matter  but  must  be  built  in  consideration  of  the 
kind  of  commercial  training  given  or  to  be  given  in  the  type  or  grade 
of  school  for  which  the  teacher-training  courses  prepare.  A  ten¬ 
tative  course  of  study  in  preparation  for  business  and  commerce, 
from  the  seventh  to  the  twelfth  grades,  will  be  found  in  the  chapter 
entitled,  “  Business  training  and  commercial  education  ”  in  the  forth¬ 
coming  Biennial  Survey  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education. 

Deports  on  the  following  subjects  have  been  prepared  or  begun  for 
publication  as  bulletins  and  circulars  of  the  bureau :  Educational 
preparation  for  foreign  service;  training  for  business  and  commerce 
in  colleges  and  universities;  special  career  courses  in  private  busi¬ 
ness  schools;  commercial  teacher  training;  commercial  education  in 
Latin- America ;  and  commercial  education,  with  special  emphasis  on 
training  for  foreign  service  in  countries  other  than  the  United  States. 

During  the  year  the  specialist  in  commercial  education  was  invited 
as  hitherto  to  deliver  addresses  at  colleges,  universities,  normal 
schools,  city  high  schools,  teachers’  associations,  manufacturers’  as¬ 
sociations,  chambers  of  commerce,  etc. 

The  specialist  in  commercial  education  is  chairman  of  the  com¬ 
mittee  of  fifteen  on  educational  preparation  for  foreign  service. 
This  committee,  which  is  served  by  an  advisory  council  of  one 
hundred,  is  composed  of  men  and  women  prominent  in  govern¬ 
mental,  business,  and  educational  affairs.  As  charged  by  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education,  in  the  appointment  of  this  committee,  the 
latter  is  constant^  making  investigation  of  all  educational  means 


22 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


for  foreign  service,  recommending  courses  of  study  for  the  different 
grades  and  types  of  education,  and  promoting  ways  and  means  for 
the  effective  carrying  out  of  the  suggested  courses  of  study. 

Another  committee  of  which  mention  should  be  made,  and  of 
which  the  bureau’s  specialist  is  chairman,  is  that  of  the  committee 
on  commercial  engineering,  appointed  likewise  by  the  Commissioner 
of  Education.  This  committee  has  been  active  only  two  years,  but 
in  that  time  has  succeeded  in  having  one  or  more  of  its  curricula 
suggestions  adopted  in  about  one-fourth  of  the  engineering  colleges 
of  the  United  States. 

For  several  years  the  specialist  in  commercial  education  has  been 
intimately  identified  with  a  number  of  national  and  international 
organizations  interested  in  training  for  business  and  commerce  and 
in  educational  preparation  for  foreign  service,  governmental  as  well 
as  business.  Among  these  associations  may  be  mentioned  the  United 
States  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  National  Foreign  Trade  Council, 
the  American  Manufacturers’  Export  Association,  the  Pan-American 
Financial  Conference,  the  Committee  on  Cooperation  with  Latin- 
American  Universities  of  the  American  Association  of  University 
Professors.  The  work  of  the  commercial  education  section,  through 
these  and  other  associations,  has  been  greatly  strengthened  by  this 
contact. 

HOME  EDUCATION. 

The  extension  of  educational  advantages  into  the  home  for  those 
who  have  had  limited  opportunities  for  education  but  who  wish  to 
further  their  own  education  has  been  the  main  purpose  of  the  home 
education  division  for  the  past  seven  years. 

In  organizing  the  work  the  purposes  were  outlined  and  carried  out 
as  far  as  possible  with  the  following  activities  in  view:  To  help 
parents  to  further  their  education,  to  help  them  in  the  care  and 
training  of  their  little  children  before  they  are  of  school  age,  to 
help  the  boys  and  girls  to  further  their  education  after  they  have 
left  school,  and  to  promote  a  closer  cooperation  of  home  and  school. 

The  homes  were  reached  in  a  very  definite  way  through  county 
superintendents  of  schools.  The  demands  pointed  the  way  in  which 
the  work  has  developed.  First,  there  was  a  great  demand  for 
selected  reading  courses,  and  second,  a  demand  for  help  in  organ¬ 
izing  parent -teacher  associations  and  for  material  to  use  at  such 
meetings.  Because  of  limited  clerical  assistance  it  has  been  im¬ 
possible  to  maintain  more  than  two  of  the  activities  with  vigor,  and 
gradually  the  main  activity  has  been  to  carry  on  the  home-reading 
work.  During  the^past  year  the  rural  teachers’  reading  circle  work 
has  been  carried  on  with  other  reading  work. 

In  connection  with  this  work  during  the  first  three  months  of  the 
present  year  7,117  requests  for  reading  courses  wrere  received.  Ohio 
and  Illinois  have  been  most  active  in  this  respect. 

During  the  past  year  1,435  new  readers  were  enrolled  and  58  cer¬ 
tificates  were  issued  to  persons  completing  courses  according  to  re¬ 
quirements.  The  total  number  of  enrollments  in  all  courses  has  been 
about  14,435. 

It  has  been  the  plan  to  get  the  cooperation  of  State  superintendents 
of  public  instruction  and  directors  of  extension  in  State  universities 
or  normal  schools  in  carrying  on  this  work.  A  uniform  plan  has 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


23 


been  adopted  by  all  institutions  cooperating.  This  plan  has  been 
accepted  by  15  States  in  all,  6  of  them  taking  up  the  work  this  year* 
The  States  in  cooperation  are:  Utah,  Louisiana,  Washington,  Ore¬ 
gon,  North  Carolina,  Arkansas,  Iowa,  Indiana,  North  Dakota,  South 
Dakota,  Kentucky,  Virginia,  Arizona,  South  Carolina,  and  Wis¬ 
consin. 

The  outline  of  the  plan  of  cooperation  is  as  follows : 

Cooperation  of  State  superintendents  of  public  instruction:  (1) 
Approve  the  plan;  (2)  recommend  to  State  higher  institutions,  such 
as  State  universities  or  normal  schools,  the  advisability  of  extending 
educational  opportunities  in  this  way  to  all  in  the  State;  (3)  sign 
certificates  jointly  with  the  commissioner  and  representative  of  State 
higher  institutions. 

Cooperation  of  Bureau  of  Education:  (1)  Appoint  a  special  col¬ 
laborator  in  each  State  institution  cooperating  and  furnish  station¬ 
ery;  (2)  prepare  and  print  reading  courses;  (3)  prepare  and  print 
form  letters;  (4)  prepare  and  print  certificates;  (5)  continue  pub¬ 
licity;  and  (6)  keep  an  index  of  all  readers. 

Cooperation  of  collaborators:  (1)  Keceive  papers  of  readers  who 
live  in  the  State;  (2)  read  and  pass  on  the  papers  or  appoint  some 
one  in  the  institution  to  do  so;  (3)  keep  record  of  readers;  and  (4) 
notify  the  bureau  and  the  State  education  department  when  readers 
have  completed  their  courses,  and  notify  the  bureau  of  new  enroll¬ 
ments.  To  operate  this  plan  necessitates  the  preparation  of  various 
materials  and  considerable  correspondence.  Special  certificates  are 
issued  to  States  cooperating  with  the  bureau.  Each  certificate  is 
signed  by  the  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  the  director 
of  extension,  and  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education. 

Five  after- war  reading  courses  have  been  printed  during  the  year 
and  two  new  courses  have  been  issued  in  mimeograph  form.  In  all 
upward  of  53,445  reading  courses  have  been  distributed. 

The  following  courses  are  now  available  for  distribution  : 

1.  Great  Literary  Bibles. 

2.  Masterpieces  of  the  World’s  Literature. 

3.  Reading  Course  for  Parents. 

4.  Miscellaneous  Reading  for  Boys. 

5.  Miscellaneous  Reading  for  Girls. 

6.  Thirty  Books  of  Great  Fiction. 

7.  Thirty  World  Heroes. 

8.  American  Literature. 

9.  Thirty  American  Heroes. 

10.  American  History. 

11.  France  and  Her  History. 

12.  Heroes  of  American  Democracy — What  Yesterday  Means  for  To-Day. 

13.  The  Call  of  Blue  Waters :  A  Reading  Course  of  Seamanship,  Navigation, 
and  Marine  Engineering  for  Men  in  the  Service  and  the  Merchant  Marine. 

14.  Iron  and  Steel :  A  Reading  Course  on  the  Manufacture  of  Iron  and  Steel, 
Including  the  Blast  Furnace,  Metallurgy  of  Steel,  and  Its  Manipulation  into 
Various  Products. 

15.  Shipbuilding:  A  Reading  Course  on  the  Shipbuilding  Industry — the  Ship¬ 
yard — Steel  Ships — Preparing  the  Framework — Erecting  the  Hull — Wood  Ships 
and  Ship-Fitting. 

16.  Machine  Shop  Work:  A  Reading  Course  on  Machine  Shop  Work  in  Its 
Various  Branches. 

17.  Foreign  Trade:  A  Reading  Course  on  Merchandising,  Shipping,  and 
Financing. 

18.  Reading  Course  on  Dante. 

19.  Master-Builders  of  To-Day, 


24 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


During  the  year  the  division  has  received  271  requests  for  assist¬ 
ance  in  organizing  and  making  programs  from  parent-teacher  asso¬ 
ciations.  These  have  been  answered  by  letters  or  bulletins.  Ohio, 
Texas,  Michigan,  Yew  York,  Indiana,  and  California  have  made  the 
most  demands  upon  this  office. 

Tli is  division  has  received  14,714  letters  and  has  sent  out  7,470 
letters  and  620  bulletins. 

SCHOOL  HYGIENE  AND  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION. 

The  necessary  work  of  this  division  includes  investigation  and  pro¬ 
motion  along  all  the  lines  of  hygiene  as  it  affects  education — the 
hygiene  of  the  school  plant,  the  hygiene  of  school  management, 
administration  of  health  supervision  of  schools,  the  teaching  of 
health,  physical  education,  and  the  education  of  handicapped  and 
defective  children.  Each  of  these  has  numerous  subdivisions  and 
ramifications.  Information  and  advice  are  sought  upon  all  of  these 
matters  from  teachers,  school  officers,  and  others.  Whenever  a 
survey  of  a  school  system  is  undertaken  all  of  these  aspects  of  school 
hygiene  must  be  investigated. 

With  the  limited  personnel  of  the  division  it  has  been  impossible 
to  do  intensive  work  along  all  of  these  lines.  The  office  routine 
and  correspondence  have  been  covered  somewhat  incompletely,  but 
only  two  phases  of  the  work  have  been  given  more  than  routine 
attention — health  teaching  and  schoolhouse  construction.  Mem¬ 
bers  of  the  division  took  part  in  the  survey  of  the  Wheeling  school 
system. 

Health  teaching. — During  the  past  year  the  division  has  centered 
its  forces  mainly  on  stimulation  and  encouragement  of  health  teach¬ 
ing  in  the  schools  of  the  country.  The  office  and  field  work  may 
be  roughly  classified  into  three  groups:  (1)  Work  with  people 
already  familiar  with  the  program,  i.  e.,  filling  demands  for  mate¬ 
rial,  giving  advice  through  letters  to  teachers,  nurses,  and  other 
school  workers,  conferring  with  visitors,  members  of  various  organi¬ 
zations,  and  members  of  the  bureau  on  ways  and  means  of  coor¬ 
dinating  activities;  (2)  reaching  the  new  people  through  publicity, 
printing  and  distributing  pamphlets  and  posters,  and  talks  to  in¬ 
stitutes,  teachers’  associations,  etc. ;  (3)  research  work,  which  includes 
the  gathering  and  organizing  of  material  for  effective  use. 

(1)  The  correspondence  tor  this  division  has  almost  doubled  the 
past  3fear,  amounting  to  11,475  pieces.  This  includes  letters  from 
teachers,  nurses,  mothers,  school  authorities,  organizations,  public 
officers,  and  foreign  countries. 

(2)  Printing:  Two  new  pamphlets  have  been  added  to  the  Health 
Education  Series,  “Health  Training  for  Teachers,”  by  Dr.  Robert 
Leavitt,  and  “  Your  Opportunity  in  the  Schools,”  by  Dr.  L.  Emmett 
Holt.  A  third  pamphlet,  “  Suggestions  for  Teaching  Health  in  the 
Grades,”  in  press,  is  probably  the  most  important  pamphlet  in  the 
series.  The  Health  Education  Series  has  proved  very  popular;  in 
all  187,411  copies  of  these  publications  have  been  distributed  free 
of  charge  and  373,621  copies  have  been  sold  through  the  Govern¬ 
ment  Printing  Office.  There  have  been  sent  out  with  School  Life 
nine  Health  Education  Supplements,  in  which  are  given  concrete  ex¬ 
amples  of  health  work  carried  on  by  teachers  and  other  workers  in 
the  schools.  These  have  proved  a  popular  innovation. 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


25 


(3)  Field  work:  This  is  the  first  year  that  any  field  work  in  this 
subject  has  been  done  by  the  bureau.  In  one  month  the  special 
agent  in  health  education  visited  13  or  more  cities  in  11  States  from 
Alabama  to  Oregon,  giving  approximately  40  lectures. 

During  four  months  in  the  field  the  specialist  in  rural  schools 
attached  to  this  division  visited  35  towns  or  counties  in  14  States, 
all  except  2  in  the  South.  She  reached  IT  normal  schools  and  col¬ 
leges,  54  graded  schools,  15  teachers’  associations  and  institutes,  11 
parent -teacher  associations,  and  miscellaneous  meetings,  giving  about 
150  talks.  The  aggregate  attendance  was  15,281.  The  response  has 
proved  the  need  and  value  of  this  field  work.  The  requests  for  field 
work  have  been  far  greater  than  could  be  met  out  of  the  limited 
travel  funds  and  with  the  workers  available. 

Schoolhouse  construction  and  sanitation. — The  bureau  has  had  the 
part-time  service  of  a  special  agent  for  schoolhouse  planning,  sta¬ 
tioned  at  the  George  Peabody  School  for  Teachers,  Nashville,  Tenn. 
His  work  has  included  both  office  and  field  service.  Under  the  for¬ 
mer  he  has  handled  a  large  and  important  correspondence  bearing 
on  the  construction  of  school  buildings,  with  especial  reference  to 
hygienic  considerations;  and  has  prepared  suggestive  sketches  for 
schoolhouses  for  correspondents  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  but 
especially  for  correspondents  from  the  South.  He  has  corrected 
sketches  for  school  buildings  sent  him  for  criticism  and  advice  by 
school  architects  from  all  parts  of  the  country;  and  has  conferred 
with  architects  who  have  visited  Nashville  to  consult  him  with 
respect  to  school-building  plans,  chiefly  from  Alabama,  Mississippi, 
Louisiana,  and  Tennessee.  Under  field  service  he  has  assisted  the 
bureau  staff  in  the  surveys  of  the  school  systems  of  Wilmington, 
Del.,  and  Wheeling,  W.  Va. ;  has  spoken  as  a  bureau  representative 
on  schoolhouse  planning  and  construction  and  other  matters  of 
school  hygiene  at  meetings  and  conventions ;  and  has  visited  a  num¬ 
ber  of  cities  and  towns  in  Alabama,  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  Vir¬ 
ginia,  to  confer  and  advise  with  boards  of  education  and  other  school 
officers  in  regard  to  school  buildings  and  grounds. 

FOREIGN  EDUCATIONAL  SYSTEMS. 

The  division  of  foreign  educational  systems  has  endeavored  to 
keep  clearly  in  mind  its  function  as  an  agency  of  accurate  educational 
information  of  all  countries  outside  of  the  United  States;  to  note 
educational  movements  and  record  progress ;  to  give  accurate  account 
of  the  nature  and  operation  of  the  principal  school  systems  of  the 
world;  to  organize,  interpret,  and  evaluate  this  material  in  the  light 
of  the  educational  system  of  the  United  States ;  to  diffuse  this  knowl¬ 
edge  among  the  educators  of  the  country  through  correspondence, 
lectures,  conferences,  and  published  reports. 

Each  year  special  attention  is  directed  first  to  those  educational 
movements  offering  the  greatest  promise,  but  effort  is  constantly 
exerted  to  perfect  records  and  keep  at  hand  the  main  features  of  all 
important  school  systems. 

Letters  of  inquiry  have  been  promptly  dispatched;  information 
on  educational  movements  and  changing  conditions  of  school  systems 
has  been  gathered,  evaluated,  and  the  essentials  recorded ;  the  educa¬ 
tional  literature,  including  school  and  consular  reports,  has  been 


26 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


read,  sifted,  studied,  and  filed  for  future  reference ;  conferences  have 
been  held  to  aid  in  distributing  desirable  information.  In  addition 
to  the  above  usual  routine  of  the  office,  reports  and  papers  on  various 
phases  of  education  in  foreign  countries  have  been  prepared  for 
publication. 

The  foreign  education  division  is  at  present  devoting  special  atten¬ 
tion  to  gathering  material  on  educational  expenditures;  the  status 
of  physical  education  in  foreign  countries;  market  for  and  use  of 
scientific  school  supplies;  opportunities  for  the  interchange  of  stu¬ 
dents,  teachers,  and  university  professors;  accurate  evaluation  of 
school  credits  from  abroad  in  terms  of  similar  credits  from  the 
schools  of  the  United  States;  a  comparative  study  of  the  essential 
features  and  their  worth  of  the  more  progressive  school  systems. 

ACTIVITIES  IN  ALASKA. 

The  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  among  the  native  races  of 
Alaska  includes  the  maintenance  of  the  schools,  the  furnishing  of 
medical  relief,  the  fostering  of  commercial  enterprises  in  the  vil¬ 
lages,  the  oversight  of  the  reindeer  industry,  and,  to  a  limited 
extent,  the  support  of  destitute  adults  and  orphans. 

During  the  year  the  field  force  in  Alaska  consisted  of  6  superin¬ 
tendents,  134  teachers,  8  physicians,  and  15  nurses.  Sixty-seven 
schools  were  in  operation.  In  addition,  it  was  necessary  to  maintain 
orphanages  at  Kanakanak,  on  Nushagak  Bay,  and  at  Tyonek,  on 
Cook  Inlet,  for  the  support  of  children  left  orphans  as  the  result 
of  the  epidemic  of  influenza  which  prevailed  in  those  regions  during 
1918  and  1919. 

By  the  opening  of  schools  in  the  villages  of  Angoon,  in  southeastern 
Alaska,  at  Chitina,  on  the  Copper  Biver,  and  on  the  Aleutian  Islands 
Akutan  and  Umnak,  the  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  was  ex¬ 
tended  into  regions  not  hitherto  reached. 

For  the  support  of  the  medical  work  of  the  bureau  among  the 
natives  of  Alaska  during  the  year  Congress  appropriated  the  sum  of 
$90,000  to  be  expended  with  the  advice  and  cooperation  of  the  United 
States  Public  Health  Service.  Hospitals  were  in  operation  at 
Juneau,  Kanakanak,  Akiak,  Nulato,  and  Noorvik;  8  physicians  and 
15  nurses  were  employed.  Each  school  has  a  carefully  selected  stock 
of  medicines  and  supplies  for  use  by  the  teacher  in  relieving  minor 
ailments  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  in  which  the  school  is  lo¬ 
cated. 

Cooperative  store  companies,  capitalized  with  the  natives’  own 
money  and  managed  by  the  natives  themselves,  with  the  advice  and 
oversight  of  the  teacher,  are  maintained  in  10  villages.  These  organi¬ 
zations  are  of  great  financial  and  educational  benefit  to  the  villages  in 
which  they  are  located.  In  several  settlements  sawmills  producing 
lumber  for  local  use  and  for  sale  in  neighboring  communities  are  in 
successful  operation.  The  accounts  of  these  companies  are  audited 
annually  by  representatives  of  the  bureau.  The  two  most  important 
of  these  enterprises  are  at  Metlakatla  and  Hydaburg  in  southeastern 
Alaska. 

Instruction  in  agriculture  is  being  developed  through  school  gar¬ 
dens,  with  very  gratifying  results,  especially  in  the  Kuskokwim, 
Kotzebue  Sound,  and  Upper  Yukon  regions.  There  is,  however,  a 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


27 


natural  tendency  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  natives  to  leave  their 
homes  in  order  to  hunt  and  fish  before  the  crops  have  matured. 

Most  of  the  reindeer  herds  are  in  remote  regions  from  which  re¬ 
ports  have  not  yet  been  received.  If  there  has  been  the  usual  increase 
of  20  per  cent  during  the  year,  there  should  now  be  in  Alaska  at 
least  216,000  reindeer,  of  which  approximately  70  per  cent  belong  to 
the  natives. 

In  1920  Congress  made  an  appropriation  to  enable  the  Bureau  of 
Biological  'Survey,  Department  of  Agriculture,  in  cooperation  with 
the  Bureau  of  Education,  to  investigate  and  improve  the  reindeer 
industry.  During  the  summer  of  1920  the  Chief  of  the  Biological 
Survey  proceeded  to  Alaska  to  organize  this  work,  taking  with  him 
two  grazing  experts,  an  expert  on  parasites  and  diseases  of  animals, 
and  a  field  naturalist.  Unalakleet,  on  Norton  Sound,  in  a  region 
where  there  are  numerous  herds  of  reindeer,  was  selected  as  the  best 
center  from  which  to  conduct  necessary  investigations  and  experi¬ 
ments.  At  Unalakleet,  the  Bureau  of  Education  supplied  the  Bio¬ 
logical  Survey  with  a  building  for  use  as  a  laboratory.  Reindeer 
herds  are  now  distributed  among  the  principal  native  settlements 
from  Point  Barrow  to  the  Alaska  Peninsula.  There  are  still,  how¬ 
ever,  regions  into  which  the  reindeer  industry  should  be  extended. 
In  the  delta  between  the  Yukon  and  Kuskokwim  Rivers  there  are 
hundreds  of  natives  living  in  abject  poverty,  who  have  never  been 
reached  by  any  civilizing  influences.  The  establishment  of  schools  and 
reindeer  herds  in  this  primitive  region  would  be  a  most  potent  up¬ 
lifting  influence.  The  regions  tributary  to  the  Government  railway 
in  Alaska  should  be  stocked  with  reindeer.  On  the  untimbered  slopes 
of  the  Alaska  range  there  is  unlimited  pasturage  for  reindeer.  The 
introduction  of  the  reindeer  industry  into  this  district  would  in¬ 
crease  the  tonnage  of  the  railway  and  furnish  a  new  source  of  meat 
and  leather  from  a  region  which  has  no  value  for  other  purposes. 

Advantage  has  been  taken  of  the  authority  granted  by  Congress 
for  the  sale  of  surplus  male  reindeer  belonging  to  the  Government 
and  the  use  of  the  proceeds  of  such  sales  in  the  extension  of  the 
industry.  The  amount  received  from  this  source  up  to  June  30, 
1921,  was  $762.62. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  must  of  necessity  locate  its  schools  in 
the  places  where  the  natives  have  their  villages.  In  western  and 
northern  Alaska  most  of  these  settlements  are  far  from  the  routes 
of  a  few  steamers  which  visit  those  regions  at  irregular  and  infre¬ 
quent  intervals  during  the  short  season  of  open  navigation.  Conse¬ 
quently  each  summer  the  bureau  is  confronted  with  the  problem  of 
securing  suitable  vessels  in  which  to  send  the  teachers  and  supplies  to 
those  almost  inaccessible  places.  Suitable  transportation  can  be  se¬ 
cured  only  by  payment  of  excessive  charges.  Occasionally  it  has 
been  necessary  to  send  teachers  and  supplies  in  vessels  which  were 
unfitted  for  the  purpose.  Experience  has  shown  that  the  bureau’s 
work  in  western  and  northern  Alaska  can  not  be  conducted  effectively 
and  economically  until  it  owns  and  controls  its  own  vessel.  In  com¬ 
pliance  with  the  request  for  a  vessel  suitable  for  use  by  the  Bureau 
of  Education  in  its  Alaskan  work,  the  Navy  Department  transferred 
to  the  Department  of  the  Interior  the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer ,  a  wooden  vessel 
with  a  carrying  capacity  of  450  tons  and  admirably  adapted  for  the 
purpose  contemplated.  However,  it  has  not  yet  been  possible  to  se- 


28 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


cure  from  Congress  the  appropriation  necessary  to  cover  the  expense 
of  fitting  the  Boxer  for  Arctic  service. 

II.  EDUCATIONAL  SURVEYS,  CONFERENCES,  AND  CAMPAIGNS. 

EDUCATIONAL  SURVEYS. 

One  of  the  functions  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  to  make  or 
direct  surveys  of  State,  county,  and  city  school  systems,  and  of  in¬ 
dividual  schools  of  groups  of  schools,  and  report  the  results  of  its 
investigations,  together  with  constructive  recommendations,  to  the 
proper  authorities.  This  activity  of  the  bureau  is  in  accordance  with 
the  act  of  1867,  which  provides  for  the  establishment  of  a  bureau  of 
education.  Many  important  pedagogical  problems  have  been  an¬ 
alyzed  and  brought  nearer  to  solution  through  the  instrumentality 
of  these  surveys.  During  the  year  the  following  surve37s  were  under¬ 
taken  and  brought  to  a  successful  conclusion:  City  schools — Wil¬ 
mington,  Del. ;  Wheeling,  W.  Va ;  Elizabeth  City,  N.  C. ;  Athens,  Ga. ; 
Raleigh,  N.  C. ;  Colorado  Springs,  Colo. ;  Washington,  D.  C.  County 
schools — Currituck  County,  N.  C.  Higher  education1 — University 
of  Arkansas,  University  of  Tennessee,  and  Massachusetts  Agricul¬ 
tural  College. 

WILMINGTON,  DKL. 

The  survey  of  the  school  system  of  Wilmington,  Del.,  was  under 
the  direction  of  the  Chief  of  the  City  Schools  Division,  who  was 
assisted  by  four  other  members  of  the  division,  by  other  members  of 
the  bureau,  and  by  several  persons  not  connected  with  the  bureau. 
This  survey  embraced  practically  every  phase  of  the  school  system — 
administration  and  organization,  school  buildings  and  teaching, 
courses  of  study  in  the  elementary  and  high  schools. 

The  survey  commission  recommend  that  the  board  of  education 
and  the  management  of  school  finances  be  reorganized  in  keeping 
with  modern  administration.  It  was  urged  that  the  board,  which 
now  comprises  13  members,  12  of  whom  are  elected  by  wards,  be 
reduced  to  7,  and  that  they  be  either  elected  at  large  or  apportioned 
between  the  two  State  senatorial  districts  into  which  Wilmington  is 
divided.  The  commission  further  recommended  that  the  board  re¬ 
organize  its  work  in  such  a  way  that  it  wfill  be  relieved  of  the  multi¬ 
tude  of  petty  details  with  which  its  time  is  now  occupied,  and  thus 
be  left  free  to  give  its  attention  to  the  larger  matters  of  general 
policy. 

In  school  finances  it  was  recommended  that  such  legislative  changes 
be  made  as  will  free  the  board  from  the  control  of  the  city  council. 
And,  finally,  the  commission  recommended  that  the  board  adopt  an 
accounting  system  that  will  show  clearly  what  becomes  of  the  moneys 
expended  by  the  school  department.  Wilmington  does  not  now  have 
any  knowledge  of  what  important  school  activities  are  costing.  The 
commission  submitted  the  details  of  a  plan  which  will  give  the  infor¬ 
mation  that  the  board  should  have  concerning  its  disbursements. 

It  was  found  that  the  most  important  and  insistent  need  in  Wil¬ 
mington  is  the  scrapping  of  all  of  the  school  buildings,  with  the  single 


1  Mentioned  under  “  General  Activities  of  the  Bureau,  Higher  Education,”  p.  14. 


EDUCATIONAL  SURVEYS,  CONFERENCES,  ETC. 


29 


exception  of  the  high  school,  and  the  construction  of  an  entirely  new 
plant  equipped  with  modern  facilities.  Of  30  elementary  schools  for 
white  children  in  Wilmington,  12  were  built  before  1875,  and  of 
these  5  date  back  to  the  fifties.  Only  3  buildings  have  been  erected 
within  the  past  15  years.  These  old  buildings  were  constructed  on 
the  plan  of  the  Lancastrian  schools,  and  have  been  added  to  and 
patched  up  from  time  to  time.  In  consequence,  from  the  standpoint 
of  ventilation,  lighting  arrangements,  and  healthfulness  of  sur¬ 
roundings  the  school  plant  of  Wilmington  is  in  a  very  bad  condition. 
Furthermore,  the  buildings  are  all  small,  none  accommodating  more 
than  800  children,  and  14  enrolling  fewer  than  400.  None  of  them  has 
a  playground.  It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  Wilmington  should  rebuild 
her  entire  school  plant  along  modern  lines,  one  of  the  first  essentials 
being  the  consolidation  of  the  schools  into  fewer  buildings,  each  of 
them  larger  and  fully  equipped  with  adequate  grounds  and  facilities 
for  a  modem  type  of  education.  Furthermore,  plans  should  be  laid 
not  only  to  relieve  present  congestion  but  to  anticipate  the  growth 
for  a  period  of  10  years.  To  meet  these  conditions  the  commission 
has  elaborated  three  possible  plans  and  shown  the  advantages  of  each, 

WHEELING,  W.  VA. 

The  survey  of  the  public  schools  of  the  independent  school  dis¬ 
trict  of  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  was  undertaken  at  the  request  of  the 
board  of  school  commissioners  of  that  city.  The  survey  was  under 
the  direction  of  the  assistant  to  the  Commissioner  of  Education, 
assisted  by  five  members  of  the  staff  of  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
and  a  number  of  educational  specialists  from  outside  the  bureau. 
Despite  unfavorable  conditions  many  commendable  features  were 
found  to  have  been  introduced  into  the  public  schools  of  Wheeling 
by  its  board  of  school  commissioners,  among  which  may  be  enu¬ 
merated  medical  inspection  or  health  service,  free  textbooks,  an 
unusually  extensive  series  of  courses  for  vocational,  industrial,  com¬ 
mercial,  and  home-making  training,  teachers’  pension  system,  even¬ 
ing  schools,  Americanization  classes,  etc.  Difficulties  in  adminis¬ 
tration  were  found,  owing  to  the  unwieldy  size  of  the  board,  which 
has  an  unusually  large  number  of  standing  committees — 10  in  num¬ 
ber — each  of  which  performs  important  functions  properly  belong¬ 
ing  to  the  board  itself.  Four  of  these  committees  are  each  as  large 
as  the  entire  school  board  of  New  York  City,  and  the  smaller  com¬ 
mittees  are  each  the  size  of  the  entire  school  board  in  Albany  or 
Troy.  Adding  these  10  functional  boards  to  the  7  local  or  sub- 
district  boards,  and  the  composite  board  in  which  they  all  belong, 
one  may  realize  something  of  the  complexity  of  the  organization 
and  the  possibilities  for  scattering  responsibility. 

The  fundamental  weakness  in  the  public  school  system  of  Wheel¬ 
ing  has  been  executive  management  by  laymen.  The  board  should 
occupy  itself  mainly  with  directorial  and  inspectional  functions, 
leaving  detailed  executive  labors  to  their  specialized  and  experi¬ 
enced  executive  officials — the  superintendent  of  schools  and  his  sub¬ 
ordinates.  New  legislation  is  essential  to  correct  these  conditions. 
But  only  the  more  general  and  fundamental  things  should  be  ac¬ 
complished  by  State  legislation,  matters  of  detail  being  left  to  the 
by-laws,  rules,  and  regulations,  and  other  legislation  by  the  board. 


30 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


As  regards  school  financial  and  business  procedure,  the  survey 
commission  recommended  the  establishment  of  a  business  depart¬ 
ment  to  be  headed  bj^  a  subexecutive  who  should  report  to  the 
board  via  the  superintendent  of  schools,  the  adoption  of  modern  ac¬ 
counting  methods  and  procedure,  and  an  up-to-date  budget  system. 
Such  a  budget  should  be  prepared  on  the  basis  of  functions  and 
should  include  the  originating  of  department  estimates  by  the  heads 
of  the  various  school  departments.  All  phases  of  the  school  system 
of  Wheeling  were  carefully  studied  by  the  commission,  and  a  sum¬ 
mary  of  the  principal  conclusions  and  recommendations  was  pub¬ 
lished  by  the  bureau,  on  March  12,  1921,  in  a  pamphlet  of  53  pages, 
for  immediate  distribution  in  printed  form  to  the  members  of  the 
board  and  others  interested.  Accompanying  this  summary  were 
partial  reports,  or  sections  of  the  report,  which  present  a  portion 
of  the  supporting  evidence  and  the  argument  for  certain  of  the  rec¬ 
ommendations.  The  effort  was  made  by  the  Commissioner  of  Edu¬ 
cation  to  get  as  much  as  possible  of  the  report  into  the  hands  of  the 
president  of  the  board  of  education  in  time  for  appropriate  action 
in  the  emergency  caused  by  the  early  termination  of  the  recess  taken 
by  the  West  Virginia  State  Legislature. 

BUILDING  SURVEYS. 

Since  June,  1920,  school-building  surveys  have  been  made  in  the 
following  cities :  Elizabeth  City,  N-.  C. ;  Wilmington,  Del. ;  Colorado 
Springs,  Colo.;  Wheeling,  W.  Va. ;  Athens,  Ga. ;  Raleigh,  N.  C. ; 
and  Washington,  D.  C.  In  making  these  school-building  surveys 
the  programs  and  estimates  of  costs  are  worked  out  on  the  basis  both 
of  the  traditional  plan  of  school  organization  and  also  on  the  basis 
of  the  work-study-play  plan,  sometimes  called  the  platoon  plan,  of 
school  organization. 

One  advantage  of  the  work-study-piay  plan,  or  platoon  plan,  is 
that  it  makes  it  financially  possible  for  children  in  the  public  schools 
to  have  not  only  adequate  classroom  accommodations  but  such  mod¬ 
ern  school  facilities  as  auditoriums,  gymnasiums,  playgrounds,  man¬ 
ual-training  shops,  science  laboratories,  home  economics,  drawing, 
and  music  rooms.  It  accomplishes  this  by  operating  the  school  on 
the  same  principle  upon  which  all  other  public-service  institutions 
are  run — that  is,  upon  the  principle  of  multiple  use  of  facilities  for 
all  times.  This  plan,  recommended  for  adoption  in  the  cities  sur¬ 
veyed,  calls  for  only  half  the  usual  number  of  classrooms.  For  ex¬ 
ample,  in  a  30-class  school  only  15  classrooms  would  be  needed.  The 
average  cost  of  a  classroom  unit  at  the  present  time  on  the  basis  of 
30  cents  per  cubic  foot  is  $12,000.  Therefore  fifteen  times  $12,000  is 
released  for  all  other  special  facilities.  This  means  that  the  cost  of 
school  buildings  is  greatly  reduced  under  the  work-study-plav  plan, 
or  platoon  plan,  but  what  is  more  important,  it  means  that  the  pub¬ 
lic-school  children  can  have  the  opportunity  for  healthy  work  and 
play  as  well  as  for  study. 

Exclusive  of  the  school-building  survey  of  Washington,  D.  C., 
which  is  not  yet  completed,  the  school-building  budgets  in  the  cities 
surveyed  amounted  to  $11,739,091  on  the  old  or  traditional  plan. 
On  the  work-study-play  plan  the  building  budgets  amount  to  only 


EDUCATIONAL  SURVEYS,  CONFERENCES,  ETC. 


31 


$7,516,591,  which  would  effect  a  saving  of  $4,222,500  if  the  recom¬ 
mendations  of  the  survey  reports  are  adopted. 

The  survey  of  the  school  system  of  Elizabeth  City,  N.  C.,  was 
under  the  direction  of  the  assistant  to  the  commissioner.  Three 
members  of  the  city  school  division  assisted  in  this  survey. 

CURRITUCK  COUNTY,  N.  C. 

The  survey  of  the  school  system  of  Currituck  County,  located  in 
the  northeastern  part  of  North  Carolina,  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  was 
made  at  the  request  of  the  county  board  of  education.  It  was  con¬ 
ducted  by  one  of  the  specialists  in  rural  education,  Mrs.  Katherine  M. 
Cook.  The  inquiry  aimed  to  consider  the  system  of  schools  for  white 
children  as  it  is  and  as  it  should  be  in  order  to  accord  with  progres¬ 
sive  ideas  and  to  offer  the  best  possible  educational  advantages  to  the 
greatest  number  of  children.  The  following  is  a  summary  of  rec¬ 
ommendations  made:  (1)  Substantial  increase  of  school  funds;  (2) 
consolidation  of  schools  according  to  plan  outlined;  (3)  new  build¬ 
ings  which  meet  modern  requirements  in  appearance,  arrangement, 
and  equipment;  (4)  reorganization  on  the  6-3-3  plan;  a  course  of 
study  based  on  the  life  and  needs  of  the  community  and  harmoniz¬ 
ing  with  such  reorganization;  (5)  adequate  staff  of  prepared  super¬ 
visors,  principals,  and  teachers;  (6)  salary  schedule  based  on  prep¬ 
aration,  experience,  and  meritorious  service,  applying  alike  to  all 
parts  of  the  country;  (7)  provision  for  enforcement  of  compulsory 
attendance  law  and  sj^stematic  effort  to  promote  regularity  of  at¬ 
tendance;  (8)  the  school  term  of  nine  months  for  all  schools;  (9) 
adoption  of  an  effective  system  of  cost  accounting  and  of  collecting 
data  and  keeping  records. 

EDUCATIONAL  CONFERENCES. 

The  following  conferences  were  called  by  the  bureau  during  the 
fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1921 : 1 

Conference  to  consider  the  needs  and  means  of  improving  the  con¬ 
ditions  of  junior  colleges,  St.  Louis,  June  30  to  July  1,  1920. 

Regional  conferences  on  education  at :  Chicago,  for  Wisconsin, 
Michigan,  Illinois,.  Indiana,  and  Ohio,  November  29,  1920.  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  for  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  Minnesota,  and  Iowa,  No¬ 
vember  30,  1920.  Butte,  Mont,,  for  Montana,  Idaho,  and  Utah, 
December  2,  1920.  Portland,  Oreg.,  for  Washington  and  Oregon, 
December  4,  1920.  Sacramento,  Calif.,  for  California,  Arizona,  and 
Nevada,  December  6,  1920.  Denver,  Colo.,  for  Wyoming,  Colorado, 
and  New  Mexico,  December  8,  1920.  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  for  Mis¬ 
souri,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Oklahoma,  and  Texas,  December  10,  1920. 
Metnphis,  Tenn..  for  Kentucl?y,  Tennessee,  Alabama,  Mississippi, 
Arkansas,  and  Louisiana,  December  11,  1920.  Columbia,  S.  C.,  for 
North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Florida,  Decem¬ 
ber  13,  1920.  Baltimore,  Md.,  for  Delaware,  Maryland,  West  Vir¬ 
ginia.  and  Virginia,  December  15,  1920.  New  York  City,  for  New 


1  Members  of  the  bureau  staff  were  appointed  and  met  several  times  to  draw  up  plans 
and  recommendations  for  an  educational  campaign  planned  as  a  result  of  the  citizens’ 
conference  held  in  May,  1920. 


32 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


York,  Pennsylvania,  and  New  Jersey,  December  18,  1920.  Boston, 
for  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut, 
and  Rhode  Island,  December  19,  1920. 

Conference  on  Negro  education,  for  interchange  of  experience  and 
laying  of  plans  for  work  of  the  Negro  agricultural  and  mechanical 
Lcolleges  of  the  Southern  States,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  November,  1920. 

Citizens’  conference  on  education,  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  January, 
1921. 

Citizens’  conference  on  education,  Charleston,  W.  Va.,  January, 
1921. 

Conference  on  rural  education.  Daytona  Beach,  Fla.,  January, 

1921, 

Conference  on  Americanization  and  citizenship,  Atlantic  City, 
N.  J.,  February,  1921. 

Conference  on  commercial  education,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  Febru¬ 
ary,  1921. 

Conference  on  highway  engineering,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  February, 
1921. 

Conference  on  industrial  education,  Atlantic  Citv,  N.  J.,  Febru¬ 
ary,  1921. 

Conference  on  industrial  education,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  February, 
1921. 

Conference  on  rural  education,  Lansing,  Mich.,  February,  1921. 

Conference  of  specialists  in  vocational  supervision,  Baltimore,  Md., 
March,  1921. 

National  conference  on  the  community  center,  Washington,  D.  C., 
April,  1921. 

Conference  on  rural  education,  Huntsville,  Tex.,  April,  1921. 

Conferences  on  education,  Ada,  Alva,  and  Durant,  Okla. ;  War- 
rensburg  and  Marysville,  Mo.,  June,  1921. 

Citizens’  conference  on  education,  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  June  and 
July,  1921. 

REGIONAL  CONFERENCES  ON  BUSINESS  TRAINING  AND  COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION. 

Twelve  preliminary  conferences,  called  by  the  Commissioner  of 
Education  and  held  with  local  cooperation  at  a  strategic  point 
within  each  region,  were  conducted  under  the  personal  direction  of 
the  bureau’s  specialist  in  charge  of  commercial  education  between 
April  10  and  October  30.  The  major  purpose  of  these  conferences 
was  to  perfect  plans  for  securing  better  types  of  business  training, 
which  shall  be  more  purposeful  through  their  adaptation  to  the 
industrial  and,  commercial  resources  and  development  peculiar  to 
each  region.  Administrative  teachers  of  business  and  commerce,  rep¬ 
resenting  colleges  and  universities,  normal  schools,  and  secondary 
schools,  were  invited  to  attend  these  conferences,  and  attempt  by 
discussion  and  conference  action  a  constructive  regional  solution 
of  the  three  leading  problems  in  commercial  education  to-day,  owing 
to  the  increasing  demand  of  business  for  a  larger  supply  of  students 
and  graduates  of  schools  and  colleges  trained  in  vocational  and 
higher  technical  commercial  subjects.  These  problems  are  commer¬ 
cial  teacher  training,  college-entrance  credits  in  commercial  branches, 
vocational  commercial  subjects  in  relation  to  (a)  general  training 


EDUCATIONAL  SURVEYS,  CONFERENCES,  ETC.  33 

and  (b)  regional  or  local  demands  of  business  for  students  trained 
in  vocational  and  professional  commercial  subjects. 

At  each  conference  a  regional  cooperating  committee  was  ap¬ 
pointed  to  continue  and  carry  out  the  work  of  the  conference.  The 
State  commissioners  or  superintendents  of  public  instruction  are 
members  ex  officio  of  their  respective  State  and  regional  committees. 
The  specialist  in  charge  of  commercial  education  of  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Education  is  chairman  ex  officio  of  all  regional  committees. 
The  regional  committees  plan  and  construct,  in  cooperation  with  the 
Bureau  of  Education,  a  better  articulated  and  coordinated  course  of 
study  in  preparation  for  business  and  commerce  that  will  not  only 
give  to  business,  as  the  need  presents  itself,  boys  and  girls  trained 
for  the  more  elementary  types  of  business  service,  more  or  less  routine 
in  character,  but  will  early  lay  the  foundation  with  proper  sequence 
in  those  subjects  upon  which  the  universities  must  build  their  courses 
for  further  training  and  education  in  the  major  fields  of  commercial 
production  and  distributions,  of  finance,  and  of  foreign,  public,  and 
social  service. 

The  first  9  of  the  series  of  12  conferences  were  held  in  April,  May, 
and  June,  1920.  The  remaining  3  were  held  in  October,  1920,  as 
follows : 

Regional  conference  No.  10,  consisting  of  North  Dakota,  South 
Dakota,  and  Minnesota.  Held  Saturday,  October  16,  at  the  Uni- 
versity  of  Minnesota,  Minneapolis,  with  the  local  cooperation  of  the 
city  superintendents  of  schools  of  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  and  the 
University  of  Minnesota. 

Regional  conference  No.  11,  consisting  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire, 
Vermont,  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and  Connecticut.  Held 
Saturday,  October  23,  at  Boston  University,  Boston,  with  the  local 
cooperation  of  Boston  University,  Harvard  University,  Tufts  Col¬ 
lege,  Simmons  College,  and  the  city  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Boston. 

Regional  conference  No.  12,  consisting  of  the  District  of  Columbia, 
Maryland,  eastern  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  New  Jersey,  and  eastern 
New  York.  Held  Saturday,  October  30,  at  the  University  of  Penn¬ 
sylvania,  with  the  local  cooperation  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  Temple  University,  Drexel  Institute,  and  the  superintendent 
of  schools  of  Philadelphia. 

COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION  CONFERENCE,  MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN.,  FEBRUARY,  1921. 

Upon  the  invitation  of  the  president  of  the  Vocational  Education 
Association  of  the  Middle  West,  the  Commissioner  of  Education 
called  a  conference  of  commercial  educators  at  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
on  February  19,  in  conjunction  with  that  association.  A  similar 
invitation  was  extended  and  accepted  for  the  next  annual  meeting 
of  this  association  to  be  held  in  Milwaukee,  in  January,  1922.  It  is 
expected  that  these  two  conferences  will  inaugurate  a  series  of  meet¬ 
ings  as  helpful  to  the  subject  of  commercial  education  as  have  been 
to  industrial  education  the  series  of  dinner  conferences  in  the  latter 
field  held  at  the  same  time  and  place  under  the  direction  of  the 
bureau’s  specialist  in  industrial  education. 


34 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1&21. 


RURAL  EDUCATION  CONFERENCES. 

Indiana. — At  the  request  of  Gov.  Goodrich  and  State  Superintend¬ 
ent  Hines,  of  Indiana,  a  Federal  and  interstate  conference  was  held 
at  the  Indiana  State  Normal  School,  Terre  Haute,  October  18,  19, 
and  20.  Twelve  States  were  represented  in  the  meeting.  President 
Parsons,  of  the  Indiana  Normal  School,  now  a  State  teachers’  col¬ 
lege,  required  his  faculty  and  student  body  to  attend  every  session  of 
the  conference.  Five  hundred  dollars  was  guaranteed  by  the  Greater 
Terre  Haute  Club  for  the  expenses  of  the  conference.  About  $450 
of  it  was  used. 

Virginia. — On  invitations  from  Gov.  Davis  and  State  Superintend¬ 
ent  Hart,  of  Virginia,  two  conferences  on  rural  education  and  country 
life  were  held  simultaneously  in  that  State,  November  11  to  14,  both 
inclusive,  one  at  the  Farm  Life  School,  12  miles  in  the  country  from 
Danville,  and  the  other  at  the  State  Normal  School  for  Women  at 
Farmville.  The  Whitmell  Farm  Life  School,  which  is  a  consoli¬ 
dated  school  serving  an  area  of  about  30  square  miles,  is  located  in  a 
prosperous  progressive  farming  community.  A  “  Better  Schools 
Parade  ”  was  held  there  on  November  12.  Over  a  thousand  country 
children  were  in  line  of  march,  with  at  least  4,000  country  people 
viewing  the  parade.  President  Jarman,  of  the  State  College  for 
Women  at  Farmville,  required  his  faculty  and  student  body  to  attend 
every  session  of  the  conference  there.  Many  citizens  of  Farmville 
and  surrounding  country  attended  this  meeting.  Sunday  at  each  of 
these  conferences  was  devoted  to  a  discussion  of  the  country  church 
as  a  factor  in  the  improvement  of  country  schools  and  country  life, 
with  speakers  especially  fitted  to  discuss  this  question.  Whitmell 
and  Farmville  each  contributed  about  $300  for  the  expenses  of  the 
meeting. 

Flondda . — A  Federal  and  interstate  conference  was  held  at  Day¬ 
tona  Beach,  Fla.,  January  21  to  24,  inclusive.  On  the  roll  call  of 
States  at  the  first  session  of  this  conference,  31  States  and  4  foreign 
nations  responded.  Urgent  invitations  to  hold  this  conference  had 
been  made  earlv  in  the  fall  of  1920  by  the  governor  and  State  super¬ 
intendent  of  Florida,  and  by  President  Holmes,  of  the  Florida  As¬ 
sembly  and  Forum.  The  smallest  attendance  at  any  session  was 
about  500  and  the  largest  attendance  over  3,000.  Sunday  was  made  a 
red-letter  day  for  the  country  church. 

Michigan. — The  Hon.  T.  L.  Johnson,  State  superintendent  of  pub¬ 
lic  instruction.  Lansing,  Mich.,  having  attended  the  Terre  Haute  con¬ 
ference,  was  urgent  in  his  invitation  for  a  conference  at  Lansing.  In 
accordance  with  his  invitation,  a  Federal  and  interstate  conference 
was  held  there  February  22  to  24,  inclusive.  About  15  States  were 
represented  on  the  program.  Several  prominent  educators,  on  their 
way  to  a  meeting  of  the  Department  of  Superintendence  at  Atlantic 
City  the  next  week,  stopped  over  for  the  Lansing  conference.  This 
was  counted  one  of  the  best  conferences  of  the  year.  Five  hundred 
dollars  was  contributed  for  the  expenses  of  this  conference  by  the 
State  of  Michigan. 

Texas. — A  Federal  and  interstate  conference  was  held  at  Sam 
Houston  Normal  Institute,  Huntsville,  Tex.,  on  April  24  to  26,  inclu¬ 
sive,  nine  States  being  represented.  Some  of  the  leading  rural  work¬ 
ers  of  the  South  were  in  attendance  and  took  part  in  the  program. 


EDUCATIONAL  SURVEYS,  CONFERENCES,  ETC. 


35 


This  conference  opened  on  Sunday  afternoon,  April  24.  Again  the 
country  church  was  discussed  as  a  factor  for  the  improvement 
of  country  schools  and  country  life.  On  Tuesday  night,  at  the  last 
session  of  the  conference,  the  student  body  of  Sam  Houston  Normal 
Institute  presented  the  companion  play  of  “Back  to  the  Farm” — 

“  The  Kindling  of  the  Hearth  Fires” — to  an  audience  of  over  1,500 
people.  This  institution  contributed  $500  to  the  expenses  of  the  con¬ 
ference.  Here,  as  at  other  State  normal  schools  and  State  teachers’ 
colleges  already  mentioned,  President  Estill  required  his  faculty  and 
student  body  to  attend  every  session  of  the  conference.  A  large 
number  of  country  people  attended  this  conference. 

Oklahoma. — Upon  the  invitations  of  the  presidents  of  the  State 
normal  schools  at  Alva,  Ada,  and  Durant,  Okla.,  seconded  by  the  gov¬ 
ernor  and  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction  of  that  State, 
conferences  on  rural  education  and  country  life  were  held  at  each 
of  these  places  in  consecutive  order,  as  follows:  Alva,  June  19  to  21, 
inclusive;  Ada,  June  22  to  24,  inclusive;  and  Durant.  June  25  to  27, 
inclusive.  The  three  schools  together  contributed  a  little  over  $1,800 
with  which  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  noted  speakers  on  the  programs 
at  these  meetings.  At  least  10  States  were  represented  on  the  pro¬ 
gram  at  each  meeting.  The  expenses  of  17  professional  rural  work¬ 
ers  and  country-life  leaders  were  paid  by  these  institutions. 

Missouri.- — On  invitations  from  State  Superintendent  Baker  and 
President  Hendricks,  State  Teachers’  College,  Warrensburg,  Mo.,  a 
Federal  and  interstate  conference  on  rural  education  was  held  at 
Warrensburg  June  27  to  29,  inclusive.  The  second  day  of  the 
conference  at  Warrensburg  marked  the  semicentennial  celebration 
of  the  founding  of  this  institution.  Gov.  Hyde,  State  Superin¬ 
tendent  Baker,  Dr.  A.  E.  Winship,  and  the  Commissioner  of  Educa¬ 
tion  were  the  speakers  here.  This  institution  through  President 
Hendricks  contributed  $500  toward  the  expenses  of  the  speakers. 

Iowa. — On  June  30,  the  Federal  and  interstate  conference  called 
by  the  former  Commissioner  of  Education  was  opened  by  the  new 
Commissioner  of  Education  at  the  time  set  in  the  original  act.  As 
all  the  preliminary  work  for  this  conference  was  done  during  May 
and  the  first  half  of  June  in  the  school  year  1920-21,  it  is  mentioned 
here. 

OTHER  CONFERENCES. 

The  bureau  -also  cooperated  in  many  important  conferences,  includ¬ 
ing  the  National  Education  Association,  Special  Committee  on  High¬ 
way  Engineering  Education,  Highway  and  Highway  Transport  ]/ 
Committee,  National  Association  of  State  Universities,  Association 
of  Colleges  and  Preparatory  Schools  of  the  Middle  States  and  Mary¬ 
land,  Association  of  American  Universities,  Department  of  Superin¬ 
tendence,  etc. 

EDUCATIONAL  CAMPAIGNS. 

The  specialist  in  rural  school  extension  lectured  before  county 
institutes  and  school  officers’  associations  in  West  Virginia,  Ohio, 
South  Dakota,  Iowa,  Texas,  and  Virginia,  with  the  object  of  arous¬ 
ing  a  greater  interest  on  the  part  of  the  people  in  the  improvement 
of  rural  schools.  He  presented  the  bureau’s  program  for  better 
schools,  and  discussed  the  problems  of  a  longer  term;  better  quali¬ 
fied  teachers;  consolidation  of  schools;  teacher  placement;  teachers’ 


36 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


homes;  the  school-owned  demonstration  farm  as  an  illustration  in 
better  home-making  and  scientific  farming;  all-year  sessions  of 
schools;  community  organization  and  wider  use  of  the  school  plant 
as  a  civic  and  social  center;  good  roads  as  related  to  the  improve¬ 
ment  of  country  schools  and  -country  life,  etc. 

III.  APPROPRIATIONS. 

There  is  urgent  need  of  much  larger  appropriations  for  the  work 
of  the  bureau,  notwithstanding  the  present  program  of  economy  in 
governmental  expenditures.  The  reasons  for  this  view  may  be  sum¬ 
marized  as  follows: 

1.  The  bureau  has  not  had  for  some  years  past  adequate  appro¬ 
priations  to  make  it  efficient. 

2.  The  crisis  in  education  is  as  acute  as  it  is  in  business,  and  the 
need  of  reconstruction  of  our  educational  systems  is  imperative. 

3.  Our  schools,  especially  the  rural  schools,  which  constitute  more 
than  two-thirds  of  the  schools  of  the  United  States,  can  not  be 
financed  on  the  prewar  basis.  Many  States  can  not  solve  the  rural- 
school  problem  without  assistance  from  the  Federal  bureau.  There 
could  be  no  greater  calamity  to  the  Nation  than  the  breakdown  of 
the  rural  schools. 

4.  The  war  has  made  some  appalling  revelations.  Some  of  the 
outstanding  things  are:  The  illiteracy  of  practically  25  per  cent  of 
the  population ;  the  serious  lack  of  attention  to  health,  hygiene,  and 
physical  education;  the  urgent  need  for  Americanizing  our  hetero¬ 
geneous  foreign  elements.  All  of  these  are  matters  of  national  im¬ 
portance  and  need  subsidies  from  the  Federal  Government. 

5.  The  attempt  to  economize  by  small  appropriations  to  the  bureau 
has  had  the  reverse  effect  and  has  been  wasteful.  Much  of  the  work 
of  the  bureau  is  made  void  because  of  the  inability  to  carry  it  to 
completion  when  funds  fail.  Many  investigations  are  made  and 
before  funds  are  available  to  publish  them  are  out  of  date.  The 
bureau  is  so  far  behind  in  its  collection  of  statistics  that  the  value 
of  the  statistics  is  seriously  impaired.  I  think  that,  in  some  instances, 
many  times  the  amount  saved  in  economizing  on  salaries  is  lost 
through  maladministration.  An  example  is  in  the  administration  of 
the  gifts  of  the  Federal  Government  to  land-grant  colleges.  The 
Government  gives  annually  to  these  institutions  a  sum  of  $3,509,225, 
but  appropriates  only  $1,800  to  pay  the  salary  of  the  person  who 
undertakes  to  see  that  the  legal  requirements  are  met  by  the  respec¬ 
tive  institutions.  The  position  is  frequently  vacant  and  has  changed 
six  times  in  10  years.  To  save  the  difference  between  $1,800  and  a 
salary  that  would  hold  an  efficient  man  in  this  position  we  have 
inefficiently  administered  a  sum  of  more  than  three  and  one-half 
millions  of  dollars  annually. 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  department  should  seriously  consider 
the  question  as  to  the  advisability  of  continuing  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  on  the  present  basis  of  wholly  inadequate  support.  The  need 
for  a  national  governmental  agency  to  perform  the  functions  ex¬ 
pected  of  this  bureau  is  imperative  and  unquestioned.  The  efforts 
to  meet  the  need,  however,  are  largely  nullified  by  the  legislative 
restrictions  and  financial  limitations  by  which  the  bureau  is  at  pres¬ 
ent  handicapped.  In  my  judgment,  it  would  be  better  for  the  Fed- 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 


37 


eral  Government  to  withdraw  from  this  field  of  activity  entirely 
unless  provision  is  to  be  made  for  it  on  a  more  liberal  basis,  and 
the  policy  definitely  adopted  of  attempting  to  render  in  an  effective 
and  authoritative  way  the  kinds  of  constructive  service  which  the 
people  and  the  educators  themselves  demand.  It  is  futile  to  continue 
this  organization  on  the  present  penurious  basis  and  to  expect 
returns  that  will  justify  the  outlay. 

IV.  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

(1)  Rural  education. — Although  much  effort  is  being  put  forth 
for  the  improvement  of  rural  schools,  they  still  constitute  the  most 
unsatisfactory  part  of  our  public-school  system.  Many  of  the  States 
are  being  aroused  to  a  newT  realization  of  the  consequences  of  further 
neglect  of  the  education  of  young  people  on  the  farms  and  in  the 
smaller  villages.  State  and  county  educational  authorities  are  con¬ 
stantly  appealing  to  the  Federal  Bureau  of  Education  for  guidance, 
suggestions,  and  leadership  in  the  improvement  of  rural  schools. 

There  is  urgent  need  of  authoritative  studies  of  the  organization, 
administration,  and  financial  support  of  rural  schools,  courses  of 
study,  methods  of  teaching,  and  adaptation  of  the  work  of  the  schools 
to  the  life  and  needs  of  the  communities  which  they  serve.  The 
reports  of  these  studies  should  interpret  to  taxpayers  and  legislators 
as  well  as  to  teachers  and  other  school  officers  the  plans  and  methods 
which  now  seem  to  be  most  effective  and  economical,  and  should  con¬ 
stantly  hold  up  such  standards  and  ideals  as  are  reasonably  attainable. 

To  do  this  work  the  bureau  should  have  an  increase  in  the  staff 
assigned  to  it,  and  it  should  be  possible  to  offer  salaries  which  will 
attract  and  hold  the  most  capable  men  and  women  in  this  field. 

For  extension  work  in  rural  communities  and  among  school  officials 
the  bureau  should  be  in  position  to  offer  more  extensive  service  with 
motion  pictures,  slides  and  lectures,  to  assist  in  promoting  consolida¬ 
tion  of  school  districts,  improvement  in  buildings,  grounds,  equip¬ 
ment,  and  methods  of  instruction  and  supervision. 

For  cooperative  experiments  in  rural  education  the  bureau  should 
make  arrangements  with  two  rural  school  districts — a  one-teacher 
school  and  a  consolidated  school — for  the  conduct  of  a  series  of  ex¬ 
periments  in  connection  with  courses  of  study,  methods  of  instruction, 
classification  of  pupils,  daily  programs,  etc. 

(2) -  Industrial  education. — The  following  studies  in  the  general 
field  of  industrial  education  are  of  immediate  and  vital  significance 
to  public  education.  Because  of  the  stimulus  of  Federal  aid  to  voca¬ 
tional  education  carried  on  in  certain  special  schools  and  classes 
the  work  of  the  entire  school  system  is  profoundly  influenced.  Super¬ 
intendents  and  principals  are  experimenting  in  all  directions  and 
are  constantly  appealing  to  this  bureau  for  guidance  and  suggestion. 
Much  time,  energy,  and  money  can  be  saved  to  the  school  systems 
of  the  country  by  the  results  of  these  studies  made  by  capable  ex¬ 
perts  in  the  form  of  authoritative  recommendations  and  definite, 
constructive  suggestions.  The  studies  proposed  all  lie  entirely  out¬ 
side  of  the  field  of  effort  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Educa¬ 
tion  as  defined  in  the  law  : 

(a)  Special  study  of  the  technical  high  school  and  technical  de¬ 
partments  in  cosmopolitan  high  schools  with  analysis  of  significant 


38 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


factors  in  successful  schools  and  recommendations  for  the  guidance 
of  superintendents,  principals,  and  teachers;  courses  of  instruction; 
programs  of  studies;  qualifications  of  teachers;  equipment,  lay-out 
of  shops  and  drafting  rooms,  costs,  etc. ;  subsequent  careers  of 
students;  various  studies  of  student  population,  holding  powers  of 
school,  etc. 

(b)  Special  study  of  manual  arts  and  prevocational  work  in  junior 
high  schools  carried  out  along  lines  similar  to  (a)  above. 

(<?)  Special  study  of  courses  and  methods  of  instruction  for  the 
preparation  of  teachers  of  manual  training  and  prevocational  work 
in  these  types  of  school. 

(d)  Special  study  of  courses  and  methods  of  instruction,  qualifica¬ 
tions  of  teachers,  and  equipment  needed  in  manual-arts  work  in  the 
elementary  schools,  grades  1  to  6. 

( e )  Special  study  of  plans  and  methods  for  vocational  guidance  in 
public  elementary  and  high  schools. 

(/)  Special  study  of  provisions  for  manual  arts,  prevocational 
work,  and  vocational  guidance  in  rural  and  village  schools. 

For  the  prosecution  of  these  studies  in  industrial  education,  and  to 
assist  in  educational  surveys,  and  for  corresponding  extension  of  the 
services  now  rendered  in  home  economics  education  and  commercial 
education,  additional  specialists  are  needed  as  well  as  additional 
funds  for  the  conduct  of  investigations  in  the  field  and  the  prepara¬ 
tion  and  publication  of  reports. 

(3)  Physical  education  and  school  hygiene . — More  adequate  pro¬ 
vision  is  needed  for  investigation  and  promotion  of  health  teaching, 
school  sanitation,  and  hygiene,  and  the  physical  education  and  devel¬ 
opment  of  children.  Nearly  20,000,000  children  spend  a  good  part 
of  the  time  each  year  in  public  and  private  schools.  In  many  of 
these  schools  the  heating,  lighting,  and  ventilation,  and  other  means 
of  sanitation  are  so  poor  as  to  constitute  a  menace  to  health  rather 
than  a  means  of  building  up  the  health  and  strength  of  the  pupils. 

From  State,  county,  and  city  school  officers,  from  teachers  and 
parents,  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  thousands  of  requests  come  to  the 
bureau  for  information  and  advice  in  regard  to  these  matters.  The 
bureau  should  be  able  to  give  accurate  information  and  sound  advice 
regarding  the  various  phases  of  this  subject. 

The  establishment  of  health  and  correct  health  habits  and  the  best 
types  of  physical  education  must  be  considered  most  important  and 
vital  factors  in  any  education  that  is  to  fit  for  life.  It  would  be  tremen¬ 
dously  wasteful  for  every  large  city,  and  for  all  the  48  States,  to  con¬ 
duct  independently  the  research  necessary  to  establish  the  principles 
and  to  formulate  the  constructive  program  demanded  by  public  pol¬ 
icy  in  these  matters.  Proper  instruction  in  health  and  provision  for 
such  games,  plays,  drills,  and  other  exqrcises  as  will  develop  physi¬ 
cal  strength,  bodily  control,  and  endurance  are  essential  to  the  schools 
of  any  nation  that  would  maintain  for  all  its  citizens  a  high  degree 
of  efficiency  in  discharging  the  duties  both  of  peace  and  war. 

(4)  Educational  legislation. — The  demands  for  information  and 
advice  on  educational  legislation  are  constantly  increasing,  and  long 
since  passed  the  stage  at  which  one  person  is  sufficient  for  the  work. 
No  other  agency  in  the  country  is  in  position  to  render  the  service 
sought  by  members  and  committees  of  State  legislatures,  boards  of 
education,  and  other  school  officers.  The  volume  and  scope  of  edu- 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 


39 


rational  legislation  are  constantly  increasing,  and  the  bureau  should 
be  equipped  to  study  and  interpret  it  authoritatively. 

(fi)  City  school  administration  and  pubUc  education. — Substantial 
additions  to  the  staff  of  the  division  of  city  school  administration 
are  needed  for  the  investigation  of  problems  of  education  and  school 
administration  in  cities  and  towns.  The  drift  of  population  to  cities 
and  towns  continues.  In  some  sections  of  the  country  a  very  large 
proportion  of  the  children  in  the  schools  are  the  children  of  foreign- 
born  parents.  This  adds  to  the  complexity  and  difficulty  of  the  prob¬ 
lems  of  city  school  administration,  especially  in  the  larger  cities. 

Bequests  come  to  the  bureau  in  increasing  number  for  assistance 
in  dealing  with  these  problems.  Within  the  last  few  years  requests 
have  come  from  scores  of  cities  for  comprehensive  educational  sur¬ 
veys,  and  many  other  cities  have  appealed  to  other  agencies  for  help 
of  this  kind  because  it  was  known  that  the  bureau  is  not  equipped 
as  it  should  be  to  do  this  work.  No  other  agency  can  render  so 
effectively  unbiased,  authoritative  service  as  the  Federal  Govern¬ 
ment. 

In  addition  the  bureau  should  be  equipped  to  investigate  and 
report  on  special  problems  of  secondary  education  in  city  schools, 
including  especially  the  organization  and  administration  of  junior 
high  schools;  to  make  a  special  study  of  science  teaching  in  city 
schools;  to  investigate  and  report  on  the  best  means  and  methods 
of  educating  boys  and  girls  for  citizenship,  and  to  give  advice  to 
superintendents,  principals,  and  to  teachers  regarding  elementary 
and  high-school  courses  of  study  in  civic  education;  to  investigate 
and  report  on  the  various  means  and  methods  which  have  been  pro¬ 
posed  for  testing  the  performance  of  children  or  measuring  the  re¬ 
sults  of  class-room  instruction. 

(6)  Kindergarten  education. — The  rapid  development  of  the 
kindergarten  in  public  education  has  led  to  a  substantial  increase 
in  the  demand  upon  the  bureau  for  help  in  interpreting  this  move¬ 
ment  and  for  constructive  suggestions  relating  to  the  establish¬ 
ment  of  these  facilities  and  their  proper  coordination  with  the 
remainder  of  the  public-school  system. 

(7)  Higher  education. — There  is  great  need  for  the  establishment 
of  a  division  of  higher  education,  including  education  in  colleges, 
universities,  technological  schools,  normal  schools,  and  other  pro¬ 
fessional  institutions  of  higher  learning.  The  constant  and  increas¬ 
ing  demands  from  these  schools  for  the  help  of  the  bureau  in  mak¬ 
ing  surveys  and  for  advice  as  to  their  reorganization  to  meet  rapidly 
changing  conditions  and  new  conceptions  on  the  part  of  the  people 
as  to  the  mission  of  higher  education  are  far  more  numerous  than 
the  bureau  can  meet  with  its  present  force.  No  other  agency  can 
render  the  disinterested  service  that  is  asked  for. 

(8)  Visual  education. — The  educational  possibilities  of  the  motion 
picture  constitute  an  immense  field  of  the  utmost  significance  as 
yet  practically  unexplored.  Although  there  are  now  more  motion- 
picture  machines  in  schools,  churches,  clubs,  etc.,  than  in  commercial 
theaters,  conditions  are  such  that  the  industry  is  organized  almost 
exclusively  to  serve  the  interests  of  the  commercial  theater. 

The  demand  from  educational  institutions  may  never  equal  in 
bulk  or  in  steady  continuity  the  commercial  demand,  and  yet  its 
potential  strength  is  sufficient  to  attract  attention  if  only  it  can  be 


40 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


organized  and  given  expression.  Representatives  of  the  larger  pro¬ 
ducers  have  declared  their  willingness  to  produce  the  films,  provided 
they  can  be  assisted  in  determining  what  is  needed  and  can  be  used 
in  the  schools,  and  they  have  appealed  to  the  bureau  repeatedly  to 
take  the  initiative  in  organizing  some  plan  of  investigation.  No 
producer  or  organization  of  producers  can  afford  to  make  the  neces^ 
sary  analysis  of  school  needs  and  educational  possibilities,  and  they 
all  lack  the  motive,  the  personnel,  and  the  school  contacts  which 
are  essential  to  the  success  of  such  a  study. 

In  addition  much  help  is  needed  in  studying  the  use  of  the 
stereopticon  and  stereopticon  slides,  the  stereoscope,  the  phonograph, 
and  other  aids  to  instruction,  to  determine  how  much  time  may  be 
used  in  these  ways,  what  are  the  most  effective  and  economical 
methods,  the  sources  and  cost  of  such  instructional  materials,  and 
the  needed  equipment. 

(9)  Americanization  and  eradication  of  illiteracy . — The  bureau 
should  be  permitted  to  organize  at  once  a  division  of  Americanization 
and  education  of  illiterates.  We  were  all  startled  by  the  revelations 
during  the  war  as  to  the  extent  to  which  the  safety  and  solidarity 
of  our  Nation  are  threatened  by  the  inability  of  large  sections  of 
our  population  to  understand  our  language,  and  by  the  prevailing 
ignorance  of  the  elementary  principles  upon  which  our  form  of 
government  is  based  and  of  the  ideals  toward  which  we  are  striving. 
The  several  States  are  studying  these  problems,  but  there  is  urgent 
need  of  a  central  agency  which  can  make  immediately  available  to 
all  the  results  of  any  experiment  which  proves  successful,  and  which 
can  supply  the  constant  stimulus  to  better  things  which  can  come 
only  from  effective  leadership.  This  is  obviously  a  function  of  the 
Federal  Government. 

(10)  School  finance  and  accounting. — In  no  way  could  the  bureau 
render  a  greater  service  to  the  cause  of  education  in  the  country 
than  by  an  organized  effort  to  promote  better  methods  of  school 
financing  and  accounting.  Experience  which  the  bureau  has  already 
gained  in  the  surveys  made  of  State  and  city  school  systems  and 
of  individual  institutions  demonstrates  the  need  for  constructive 
help  along  this  line.  A  few  thousand  dollars  spent  in  developing 
efficient  systems  of  accounting,  and  in  aiding  school  authorities  to 
install  and  administer  them,  will  save  the  taxpayers  many  times  the 
sum  thus  expended. 

There  are  at  least  four  major  groups  of  problems  in  school  finance 
and  accounting,  and  the  bureau  should  be  equipped  with  experts 
capable  of  doing  constructive  work  in  each : 

(<7i)  Methods  of  accounting  used  in  State  departments  of  public 
instruction;  relation  of  school  expenditures  to  the  total  State  bud¬ 
get;  use  of  Federal  and  State  subsidies  for  specified  activities; 
accounts  with  permanent  schools  funds,  and  other  investments;  use 
of  State  distributive  funds  for  specified  objects;  sinking  funds; 
possible  economies  due  to  more  efficient  accounting ;  special  problems 
of  rural  school  finance  and  accounting. 

(h)  Methods  of  accounting  used  in  colleges,  universities,  normal 
schools,  and  other  institutions  of  higher  learning;  use  of  budget 
system ;  analysis  of  sources  of  support ;  methods  of  determining  per 
capita  costs  of  various  types  of  higher  education. 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 


41 


(c)  Methods  of  accounting  used  in  municipal  or  district  systems  of 
schools;  use  of  budget  system;  interpreting  school  costs  to  the  tax¬ 
payer  ;  sources  of  waste  due  to  imperfect  accounting ;  methods  of  de¬ 
termining  actual  costs  of  various  educational  activities. 

( d )  General  problems  of  State  and  municipal  systems  of  taxation 
and  revenues,  and  their  relation  to  school  finance  and  the  support  of 
public  education. 

(11)  Assistant  Commissioner  of  Education. — The  duties  of  his 
office  make  it  necessary  for  the  commissioner  to  visit  distant  parts  of 
the  country  and  to  absent  himself  from  the  office  frequently  many 
days  at  a  time.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Voca¬ 
tional  Education  and  the  duties  of  this  position  require  much  of  his 
time.  To  act  for  him  in  his  absence  and  to  relieve  him  of  many  de¬ 
tails  of  his  office,  an  assistant  commissioner  should  be  provided. 
Under  existing  legislation,1  the  duties  of  the  commissioner,  in  his 
absence,  devolve  upon  the  chief  clerk  of  the  bureau,  who  receives  a 
salary  of  only  $2,000.  The  salary  of  the  chief  clerk  should  be  raised 
to  $3,500  or  $3,000.  Some  of  those  responsible  to  him  receive  these 
latter  amounts. 

(12)  Specialist  in  foreign  educational  systems. — It  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  bureau  to  have  on  its  staff  a  well-trained  man  who 
can  keep  the  bureau  and  the  people  of  the  United  States  informed  as 
to  all  important  progress  in  education  and  in  methods  of  teaching  in 
all  countries  of  the  world.  The  salary  should  be  not  less  than  $3,500. 

(13)  Draftsman. — A  skilled  draftsman  is  needed  for  aiding  in  the 
Statistical  Division  and  in  the  Editorial  Division,  to  assist  in  the 
preparation  of  graphs  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  various  bulle¬ 
tins  issued  by  the  bureau  more  serviceable  and  intelligible  to  the 
public. 

(14)  Clerks. — A  substantial  increase  in  the  number  of  clerks  is 
needed  for  service  in  the  several  divisions  of  the  bureau,  especially  in 
the  research  divisions,  which  are  now  sadly  handicapped  on  account 
of  lack  of  clerical  assistance. 

( 15 )  T raveling  expenses. — A  comparatively  large  increase  in  the  ap¬ 
propriation  for  traveling  expenses  is  necessary  to  enable  the  special¬ 
ists  in  the  bureau  to  make  necessary  investigations  in  the  field,  to 
attend  and  address  meetings  of  educational  and  kindred  associations 
and  to  give  information  and  advice  when  requested  to  legislative 
bodies  and  committees  and  school  officers.  Very  little  work  of  this 
kind  can  be  done  with  the  present  appropriation. 

(16)  Library. — A  small  increase  is  requested  in  the  appropria¬ 
tion  for  the  purchase  of  educational  periodicals,  which  is  necessary 
because  of  increases  in  subscription  costs.  The  amount  now  appro¬ 
priated  is  no  longer  sufficient  to  buy  the  periodicals  needed. 

(17)  Collecting  statistics. — An  increase  is  needed  in  the  appro¬ 
priation  for  this  purpose  to  enable  the  chief  of  the  Division  of 
Statistics  to  visit  State  and  city  departments  of  education  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  accurate  statistical  data  and  of  securing  greater 
uniformity  in  such  statistics. 

(18)  Increases  in  salaries. — Increases  in  salaries  paid  to  a  number 
of  employees  of  the  bureau  are  imperatively  needed.  The  greatest 
injustice  in  this  respect  is  the  case  of  the  chief  clerk,  already  cited. 

1  R.  S.,  secs.  178-180,  2d  ed.,  p.  28.  (July  23,  1868.) 


42 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1921. 


The  duties  of  these  positions  require  the  services  of  men  and  women 
of  such  native  ability,  education,  and  experience  as  would  enable 
them  to  demand  much  larger  salaries  elsewhere.  The  limit  of 
salaries  that  may  be  paid  from  lump-sum  appropriations  should 
be  removed,  and  such  increases  in  amounts  of  these  appropriations 
should  be  provided  as  w7ill  enable  the  bureau  to  employ  a  number  of 
specialists  fitted  by  ability,  training,  and  experience  to  do  the  work 
for  which  these  appropriations  are  made.  Under  the  present  condi¬ 
tions  this  is  wholly  impossible. 

(19)  Publications. — For  printing  the  reports,  bulletins,  circu¬ 
lars,  and  journals  which  should  issue  from  the  bureau  each  year, 
there  should  be  available  a  much  larger  sum  than  that  now  allotted  for 
this  purpose.  The  growing  importance  of  education  in  our  national 
life,  the  large  expenditures  for  schools  and  other  agencies  of  edu¬ 
cation,  the  increasing  extension  and  differentiation  of  education  to 
meet  the  new  and  increasing  needs  of  industrial  and  civic  life  have 
created  a  demand  for  such  information  as  is  contained  in  these  pub¬ 
lications  in  many  and  widely  varied  fields  of  education.  This  re¬ 
quires  the  printing  of  a  larger  number  of  bulletins  each  year,  and 
many  of  these  should  be  printed  in  much  larger  editions  than  is 
now  permitted  by  law.  The  present  limit  of  12,500  copies  of  a  bul¬ 
letin  is  wholly  inadequate  to  furnish  copies  of  many  publications 
which  are  of  immediate  interest  to  the  entire  country.  The  law 
should  be  so  amended  as  to  permit  issuing  bulletins  in  such  num¬ 
bers  as  in  the  judgment  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  may  be 
needed. 

(20)  Activities  in  Alaska. — Substantial  increases  in  appropria¬ 
tions  should  be  made  available,  which  will  permit  the  extension 
of  educational  activities,  the  introduction  of  the  reindeer  industry, 
and  other  facilities  which  will  promote  improvement  in  the  economic 
and  social  conditions  in  extensive  regions  in  which  no  such  service 
is  now  rendered. 

(21)  An  increase  of  $37,180  over  the  amount  appropriated  for 
1922  is  recommended  to  cover  the  net  cost  of  equipping  and  operat¬ 
ing  the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer ,  a  wooden  ship  which  has  recently  been  trans¬ 
ferred  from  the  Navy  Department  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior 
for  the  Alaskan  service. 

(22)  There  should  be  established  at  White  Mountain,  on  Seward 
Peninsula,  a  sanitarium  for  tubercular  patients,  at  a  cost  of  $30,000. 
At  each  of  the  five  hospitals  now  in  operation  there  should  be  erected 
a  cabin  for  use  by  tubercular  patients,  at  a  total  cost  of  $5,000. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Jno.  J.  Tigebt, 

C  ommissioner . 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

o 


REPORT 


OF  THE 

Commissioner  of  Education 


THE  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1922 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1922 


THE  UNITED  STATES  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 

Created  as  a  Department  March  2,  1867. 

Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869. 

COMMISSIONERS. 


Henry  Barnard,  LL.D., 

March  14,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870. 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1886. 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D., 
August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889. 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brow^n,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  1,  1906,  to  June  30,  1911. 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D.? 
July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921. 


ii 


John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  LL.D., 
June  2,  1921,  to  date. 


CONTENTS 


General  activities  of  the  bureau :  Page. 

Organization  and  functions _  1 

Technical  activities: 

Educational  research  and  promotion _  2 

(1)  Service  in  the  field _ 2 

(2)  Research  and  investigation _  3 

(3)  Dissemination  of  information _  3 

(4)  Educational  surveys _ : _ _  5 

Activities  of  divisions : 

Rural  schools  division _  7 

Higher  education  division _  9 

City  schools  division _  10 

School  building  surveys _  11 

The  work-study-play  plan., _  11 

Kindergarten  education -  12 

Radio  service _  12 

Service  division : 

School  hygiene  and  physical  education _  13 

Industrial  education _  14 

Home  economics _  14 

Commercial  education _  15 

Educational  legislation _  16 

Foreign  educational  systems _  16 

General  service  activities: 

Statistics _ 17 

Editorial  division _ 18 

Library _ 24 

Division  of  mails  and  files _  27 

Alaska  division _ 27 

Activities  of  the  commissioner _  29 

Recommendations _ 1 _ 31 

in 


l 


- 


' 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 

W ashing  ton,  D.  C%,  September  1 , 1922. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the 
operations  of  this  office  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1922,  to¬ 
gether  with  recommendations  for  the  extension  and  improvement 
of  its  work,  as  required  by  act  of  Congress  approved  March  2,  186T. 

General  Activities  of  the  Bureau. 

ORGANIZATION  AND  FUNCTIONS. 

The  act  creating  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  defines 
its  purposes  and  duties  as  those  of  collecting  such  statistics  ahd  facts 
as  will  show  the  condition  and  progress  of  education  in  the  several 
States  and  Territories  and  of  diffusing  such  information  respect¬ 
ing  the  organization  and  management  of  schools  and  school  systems 
and  methods  of  teaching  as  shall  aid  the  people  of  the  United  States 
in  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  efficient  school  systems  and 
otherwise  promote  the  cause  of  education  throughout  the  country. 

This  statement  of  the  functions  of  the  bureau  makes  it  primarily 
an  institution  for  scientific  research  and  gives  it  no  administra¬ 
tive  duties.  Such  administrative  duties  as  it  has  have  been  subse¬ 
quently  assigned  to  it.  Broadly  stated,  then,  the  functions  of  the 
bureau  are  as  follows: 

(1)  To  be  informed  on  all  subjects  pertaining  to  education. 

(2)  To  disseminate  such  information. 

(3)  To  promote  the  cause  of  education  generally. 

In  my  last  report  I  outlined  the  form  of  organization  of  the 
bureau  for  the  discharge  of  these  functions.  This  organization, 
based  on  a  careful  analysis  of  the  activities  carried  on,  provides 
for  two  departments,  with  divisions  as  follows: 

*  (1)  Technical  activities,  under  the  direction  of  the  assistant  to  the 
commissioner:  (a)  Higher  education;  ( b )  rural  schools;  (<?)  city 
schools;  ( d )  service,  comprising  school  hygiene  and  physical  educa¬ 
tion,  industrial  education,  home  economics,  commercial  education, 
educational  legislation,  and  foreign  education. 

(2)  General  service  activities,  under  the  direction  of  the  chief 
clerk:  (a)  Editorial;  (b)  library;  ( c )  statistics;  ( d )  education, 
medical  relief,  and  reindeer  service  for  natives  of  Alaska;  ( e )  sten¬ 
ographic;  (/)  mails  and  files;  (a)  messenger  service. 

The  plan  of  organization  has  been  effective  even  beyond  expecta¬ 
tions.  The  correlation  of  effort  in  the  bureau  under  a  unified  plan 
has  worked  well  in  each  of  the  divisions  established  and  has,  in  my 
opinion,  significantly  increased  the  general  efficiency  of  the  bureau  as 
a  whole.  The  plan  of  bringing  the  various  divisions  together  from 
time  to  time  in  conference.,  and  particularly  the  technical  staff,  has 

1 


2 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


been  especially  helpful  and  has  brought  about  a  better  understand¬ 
ing  of  the  mutual  efforts  of  those  working  in  the  bureau,  and  a  con¬ 
sequent  increase  in  morale  which  has  been  evident  to  me,  particularly 
during  the  last  few  months. 

The  importance  of  the  work  in  school  hygiene  and  physical  edu¬ 
cation  has  justified  the  employment  of  an  additional  specialist  and 
an  additional  clerk.  Because  of  this  increase  in  personnel  and  the 
resultant  extension  of  activities  in  this  -field,  I  have  determined  to 
take  this  work  out  of  the  Service  Division  and  create  a  new  divi¬ 
sion  of  physical  education  and  school  hygiene  at  the  beginning  of 
the  new  fiscal  year. 

During  the  past  few  months  I  have  deemed  it  expedient,  for  ad¬ 
ministrative  reasons,  to  place  the  work  in  statistics  temporarily 
under  the  supervision  of  the  chief  of  the  city  schools  division. 

The  year’s  experience  has  not  developed  any  suggestion  for  further 
modification  of  the  administrative  organization,  and  it  will  there¬ 
fore  continue  for  the  present  substantially  as  it  was  originally 
set  up. 

Technical  Activities. 

EDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH  AND  PROMOTION. 

The  specialists  attached  to  the  four  research  divisions  of  the  bu¬ 
reau  constituting  the  technical  staff  have  held  a  number  of  con¬ 
ferences  with  the  commissioner  during  the  year  for  the  purpose  of 
discussing  bureau  plans  and  policies  and  methods  of  making  our 
service  to  the  country  more  effective.  Conceiving  the  bureau  as 
primarily  an  agency  for  sendee  to  educators  and  the  general  public, 
we  have  endeavored  to  function  specifically  in  the  following  ways: 
(1)  Field  service,  (2)  research  and  investigation  of  special  educa¬ 
tional  problems,  (3)  dissemination  of  information,  and  (4)  educa¬ 
tional  surveys. 

(1)  Service  in  the  Field. 

The  bureau  has  always  been  seriously  handicapped  in  its  efforts 
to  render  field  service  in  stimulating  and  promoting  the  cause  of 
education  by  lack  of  funds  for  travel.  State  departments  of  educa¬ 
tion,  county  and  city  educational  authorities,  and  educational  insti¬ 
tutions  and  associations  of  all  kinds  appeal  to  the  bureau  for 
guidance  and  assistance  of  a  type  which  they  maintain  can  be  rem- 
dered  only  by  a  Federal  agency.  The  limitations  upon  the  ability 
of  the  bureau  to  send  its  representatives  away  from  Washington 
have  compelled  the  adoption  of  a  policy  of  rendering  sendee  where 
there  is  the  ability  to  pay  the  incidental  cost  of  travel  rather  than  in 
those  sections  or  communities  where  the  greatest  need  exists. 

Service  rendered  in  the  field  by  representatives  of  the  bureau 
takes  the  following  forms:  Lectures  and  addresses  upon  educational 
topics  before  audiences  of  teachers,  students,  women’s  clubs,  business 
men’s  clubs,  and  the  like;  conducting  and  assisting  in  special  con¬ 
ferences  for  the  consideration  of  educational  problems;  attendance 
upon  educational  conventions;  visiting  schools  and  conferring  with 
school  officers  and  teachers  for  the  purpose  of  securing  information : 
participation  in  educational  surveys  (referred  to  hereafter). 

Some  of  this  field  work  is  undertaken  upon  the  initiative  of  the 
bureau,  in  order  to  secure  needed  information  and  in  order  to  keep 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


3 


abreast  of  current  developments.  Most  of  it,  however,  is  done  at  the 
request  of  the  school  authorities  in  the  several  States.  Summarizing 
all  types  of  field  service  together,  I  may  report  that  during  the  fiscal 
year  26  members  of  the  bureau  staff,  exclusive  of  the  Commissioner, 
rendered  an  aggregate  of  1,090  days  of  field  service  outside  of  the 
District  of  Columbia  in  41  different  States;  in  addition,  23  days 
in  visiting  schools  in  Europe,  32  days  in  Hawaii,  and  one  day  in 
Canada.  (Vide  fig.  1.) 

As  one  feature  of  this  service,  18  members  of  the  staff,  exclusive 
of  the  Commissioner,  delivered  257  public  addresses,  in  34  different 
States,  to  audiences  aggregating  70,000  persons. 

(2)  Research  and  Investigation. 

In  its  endeavor  to  discharge  the  function  of  a  clearing  house  of  in¬ 
formation  the  bureau  is  at  all  times  engaged  upon  the  systematic 
study  of  a  variety  of  current  problems.  The  staff  of  the  bureau 
available  for  technical  study  of  this  kind  is  so  limited  that  it  is  im¬ 
possible  to  give  serious  attention  to  more  than  a  fraction  of  the  per¬ 
plexing  questions  upon  which  school  authorities  seek  advice.  The 
daily  correspondence  of  the  bureau  makes  heavy  demands  upon  the 
time  of  those  whom  we  should  be  permitted  to  assign  to  continuous 
research.  Further  inroads  on  the  available  time  of  members  of  the 
technical  staff  are  due  to  assignments  to  educational  survey  work  in 
the  field. 

.  In  view  of  these  handicaps,  we  call  attention  with  some  pride  to 
the  extent  and  variety  of  the  research  work  accomplished  during  the 
year.  The  types  of  study  upon  which  the  bureau  has  been  engaged 
are  best  suggested  by  the  titles  of  the  publications  issued,  as  given 
in  the  following  paragraphs,  and  in  the  report  of  the  editorial  di¬ 
vision,  pages  20-24. 

(3)  Dissemination  of  Information. 

For  many  years  the  chief  contribution  of  the  bureau,  in  the  way  of 
publications,  was  the  commissioner’s  annual  report.  Beginning  about 
1906  the  policy  was  adopted  of  publishing  a  series  of  bulletins  or 
monographs  on  various  phases  of  education.  The  manuscripts  of 
many  of  these  were  contributed  by  educators  outside  the  bureau,  but 
as  the  membership  of  the  staff  increased  in  number  these  publications 
have  represented  the  work  of  the  bureau  in  increasing  proportions. 

I  find  that  many  of  these  monographs,  contributed  by  bureau  spe¬ 
cialists  and  by  others,  have  been  important  contributions  to  the  litera¬ 
ture  of  education,  and  have  exerted  measurable  influence  on  the 
development  of  school  practice.  This  influence  has  never  been  as 
great  as  it  might,  because  of  certain  practical  limitations  in  the  matter 
of  printing  and  distribution. 

Although  there  are  upwards  of  800,000  school-teachers  and  officers 
in  the  United  States,  the  bureau  is  limited  by  law  to  editions  of  12,500 
copies  of  its  bulletins.  Salaries  paid  to  school-teachers  do  not  en¬ 
courage  investment  in  books  and  other  needed  helps;  consequently 
the  larger  and  more  expensive  bulletins  reach  only  a  relatively  small 
number  among  the  teachers. 

For  this  reason,  and  also  because  of  the  limited  amount  of  funds 
available  for  printing  and  the  delays  incident  to  getting  the  larger 


4 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


manuscripts  through  the  Government  Printing  Office,  the  bureau 
has  in  recent  years  reduced  the  number  of  more  extensive  treatises, 
and  materially  increased  the  number  and  proportion  of  briefer 
papers.  These  now  take  the  form  of  circulars  or  leaflets  of  from  8  to 


32  pages,  containing  digests  of  the  proceedings  of  important  educa- 
tional  conferences  conducted  by  the  bureau,  abstracts  of  the  conclu¬ 
sions  and  recommendations  of  educational  survey  commissions,  con¬ 
densed  reports  of  studies  made  in  the  bureau,  and  the  like. 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


5 


(4)  Educational  Surveys. 

One  of  the  most  important  types  of  service  rendered  by  the  bureau, 
and  probably  most  far-reaching  in  effect,  is  in  its  conduct  of  educa¬ 


tional  surveys.  Shortly  after  I  took  office  I  caused  a  summary  to  be 
made  of  the  activities  of  the  bureau  in  this  matter,  and  found  that  an 
aggregate  of  156  surveys  have  been  made  by  it,  in  42  States  and  the 
§917° — 22 - 2 


6  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 

District  of  Columbia,  also  Hawaii,  Porto  Rico,  and  one  of  the  Prov¬ 
inces  of  Canada.  These  surveys  may  be  classified  as  follows : 

(a)  State  public-school  systems _  9 

( b )  State  systems  for  higher  education _  7 

(c)  Higher  educational  institutions _  88 

(d)  Public  school  systems  of  cities _ 17 

(e)  School  buildings  in  cities _  10 

(f)  Public-school  systems  of  counties _ 9 

(#)  Negro  education  in  the  United  States  (26  States  and 

District  of  Columbia) _  1 


(h)  Unclassified _ l _  15 

Total _ _ _ 156 


The  earliest  of  these  was  a  survey  of  public  education  in  the  Dis¬ 
trict  of  Columbia,  made  by  Dr.  Henry  Barnard,  the  first  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education,  in  accordance  with  a  joint  congressional  resolu¬ 
tion  approved  March  29,  1867,  the  same  month  in  which  the  bureau 
was  established.  The  findings  were  published  in  a  special  report  of 
912  pages,  June,  1870. 

Some  of  these  surveys  have  been  comprehensive  studies,  requiring 
the  services  of  staffs  of  20  or  more  experts  for  periods  of  field  work 
varying  from  four  to  eight  weeks.  At  the  other  extreme,  surveys 
of  individual  institutions  have  been  made  by  a  single  representative 
of  the  bureau  in  one  or  two  days,  which  perhaps  would  be  more  ap¬ 
propriately  designated  as  inspections. 

During  the  fiscal  year  1921-22  the  following  surveys  were  made: 


(a)  State  system  of  public  schools,  Arkansas _  1 

(b)  State  system  of  higher  education,  Kansas -  1 

(c)  Higher  educational  institutions -  31 


Arkansas,  13  colleges  and  universities. 

Arizona,  State  University. 

Oregon,  12  colleges  and  universities. 

Tennessee,  4  colleges. 

State  College  for  Women,  Greensboro,  N.  C. 

(d)  Public  school  systems  of  cities - - -  4 

Trenton,  N.  J.  (administration). 

Washington.  D.  C.  (administration). 


Shreveport.  La. 

Sparta,  Wis. 

(e)  School  buildings  in  cities - —  3 

Parkersburg,  W.  Va. 

Washington,  N.  C. 

Greenfield,  Ohio. 

(f)  County  system  of  public  schools -  1 

Washington  County,  Va. 

Total _  41 


The  surveys  made  during  the  past  fiscal  year  are  therefore  almost 
a  third  of  the  total  number  of  surveys  made  by  the  bureau  in  the  54 
years  of  its  previous  existence.  (Vide  fig.  3.) 

In  most  instances  the  recommendations  of  the  surveys  have  re¬ 
sulted  in  substantial  improvements  in  the  educational  conditions 
and  practice  of  the  school  system  involved,  and  in  no  instances  have 
the  recommendations  been  without  some  practical  effect. 

Activities  of  Divisions. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  general  statements,  the  activities  of 
the  several  research  divisions  may  be  summarized  as  follows : 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


7 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  DIVISION. 

The  work  of  the  year  has  been  devoted  largely  to  offering  prac¬ 
tical  assistance  to*  rural  school  superintendents  and  supervisors. 


<9 


O 


Through  these  officers  the  division  establishes  relations  also  with 
school  patrons  and  teachers  in  rural  communities. 

Three  current  movements  in  rural  education  are  of  fundamental 
importance:  (1)  Consolidation  of  small,  inefficient  schools  into  larger 


8 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


ones  offering  increased  facilities,  and  usually  high-school  opportu¬ 
nities;  (2)  employment  of  professionally  trained  supervisors,,  to  aid 
in  improving  the  work  of  teachers  in  the  service;  (3)  improvement 
of  one-teacher  schools  when  consolidation  is  not  practicable. 

In  the  promotion  of  these  larger  movements  the  division  has  in 
progress  a  comprehensive  study  of  rural  school  consolidation  in  the 
48  States.  A  report  on  the  present  status  of  rural  school  super¬ 
vision,  including  statutory  and  administrative  provisions,  as  well 
as  descriptions  of  successful  plans  and  methods,  is  now  in  press. 
The  importance  of  the  movement  to  furnish  adequate  and  com¬ 
fortable  living  quarters  for  rural  teachers  has  been  recognized  by 
the  publication  of  a  bulletin  on  Teachers’  Homes. 

Other  studies  in  progress  include :  Plans  for  standardizing  rural 
schools  in  the  48  States ;  objectives  in  agriculture  in  rural  elementary 
schools;  suggestions  concerning  organization  of  parent-teacher  asso¬ 
ciations  in  rural  communities;  suitable  programs  for  the  meetings  of 
such  organizations;  games  for  rural  schools. 

The  division  has  prepared  and  assisted  in  circulating  among  rural 
school  officers  and  others  on  request  25,070  leaflets  and  20,300  circu¬ 
lars  on  the  following  subjects: 

Consolidation  and  rural  life. 

Transportation  of  rural  pupils  at  public  expense. 

Modern  equipment  for  a  one-room  school. 

Consolidation  of  rural  schools  in  Maine  and  Connecticut. 

A  rural  teacher’s  library. 

What  is  a  consolidated  rural  school? 

A  digest  of  State  laws  on  transportation  of  pupils. 

Consolidation  of  schools  and  transportation  of  pupils. 

Salaries  of  teachers  in  rural  schools  in  1922. 

Salaries  of  superintendents  and  supervisors. 

Abstract  of  report  of  committee  on  resolutions,  department  of  rural  educa¬ 
tion,  National  Education  Association,  Chicago,  March  2,  1922. 

Projects  in  rural  supervision. 

During  the  year  members  of  the  division  have  visited  22  different 
States  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  school  conditions,  holding 
or  attending  conferences  on  rural  education,  making  addresses  at 
educational  meetings,  and  assisting  in  educational  surveys.  The 
chief  of  the  division  spent  five  weeks  directing  the  rural  school  por¬ 
tion  of  the  Arkansas  State  educational  survey.  With  the  assistance 
of  four  rural  school  specialists  from  outside  the  bureau,  schools  were 
visited  in  20  counties.  Another  member  of  the  division  had  charge 
of  compiling  the  statistical  data  *for  the  survey  report. 

At  the  request  of  the  State  department  of  education  a  survey  was 
made  of  school  conditions  in  Washington  County,  Va. 

Rural  life  conferences  were  organized  by  members  of  the  division 
in  Missouri,  Kansas,  Oklahoma,  Iowa,  and  Illinois.  One  member 
of  the  staff  spent  five  days  assisting  the  State  superintendent  of 
public  instruction  of  Kentucky  in  a  campaign  for  better  schools 
and  a  drive  for  school  legislation. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  division,  two  motion-picture  films  were 
prepared,  one  showing  methods  of  supervision,  the  other  showing 
rural  school  consolidation  and  its  results  in  the  United  States. 
Stereopticon  slides  for  general  circulation  among  school  authorities 
have  been  prepared  as  follows:  Twelve  sets  on  school  consolidation 
in  the  United  States;  6  sets  on.  transportation  of  school  children; 
6  sets  on  rural  school  activities;  3  sets  on  rural  schools  and  grounds. 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


9 


Much  of  the  general  correspondence  of  the  division  requires  special 
investigation.  Examples  of  material  prepared  on  request  of  State 
educational  authorities  and  others  include:  Definitions  of  con¬ 
solidated  school  as  used  in  the  different  States ;  list  of  normal  schools 
and  colleges  offering  special  courses  for  preparation  of  rural  teach¬ 
ers;  outline  of  teaching  methods  for  making  rural  surveys  for  use 
in  summer  courses  in  normal  schools. 

A  revised  mailing  list  was  compiled  containing  more  than  300 
rural  school  supervisors  and  professors  of  rural  education  in  normal, 
schools  and  colleges.  One  member  of  the  division  was  in  charge 
of  the  preparation  of  the  educational  exhibit  of  the  United  States 
at  the  Brazilian  International  Centennial  Exposition ;  another 
member  collected  and  distributed  information  regarding  educa¬ 
tional  opportunities  for  ex-service  men;  also  considerable  prelim¬ 
inary  work  was  done  on  tabulating  data  for  the  Oklahoma  State 
educational  survey. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION  DIVISION. 

Surveys  were  made  of  four  institutions  of  higher  learning  in  Ten¬ 
nessee,  and  the  resulting  recommendations  were  immediately  adopted 
and  have  been  carried  into  effect.  A  survey  was  made  of  the  North 
Carolina  State  College  for  Women  and  suggestions  offered  which 
have  led  to  a  reorganization  of  the  internal  administration  on  a  more 
effective  basis.  In  Oregon,  where  the  State  law  requires  colleges 
and  universities  to  be  accredited  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of 
Education,  the  bureau’s  specialist  in  higher  education  inspected 
twelve  colleges  and  universities  for  the  State  department  of  public  in¬ 
struction  and  reported  a  revised  list  of  accredited  institutions. 

More  extended  surveys  of  State  institutions  of  higher  learning 
were  made  in  Arkansas,  Arizona,  and  Kansas.  In  September,  1921, 
the  report  of  the  bureau’s  commission  on  the  University  of  Arkan¬ 
sas  was  submitted  to  the  governor  and  a  committee  of  the  State 
legislature.  As  a  result  of  this  report  some  changes  have  been 
made  in  the  administration  of  the  university.  Certain  other  impor¬ 
tant  recommendations  await  the  action  of  the  next  legislature.  Later 
a  survey  was  made  of  the  Arkansas  State  Normal  School. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  specialist  in  higher  education,  a  survey 
was  made  of  the  State  system  of  higher  education  in  Kansas  by  a 
commision  including  President  L.  D.  Coffman,  of  the  University  of 
Minnesota;  Dean  A.  R.  Mann,  of  Cornell  University;  and  J.  D. 
Christenson,  of  the  University  of  Michigan.  It  is  expected  that  the 
report  on  the  survey  will  be  made  about  September  1,  1922. 

A  survey  of  the  University  of  Arizona  was  conducted  by  President 
P.  R.  Kolbe,  of  Akron  University,  and  Lloyd  E.  Blauch,  the  bureau’s 
specialist  in  charge  of  land-grant  college  statistics.  On  account  of 
a  vacancy  in  the  presidency  of  the  university  no  action  on  the  recom¬ 
mendations  in  the  report  has  yet  been  taken. 

The  specialist  in  rural  and  technical  education,  in  cooperation  With 
the  committee  on  highway  and  highway  transport  education,  held  a 
number  of  State  conferences  for  the  promotion  of  education  in  these 
fields.  Of  special  importance  were  those  held  in  Kentucky,  Texas, 
Pennsylvania,  Tennessee,  Maryland,  and  Connecticut.  Reports  of 
the  proceedings  of  these  conferences  have  been  published  by  the 


10 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


bureau  and  by  other  agencies.  Plans  are  now  under  way  for  a  second 
national  conference  on  highway  education  to  be  held  in  Washington 
in  October,  1922. 

The  specialist  in  rural  and  technical  education  was  also  responsible 
for  holding  a  conference  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  on  negro  land -grant 
college  education,  with  special  reference  to  standards  in  agriculture 
and  home  economics,  in  cooperation  with  the  Federal  Board  for  Voca¬ 
tional  Education  and  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture. 

In  addition  to  the  bulletins  and  pamphlets  listed  under  the  report 
of  the  editorial  division,  the  division  of  higher  education  has  pre¬ 
pared  circulars  on  the  following  subjects:  Comparison  of  enrollment 
and  endowment  at  200  leading  American  colleges  and  universities; 
classification  of  student  enrollment  and  distribution  of  teachers  in 
engineering  schools;  current  statistics  on  incomes,  salaries,  and  en¬ 
rollment  at  State  universities  and  colleges.  The  following  manu¬ 
scripts  are  either  completed  or  are  nearing  completion :  Statistics  of 
land-grant  colleges  for  1919-20  and  1920-21 ;  decennial  report  on 
land-grant  college  education ;  report  on  survey  of  the  University  of 
Arizona ;  report  on  survey  of  higher  education  in  Kansas ;  residence 
of  students  in  higher  institutions,  1920-21 ;  the  educational  contribu¬ 
tion  of  Hampton  Institute  as  a  land-grant  college. 

The  schedule  used  in  collecting  data  from  land-grant  colleges  has 
been  revised  for  use  hereafter  in  collecting  data  from  all  publicly 
supported  institutions.  Addresses  were  delivered  at  the  following 
educational  meetings:  Association  of  American  Colleges;  Junior 
College  Association;  Land  Grant  College  Association;  Texas  State 
Teachers’  Association ;  Texas  State  Association  of  Colleges ;  Arkan¬ 
sas  State  Teachers’  Association;  Kansas  State  Schoolmen’s  Club; 
Educational  Conference  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Church;  South 
Carolina  State  Citizens’  Conference;  North  Carolina  Presidents  of 
Colleges  and  Universities;  George  Washington  University  Faculty 
Club ;  Colleges  in  Tennessee,  Oregon,  Maryland,  North  Carolina,  and 
Virginia;  Conference  on  Negro  Education  in  Land  Grant  Colleges; 
Interstate  Conference  on  Education;  Society  for  Promotion  of  En¬ 
gineering  Education;  conferences  on  highway  education  in  Texas, 
Tennessee,  and  Maryland. 

CITY  SCHOOLS  DIVISION. 

During  the  year  manuscripts  were  prepared  by  the  division  of  city 
schools  on  the  following  subjects:  Administration  of  schools  in  the 
smaller  cities;  titles  of  positions  in  the  administrative  staffs  of 
schools  in  cities  of  more  than  25,000  population,  with  the  salary  at¬ 
tached  to  each  position ;  salaries  of  elementary  and  junior  high-school 
principals  and  teachers  in  1,444  cities;  salaries  of  teachers  in  cities 
of  100,000  population  and  over,  published  in  report  of  hearing  on 
Senate  bill  3136;  data  regarding  certain  phases  of  school  administra¬ 
tion  in  smaller  cities;  salaries  of  high-school  teachers;  reports  re¬ 
garding  the  work-study-play  or  platoon  school. 

A  survey  of  the  public  schools  of  Sparta,  Wis.,  was  made  at  the  re¬ 
quest  of  the  board  of  education,  to  determine  school  building  needs 
and  to  point  ways  of  improving  the  school  system.  The  recommenda¬ 
tions  of  the  surveys  were  adopted  by  majority  vote  of  the  citizens  of 
Sparta. 


technical  activities. 


11 


A  study  of  the  plan  of  administrative  organization  of  the  public 
schools  of  Trenton,  N.  J.,  was  made  for  the  board  of  education  of 
that  city. 

A  general  survey  was  made  of  the  public  schools  of  Shreveport 
and  Caddo  Parish,  La.,  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  of  the  divi¬ 
sion,  assisted  by  C.  A.  Ives,  of  the  Louisiana  State  Department  of 
Education,  and  Dr.  F.  B.  Dresslar  and  Dr.  Thomas  Alexander,  of 
Peabody  College  for  Teachers,  Nashville,  Tenn.  The  report,  covering 
200  typewritten  pages,  was  submitted  to  the  Caddo  Parish  board  of 
education  and  later  published  in  full  in  the  daily  papers  of  Shreve¬ 
port.  The  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction  reports  that 
the  survey  will  be  helpful  not  only  to  Shreveport  and  Caddo  Parish 
but  to  the  entire  State. 

School  building  surveys. — The  division  has  responded  to  many  re¬ 
quests  from  boards  of  education  for  advice  in  planning  school  build¬ 
ing  campaigns,  averaging  one  such  survey  every  six  or  seven  weeks 
for  three  years  past.  In  1922  three  school  building  surveys  were 
made — at  Greenfield,  Ohio,  Washington,  N.  C.,  and  Parkersburg, 
W.  Va.  Some  additional  time  was  spent  in  assisting  the  authorities 
in  carrying  out  the  recommendations  of  the  survey  made  last  year. 

The  work-study -flay  plan. — In  February,  1922,  a  conference  of 
city  superintendents  having  schools  organized  on  the  work-study-play 
plan  was  held  in  Chicago,  which  was  attended  by  superintendents 
from  47  cities  in  19  States.  Some  of  the  points  made  by  the  speakers 
include :  That  the  plan  is  popular  with  pupils,  teachers,  and  patrons 
when  given  a  fair  trial;  that  the  plan  is  adaptable  to  any  type  of 
city,  industrial  or  suburban,  large  or  small ;  that  this  type  of  organi¬ 
zation  makes  it  possible  for  each  school  system  and  each  school  to 
have  an  individuality  of  its  own ;  that  the  plan  brings  about  an  in¬ 
crease  in  the  capacity  of  a  building  varying  from  25  to  50  per  cent ; 
that  the  academic  work  does  not  suffer,  but  improves  under  the  plan. 

Replies  to  a  questionnaire  sent  to  the  41  cities  in  which  schools  are 
now  operated  on  the  work-study-play  plan  were  returned  from  27 
cities,  and  show  that  in  these  27  cities  there  are  153,364  children  en¬ 
rolled  in  172  schools  of  this  type.  As  a  result  of  the  Chicago  con¬ 
ference  the  bureau  was  requested  by  the  city  superintendents  of 
schools  to  serve  as  a  clearing  house  of  information  on  this  phase  of 
school  development. 

One  specialist  in  this  division  has  been  making  a  study  of  the  proj¬ 
ect  method  of  teaching  and  the  preparation  of  a  bulletin  on  “  Major 
Projects  in  Elementary  Schools.”  The  material  was  collected 
largely  from  a  study  of  a  cotton  mill  village  in  South  Carolina,  and 
shows  how  all  the  activities  of  a  commmunity  may  be  brought  into 
the  various  units  of  study  in  the  schools.  Another  series  of  type 
studies  was  developed,  using  the  great  national  highways  as  a  basis. 
A  bulletin  on  this  subject  for  the  use  of  classroom  teachers  is  in  prep¬ 
aration.  In  the  course  of  this  work  the  specialist  in  charge  taught  a 
class  of  fifth-grade  children  in  one  of  the  Washington  schools  one 
hour  daily  for  three  months.  Other  studies  completed  include :  Re¬ 
quirements  for  promotion  from  kindergarten  to  first  grade,  and  frojn 
first  grade  to  second;  relation  of  the  intelligence  quotient  to  ability  in 
reading ;  relation  of  the  course  of  study  to  ability  in  arithmetic ;  in¬ 
telligence  tests  as  applied  to  primary  grades;  primary-school  equip¬ 
ment;  recent  movements  in  primary  education. 


12 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


KINDERGARTEN  EDUCATION. 

The  mailing  list  of  teachers  and  others  interested  in  kindergarten 
education  has  been  revised,  and  circulars  have  been  prepared  for 
distribution  on  the  following  subjects:  The  housing  and  equipment 
of  kindergartens;  books  on  the  education  of  early  childhood  (re¬ 
vised)  ;  what  they  think  of  the  kindergarten;  curriculum  for  the 
kindergarten  and  primary  grades.  The  project  method  in  the  kinder¬ 
garten;  status  of  the  kindergarten  movement  in  the  United  States. 
A  circular  of  information  was  prepared  for  women’s  clubs  and  par¬ 
ent-teacher  associations,  outlining  suggestions  for  programs  for  the 
discussion  of  kindergarten  education.  A  leaflet  on  kindergarten  legis¬ 
lation  is  in  preparation,  for  use  in  those  States  in  which  such  legis¬ 
lation  is  being  considered. 

Two  sets  of  lantern  slides  illustrating  kindergarten  equipment 
and  methods  have  been  in  constant  circulation,  eleven  States  being 
served  during  the  year.  In  cooperation  with  the  International  Kin- 
dergarden  Union,  a  motion-picture  film  is  being  prepared.  Sixteen 
cities  will  each  contribute  one  section  of  the  film.  Typical  kinder¬ 
garten  activities  will  be  shown  in  the  units  from  the  contributing 
cities,  and  the  units  will  be  coordinated  by  the  bureau’s  specialists 
into  one  film,  which  will  be  available  for  general  circulation. 

The  two  specialists  made  46  public  addresses  before  various  organi¬ 
zations;  four  conferences  were  held  with  kindergarten  teachers  in 
Philadelphia ;  16  kindergarten  training  schools  were  visited  in  Con¬ 
necticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  the 
District  of  Columbia,  as  a  basis  for  drafting  constructive  suggestions 
in  regard  to  training  courses. 

One  specialist  was  an  official  delegate  to  the  Pan-Pacific  Conference 
on  Education  held  in  Honolulu  in  August,  1921,  attendance  being 
made  possible  by  the  cooperation  of  the  International  Kindergarten 
Union  and  the  Pan-Pacific  Union  in  paying  part  of  the  expense. 
One  specialist  represented  the  bureau  at  the  Pan-American  Confer¬ 
ence  called  by  the  League  of  Women  Voters,  and  presided  at  the 
educational  session. 

RADIO  SERVICE. 

In  June,  1922,  the  Commissioner  of  Education  requested  from  the 
interdepartment  advisory  committee  on  Government  radio  broadcast¬ 
ing  that  the  Bureau  of  Education  be  granted  a  radio  service  through 
broadcasting  in  Washington  by  radio  telephony  through  one  of  the 
Government  high-power  stations.  The  request  was  based  on  the  fact 
that  (1)  one  of  the  most  important  audiences  which  the  Bureau  of 
Education  has  to  reach  is  the  general  public,  particularly  parents 
and  taxpayers,  since  public  education  can  not  progress  any  faster 
than  the  state  of  public  opinion  about  education;  and  (2)  that  at 
the  present  time  this  audience  has  grown  too  vast;  the  need  for 
continuous  education  too  great;  the  necessity  for  disseminating  in¬ 
formation  quickly  too  frequent  to  be  met  any  longer  by  the  long- 
delayed  infrequent  bulletin.  It  was  pointed  out  that  a  new  situation 
in  education  has  arisen  and  a  new  method  of  meeting  it  must  be 
found.  And  it  is  believed  that  radio  furnishes  such  a  method.  It  is 
cheaper  than  printing;  it  reaches  its  audience  quicker;  it  reaches 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


13 


the  mass  of  people  who  will  not  read  printed  articles;  it  is  more 
effective  because  it  has  the  intimate  contact  between  speaker*  and 
audience;  and  above  all,  it  can  be  continuous  in  service.  The  only 
thing-  that  educates  the  public  is  continuous  education.  Radio  can 
be  the  means  of  such  continuous  education. 

SERVICE  DIVISION. 

The  organization  of  the  technical  staff  includes,  in  addition  to  the 
divisions  of  rural  schools,  city  school  systems,  and  higher  education, 
a  number  of  miscellaneous  specialists  in  divisions  which  serve  defi¬ 
nitely  more  than  one  of  these  fields.  The  service  division  includes 
specialists  in  school  hygiene  and  physical  education,  industrial  edu¬ 
cation,  home  economics,  commercial  education,  educational  legisla¬ 
tion,  and  foreign  education. 

School  hygiene  and  'physical  education. — The  scope  of  work  com¬ 
prehended  under  this  designation  is  very  extensive,  including  the 
hygiene  of  schoolhouse  construction  and  operation;  the  hygiene  of 
instruction  and  school  management;  school  health  supervision  (or¬ 
ganization  and  administration)  ;  education  of  defective  and  handi¬ 
capped  children;  health  teaching;  physical  education.  The  bureau 
attempts  to  maintain  a  limited  information  service  in  each  of  these 
lines,  and  to  maintain  contacts  and  advisory  relations  with  important 
organizations  concerned  with  them. 

To  this  end  the  bureau  has  continued  active  cooperative  relations 
with  the  United  States  Interdepartmental  Social  Hygiene  Board, 
the  Public  Health  Service,  the  department  of  superintendence  and 
the  commission  on  secondary  education  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Child  Health  Organization,  the  American  Red  Cross, 
the  National  Child  Health  Council,  the  American  Social  Hygiene 
Association,  the  National  Tuberculosis  Association,  the  United  States 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  American  Physical  Education  Asso¬ 
ciation,  the  American  School  Hygiene  Association,  the  American 
Child  Hygiene  Association,  and  other  important  agencies. 

Three  important  national  conferences  of  teachers  and  others  have 
been  held  with  reference  to  health  and  physical  education.  In  addi¬ 
tion,  the  specialist  in  school  hygiene  was  absent  on  leave  without  pay 
for  60  days,  investigating  instruction  in  hygiene  in  higher  institu¬ 
tions  for  the  American  Social  Hygiene  Association. 

In  the  field  of  health  education  the  division  has  centered  its  efforts 
mainly  on  stimulation  and  encouragement  of  health  teaching  in  the 
schools.  One  new  pamphlet  was  published,  “  Suggestions  for  a  pro¬ 
gram  for  health  teaching  in  the  elementary  schools.”  This  is  prob¬ 
ably  the  most  valuable  number  in  the  health  education  series  to 
date,  and  met  with  an  immediate  demand  that  exhausted  the  edition 
early  in  the  year.  Two  additional  manuscripts  are  ready  for  the 
press :  “  Milk  and  our  school  children,”  and  “  Organization  of  school 
health  work.” 

The  usefulness  and  popularity  of  the  health  education  publications 
are  evidenced  by  the  publicity  they  have  received  and  by  the  sales 
through  the  Superintendent  of  Documents.  For  example,  three  years 
after  the  pamphlet  “  Diet  for  the  school  child  ”  was  published  an 
editorial  in  regard  to  it  was  printed  in  a  San  Francisco  paper,  with 
9917°— 22 - 3 


14 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


the  result  that  216  requests  for  it  came  to  the  bureau  in  one  mail. 
From*  one  State  department  of  education  came  a  request  for  90,000 
copies  of  one  pamphlet.  More  than  250,000  of  a  single  health  publi¬ 
cation  were  sold  during  the  year,  and  this  bureau  now  holds  the 
record  for  the  largest  number  of  copies  of  any  Government  publica¬ 
tion  sold  within  the  same  length  of  time. 

A  considerable  amount  of  service  was  rendered  in  the  field  of 
schoolhouse  construction  and  sanitation,  the  major  part  of  which  was 
performed  by  the  part-time  special  agent  stationed  at  Peabody  Col¬ 
lege  for  Teachers,  Nashville,  Tenn.  The  office  work  included:  (1) 
Answering  miscellaneous  inquiries  in  regard  to  schoolhouse  construc¬ 
tion  and  .operation ;  (2)  specific  advice  to  school  boards  and  archi¬ 
tects  in  regard  to  plans  for  school  buildings;  (3)  preparation  of 
manuscripts  for  bulletins.  Field  service  included:  (1)  Assisting  in 
the  bureau  survey  of  the  public  schools  of  Shrei7eport,  La. ;  (2)  thir¬ 
teen  visits  to  towns  and  cities  in  Alabama,  North  Carolina,  Tennessee, 
and  Kentucky  to  assist  school  boards  and  architects  in  school-building 
plans. 

A  bulletin  on  “Recent  State  legislation  for  physical  education” 
was  revised  and  published.  A  preliminary  report  on  present  and 
prospective  costs  of  physical  education  in  the  United  States  was  pre¬ 
pared  for  the  chairman  of  the  House  Committee  on  Education. 

Industrial  education. — The  specialist  in  industrial  education  ar¬ 
ranged  the  program  and  conducted  a  three-day  conference  on  the 
preparation  of  teachers  of  manual  arts  and  industrial  education,  held 
at  the  University  of  Michigan  December  8-10,  1921,  and  four  con¬ 
ferences  of  specialists  in  industrial  education  on  the  following  general 
topics : 

Jvansas  City,  Mo.,  January  4,  “  Problems  of  organization  in  industrial  edu¬ 
cation.” 

Milwaukee,  Wis.,  January  11,  “  Public-school  supervision  of  employed  boys 
and  girls.” 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  April  5,  “  Measuring  the  student’s  progress  in  shopwork.” 

Cincinnati,  Ohio,  May  1,  “  Manual  arts  in  the  junior  high  school.” 

The  aggregate  attendance  at  the  five  conferences  was  319  delegates, 
representing  27  States  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  Reports  of  the 
proceedings  of  similar  conferences  held  during  the  preceding  year 
were  published,  as  follows: 

Higher  standards  for  teachers  of  industrial  subjects. 

Organization  of  instructional  material  in  individual  units. 

The  contributions  of  correspondence  instruction  methods  to  industrial  edu¬ 
cation. 

Helping  the  shop  teacher  through  supervision. 

Home  economics. — The  major  project  of  the  specialist  in  home 
economics  this  year  has  been  home  economics  in  junior  and  senior 
high  schools.  As  a  means  of  stimulating  interest  in  improved  methods 
and  as  a  means  of  studying  the  most  progressive  school  systems  the 
specialist  conducted  a  series  of  regional  conferences  of  teachers  and 
supervisors,  as  follows: 

New  York  City,  February  16,  17,  and  18. 

Chicago,  Ill.,  March  3  and  4. 

Spokane,  Wash.,  April  4,  5,  and  6. 

Portland,  Oreg.,  April  7  and  8. 

San  Francisco,  Calif.,  April  12  and  13. 

Los  Angeles,  Calif.,  April  21  and  22. 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


15 


Logan,  Utah,  April  28. 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  April  29. 

Denver,  Colo.,  May  5  and  6. 

Kansas  City,  Mo.,  May  12  and  18. 

Boston,  Mass.,  July  6. 

The  attendance  at  these  conferences  ranged  from  40  to  220,  and  as 
a  result  upward  of  1,200  teachers  of  home  economics  were  reached 
directly.  The  specialist  represented  the  bureau  at  the  following 
educational  conventions,  and  numerous  addresses  were  delivered: 
Department  of  Superintendence,  American  Home  Economics  Associa¬ 
tion,  Land  Grant  College  Association,  Country  Life  Association, 
biennial  meeting  of  the  National  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs, 
Child  Health  Conference,  Pennsylvania  State  College  Conference  on 
Education  for  Women,  Ohio  Home  Economics  Association,  Maryland 
Home  Economics  Association,  Virginia  State  Farmers’  Institute. 

Home  economics  departments  in  47  schools  in  14  cities  were  visited ; 
methods  of  teaching  and  types  of  equipment  were  observed ;  confer¬ 
ences  with  teachers  and  supervisors  were  held.  Home  economics 
departments  in  five  State  agricultural  colleges  and  two  State  universi¬ 
ties  were  visited. 

Bulletins  and  circulars  of  information  were  prepared  and  published 
on  the  following  topics : 

Home  economies  in  secondary  schools. 

Present  status  of  home  economics  education. 

Equipment  and  rooms  for  home  economics  departments. 

State  certification  for  home  economics  teachers. 

Home  economics  courses  for  rural  schools. 

A  complete  list  of  institutions  of  higher  education  offering  courses 
in  home  economics  was  prepared,  also  a  list  of  city  supervisors. 

The  investigation  of  home  economics  instruction  showed  that  ap¬ 
proximately  500,000  pupils  are  now  studying  this  subject  in  8,000 
high  schools,  and  that  it  is  compulsory  in  about  two-thirds  of  all  the 
largest  city  school  systems.  Home  economics  is  being  introduced 
into  about *600  new  high  schools  each  year,  and  departments  are  now 
maintained  in  more  than  600  universities,  colleges,  and  normal  schools. 

Commercial  education. — In  the  United  States  production  has  been 
allowed  to  develop  without  regard  to  marketing  processes,  both  for 
domestic  and  foreign  trade.  More  direct  and  more  effective  methods 
of  distribution  must  be  developed,  but  these  require  closer  coordina¬ 
tion  of  schools  of  commerce  and  engineering.  When  the  bureau  be¬ 
gan  work  upon  this  problem  several  years  ago  engineering  schools 
generally  recognized  in  their  curricula  only  about  three  units  in  busi¬ 
ness  subjects  and  economics.  At  the  present  time  29  out  of  129  engi¬ 
neering  schools  permit  from  3  to  30  units  to  be  taken  in  this  field. 
The  schools  of  commerce  have  been  even  slower  to  act,  but  they  are 
now  beginning  to  permit  electives  in  engineering  subjects. 

Another  important  project  is  training  for  foreign  service.  The 
bureau  called  the  first  public  conference  on  this  subject  in  December, 
1915,  and  at  that  time  there  were  no  schools  in  the  United  States  of¬ 
fering  instruction  in  preparation  for  foreign  service,  either  for  Gov¬ 
ernment  service  or  for  commerce.  At  the  present  time  70  institutions 
offer  some  kind  of  training  for  foreign  serivce,  and  this  development 
is  more  or  less  attributable  to  the  activities  of  the  bureau. 


16 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


The  specialist  in  commercial  education  conducted  10  regional  con¬ 
ferences,  the  chief  results  of  which  have  been  an  increasing  number  of 
colleges  and  universities  allowing  entrance  credits  in  commercial  sub¬ 
jects  and  the  accumulation  of  data  for  use  in  formulating  courses  of 
study  for  the  several  regions.  This  department  maintains  cooperat¬ 
ive  relations  with  the  United  States  Chamber  of  Commerce,  National 
Fore  gin  Trade  Council,  Association  of  Collegiate  Schools  of  Business, 
National  Commercial  Teachers’  Federation,  National  Federation  of 
Business  and  Professional  Womens’  Clubs,  and  other  agencies.  Six 
circulars  on  commercial  education  were  issued,  and  a  bulletin  on 
“  Training  for  foreign  service.” 

Educational  legislation. — As  a  means  of  giving  information  and 
assistance  in  the  promotion  of  efficient  school  systems  throughout  the 
country,  the  bureau,  through  its  school-law  section,  collects  and  com¬ 
piles  the  school  laws  of  the  several  States,  particularly  those  of 
recent  enactment,  and  publishes  material  relative  thereto.  The  school- 
law  work  of  the  bureau  falls  into  five  divisions:  (1)  Circulars  of 
information  relative  to  the  progress  of  educational  measures  through 
legislatures ;  (2)  formal  digests,  or  summaries,  of  educational  enact¬ 
ments  after  their  official  publication  in  volumes  of  acts  or  session 
laws;  (3)  periodic  interpretative  reviews  of  legislation;  (4)  special 
studies  involving  school  laws;  (5)  correspondence  and  personal  con¬ 
ferences  in  which  information,  advice,  and  assistance  are  given. 

Within  the  past  year  the  specialist  in  school  legislation  made  a  di¬ 
gest  of  the  enactments  of  the  42  legislatures  in  regular  session  in  1921 
and  of  several  special  sessions ;  these  digests  were  combined  with  those 
of  the  calendar  year  1920,  and  at  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  were  in 
process  of  publication  as  a  bulletin  of  about  250  pages.  While  legis¬ 
latures  were  in  session  in  the  winter  and  spring  of  1922,  several  “  leg¬ 
islative  circulars  ”  were  issued.  Within  the  }^ear  a  number  of  brief 
special  studies  were  made,  and  a  more  intensive  study  of  the  system 
of  educational  administration  and  the  plan  of  school  support  of  the 
State  of  Oklahoma  was  completed. 

A  considerable  part  of  the  time  of  the  specialist  in  school  legis¬ 
lation  is  devoted  to  the  correspondence  of  the  bureau  which  involves 
school  law  and  to  giving  legal  assistance  to  other  specialists  in  the  of¬ 
fice.  On  several  occasions  specific  assistance  has  been  rendered  in 
formulating  State  legislation,  and  some  organizations  of  national 
scope  which  are  interested  in  education  have  been  assisted  in  col¬ 
lecting  their  data  and  organizing  their  efforts  for  school  improvement. 

Foreign  educational  systems. — The  present  personnel  consists  of 
one  specialist  in  foreign  educational  systems,  two  full-time  transla¬ 
tors,  and  one  part-time  translator.  For  the  efficiency  of  the  service 
there  is  urgent  need  of  an  additional  translator  to  cover  the  languages 
of  important  nations  not  now  represented. 

The  function  of  the  division  is  to  serve  as  an  agency  of  accurate 
educational  information  of  all  countries  outside  of  the  United  States  ; 
to  note  educational  movements  and  record  progress;  to  give  accurate 
account  of  the  nature  and  operation  of  the  principal  school  systems 
of  the  world;  to  organize,  interpret,  and  evaluate  this  material  in  the 
light  of  the  educational  system  of  the  United  States ;  to  diffuse  this 
knowledge  among  the  educators  of  the  country  through  correspond¬ 
ence,  lectures,  conferences,  and  published  reports. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


17 


During  the  year  attention  has  been  centered  upon  the  following 
problems  : 

(1)  Evaluation  of  elementary  and  secondary  school  credits  from 
abroad  in  terms  of  corresponding  credits  from  schools  in  the  United 
States. 

(2)  Requirements  and  opportunities  for  the  exchange  of  students, 
teachers,  and  professors. 

(3)  The  essential  ascertainable  facts  concerning  conditions  in  the 
present  reorganized  school  systems  of  all  foreign  countries. 

(4)  Sources,  amount,  uses,  and  form  of  distribution  of  school 
revenues  in  the  more  important  foreign  countries. 

(5)  The  status,  rank,  preparation,  qualifications,  and  salaries  of 
teachers  in  foreign  countries. 

(6)  Continuation  schools  in  foreign  countries,  including  provi¬ 
sions  made  for  adult  education,  and  the  results. 

(7)  Physical  education  and  child  welfare  in  the  schools  of  foreign 
countries. 

Many  inquiries  have  been  received  for  information  on  the  first  of 
these  topics.  There  are  at  present  at  least  10,000  foreign  students  in 
our  institutions  of  higher  learning,  and  probably  as  many  more  in 
secondary  schools.  This  interchange  of  students  is  a  desirable  prac¬ 
tice,  making  for  permanent  peace  and  international  comity,  and  is 
encouraged  by  every  progressive  nation.  It  throws,  however,  an 
extra  burden  on  educators  and  school  officers  of  every  country  con¬ 
cerned.  It  is  extremely  difficult  to  classify  and  adjust  these  foreign 
students  to  the  new  system  in  order  that  they  may  accomplish  the 
best  results. 

Under  existing  conditions  students  coming  from  the  same  insti¬ 
tution  abroad  have  received  differences  of  three  years  in  the  ratings 
allowed  by  different  institutions  in  the  United  States.  The  bureau  is 
gathering  data  on  this  subject,  and  will  in  time  be  in  position  to 
render  valuable  service. 

General  Service  Activities, 
statistics. 

During  the  past  year  the  statistical  section  has  completed  the  fol¬ 
lowing  reports  covering  the  school  year  ended  June,  1920:  (1)  Sta¬ 
tistics  of  private  high  schools  and  academies;  (2)  statistics  of  pri¬ 
vate  business  and  commercial  schools;  (3)  statistics  of  teachers’ 
colleges  and  normal  schools;  (4)  statistics  of  universities,  colleges, 
and  professional  schools;  (5)  statistics  of  public  and  private  kinder¬ 
gartens;  (6)  statistics  of  city  school  systems;  (7)  statistics  of  State 
school  systems. 

In  the  summer  of  1921  a  large  section  of  the  Educational  Directory 
was  prepared,  including  officials  in  State  departments  of  education, 
county  and  city  superintendents  of  schools,  presidents  of  colleges,  uni¬ 
versities,  professional  schools  and  normal  schools,  and  directors  of 
summer  schools. 

Statistics  of  public  high  schools  were  recorded  on  punched  cards 
ready  for  tabulation.  The  chapter  on  public  high  schools,  with  the 
graphic  and  explanatory  material  of  the  statistical  chapters  men- 


18 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


tioned  above,  will  complete  the  statistical  chapters  prepared  for  the 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

During  the  year  some  changes  were  made  in  the  blanks  for  col¬ 
lecting  statistics  of  city  school  systems  and  of  public  universities, 
colleges,  and  professional  schools.  A  questionnaire  was  prepared 
and  circulated  for  the  American  Classical  League  regarding  the 
study  of  foreign  languages  in  secondary  schools.  Replies  to  this 
questionnaire  and  reports  of  public  high  schools  are  now  being 
edited. 

Up  to  the  present  time  it  has  been  necessary  for  the  bureau  to 
depend  entirely  upon  the  questionnaire  method  for  the  collection 
of  statistics.  Experience  has  shown  that  as  school  systems  and  edu¬ 
cational  institutions  have  become  more  complex  in  their  organization 
it  is  more  and  more  difficult  to  secure  accurate  and  complete  sta¬ 
tistical  reports.  The  bureau  should  have  a  number  of  field  agents 
who  could  be  sent  to  State  departments  of  education,  city  superin¬ 
tendents  of  schools,  and  to  heads  of  educational  institutions  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  the  necessary  statistics. 

EDITORIAL  DIVISION. 

Increased  supply  of  paper  during  the  fiscal  year  1921-22  afforded 
relief  in  the  printing  situation  and  resulted  in  the  delivery  of  sev¬ 
eral  documents  whose  printing  had  been  ordered  months  before. 
The  longest  delay  was  in  the  bound  volumes  of  the  Biennial  Survey 
of  Education  for  1916-1918,  the  printing  of  which  was  suspended  for 
more  than  a  year.  This  suspension,  however,  was  of  less  importance 
than  the  character  of  the  document  would  seem  to  indicate,  because 
the  several  chapters  had  been  issued  long  before  in  the  form  of 
“  advanced  sheets.”  All  the  information  had  thus  been  given  to 
the  public,  and  the  bound  edition  which  suffered  the  serious  delay 
was  intended  principally  for  permanent  preservation  in  libraries. 

Other  documents,  however,  had  been  delayed  nearly  as  much  and 
a  number  of  manuscripts  of  more  than  usual  importance  were  held 
in  the  Bureau  of  Education  because  there  was  no  possibility  of  action 
upon  them.  Among  them  were  the  papers  that  were  intended  to 
form  the  first  volume  of  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  for 
1918-1920.  A  few  of  these  were  printed,  but  the  delay  which  the 
others  suffered  was  so  long  continued  that  it  was  finally  decided  to 
omit  entirely  the  publication  of  this  volume  for  1918-1920.  This 
decision  did  not,  however,  affect  the  statistical  chapters,  which  form 
a  separate  volume. 

Publications. — The  plan  of  publication  of  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  includes  (1)  a  biennial  survey  of  education,  comprising  a  com¬ 
plete  statistical  and  textual  resume  of  educational  conditions  in  the 
United  States,  with  brief  statements  of  the  conditions  in  the  principal 
foreign  countries;  (2)  an  annual  report  of  the  operations  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education;  (3)  bulletins  or  monographs  usually  contain¬ 
ing  comprehensive  reports  of  educational  research;  (4)  leaflets, 
comprising  less  extensive  reports  or  discussion  of  educational  move¬ 
ments  or  occurrences;  (5)  the  periodical  School  Life,  which  contains 
information  of  important  educational  events  or  plans,  reported  as 
early  as  practicable.  It  describes  the  progress  of  education  all  over 
the  world  in  brief  and  readable  articles. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


19 


School  Life. — The  usual  number  of  bulletins  and  leaflets  were 
issued  during  1921-22,  but  School  Life,  which  had  been  published 
regularly  since  August  1,  1918,  was  suspended  after  the  December, 
1921,  number.  The  congressional  authority  under  which  it  had 
been  printed  expired  at  that  time  because  of  the  failure  of  the 
Senate  and  the  House  to  agree  upon  the  same  measure  to  govern 
periodicals  issued  by  Government  agencies. 

The  question  was  discussed  from  time  to  time  on  the  floor  of  the 
House,  and  finally  a  joint  resolution  was  adopted  May  11,  1922, 
which  renewed  the  authorization,  but  under  very  different  condi¬ 
tions.  Formerly  40,000  copies  were  printed  for  free  distribution, 
but  under  the  new  law  that  number  must  be  cut  to  2,000.  The  result 
is  the  principal  distribution  must  in  future  be  by  paid  subscription. 
The  price  has  been  fixed  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents  at 
30  cents  a  year,  but  a  reduction  will  be  made  to  25  cents  if  25  copies 
are  ordered  to  the  same  address.  Ten  numbers  are  issued  each  year, 
none  being  published  in  July  and  August.  It  is  expected  that  the 
first  number  after  the  resumption  of  publication  will  be  that  of  Sep¬ 
tember,  1922. 

Selection  of  manuscripts. — A  marked  change  has  been  made  in 
the  method  of  selecting  manuscripts  for  publication  as  documents 
of  the  Bureau  of  Education.  In  the  past  this  duty  was  performed  by 
the  commissioner  personally,  after  obtaining  the  advice  of  others 
whom  he  selected  in  each  instance  according  to  the  character  of  the 
manuscript  under  consideration.  This  duty  having  grown  to  such  ex¬ 
tent  as  to  be  a  burden  on  the  commissioner,  he  has  transferred  it  to 
a  committee  consisting  of  the  chief  clerk  as  chairman,  the  assistant 
to  the  commissioner,  and  the  chief  of  the  editorial  division. 

Distribution  of  publications. — Like  all  other  Government  bureaus, 
the  Bureau  of  Education  distributes  its  publications  through  the 
office  of  the  Superintendent  of  Documents.  During  the  year  1921-22 
that  officer  mailed  for  this  bureau  11,596  annual  reports  of  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education;  598,016  bulletins;  245,485  leaflets,  circulars, 
and  miscellaneous  publications;  200,000  copies  of  School  Life;  and 
5,000  copies  of  the  annual  index  to  that  periodical.  In  all,  1,060,097 
documents  were  distributed.  In  this  statement  the  Biennial  Survey 
of  Education  is  classed  as  a  bulletin.  The  letters  handled  by  the 
editorial  division  during  the  year  amounted  to  42,580. 

Allotment  to  divisions. — An  experiment  was  made  during  this  fiscal 
year  of  formally  allotting  the  printing  fund  to  the  several  divisions 
and  purposes  for  which  printing  is  required.  A  memorandum  ap¬ 
proved  by  the  commissioner,  dated  October  18,  1921,  assigned  the 
following  sums  to  the  purposes  named:  Higher  education,  $5,000; 
rural  schools,  $6,000;  city  schools,  $7,000;  kindergarten,  $500;  indus¬ 
trial  education,  $1,000;  home  economics,  $1,500;  health  education, 
$5,000;  legislation,  $2,000;  library.  $4,000;  home  education,  $500; 
statistics,  $11,735 ;  bound  volumes  Biennial  Survey,  $6,563 ;  School 
Life,  $12,828;  general  documents,  $7,874;  miscellaneous,  $2,000;  total, 
$75,000. 

Later  in  the  fiscal  year  the  allotment  of  funds  for  the  printing  of 
the  Bureau  of  Education  was  reduced  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
to  $65,000,  and  in  the  meantime  the  publication  of  School  Life  had 
been  suspended.  These  events,  together  with  other  developments, 
necessitated  a  new  allotment  of  the  bureau’s  printing  funds  in  Febru- 


20  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 

ary,  1922.  The  following  table  shows  the  expenditures  for  the  several 
purposes  stated : 


Cost  of  printing  for  the  purposes  named,  1921-22. 


Work 

completed. 

Unfinished 
at  end  of 
year. 

Total 

ordered. 

Higher  education .  . 

$4, 197.69 
4,960.99 

$1,363.95 
966. 71 

$5,561.64 

5,927.70 

5,742.36 

Rural  schools . 

City  schools . . . 

5,093.17 

687.37 

649. 19 

Kindergarten . 

0 

687.37 

Industrial  education . 

342. 72 

44.83 

387.55 

Home  economics . 

879. 59 

84.71 

964. 30 

Health  education . 

3,054.99 

1,386.48 

1,297.54 

3,030.13 

542.49 

665.57 

3,720.56 

Commercial  education . 

86.88 

1,473.36 
1,844.14 
3, 102. 68 

Legislation . 

546.60 

Library . 

72.55 

Home  education . 

34.90 

577. 39 

Statistics . 

8.252.51 
5,942.22 

4. 199. 52 

314.36 

8,566.87 
6,055.77 
4, 199. 52 

Biennial  survey . 

113. 55 

School  Life . 

0 

General . 

7, 304.46 

1, 197. 19 

8,501.65 
1, 879. 94 

Miscellaneous . 

1, 834. 38 

45.56 

Total .  . 

53,006.25 

6,186.55 

59,192.80 

List  of  Publications  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  July  1,  1921,  to  June  30, 

1922. 

BULLETINS  1919. 

No.  88.  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1916-1918.  Vol.  1. 

No.  89.  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1916-1918.  Vol.  2. 

No.  90.  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1916-1918.  Vol.  3. 

No.  91.  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1916-1918.  Vol.  4. 


BULLETINS  1920. 

No.  30.  State  laws  relating  to  education,  enacted  in  1918-19.  W.  R.  Hood. 
No.  39.  Opportunities  for  foreign  students  at  colleges  and  universities  in  the 
United  States.  S.  P.  Capen. 

No.  47.  Proceedings  of  the  fifth  and  sixth  annual  meetings  of  the  National 
Council  of  Primary  Education. 

No.  48.  Statistics  of  State  universities  and  State  colleges  for  the  year  ended 
June  30,  1920. 


BULLETINS  1921. 

No.  2.  Survey  of  the  schools  of  Wilmington,  Del.  Part  2. 

No.  5.  Part-time  education  of  various  types :  A  report  of  the  Commission  on 
the  Reorganization  of  Secondary  Education. 

No.  6.  Opportunities  for  study  at  American  graduate  schools.  G.  F.  Zook. 

No.  7.  Organization  for  visual  instruction.  W.  H.  Dudley. 

No.  8.  Foreign  criticism  of  American  education.  W.  J.  Osburn. 

No.  9.  Present  status  of  music  instruction  in  the  colleges  and  high  schools 
of  the  United  States.  Osbourne  McConathy. 

No.  10.  The  visiting  teacher.  Sophia  C.  Gleim. 

No.  11.  Pharmaceutical  education.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey 
of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  12.  English  grammar  in  American  schools  before  1850.  R.  L.  Lyman. 

No.  13.  The  housing  and  equipment  of  kindergartens. 

No.  14.  Education  of  the  deaf.  Percival  Hall.  Advance  sheets  from  the 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education.  1918-1920. 

No.  15.  Medical  education,  1918-1920.  N.  P.  Colwell.  Advance  sheets  from 
the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  16.  Special  features  in  the  education  of  the  blind.  E.  E.  Allen. 
Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


21 


No.  17.  Educational  boards  and  foundations.  Henry  it.  Evans.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  18.  Education  in  homeopathic  medicine.  W.  A.  Dewey.  Advance  sheets 
from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  19.  Kindergarten  education.  Julia  Wade  Abbot.  Advance  sheets  from 
the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  20.  Developments  in  nursing  education  since  1918.  M.  Adelaide  Nutting 
and  Isabel  M.  Stewart.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education, 
1918-1920. 

No.  21.  Higher  education.  G.  F.  Zook.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial 
Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  22.  The  certification  of  teachers  governed  by  general  State  laws  and 
regulations.  Katherine  M.  Cook. 

No.  23.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  May- June,  1921. 

No.  24.  Suggestions  for  the  reorganization  of  the  schools  in  Currituck  County, 
N.  C.  Katherine  M.  Cook. 

No.  25.  A  school  building  program  for  Athens,  Ga.  Alice  B.  Fernandez. 

No.  26.  Educational  survey  of  Elizabeth  City.  N.  C.  W.  T.  Bawden. 

No.  27.  Training  for  foreign  service.  Glen  Levin  Swiggett. 

No.  28.  Educational  survey  of  Wheeling,  W.  Va. 

No.  29.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  September,  1921. 

No.  30.  Salaries  of  administrative  officers  and  their  assistants  in  school  sys¬ 
tems  of  100,000  inhabitants  or  more.  W.  S.  Deffenbaugh. 

No.  31.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  Index.  February, 
1920-January,  1921. 

No.  32.  The  reorganization  of  mathematics  in  secondary  education.  A  report 
of  the  commission  on  the  reorganization  of  secondary  education. 

No.  33.  Music  departments  of  libraries.  A  report  of  a  committee  of  the  music 
teachers’  national  association. 

No.  35.  The  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  natives  of  Alaska.  Ad¬ 
vance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No„36.  Major  projects  in  elementary  schools.  Florence  C.  Fox. 

No.  38.  Standards  in  graduate  work  in  education.  Leonard  V.  Koos. 

No.  39.  Educational  reconstruction  in  Belgium.  Walter  A.  Montgomery. 
Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  40.  Agricultural  education.  C.  D.  Jarvis.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Bi¬ 
ennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  41.  Educational  work  of  the  Boy  Scouts.  Lome  W.  Barclay.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  42.  Teacher  placement  by  public  agencies,  J.  F.  Abel.  Advance  sheets 
from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  43.  Business  training  and  commercial  education.  Glen  Levin  Swiggett. 
Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  44.  Education  in  forestry.  Proceedings  of  the  Second  National  Confer¬ 
ence,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  December  17-18,  1920. 

No.  45.  School  grounds  and  play.  Henry  S.  Curtis. 

No.  46.  Educational  work  of  the  Girl  Scouts.  Louise  Stevens  Bryant.  Ad¬ 
vance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  47.  Education  for  highway  engineering  and  highway  transport.  Report 
of  the  regional  conference  held  at  University  of  Pittsburgh,  November  26,  1920. 

No.  48.  Educational  directory,  1921-22. 

No.  49.  Monthly  record  of  current  educational  publications,  October,  1921. 

No.  51.  Statistics  of  nurse  training  schools,  1919-20.  Advance  sheets  from 
the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  52.  Record  of  current  educational  publications  to  December  20,  1921. 

No.  53.  Statistics  of  State  universities  and  State  colleges  for  the  year  ended 
June  30,  1921. 

BULLETINS  1922. 

No.  1.  Recent  State  legislation  for  physical  education.  Thomas  A.  Storey, 
Willard  S.  Small,  Elon  G.  Salisbury. 

No.  2.  Administration  of  schools  in  the  smaller  cities.  W.  S.  Deffenbaugh. 

No.  3.  Preparation  of  teachers  of  the  social  studies  for  the  secondary  schools. 
Edgar  Dawson. 

No.  4.  Statistics  of  private  commercial  and  business  schools,  1919-20. 

No.  5.  Reorganization  of  home  economics  in  secondary  schools.  A  report  of 
the  commission  on  the  reorganization  of  secondary  education. 


22 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


No.  6.  State  policies  in  public  school  finance.  Fletcher  Harper  Swift. 

No.  9.  Statistics  of  private  high  schools  and  academies.  Advance  sheets  from 
the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  13.  Review  of  educational  legislation.  W.  R.  Hood.  Advance  sheets 
from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

REPORTS. 

Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1921. 

SECONDARY  SCHOOL  CIRCULARS. 

No.  8.  The  function  concept  in  secondary  school  mathematics:  Report  of 
the  National  Committee  on  Mathematical  Requirements. 

No.  10.  Method  and  content  of  French  course  in  accredited  high  schools  of 
the  South.  J.  A.  Capps. 

READING  COURSES. 

No.  1.  The  world’s  great  literary  bibles.  (Reprint.) 

No.  2.  Great  literature — ancient,  medieval,  and  modern.  (Reprint.) 

No.  3.  Reading  course  for  parents’.  (Reprint.) 

No.  4.  Reading  course  for  boys.  (Reprint.) 

No.  5.  Reading  course  for  girls.  (Reprint.) 

No.  6.  Thirty  books  of  great  fiction.  (Reprint) 

No.  7.  Thirty  world  heroes.  (Reprint.) 

No.  8.  American  literature.  (Reprint.) 

No.  9.  Thirty  American  heroes.  (Reprint.) 

No.  10.  American  history. 

No.  12.  Heroes  of  American  democracy. 

No.  19.  Master  builders  of  to-day  (and  reprint). 

No.  20.  Teaching. 

No.  21.  Twenty  good  books  for  parents  (and  reprint).  „ 

HEALTH  EDUCATION  PUBLICATIONS. 

No.  2.  Diet  for  the  school  child.  (Revised  edition.) 

No.  5.  Child  health  program.  (Reprint.) 

No.  6.  Further  steps  in  teaching  health.  (Reprint.) 

No.  8.  Health  training  for  teachers.  (Three  reprints.) 

No.  9.  Your  opportunity  in  the  schools.  (Two  reprints.) 

No.  10.  Suggestions  for  a  program  for  health  teaching  in  the  elementary 
schools. 

Right  height  and  weight  for  girls.  (Reprint.) 

Right  height  and  weight  for  boys.  (Reprint.) 

Poster — Health,  strength,  and  joy. 

Health  card  No.  I.  What  is  health?  (Reprint.) 

Health  card  No.  2.  Rules  of  the  game.  (Reprint.) 

Price  list.  (Reprint.) 

School  Life  supplement,  No.  9. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 

No.  23.  The  Slavonic  languages  and  literature  in  American  colleges  and 
universities.  Carl  W.  Hasek. 

No.  25.  The  Rhodes  scholarships. 

RURAL  SCHOOL  LEAFLETS. 

No.  1.  School  consolidation  and  rural  life. 

No.  2.  Transportation  of  pupils  at  public  expense.  .T.  C.  Muerman. 

No;  3.  Modern  equipment  for  one-teacher  schools.  Maud  C.  Newbury. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  CIRCULARS. 

No.  5.  Government  publications  of  interest  to  home  economics  teachers  and 
students.  (Revised.) 

No.  10.  Present  status  of  home  economics  education. 

No.  11.  Equipment  and  rooms  for  home  economics  departments. 

No.  12.  State  certification  of  home  economics  teachers. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


23 


LIBRARY  LEAFLETS. 

No.  14.  What  libraries  learned  from  the  war.  Carl  H.  Milam. 

No.  15.  List  of  references  on  vocational  education. 

TEACHERS’  LEAFLETS. 

No.  15.  A  survey  of  the  writing  vocabularies  of  public-school  children  in 
Connecticut.  W.  F.  Tidyman. 

No.  16.  Credit  for  the  professional  improvement  of  teachers.  Bertha  Y.  Hebb. 

KINDERGARTEN  CIRCULARS. 

No.  7.  Books  on  the  education  of  early  childhood. 

No.  8.  Folder — What  they  think  of  the  kindergarten. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 

No.  7.  Higher  standards  for  teachers  of  industrial  subjects.  W.  T.  Bawden. 
No.  8.  Organization  of  instructional  material  in  individual  units.  W.  T.  Baw¬ 
den. 

No.  9.  The  contribution  of  correspondence  instruction  methods  to  industrial  ed¬ 
ucation.  W.  T.  Bawden. 

No.  10.  Helping  the  shop  teacher  through  supervision.  W.  T.  Bawden. 

MISCELLANEOUS  PUBLICATIONS. 

The  teaching  of  civics  as  an  agency  for  community  interest  and  citizensnip. 
J.  J.  Tigert. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

Available  publications  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education,  September, 
1921,  and  reprint  of  same. 

Broadside:  Fire  Prevention  Day. 

SCHOOL  LIFE. 

Vol.  6,  No.  12. 

Vol.  7,  Nos.  1-4. 

Index  and  title  page. 

Vol.  6,  January- June,  1921. 

Unfinished  Printing  June  30,  1922. 

BULLETINS. 

1921. 

,  34.  Status  of  the  rural  teacher  in  Pennsylvania.  Leroy  W.  King. 

37.  Malnutrition  and  school  feeding.  John  C.  Gebhart. 

50.  Engineering  education  after  the  war.  Arthur  M.  Greene,  Jr. 

1922. 

7.  A  report  of  the  higher  institutions  of  Arkansas.  George  F.  Zook. 

8.  Statistics  of  teachers’  colleges  and  normal  schools, '  1919-20.  H.  R.  Bonner. 
Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

10.  Supervision  of  rural  schools  in  the  United  States.  Katherine  M.  Cook. 

11.  Accredited  secondary  schools  in  the  United  States. 

12.  Dormitories  in  connection  with  public  secondary  schools.  Edith  A. 
Lathrop. 

14.  Status  of  sex  education  in  high  schools. 

15.  A  kindergarten  first-grade  curriculum. 

16.  The  district  owned  or  controlled  teacher’s  home.  J.  C.  Muerman. 

17.  Statistics  of  city  school  systems.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Sur¬ 
vey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

18.  The  residence  of  students  in  universities  and  colleges.  George  F.  Zook. 

19.  Proceedings  of  the  junior  college  conference,  June,  1920. 

20.  State  laws  relating  to  education  enacted  in  1920  and  1921.  W.  R.  Hood. 

21.  Record  of  current  educational  publications  to  May  15,  1922. 

22.  Statistics  of  kindergartens,  1919-20.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial 
Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

23.  High-school  buildings  and  grounds.  A  report  of  the  Commission  on  the 
Reorganization  of  Secondary  Education, 


24 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


24.  Functions  and  administration  of  school  janitor  service.  John  A.  Garber. 

25.  Higher  education  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand.  Charles  Franklin 
Thwing. 

26.  Philanthropy  in  the  history  of  American  higher  education.  Jesse  Brun- 
dage  Sears. 

27.  Statistics  of  agricultural  and  mechanical  colleges  for  1919  and  1920. 
Walton  C.  John. 

READING  COURSES. 

17.  Foreign  trade. 

18.  Dante. 

22.  Agricultural  and  country  life. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION  SERIES. 

7.  The  lunch  hour  at  school.  (Reprint.) 

11.  Milk  and  our  school  children. 

RURAL  SCHOOL  LEAFLETS. 

4.  Consolidation  of  schools  in  Maine  and  Connecticut. 


HOME  ECONOMICS  CIRCULARS. 

13.  Home  economics  in  rural  schools. 

LIBRARY  LEAFLETS. 

16.  List  of  references  on  rural  life  and  culture. 


COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION  LEAFLET. 

1.  Chicago  public  high-school  course  in  retail  selling  and  advertising.  William 
Bachrach. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 

7.  Higher  standards  for  teachers  of  industrial  subjects.  W.  T.  Bawden. 
( Reprint. ) 

9.  The  contribution  of  correspondence  instruction  methods  to  industrial  edu¬ 
cation.  W.  T.  Bawden.  (Reprint.) 

MISCELLANEOUS  PUBLICATIONS. 

Modern  foreign  languages  in  training  for  foreign  service.  (Reprint,  pp.  123- 
140,  Bulletin,  1921,  No.  27.) 

Suggestions  to  authors  and  typists. 


LIBRARY. 

A  principal  activity  of  the  library  division  is  the  preparation  of 
answers  to  letters  requesting  information  or  publications  concerning 
particular  topics  in  the  field  of  education.  Much  research  in  printed 
sources  of  information  and  elsewhere  is  often  required  to  collect  the 
material  desired  by  the  writers  of  these  letters.  During  the  year 
covered  by  this  report  the  library  prepared  answers  to  4,476  such 
letters  of  inquiry.  Nearly  1,000  visitors  from  outside  were  also  reg¬ 
istered  as  directly  consulting  the  library  and  receiving  assistance, 
and  many  requests  by  telephone  for  information  and  service  were- 
answered  by  the  reference  staff.  The  number  of  volumes  loaned  to 
borrowers  outside  the  office  was  2,077,  many  of  which  were  forwarded 
by  mail  to  points  away  from  Washington. 

The  library  also  continued  its  usual  assistance  to  members  of  the 
bureau  in  the  performance  of  their  official  duties. 

A  large  number  of  the  printed,  mimeographed,  and  typewritten 
bibliographies  on  educational  subjects  prepared  by  the  library  were 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


25 


distributed.  During  the  year  38  new  bibliographies  were  compiled, 
and  218  of  the  reference  lists  already  on  file  were  revised  and  brought 
up  to  date. 

Three  numbers  in  the  series  of  library  leaflets  were  issued  during 
the  year,  as  follows :  No.  14,  u  What  libraries  learned  from  the  war,” 
by  Carl  H.  Milam  ;  No.  15,  List  of  references  on  vocational  education ; 
]No.  16,  List  of  references  on  rural  life  and  culture.  The  manuscript 
of  a  list  of  references  on  educational  tests  and  measurements  was  also 
prepared  for  printing  as  a  library  leaflet,  but  publication  of  this  list 
was  suspended  pending  the  preparation  of  a  more  comprehensive 
bibliography  on  the  same  subject  with  the  cooperation  of  outside 
agencies. 

Numbers  of  the  monthly  record  of  current  educational  publica¬ 
tions  were  issued  for  September  and  October,  1921,  respectively.  Since 
the  latter  date  the  law  has  required  the  discontinuance  of  the  record 
as  a  periodical,  but  two  numbers  have  been  issued 'at  irregular  inter¬ 
vals,  giving  the  new  publications  received  by  the  Bureau  of  Education 
to  May  15, 1922.  The  compilation  of  an  annual  index  to  the  monthly 
record  for  1921,  to  be  published  in  bulletin  form,  was  nearly  com¬ 
pleted. 

The  chief  of  the  library  division  contributed  to  School  Life  from 
September  to  December,  1921,  inclusive,  an  annotated  list  of  new  books 
in  education,  covering  in  each  case  about  a  page  of  the  periodical. 

The  total  number  of  volumes  catalogued  and  classified  during  the 
year  was  3,431 ;  titles,  2,566.  The  cataloguing  of  the  new  books  re¬ 
ceived  was  kept  up  to  date,  and  considerable  progress  was  made  be¬ 
sides  in  handling  earlier  accessions  which  still  remained  uncatalogued. 
Cooperation  with  the  card  division  of  the  Library  of  Congress  in  the 
production  of  printed  catalogue  cards  for  educational  books  was 
continued. 

The  accessions  to  the  library  during  the  year  were  as  follows: 
Volumes  and  pamphlets  acquired  by  gift,  by  exchange,  and  by  pur¬ 
chase,  1,020 ;  serial  publications,  3,203 ;  periodical  numbers,  8,977 ; 
volumes  received  from  bindery,  565.  Copyright  transfers  from  the 
Library  of  Congress  totaled  490  volumes. 

The  chief  of  the  division  attended  the  annual  conference  of  the 
American  Library  Association,  held  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  June  26  to 
June  30,  1922,  as  official  representative  of  the  bureau.  In  coopera¬ 
tion  with  the  committee  on  F ederal  and  State  relations  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Library  Association,  preliminary  plans  have  been  made  for  a 
new  edition  of  Bulletin,  1915,  No.  25,  “  Public,  society,  and  school 
libraries,”  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  Bureau  of  Education  may  begin 
to  collect  statistics  for  this  new  bulletin  early  in  1923. 

An  integral  part  of  the  work  carried  on  under  the  library  division 
is  the  work  of  home  education,  which  was  inaugurated  in  the  bureau 
in  1913  to  help  parents  to  further  their  education  at  home ;  to  help 
them  in  the  care  and  training  of  their  children  before  they  are  of 
school  age;  to  help  the  boys  and  girls  to  further  their  education 
after  they  have  left  school ;  and  to  promote  the  closer  cooperation  of 
parents  and  teachers.  As  the  work  progressed  it  became  evident  that 
the  field  of  greatest  usefulness  for  the  bureau  in  this  direction  was 
in  the  extension  of  education  into  the  home  in  the  nature  of  reading 
courses  for  men  and  women  who  had  left  school,  but  who  wished  to 
further  their  education  under  guidance. 


26 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


Heading  courses  containing  lists  of  books  prepared  by  leading 
specialists  in  the  United  States  have  been  issued  from  time  to  time. 
At  present  there  are  22  courses,  as  follows : 

1.  World’s  Great  Literary  Bibles. 

2.  Great  Literature,  Ancient,  Medieval,  and  Modern. 

3.  Reading  Course  for  Parents. 

4.  Miscellaneous  Reading  for  Boys. 

5.  Miscellaneous  Reading  for  Giris. 

6.  Thirty  Books  of  Great  Fiction. 

7.  Thirty  World  Heroes. 

8.  American  Literature. 

9.  Thirty  American  Heroes. 

10.  American  History. 

11.  France  and  Her  History. 

12.  Heroes  of  American  Democracy. 

13.  The  Call  of  Blue  Waters. 

14.  Iron  and  Steel. 

15.  Shipbuilding. 

16.  Machine  Shop  Work. 

17.  Foreign  Trade. 

18.  Dante. 

19.  Master  Builders  of  To-day. 

20.  Teaching. 

21.  Twenty  Good  Books  for  Parents. 

22.  Agriculture  and  Country  Life. 

Among  the  readers  enrolled  in  these  courses  are  chemists,  farmers, 
teachers,  librarians,  lawyers,  doctors,  housewives,  clerks,  stenog¬ 
raphers,  etc.  The  total  number  enrolled  in  all  reading  courses 
is  15,578. 

During  the  past  year  three  new  courses  have  been  prepared  and 
issued,  namely:  Teaching,  Twenty  Good  Books  for  Parents,  and 
Agriculture  and  Country  Life.  The  assistance  of  Prof.  T.  N.  Car¬ 
ver'  of  Harvard  University,  and  Prof.  C.  E.  Ladd,  of  Cornell  Uni¬ 
versity,  was  secured  in  the  preparation  of  the  reading  course  on 
agriculture  and  country  life. 

The  demand  for  information  regarding  the  organization  and  mate¬ 
rial  for  conducting  parent-teacher  associations  has  been  continuous 
since  this  work  was  established.  During  the  past  year  469  organiza¬ 
tions  have  been  furnished  with  some  kind  of  information. 

In  several  States,  parents  in  parent-teacher  associations  have 
formed  reading  circles  to  read  the  courses  under  the  guidance  of  the 
bureau. 

During  the  past  two  years  the  bureau  has  secured  the  cooperation 
of  State  superintendents  of  education  and  extension  divisions  in 
sixteen  State  universities  and  colleges  in  carrying  on  the  work  of  the 
reading  courses.  Special  collaborators  have  been  appointed  in  each 
of  the  following  States :  Arizona,  Arkansas,  Colorado,  Indiana,  Iowa, 
Kentucky,  Louisiana,  North  Carolina,  North  Dakota,  Oregon,  South 
Carolina,  South  Dakota,  Utah,  Virginia,  Washington,  and  Wisconsin. 

For  some  years  past  the  director  of  home  education  has  been  closely 
associated  with  several  national  educational  organizations  and  move¬ 
ments,  serving  upon  various  committees,  and  has  secured  the  coopera¬ 
tion  of  others  in  the  conduct  of  this  work.  Among  them  are  some 
whose  active  cooperation  has  given  decided  emphasis  to  the  work: 
the  National  Congress  of  Mothers  and  Parent-Teacher  Associations, 
the  International  Kindergarten  Association,  the  National  University 
Extension  Association,  and  the  National  Education  Association. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


27 


Newspapers  and  periodicals  throughout  the  country  have  cooper¬ 
ated  in  this  work.  State  libraries  especially  in  the  following  States 
have  given  their  cooperation:  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  Oregon,  Illi¬ 
nois,  and  Oklahoma.  State  library  commissions  have  been  particu¬ 
larly  active  in  the  work. 

Conferences. — A  conference  of  special  collaborators  and  librarians 
called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  of  which  the  director  of 
home  education  was  general  chairman,  was  held  in  Lexington,  Ky., 
in  cooperation  with  the  National  University  Extension  Association, 
at  which  representatives  from  25  States  and  the  District  of  Columbia 
were  present.  A  report  of  this  conference  has  been  prepared  by  the 
director  of  home  education  and  submitted  for  printing. 

During  the  past  year  11,125  letters  have  been  received;  83,304 
copies  of  reading  courses  have  been  distributed,  an  increase  over  last 
year  of  about  30,000  ;  5,145  lists  of  courses  and  1,095  bulletins  have 
been  distributed;  1,143  new  readers  have  been  enrolled  and  72  readers 
have  received  certificates  for  completing  courses.  Publicity  articles 
have  been  sent  to  416  newspapers  and  periodicals  throughout  the 
country.  The  greatest  number  of  requests  for  material  furnished  by 
this  division  has  come  from  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  Massachusetts, 
New  York,  Illinois,  and  California. 

,  DIVISION  OF  MAILS  AND  FILES. 

During  the  year  there  were  received  at  the  bureau  128,100  letters, 
34,013  library  publications,  and  74,580  statistical  reports  of  various 
kinds.  This  does  not  take  into  account  any  of  the  mail  matter  re¬ 
ceived  by  special  agents,  special  collaborators,  and  bureau  offices  out¬ 
side  of  Washington. 

An  aggregate  of  764.942  sheets  of  mimeograph  material  were  dis¬ 
tributed  from  the  mailing  room  of  the  bureau.  This  consisted  largely 
of  circulars  of  information,  blanks  for  office  records,  questionnaires 
relating  to  investigations,  bibliographies  on  educational  subjects, 
articles  on  educational  topics  for  publication  in  newspapers,  an¬ 
nouncements  of  conferences  called  by  the  commissioner,  home  reading 
courses,  and  form  letters  used  in  answering  certain  kinds  of  corre¬ 
spondence. 

THE  ALASKA  DIVISION. 

In  addition  to  maintaining  schools  for  the  children  belonging 
to  the  aboriginal  races  of  Alaska,  the  bureau  has  continued  its  en¬ 
deavors  in  behalf  of  the  entire  native  communities  by  extending  medi¬ 
cal  relief,  by  maintaining  sanitary  methods  of  living,  by  fostering  the* 
commercial  enterprises  of  the  natives,  by  promoting  the  reindeer  in¬ 
dustry,  and  by  relieving  destitution. 

During  the  year  the  field  force  in  Alaska  included  5  superinten¬ 
dents,  144  teachers,  8  physicians.  14  nurses,  5  nurses  in  training,  16 
hospital  attendants,  and  7  herders  in  charge  of  reindeer  belonging 
to  the  Government.  Seventy  schools  were  in  operation  with  an  en¬ 
rollment  of  approximately  4,000.  Orphanages  were  maintained  at 
Kanakanak  and  Tyonek  for  the  care  of  children  left  destitute  by 
the  epidemic  of  influenza  which  prevailed  in  these  regions. 

The  work  extends  throughout  the  Territory  from  the  southern¬ 
most  boundary  to  the  northernmost  cape.  The  majority  of  the  vil- 


28 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


lages  in  which  the  work  is  located  are  practically  inaccessible  during 
eight  months  of  the  year.  The  larger  settlements  have  been  reached, 
but  there  yet  remain  certain  regions,  especially  difficult  of  access, 
into  which  the  work  has  not  been  extended.  Two  of  these  regions  were 
reached  during  the  summer  of  1921. 

In  the  great  delta  between  the  mouths  of  the  Yukon  and  Kusko- 
kwim  Rivers— a  country  of  marshes  and  lakes — there  are  hundreds 
of  Eskimos  living  in  abject  squalor.  During  July  a  teacher  and 
his  wife  were  sent  into  this  region  with  the  materials  for  the  erection 
of  a  school  building,  the  equipment  necessary  for  opening  a  school, 
and  all  the  supplies  needed  for  a  year.  Before  the  coming  of  winter 
precluded  the  possibility  of  outdoor  activities,  the  teacher  erected  the 
building  in  which  he  and  his  wife  must  life  and  to  which  they  must 
attract  the  primitive  people  of  the  region  for  instruction  in  every¬ 
thing  pertaining  to  a  higher  plane  of  living.  Teachers  were  also  sent 
to  Sleetmute,  a  primitive  village  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Kusko- 
kwim  River. 

School  buildings  were  also  erected  at  Noorvik,  in  Arctic  Alaska, 
to  replace  a  small  log  school  building  erected  by  the  Eskimos  them¬ 
selves;  and  on  St.  Lawrence  Island,  in  Bering  Sea,  where  the  school 
house  erected  by  the  carpenter  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Bear ,  with  the  assistance 
of  the  Eskimos,  in  1891,  had  become  inadequate;  and  at  Eek,  an  Es¬ 
kimo  village  in  western  Alaska,  the  portable  building  which  had  been 
sent  to  that  place  having  become  too  small  to  accommodate  the  school. 
It  was  necessary  to  send  from  Seattle  to  their  remote  destinations 
all  of  the  materials  for  use  in  constructing  these  buildings. 

During  the  year  the  bureau  maintained  hospitals  at  Juneau,  Kana- 
kanak,  Akiak,  Nulato,  and  Noorvik.  As  heretofore,  teachers  in  settle¬ 
ments  where  the  services  of  a  physician  or  nurse  were  not  available 
were  supplied  with  medicines  for  use  in  relieving  minor  ailments. 

Reindeer  herds  are  now  distributed  among  the  principal  native 
settlements  from  Point  Barrow  to  the  Alaska  Peninsula.  The 
annual  reports  from  the  more  remote  herds  have  not  yet  been  re¬ 
ceived.  It  is  estimated  that  if  there  has  been  the  usual  20  per 
cent  increase  there  should  be  in  Alaska  approximately  259,000 
reindeer,  two-thirds  of  which  belong  to  the  natives  and  one-third 
to  the  Government,  to  white  men,  and  to  Lapps. 

There  have  been  two  notable  extensions  of  the  reindeer  service 
during  the  year.  On  the  untimbered  slopes  of  the  region  trib¬ 
utary  to  the  Alaska  Railroad  there  is  unlimited  pasturage  for 
reindeer.  In  order  to  establish  the  reindeer  industry  in  this  region, 
during  the  past  winter  a  herd  of  1,352  reindeer  wTas  driven  by  herders 
'in  the  employ  of  the  bureau  approximately  1,000  miles  from  a  point  on 
the  Bering  Sea  coast  to  grazing  grounds  in  the  vicinity  of  the  rail¬ 
road.  Hitherto  the  exportation  of  reindeer  meat  has  been  con¬ 
fined  to  shipments  from  the  Nome  region  to  Seattle  only  during 
the  short  season  of  open  navigation  in  midsummer.  The  Alaska 
Railroad  will  provide  unlimited  means  of  transportation  for  reindeer 
meat  and  hides  from  the  interior  to  the  coast  at  any  time  of  the 
year. 

In  the  autumn  of  1921  the  Coast  Guard  cutter  Unal^ajix&ns- 
ported  for  the  Bureau  of  Education  a  herd  of  54  reindeer  from  the 
Alaska  Peninsula  to  Kodiak  Island.  The  western  half  of  Kodiak 
Island  is  untimbered  and  abounds  in  grazing  lands  on  which  great 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER. 


29 


herds  of  reindeer  can  be  supported.  Through  its  system  of  distri¬ 
bution  of  reindeer,  the  bureau  will  provide  the  natives  of  Kodiak 
Island  with  a  source  of  food  and  establish  a  future  industry  for  the 
island  from  whose  ice-free  harbors  reindeer  meat  and  hides  can 
be  readily  exported. 

The  magnitude  and  value  of  the  reindeer  industry  resulted  in 
1920  in  the  making  by  Congress  of  an  appropriation  to  enable  the 
Bureau  of  Biological  Survey,  Department  of  Agriculture,  in  co¬ 
operation  with  the  Bureau  of  Education,  to  make  investigations, 
experiments,  and  demonstrations  for  the  improvement  of  the  rein¬ 
deer  industry  in  Alaska.  The  distribution  of  reindeer  among  the 
natives  and  the  use  of  the  enterprise  as  the  form  of  industrial 
education  best  adapted  to  the  races  inhabiting  the  untimbered  regions 
of  Alaska  remains  under  the  supervision  of  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation. 

With  few  exceptions,  the  native  villages  in  Alaska  in  which 
the  Bureau  of  Education’s  work  is  carried  on  are  not  on  the  routes 
of  steamers  which  visit  the  larger  settlements.  Transportation  of 
appointees  and  supplies  to  the  remoter  places  has  been  secured  only 
with  difficulty  and  by  the  payment  of  heavy  charges  to  small  trading 
schooners  going  to  these  regions  at  infrequent  and  irregular  inter¬ 
vals.  This  is  a  precarious,  inadequate,  and  expensive  procedure. 

In  compliance  with  the  request  for  a  vessel  suitable  for  use  by  the 
Bureau  of  Education  in  its  Alaskan  work,  the  Navy  Department 
transferred  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior  the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer ,  a 
wooden  vessel  with  a  carrying  capacity  of  500  tons  and  admirably 
adapted  for  the  purpose  contemplated.  F unds  to  cover  the  expenses 
of  installing  an  engine  and  repairing  the  vessel  were  provided  in 
the  Interior  Department  appropriation  act,  approved  May  24,  1922. 

By  means  of  the  Boxer ,  the  Alaska  division  will  be  able  to  make  its 
own  plans  for  the  economical  transportation  from  Seattle  of  its  ap¬ 
pointees  and  of  supplies  for  its  schools,  hospitals,  and  reindeer  sta¬ 
tions.  On  its  southward  voyage  it  can  bring  out  teachers  whose 
terms  of  service  have  expired,  and  carry  for  Eskimo  herders  reindeer 
meat  which  they  wish  to  sell  in  the  States.  It  can  carry  timber  from 
forested  regions  to  the  timberless  sections.  It  can  distribute  coal 
among  the  various  settlements.  It  can  be  used  as  a  school  of  naviga¬ 
tion  and  seamanship  for  young  native  men. 

Activities  of  the  Commissioner. 

During  the  year  the  Commissioner  of  Education  traveled  approxi¬ 
mately  75,000  miles;  spent  196  days  in  the  field,  including  Sundays; 
conducted  six  national  educational  conferences;  assisted  in  eight 
educational  campaigns  and  conferences;  addressed  17  national  edu¬ 
cational  associations,  4  regional  associations,  and  28  State  educa¬ 
tional  associations;  visited  officially  18  State  departments  of  educa¬ 
tion,  conferred  with  the  chief  educational  officers  of  nine  other  States ; 
addressed  26  institutions  of  higher  learning,  35  business  organiza¬ 
tions  (chambers  of  commerce,  Notary,  Kiwanis,  Lion’s  and  other 
clubs)  ;  made  a  total  of  252  addresses,  before  audiences  aggregating 
120,000,  (Vide  figure  4.) 


30 


EDUCATION-  REPORT,  1922. 


He  attended  meetings  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Educa¬ 
tion,  and  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Maternity  and  Infant  Hygiene,  of 
which  boards  he  is  a  member ;  also  served  as  chairman  of  the  highway 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 


31 


Recommendations. 

Office  rooms. — The  quarters  in  the  Pension  Building  now  occupied 
by  the  Bureau  of  Education  are  not  at  all  suited  to  the  work  of  the 
bureau.  The  staff  in  Washington  consists  of  87  employees,  divided 
necessarily  into  comparatively  small  units,  and  a  large  proportion 
of  the  staff  is  engaged  on  important  administrative  and  highly  tech¬ 
nical  work.  To  do  such  work  efficiently  requires  a  considerable 
amount  of  quiet  and  privacy,  such  as  can  not  be  secured  in  the 
present  quarters  where  nearly  all  the  rooms  contain  more  than  900 
square  feet  of  floor  space  each.  Under  present  conditions  it  is  neces¬ 
sary  to  place  too  many  specialists  in  a  room,  where  some  of  them  are 
frequently  disturbed  by  conferences  held  by  other  specialists.  Fur¬ 
thermore,  in  order  to  provide  additional  space  for  the  Pension 
Bureau,  it  has  been  necessary  to  place  temporarily  one  division  and 
one  section  of  this  bureau  in  the  court  of  the  Pension  Building.  The 
court  is  not  a  satisfactory  place  for  employees,  especially  in  cold 
weather,  and  I  earnestly  recommend  that  steps  be  taken  to  provide 
immediately  more  suitable  quarters  for  the  bureau. 

Appropriations. — There  is  urgent  need  of  much  larger  appropria¬ 
tions  for  the  work  of  the  bureau,  notwithstanding  the  present  pro¬ 
gram  of  economy  in  governmental  expenditures.  The  Federal  Gov¬ 
ernment  has  a  responsibility  for  leadership  in  education  which  it 
can  not  shirk  without  risk  of  peril  to  our  democratic  institutions. 
Increasing  popular  interest  in  education,  and  realization  of  the 
significance  of  universal  education  in  a  democracy,  leave  no  room 
for  doubt  as  to  the  need. 

We  have  48  systems  of  education,  each  of  the  sovereign  States 
maintaining  its  own  program,  adopting  its  own  methods  of  organi¬ 
zation,  administration,  and  instruction,  and  determining  for  itself 
the  amount  and  character  of  instruction  which  shall  be  provided  for 
the  children  of  its  citizens.  This  is  as  it  should  be,  for  the  genius 
of  the  American  people  will  probably  never  accept  the  idea  of  a 
centralized  national  system  of  public  schools. 

However,  the  most  casual  investigation  shows  that  some  of  the 
States  are  more  successful  than  others  in  solving  the  problems  of 
public  education.  While  some  of  the  States,  through  years  of  expe¬ 
rience  and  through  the  consecutive  efforts  of  generations  of  trained 
leaders,  have  accomplished  notable  achievements  in  various  phases 
of  educational  theory  and  practice,  we  find  certain  other  States 
seeking  the  answers  to  many  of  the  same  questions,  laboriously  and 
at  great  expense  exploring  ground  that  has  already  been  carefully 
charted. 

Much  of  the  arduous  labor  and  costly  duplication  of  experimenta¬ 
tion  has  undoubtedly  been  saved  in  the  past  by  the  ministrations 
of  the  Federal  Bureau  of  Education.  As  an  unbiased,  disinter¬ 
ested  service  agency  it  has  made  a  unique  place  for  itself.  To  the 
limit  of  its  meager  resources  it  has  made  available  to  all  the  States 
the  experiences  of  the  most  progressive  and  the  achievements  of  the 
most  highly  endowed.  It  has  supplied  to  all  sections  of  the  country, 
as  no  other  agency  could,  the  stimulus  that  comes  from  knowledge 
of  what  others  are  doing,  and  through  the  natural  desire  to  emulate 
the  best  and  to  appropriate  the  experience  of  others  it  has  pointed 
the  way  to  national  progress  in  education. 


32 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1922. 


This  country  faces  a  crisis  in  education  that  is  as  acute  as  that 
discernible  in  any  other  phase  of  our  national  life.  There  never 
was  a  time  of  greater  need  of  informed  leadership.  The  needs  in 
respect  to  the  assimilation  of  the  foreign  born  and  foreign-language 
speaking,  the  removal  of  adult  illiteracy,  the  adjustment  of  gross 
inequalities  of  opportunity  for  education,  and  the  positive  inculca¬ 
tion  of  proper  ideals  concerning  our  form  of  Government  and  of 
respect  for  constituted  authority  are  becoming  more  and  more  evi¬ 
dent.  The  future  of  our  experiment  in  democracy  will  be  determined 
largely  by  what  we  do  or  fail  to  do  in  the  matter  of  public  educa¬ 
tion.  Some  even  affirm  that  the  success  of  our  cherished  institu¬ 
tions  hangs  in  the  balance,  while  wTe  debate  whether  the  percentage 
of  illiteracy  and  ignorance  among  our  people  is  23.5  or  25. 

Substantial  increase  in  the  support  of  the  Bureau  of  Education 
would  still  be  but  a  conservative  investment  in  the  light  of  the  service 
to  the  whole  people  thus  made  possible. 

The  Federal  Government  has  expended  large  sums  upon  the  in¬ 
vestigation  and  remedying  of  diseases  of  plants  and  animals,  analyz¬ 
ing  the  soil,  and  many  other  things  which  have  greatly  promoted  the 
material  welfare  of  the  Nation.  Certainly  it  would  be  wise  to 
expend  something  more  than  the  infinitesimal  sum  the  Federal  Gov-  I 
ernment  now  appropriates  for  the  mental  and  physical  welfare  of 
the  boys  and  girls  of  the  Kepublic.  „ 

The  limitation  of  armaments,  made  possible  by  international  agree-  ' 
ments  at  the  Washington  conference,  should  relieve  the  Federal 
Government  of  expenditures  which  have  been  either  negative  or 
destructive  and  enable  it  to  promote'  constructively,  in  a  larger  meas¬ 
ure,  the  public  welfare. 

If  burdens  of  debt  already  incurred  prevent  immediate  increases  in 
expenditures  for  education  and  other  welfare  interests  of  our  people, 
would  it  not  be  wise  and  timely  to  consider  at  this  time  a  more  effective 
plan  of  organization  of  education  and  welfare  in  the  Federal  Gov¬ 
ernment  ? 

President  Harding  has  expressed  himself  as  favoring  such  a  reor¬ 
ganization,  and  such  a  plan  has  possibly  been  under  consideration. 

A  competent  authority  has  stated1  that  “there  are  now  30  or  more 
different  parts  of  the  Government  service  doing  educational  work.” 
Each  of  these  agencies  has  a  separate  appropriation.  President 
Harding  has  well  pointed  out  that  such  an  arrangement  “magnifies 
cost  and  fritters  energy.” 

Certainly  some  of  these  activities  may  be  coordinated  on  some 
plan  generally  acceptable  which  will  save  money  and  render  a  larger 
service  of  which  the  Nation  stands  in  dire  need  at  this  time.  The 
requirements  outlined  in  my  last  report  are  all  as  urgent  as  they  were  . 
last  year,  and  in  some  instances  have  intensified. 

Kespectfully  submitted. 

Jno.  J.  Tigert, 

Commissioner. 

The  Secretary  or  the  Interior. 


1  H.  R.  Report  No.  1201,  66th  Cong.,  3d  sess.,  p.  7. 


O 


REPORT 


OF  THE 

Commissioner  of  Education 


FOR 


THE  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1923 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1923 


THE  UNITED  STATES  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION. 


Created  as  a  Department  March  2,  1867. 

Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869. 


COMMISSIONERS. 


Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D., 

March  U,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870. 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1886. 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D., 

August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889. 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 

July  1,  1906,  to  June  30,  1911. 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921. 

John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  Ed.  D.,  LL.  D„ 
June. 2,  1921,  to  date. 


CONTEXTS. 


General  activities  of  the  bureau : 

Organization  and  functions! _ ’ _  1 

.  American  education  week_ _  4 

Technical  activities : 

Educational  research  and  promotion _  5 

(1)  Service  in  the  field _  5 

(2)  Research  and  investigation _  5 

(3)  Dissemination  of  information _  6 

(4)  Educational  surveys _ _ , _  7 

Activities  of  technical  divisions — 

(1)  Division  of  higher  education _ _ : _  S 

Educational  surveys _  9 

Special  studies  and  reports _  9 

Important  educational  conferences _  10 

(2)  Division  of  rural  schools _  10 

Field  work  of  the  division _ 10 

Educational  surveys _  11 

Field  work  of  an  advisory  nature _  11 

Investigation _  11 

Addresses  and  conferences _ 12 

Research _  12 

Publications _ 12 

Other  activities _  12 

(3)  Division  of  city  schools _  13 

Educational  surveys _ _  13 

National  conference  on  work-study-play  plan _ _ _  13 

Radio  service _  14 

Kindergarten  education _ ' _ _ _  14 

(4)  Division  of  physical  education  and  school  hygiene _  15 

Field  work  of  the  division _ 15 

Publications _  15 

Other  activities _  15 

School  buildings  and  grounds _ 15 

(5)  Service  division _ ^ _  16 

Industrial  education _  16 

Commercial  education _ —  16 

Home-economics  education _  IS 

Educational  legislation _  19 

Education  in  foreign  countries _ 19 

General  service  activities : 

Activities  of  general  service  divisions — 

(1)  Statistical  division _ —  -u— ! -  21 

(2)  Editorial  division _  22 

Bulletins  and  leaflets _  22 

School  Life _ 23 

Distribution  of  documents _  23 

Analysis  of  printing  expenditures -  23 

List  of  publications _  24 

(3)  Library  division _ 28 

Bibliographies,  cataloguing,  and  indexing -  28 

Home  education _  29 

(4)  Division  of  mails  and  files _ 80 

(5)  Alaska  division _  80 

Education _  81 

Medical  relief _ _ _  81 

Reindeer  industry _  82 

The  U.  S.  S.  Boxer _  32 

Activities  of  the  commissioner _  33 

Recommendations _ _  34 


hi 


. 


* 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION.  . 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 

W ashing  ton,  D.  G .,  September  1, 1923. 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  opera¬ 
tions  of  this  office  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1923,  together 
with  recommendations  for  the  extension  and  improvement  of  its  work, 
as  required  by  act  of  Congress  approved  March  2,  1867. 

General  Activities  of  the  Bureau, 
organization  and  functions. 

The  act  under  which  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  was 
created  did  not  put  upon  the  bureau  any  administrative  duties.  The 
administration  of  education  in  the  American  Republic  is  vested  in 
the  respective  States  and  localities.  Congress  established  the  bureau 
as  a  Federal  agency  for  the  purposes  of  collecting  all  available  sta¬ 
tistics,  facts,  and  other  information  about  education  not  only  in  the 
United  States  and  its  Territories  but  in  foreign  countries,  and,  fur¬ 
ther,  to  disseminate  such  information  and  data  concerning  schools  and 
related  subjects  for  the  benefit  of  those  concerned  with  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  education,  and,  finally,  to  promote  the  cause  of  education 
throughout  the  country. 

Later  important  administrative  powers  and  functions  were  assigned 
to  the  Bureau  of  Education.  The  bureau  was  made  responsible  for 
the  administration  of  the  education,  support,  and  medical  relief  of 
the  natives  in  the  Territory  of  Alaska  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Inte¬ 
rior.  Congress  charged  the  bureau,  subsequent  to  its  establishment, 
with  certain  responsibilities  in  connection  with  lands  and  moneys 
appropriated  by  the  Federal  Government  under  the  Morrill  and  Nel¬ 
son  Acts  in  behalf  of  colleges  of  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts.  The 
bureau  is  required  to  ascertain  whether  interest  derived  from  sale  of 
lands  granted  under  the  first  Morrill  Act  amounts,  to  at  least  5  per 
cent  and  whether  such  money  is  being  expended  in  accordance  with 
the  terms  of  the  act.  At  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year  in  1921  this  sum 
amounted  to  $1,009,614.  Under  the  second  Morrill  Act  and  the  Nel¬ 
son  amendment  the  Federal  Government  grants  annually  $50,000  to 
each  of  the  48  States  and  the  Territories  of  Alaska,  Hawaii,  and  Porto 
Rico.  This  appropriation,  which  now  amounts  to  $2,550,000  annu¬ 
ally,  is  administered  through  the  Bureau  of  Education,  which  audits 
the  expenditures  of  these  funds  and  determines  whether  the  money 
appropriated  is  being  spent  in  accordance  with  the  purposes  for  which 
it  is  appropriated. 


1 


2 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


This  statement  of  functions  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  may  be 
summarized  as  follows: 

N  onadministrative  functions.- — (1)  To  do  research  work  and  be 
informed  on  all  matters  pertaining  to  education  here  and  abroad; 
(2)  to  disseminate  such  information  and  put  it  at  disposal  of  all  who 
desire  it;  (3)  to  promote  the  cause  of  education  generally. 

Administrative  functions. — (1)  Administration  of  income  accru¬ 
ing  from  lands  under  the  first  Morrill  Act  and  annual  appropriations 
under  second  Morrill  Act  and  Nelson  amendment  ;  (2)  administra¬ 
tion  of  system  of  education,  support,  and  medical  relief  for  the 
natives  of  Alaska. 

In  my  last  report,  dated  September  1,  1922,  I  outlined  the  form  of 
organization  which  I  set  up  in  the  bureau  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  for 
the  discharge  of  these  functions.  In  addition  to  the  organization  in 
Washington,  D.  C.,  there  is  an  office  in  Seattle,  Wash.,  where  the 
superintendent  of  education  of  the  natives  of  Alaska  makes  his  head¬ 
quarters  and  where  supplies  and  teachers  are  secured  for  the  Alaska 
service.  At  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  there  were  eight  regular  em¬ 
ployees  and  one  temporary  employee  in  the  Seattle  office.  The  actual 
work  in  Alaska  will  be  described  later  in  this  report. 

Two  changes  were  made  in  the  organization  of  the  Washington, 
D.  C.,  office  during  the  year  just  ending.  A  new  division  of  physical 
education  and  school  hygiene  was  created  out  of  what  was  formerly 
a  section  of  another  division.  The  importance  of  this  phase  of  edu¬ 
cation  and  the  growth  of  the  work  both  seemed  to  demand  this 
change.  Likewise  the  statistical  work,  which  had  been  temporarily 
made  a  section  of  the  division  of  city  schools  for  administrative 
reasons,  has  been  again  set  up  as  an  independent  division  among  the 
general  service  activities  of  the  bureau.  The  organization  of  the 
bureau,  therefore,  at  the  present  time  consists  of  two  departments, 
with  divisions  as  follows: 

( 1 )  Technical  activities :  ( a)  Higher  education ;  ( b )  rural  schools ; 
( c )  city  schools;  (d)  physical  education  and  school  hygiene;  ( e ) 
service,  comprising  industrial  education,  commercial  education,  home 
economics,  educational  legislation,  and  foreign  education. 

(2)  General  service  activities:  (a)  Editorial:  (b)  library;  ( c ) 
statistics;  ( d )  education,  medical  relief,  and  reindeer  service  for  the 
natives  of  Alaska;  (e)  stenographic;  (/)  mails  and  files;  ( g )  mes¬ 
senger  service.  (See  fig.  1.) 

The  organization  is  seen  to  consist  of  two  general  departments  or 
types  of  activities — the  technical  and  the  general  service  activities. 
Under  the  general  direction  of  the  commissioner  the  responsibility 
of  directing  these  two  departments  is  delegated,  respectively,  to  the 
assistant  to  the  commissioner  and  the  chief  clerk,  but  the  entire 
administrative  and  executive  authority  is  reserved  in  the  office  of  the 
commissioner. 

In  order  to  better  unify  and  promote  cooperation  in  the  work  of 
the  bureau,  I  have  created  a  council,  which  is  appointed  annually 
by  the  commissioner  and  which  meets  from  time  to  time  for  con¬ 
ference  and  mutual  advice.  The  council  is  composed  of  seven  per¬ 
sons — the  assistant  to  the  commissioner,  the  chief  clerk,  three  heads 
of  divisions,  one  member  of  the  technical  staff,  and  one  member  of 


GENERAL  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  BUREAU. 


3 


Figure  1. — Chart  showing  the  organization  of  the  Washington,  D.  C.,  office  of  the  Bureau  of  Education. 


4 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


the  general  service  staff.  The  powers  of  this  council  are  purely 
advisory  and  it  has  no  executive  functions. 

Under  this  plan  of  organization  the  work  of  the  bureau  has  con¬ 
sistently  improved  in  efficiency  and  there  does  not  at  present  appear 
to  be  occasion  for  great  change  in  the  future. 

AMERICAN  EDUCATION  WEEK. 

Education  in  the  United  States  is  controlled  by  the  people  and 
not  by  the  Government  as  is  the  case  in  many  countries.  Every  citi¬ 
zen  has  a  voice  in  determining  what  kinds  of  schools  we  shall  have. 
The  people  determine  in  the  ultimate  analysis  how  much  shall  be 
spent  upon  schools,  whence  the  money  shall  come,  what  kind  of 
teachers  we  shall  have,  what  they  shall  be  paid,  etc.  Naturally, 
experts  and  educators  know  a  great  deal  more  about  schools  than  the 
average  citizens;  but,  eventually,  we  can  not  make  much  sound  and 
permanent  progress  in  the  improvement  of  schools  without  an  in¬ 
telligent  approval  and  support  of  public  sentiment. 

With  these  truths  before  it,  the  Bureau  of  Education  several  years 
ago  inaugurated  the  annual  observance  of  a  week  of  education 
throughout  the  Nation.  The  next  year  the  American  Legion  be¬ 
came  interested  and  now  the  week  is  sponsored  conjointly  by  the 
Bureau  of  Education,  the  National  Education  Association,  and  the 
American  Legion. 

Last  year  the  results  of  the  week  were  most  gratifying.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  President  Harding’s  proclamation,  proclamations  or  formal 
statements  were  issued  by  the  governors  of  42  States  and  Alaska. 
Hundreds  of  thousands  of  sermons,  addresses,  and  speeches  were 
made  upon  educational  subjects  during  the  week.  The  bureau  made 
use  of  the  Government  broadcasting  station  at  Anacostia,  and  in 
many  States  addresses  were  broadcast  daily  from  newspaper  offices 
and  commercial  stations  on  the  special  topics  assigned  for  the  vari¬ 
ous  days  of  the  week.  Fully  one-half  of  the  newspapers  of  the  coun¬ 
try  supported  the  campaign  editorially. 

Through  the  hearty  cooperation  of  the  motion-picture  producers, 
distributors,  and  exhibitors,  special  educational  material  was  ex¬ 
hibited  during  the  week  in  practically  every  motion-picture  theater 
in  the  country.  It  is  estimated  that  more  than  50,000,000  people 
were  reached  in  some  way  during  the  campaign,  nearly  20,000,000 
being  reached  in  the  motion-picture  houses  alone. 

The  program  assigned  a  special  topic  for  each  day  of  the  week: 
Sunday,  December  3,  For  God  and  Country;  Monday,  American 
Citizenship  Day;  Tuesday,  Patriotism  Day;  Wednesday,  School  and 
Teacher  Day;  Thursday,  Illiteracy  Day;  Friday,  Equality  of  Op¬ 
portunity  Day;  Saturday,  Physical  Education  Day. 

American  education  week  is  designed  as  a  great  spotlight  to 
focus  the  minds  of  the  American  people  on  what  the  schools  are 
doing,  what  their  needs  and  objectives  are.  Thus  with  an  enlight¬ 
ened  comprehension  of  what  is  being  done  and  attempted  by  the 
schools,  we  may  confidently  hope,  through  the  observance  of  this 
week,  to  secure  a  larger  and  more  united  popular  effort  in  behalf  of 
schools. 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


5 


Technical  Activities. 

EDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH  AND  PROMOTION. 

The  commissioner  holds  conferences  at  regular  intervals  with  the 
specialists  attached  to  the  research  divisions  of  the  bureau  consti¬ 
tuting  the  technical  staff  and  less  frequently  with  the  members  of  the 
general  service  divisions  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  bureau  plans 
and  policies  and  methods  of  making  our  service  to  the  country  more 
effective.  Kegarding  the  bureau  as  primarily  an  agency  for  service 
to  educators  and  the  general  public,  we  have  endeavored  to  function 
in  the  following  ways:  (1)  Field  service:  (2)  research  and  investi¬ 
gation  of  special  educational  problems;  (3)  dissemination  of  infor¬ 
mation;  and  (4)  educational  surveys. 

(1)  Service  in  the  Field. 

The  bureau  constantly  receives  many  more  requests  for  service 
than  it  can  possibly  meet,  due  to  limitations  as  to  personnel  and  as 
to  funds  available  for  travel  expenses.  In  its  selection  of  those  re¬ 
quests  which  are  to  receive  attention,  the  bureau  has  been  compelled 
to  discriminate  against  the  more  distant  sections  of  the  country  and 
to  favor  especially  those  sections  and  communities  which  are  able 
to  meet  the  necessary  travel  expenses  of  representatives  of  the 
bureau. 

Service  rendered  in  the  field  by  representatives  of  the  bureau  takes 
the  following  forms :  Lectures  and  addresses  upon  educational  topics 
before  audiences  of  teachers,  students,  women’s  clubs,  business  men's 
clubs,  and  the  like;  conducting  and  assisting  in  special  conferences 
for  the  consideration  of  educational  problems ;  attendance  upon  edu¬ 
cational  conventions:  visiting  schools  and  conferring  with  school 
officers  and  teachers  for  the  purpose  of  securing  information :  partici¬ 
pation  in  educational  surveys  (referred  to  hereafter). 

Some  of  this  field  work  is  undertaken  upon  the  initiative  of  the 
bureau  in  order  to  secure  needed  information  and  in  order  to  keep 
abreast  of  current  developments.  Most  of  it,  however,  is  done  at  the 
request  of  the  school  authorities  in  the  several  States.  Summarizing 
all  types  of  field  service  together.  I  may  report  that  during  the  fiscal 
year  25  members  of  the  bureau  staff,  exclusive  of  the  commissioner, 
rendered  an  aggregate  of  1,295  days  of  field  service  outside  of  the 
District  of  Columbia  in  44  different  States.  (See  fig.  2.) 

As  one  feature  of  this  service,  21  members  of  the  staff,  exclusive 
of  the  commissioner,  delivered  267  public  addresses,  in  37  different 
States,  to  audiences  aggregating  about  60,000  persons. 

(2)  Research  and  Investigation. 

I  am  impressed  by  the  increasing  volume  of  the  demand  for  guid¬ 
ance  and  assistance,  which  can  be  met  only  by  a  well-organized  staff 
of  experts  representing  all  phases  of  educational  development.  Many 
important  phases  or  departments  of  educational  activity  are  not  in¬ 
cluded  in  the  bureau  organization,  and  our  service  is  thus  severely 
handicapped. 

62603°—  23 - 2 


6 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


The  scope  of  the  research  work  of  the  bureau  is  suggested  by  the 
titles  of  the  publications  issued,  as  given  in  the  following  paragraphs 
and  in  the  report  of  the  editorial  division,  pages  24—28. 


(3)  Dissemination  of  Information. 

The  chief  means  employed  for  the  dissemination  of  information 
are :  Publication  and  distribution  of  printed  bulletins  and  pamphlets 
and  mimeographed  circulars;  correspondence,  constituting  a  large 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


7 


part  of  the  bureau’s  activities,  as  indicated  elsewhere;  public  ad¬ 
dresses;  and  conduct  of  educational  conferences. 

Events  are  fully  justifying  the  policy,  to  which  I  referred  in  my 
last  report,  of  reducing  the  number  of  extensive  and  exhaustive  re¬ 
ports  and  increasing  the  number  and  variety  of  briefer  bulletins 
and  circulars.  We  are  thus  able  to  treat  a  wider  range  of  topic.s 
and  to  reach  a  larger  audience.  We  are  still  handicapped  by  the 
limitation  of  12,500  copies  on  the  editions  of  our  bulletins,  which, 
obviously,  bears  no  relation  to  the  fact  that  there  are  upward  of 
800,000  school  teachers  and  officers  in  the  United  States,  with  all  of 
whom  the  bureau  should  be  in  some  sort  of  communication. 

(4)  Educational  Surveys. 

One  of  the  most  important  types  of  service  rendered  by  the  bureau, 
and  probably  the  most  far-reaching  in  effect,  is  in  its  conduct  of 
educational  surveys.  During  the  past  10  years,  especially,  there  has 
been  a  great  popular  awakening  to  the  significance  of  education, 
and  there  has  been  manifested  in  many  quarters  the  desire  to  know 
as  definitely  as  may  be  just  what  are  the  objectives  of  public  educa¬ 
tion  and  just  how  effectively  our  schools  are  organized  and  equipped 
for  the  attainment  of  these  objectives.  The  scientific  inquiry  into 
these  conditions,  and  the  formulation  of  conclusions  and  recommen¬ 
dations  based  on  the  findings,  undertaken  by  one  or  more  persons 
specially  qualified,  is  known  as  an  “  educational  survey.” 

Many  of  these  formal  surveys  have  been  made  by  individuals,  and 
by  public  and  private  agencies  of  many  types.  As  I  indicated  in  my 
last  report,  this  bureau  has  taken  a  leading  place  in  the  movement 
and  has  conducted  educational  surveys  in  nearly  every  State  of  the 
Union.  The  bureau  possesses  unique  qualifications  for  service  of 
this^type,  in  that  it  is  able  to  approach  each  situation  without  bias 
or  partisanship,  and  the  members  of  its  staff  now  represent  the 
collective'  judgment  gained  by  years  of  experience  in  survey  work 
in  all  sections  of  the  country. 

The  staff  of  the  bureau  is  inadequate  to  meet  the  many  demands, 
and  it  is  necessary  to  supplement  our  forces  by  the  temporary  em¬ 
ployment  of  experts  from  the  outside. 

During  the  fiscal  year  1922-23  nine  educational  surveys  were  made 
(see  fig.  3),  as  follows: 


State  system  of  public  education,  Oklahoma - -  1 

Higher  education - -  4 


State  system  of  higher  education  and  activities  and  functions  of 
State  board  of  administration,  Kans. 

State  system  of  higher  education,  Massachusetts  (field  work  in 
1922-23;  report  to  be  completed  in  1923-24). 

State  College  of  Agriculture  and  Engineering,  North  Carolina. 

State  Industrial  College,  Georgia. 

Rural  schools ;  county  systems  of  public  education - 

Beaufort  County,  N.  C. 

Currituck  County,  N.  C.,  including  educational,  social,  and  vocational 
conditions. 

City  schools - 

Public-school  system,  Alexandria,  Va. 

High-school  building  program,  Oak  Park,  Ill. 


Total - 


9 


8 


EDUCATION  REPOET,  1923. 


ACTIVITIES  OF  TECHNICAL  DIVISIONS. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  general  statements  the  activities  of 
the  several  research  divisions  may  be  summarized  as  follows : 


(1)  Division  of  Higher  Education. 

During  the  year  the  members  of  the  division  of  higher  education 
have  largely  been  occupied  with  surveys  of  higher  institutions  in 
Kansas,  Oklahoma,  North  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Massachusetts. 


Figure  3. — During  the  fiscal  year  1022-23  the  Bureau  of  Education  conducted  nine  educational  surveys  in  seven  States  : 
Georgia,  Illinois,  Kansas,  Massachusetts,  North  Carolina,  Oklahoma,  and  Virginia. 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


9 


Educational  surveys. — The  survey  report  on  the  five  Kansas  State 
institutions  of  higher  education  was  submitted  to  the  State  board  of 
administration  November  25,  1922.  The  report  was  largely  con¬ 
cerned  with  the  efficiency  of  the  central  board  in  governing  the 
institutions  and  the  adjustment  of  functions  between  and  among  the 
several  institutions. 

The  Oklahoma  survey  was  undertaken  as  a  part  of  the  compre¬ 
hensive  survey  of  the  entire  educational  system  in  that  State.  The 
chief  questions  under  discussion  were  the  needs  of  the  State  in  higher 
education,  the  methods  of  governing  the  higher  institutions,  their 
respective  functions,  and  their  financial  needs.  The  full  report  was 
published  by  the  local  survey  commission  as  a  part  of  the  general 
report,  and  a  digest  was  included  in  Bulletin  1923,  No.  14,  published 
by  the  bureau. 

The  survey  of  the  North  Carolina  College  of  Agriculture  and  Engi¬ 
neering  outlined  a  plan  for  the  internal  administration  of  the  insti¬ 
tution  to  meet  the  development  of  the  institution.  The  report  was 
published  by  the  local  board  of  trustees. 

The  survey  of  the  Georgia  State  Industrial  College  was  undertaken 
with  a  view  of  determining  the  efficiency  of  the  work  being  done  at 
that  institution.  The  study  showed  clearly  the  very  backward  condi¬ 
tion  of  the  institution  and  warned  the  State  that  unless  considerable 
improvement  was  made  in  the  character  of  the  work  at  the  institution 
it  might  prove  necessary  for  the  bureau  to  recommend  the  withdrawal 
of  the  annual  Federal  appropriation  of  $50,000  granted  to  the  State 
under  the  second  Morrill  Act. 

The  Massachusetts  survey  of  higher  education  is  m  progress.  The 
specialist  in  higher  education  is  undertaking  to  render  a  fact-finding 
report  on  the  basis  of  which  a  local  commission  will  make  recom¬ 
mendations.  A  number  of  prominent  university  and  college  execu¬ 
tives  have  undertaken  special  investigations  for  the  survey. 

Special  studies  and  reports. — Other  studies  which  have  been  pre¬ 
pared  in  the  division  and  published  during  the  year  include : 

Statistics  of  Land-Grant  Colleges  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1921 ; 
Accredited  Higher  Institutions;  Accredited  Secondary  Schools; 
Hampton  Agricultural  and  Normal  Institute :  Its  Evolution  and  Con¬ 
tribution  to  Education  as  a  Federal  Land-Grant  College;  Biennial 
Survey  of  Higher  Education,  1920-1922. 

In  addition  to  the  printed  bulletins  and  pamphlets  prepared  in  the 
division  or  under  the  direction  of  members  of  the  division  are  the 
following  studies,  most  of  which  have  been  issued  in  mimeographed 
form:  Statistics  of  current  (1922-23)  enrollments,  income,  and  sala¬ 
ries  at  State  universities,  colleges,  and  teacher-training  institutions; 
courses  in  petroleum  engineering  in  universities  and  colleges ;  current 
(1922-23)  enrollments  in  engineering  schools;  survey  of  the  Georgia 
State  Industrial  College;  survey  of  the  North  Carolina  College  of 
Agriculture  and  Engineering;  preliminary  survey  of  the  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association  collegiate  work. 

Manuscripts  which  are  now  in  process  and  will  shortly  be  com¬ 
pleted  include:  Survey  of  higher  education  in  Massachusetts;  statis¬ 
tics  of  land-grant  colleges,  1921-22;  decennial  report  on  land-grant 
college  education. 


10 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


Important  educational  conferences. — The  specialist  in  rural  and 
technical  education  has  devoted  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time 
to  several  educational  conferences  undertaken  by  the  Bureau  of 
Education  in  cooperation  with  other  organizations.  The  second 
national  conference  on  education  for  highway  engineering  and  high¬ 
way  transport  included  engineers,  educators,  leaders  in  the  Fed¬ 
eral,  State,  and  national  highway  organizations  and  leaders  in  the 
automotive  industry.  The  proceedings  of  this  conference  were  pub¬ 
lished  by  the  highway  education  board.  Seven  thousand  copies  of 
the  proceedings  have  been  distributed  throughout  the  country.  Also 
there  have  been  held  several  State  conferences  along  the  same  line, 
the  proceedings  of  which  have  been  published  locally. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  the  spe¬ 
cialist  in  rural  and  technical  education  also  organized  a  third  na¬ 
tional  conference  on  Negro  education,  which  was  held  at  Tuskegee 
Institute,  Alabama,  January  15-16,  1923.  The  conference  developed 
the  work  of  the  previous  conferences  at  Atlanta  and  Nashville  and 
devoted  considerable,  attention  to  the  development  of  the  junior  col¬ 
lege  work  in  agriculture  and  to  standards  of  work  in  trades  and 
industries,  as  well  as  problems  of  finance.  The  meeting,  as  upon 
previous  occasions,  was  attended  by  leading  white  and  colored  repre¬ 
sentatives  of  industrial  education  in  the  South. 

Addresses  have  been  delivered  by  the  members  of  the  division  at 
the  following  educational  meetings:  Association  of  American  Col¬ 
leges;  American  Association  of  Junior  Colleges;  Association  of 
Land-Grant  Colleges;  Association  of  Tennessee  Colleges;  Association 
of  North  Carolina  Colleges;  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineer¬ 
ing  Education;  Joint  Meeting  of  Middle  Western  and  Eastern  Busi¬ 
ness  Officers’  Associations;  Association  of  Urban  Universities;  High¬ 
way  Education  Conference  at  Washington;  and  colleges  in  North 
Carolina,  Tennessee,  Maryland,  Massachusetts,  and  the  District  of 
Columbia. 

(2)  Division  of  Rural  Schools. 

The  work  of  the  division  of  rural  education  has  continued 
along  established  lines  and  has  been  augmented  somewhat  by  open¬ 
ing  up  certain  new  ones.  Progress  in  rural  education  is  leading  to¬ 
ward  more  differentiation  and  a  higher  degree  of  specialization  in 
this  field.  In  conformity  with  this  progress,  it  is  the  aim  of  the 
division  at  this  time  to  work  toward  more  specialization  on  the  part 
of  its  members  in  order  to  be  of  greater  assistance  in  particular  and 
specialized  fields.  Members  of  the  division  are  now  specializing 
in  the  fields  of  administration,  supervision,  consolidation,  rural 
high  schools,  rural  school  statistics.  Other  special  fields  will  be  con¬ 
centrated  upon  as  conditions  permit. 

During  the  year  the  division  has  entered  upon  several  cooperative 
projects  and  has  established  cooperative  relationships  in  the  prepara¬ 
tion  of  manuscripts  or  in  the  conduct  of  investigations  with  individ¬ 
uals  and  institutions  outside  the  bureau  in  the  field  of  rural  education. 
It  is  expected  that  this  type  of  service  will  be  continued  and  enlarged. 

Field  ivorJc  of  the  division. — During  the  fiscal  year  six  members 
of  the  division  staff  spent  a  total  of  415  days  in  field  work  in  39 
different  States.  Major  lines  of  field  work  pursued  are  the  fol¬ 
lowing  : 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


11 


Educational  surveys. — Early  in  the  fiscal  year  two  written  reports 
were  completed  for  the  Arkansas  Survey  Commission  as  a  result 
of  a  survey  made  during  the  preceding  year — one  a  full  report, 
the  other  a  digest  later  published  by  the  bureau.  During  October 
and  November  a  field  survey  of  the  State  of  Oklahoma  was  made 
under  the  direction  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education.  The  section 
concerned  with  rural  schools  was  made  under  the  direction  of  the 
chief  of  the  rural  schools  division,  assisted  by  two  members  of  the 
division  and  specialists  from  outside  the  bureau.  Approximately 
126  days  were  spent  by  members  of  the  division  in  field  work. 
Seventeen  counties  were  visited  by  members  of  the  staff  studying 
rural  education.  Tabulation  of  questionnaire  returns  and  the  sta¬ 
tistical  summaries  for  the  survey  were  made  under  the  direction 
of  a  member  of  the  division.  Two  reports  were  prepared — a  full 
report  published  -by  the  Oklahoma  State  Survey  Commission,  and 
a  digest  published  by  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

At  the  request  of  the  board  of  education,  the  chief  of  the  divi¬ 
sion,  assisted  by  one  member  of  the  staff,  made  an  educational 
survey  of  Beaufort  County,  N.  C.  Approximately  two  weeks  were 
spent  in  making  the  field  survey.  Reports  were  prepared  and  sub¬ 
mitted  to  members  of  the  board  and  county  superintendent,  first 
in  oral  and  later  in  written  form.  In  addition  a  digest  of  the  re¬ 
port  was  prepared  for  publication. 

At  the  request  of  the  board  of  education  and  the  county  superin¬ 
tendent  three  members  of  the  division,  working  in  cooperation  with 
members  of  the  State  department  and  with  two  members  of  the 
faculty  of  Cornell  University,  made  a  social  and  vocational  survey 
of  Currituck  County,  N.  C.,  following  a  survey  of  administrative 
organization  previously  made  by  the  bureau.  With  this  survey  as  a 
basis,  the  same  committee  is  preparing  in  cooperation  with  the 
county  superintendent,  supervisor,  and  teachers  a  course  of  study 
for  the  rural  schools  of  the  county.  The  preliminary  report  of  the 
occupational  survey  is  nearing  completion. 

Field  work  of  an  advisory  nature. — Several  members  of  the  divi¬ 
sion  have  been  called  to  various  States  or  counties  by  State  and 
county  officials  to  act  in  an  advisory  capacity  in  the  carrying  on 
of  educational  projects  or  in  the  initiation  of  new  activities.  One 
member  has  acted  on  an  advisory  committee  with  members  of  a 
State  department  of  education  in  the  location  of  high  schools  in 
five  counties.  Another  member  has  acted  in  an  advisory  capacity 
with  four  county  superintendents  in  two  States  in  promoting 
school  consolidation.  Another  member  advised  with  school  officials, 
trustees,  superintendents,  and  teachers  of  three  counties  and  gave 
demonstrations  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  in  improving  rural 
school  supervision.  Another  member  assisted  members  of  the  State 
department  of  education  in  an  advisory  capacity  for  the  purpose 
of  working  out  a  prevocational  program  in  the  teaching  of  agri¬ 
culture  in  the  rural  counties  of  that  State. 

Investigation. — In  its  capacity  as  a  clearing  house  for  information 
for  educators  in  the  field  of  rural  education  and  in  connection  with 
the  work  in  several  different  lines  of  research,  members  of  the 
division  have  made  approximately  50  visits  to  34  States.  The  in¬ 
vestigations  or  research  studies  in  the  interests  of  which  these  visits 


12 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


were  made  are  along  the  following  lines:  Consolidation  of  rural 
schools,  standardization,  supervision,  special  methods  of  instruc¬ 
tion,  organization  and  curricula  of  rural  high  schools,  organization 
for  the  administration  of  rural  school  systems. 

Addresses  and  conferences. — Members  of  the  division  are  called 
upon  frequently  to  participate  in  conferences  and  to  deliver  addresses 
at  commencements,  summer  schools,  teachers’  institutes,  State 
teachers’  associations,  and  a  number  of  other  educational  meetings, 
as  well  as  national  and  State  conferences  of  organizations  interested 
in  rural  education.  During  the  year  members  of  the  division  con¬ 
ducted  one  bureau  conference,  assisted  in  several  others;  and  four 
members  addressed  or  made  reports  to  the  National  Education  Asso¬ 
ciation.  Six  members  of  the  division  made  a  total  of  118  addresses 
to  approximately  28,000  people  in  26  different  States. 

Research. — Research  studies  pursued  or  special  investigations  made 
during  the  year  cover  the  following  subjects:  Administration  for 
and  methods  pursued  in  the  supervision  of  rural  schools,  consolida¬ 
tion  of  rural  schools,  teaching  agriculture  in  rural  elementary  schools, 
organization  and  curricula  of  rural  high  schools,  visual  education, 
standardization  of  rural  schools,  units  of  organization  in  school 
administration,  organization  of  a  curriculum  for  a  rural  county, 
State  aid  for  rural  schools,  rural  teachers’  salaries,  school  conditions 
in  country  villages,  courses  of  study  in  elementary  agriculture,  plans 
for  school  buildings. 

Publications. — The  research  and  investigation  work  of  the  division 
enables  it  to  be  a  clearing  house  of  information  on  rural  school 
administration,  supervision,  methods  and  practice  throughout  the 
country.  A  special  effort  has  been  made  during  the  past  two  years 
to  prepare  for  distribution  a  large  number  of  reports  giving  infor¬ 
mation  on  subjects  about  which  large  numbers  of  inquiries  come  to 
the  bureau  through  correspondence.  Besides  the  field  work  pre¬ 
viously  reported,  information  is  disseminated  by  means  of  bulletins 
reporting  the  results  of  the  more  intensive  research  studies ;  of  leaflets 
sometimes  resulting  from  research  and  sometimes  from  the  collection 
of  information;  of  circulars,  usually  mimeographed  and  intended 
for  quick  distribution,  containing  information  the  value  of  which 
depends  in  large  part  upon  its  timeliness;  rural  news  letters  prepared 
for  country  newspapers,  agricultural  weeklies,  and  the  like,  and 
which  contain  information  concerning  rural  schools  prepared 
especially  for  farmers:  articles  on  rural  education  prepared  for 
School  Life,  the  bureau’s  monthly  publication ;  and  articles  on  rural 
education  broadcast  by  radio.  During  the  year  there  have  been  pre¬ 
pared  in  the  division  5  circulars,  18  leaflets,  7  bulletins,  6  news  let¬ 
ters,  9  radiograms,  and  7  articles  for  School  Life. 

Other  activities. — During  the  year  a  mailing  list  of  8,000  country 
newspapers  has  been  prepared;  2  moving-picture  films  and  several 
sets  of  slides  circulated  in  a  number  of  schools  and  counties  in  15 
different  States;  88  manuscripts  have  been  reviewed  and  contents 
passed  on  or  revised  by  members  of  the  division;  members  have 
assisted  in  the  preparation  of  broadsheets  for  education  week,  1922; 
in  the  preparation  Qf  suggestions  to  county  superintendents  for  the 
observation  of  education  week ;  and  one  member  prepared  2  pageants 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


13 


for  use  in  rural  schools,  one  for  education  week,  1922,  and  one  for 
education  week,  1923. 

The  correspondence  of  the  division  contains  requests  for  informa¬ 
tion  covering  the  whole  field  of  rural  education,  requires  an  extended 
knowledge  of  the  field,  and  often  considerable  investigation. 

(3)  Division  of  City  Schools. 

During  the  year  special  reports  were  prepared  by  the  division  of 
city  schools  on  the  following  subjects:  Organization  and  function 
of  the  board  of  education  in  cities,  based  on  recommendations  of  20 
city  school  surveys:  significant  movements  in  city  school  systems: 
recent  progress  in  secondary  education:  length  of  school  day  in  pri¬ 
mary  grades:  value  of  the  school  census:  proportion  of  municipal 
funds  devoted  to  public  education;  programs  of  study  in  junior  high 
schools :  all-year  schools :  regulations  of  city  school  boards  regarding 
high-school  fraternities:  research  bureaus  in  city  school  systems:  the 
city  school  board:  report  of  the  first  national  conference  on  the 
work-study-play  plan. 

Material  for  use  in  the  observance  of  American  education  week 
was  prepared  and  compiled  in  the  division,  and  the  chief  of  the 
division  served  as  chairman  of  the  committee  representing  the  bureau 
in  the  campaign. 

One  specialist  prepared  a  bulletin  for  the  use  of  teachers  on  a 
series  of  projects  based  on  highway  transportation  entitled  “  Main 
Streets  of  the  Nation."  This  was  based  on  a  study  of  the  principal 
interstate  highways  of  the  United  States,  and  included  lesson  out¬ 
lines  and  suggestions  for  teachers  growing  out  of  a  series  of  demon¬ 
stration  lessons  given  in  a  fifth  grade  in  the  Washington,  D.  C., 
schools.  Other  activities  included  studies  and  reports  on  curriculum 
for  the  kindergarten  and  first  primary  grade,  current  tendencies  in 
primary  education,  characteristics  of  the  6-year-old  child. 

Educational  surveys. — Two  surveys  of  conditions  in  city  school 
systems  were  made:  (1)  Public  schools  of  Alexandria,  Ya.;  (2) 
high-school  building  program,  Oak  Park,  Ill. 

National  conference  on  the  work- study -play  plan. — One  specialist 
made  the  preliminary  arrangements  and  organized  the  program  for 
the  second  national  conference  of  city  superintendents  and  prin¬ 
cipals  of  high  schools  on  the  work-study-play  plan  of  school  organi¬ 
zation.  The  conference  was  called  and  presided  over  by  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education  and  held  in  cooperation  with  the  depart¬ 
ment  of  superintendence  of  the  National  Education  Association  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  February  27,  1923.  There  were  present  225  super¬ 
intendents  and  principals  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  formal 
request  was  made  that  the  bureau  organize  an  information  service 
for  school  authorities  which  have  adopted  or  are  considering  this 
plan,  that  the  bureau  organize  and  direct  the  activities  of  a  series 
of  committees  for  investigation  and  report  on  special  problems,  and 
that  the  commissioner  call  a  third  conference  to  meet  in  February, 
1924. 

Committees  of  superintendents  and  principals  are  now  at  work, 
under  the  direction  of  the  bureau,  on  the  following  topics  relating 
to  the  work-study-play  plan:  Organization  and  types  of  program; 

62603°— 23 - 3 


14 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


use  of  the  auditorium;  nature  study,  music,  shopwork,  and  other 
special  activities;  play;  education  of  public  opinion;  building  pro¬ 
grams  ;  training  of  teachers. 

Radio  service. — One  specialist  served  as  chairman  of  a  committee 
which  organized  and  maintained  an  educational  radio  service  from 
December  7,  1922,  to  April  19,  1923.  During  this  period  36  messages 
of  an  average  length  of  1,500  words  were  broadcast,  released  twice 
each  week,  on  Monday  and  Thursday  evenings.  During  the  latter 
half  of  this  period  copies  of  the  message  were  sent  to  a  selected  list 
of  1,800  newspapers.  Copies  of  the  messages  were  also  sent  to  two 
radio  stations  on  the  Pacific  coast,  to  be  broadcast  from  there,  and  to 
the  Foreign  Language  Information  Service.  The  service  was  discon¬ 
tinued  for  lack  of  adequate  personnel  and  equipment. 

Kindergarten  education. — Several  circulars  on  kindergarten  educa¬ 
tion  have  been  issued  during  the  year,  including  experiments  in  pre¬ 
school  education ;  kindergartens,  past  and  present ;  suggestions 
concerning  the  application  of  the  project  method  to  kindergarten 
education ;  how  the  kindergarten  makes  Americans ;  chapter  on  kin¬ 
dergarten  education  for  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education.  A  bibli¬ 
ography  on  preschool  and  kindergarten-primary  education  and  a 
circular  on  prefirst-grade  training  are  in  press.  A  bulletin  on  health 
education  in  the  kindergarten,  prepared  in  cooperation  with  the 
physical  education  and  school  hygiene  division  of  the  bureau,  is  also 
in  press. 

The  kindergarten  specialists  have  written  many  articles  for  differ¬ 
ent  purposes  and  occasions.  These  included  reports  of  three  impor¬ 
tant  kindergarten  meetings  for  different  periodicals,  seven  articles  for 
education  week  and  three  for  the  bureau’s  radio  service,  five  for  dif¬ 
ferent  periodicals,  and  a  chapter  for  a  book  on  the  kindergarten 
pioneers  in  preparation  by  a  committee  of  the  International  Kinder¬ 
garten  Union.  A  program  was  also  prepared  for  armistice  day. 
A  mimeographed  leaflet  of  suggestions  on  kindergarten  legislation 
and  five  letters  to  kindergarten  teachers,  training  teachers,  and  super¬ 
visors  were  sent  out.  Suggestions  to  State  presidents  of  women’s 
clubs  and  parent-teacher  associations  were  also  prepared  to  send  out 
on  request. 

The  kindergarten  specialists  spent  81  days  in  field  work  of  different 
kinds  in  8  different  States.  They  gave  34  addreses  to  audiences  total¬ 
ing  17,000  persons.  Five  of  the  addresses  were  before  State  associa¬ 
tions,  and  two  of  these  were  on  the  general  program.  They  held  or 
attended  80  group  or  individual  conferences  at  different  times  and 
places.  They  have  had  important  contacts  with  outside  educational 
organizations.  One  has  been  a  member  of  the  editorial  council  of  the 
National  Education  Association  Journal  and  another  an  officer  of  the 
Progressive  Education  Association.  Both  have  been  members  of 
important  committees  of  the  International  Kindergarten  Union. 

Three  of  the  units  of  the  moving-picture  film,  secured  through 
the  cooperation  of  the  International  Kindergarten  Union,  have  been 
combined  to  make  one  film,  and  this  is  now  completed  and  in  use. 
The  lantern  slides  and  charts  have  been  in  constant  demand  and 
have  been  sent  to  12  States  and  to  Japan.  Both  specialists  assisted 
in  the  Alexandria  school  survey. 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


15 


Several  important  projects  are  in  progress,  including:  An  inquiry 
into  the  kindergarten-primary  courses  in  the  teacher-training  insti¬ 
tutions;  a  study  of  kindergarten  legislation;  and  an  inquiry  into 
the  courses  given  in  colleges  on  child  care  and  training. 

(4)  Division  of  Physical  Education  and  School  Hygiene. 

Field  work. — The  work  of  the  division  has  been  seriously  inter¬ 
rupted  by  resignations  from  the  staff,  and  by  inability  to  fill 
promptly  the  vacancies  occurring  at  the  low  salaries  available. 
The  four  specialists  of  this  division  were  on  active  duty  an  aggre¬ 
gate  of  about  26  months.  These  four  spent  163  days  in  field  work, 
in  24  States;  three  members  made  15  public  addresses,  to  audiences 
aggregating  about  2,300. 

Publications. — Publications  of  the  division  included  12  new  bulle¬ 
tins  and  1  bulletin  and  1  revision  begun  the  previous  year;  1  home 
reading  course;  6  circulars  on  public-school  nursing;  4  circulars  on 
physical  education;  12  news  articles.  In  addition,  the  manuscripts 
of  2  bulletins  were  revised;  1  circular  on  health-teaching  devices 
and  2  health  posters  were  prepared;  2  reports  were  edited  and  pre¬ 
pared  for  publication.  Material  was  collected  in  the  field  for  3 
additional  bulletins. 

Other  activities. — Six  educational  conventions  were  attended  in 
5  States,  and  important  cooperative  relationships  were  established 
in  24  States.  Two  members  of  the  division  assisted  in  the  Alex¬ 
andria  (Va.)  city  school  survey. 

Studies  in  progress  include:  School  health  supervision;  health 
education  in  high  schools ;  preparation  for  health  teaching  in  normal 
schools  and  colleges,  and  school  credits  for  courses  in  hygiene  and 
physical  education. 

School  buildings  and  grounds. — The  special  agent  has  been  in 
constant  demand  for  conferences  and  correspondence  with  boards 
of  education,  school  officers,  and  school  architects  in  regard  to  the 
planning  and  construction  of  school  buildings  and  the  selection  and 
layout  of  school  sites.  Many  sketches  of  school-building  plans  to 
meet  special  conditions  have  been  prepared,  and  architects’  draw¬ 
ings  and  blue  prints  have  been  examined  and  revised. 

In  rendering  this  service,  field  trips  to  the  following  cities  have 
been  undertaken:  Tuskegee,  Ala.;  Waverly,  Tenn. ;  Bowling  Green, 
Ky.;  Gadsden,  Ala.;  Sevierville,  Tenn.;  Troy,  Ala.;  Albany,  Ala.; 
Berea,  Ky. ;  Danville,  Va. :  McKenzie,  Tenn. 

Work  in  progress  includes  revision  of  two  bulletins  on  “American 
schoolhouses  ”  and  “  Rural  schoolhouses  and  grounds.”  Both  of 
these  valuable  bulletins  have  been  out  of  print  for  several  years 
and  are  greatly  in  demand. 

The  field  of  health  work  is  many-sided,  embracing  whatever  has 
a  bearing  on  “  health  in  education  ”  and  “  education  in  health.” 
Only  a  few  aspects  of  the  problem  have  ever  been  touched  by  the 
Bureau  of  Education,  although  it  has  an  unusual  opportunity  for 
service  in  the  field.  Questions  are  opening  up  which  were  not 
dreamed  of  a  few  years  ago,  and  possibilities  that  are  even  yet  only 
partly  comprehended. 


16 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


Investigation  is  needed  to  develop  satisfactory  solutions  for  these 
new  problems,  and  to  stimulate  higher  ideals  and  better  practices  in 
matters  of  school  health.  The  health  of  the  child  should  be  the 
first  objective  in  all  education,  and  the  public-school  program  should 
not  be  circumscribed  by  a  narrow  view  of  the  problem. 

(5)  Service  Division. 

The  organization  of  the  technical  staff  of  the  bureau  includes,  in 
addition  to  the  divisions  of  higher  education,  rural  schools,  city 
schools,  physical  education  and  school  h}Tgiene,  a  number  of  special¬ 
ists  who  serve  definitely  in  more  than  one  of  these  fields.  These  lat¬ 
ter  are  brought  together  for  administrative  purposes  in  the  service 
division,  which  includes  specialists  in  industrial  education,  commer¬ 
cial  education,  home  economics  education,  educational  legislation, 
and  foreign  education. 

Industrial  education. — The  specialist  in  industrial  education  ar¬ 
ranged  the  program  and  conducted  the  thirteenth  annual  three  days’ 
conference  on  the  preparation  of  teachers  of  manual  arts  and  indus¬ 
trial  education,  a  conference  held  at  the  request  of  institutions  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley  States,  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  Madison, 
January  11-13,  1923.  A  report  of  the  proceedings  was  published. 

Four  national  conferences  of  specialists  in  industrial  education 
and  others,  called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  were  organ¬ 
ized  and  conducted  in  cooperation  with  the  agencies  indicated,  and 
reports  of  the  proceedings  were  published  as  follows : 

“  Studies  about  occupations  in  public  schools  ” ;  in  cooperation  with  joint  con¬ 
vention  of  the  National  Society  for  Vocational  Education  and  the  Vocational 
Education  Association  of  the  Middle  West,  Detroit,  Mich.,  November  29,  1922. 

“  Standards  of  eighth-grade  attainment  in  shopwork  ” ;  Western  Arts  Asso¬ 
ciation,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  April’  30,  1923. 

“  Means  of  improvement  for  teachers  in  service  ” ;  Eastern  Arts  Association, 
Providence,  R.  I.,  May  2,  1923. 

“  Art  as  a  vocation  ” ;  American  Federation  of  Arts,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  22, 
1923. 

The  attendance  at  these  five  conferences  included  445  delegates, 
representing  28  States,  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  Canada.  (See 
fig.  4.) 

A  review  of  recent  progress  was  prepared  and  published  as  the 
chapter  on  “  Vocational  education  ”  in  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Edu¬ 
cation. 

The  specialist  represented  the  bureau  on  the  National  Committee 
on  a  Code  for  Lighting  School  Buildings,  in  cooperation  with  the 
American  Engineering  Standards  Committee,  the  Illuminating  En¬ 
gineering  Society,  and  the  American  Institute  of  Architects.  He 
also  represented  the  bureau  as  a  member  of  the  advisory  council 
and  member  of  the  committee  on  education  of  the  Horological 
Institute  of  America. 

Commercial  education. — During  the  year,  the  specialist  in  com¬ 
mercial  education  made  the  necessary  preliminary  arrangements 
and  conducted  a  series  of  regional  conferences,  called  by  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education,  attended  by  business  men  and  high-school 
teachers  of  business  subjects  and  social  studies.  These  conferences 
were  conducted  in  cooperation  with  the  United  States  Bureau  of 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


17 


Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce,  and  with  the  local  agencies  indi¬ 
cated.  Reports  of  the  proceedings  have  been  prepared  for  publica¬ 
tion  by  the  Bureau  of  Education,  or  are  in  preparation. 


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(«)  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  November  3,  4,  1922,  in  cooperation  with  the  Pennsyl¬ 
vania  State  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Philadelphia  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  the 
Philadelphia  public  schools. 

(b)  Boston,  Mass.,  December  8,  9,  1922,  in  cooperation  with  the  Massachusetts 
State  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Massachusetts 
State  Board  of  Education,  and  Boston  public  schools. 


18 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


(c)  New  York  City,  March  2,  3,  1923,  in  cooperation  with  the  New  York  State 
Department  of  Education,  Merchants  Association  of  New  York,  and  the  New 
York  City  High  School  Teachers’  Association. 

(d)  Columbus,  Ohio,  March  9,  10,  1923,  in  cooperation  with  the  Ohio  State 
Department  of  Education,  Columbus  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  the  Columbus 
Board  of  Education. 

(c)  New  Orleans,  La.,  May  4,  5,  1923.  in  cooperation  with  the  Louisiana 
State  Department  of  Education,  New  Orleans  Association  of  Commerce,  and  the 
parish  school  board  of  New  Orleans. 

if)  Atlanta,  Ga.,  May  11,  12,  1923,  in  cooperation  with  the  Georgia  State 
Department  of  Education,  Atlanta  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  Atlanta  Board 
of  Education. 

The  third  annual  conference  of  specialists  in  commercial  education 
was  conducted  in  cooperation  with  the  Vocational  Education  Asso¬ 
ciation  of  the  Middle  West,  in  joint  convention  with  the  National 
Society  for  Vocational  Education,  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  November  29, 
1922. 

A  conference  of  specialists,  called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Educa¬ 
tion,  was  conducted  in  cooperation  with  the  National  Commercial 
Teachers’  Federation,  at  Chicago.  Ill.,  December  26.  1922.  A  report 
of  the  proceedings  was  prepared  for  publication  by  the  bureau. 

A  conference  of  college  instructors  in  foreign-service  training 
subjects  was  conducted  in  Chicago,  Ill.,  December  27,  28,  1922,  at 
which  11  colleges  and  universities  were  represented.  A  report  of 
the  proceedings  was  prepared  for  publication  by  the  bureau. 

The  second  annual  conference  of  specialists  was  conducted  in 
cooperation  with  the  Eastern  Commercial  Teachers’  Association  at 
Providence,  It.  I.,  March  29,  1923.  Other  similar  conferences  were 
arranged  and  conducted  as  follows:  South  Carolina  State  Teachers’ 
Association,  Columbia,  S.  C.,  April  12,  1923:  National  Foreign  Trade 
Council,  New  Orleans,  La.,  May  2,  1923:  College  Instructors  in  For¬ 
eign  Service  Training  Subjects,  New  Orleans,  La.,  May,  1923. 

The  specialist  in  commercial  education  served  as  a  member  of  the 
advisory  committee  of  the  department  of  education  of  the  National 
Federation  of  Business  and  Professional  Women’s  Clubs,  as  chair¬ 
man  of  the  committee  of  fifteen  on  educational  preparation  for 
foreign  service,  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  commercial  engi¬ 
neering,  and  in  advisory  capacity  to  the  National  Foreign  Trade 
Council. 

The  following  reports  of  special  studies  were  prepared  for  publi¬ 
cation:  College  entrance  credits  in  commercial  subjects:  college 
courses  in  advertising  and  merchandising,  and  in  insurance  and 
realty;  commercial  research  bureaus  in  colleges  and  universities; 
collegiate  schools  of  business ;  commercial  engineering ;  foreign 
service  training;  college  courses  in  transportation,  accounting,  bank¬ 
ing,  organization,  secretarial  studies. 

Home  economics  education. — On  December  8,  1922,  Mrs.  Henrietta 
W.  Calvin,  the  bureau’s  specialist  in  home  economics,  resigned  to  ac¬ 
cept  a  more  remunerative  position  as  supervisor  of  the  home  eco¬ 
nomics  in  the  public  schools  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  was  succeeded, 
on  April  2,  1923,  by  Miss  Emeline  S.  Whitcomb,  professor  of  home 
economics,  University  of  Montana,  Missoula,  Mont. 

During  the  year*  the  specialists  in  home  economics  delivered 
addresses  and  represented  the  bureau  at  the  following  educational 
conventions:  New  England  Home  Economics  Association,  National 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES. 


19 


Education  Association,  American  Home  Economics  Association,  Wis¬ 
consin  State  Educational  Association,  Pennsylvania  Schoolmen’s 
Week,  Georgia  State  Home  Economics  Association,  Georgia  State 
Teachers’  Association;  assisted  in  a  survey  of  the  public  schools  of 
Alexandria,  Va. 

Manuscripts  prepared  for  publication  by  the  bureau  include :  Chap¬ 
ter  on  recent  progress  in  home  economics  for  the  Biennial  Survey 
of  Education;  6  home  economics  circulars;  reports  of  proceedings  of 
a  series  of  10  conferences  of  specialists  in  home  economics  conducted 
by  the  bureau. 

Conferences  of  teachers  and  supervisors  of  home  economics,  called 
by  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  were  conducted  in  cooperation 
with  the  National  Education  Association  at  Boston,  Mass.,  and  in 
New  York  City.  Revised  mailing  lists  were  prepared  of  directors 
and  teachers  of  home  economics  in  city  school  systems,  colleges,  uni¬ 
versities,  and  normal  schools. 

The  following  special  studies  are  in  progress:  Status  of  home 
economics  instruction  in  junior  and  senior  high  schools;  status  of 
graduate  work  in  home  economics  in  colleges,  universities,  and  nor¬ 
mal  schools;  bibliographies  on  various  phases  of  home  economics 
education. 

Educational  legislation. — During  the  year  the  specialist  in  edu¬ 
cational  legislation  prepared  for  publication  reports  of  special  studies 
and  investigations,  as  follows:  Legal  status  of  Bible  reading  in  the 
public  schools;  chapter  on  educational  legislation  for  the  Biennial 
Survey  of  Education;  five  articles  for  use  in  connection  with  the 
observance  of  American  education  week;  report  on  system  of  sup¬ 
port  and  administration  of  public  education  in  Oklahoma;  and  out¬ 
line  of  the  development  of  the  State  system  of  public  education  as 
portions  of  the  report  of  the  educational  survey  made  by  the  bureau ; 
similar  report  for  the  State  of  Texas;  legislation  relating  to  high- 
school  fraternities;  regulation  of  private  schools. 

At  the  request  of  the  State  department  of  education  he  prepared 
a  special  report  rearranging  and  codifying  the  State  school  laws 
of  Arkansas.  *  In  addition  digests  were  prepared  for  publication  of 
the  1922  school  legislation  of  12  States.  Nineteen  numbers  in  the 
series  of  legislative  circulars  were  issued,  giving  current  reports  on 
educational  measures  introduced  and  passed  in  the  several  State 
legislatures. 

Work  in  progress  includes :  Completion  of  digest  of  laws  relating 
to  education  recently  enacted  by  the  several  State  legislatures;  laws 
relating  to  free  textbooks  in  the  public  schools. 

Education  in  foreign  countries. — During  the  year  reports  have 
been  prepared  on  educational  systems  and  school  conditions  in  the 
following  countries:  Latin  America,  including  Argentina,  Brazil, 
Bolivia,  Chile,  Colombia,  Ecuador,  Paraguay,  Peru,  Uruguay,  Vene¬ 
zuela,  Mexico,  Cuba,  Costa  Rica,  Guatemala,  Honduras,  Nicaragua, 
Salvador,  Panama;  Czechoslovakia,  Poland,  Spain,  Portugal,  Italy. 

The  Italian  decree  of  May  6,  1923,  providing  for  reforms  in  the 
secondary  and  boarding  schools  of  Italy  was  translated  into  English ; 
the  school  laws  of  Ecuador  and  Venezuela  were  translated  from 
Spanish  into  English ;  and  two  scientific  articles  on  liquid  air  were 
translated  for  other  Government  departments. 


20 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


Six  special  reports  were  prepared  for  release  by  radio,  as  follows : 
The  people’s  high  schools  of  Denmark;  thrift  activities  in  foreign 
schools;  bookwork  and  handwork  in  the  schools  of  Europe;  recent 
continuation  school  laws  in  foreign  countries;  a  first  day  of  school 
in  Stockholm;  what  Europe  does  for  her  gifted  children.  Several 
articles  were  prepared  for  publication  in  School  Life,  including:  Edi¬ 
torial  notes  from  foreign  countries;  some  folk-school  experiments 
in  Germany. 

The  bureau  receives  an  increasing  number  of  requests  for  in¬ 
formation  concerning  opportunities  and  requirements  for  obtaining 
teaching  positions  in  foreign  countries;  also  concerning  summer 
schools  and  entrance  requirements  of  foreign  educational  institu¬ 
tions  and  concerning  the  exchange  of  students  and  instructors. 

A  special  study  is  now  in  progress  of  the  proper  evaluation  of 
school  credits  obtained  in  foreign  countries  in  terms  of  school  sys¬ 
tems  in  operation  in  the  United  States.  Foreign  students  who  come 
to  this  country  to  complete  their  education  in  our  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities  are  now  numbered  by  the  thousands  annually,  and  the 
number  is  increasing.  Those  students  who  come  from  the  older  and 
better-known  systems  of  education  bring  school  credentials  that  can 
be  evaluated  in  most  cases  by  the  registrars  of  the  institutions  con¬ 
cerned.  But  there  is  an  increasing  number  of  these  foreign  students 
coming  from  the  newer  systems  of  education  and  from  less  well- 
known  institutions  of  learning,  whose  credentials  are  more  difficult 
to  evaluate.  Many  of  these  certificates  and  diplomas  are  sent  by 
school  officers  to  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  translation,  interpreta¬ 
tion,  and  evaluation. 

General  Service  Activities. 

As  already  stated,  in  the  organization  of  the  work  of  the  Bureau 
of  Education,  consideration  has  been  taken  of  the  fact  that  there  are 
two  general  types  of  activities  involved,  activities  which  have  been 
described  as  “Technical  ”  and  which  have  been  presented  in  the  fore¬ 
going  part  of  this  report,  and  another  type  of  activities  which,  for 
want  of  a  better  term,  wTe  describe  as  “  General  service  activities.” 
To  these  we  turn  now. 

It  should  be  noted  at  the  outset  that  the  general  service  activities 
of  the  Bureau  of  Education  are,  on  the  whole,  of  such  a  character 
that  they  affect  and  relate  themselves  to  the  entire  staff  of  the  bureau. 
And  vet,  while  some  of  these  activities  require  comparatively  little 
or  no  technical  training,  others  require  a  technical  knowledge  in  some 
instances  quite  comparable  to  a  large  part  of  the  work  done  in  those 
divisions  which  have  been  described  in  this  report  as  “  Technical.” 
Among  those  general  services  which  might  be  regarded  as  non¬ 
technical  are  the  stenographic  division,  the  mails  and  files,  and  the 
messengers.  At  the  present  time  there  are  25  employees  in  the  sten¬ 
ographic  division,  3  in  the  mails  and  files  division,  and  3  in  the  mes¬ 
sengers  division. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  divisions  which  discharge  the  editorial, 
library,  statistical,  and  Alaska  services  involve  much  technical  train¬ 
ing  and  are  among  the  most  responsible  and  important  activities  of 
the  Bureau  of  Education. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


21 


The  editorial  division  handles  all  circulars,  leaflets,  bulletins,  and 
similar  publications,  as  well  as  the  periodical  School  Life.  The 
library  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  has  now  the  largest  collection 
of  purely  pedagogical  and  educational  literature  in  the  world,  with 
possibly  one  exception.  The  necessity  of  gathering  educational  sta¬ 
tistics  is  one  of  the  most  definite  and  significant  of  all  the  functions 
of  the  bureau.  The  Alaska  division  involves  the  administration  of 
a  school  system  as  well  as  a  system  of  medical  relief  and  numerous 
commercial  and  industrial  enterprises,  and  more  than  two-thirds  of 
the  entire  appropriation  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  expended  in 
the  work  of  this  division. 

It  may  readily  be  seen,  therefore,  that  some  of  the  so-called 
“  General  service  activities  ”  are  nothing  less  than  highly  technical 
and  quite  as  important  as  any  of  the  work  that  the  bureau  is  doing. 
The  divisions  characterized  as  “  General  service  ”  have  been  brought 
together  for  convenience  in  solving  an  administration  problem,  inas¬ 
much  as  all  these  divisions  are  made  responsible  through  the  same 
administrative  officer  to  the  commissioner. 

ACTIVITIES  OF  GENERAL  SERVICE  DIVISIONS. 

( 1 )  Statistical  Division. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  publishes  biennially  a  comprehensive 
survey  of  education  in  the  United  States  and  in  some  foreign  coun¬ 
tries.  This  Biennial  Survey  is  presented  in  statistical  as  well  as  in 
textual  form,  various  fields  of  education  being  covered  by  experts 
on  and  outside  of  the  bureau’s  staff.  This  publication  is  the  only 
work  of  its  kind  undertaken  anywhere  and  is  an  important  contri¬ 
bution  to  the  history  of  education.  It  is  in  large  demand  not  only 
in  this  country  but  in  foreign  countries. 

The  larger  part  of  the  time  of  the  statistical  division  during  the 
fiscal  year  just  ended  was  occupied  in  completing  the  few  statistical 
studies  for  the  Biennial  Survey  for  1918-20  which  were  incomplete 
at  the  close  of  the  last  fiscal  year,  and  in  collecting,  tabulating,  and 
compiling  the  statistics  for  the  Biennial  Survey  for  1920-22.  The 
statistical  volume  of  the  Biennial  Survey  comprises  complete  sta¬ 
tistics  for  the  period  involved  for  all  universities,  colleges,  normal, 
high,  and  elementary  schools,  as  well  as  other  establislunents  and 
institutions  doing  educational  work  of  special  and  varied  kinds. 
The  completion  of  the  regular  work  of  the  Biennial  Survey  has  been 
progressively  delayed  for  a  number  of  years,  due  largely  to  the  in¬ 
creasing  complexity  and  rapid  growth  of  educational  systems  and  in¬ 
stitutions  without  appreciable  addition  to  the  bureau’s  statistical 
personnel  and  facilities. 

During  the  past  year  the  bureau  undertook  an  additional  task  of 
considerable  proportion  by  cooperating  with  the  American  Classical 
League,  which,  under  the  direction  of  its  president,  Dean  Andrew 
West,  of  Princeton  University,  is  undertaking  the  most  exhaustive 
study  of  its  kind  made  up  to  this  time  of  any  phase  of  education,  a 
study  of  foreign  languages  in  public  and  private  high  schools.  Ques¬ 
tionnaires  for  this  study  were  prepared  and  sent  out  and  returns 
tabulated  for  the  American  Classical  League  by  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation.  In  addition  to  these  larger  undertakings  during  the  year, 
the  statistical  division  completed  the  following  studies:  Three  sta- 


22 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


tistical  studies  on  per  capita  costs  in  city  schools;  enrollment  in  for¬ 
eign  languages,  sciences,  and  commercial  subjects  in  public  high 
schools ;  and  school  support  and  school  indebtedness  in  cities. 

With  the  addition  of  six  employees  to  the  staff  of  the  statistical 
division  for  the  work  of  the  approaching  fiscal  year,  the  statistical 
work  of  the  bureau  will  be  put  on  a  much  more  satisfactory  basis. 
Delays  have  been  caused  not  only  because  of  insufficient  number  of 
employees  to  do  the  work  in  the  office,  but  likewise  by  an  inability 
to  get  returns  from  the  field  promptly.  With  the  additional  em¬ 
ployees  it  will  be  possible  to  send  some  of  them  into  the  field  to  get 
data  more  promptly  and  at  the  same  time  the  deficiency  of  the  per¬ 
sonnel  in  the  office  will  be  considerably  relieved. 

(2)  Editorial  Division. 

Bulletins  and  leaflets. — A  greater  number  of  documents  were  issued 
by  the  Bureau  of  Education  during  the  year  ending  June  30,  1923, 
than  in  any  corresponding  period  of  its  history.  It  appears  to  be 
impossible  to  maintain  a  uniform  rate  of  issue,  which  is  undoubt¬ 
edly  desirable,  for  the  conditions  that  govern  printing  vary  widely 
from  year  to  year.  Naturally  the  most  important  factor  is  the 
amount  of  the  congressional  appropriation  for  printing  by  the  De¬ 
partment  of  the  Interior,  with  its  corollary,  the  allotment  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  to  the  use  of  the  Bureau  of  Education. 
But  conditions  sometimes  arise  to  interfere  with  the  best-laid  plans 
and  to  prevent  the  prompt  and  regular  delivery  of  printing  ordered 
from  the  Public  Printer,  although  sufficient  money  may  be  on  hand 
to  pay  for  it. 

The  record  of  publications  for  the  past  five  years  is  as  follows : 


Fiscal  year. 

Bulletins. 

All  other 
documents. 

Total. 

1919 . 

71 

87 

158 

1920  . 

62 

94 

156 

1921  . 

47 

77 

124 

1922 . 

63 

52 

115 

1923  . 

67 

94 

161 

Total  for  5  years . 

310 

404 

714 

In  the  fiscal  years  of  1914  to  1918,  inclusive,  about  50  bulletins  were 
issued  annually,  and  the  number  of  minor  publications  was  relatively 
small,  but  in  1919  the  bulletins  rose  to  71,  the  greatest  number  ever 
published  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  one  year;  and  the  number 
of  other  publications  reached  87.  This  sudden  increase  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  quantity  of  printing  on  account  of  the  war  suddenly 
dropped  after  the  armistice,  and  for  a  short  period  the  war-time 
force  of  the  Government  Printing  Office  was  employed  largely  upon 
the  work  of  the  civil  departments  and  many  documents  which  had 
long  been  held  in  abeyance  were  taken  up  and  completed.  In  the  next 
year  less  was  done  for  the  Bureau  of  Education,  though  the  number 
of  leaflets  printed  was  somewhat  greater. 

The  serious  effect  of  the  shortage  of  paper  became  apparent  during 
1920  and  the  number  of  bulletins  issued  in  the  fiscal  year  of  1921  was 
smaller  than  in  any  other  year  since  1913.  The  bulletins  reached  the 
normal  number  again  in  1922,  but  the  number  of  other  documents 
declined. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


23 


The  large  number  of  publications  in  1923  is  largely  the  result  of 
the  new  policy  of  the  bureau  in  issuing  more  brief  documents  and 
fewer  of  the  bulky  type.  In  this  way  a  greater  variety  of  educational 
matters  are  covered  and  the  publications  are  issued  more  promptly. 
This  policy  has  resulted  in  a  marked  increase  in  the  number  of  leaflets 
ranging  in  extent  from  4  to  16  pages,  in  the  reduction  in  the  average 
size  of  the  bulletins  from  76  pages  in  1916  to  53  in  1923,  and  in  the 
practice  of  first  printing  the  bulky  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  in 
the  form  of  separate  chapters  issued  as  “  advance  sheets.” 

It  is  the  present  purpose  to  maintain  a  series  of  leaflets  devoted 
to  each  of  the  branches  of  educational  work  represented  in  the 
bureau.  The  material  for  these  leaflets  is  in  general  prepared  under 
the  direction  of  the  several  chiefs  of  division. 

School  Life. — The  publication  of  the  periodical  School  Life  was 
resumed  in  September,  1922,  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  con¬ 
gressional  Joint  Resolution  No.  57.  Only  2,000  copies  may  now  be 
printed  for  gratuitous  distribution,  and  these  are  sent  to  libraries 
which  make  application  for  them.  Additional  copies,  however,  may 
be  printed  for  “official  purposes,”  which  is  construed  to  include 
exchange  by  which  desirable  material  is  obtained  for  official  uses  in 
the  Bureau  of  Education.  The  principal  circulation  of  School  Life 
is,  therefore,  upon  the  basis  of  subscription  at  30  cents  a  year.  The 
number  of  paid  subscribers  at  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  was  12,159, 
and  the  average  circulation  during  the  year  was  about  22,000  per 
month. 

Distribution  of  documents. — The  Superintendent  of  Documents 
distributed  during  the  year  for  the  Bureau  of  Education  10,723 
reports  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  630,032  bulletins,  704,473 
leaflets,  circulars,  and  miscellaneous  publications,  100,152  copies  of 
School  Life,  and  4,916  copies  of  the  index  to  that  periodical,  making 
a  total  of  1,450,296  documents.  This  number  was  greater  by  390,199 
than  the  number  distributed  in  1921-22. 

Analysis  of  printing  expenditures. — The  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
allotted  $56,000  to  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  printing  in  the 
fiscal  year  of  1923,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  only  $263.67  remained. 
The  following  table  shows  the  purposes  for  which  the  money  was 
expended : 


Work 

com¬ 

pleted. 

Unfinished 
at  end  of 
the  year. 

Total 

ordered. 

Higher  education. . , . 

$2,194.76 
1, 952. 48 

$861.46 

$3, 056. 22 
4, 800.  67 
2, 187. 06 

Rural  schools . 

2, 848. 19 

City  schools . 

1, 100. 02 

1, 087. 04 

Kindergarten . 

419. 76 

294.79 

714.  55 

Industrial  education . 

756.95 

282.67 

1, 039. 62 
482.  88 

Home  eerniomies . .  . 

482.  88 

Commercial  education . 

245.00 

434.73 

679.  73 

Health  education . 

3, 000. 30 
364.  24 

1,847.53 

4,847.83 

364.24 

Foreign  education . 

Library . 

2, 382. 65 
576. 97 

1,624.00 

4,006.65 
576.  97 

Home  education . 

Statistics . 

3, 970. 31 
2, 092. 29 
4, 112. 76 

3,693.48 
3,077. 81 

7, 663. 79 
5, 170. 10 
4, 112. 76 
13, 720.  57 
1, 661. 93 

Biennial  Survey  (vol.  1) . . 

School  Life . 

General . . . 

8, 046. 69 

5,673.88 

148.21 

Miscellaneous . 

1, 513. 72 

Alaska . 

96. 72 

554.04 

650.  76 

Total . 

33,308.50 

22,427.83 

55,736.33 

24 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


Publications  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  Issued  Between  July  i,  1922,  and 
June  30,  1923,  Inclusive. 

BULLETINS,  1921. 

No.  34.  Status  of  the  rural  teacher  in  Pennsylvania.  Leroy  A.  King. 

No.  37.  Malnutrition  and  school  feeding.  John  C.  Gebhart. 

No.  50.  Engineering  education  after  the  war.  Arthur  M.  Greene,  jr. 

BULLETINS,  1922. 

No.  7.  Report  of  the  higher  educational  institutions  of  Arkansas.  George 
F.  Zook. 

No.  8.  Statistics  of  teachers’  colleges  and  normal  schools,  1919-20.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  10.  Supervision  of  rural  schools.  Katherine  M.  Cook. 

No.  11.  Accredited  secondary  schools  in  the  United  States.  George  F'.  Zook. 

No.  12.  Dormitories  in  Connection  with  public  secondary  schools.  Edith  A. 
Lathrop. 

No.  14.  Status  of  sex  education  in  high  schools.  Newell  W.  Edson. 

No.  15.  A  kindergarten-first-grade  curriculum.  By  a  Subcommittee  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education  Committee  of  the  International  Kindergarten  Union. 

No.  16.  The  district  owned  or  controlled  teacher’s  home.  J.  C.  Muerman. 

No.  17.  Statistics  of  city  school  systems.  1919-20.  Advance  sheets  from  the 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  18.  The  residence  of  students  in  universities  and  colleges.  George  F. 
Zook. 

No.  19.  National  conference  of  junior  colleges.  Edited  by  George  F.  Zook. 

No.  20.  State  laws  relating  to  education  enacted  in  1920  and  1921.  William 
R.  Hood. 

No.  21.  Record  of  current  educational  publications.  Comprising  publica¬ 
tions  received  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  May  15,  1922. 

No.  22.  Statistics  of  kindergartens,  1919-20.  Advance  sheets  from  the 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  23.  High-school  buildings  and  grounds.  A  report  of  the  commission  on 
the  reorganization  of  secondary  education. 

No.  24.  Functions  and  administration  of  school  janitor  service.  John  A. 
Garber. 

No.  25.  Higher  education  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand.  Charles  F.  Thwing. 

No.  26.  Philanthropy  in  the  history  of  American  higher  education.  Jesse 
B.  Sears. 

No.  27.  Statistics  of  agricultural  and  mechanical  colleges  for  1919  and  1920. 
Walton  C.  John. 

No.  28.  Statistics  of  universities,  colleges,  and  professional  schools.  1919-20. 
Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  29.  Statistics  of  State  school  systems,  1919-20.  Florence  DuBois  and 
H.  R.  Bonner.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918- 
1920. 

No.  30.  Accredited  higher  institutions.  George  F.  Zook. 

No.  31.  University  summer  schools.  James  C.  Egbert.  Advance  sheets  from 
the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  32.  A  program  of  education  in  accident  prevention,  with  methods  and 
results.  E.  George  Payne. 

No.  33.  Record  of  current  educational  publications.  Comprising  publications 
received  to  September  1,  1922. 

No.  34.  Statistics  of  land-grant  colleges  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1921. 
L.  E.  Blauch. 

No.  35.  First  national  conference  on  the  work-study-play  or  platoon  plan. 
Alice  Barrows. 

No.  36.  Report  of  a  survey  of  the  University  of  Arizona. 

No.  37.  Statistics  of  public  high  schools,  1919-20.  Advance  sheets  from  the 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920. 

No.  38.  Educational  boards  and  foundations.  Henry  R.  Evans.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  39.  Education  in  Czechoslovakia.  Teresa  Bach. 

No.  40.  Kindergarten  education.  Julia  Wade  Abbot.  Advance  sheets  from 
the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


25 


No.  41.  Education  in  Poland.  Teresa  Bach. 

No.  42.  Analytical  survey  of  State  courses  of  study  for  rural  elementary 
schools.  Charles  M.  Reinoehl. 

No.  43.  Some  important  school  legislation,  1921-22.  William  R.  Hood. 
Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  44.  The  American  teacher.  Homer  H.  Seerley.  Advance  sheets  from  the 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  45.  Status  of  certain  social  studies  in  high  schools.  Harry  H.  Moore. 

No.  46.  Record  of  current  educational  publications.  Comprising  publications 
received  to  December  15,  1922. 

No.  47.  Federal  aid  to  public  schools.  Fletcher  Harper  Swift. 

No.  48.  Some  industrial  art  schools  of  Europe  and  their  lessons  for  the 
United  States.  Marius  Vachon.  Translated  by  Florence  N.  Levy. 

No.  49.  Current  educational  publications.  Index,  February  to  December,  1921. 

No.  50.  Educational  directory,  1922-23. 

BULLETINS,  1923. 

No.  1.  Diagnosis  and  treatment  of  young  school  failures.  Helen  T.  Woolley 
and  Elizabeth  Ferris. 

No.  2.  A  school  building  program  for  Washington,  N.  C.  Alice  Barrows. 

No.  5.  Recent  development  of  parent-teacher  associations.  Ellen  C.  Lombard. 
Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  6.  Home  economics  education.  Henrietta  W.  Calvin.  Advance  sheets 
from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  7.  The  educational  work  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association.  Wil¬ 
liam  F.  Hirsch.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920- 
1922. 

No.  8.  Some  significant  movements  in  city  school  systems.  W.  S.  Deffen- 
baugh.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  9.  The  supervision  of  one-teacher  schools.  Maud  C.  Newbury. 

No.  10.  The  public-school  system  of  Arkansas — Part  I.  Digest  of  the  general 
report. 

No.  11.  The  public-school  system  of  Arkansas — Part  II.  Public  school  finance. 
Fletcher  Harper  Swift. 

No.  12.  Secondary  education  in  1921  and  1922.  W.  S.  Deffenbaugh.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  13.  Art  education,  the  present  situation.  Royal  Bailey  Farnum.  Ad¬ 
vance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  14.  Public  education  in  Oklahoma. 

No.  15.  The  Bible  in  the  public  schools;  legal  status  and  current  practice. 
William  R.  Hood. 

No.  16.  Statistical  survey  of  education,  1919-20.  Florence  DuBois.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  17.  Educational  surveys.  E.  F.  Buchner.  Advance  sheets  from  the 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  18.  Medical  education,  1920-1922.  N.  P.  Colwell.  Advance  sheets  from 
the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  19.  Agricultural  education.  George  A.  Works.  Advance  sheets  from  the 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  22.  Educational  work  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  Mark  J.  Sweany. 
Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  23.  The  social  studies  in  civic  education.  Edgar  Dawson.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  24.  Educational  extension.  Charles  G.  Maphis.  Advance  sheets  from 
the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  25.  Recent  developments  in  educational  journalism.  W.  Carson  Ryan, 
jr.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922. 

No.  32.  Record  of  current  educational  publications.  Comprising  publications 
received  to  May  1,  1923. 


CITY  SCHOOL  LEAFLETS. 

No.  2.  The  school  board  in  city  school  survey  reports.  W.  S.  Deffenbaugh. 
No.  3.  Value  of  the  school  census.  Bertha  Y.  Hebb. 

No.  4.  Per  cent  of  municipal  funds  devoted  to  schools  (1920,  1921). 

No.  5.  Research  bureaus  in  city  school  systems.  W.  S.  Deffenbaugh. 

No.  6.  Length  of  school  sessions  in  grades  one  and  two. 


26 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


No.  7.  State  laws,  school-board  regulations,  and  judicial  decisions  relating 
to  high-school  fraternities.  William  R.  Hood  and  Bertha  Y.  Hebb. 

No.  8.  The  city  school  board.  W.  S.  Deffenbaugh. 

COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION  LEAFLETS. 

No.  1.  Chicago  public  high  school  course  in  retail  selling  and  advertising. 
Mildred  Robinson,  Mrs.  Louise  Schaeffer,  Glen  Bentley,  and  Fannie  Arms. 

No.  2.  Report  of  the  Second  Conference  of  Commercial  Education  specialists. 
Glen  Levin  Swiggett. 

No.  3.  Report  of  the  First  Commercial  Education  Dinner  Conference.  Glen 
Levin  Swiggett. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION  SERIES. 

No.  7.  The  lunch  hour  at  school.  Katherine  A.  Fisher.  (Reprint.) 

No.  10.  Suggestions  #for  a  program  for  health  teaching  in  the  elementary 
schools.  J.  Mace  Andress  and  Mabel  C.  Bragg.  (Revised.) 

No.  11.  Milk  and  our  school  children.  Bernice  C.  Reaney. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION - MISCELLANEOUS. 

Interest-arousing  devices  for  health  teaching. 

Price  list — Health  education  publications.  (Revised.) 

SCHOOL  HEALTH  STUDIES. 

No.  1.  Health  for  school  children.  Report  of  the  Advisory  Committee  on 
Health  Education  of  the  National  Child  Health  Council. 

No.  2.  The  child  health  school.  Lydia  J.  Roberts. 

No.  3.  Who’s  who  in  healtliland.  Anne  Whitney. 

PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  SERIES. 

No.  1.  Preparation  of  school  grounds  for  play  fields  and  athletic  events. 
Dorothy  Hutchinson. 

No.  2.  Athletic  badge  tests  for  boys  and  girls.  By  the  Playground  and  Rec¬ 
reation  Association  of  America. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION  CIRCULAR. 

No.  26.  The  Rhodes  scholarships,  1923. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  CIRCULARS. 

No.  5.  Government  publications  of  interest  to  home  economics  teachers  and 
students.  (Revised  March,  1923.) 

No.  9.  Home  economics  courses  of  study  for  junior  high  schools.  (Reprint.) 
No.  13.  Home  economics  in  rural  schools. 

No.  14.  Current  problems  in  home  economics  instruction  and  supervision. 
Henrietta  W.  Calvin. 

No.  15.  Self-supporting  home  economics  departments.  Henrietta  W.  Calvin. 
No.  16.  Applied  science  course  for  high-school  boys. 

No.  17.  Higher  institutions  in  which  home  economics  is  taught. 

HOME  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 

No.  2.  Home  education  by  means  of  reading  courses  and  the  cooperation  of 
State  and  National  agencies.  Ellen  C.  Lombard. 

No.  3.  Parent-teacher  associations.  How'  home  and  school  wrork  together. 
Walton  S.  Bittner  and  Ellen  C.  Lombard. 

*  INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS. 

No.  7.  Higher  standards  for  teachers  of  industrial  subjects.  William  T. 
Bawden.  (Reprint.) 

No.  1).  The  contribution  of  correspondence-instruction  methods  to  industrial 
education.  William  T.  Bawden.  (Reprint.) 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


27 


No.  10.  Helping  the  shop  teacher  through  supervision.  William  T.  Bawden. 
( Reprint. ) 

No.  11.  Preparation  of  teachers  of  manual  arts  and  industrial  subjects. 
William  T.  Bawden. 

No.  12.  Problems  of  organization  in  industrial  education.  William  T.  Bawden. 
No.  13.  Public  school  supervision  of  employed  boys  and  girls.  William  T. 
Bawden. 

No.  14.  Measuring  the  student’s  progress  in  shopwork.  William  T.  Bawden. 
No.  15.  Manual  arts  in  the  junior  high  school.  William  T.  Bawden. 

No.  16.  Studies  about  occupations  in  public  schools.  William  T.  Bawden. 

No.  17.  Development  of  plans  for  the  preparation  of  teachers.  William  T. 
Bawden. 

KINDERGARTEN  CIRCULARS. 

No.  6.  The  child  and  the  kindergarten.  Julia  Wade  Abbot.  (Reprint.) 

No.  9.  How  the  kindergarten  makes  Americans.  Earl  Barnes. 

No.  10.  Some  experiments  in  preschool  education.  (Reprint  from  School 
Life,  November,  1922.)  Nina  C.  Vandewalker. 

No.  11.  Kindergartens  past  and  present.  (Reprint  from  School  Life,  January, 
1921.)  Julia  Wade  Abbot. 

No.  12.  Suggestions  concerning  the  application  of  the  project  method  to 
kindergarten  education.  Nina  C.  Vandewalker. 

LIBRARY  LEAFLETS - LISTS  OF  REFERENCES. 

No.  16.  Rural  life  and  culture. 

No.  17.  Project  method  in  education. 

No.  18.  Visual  education. 

No.  19.  Education  of  women  in  the  United  States. 

No.  20.  Junior  high  school. 


READING  COURSES. 

No.  2.  Great  literature,  ancient,  medieval,  and  modern.  (Revised.) 

No.  4.  Reading  course  for  boys.  (Revised.) 

No.  5.  Reading  course  for  girls.  (Revised.) 

No.  6.  Thirty  books  of  great  fiction.  (Revised.) 

No.  8.  American  literature.  (Revised  reprint.) 

No.  11.  France  and  her  history.  (Reprint.) 

No.  17.  Foreign  trade.  Glen  Levin  Swiggett. 

No.  18.  Dante. 

No.  20.  Teaching.  George  D.  Strayer.  (Reprint.) 

No.  21.  Twenty  good  books  for  parents.  (Reprint.) 

No.  22.  Agriculture  and  country  life.  Prepared  in  cooperation  with  T.  N. 
Carver  and  C.  E.  Ladd. 

No.  23.  How  to  know  architecture.  Richard  F.  Bach. 

REPORT. 

Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1922. 

RURAL  SCHOOL  LEAFLETS. 

No.  3.  Modern  equipment  for  one-teacher  schools.  Maud  C.  Newbury.  (Re¬ 
print.  ) 

No.  4.  Consolidation  of  schools  in  Maine  and  Connecticut. 

No.  5.  How  laws  providing  for  distribution  of  State  school  funds  affect  con¬ 
solidation.  Edith  A.  Lathrop. 

No.  6.  A  plan  for  the  organization  of  a  county  system  of  agricultural  instruc¬ 
tion  in  elementary  rural  schools.  Eustace  E.  Windes. 

No.  7.  State  aid  to  weak  schools.  J.  F.  Abel. 

No.  8.  Essential  features  of  laws  concerning  transportation  of  pupils.  Edith 
A.  Lathrop. 

No.  9.  An  annotated  list  of  official  publications  on  consolidation  of  schools  and 
transportation  of  pupils.  J.  F.  Abel. 

No.  10.  The  organization  of  the  one-teacher  school.  Edith  A.  Lathrop. 

No.  11.  Objectives  in  elementary  rural  school  agriculture.  E.  E.  Windes. 

No.  14.  The  rural-teacher  situation  in  the  United  States.  Mabel  Carney. 


28 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


STATISTICAL  CIRCULARS. 

No.  1.  Per  capita  costs  in  city  schools. 

No.  2.  Enrollment  in  foreign  languages,  sciences,  and  commercial  subjects  in 
public  high  schools.  Florence  DuBois. 

teachers’  leaflets. 

No.  10.  Tendencies  in  primary  education.  Florence  C.  Fox. 

miscellaneous  publications. 

Suggestions  to  authors  and  typists. 

Modern  foreign  languages  in  training  for  ioreign  service.  (Reprint,  pp 
123-140,  Bulletin,  1921,  No.  27.) 

Librarians  of  public  and  society  libraries.  (Reprint  from  Educational  Direc¬ 
tory.  1920-21,  Bulletin,  1920,  No.  33.) 

Publications  available,  November,  1922. 

Publications  available,  April,  1923. 

Accredited  secondary  schools  in  Maryland. 

Model  platoon  school  developed  by  Akron  Teachers  College.  AY.  ,T.  Bankes. 
(Reprint  from  School  Life,  February,  1923,  pp.  135-137.) 

Broadside — American  education  week. 

Broadside — American  education  week,  an  appeal  to  the  Nation. 

PERIODICAL. 

School  Life,  vol.  8,  Nos.  1-10,  September,  1922,  to  June,  1923,  inclusive. 

School  Life,  index  and  title-page,  vol.  7,  September-December,  1921. 

(3)  Library  Division. 

Bibliographies ,  cataloguing  and  indexing. — The  library  has  con¬ 
tinued  to  expand  by  the  addition  of  the  more  important  new  litera¬ 
ture  on  educational  subjects.  The  volumes  and  pamphlets  acquired 
by  gift,  by  exchange,  and  by  purchase  which  were  added  during 
the  year  numbered  828;  also  350  copyright  transfer  books  from  the 
Library  of  Congress  were  accessioned,  and  6,075  numbers  of  serial 
publications. 

The  bibliographical  and  reference  service  was  maintained  as  usual 
both  for  members  of  the  bureau  and  for  outside  inquirers.  A  large 
number  of  letters  requesting  information  or  publications  bearing  on 
educational  topics  were  answered.  During  the  year  the  library  lent 
2,324  volumes  to  borrowers  outside  the  office,  sending  many  of  these 
books  to  considerable  distances  by  registered  mail. 

The  library  compiled  52  new  bibliographies  and  revised  190  of 
the  reference  lists  which  were  previously  on  file.  A  large  number 
of  the  printed,  mimeographed,  and  typewritten  bibliographies  were 
distributed. 

In  the  library  leaflet  series,  lists  of  references  on  the  following 
subjects  were  issued:  No.  17.  Project  method  in  education;  No.  18, 
Visual  education:  No.  19.  Education  of  women  in  the  United  States: 
No.  20,  The  junior  high  school.  The  manuscript  for  leaflets  No. 
21,  Home  economics,  and  No.  22,  Secondary  education  in  the  United 
States,  was  completed  and  sent  to  the  printer.  The  library  also  com¬ 
piled  Bulletin,  1922,  No.  33  and  No.  46.  and  1923,  No.  32,  Record  of 
current  educational  publications,  three  numbers,  the  last  comprising 
publications  received  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  May  1,  1923. 
Bulletin.  1922,  No.  49,  Index  to  the  Record  for  1921,  Avas  also  issued. 

The  library  has  prepared  a  questionnaire  to  be  sent  out  for  the 
purpose  of  collecting  statistics  of  public,  society,  and  school  libra¬ 
ries,  which  are  to  be  published  as  a  bulletin  of  the  bureau. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


29 


The  new  publications  were  catalogued  and  classified,  and  consider¬ 
able  progress  was  made  in  carding  sections  of  the  library  previ¬ 
ously  uncatalogued,  especially  school  and  college  textbooks.  Coop¬ 
eration  in  producing  Library  of  Congress  printed  catalogue  cards 
for  use  throughout  the  country  was  continued.  A  large  number  of 
volumes  were  also  put  through  the  bindery. 

The  chief  of  the  division  contributed  to  each  of  the  10  numbers  of 
School  Life  throughout  the  year  a  page  of  notices  of  new  educa¬ 
tional  books,  with  descriptive  annotations.  He  attended,  as  official 
representative  of  the  bureau,  the  annual  conference  of  the  American 
Library  Association  held  at  Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  April  23-28. 

Home  education . — The  work  of  home  education  in  the  Bureau  of 
Education  was  established  in  1913  to  accommodate  adults  who,  for 
various  reasons,  are  unable  to  continue  their  education  in  institutions. 
The  work  is  intended  to  help  parents  to  further  their  own  education, 
to  give  them  an  understanding  of  child  nature  and  child  care,  and 
to  broaden  their  outlook  regarding  the  needs  not  only  of  their  own 
children  but  of  the  children  of  the  community,  the  State,  and  the 
Aation. 

Since  parents  and  teachers  share  the  responsibility  of  training  the 
children  in  the  most  formative  period  of  their  lives,  it  is  essential 
that  these  two  guardians  of  children  work  together  with  perfect 
understanding.  Parent-teacher  associations,  mothers’  clubs,  and 
reading  circles  have  helped  to  bring  about  a  fine  feeling  of  coopera¬ 
tion  between  the  school  and  the  home.  The  work  of  home  education 
in  the  bureau  has  included  the  encouragement  of  these  organizations. 
It  has  furnished  suggestions  relative  to  a  constitution,  programs, 
etc.  The  work  has  been  conducted  through  correspondence,  circu¬ 
lars,  bulletins,  publicity  articles,  reading  courses,  and  addresses. 

Men  and  women  in  all  occupations  and  professions  have  availed 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  of  reading  under  direction.  Over 
16,000  readers  have  been  enrolled  for  one  or  more  of  the  reading- 
courses.  Twenty -three  reading  courses  have  been  issued,  as  follows : 

1.  The  World’s  Great  Literary  Bibles. 

2.  Great  Literature,  Ancient,  Medieval,  and  Modern. 

3.  Miscellaneous  Reading  Course  for  Parents. 

4.  Miscellaneous  Reading  Course  for  Boys. 

5.  Miscellaneous  Reading  Course  for  Girls. 

6.  Thirty  Books  of  Great  Fiction. 

7.  Thirty  World  Heroes. 

8.  American  Literature. 

9.  Thirty  American  Heroes. 

10.  American  History. 

11.  France  and  Her  History. 

12.  Heroes  of  American  Democracy. 

13.  The  Call  of  Blue  Waters. 

14.  Iron  and  Steel. 

15.  Shipbuilding. 

16.  Machine  Shop  Work. 

17.  Foreign  Trade. 

18.  Reading  Course  on  Dante. 

19.  Master  Builders  of  To-day. 

20.  Teaching. 

21.  Twenty  Good  Books  for  Parents. 

22.  Agriculture  and  Country  Life. 

23.  How  to  Know  Architecture. 


30 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


Two  of  these  courses  were  prepared  and  issued  during  the  year. 

Reading  circles  have  been  promoted  and  members  enrolled  for  the 
bureau’s  courses.  Individuals  are  also  taking  the  courses  without 
joining  a  circle.  In  California  several  cities  have  large  and  active 
reading  circles  in  which  the  bureau’s  courses  are  used. 

The  bureau  has  this  year  prepared  and  issued  a  revised  circular 
descriptive  of  one  of  these  circles  in  California  which  is  used  as  a 
basis  of  organization  of  reading  circles  in  California  and  in  other 
States. 

A  circular  was  prepared  and  issued  containing  excerpts  of  the 
discussions  at  the  Conference  on  Home  Education  at  Lexington,  Ky. 

For  the  use  of  parent-teacher  associations  a  circular  and  a  bulletin 
have  been  prepared  and  issued.  These  are :  “  Parent-teacher  asso¬ 
ciations — how  the  home  and  school  work  together,”  and  u  Recent 
development  of  parent-teacher  associations.” 

Two  radio  articles  were  prepared — one  on  “  What  a  parent-teacher 
association  can  do  for  the  school,”  and  one  on  “  How  you  can  educate 
yourself  at  home.”  For  education  week,  two  articles  of  the  same 
nature  were  prepared. 

In  conducting  the  home  reading  courses  the  bureau  has  the  co¬ 
operation  of  State  departments  of  public  instruction  and  extension 
divisions  in  State  universities  or  colleges  in  16  States  and  Hawaii. 
Special  collaborators  are  appointed  to  carry  on  the  work  in  these 
States  in  the  extension  divisions  of  the  State  institutions.  The 
bureau  furnishes  the  plan  of  work  and  the  leaflets,  circulars,  and 
stationery  with  which  this  work  is  carried  on  in  cooperating  States. 

The  director  of  home  education  prepared  an  address  for  the  an¬ 
nual  meeting  of  the  American  League  of  Library  Commissions  on 
“  The  bureau’s  project  to  promote  reading  habits  among  adults,” 
and  for  a  State  meeting  in  Alabama.  She  addressed  the  Maryland 
Branch  of  the  National  Congress  of  Mothers  and  Parent-Teacher 
Associations  at  Baltimore,  the  parent-teacher  association  at  Alexan¬ 
dria,  Va.,  and  the  annual  convention  of  the  National  Congress  of 
Mothers  and  Parent-Teacher  Associations  at  Louisville,  Ky. 

(4)  Division  of  Mails  and  Files. 

The  bureau  no  longer  undertakes  to  keep  an  exact  count  of  the 
enormous  number  of  letters  and  other  pieces  of  mail  handled  by  this 
division.  All  mimeograph  material  is  made  and  distributed  by 
this  division.  This  consists  largely  of  circulars  of  information, 
blanks  for  office  records,  questionnaires  relating  to  investigations, 
bibliographies,  material  for  newspapers,  announcement  of  confer¬ 
ences  and  other  important  matters  by  the  commissioner,  home  read¬ 
ing  courses,  and  form  letters.  During  the  year  all  radio  messages 
were  mimeographed  and  sent  out  to  the  newspapers  from  this  di¬ 
vision. 

(5)  Alaska  Division. 

The  Alaska  division  of  the  bureau,  as  already  stated,  is  required 
to  make  provision  for  the  education  of  the  natives  of  Alaska,  extend 
to  them  all  possible  medical  relief,  and  train  them  for  self-support 
and,  where  this  is  impossible,  relieve  destitution. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES. 


31 


The  administration  of  this  work  obviously  involves  great  diffi¬ 
culties  arising  principally  from  the  remoteness  of  most  of  the  vil¬ 
lages,  the  enormous  distances  between  them,  the  meager  means  of 
communication,  and  the  severity  of  the  climate.  The  27,000  natives 
are  scattered  along  thousands  of  miles  of  coast  and  on  the  great 
rivers,  in  villages  ranging  from  30  or  40  to  300  or  400  persons.  The 
work  would  extend  to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  United  States  in 
terms  of  distance  with  schools  in  Maine,  California,  Georgia,  and 
Minnesota.  One  of  the  school  districts  is  twice  the  size  of  the  State  of 
Illinois.  Many  of  the  settlements  are  far  beyond  the  limits  of  trans¬ 
portation  and  mail  service.  One-third  of  the  natives  are  north  of  the 
Arctic  Circle. 

To  make  all  the  objectives  of  the  bureau  in  Alaska  anything  like 
100  per  cent  effective  would  require  infinitely  more  money  than  is 
now  appropriated.  Educational  opportunity  is  now  provided  for 
possibly  60  per  cent  of  the  natives,  while  medical  relief  is  extended 
to  an  even  less  proportion.  As  an  instance  of  the  lack  at  this  point, 
15  per  cent  of  the  natives  have  tuberculosis  and  8  per  cent  of  deaths 
arise  from  this  disease,  but  there  is  not  a  tuberculosis  hospital  for 
natives  in  the  entire  Territory. 

During  the  year  the  field  force  in  Alaska  included  5  superintend¬ 
ents,  144  teachers,  7  physicians,  16  nurses,  3  nurses  in  training,  11 
hospital  attendants,  and  4  herders  in  charge  of  the  reindeer  belong¬ 
ing  to  the  Government.  Seventy-five  schools  were  in  operation,  with 
an  enrollment  of  approximately  4,000.  Orphanages  were  maintained 
at  Kanakanak  and  Tyonek  for  the  care  of  the  children  left  desti¬ 
tute  by  an  epidemic  of  influenza  which  prevailed  in  those  regions  a 
few  years  ago. 

The  work  in  Alaska  is  under  the  direction  of  the  superintendent  of 
education  of  natives  of  Alaska,  with  headquarters  in  Seattle.  The 
Seattle  office  functions  as  a  purchasing  and  disbursing  office  for  the 
bureau’s  Alaskan  services.  It  also  finds  teachers  and  other  personnel. 
It  expends  or  invests,  as  requested,  funds  sent  to  it  by  employees  in 
Alaska,  by  cooperative  stores  of  the  natives,  or  by  individual  natives 
of  Alaska.  It  also  sells  commodities  for  the  natives  and  remits  or 
expends  the  proceeds. 

Education. — For  purposes  of  supervision  the  Territory  of  Alaska 
has  been  divided  into  5  school  districts,  each  under  a  district  super¬ 
intendent,  as  follows:  The  northwestern  district,  including  10 
schools,  1  hospital,  and  the  reindeer  herds  on  the  shores  of  the  Arctic 
Ocean  and  in  the  region  tributary  thereto;  the  Seward  Peninsula 
district,  including  11  schools  and  the  reindeer  herds  on  the  Seward 
Peninsula  between  Bering  Sea  and  the  Arctic  Ocean;  the  western 
district,  including  17  schools,  1  hospital,  and  the  reindeer  herds  in 
the  region  bordering  Bering  Sea;  the  central  district,  including  22 
schools,  2  hospitals,  and  the  reindeer  herds  in  central  Alaska  and  on 
the  Aleutian  Islands;  and  the  southeastern  district,  including  15 
schools  and  1  hospital  in  southeastern  Alaska. 

Medical  relief. — The  bureau  maintains  hospitals  at  Juneau,  Kana¬ 
kanak,  Akiak.  Nulato,  and  Noorvik,  which  are  important  centers 
of  native  population  in  southern,  western,  central,  and  arctic  Alaska. 
The  hospitals,  physicians,  and  nurses  serve  only  the  more  thickly 
populated  districts.  In  the  vast  outlying  areas  the  teachers  must  of 


32 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


necessity  extend  medical  aid  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  Accord¬ 
ingly,  the  teachers  in  settlements  where  the  services  of  a  physician  or 
nurse  are  not  available  are  supplied  with  household  remedies  and  in¬ 
structions  for  their  use. 

Inadequate  as  is  the  medical  service  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  entire 
native  population,  it  has  nevertheless  accomplished  gratifying  results. 
During  the  year  1921-22, 6,403  treatments  were  given  to  3,524  patients 
by  physicians  and  at  hospitals;  in  the  villages  the  nurses  gave  8,989 
treatments  to  3,977  patients;  at  57  schools  19,659  treatments  were 
given. 

Reindeer  industry. — Originating  in  1892  in  importations  of  rein¬ 
deer  from  Siberia  to  furnish  subsistence  for  the  Eskimos  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Bering  Strait,  the  reindeer  industry  has  expanded 
until  it  has  assumed  chief  importance  in  the  bureau’s  activities  in 
behalf  of  the  natives.  Herds  are  now  found  near  all  of  the  prin¬ 
cipal  native  settlements  of  western  Alaska  from  the  Arctic  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  So  rapidly  have  the  herds  increased  that  the  total 
number  of  reindeer  in  Alaska  is  now  estimated  at  300,000,  of  which 
about  200,000  are  owned  by  the  natives  themselves.  The  reorgani¬ 
zation  of  this  industry  is  one  of  the  main  problems  now  confronting 
the  bureau.  In  certain  sections  the  herds  have  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  they  represent  little  value  to  the  natives.  Steps  must  be 
taken  not  only  as  to  the  distribution  of  the  herds,  as  in  the  past,  but 
for  the  handling  of  the  industry  on  a  business  basis. 

The  present  commercial  value  of  the  Alaskan  reindeer  herds  is 
apj^roximately  $7,500,000,  or  $300,000  more  than  the  sum  paid  bv  the 
United  States  to  Russia  for  the  Territory.  This  does  not  take  ac¬ 
count  of  some  200,000  reindeer  slaughtered  and  used  in  the  past. 

The  possibilities  for  reindeer  raising  in  Alaska  are  almost  limit¬ 
less,  and  the  territory  producing  the  reindeer  moss  necessary  for 
winter  grazing  would  probably  support  4,000,000  head. 

The  U.  jS.  S.  “  Boxer .” — One  of  the  greatest  problems  in  connection 
with  the  work  of  the  bureau  in  Alaska  has  been  the  securing  of  trans¬ 
portation  of  appointees  and  supplies  from  Seattle  to  the  remoter 
settlements.  In  April,  1920,  the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer ,  a  wooden  vessel  which 
had  been  used  as  a  training  ship  for  naval  cadets,  was  transferred 
from  the  Navy  Department  to  the  Interior  Department  for  use  by 
the  bureau  in  connection  with  its  work  in  Alaska.  Funds  to  cover 
the  expense  of  fitting  the  vessel  for  service  in  Alaskan  waters  were 
provided  in  the  Interior  Department  appropriation  act  approved 
May  24,  1922.  In  April  a  Coast  Guard  cutter  proceeded  to  Newport, 
R.  I.,  and  towed  the  Boxer  to  Norfolk,  Va.,  to  join  other  vessels  to  be 
towed  to  the  Pacific  coast.  The  Boxer  had  been  out  of  commission 
for  several  years  and  this  voyage  disclosed  the  necessity  for  the 
making  of  repairs  to  the  vessel  before  proceeding  farther.  Upon  the 
completion  of  these  repairs  at  the  Norfolk  Navy  Yard,  in  August,  the 
Boxer  left  Norfolk  in  tow  of  a  naval  tug  and  proceeded  by  way  of 
the  Panama  Canal  to  San  Diego,  Calif.,  from  which  place  Coast 
Guard  vessels  towed  the  Boxer  to  Seattle.  During  the  winter  months 
an  engine  was  installed  in  the  vessel  and  it  was  refitted  for  its  work 
in  northern  waters.  It  started  on  its  maiden  trip  in  May  of  this  year. 
It  is  hoped  that  the  operation  of  the  Boxer ,  under  the  direct  control  of 
the  bureau,  will  lessen  the  transportation  problem. 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 
Activities  of  the  Commissioner. 


33 


During  the  year  the  excessive  demands  for  the  services  of  the 
commissioner,  prevalent  in  past  years,  Continued.  The  commis¬ 
sioner  was  able  to  meet  only  a  fractional  part  of  the  calls.  His 


services  in  the  field  involved  55,000  miles  of  travel  and  193  days 
away  from  the  office  in  Washington.  He  conducted  four  national 
educational  conferences  and  made  more  than  200  addresses  before 


34 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1923. 


audiences  aggregating  about  150,000  persons.  These  addresses  in¬ 
cluded  14  addresses  before  national  organizations;  28  addresses 
before  State  organizations;  12  .county  organizations;  14  city  edu¬ 
cational  groups;  20  institutions  of  higher  learning;  20  business 
organizations  (chambers  of  commerce,  Kiwanis,  Rotary,  Lions,  and 
other  luncheon  clubs)  ;  a  considerable  number  of  addresses  at  high 
and  elementary  schools,  chiefly  dedicatory  and  commencement  ad¬ 
dresses;  and  a  large  number  of  miscellaneous  addresses.  (See 
%  5.) 

In  addition,  the  commissioner  visited  officially  8  State  depart¬ 
ments  of  education,  attended  meetings  and  discharged  duties  as  a 
member  of  the  Federal  Boards  for  Vocational  Education  and  Ma¬ 
ternity  and  Infant  Hygiene.  During  the  year,  President  Harding 
created  a  Federal  Council  for  Citizenship  Training  with  representa¬ 
tives  from  all  the  executive  departments  of  the  Government,  the 
Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education,  and  the  Veterans’  Bureau. 
The  Commissioner  of  Education  was  made  chairman  of  the  council 
and  has  met  regularly  with  it.  The  commissioner  published  20 
articles  during  the  year  in  educational  journals  and  periodicals, 
omitting  duplications,  and  held  more  than  200  conferences  in  his 
office  in  Washington  with  those  seeking  advice  and  assistance  in 
educational  problems. 


Recommendations. 

The  recommendations  made  previously  which  do  not  involve  in¬ 
creased  appropriations  have  been  practically  all  carried  out  with 
the  exception  of  moving  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  more  suitable 
quarters.  It  is  hoped  that  the  proposed  move  in  the  near  future  will 
be  satisfactorily  consummated  without  further  delay.  It  appears 
unnecessary  to  recapitulate  the  numerous  recommendations  made 
in  the  last  two  reports  to  the  Secretary  which  require  appropria¬ 
tions  which  it  has  been  impossible  to  secure  in  the  face  of  imperative 
economies  and  retrenchments  in'  Federal  expenditures  as  a  result 
of  the  war  period.  These  needs  still  await  the  arrival  of  a  more 
propitious  hour  in  the  nation’s  financial  status  but  are  nevertheless 
urgent. 

In  Alaska  there  is  need  of  reorganization  of  the  entire  work,  with 
a  great  emphasis  upon  vocational  training  for  the  natives.  These 
people  as  a  rule  require  only  the  fundamentals  of  academic  educa¬ 
tion  but  should  have  a  general  grasp  of  the  meaning  of  government 
and  their  obligations  thereto,  together  with  thorough  training  in 
health,  hygiene,  and  sanitation,  and,  above  all,  the  vocational  train¬ 
ing  that  will  enable  them  to  live  in  a  civilized  environment.  Like¬ 
wise  the  medical  work  and  the  reindeer  industry  require  reorganiza¬ 
tion,  plans  for  both  of  which  will  be  submitted  during  the  coming 
fiscal  year. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Jno.  J.  Tigert, 

C  ommissioner. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


ADDITIONAL  COPIES 

OF  THIS  PUBLICATION  MAY  BE  PROCURED  FROM 
THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  DOCUMENTS 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

AT 

5  CENTS  PER  COPY 


PURCHASER  AGREES  NOT  TO  RESELL  OR  DISTRIBUTE  THIS 
COPY  FOR  PROFIT.— PUB.  RES.  57,  APPROVED  MAY  11,  1922 

V 


REPORT 


OF  THE 

Commissioner  of  Education 


THE  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1924 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1924 


THE  UNITED  STATES  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


Created  as  a  Department  March  2,  1867 
Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1 ,  1869 


COMMISSIONERS 


Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D., 

March  U,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870. 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1886. 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D., 
August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889. 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
September  12.  1889,  to  June  30,  1906. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  1,  1906.  to  June  30,  1911. 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921. 

John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  Ed.  D.,  LL.  D., 
June  2,  1921,  to  date. 


CONTENTS 


General  activities  of  the  bureau:  Page 

General  statement -  1 

American  education  week -  2 

Technical  activities: 

Educational  research  and  promotion _  2 

(1)  Research  and  investigation _ * _  3 

(2)  Educational  surveys -  4 

(3)  Dissemination  of  information _ _ _  5 

(4)  Service  in  the  field - — - -  6 

Activities  of  technical  divisions — 

(1)  Division  of  higher  education -  6 

Educational  surveys _  6 

Special  studies  and  reports _  7 

Educational  conferences _  7 

(2)  Division  of  rural  education _  8 

General  plan  of  work _  8 

Research  studies  and  investigations _  9 

Field  work _  9 

Surveys  and  cooperative  projects -  10 

Publications  _  10 

General  activities _  10 

(3)  Division  of  city  schools _  11 

General  plan  of  work _  11 

Publications  _  11 

Field  service  and  surveys _ 12 

Conference  on  platoon  plan _  13 

Kindergarten  education _  13 

Information _ _ _  14 

General  _  14 

(4)  Division  of  physical  education  and  school  hygiene _  14 

Personnel  _  14 

Publications _  14 

Field  work _ 15 

School  buildings  and  grounds _  15 

(5)  Service  division _  15 

Industrial  education _  15 

Commercial  education _  16 

Home  economics  education _ * _  17 

Educational  legislation _  18 

Education  in  foreign  countries _  18 

General  service  activities : 

Activities  of  general  service  divisions — 

(1)  Statistical  division _  19 

(2)  Editorial  division _  20 

Bulletins  and  leaflets _ 20 

School  Life _  20 

Monthly  clip  sheet _  21 

Distribution  of  documents _  21 

List  of  publications _  21 

(3)  Library  division _  25 

(4)  Home  education _ ’ _  25 

(5)  Division  of  mails  and  files _  26 

(6)  Alaska  division _  26 

Plan  of  reorganization _  26 

Education  _  28 

Medical  relief _  28 

Reindeer  industry _  29 

U.  S.  S.  Boxer _  29 

Industrial  education _  30 

Activities  of  the  commissioner _ _ _ 30 

Recommendations _ 30 

in 


•  fl.  ! 

. 

. 

. 

. 

-  -  -  .  •. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 

W ashinyton,  D.  C .,  September  1 ,  19%i. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the 
operations  of  this  office  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1924, 
together  with  recommendations  for  the  extension  and  improvement 
of  its  work,  as  required  by  act  of  Congress  approved  March  2,  1867. 

General  Statement 

In  my  last  report,  I  gave  an  analysis  of  the  organization  and 
set  forth  the  functions  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  detail.  The 
organization  and  functions  have  not  been  changed  during  the  fiscal 
year  and,  therefore,  I  shall  say  nothing  of  these  at  this  time  but 
wish  to  preface  my  detailed  report  of  the  year’s  activities  with  some 
general  observations. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  finds  itself  in  a  more  promising  situa¬ 
tion  than  at  any  time  in  its  existence.  For  a  number  of  years,  due 
to  small  appropriations,  inadequate  housing,  limited  personnel,  and 
lack  of  ample  facilities,  the  future  has;  looked  uncertain  and,  at  times, 
gloomy  for  the  important  service  of  this  bureau.  The  past  year  has 
brightened  greatly  the  prospect.  A  number  of  factors  have  entered 
into  this  situation  but  the  most  important  has  been  the  increased 
interest  and  support  which  the  bureau  has  secured  in  the  Department 
of  the  Interior,  especially  from  the  office  of  the  Secretary.  This 
increased  interest  has  been  due  very  largely  to  the  removal  of  the 
bureau  from  the  Pension  Building  into  the  Interior  Building.  The 
transfer  in  quarters  has  improved  in  a  marked  degree  the  efficiency 
and  morale  of  the  staff  because  of  the  superior  adaptability  and  more 
attractive  appearance  of  the  space  now  occupied,  and  has  dis¬ 
tinctly  improved  the  facilities  of  cooperation  between  this  bureau 
and  the  Department  of  the  Interior  and  other  bureaus  and  offices  in 
the  department  because  of  proximity  and  convenience. 

I  should  be  remiss  if  I  did  not  acknowledge  at  the  outset  the 
improvement  that  has  come  in  these  various  avenues  converging 
back  in  the  personal  interest  and  support  which  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  has  given  so  unstintedly  during  the  year.  For  this 
I  express  my  profound  appreciation. 

Likewise,  I  wish  to  take  occasion  to  remark  that  the  progress  made 
in  the  bureau  has  been,  in  a  certain  sense,  entirely  due  to  the  exer¬ 
tions  of  those  who  compose  its  staff.  In  many  ways  the  personnel 
have  displayed  loyalty,  energy,  and  enthusiasm  not  formerly  in  such 

1 


2 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


evidence.  I  wish  to  call  attention  to  this  and  say  that  without  it 
the  Commissioner  of  Education  could  have  accomplished  little. 

Even  under  the  present  conditions,  the  Bureau  of  Education  can 
not  render  all  the  service  which  the  States  and  localities  are  de¬ 
manding  because  we  do  not  have  the  facilities  to  create  here  such  a 
central  agency  for  research  and  investigation  of  educational  ques¬ 
tions  as  is  direly  needed,  but  we  are  heartened  and  encouraged  by 
the  progress  that  has  been  made  and  the  better  hope  that  the  future 
seems  to  hold. 


AMERICAN  EDUCATION  WEEK 

Several  years  ago  the  Bureau  of  Education  inaugurated  the  an¬ 
nual  observance  of  a  week  to  stimulate  an  interest  in  education 
throughout  the  Nation.  It  was  designed  as  a  great  spotlight  to 
focus  the  minds  of  the  American  people  upon  what  the  schools  are 
doing  and  what  their  needs  and  objectives  are.  The  next  year  the 
American  Legion  became  interested  and  now  the  week,  known  as 
American  Education  Week,  is  sponsored  conjointly  by  the  Bureau 
of  Education,  the  National  Education  Association,  and  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Legion. 

Last  year  unprecedented  success  marked  the  observance  of  the 
week.  Thousands  of  reports  came  to  the  Bureau  of  Education 
from  every  quarter  of  the  country  describing  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  people  of  all  classes  responded  to  the  appeals  made  to  them 
in  behalf  of  the  schools. 

Stimulated  by  a  proclamation  of  unusual  strength  by  President 
Coolidge  and  by  the  proclamations  of  the  governors  of  the  several 
States,  the  project  lacked  nothing  of  influential  official  support. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  issued  25,000  copies  of  a  leaflet  of  sug¬ 
gestions  for  the  observance  of  the  week,  and  85,000  copies  of  a 
broadside  sheet  for  the  use  of  newspapers  and  various  organiza¬ 
tions.  The  demand  for  these  publications  was  so  great  that  the 
supply  was  exhausted  some  days  before  the  beginning  of  education 
week. 

State  superintendents  of  public  instruction  entered  heartily  into 
the  work  of  preparing  plans  and  issuing  circulars  of  information 
and  instruction.  In  their  turn  local  school  superintendents,  city, 
county,  and  district,  cheerfully  undertook  the  appointment  of  com¬ 
mittees  and  the  direction  of  the  thousands  of  details  of  preparation 
as  outlined  in  the  bureau  leaflet  of  suggestions. 

Each  successive  year  finds  a  more  ready  acceptance  of  American 
education  week,  for  its  value  is  more  and  more  recognized.  With 
experience  a  better  technique  is  developing;  earlier  beginning,  closer 
organization  and  more  complete  preparation  are  evident  every  year, 
and  the  results  are  correspondingly  better.  American  education 
week  for  1924  promises  to  exceed  in  interest  that  for  1923. 

Technical  Activities 

EDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH  AND  PROMOTION 

The  bureau’s  functions  and  activities  include  educational  research 
and  promotion.  These  functions  and  activities  may  be  further 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


3 


(1)  Reseaech  and  Investigation 


The  members  of  the  technical  staff  of  the  bureau  spend  the  greater 
part  of  their  time  in  various  forms  of  research.  The  increasing 
complexity  of  modern  educational  problems  suggests  the  necessity  of 


4 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


constant  change  in  administration  and  content  of  curricula  to  meet 
present-days  needs.  These  changes  in  the  educational  system,  from 
the  kindergarten  to  the  university,  should  be  made  only  after  ade¬ 
quate  study  and  consideration.  There  can  be  no  question,  therefore, 
concerning  the  need  for  research  in  educational  problems. 

The  scope  of  the  bureau’s  investigations  may  best  be  appreciated 
by  referring  to  the  list  of  publications  which  have  been  prepared 
by  the  members  of  the  staff. 

(2)  Education ajl  Surveys 

For  several  years  one  of  the  most  important  and  direct  services 
which  the  bureau  has  rendered  to  educational  administrators  in  the 
several  States  has  been  in  the  field  of  educational  surveys.  As  has 
been  mentioned  in  previous  reports,  the  bureau  has  been  invited  to 
undertake  these  surveys  because  its  representatives  are  completely 
detached  from  any  local  interest  and,  at  the  same  time,  possess 
extended  experience  and  knowledge  which  are  of  great  value  for  this 
purpose.  On  the  other  hand,  the  bureau  has  been  careful  in  these 
surveys  to  request  the  assistance  of  well-known  educators  who  are 
familiar  with  all  of  the  practical  situations  which  call  for  discussion. 

On  account  of  the  increasing  demand  among  educators  and  laymen 
alike  for  studies  of  educational  practices  in  the  light  of  general  and 
local  needs  the  bureau  has  been  able  to  respond  favorably  to  only 
a  small  proportion  of  the  invitations  for  surveys  which  have  come  to 
it.  This  work  is  sufficiently  important  so  that  several  persons  on 
practically  full  time  might  well  be  employed  in  it. 

During  the  fiscal  year  1923-24  educational  surveys  were  made  (see 
Fig.  1),  as  follows: 

Higher  education _  3 

State  system  of  higher  education,  Massachusetts  (field  work  in 
1922-23;  report  completed  in  1923-24). 

General  conditions  relating  to  higher  education,  Tennessee  (field 
work  in  1923-24 ;  report  to  be  completed  in  1924-25 ) . 

Higher  education  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  with  special  reference  to 
Western  Reserve  University  and  the  Case  School  of  Applied 
Science  (part  of  field  work  in'  1923-24 ;  report  to  be  completed 
in  1924-25). 

Rural  education  ;  county  and  other  local  systems  of  public  education —  9 

Phoenix  Union  High  School  (Arizona). 

Currituck  County,  N.  C.,  and  Arlington  County,  Va.  (general  county 
surveys). 

Orangeburg,  S.  C.  (occupational  survey). 

Fairfax  County,  Va.  (evaluation  of  seven  and  eight  year  elementary 
systems). 

Princess  Anne,  King  William,  King  and  Queen,  Chesterfield  Counties, 

Va.  (secondary  education  surveys). 

City  schools _  6 

Swarthmore  and  Radnor  Township,  Pa.  (general  public-school 
systems). 

Alexandria,  Va.  (general  public-school  system;  field  work  in 
1922-23;  report  completed  in  1923-24). 


Portland,  Oreg _ ] 

Fairmont,  W.  Va _ H school-building  surveys). 

Uniontown,  Pa - J 

Total _ _ _ — -  18 


»-  - 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


5 


(3)  Dissemination  of  Information 

In  connection  with  the  field  service  of  members  of  the  staff  and 
through  educational  surveys  the  bureau  disseminates  information  on 
educational  problems  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  By  far  the  greater 


part  of  this  work  is  accomplished  through  the  bulletins  and  circulars 
which  are  issued  from  time  to  time.  Part  of  these  are  the  result  of 
researches  made  by  members  of  the  staff  and  part  are  the  results  of 

11048°— 24 - 2 


6  EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 

studies  which  have  been  made  by  persons  not  connected  with  the 
bureau. 

Thousands  of  individual  requests  for  information  by  letter  or  in 
person  are  also  answered  by  members  of  the  bureau’s  staff  in  the 
course  of  every  fiscal  year. 

(4)  Service  in  the  Field 

In  the  promotion  of  education  the  members  of  the  bureau’s  staff 
are  called  upon  to  inspect  schools  and  colleges,  to  address  educational 
meetings  and  conventions,  to  hold  conferences  with  educational  lead¬ 
ers  in  the  several  fields,  and  to  conduct  educational  surveys.  Some 
of  these  activities  are  undertaken  by  the  bureau  as  a  means  of  main¬ 
taining  close  contact  with  educational  conditions  throughout  the 
country,  but  the  most  of  them  are  performed  at  the  invitation  of 
educational  administrators  in  the  several  States. 

On  account  of  the  limited  travel  funds  of  the  bureau,  much  of 
the  field  service  can  be  undertaken  only  when  the  expenses  of  travel 
and  subsistence  are  paid  by  educational  administrators  and  educa¬ 
tional  associations.  This  situation  has  a  tendency  to  concentrate  the 
field  service  of  the  bureau’s  staff  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  country. 
However,  every  possible  effort  is  being  made  to  reach  and  study  the 
problems  of  all  parts  of  the  Nation. 

Summarizing  all  types  of  field  service,  I  may  report  that  during 
the  fiscal  year  23  members  of  the  bureau  staff,  exclusive  of  the  com¬ 
missioner,  rendered  an  aggregate  of  883  days  of  field  service  out¬ 
side  of  the  District  of  Columbia  in  31  different  States.  (See  Fig.  2.) 

As  one  feature  of  this  service,  20  members  of  the  staff,  exclusive 
of  the  commissioner,  delivered  164  addresses  in  26  different  States, 
to  audiences  aggregating  about  41,227  persons. 

ACTIVITIES  OF  TECHNICAL  DIVISIONS 
(1)  Division  of  Higher  Education 

Educational  surveys. — During  the  year  the  members  of  the  di¬ 
vision  have  largely  been  engaged  in  making  educational  surveys  of 
higher  institutions  in  Massachusetts,  Tennessee,  Georgia,  and  Ohio. 

A  comprehensive  fact-finding  report  bearing  on  the  need  for 
supplementing  existing  facilities  in  higher  education  in  Massa¬ 
chusetts  was  submitted  to  the  State  survey  commission  appointed 
by  the  governor  on  December  26,  1923.  Also,  the  several  possible 
methods  of  supplementing  the  State’s  present  support  of  higher 
education,  including  the  establishment  of  a  State  university,  were 
discussed  in  some  detail.  After  studying  the  fact-finding  report 
the  survey  commission  recommended  the  establishment  of  a  State 
system  of  junior  colleges.  A  number  of  well-known  leaders  in 
higher  education  assisted  the  bureau’s  chief  of  the  division  of 
higher  education  in  making  the  fact-finding  survey.  The  survey 
report  was  printed  as  a  legislative  document  by  the  State  of 
Massachusetts. 

The  State-wide  survey  of  higher  education  in  Tennessee  is  in 
progress.  The  chief  of  the  division  and  three  other  members  of  a 
survey  commission  have  visited  nearly  all  of  the  higher  institutions 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


7 


in  the  State  and  gathered  a  considerable  amount  of  data  which  is 
being  formulated  into  a  report.  The  survey  was  undertaken  at  the 
invitation  of  the  Tennessee  College  Association. 

At  the  invitation  of  the  Cleveland  Foundation,  the  chief  of  the 
division  of  higher  education  has  undertaken  to  direct  a  survey  of 
higher  education  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  with  special  reference  to  West¬ 
ern  Reserve  University  and  the  Case  School  of  Applied  Science. 
The  survey  commission  is  studying  the  needs  of  the  city  in  higher 
education  and  the  possibility  of  developing  the  two  institutions 
through  some  permanent  cooperative  arrangement. 

Special  studies  and  reports. — Other  studies  which  have  been  pre¬ 
pared  in  the  division  and  published  during  the  year  include :  Statis¬ 
tics  of  land-grant  colleges  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1922;  survey 
of  the  State  institutions  of  higher  learning  in  Kansas. 

In  addition  to  the  printed  bulletins  and  pamphlets  prepared  or 
compiled  by  members  of  the  division,  there  were  the  following 
studies,  which  were  issued  in  mimeographed  form :  Statistics  of  cur¬ 
rent  (1923-24)  enrollments,  income,  expenditures,  and  salaries  at 
State  universities,  colleges,  and  teacher-training  institutions;  enroll¬ 
ments  in  schools  of  engineering  (1923-24). 

Studies  which  are  now  in  progress  and  will  shortly  be  completed 
include :  Survey  of  higher  education  in  Tennessee ;  survey  of  higher 
education  in  Cleveland,  Ohio;  residence  of  college  and  university 
students;  statistics  of  land-grant  colleges,  1922-1923;  decennial  re¬ 
port  on  land-grant  college  education,  1910-1920;  Federal  coopera¬ 
tion  in  vocational  education. 

The  assistant  specialist  in  higher  education  has  completed  one- 
half  of  the  survey  on  the  curriculum  of  engineering  schools  in  the 
United  States,  in  cooperation  with  the  board  of  coordination  re¬ 
search  of  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering  Education. 
He  has  also  completed  the  compilation  of  basic  data  on  standards 
and  sources  of  standards  in  mathematics  and  biological  sciences  with 
respect  to  the  bachelors’  degrees  in  the  State  universities  of  the 
United  States,  in  cooperation  with  the  graduate  department  of  the 
American  University. 

Educational  conferences. — The  division  of  higher  education 
has  continued  its  cooperation  with  various  organizations  through 
educational  conferences,  the  most  important  of  which  was,  perhaps, 
the  preliminary  conference  of  the  Pan  American  Highway  Com¬ 
mission.  The  assistant  specialist  in  higher  education  cooperated 
with  the  Pan  American  Highway  Commission  in  organizing  and 
inviting  to  this  country  a  group  of  38  representatives  of  the  depart¬ 
ments  of  public  works,  financial  officials,  and  chief  highway  inspec¬ 
tors,  and  other  men  noted  in  transportation  circles,  of  Latin  America 
to  visit  the  United  States  as  guests  of  the  highway  education  board 
and  to  make  a  study  of  highway  methods  and  finances  in  10  typical 
States  of  the  Union.  Attention  was  also  given  to  methods  of  train¬ 
ing  highway  engineers  in  some  of  the  leading  colleges  of  engi¬ 
neering. 

The  assistant  specialist  in  higher  education  accompanied  the  com¬ 
mission  throughout  its  tour  and  assisted  it  in  its  final  conferences 
at  the  Pan  American  Union  where  the  program  was  prepared  for  the 
Pan  American  Highway-Motors  Conference,  which  is  to  be  held  in 


8 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


Buenos  Aires  in  May,  1925.  As  a  result  of  the  discussion  a  program 
of  highway  educational  work  will  be  organized  in  each  of  the  South 
American  countries  within  the  near  future. 

At  the  request  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  the  assistant 
specialist  in  higher  education  organized  the  fourth  Southern  Confer¬ 
ence  on  Negro  Land-Grant  College  Education  at  Hampton  Institute, 
Hampton,  Va,.,  March  3  to  5,  inclusive,  1924.  The  conference  at 
Hampton  reviewed  the  work  of  the  previous  conferences  held  at 
Atlanta,  Nashville,  and  Tuskegee  with  respect  to  the  agricultural  and 
home  economics  programs.  Furthermore,  it  inaugurated  special 
studies  regarding  academic,  normal  school,  industrial,  financial,  and 
administrative  standards  for  these  institutions,  thus  completing  the 
cycle  of  study  outlined  at  the  first  conference  held  in  Atlanta  in  1920. 
The  meeting  was  well  attended  by  representatives  from  the  land- 
grant  colleges  for  negroes  and  by  leading  white  citizens  interested  in 
negro  education.  It  is  planned  in  the  near  future  to  publish  a  digest 
of  the  proceedings  of  the  four  educational  conferences  on  negro  land- 
grant  colleges. 

Addresses  have  been  delivered  by  members  of  the  division  at  the 
following  educational  meetings:  National  Association  of  State  Uni¬ 
versities  ;  American  Home  Economics  Association ;  American  Associ¬ 
ation  of  University  Women;  New  England  Association  of  Colleges 
and  Secondary  Schools;  National  Association  of  State  High  School 
Inspectors;  National  Council  on  the  Teaching  of  English ;  Pan  Amer¬ 
ican  Highway  Commission;  Hampton  National  Conference  on  Negro 
Land-Grant  College  Education;  American  Association  of  Junior 
Colleges ;  Ohio  State  Teachers’  Association ;  Tennessee  College  Asso¬ 
ciation  ;  Tennessee  State  Teachers’  Association ;  Massachusetts  School¬ 
masters’  Club;  Association  of  Virginia  Colleges;  Division  of  Higher 
Education  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Teachers’  Association ;  and  col¬ 
leges  in  Georgia,  Texas,  Tennessee,  and  Pennsylvania. 

(2)  Division  of  Rural  Education 

General  flan  of  work. — The  work  of  the  division  of  rural  education 
during  the  fiscal  year  has  been  arranged  as  far  as  possible  to  permit 
members  of  the  staff  to  specialize  in  definite  and  assigned  fields  of 
rural  education.  One  new  line  of  work,  namely,  that  of  the  prepara¬ 
tion  of  rural  teachers,  was  established  in  March,  1924.  This  was 
made  possible  by  the  occurrence  of  a  vacancy  on  the  staff.  The 
present  organization  is  planned  to  enable  the  division  to  collect 
authentic  information  in  each  of  the  several  fields,  to  provide  for  a 
series  of  publications  along  each  of  the  several  lines  represented,  and 
to  render  more  effective  and  specialized  service  than  has  formerly 
been  possible.  In  this  way  complete  and  comparable  information 
extending  over  a  period  of  years,  concerning  conditions  and  practice 
in  rural  education  in  the  United  States,  will  eventually  be  made 
available. 

As  an  example  of  the  type  of  work  which  is  being  developed  in  the 
division,  the  field  of  rural  secondary  education  may  be  cited.  In 
1923  this  was  a  new  field  of  endeavor  for  the  division.  After  a  pre¬ 
liminary  survey  of  the  field  and  its  needs,  a  series  of  studies  was 
planned  in  cooperation  with  other  organizations,  particularly  State 
departments  of  education  and  higher  institutions,  comprehending  a 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


9 


survey  of  rural  secondary  education  in  the  United  States.  This  series 
contemplates  (1)  a  general  study  of  State  practice  in  administration 
and  supervision,  (2)  a  study  of  internal  organization  and  curricula, 
(3)  types  of  rural  schools,  and  (4)  rural  secondary  education  in 
selected  States.  The  data  for  the  entire  series  have  been  collected  and 
a  large  part  is  now  tabulated.  The  study  of  the  internal  organiza¬ 
tion  and  curricula  is  complete ;  one  unit  of  the  series  on  types  of  rural 
high  schools  has  been  published.  Completion  of  the  series  will  pre¬ 
sent  the  first  authentic  data  of  the  kind  so  far  collected  and  published. 
Besides  its  informational  value,  this  series  should  aid  materially  in 
the  development  of  a  relatively  new  field  and  directly  assist  school 
officials  in  the  organization  and  development  of  the  type  of  rural  high 
school,  which  experience  has  shown  to  be  most  satisfactory.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  the  lines  of  investigation  which  have  been  indicated,  the 
assignment  in  this  field  has  included  during  the  year  participation 
in  eight  surveys  involving  high-school  problems  of  different  kinds 
and  the  making  of  a  number  of  addresses  on  subjects  concerned  with 
high  schools  and  general  advisory  work  in  the  secondary  field. 

Next  year  it  is  expected  to  develop  in  a  somewhat  similar  way  the 
recently  established  line  of  rural  teacher  preparation.  Other  phases 
of  rural  education  in  which  similar  development  is  progressing  or 
contemplated  are  rural  school  administration  and  supervision,  con¬ 
solidation,  the  rural  school  curriculum,  rural  school  statistics,  and 
organization  and  practice  in  one-teacher  schools. 

Research  studies  and  investigations. — The  greater  part  of  the  time 
of  the  specialists  in  the  division  has  been  given  to  research  and 
investigation.  The  studies  in  progress  or  completed  during  the  year 
include  the  following  subjects  and  have  in  most  cases  resulted  in 
publication  as  circulars,  leaflets,  bulletins,  articles  in  School  Life, 
and  reports  to  school  officials,  or  in  the  preparation  of  information 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  consultative  suggestions  and  advice :  Rural 
school  supervision — methods, practice,  extent  of  in  the  United  States; 
conferences  of  county  superintendents  and  supervisors — number, 
types,  and  time  consumed ;  progress  of  rural  education  in  the  United 
States;  consolidation  and  transportation  problems;  problems  con¬ 
cerned  with  rural  secondary  education — administration,  organiza¬ 
tion,  and  curricula ;  location,  types  of  courses,  and  other  information 
concerning  institutions  preparing  rural  teachers  in  the  United  States ; 
salaries  and  number  of  teachers  in  rural  schools ;  length  of  term  in 
one-teacher  schools;  attendance  in  rural  schools;  improving  schools 
through  standardization ;  type  studies  of  progressive  counties. 

Field  work. — The  division  members  have  visited  24  different  States 
and  spent  a  total  of  approximately  220  days  in  the  field.  Broadly 
classified,  this  means  60  different  trips,  of  which  36  were  primarily 
for  the  purpose  of  conducting  investigation,  research,  surveys,  and 
cooperative  projects  with  State  departments  generally;  16  were  for 
the  purpose  of  making  addresses  on  the  invitation  and  at  the  ex¬ 
pense  of  institutions  or  organizations  requesting  this  service.  These 
include  State  teachers’  associations,  summer  schools,  educational  con¬ 
ferences,  and  the  like.  The  remaining  eight  trips  were  undertaken 
for  the  purpose  of  attending  or  participating  in  educational  confer¬ 
ences.  All  sections  of  the  United  States  are  included  in  the  above  24 
States. 


10 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


Surveys  and  cooperative  projects. — Surveys  and  projects  in  cooper¬ 
ation  with  State  and  county  departments  of  education  have  been 
completed  or  are  in  preparation  in  the  following  States:  Arizona, 
1;  Pennsylvania,  2;  South  Carolina,  1;  North  Carolina,  2;  Virginia, 
8.  These  surveys  cover  one  or  more  of  the  following :  General  admin¬ 
istration;  location  of  school  buildings,  including  surveys  for  consoli¬ 
dation  or  for  location  of  county  and  union  high  schools ;  curriculum 
revision;  evaluation  of  different  types  of  schools;  organization  of 
classes  and  teachers  within  the  school  or  system.  The  above  surveys 
have  been  made  at  the  request  and  at  the  expense  of  school  officials 
of  the  several  units  of  organization  concerned.  Following  the  com¬ 
pletion  of  these  surveys  reports  have  been  or  will  be  prepared  for  the 
school  officials  in  charge.  Abstracts  are  printed  as  bulletins  when 
necessary  or  desirable.  Of  the  above  surveys  four  reports  have 
been  prepared  or  are  nearing  completion.  At  least  two  of  the  others 
are  expected  to  result  in  printed  reports. 

Publications  of  interest  in  rural  education. — Through  its  different 
types  of  publications  the  division  aims  to  disseminate  information 
in  the  various  fields  of  rural  education,  to  assist  school  officials  in 
solving  various  problems  which  present  themselves  in  the  administra¬ 
tion,  support,  and  organization  of  rural  schools  and  rural-school 
systems,  and  to  promote  progressive  ideas  and  policies  among  rural 
people  and  for  rural  schools.  Rural-school  officers,  especially  teach¬ 
ers  and  superintendents,  are  an  itinerant  group  of  which,  at  the 
present  time,  a  large  number  are  without  adequate  training  or  pre¬ 
vious  experience.  The  division  aims  to  be  useful  to  the  different 
groups  of  rural-school  officials  in  accordance  with  and  in  proportion 
to  their  needs.  To  accomplish  this  end  different  types  of  publica¬ 
tions  and  a  variety  of  methods  of  appeal  are  essential.  Research 
studies  and  investigations  usually  result  in  publications.  Approx¬ 
imately  20  were  prepared  during  the  year  in  the  division  and  10 
issued  in  the  form  of  bulletins,  leaflets,  or  circulars.  Eighteen  con¬ 
tributions  to  the  bureau’s  monthly  magazine,  School  Life,  were  pre¬ 
pared  in  the  division  during  the  year.  One  issue  of  School  Life  each 
year  is  devoted  to  rural  education.  A  member  of  the  staff  assists 
the  editor  in  the  planning  and  preparation  of  this  issue.  For  the 
Rural  Schools  News  Letter,  a  monthly  mimeographed  circular  sent 
to  approximately  3,000  country  newspapers,  members  of  the  division 
prepared  approximately  75  articles  of  250  words  each.  Members  of 
the  staff  also  contributed  to  educational  and  other  magazines,  among 
which  are  the  New  York  State  Teachers’  Association  Journal;  the 
Federation  News  and  Bulletin,  published  by  the  General  Federation 
of  Women’s  Clubs;  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Country  Life 
Association;  the  American  School  Board  Journal;  the  Virginia 
Journal  of  Education;  the  Vocational  Guidance  Magazine;  and  the 
Galveston  (Tex.)  News. 

General  activities. — Considerable  time  has  been  devoted  to  the 
preparation  of  maps,  charts,  and  other  exhibit  material  showing  the 
work  of  the  division  and  of  the  bureau  and  setting  forth  facts  con¬ 
cerning  the  status  of  rural  education  in  the  United  States.  These 
have  been  exhibited  at  meetings  of  the  department  of  superintend¬ 
ence  in  Chicago,  the  National  Education  Association  in  Washington, 
the  General  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs  in  Los  Angeles,  the  League 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


11 


of  Women  Voters  at  Buffalo,  at  conferences  of  county  superintend¬ 
ents  in  Montana  and  Minnesota,  and  at  Teachers  College,  Columbia 
University,  New  York  City.  In  addition,  a  considerable  amount 
of  time  of  members  of  the  division  has  been  given  to  the  preparation 
of  special  literature,  bibliographies,  articles  for  School  Life,  and  ma¬ 
terial  for  use  during  the  meeting  of  the  National  Education  Associa¬ 
tion  the  first  week  in  J uly . 

All  members  of  the  staff  assisted  in  preparing  material  for  educa-  . 
tion  week,  1923,  including  the  preparation  of  a  special  leaflet  setting 
forth  suggestions  for  observation  of  the  week  by  schools  and  a  num¬ 
ber  of  articles  for  the  Broadside.  Films  and  slides  on  conditions  in 
rural  education  in  the  United  States,  prepared  by  the  division,  have 
been  circulated  in  a  number  of  States  during  the  year. 

Through  its  correspondence  as  well  as  through  the  preparation  of 
circulars,  leaflets,  and  other  publications,  the  division  serves  as  a 
clearing  house  of  information.  The  correspondence  covers  a  wide 
variety  of  subjects,  including  requests  for  information  and  advice 
on  all  topics  concerned  with  rural  education  in  different  parts  of  the 
United  States. 

A  member  of  the  staff  assisted  in  the  organization  and  direction 
of  the  National  Conference  on  Illiteracy,  held  by  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  in  cooperation  with  the  American  Legion,  the  National 
Education  Association,  and  General  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs, 
January  11  to  14,  1924,  and  had  charge  of  the  preparation  and 
distribution  of  the  reports  of  results  and  conclusions  growing  out 
of  the  conference. 

An  exhibit  of  activities  of  interest  to  rural  teachers,  carried  on  by 
organizations  located  in  Washington,  was  shown  in  the  auditorium 
of  the  Interior  Department ;  preparation  of  a  program  and  publica¬ 
tion  of  an  announcement  of  all  activities  of  the  bureau  during  N.E.A. 
week  were  made  in  the  division,  and  moving  picture  programs  were 
shown  during  three  days  of  that  week  under  its  direction  and  super¬ 
vision. 

(3)  Division  of  City  Schools 

General  plan  of  work. — The  members  of  the  city  schools  division 
have  directed  their  efforts  along  the  following  lines : 

1.  Preparation  of  bulletins,  leaflets,  and  circulars. 

2.  Field  service,  including: 

(a)  School  surveys. 

(&)  Addresses. 

(c)  Conferences. 

3.  Information  service. 

4.  General,  including  preparation  of  material  for  American  Education 

Week,  and  for  the  exhibit  held  during  the  meeting  of  the  National 
Education  Association. 

Publications. — During  the  year  the  following  bulletins,  leaflets, 
and  circulars  were  prepared  by  the  division :  “  An  evaluation  of 

kindergarten-primary  courses  of  study  in  teacher-training  institu¬ 
tions  ” ;  “  The  kindergarten  and  health  ” ;  “  How  the  kindergarten 
prepares  children  for  primary  work”;  “A  bibliography  on  pre- 
school  and  kindergarten-primary  education  ” ;  “  Prefirst  grade  train¬ 
ing  ” ;  “  Why  your  child  should  go  to  kindergarten  ” ;  “  Kindergarten 
progress,  1920-22”;  a  revision  of  the  leaflet,  “Organizing  kinder- 


12 


EDUCATION  REPORT  1924 


gartens  in  a  city  school  system  ” ;  and  “  How  to  arouse  interest  in  kin¬ 
dergartens  ” ;  two  reading  courses  for  boys  and  girls  in  the  elementary 
schools ;  “  Bibliography  on  the  work-study-play,  or  platoon,  plan  ” ; 
“  Training  teachers  for  platoon  schools 99 ;  “  J unior  high  schools  in 
cities  having  a  population  of  2,500  and  over”;  “Appreciation  of 
pictures  ” ;  “  Organization  of  research  bureaus 99 ;  “  Salaries  of  teach¬ 
ers  in  certain  cities”;  “Teaching  cost  in  39  junior  high  schools”; 
“  Basis  for  music  in  the  work-study-play  schools  ” ;  “  A  platoon  school 
in  Kansas  City,  Mo.” ;  “  Organization  and  administration  of  the 
duplicate  school  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.” ;  “  School  survey  report  of 
Alexandria,  Va.” 

A  bulletin  on  nature  study  was  Qearly  completed  by  one  of  the 
members  of  the  division.  This  bulletin  presents  courses  of  study 
especially  adapted  to  the  various  sections  of  the  country. 

Field  service  and  surveys. — During  the  year  the  members  of  the 
division  spent  a  total  of  277  days  in  field  work  in  12  different 
States.  This  included  time  spent  in  school  surveys  and  addresses  at 
educational  meetings.  Among  the  addresses  delivered  were  those 
at  the  meetings  of  the  National  Education  Association;  Pennsyl¬ 
vania  school  men,  University  of  Pennsylvania;  District  Supervi¬ 
sors,  University  of  Pennsylvania;  Phi  Delta  Kappa,  University  of 
Pennsylvania;  American  Association  of  University  Women  and 
General  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs;  International  Kindergarten 
Union. 

Investigation  of  work  in  nature  study  was  made  in  some  of 
the  schools  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  Michigan,  and  Pennsylvania  to 
determine  what  are  the  special  requirements  for  this  work. 

Five  surveys  were  undertaken  by  members  of  the  division: 

(1)  A  general  survey  of  the  schools  of  Swarthmore,  Pa.,  was  made 
under  the  direction  of  the  chief  of  the  division,  who  was  assisted 
by  two  members  of  the  city  schools  division,  two  members  of  the 
rural  education  division,  one  member  of  the  physical  education  and 
school  hygiene  division,  and  by  the  specialist  in  home  economics. 
The  major  lines  of  the  recommendation  made  by  the  committee  have 
been  adopted. 

(2)  A  general  survey  of  the  schools  of  Radnor  Township,  Pa., 
was  made  by  the  chief  of  the  division,  assisted  by  one  member  of 
the  rural  education  division,  and  one  member  of  the  physical  educa¬ 
tion  and  school  hygiene  division.  A  preliminary  report  was  sub¬ 
mitted  in  June.  Some  of  the  recommendations  have  already  been 
adopted. 

(3)  At  the  request  of  the  board  of  school  directors  of  Portland, 
Oreg.,  the  specialist  in  city  schools  conducted  a  school  building  sur¬ 
vey  for  Portland.  A  school  building  program  was  worked  out  for 
a  15-year  period,  1922-1937,  divided  into  three  five-year  periods. 
At  the  request  of  the  board  the  building  program  was  worked  out 
on  both  the  traditional  plan  of  school  organization  and  on  the 
work-study-play  plan.  The  board  unanimously  voted  to  ask  for  a 
$5,000,000  bond  issue  for  the  five-year  period  on  the  program  worked 
out  on  the  work-study-play  plan.  On  June  21,  1924,  the  bond  issue 
carried  by  a  vote  of  two  to  one. 

(4)  A  school  building  program  for  Uniontown,  Pa.,  was  out¬ 
lined  by  the  chief  of  the  city  schools  division.  The  report  was 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


13 


adopted  and  a  bond  issue  of  $600,000  was  voted  for  new  school 
buildings. 

(5)  A  school  building  program  was  recommended  by  the  chief 
of  the  division  for  Fairmont,  W.  Ya.  The  report  was  adopted  by 
the  Board  of  Education.  The  voters  of  the  city  will  be  asked  to 
approve  a  bond  issue  of  $600,000  for  a  new  high  school  building. 

Conference  on  the  work- study -play  or  platoon  plan. — Under  the 
direction  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  the  specialist  in  city 
schools  organized  the  Third  National  Conference  on  the  work-study- 
play  or  platoon  plan.  The  conference  was  called  by  the  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education  and  was  held  in  cooperation  with  the  department 
of  superintendence  of  the  National  Education  Association,  at  Chi¬ 
cago,  Ill.,  February  27,  1924.  Those  engaged  in  work  in  schools 
on  the  work-study-play  or  platoon  plan,  or  those  who  planned  to  or¬ 
ganize  schools  on  this  type  of  school  organization,  were  invited  to  the 
conference.  More  than  500  superintendents  and  principals  from  all 
parts  of  the  country  attended  both  the  afternoon  and  evening  confer¬ 
ences.  During  the  year  the  Commissioner  of  Education  appointed 
the  following  national  committees  to  make  a  study  of  different  phases 
of  the  plan:  Committee  on  building  programs,  chairman,  Charles 
L.  Spain,  deputy  superintendent  of  schools,  Detroit,  Mich.;  com¬ 
mittee  on  organization,  chairman,  Miss  Rose  Phillips,  supervisor  of 
platoon  schools,  Detroit,  Mich. ;  committee  on  auditorium,  chairman, 
John  G.  Rossman,  assistant  superintendent  of  schools,  Gary,  Ind.; 
committee  on  education  of  public  opinion,  chairman,  S.  O.  Hartwell, 
superintendent  of  schools,  St.  Paul,  Minn.;  committee  on  music, 
chairman,  Will  Earhart,  director  of  music,  public  schools,  Pitts¬ 
burgh,  Pa.;  committee  on  play,  chairman,  John  E.  Gilroy,  director 
of  physical  education,  Gary,  Ind.;  committee  on  special  activities, 
chairman,  Miss  Elsa  Ueland,  president,  Carson  College,  Flourtown, 
Pa.;  committee  on  school  extension  activities,  chairman,  G.  W. 
Swartz,  director  of  adult  education,  Gary,  Ind. ;  committee  on  train¬ 
ing  of  teachers,  chairman,  W.  F.  Kennedy,  director  of  platoon 
school,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Three  committees,  those  on  building  programs,  auditoriums,  and 
organization,  made  full  reports  at  the  conference  and  the  others  gave 
preliminary  reports.  Each  committee  held  a  committee  meeting 
during  the  week  of  February  25  to  plan  for  the  coming  year’s  work. 
The  superintendents  and  principals  present  at  the  conference  re¬ 
quested  that  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education  call  a 
fourth  national  conference  to  be  held  in  February,  1925,  in  coopera¬ 
tion  with  the  department  of  superintendence  of  the  National  Edu¬ 
cation  Association. 

Kindergarten  education. — In  addition  to  the  preparation  of  the 
bulletins  and  leaflets  previously  mentioned,  the  specialists  in  kinder¬ 
garten  education  prepared  reports  on  kindergarten,  music  and  draw¬ 
ing  in  two  school  surveys,  outlines  of  high-school  courses  of  study 
in  music  and  drawing  in  connection  with  one  of  these,  a  report  of 
the  conference  on  training  teachers  and  supervisors  held  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  meeting  of  the  department  of  superintendence  for  the 
kindergarten  and  first  grade,  arid  a  report  of  the  meeting  of  the 
International  Kindergarten  Union.  Numerous  articles  were  pre- 


14 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


pared  for  School  Life  and  other  periodicals.  A  kindergarten  read¬ 
ing  course  was  prepared  for  parents.  A  series  of  mimeographed 
letters  were  sent  to  kindergarten  teachers,  training  teachers,  and 
supervisors  to  acquaint  them  with  bureau  publications.  An  address- 
ograph  list  of  first-grade  critic  teachers  in  teacher-training  institu¬ 
tions  was  prepared. 

The  kindergarten  specialists  of  the  division  spent  45  days  in  field 
work  in  six  different  States.  They  visited  eight  cities — three  for 
the  purpose  of  assisting  in  school  surveys  and  the  others  to  visit  spe¬ 
cial  schools  and  institutions.  They  held  195  conferences,  23  of  which 
were  with  groups  and  others  with  individuals. 

The  kindergarten  moving-picture  film  completed  last  year  did 
good  service  but  was  lost  in  December.  Through  the  cooperation  of 
three  cities  a  new  one  is  in  progress.  The  charts  and  lantern  slides 
have  been  in  almost  continuous  service.  A  new  set  of  lantern  slides 
is  being  made — one  that  illustrates  the  development  of  projects  of 
different  kinds. 

Information. — Much  of  the  time  of  the  specialists  was  given  to 
replying  to  letters  requesting  information  and  advice  regarding 
various  city  school  problems — junior  high  schools,  kindergartens, 
evening  schools,  administrative  problems,  the  platoon  plan,  teachers’ 
councils,  salary  schedules,  etc. 

General. — Material  for  use  in  the  observance  of  American  edu¬ 
cation  week  was  prepared  and  compiled  under  the  direction  of  the 
chief  of  the  division,  who  served  as  chairman  of  the  committee 
representing  the  bureau  in  the  campaign.  This  material  consisted 
of  suggestions  to  school  superintendents  and  others  as  to  the  ways 
of  observing  the  week,  and  a  broadside  sheet  for  the  use  of  news¬ 
papers  and  of  various  cooperating  agencies. 

The  chief  of  the  division  served  as  chairman  of  a  committee  to 
prepare  an  exhibit  of  the  educational  work  of  the  Department  of 
the  Interior.  This  exhibit  was  placed  in  the  corridor  of  the  In¬ 
terior  Building  and  was  viewed  by  several  thousand  teachers  and 
by  others. 

(4)  Division  of  Physical  Education  and  School  Hygiene 

Personnel. — There  have  been  several  changes  in  the  staff  of  the 
division  during  the  year,  but  at  its  close  it  included  the  following: 
The  specialist  in  charge  of  the  division,  two  junior  specialists,  one 
part-time  field  agent,  and  one  clerical  assistant. 

Publications. — Aside  from  correspondence  and  personal  interviews 
in  the  office  and  other  routine  office  work,  the  following  publications 
have  been  prepared:  Physical  Education  Circular;  two  circulars 
for  school  nurses ;  report  of  the  study  of  municipal  and  school  play¬ 
grounds;  schoolhouse  planning  and  construction;  health  promotion 
in  a  continuation  school;  the  continuing  need  for  teachers  of  child 
health ;  suggestions  for  rural  school  nurses ;  what  every  teacher  should 
know  about  the  physical  condition  of  her  pupils ;  report  of  two  con¬ 
ferences  on  school  health  supervision;  report  of  a  conference  of 
the  State  directors  of  physical  education ;  progress  and  prospect  in 
school  health  work;  suggestions  for  a  physical  education  program 
for  small  secondary  schools ;  athletics  for  women.  Two  publications 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


15 


were  revised  for  republication.  Several  articles  were  written  for 
School  Life.  A  number  of  posters  and  charts  have  been  prepared. 

Field  work. — Two  conferences  on  health  teaching  were  held  and 
two  meetings  of  the  State  directors  of  physical  education  were  ar¬ 
ranged.  The  reports  of  these  conferences  have  been  prepared  for 
publication  as  stated.  A  number  of  other  meetings  were  attended 
by  members  of  the  staff. 

Eight  addresses  were  delivered  before  meetings  of  teachers  or 
students. 

The  division  assisted  in  the  survey  of  the  schools  of  Swarthmore, 
Pa.,  of  Radnor  Township,  Pa.,  and  Currituck  County,  1ST.  C. 

There  is  in  progress  a  study  of  the  requirements  and  credits  in 
physical  education  in  colleges,  the  health  program  of  open-air 
schools,  what  is  being  done  for  the  health  of  teachers,  and  bulletins 
on  posture  and  on  the,  correlation  of  health  with  other  subjects  of 
the  curriculum. 

School  buildings  and  grounds. — The  special  agent  in  schoolhouse 
construction  reports  that  besides  answering  all  correspondence  re¬ 
ferred  to  him  (approximately  550  letters  answered),  he  has  made 
the  following  studies  for  the  bureau : 

A  survey  of  Orlando,  St.  Augustine,  a  part  of  Lake  County,  in¬ 
cluding  the  cities  of  Eustis,  Tavares,  Mount  Dora,  and  Leesburg, 
and  also  the  city  of  Tampa,  Fla. ;  Mobile,  Ala.,  plans  for  high  school  ; 
Indianapolis,  for  the  State  Board  of  Education  of  Indiana;  Tulsa, 
Okla.,  school  buildings;  Greenwood,  Miss.,  plans  for  new  high 
school;  Richard  City,  Tenn.,  plans  for  high-school  building;  Me¬ 
ridian,  Miss.,  a  survey  of  all  of  the  school  buildings;  Chicago,  Ill., 
Mobile  high  school  plans.  He  has  also  worked  with  numerous  archi¬ 
tects  on  plans  for  proposed  buildings  and  drawn  many  sketches  to 
help  country  school  people  and  other  in  constructing  buildings  with¬ 
out  architects.  He  has  had  conferences  with  school  boards  relative 
to  architects,  and  other  matters  relating  to  school  hygiene  and  sani¬ 
tation.  He  has  also  prepared  a  revision  of  the  bulletin  entitled, 
“American  School  Buildings.” 

(5)  Service  Division 

For  the  purpose  of  administration  certain  members  of  the  bureau’s 
technical  staff,  whose  activities  touch  the  several  levels  of  the  educa¬ 
tional  system,  have  been  grouped  together  in  the  service  division. 
These  activities  include  industrial  education,  commercial  education, 
home  economics  education,  educational  legislation,  and  foreign  edu¬ 
cation. 

Industrial  education. — The  position  of  specialist  in  industrial  edu¬ 
cation  was  vacant  for  the  most  of  the  fiscal  year.  However,  the 
former  specialist  held  at  Urbana,  Ill.,  a  conference  of  representa¬ 
tives  from  institutions  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  which  are  engaged 
in  training  teachers  of  the  manual  arts  and  industrial  education. 
The  proceedings  of  this  conference  were  published  later  by  the 
bureau  as  an  industrial  education  circular  under  the  title,  “  The 
preparation  of  teachers.”  The  bureau  published  during  the  year 
manuscripts  relative  to  the  field  of  industrial  education  as  follows: 
“Manual  arts  in  the  junior  high  school,”  by  IV.  E.  Roberts;  “Sug¬ 
gestions  on  art  education  for  elementary  schools,”  by  Jane  B.  Well¬ 
ing;  “Vocational  education  in  Geneva,  Switzerland,”  by  Elise  Hatt. 


16 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


Commercial  education. — During  the  year  the  specialist  in  com¬ 
mercial  education  addressed  the  summer  school  of  the  Catholic  Uni¬ 
versity  of  America;  the  college  of  commerce  of  the  University  of 
Maryland;  the  Pierce  School  of  Business  Administration,  Philadel¬ 
phia;  the  Tome  Institute,  Port  Deposit,  Md. ;  the  clubwomen  of 
Pennsylvania,  Scranton;  business  groups  in  Charleston  and  Colum¬ 
bia,  S.  C. ;  boys’  high  school  of  Charleston,  S.  C. ;  the  South  Carolina 
Teachers’  Association ;  business  men  and  the  faculty  and  students  of 
Grove  City  College,  Grove  City,  Pa. ;  annual  meeting  of  the  Pitman 
Commercial  Teachers  of  New  York  City;  summer  school  of  the 
Women’s  International  League,  Chicago;  annual  commencement  of 
the  Citadel,  the  military  college  of  South  Carolina ;  the  annual  con¬ 
vention  of  the  National  Association  of  Accredited  Commercial 
Schools,  Indianapolis;  and  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American 
Council  on  Education. 

The  following  conferences  were  organized  and  conducted  by  the 
specialist  in  commercial  education:  The  national  conference  on  sec¬ 
retarial  training,  Boston,  October  27 ;  the  seventh  and  eighth  of  a 
series  of  regional  conferences  of  business  men  and  high-school 
teachers  of  business  subjects  and  social  studies,  St.  Paul-Minneapolis, 
November  2-3,  St.  Louis,  November  23-24;  the  national  conference 
of  collegiate  instructors  of  foreign  service  training  subjects,  Wash¬ 
ington,  December  26;  the  fourth  commercial  education  conference 
in  conjunction  with  the  Vocational  Education  Association  of  the 
Middle  West,  St.  Louis,  January  16;  the  third  annual  commercial 
education  conference  in  conjunction  with  the  Eastern  Association  of 
the  Middle  West,  St.  Louis,  January  16;  the  third  annual  commer¬ 
cial  education  conference  in  conjunction  with  the  Eastern  Com¬ 
mercial  Teachers’  Association,  New  York  City,  April  18;  the  second 
annual  conference  on  foreign  service  training  held  in  conjunction 
with  the  National  Foreign  Trade  Council,  Boston,  June  4. 

The  following  manuscripts  were  prepared  by  the  specialist  in 
commercial  education :  Proceedings  of  the  first,  second,  third,  fourth, 
and  sixth,  each  as  a  separate  bulletin,  of  the  series  of  regional  con¬ 
ferences,  called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  and  attended  by 
business  men  and  high-school  teachers  of  business  subjects  and  social 
studies  (reports  of  the  proceedings  for  the  seventh  and  eighth  con¬ 
ferences  of  this  service  are  in  preparation)  ;  secretarial  training,  a 
report  of  the  national  conference  held  at  the  College  of  Secretarial 
Science  of  Boston  University,  October  27 ;  practices  and  objectives  in 
training  for  foreign  service,  a  report  of  the  national  conference  on 
foreign-service  training  held  December  26  in  Washington;  collegiate 
courses  in  foreign-service  training,  1923-24,  commercial  education 
circulars  Nos.  20  and  21 ;  proceedings  of  the  fourth  commercial  con¬ 
ference  held  in  conjunction  with  the  Vocational  Educational  As¬ 
sociation  of  the  Middle  West;  proceedings  of  the  second  commercial 
engineering  conference,  Pittsburgh,  May  1-2,  1922;  cooperative 
vocational  guidance  in  commercial  education,  a  report  of  the  proceed¬ 
ings  of  the  conference  held  at  Pierce  School  of  Business  Administra¬ 
tion,  Philadelphia,  April  21;  proceedings  of  the  third  annual  com¬ 
mercial  education  conference  held  in  conjunction  with  the  Eastern 
Commercial  Teachers  Association ;  proceedings  of  the  second  annual 
conference  on  foreign-service  training  held  in  conjunction  with  the 
National  Foreign  Trade  Council. 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


17 


Preliminary  arrangements  were  made  by  tlie  specialist  in  indus¬ 
trial  education  for  the  conduct,  in  cooperation  with  an  adequate 
local  committee,  of  a  business  education  investigation-survey  in  the 
State  of  Indiana,  the  purpose  of  which  is  to  collect,  assemble,  and 
interpret  business  data  on  which  to  base  an  articulated  and  motivated 
course  of  study  in  preparation  for  business  in  that  State. 

Home  economies  education. — During  the  year  the  specialist  in 
home  economics  conducted  two  conferences  in  cooperation  with  the 
American  Home  Economics  Association  at  its  annual  meetings  in 
the  following  places:  Chicago,  Ill.,  July  31,  1923;  New  Orleans,  La., 
January  1,  1924.  The  specialist  planned  the  program  and  con¬ 
ducted  the  National  Home  Economics  Conference  called  by  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education  for  April  21  to  24,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
This  conference  was  attended  by  62  home  economics  supervisors 
of  cities  of  10,000  and  above,  by  100  home  economics  teachers  and 
100  other  interested  persons,  representing  many  educational  or¬ 
ganizations.  An  attempt  was  made  at  this  conference  to  interpret 
the  rightful  place  of  home  economics  in  the  whole  educational 
system.  The  specialist  in  home  economics  also  attended  the  con¬ 
ference  on  negro  land-grant  college  education  at  Hampton  Normal 
School  and  Agricultural  Institute,  Hampton,  Va. 

The  specialist  in  home  economics  conducted  the  home  economics 
survey  of  public  schools  in  Swarthmore,  Pa.,  and  planned  the 
course  of  study  in  home  economics  for  the  junior  and  senior  high 
schools.  She  is  also  a  member  of  the  survey  commission  which  is 
studying  higher  education  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  with  special  reference 
to  Western  Reserve  University  and  the  Case  School  of  Applied 
Science. 

Questionnaires  were  sent  to  all  of  the  cities  in  the  United  States 
of  10,000  population  and  above  to  ascertain  the  status  of  home  eco¬ 
nomics  in  these  schools.  The  returns  from  this  questionnaire  were 
compiled.  Another  questionnaire  was  sent  to  all  county  and  State 
superintendents  of  the  United  States  to  obtain  certain  information 
as  to  the  number  of  schools  giving  home  economics ;  number  of  home 
economics  teachers  giving  courses  in  child  care  and  welfare;  the 
family,  personal  hygiene,  and  health;  food,  nutrition,  and  clothing; 
number  of  home  economics  students  taking  such  courses  and  the 
annual  expenditures  of  home  economics  departments.  An  inventory 
was  made  of  the  home  activities  of  the  junior  high  school  girls  of 
two  of  the  public  schools  of  Washington,  D.  C.  The  specialist  per¬ 
sonally  inspected  home  economics  education  in  20  different  States. 

The  specialist  in  home  economics  prepared  a  chapter  on  “  The 
relation  of  the  humanities  in  home  economics  in  the  land-grant  col¬ 
leges,”  included  in  a  compilation  of  papers  relative  to  land-grant 
colleges,  made  by  the  division  of  higher  education ;  home  economics 
circulars,  “  Titles  of  completed  research  in  American  colleges  and 
universities,  1918-1923  ” ;  “  Sources  of  useful  information  for  the 
teacher  of  home  economics”;  report  of  national  conference  of  city 
supervisors  in  home  economics,  held  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  April, 
1924;  articles  for  American  education  week  and  School  Life. 

During  the  year  the  specialist  addressed  the  following  educational 
associations :  State  home  economics  associations  of  Indiana,  Illinois, 
Connecticut,  Maryland,  and  Massachusetts;  the  American  Home 
Economics  Association,  New  Orleans,  La. ;  Eastern  Arts  Association, 


18 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


Atlantic  City,  N.  J. ;  and  the  Association  of  Land-Grant  Colleges  for 
Negroes,  and  the.  student  body  of  Hampton  Normal  and  Agricultural 
Institute,  at  Hampton,  Ya. ;  also,  addressed  the  students  of  Eastern 
High  School,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  John  Adams  Junior  High  School, 
Cleveland,  Ohio;  seniors  of  Mississippi  State  College  for  Women, 
Columbus,  Miss.;  teachers  of  home  economics  of  the  public  schools 
and  of  the  Tennessee  Coal  &  Iron  Co.,  of  Birmingham,  Ala.,  and 
students  in  home  economics  classes  at  Nashville,  Tenn. 

The  specialist  in  home  economics  served  as  a  member  of  the  exhibit 
committee  to  map  out  plans  for  the  exhibit  of  the  Department  of  the 
Interior  for  the  National  Education  Association  in  Washington,  June 
29  to  July  4,  1924;  planned  and  supervised  home  economics  exhibit 
for  the  National  Education  Association  meeting;  judged  a  State  home 
economics  essay  contest;  assumed,  the  duties  of  president  of  the 
District  Home  Economics  Association  (Washington)  ;  and  served  as 
a  member  of  the  publicity  committee  of  the  American  Home  Eco¬ 
nomics  Association. 

Educational  legislation. — During  the  year  the  specialist  in  school 
legislation  prepared  for  publication  reports  of  special  studies  and 
investigations,  as  follows :  Legal  provisions  for  high  schools ;  import¬ 
ant  provisions  of  compulsory  school  attendance  laws.  Two  projects 
begun  prior  to  July  1,  1923,  were  completed  and  the  material  sub¬ 
mitted  for  publication.  One  of  these  involved  making  a  digest  of 
all  school  laws  passed  by  the  legislatures  of  47  States  and  Territories 
in  1923 ;  another  was  a  study  of  State  laws  providing  for  free  text¬ 
books  for  public-school  pupils. 

Special  contributions  to  the  publications  of  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  were  made  as  follows:  Three  articles  for  use  in  connection  with 
the  observance  of  American  education  week;  and  two  articles  for 
publication  in  School  Life.  Four  numbers  in  the  series  of  legislative 
circulars  were  issued,  giving  current  reports  on  educational 
measures  introduced  and  passed  in  the  State  legislatures  which  met 
in  1924.  During  the  year  considerable  special  study  was  devoted  to 
national  laws  and  proposed  laws  relating  to  education. 

Work  in  progress  includes  the  study  of  State  laws  regulating  de¬ 
gree-conferring  institutions  and  assistance  in  the  preparation  of 
material  for  the  observance  of  American  education  week. 

Education  in  foreign  countries. — The  routine  duties  of  the  section 
of  foreign  education  systems  for  the  year  1924  have  continued  much 
the  same  as  in  former  years.  The  subjects  specifically  mentioned  as 
under  consideration  in  former  reports  have  continued  of  special  in¬ 
terest,  and  still  form  the  nucleus  of  a  number  of  important  studies. 

The  comparative  study  of  education  equivalence,  or  the  true  eval¬ 
uation  of  primary  and  secondary  school  credits  of  foreign  countries 
in  the  corresponding  credits  of  the  schools  of  this  country,  is  one 
of  the  most  difficult  as  well  as  the  most  important  problems  with 
which  the  assistant  specialist  in  foreign  education  systems  is  con¬ 
fronted.  The  information  and  knowledge  involved  in  correctly 
handling  this  subject  are  complex  and  extended.  There  are  other 
individuals  and  committees,  both  national  and  international,  work¬ 
ing  on  the  solution  of  the  problem ;  but  so  far  as  the  results  are  avail¬ 
able,  the  Bureau  of  Education  has  carried  the  work  further  toward 
fruition  than  any  other  body. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


19 


The  number  of  foreign  school  certificates  that  have  been  evaluated 
by  the  assistant  specialist  at  the  request  of  university  registrars  ex¬ 
ceeds  250  for  the  year.  These  represent  the  most  difficult  certificates 
to  be  properly  evaluated.  The  number  of  these  requests  is  con¬ 
stantly  increasing  and  the  requirement  of  this  nature  is  sure  to  in¬ 
crease  rapidly  in  the  future. 

Another  very  important  problem  for  the  section  on  foreign  educa¬ 
tion  systems  is  that  of  obtaining  common  facts  or  comparative  data 
from  all  important  education  systems.  Many  requests  are  received 
for  information  on  foreign  school  statistics,  revenue,  etc.,  which  can 
not  be  had  for  the  want  of  available  data.  The  type  of  educational 
information  kept  by  different  countries  is  not  the  same  and  can  not 
easily  be  compared. 

It  has  been  a  chief  concern  of  the  section  during  the  year  to  obtain, 
through  the  use  of  consular  service,  by  means  of  carefully  prepared 
questionnaires,  the  type  of  comparative  school  data  so  much  in  de¬ 
mand  by  advanced  educators.  The  work  of  gathering  this  desirable 
information  is  often  discouraging,  since  the  needed  information 
is  frequently  not  to  be  found  in  the  ministries  of  education  them¬ 
selves.  But  little  by  little  our  files  are  becoming  more  complete  with 
items  and  data  on  foreign  education  systems  of  a  comparative  nature. 

During  the  year  the  routine  duties  of  the  assistant  specialist,  among 
other  things,  have  called  for  answers  to  more  than  a  thousand 
letters,  most  of  which  required  special  study  and  considerable  re¬ 
search.  Probably  as  many  more  requests  for  information  on  foreign 
education  were  answered  by  telephone  or  orally  on  personal  visits  to 
the  office. 

The  work  of  the  translators  has  been  quite  extensive,  consisting 
principally  of  letters,  certificates,  diplomas,  courses  of  study,  articles, 
documents,  school  laws,  etc.;  varying  in  length  from  100  to  more 
than  15,000  words;  representing  Spanish,  French,  Italian,  Portu¬ 
guese,  Dutch,  Swedish,  Norwegian,  Finnish,  Danish,  Hungarian, 
German,  Slovak,  Czech,  Bulgarian,  Russian,  Ukranian,  Latvian, 
Lithuanian,  modern  Greek,  Arabic,  Armenian,  Japanese,  Chinese, 
and  some  others. 

General  Service  Activities 

As  was  set  forth  in  my  previous  report,  the  general  administration 
and  organization  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  provide  for  two  types 
of  service,  one  of  which  is  described  as  technical  and  the  other  gen¬ 
eral.  The  latter  is  of  such  a  character  that  it  relates  itself  in  the 
main  to  the  entire  staff,  but  requires  in  some  instances  knowledge 
which  is  quite  as  technical  as  any  of  the  technical  activities  of  the 
bureau.  The  general  service  activities  are  administered  under  the 
direction  of  the  chief  clerk,  who,  by  requirement  of  the  Congress,  acts 
as  Commissioner  of  Education  in  the  absence  of  the  latter  and  in¬ 
clude  the  following :  Division  of  statistics,  editorial  division,  library 
division,  home  education,  division  of  mails  and  files,  Alaska  division, 
stenographic  division,  and  the  messenger  service. 

STATISTICAL  DIVISION 

Educational  statistics  for  the  year  1921-22  were  prepared  and  pub¬ 
lished  as  follows:  State  school  systems;  city  school  systems;  public 


20 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


high  schools;  private  high  schools  and  academies;  kindergartens; 
universities,  colleges  and  professional  schools;  teachers’  colleges  and 
normal  schools ;  schools  and  classes  for  feeble-minded  and  subnormal 
children;  industrial  schools  for  the  delinquent;  schools  and  classes 
for  the  blind ;  schools  and  classes  for  the  deaf.  One  bulletin,  known 
as  a  statistical  survey  of  education,  is  in  course  of  preparation.  Other 
bulletins  in  preparation  are:  Accredited  secondary  schools;  money 
value  of  education;  housing  of  State  departments  of  education;  il¬ 
literacy;  attendance  data  required  by  States  and  by  the  bureau; 
school  census  and  age  grade  tables. 

The  chief  of  division  served  on  the  staff  of  the  Portland  (Oreg.) 
school  building  survey,  and  other  members  assisted  in  the  survey  of 
the  higher  educational  institutions  in  Tennessee  and  the  survey  of  the 
schools  of  Radnor  Township,  Pa. 

This  division  made  statistical  studies  for  the  library  division,  the 
physical  education  division,  the  rural  education  division,  the  city 
schools  division,  and  the  division  of  higher  education.  Conferences 
were  held  with  State  officials,  college  groups,  normal  school  commit¬ 
tees,  statistical  associations,  the  league  of  compulsory  education  of¬ 
ficers,  and  national  association  of  public  school  business  officials. 

Statistics  are  now  being  collected  from  States,  cities,  and  institu¬ 
tions  for  the  school  year  1923-24. 

EDITORIAL  DIVISION 

Bulletins  and  leaflets. — The  Bureau  of  Education  has  been  affected 
by  the  policy  of  economy  in  common  with  all  other  Government  bu¬ 
reaus,  the  allotment  for  printing  being  less  by  $8,000  than  that  for 
the  preceding  year.  Many  manuscripts  which  would  have  been 
appropriate  for  publication  have  been  declined,  of  necessity,  and 
everything  that  has  been  printed  was  reduced  in  volume  as  much  as 
possible. 

Only  42  bulletins  were  issued  in  the  fiscal  year  of  1924,  the  small¬ 
est  number  in  many  years.  Leaflets  and  circulars  of  a  few  pages 
each,  and  usually  in  small  editions,  were  issued  in  somewhat  greater 
number  than  formerly,  namely,  103.  The  cost  of  each  of  these  is 
relatively  insignificant.  In  the  effort  further  to  reduce  costs,  all 
bulletins  of  fewer  than  50  pages  were  printed  without  cover,  and 
covers  were  placed  on  few  documents  of  any  kind  which  contained 
fewer  than  100  pages.  Only  five  bulletins  were  issued  which  con¬ 
tained  more  than  100  pages  each,  and  the  average  number  of  pages 
per  bulletin  was  49 — a  reduction  of  4  pages  from  the  average  size  of 
the  bulletins  issued  in  1923. 

School  Life. — Only  2,000  copies  of  School  Life  are  distributed 
gratuitously,  and  all  of  them  go  to  libraries  which  apply  for  them. 
Other  copies  are  used  to  procure  material  for  the  library  of  the 
bureau  by  exchange;  and  Government  officers  in  educational  work, 
especially  in  the  native  Alaskan  school  service  and  the  Indian  school 
service,  are  placed  upon  the  subscription  lists  without  charge.  For 
others  the  price  of  subscription  is  30  cents  a  year  for  10  numbers. 
The  number  of  paid  subscribers  at  this  rate  amounted  to  7,665  at 
the  close  of  the  fiscal  year. 

Specially  attractive  numbers  were  issued  in  May  and  June,  by 
permission  of  the  Bureau  of  the  Budget,  in  recognition  of  the  meet- 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


21 


ing  of  the  National  Education  Association  in  Washington.  The  May 
number  was  devoted  principally  to  the  activities  of  the  Bureau  of 
Education,  and  the  June  number  was  intended  to  bring  before  the 
teachers  of  the  country  the  opportunities  offered  to  them  by  the 
Department  of  the  Interior  and  its  several  bureaus.  Of  each  of  these 
two  special  numbers  40,000  copies  were  printed  for  free  distribution. 

Monthly  Clip  Sheet. — In  the  effort  to  procure  the  wider  publica¬ 
tion  of  educational  news  in  the  daily  and  weekly  papers,  the  Bureau 
of  Education  now  issues  regularly  on  the  fifteenth  of  every  month 
a  collection  of  brief  items,  under  the  title  u  Clip  Sheet.”  It  is  dis¬ 
tributed  to  about  5,000  newspapers.  They  have  been  extensively 
used,  and  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  success  of  the  publication. 

Distribution  of  documents. — The  Superintendent  of  Documents 
distributed  during  the  year  for  the  Bureau  of  Education  11,811  Re¬ 
ports  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  448,724  bulletins,  889,493 
leaflets  and  similar  publications,  34,250  copies  of  the  Clip  Sheet,  141,- 
648  copies  of  School  Life,  and  3,000  copies  of  the  index  to  School 
Life.  The  total  was  1,528,926  documents,  an  increase  of  78,630  over 
the  previous  year.  This  number  includes,  of  course,  publications  of 
previous  years.  The  correspondence  of  the  bureau  steadily  in¬ 
creases  and  the  demand  for  its  publications  was  greater  in  1924  than 
ever  before.  The  relatively  small  increase  in  the  number  actually 
distributed  is  the  natural  consequence  of  the  curtailed  printing  pro¬ 
gram  of  the  year. 

Publications  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  July  1,  1923,  to  June  30,  192 1 

BULLETINS,  1923 

No.  3.  History  of  the  manual  training  school  of  Washington  University. 
C.  P.  Coates. 

No.  4.  Junior  high  schools  of  Berkeley,  Calif.  H.  B.  Wilson  and  others. 

No.  20.  Recent  advances  in  instruction  in  music.  Will  Earhart  and  C.  N. 
Boyd.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920^-1922. 

No.  21.  Specimen  junior  high  school  programs  of  study.  W.  S.  Deffenbaugh. 

No.  26.  Educational  work  of  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  Association.  Na¬ 
tional  board  of  Y.  W.  C.  A.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  27.  Hampton  Normal  and  Agricultural  Institute.  Prepared  under  the 
direction  of  W.  C.  John. 

No.  28.  Vocational  education.  W.  T.  Bawden.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial 
Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  29.  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1918-1920 — Statistics.  (Bound.) 

No.  30.  An  Americanization  program.  E.  J.  Irwin. 

No.  31.  Americanization  in  the  United  States.  J.  J.  Mahoney.  Advance 
sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  33.  Educational  hygiene.  W.  S.  Small.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial 
Survey.  1920-1922. 

No.  34.  Higher  education,  1920-1922.  G.  F.  Zook.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey.  1920-1922. 

No.  35.  List  of  bulletins  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  1906-1922.  Edith  A. 
Wright. 

No.  36.  Rural  education.  Katherine  M.  Cook.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial 
Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  37.  Progressive  tendencies  in  European  education.  C.  W.  Washburne. 

No.  38.  Main  streets  of  the  Nation.  Florence  C.  Fox. 

No.  39.  Consolidation  and  transportation  problems.  J.  F.  Abel. 

No.  40.  Survey  of  the  State  institutions  of  higher  learning  in  Kansas.  G.  F. 
Zook,  L.  D.  Coffman,  A.  R.  Mann. 

No.  41.  Consolidation  of  schools  and  transportation  of  pupils.  J.  F.  Abel. 

No.  42.  Educational  research.  B.  T.  Baldwin,  assisted  by  Madorah  Smith. 
Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 


22 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


No.  43.  Games  and  other  devices  for  improving  pupils’  English.  W.  W. 
Charters,  and  H.  G.  Paul. 

No.  44.  Outline  of  education  systems  and  school  conditions  in  Latin  America. 
G.  W.  A.  Luckey. 

No.  45.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  natives  of  Alaska.  Wil¬ 
liam  Hamilton.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  46.  A  study  of  distinguished  high-school  pupils  in  Iowa.  Charles' 
Deich  and  E.  E.  Jones. 

No.  47.  A  biennial  survey  of  public  school  finance  in  the  United  States, 
1920-1922.  F.  H.  Swift  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  48.  Suggestions  for  consolidating  the  rural  schools  of  Beaufort  County, 
N.  C.  Katherine  M.  Cook  and  E.  E.  Windes. 

No.  49.  Statistics  of  State  universities  and  State  colleges  for  the  year 
ended  June  30,  1922.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  50.  Free  textbooks  for  public-school  pupils.  W.  R.  Hood. 

No.  51.  Schools  and  classes  for  the  blind,  1921-22.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  52.  Schools  for  the  deaf,  1921-22.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey, 
1920-1922. 

No.  53.  The  Cooperative  Education  Association  of  Virginia.  G.  W.  Guy. 

No.  54.  Record  of  current  educational  publications  to  October  15,  1923. 

No.  56.  Survey  of  the  schools  of  Alexandria,  Virginia. 

No.  57.  Educational  tests.  S.  S.  Colvin.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial 
Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  58.  Statistics  of  kindergartens  1921-22.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial 
Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  59.  Schools  and  classes  for  feeble-minded  and  subnormal  children,  1922. 
Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  60.  Statistics  of  private  high  schools  and  academies,  1921-22.  Advance 
sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 


BULLETINS,  1924 

No.  1.  Educational  Directory,  1924. 

No.  2.  Industrial  schools  for  delinquents,  1921-22.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  3.  An  evaluation  of  kindergarten-primary  courses  in  teacher  training 
institutions.  Nina  C.  Vandewalker. 

No.  12.  Secretarial  training.  Report  of  conference  at  Boston,  October  27, 
1923.  G.  L.  Swiggett. 

No.  21.  Practices  and  objectives  in  training  for  foreign  service.  Report  of 
conference  at  Washington,  December  26,  1923.  G.  L.  Swiggett. 


CITY  SCHOOL  LEAFLETS 

No.  9.  Teaching  load  in  136  city  high  schools.  C.  C.  Walker. 

No.  10.  Bibliography  of  the  work-study-play,  or  platoon,  plan.  Alice  Bar- 
rows. 

No.  11.  Training  of  teachers  for  platoon  schools.  W.  J.  Bankes. 

No.  12.  Junior  high  schools  in  cities  having  a  population  of  2,500  and  over. 
No.  13.  Appreciation  of  pictures.  Bertha  Y.  Hebb. 

No.  14.  Organization  of  research  bureaus  in  city  school  systems.  Elise  H 
Martens. 

No.  15.  Salaries  of  elementary,  junior  high,  and  high  school  teachers  in  cer¬ 
tain  cities. 

No.  16.  Teaching  costs  in  39  junior  high  schools. 


COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION  LEAFLETS 

No.  4.  College  entrance  credits  in  commercial  subjects.  G.  L.  Swiggett. 

No.  5.  Organization  and  conduct  of  business.  G.  L.  Swiggett. 

No.  6.  Statistics  relating  to  business  education  in  colleges  and  universities, 
1921-22.  G.  L.  Swiggett. 

No.  7.  Commercial  education — school  opportunities  and  business  needs.  G. 
L.  Swiggett. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


23 


HEALTH  EDUCATION  PUBLICATIONS 
Health  Education  Series 

No.  12.  Sleep.  Harriet  Wedgwood. 

No.  13.  Dramatics  for  health  teaching.  Harriet  Wedgwood. 

No.  14.  The  kindergarten  and  health.  Arnold  Gesell  and  Julia  Wade  Abbot. 
No.  15.  Suggestions  for  a  program  for  health  teaching  in  the  high  school. 
Dorothy  Hutchinson. 

No.  16.  The  continuing  need  for  teachers  of  child  health.  Dorothy  Hutchin¬ 
son  and  Harriet  Wedgwood. 

No.  5.  Child  health  program  for  parent-teacher  associations  and  women’s 
clubs.  (Revised.) 

Posters 

No.  4.  Weight,  height,  age  tables  for  boys  and  girls. 

No.  5.  Sleep. 

Miscellaneous 

Classroom  weight  record. 

Interest-arousing  devices  for  teaching  health. 

Price  list  (3  editions). 


Physical  Education  Series 

No.  3.  Suggestions  for  a  physical  education  program  for  small  secondary 
schools.  W.  F.  Cobb  and  Dorothy  Hutchinson. 

No.  4.  Athletics  for  women.  J.  F.  Rogers. 

School  Health  Studies 

No.  4.  Growing  healthy  children.  Grace  T.  Hallock. 

No.  5.  Health  promotion  in  a  continuation  school.  Harriet  Wedgwood. 

No.  6.  Municipal  and  school  playgrounds  and  their  management.  J.  F. 
Rogers. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS 

No.  27.  Need  of  art  training  in  college  and  its  application  in  after  life. 
G.  C.  Nimmons. 

No.  28.  The  Rhodes  scholarships. 

HOME  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS 

No.  4.  New  order  in  educational  cooperation.  Margaretta  Wills  Reeve. 

No.  5.  Parent-teacher  associations  and  foreign-born  women.  Caroline  Hedger. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS 

No.  17.  Development  of  plans  for  the  preparation  of  teachers.  W.  T.  Baw- 
den.  ( Reprint. ) 

No.  18.  Standards  of  eighth  grade  attainment  in  shopwork.  W.  T.  Bawden. 

No.  19.  Means  of  improvement  for  teachers  in  service.  W.  T.  Bawden. 

No.  20.  Art  as  a  vocation.  W.  T.  Bawden. 

No.  21.  Suggestions  on  art  education  for  elementary  schools.  Jane  B.  Well¬ 
ing. 

KINDERGARTEN  CIRCULARS 

No.  13.  Pre-first-grade  training.  W.  T.  Root. 

No.  14.  References  on  pre-school  and  kindergarten-primary  education.  Nina 
C.  Vandewalker  and  Harriet  E.  Howard. 

No.  15.  How  the  kindergarten  prepares  children  for  primary  work.  Mary 
G.  Waite. 

No.  16.  Kindergarten  progress  from  1910-20  to  1921-22.  Nina  C.  Vande¬ 
walker. 

No.  2.  Organizing  kindergartens  in  city  school  systems.  (Revised  reprint.) 
How  to  arouse  public  interest  in  kindergartens.  (Revised  reprint.)  Why  your 
child  should  go  to  kindergarten. 


24 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


LIBRARY  LEAFLETS 

No.  21.  List  of  references  on  home  economics. 

No.  22.  List  of  references  on  secondary  education  in  the  United  States. 

No.  23.  Bibliography  of  all-year  schools  and  vacation  schools  in  the  United 
States. 

reading  courses 

No.  1.  The  world’s  great  literary  Bibles. 

No.  2.  Great  literature,  ancient,  medieval,  and  modern. 

No.  3.  Reading  course  for  parents.  (2  editions.) 

No.  4.  Reading  course  for  boys.  (2  editions.) 

No.  5.  Reading  course  for  girls.  (2  editions.) 

No.  6.  Thirty  books  of  great  fiction. 

No.  7.  Thirty  world  heroes. 

No.  8.  American  literature. 

No.  9.  Thirty  American  heroes. 

No.  10.  American  history  course. 

No.  17.  Foreign  trade. 

No.  19.  Master  builders  of  to-day. 

No.  20.  Teaching. 

No.  21.  Twenty  good  books  for  parents. 

No.  22.  Agriculture  and  country  life. 

No.  24.  Citizenship  and  government.  (2  editions.) 

No.  25.  Pathways  to  health.  (2  editions.) 

No.  26.  Sixty  selected  stories  for  boys  and  girls. 

No  27.  Poetical  literature  for  boys  and  girls. 

RURAL  SCHOOL  LEAFLETS 

No.  12.  Consolidation  of  schools  in  Randolph  County,  Ind.  O.  H.  Greist. 

No.  13.  The  consolidated  schools  of  Weld  County,  Colo.  C.  G.  Sargent. 

No.  15.  Educational  progress  and  the  parents.  O.  C.  Brim. 

No.  16.  The  Iowa  plan  of  observation  and  practice  teaching  in  the  training 
of  rural  teachers.  Anna  D.  Cordts. 

No.  17.  The  Iowa  plan  of  training  superintendents  and  teachers  for  con¬ 
solidated  schools.  Macy  Campbell. 

No.  18.  Principles  of  kindergarten-primary  education  in  the  consolidated 
rural  school.  Katherine  M.  Cook. 

No.  19.  Consolidation  of  schools  and  transportation  of  pupils  in  Lafayette 
Parish,  La.  J.  W.  Faulk. 

No.  20.  Gifts  of  nations,  a  pageant  for  rural  schools.  Maud  C.  Newbury. 
No.  21.  Taxpaying  as  a  lesson  in  citizenship.  Macy  Campbell. 

No.  22.  The  consolidated  schools  of  Bernalillo  County,  N.  Mex.  A.  Montoya. 
No.  23.  Training  courses  in  consolidation  of  schools  and  transportation  of 
pupils.  J.  F.  Abel. 

No.  24.  Salaries  of  country,  teachers  in  1923.  Alex  Summers. 

REPORT 

Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1923. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Suggestions  for  the  observance  of  American  education  week,  November 
18-24,  1923. 

Broadside — American  education  week. 

Publications  available,  September,  1923. 

Publications  available,  February,  1924. 

Publications  available,  May,  1924. 

Community  Score  Card. 

CLIP  SHEET 

December,  1923,  to  June,  1924,  inclusive  (monthly). 

PERIODICAL 

School  Life,  Vol.  9,  Nos.  1-10,  September,  1923,  to  June,  1924,  inclusive. 
School  Life,  index  and  title  page,  vol.  8,  September,  1922,  to  June,  1923. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


25 


LIBRARY  DIVISION 

The  growth  of  the  library  has  continued  by  the  addition  of  cur¬ 
rent  educational  publications.  The  volumes  and  pamphlets  acquired 
by  gift,  by  exchange,  and  by  purchase  during  the  year  numbered 
725;  also  336  volumes  of  copyright  transfers  from  the  Library  of 
Congress  and  5,000  numbers  of  serial  publications. 

The  printed,  mimeographed,  and  typewritten  bibliographies  con¬ 
tinued  in  demand,  and  a  large  number  of  them  were  distributed. 
The  most  extensively  usedjists  of  references  were  constantly  revised 
and  brought  up  to  date  to  the  number  of  176  subjects',  and  45 
entirely  new  bibliographies  were  compiled.  During  the  year  three 
lists  of  references  in  the  library  leaflet  series  were  issued — No.  21, 
Home  economics;  No.  22,  Secondary  education  in  the  United  States; 
and  No.  23,  Bibliography  of  all-year  schools  and  vacation  schools, 
by  Florence  S.  Webb.  Two  others  were  completed  and  turned  in 
for  printing — No.  24,  Money  value  of  education;  and  No.  25,  Voca¬ 
tional  education.  Two  additional  leaflets  on  Rural  life  and  culture 
and  Junior  high  schools  have  been  completed  in  manuscript  form 
in  readiness  for  printing  at  an  early  date.  The  Record  of  current 
educational  publications  received  to  June  1,  1924,  was  also  prepared 
and  sent  to  the  printer. 

The  library  has  had  numerous  calls  for  its  reference  service  from 
outside  visitors  and  borrowers.  In  a  number  of  cases  research 
workers  were  supplied  with  books  and  source  material  which  appar¬ 
ently  could  not  be  obtained  elsewhere.  During  the  year  there  were 
lent  to  borrowers  outside  the  office  1,567  volumes. 

The  chief  of  the  division  contributed  to  each  of  the  10  numbers 
of  School  Life  a  page  of  notices  of  new  educational  books,  with 
descriptive  annotations. 

The  data  in  the  statistical  reports  received  from  public,  society, 
and  school  libraries  for  1923,  in  reply  to  the  questionnaire  forms 
sent  out,  have  been  tabulated  by  the  statistical  division,  and  the 
material  now  awaits  editing  and  completing  for  printing. 

The  library  prepared  an  exhibit  of  its  bibliographical  and  refer¬ 
ence  work  for  inclusion  in  the  educational  exhibit  on  display  in  the 
Interior  Department  building  during  the  1924  meeting  of  the  Na¬ 
tional  Education  Association  in  Washington. 

HOME  EDUCATION 

There  are  now  27  reading  courses  available,  four  of  which  were 
issued  during  the  year,  namely,  No.  24,  Citizenship  and  Government, 
by  George  F.  Zook;  No.  25,  Pathways  to  Health,  by  Harriet  Wedg¬ 
wood;  No.  26,  Sixty  Selected  Stories  for  Boys  and  Girls,  by  Florence 
C.  Fox;  and  No.  27,  Poetical  Literature  for  Boys  and  Girls,  by 
Florence  C.  Fox.  A  reading  course  on  Kindergarten  Ideals  in  Home 
and  School  has  been  prepared  by  Nina  C.  Vandewalker. 

During  the  year  more  than  a  thousand  readers  enrolled  for  one 
or  more  of  the  courses  and  over  50  certificates  were  issued.  Since  the 
inception  of  this  work,  more  than  17,000  readers  have  enrolled  in 
the  courses  and  more  than  700  readers  have  received  certificates. 

Besides  the  reading  courses,  three  publications  have  been  issued 
for  this  work :  “  New  Order  of  Educational  Cooperation,  ”  by  Mar- 


26 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


garetta  Willis  Reeve ;  “  Parent-Teacher  Associations  and  Foreign- 
Born  Women,”  by  Caroline  Hedger,  M.  D.;  and  a  revised  circular 
letter  on  “  A  Representative  Reading  Circle  and  its  Method.  ” 

Exhibits  of  material  relating  to  home  education  have  been  pre¬ 
pared  and  exhibited  at  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and 
Teachers  at  St.  Paul,  at  the  American  Library  Association  at  Sara¬ 
toga  Springs,  at  the  meeting  of  the  National  Education  Association, 
and  at  State  meetings  of  parent-teacher  associations. 

The  director  of  home  education  addressed  six  regional  meetings  of 
the  Michigan  State  Teachers’  Association,  a  junior  high  school 
parent-teacher  association  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  the  an¬ 
nual  meeting  of  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers. 

The  second  national  conference  on  home  education  was  called  by 
the  Commissioner  of  Education  at  the  University  of  Minnesota.  To 
this  conference  were  invited  State,  city,  and  county  librarians,  ex¬ 
tension  directors  in  State  universities,  and  leaders  in  parent-teacher 
associations. 


DIVISION  OF  MAILS  AND  FILES 

The  bureau  has  abandoned  its  former  practice  of  enumerating  the 
vast  number  of  letters  and  other  pieces  of  mail  handled  in  the  di¬ 
vision  of  mails  and  files.  Mimeograph  material  is  now  handled  by 
the  department.  This  includes  circulars  of  information,  blanks  for 
office  records,  questionnaires,  bibliographies,  announcement  of  con¬ 
ferences  and  other  important  matters  by  the  commissioner,  and  form 
letters. 

This  division  occupies  the  full  time  of  two  persons  and  part  time 
of  one  person. 

ALASKA  DIVISION 

Plan  of  reorganization. — The  Commissioner  of  Education,  as  a 
member  of  President  Harding’s  party,  visited  Alaska  last  summer 
and  studied  the  activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  the  Terri- 
tory.  This  visit  impressed  upon  the  commissioner  the  following 
thoughts:  First,  the  need  of  closer  and  more  adequate  supervision 
of  the  bureau’s  work  in  Alaska ;  second,  the  necessity  of  reorganizing 
the  reindeer  industry  so  as  to  take  care  of  the  problems  of  grazing, 
surplus  deer,  and  other  matters  vital  to  the  future  development  of 
this  important  industry;  third,  the  desirability  of  a  course  of  study 
in  the  schools  for  the  natives  of  Alaska  which  would  minister  more 
nearly  to  their  needs.  The  natives  of  Alaska  have  a  peculiar  deft¬ 
ness  of  the  hand  which  has  made  them  weavers,  carvers,  and  skillful 
craftsmen.  The  program  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  should  pro¬ 
vide  for  vocational  education  so  as  to  preserve  and  promote  these 
native  crafts  and  talents. 

In  order  to  provide  more  adequate  supervision,  it  was  suggested 
that  the  Alaska  work  might  be  directed  from  some  point  in  Alaska 
rather  than  through  the  office  in  Seattle.  Careful  study  was  given 
to  the  possibility  of  moving  the  Seattle  office  to  Juneau,  Anchorage, 
or  some  other  Alaskan  point,  but  this  proved  utterly  impracticable. 
The  Seattle  office  is  primarily  an  office  for  the  purchase  of  supplies 
and  the  employing  of  teachers  and  other  personnel.  The  supplies 
can  not  be  secured  in  the  Territory  of  Alaska,  and  there  is  no  teacher- 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


27 


training  institution  there.  It  is,  therefore,  necessary  to  pur¬ 
chase  supplies  and  employ  teachers  in  the  States.  The  work  of  the 
teacher  in  Alaska  is  quite  different  from  that  of  a  teacher  in  a  school 
in  the  States.  The  teacher  must  be  a  community  leader  and  do  many 
things  not  ordinarily  considered  within  the  scope  of  the  teacher’s 
function.  This  makes  it  necessary  to  interview  and  personally  con¬ 
fer  with  those  going  into  our  Alaskan  service. 

As  a  result  of  these  conclusions,  it  was  decided  to  move  the  super¬ 
intendent  of  education  for  the  natives  of  Alaska  to  Anchorage, 
where  he  might  get  a  first-hand  contact  with  our  problems.  Further¬ 
more,  W.  T.  Lopp,  the  present  superintendent,  has  an  intimate  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  reindeer  industry  and  seemed  better  qualified  than  any 
one  else  to  make  recommendations  for  the  improvement  and  reorgani¬ 
zation  of  the  reindeer  industry.  Accordingly,  Mr.  Lopp  was  moved 
to  Anchorage,  with  duties  of  a  supervisory  nature.  At  the  request 
of  the  commissioner,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  created  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  chief  of  the  Alaska  division,  Bureau  of  Education,  whose  du¬ 
ties  are  confined  to  the  direction  of  the  Seattle  office  and  a  general 
administration  of  the  work  in  the  Territory.  Mr.  Jonathan  H. 
Wagner,  former  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  New 
Mexico,  was  appointed  to  this  position. 

With  these  changes,  we  have  begun  to  attack  the  problems  out¬ 
lined  above.  A  beginning  has  been  made  in  several  places  for  in¬ 
dustrial  education  which  will  meet  the  vocational  needs  of  the 
natives  of  Alaska.  A  course  of  study  is  in  preparation  and  will  be 
put  into  use  at  an  early  date.  Industrial  schools  are  in  process  of 
erection  at  Eklutna,  Kanakanak,  and  "White  Mountain.  In  addition, 
the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer  was  used  as  a  floating  industrial  school  in  south¬ 
eastern  Alaska  during  the  winter. 

The  Alaska  division  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  required  to 
make  provision  for  the  education  of  the  natives  of  Alaska  and  extend 
to  them  all  possible  medical  relief,  train  them  in  the  industries,  and 
so  far  as  possible  relieve  worthy  cases  of  destitution.  The  work  in 
Alaska  is  under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  chief  of  the  Alaska 
division,  with  headquarters  in  Seattle.  The  Seattle  office  functions 
as  a  purchasing  and  disbursing  agent  for  all  the  bureau’s  activities 
in  Alaska.  It  selects  teachers  and  other  personnel  to  recommend 
to  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  appointment;  it  expends  or 
invests,  under  the  direction  of  the  interested  parties,  funds  sent  to 
it  by  employees  in  Alaska,  by  the  cooperative  stores  of  the  natives, 
or  by  individual  natives  of  Alaska;  it  also  sells  commodities,  such 
as  furs,  ivory,  and  fish,  for  the  natives  and  remits,  deposits,  or  ex¬ 
pends  the  proceeds  as  directed. 

The  administration  of  this  work  involves  great  difficulties,  arising 
principally  from  the  remoteness  of  most  of  the  villages,  the  enor¬ 
mous  distances  between  them,  the  meager  means  of  communication, 
and  the  severity  of  the  climate  in  many  sections.  Most  of  the  natives 
are  a  seafaring  people,  scattered  along  thousands  of  miles  of  coast 
and  on  the  great  rivers,  in  the  villages  ranging  from  30  to  40  or  300 
to  500  in  population.  The  work  would  extend  to  the  utmost  limits 
of  the  United  States,  in  terms  of  distance,  with  schools  in  Maine, 
California,  Georgia,  and  Minnesota.  One  of  the  school  districts  is 
twice  the  size  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  Many  of  the  settlements  are 
far  beyond  the  limits  of  transportation  and  regular  mail  service,  and 


28 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  19M 


one-third  of  the  native  population  is  north  of  the  Arctic  Circle. 
During  the  last  school  year  for  which  statistics  have  been  assembled 
educational  opportunity  was  provided  for  about  44  per  cent  of  the 
natives,  while  medical  relief  was  extended  to  an  even  less  per  cent 
of  the  population. 

Education. — During  the  fiscal  year  for  which  the  following  statis¬ 
tics  will  apply,  83  schools  were  operated  in  Alaska,  with  151  teachers 
employed,  including  schoolroom  teachers,  superintendents,  and  prin¬ 
cipals.  These  teachers  not  only  carried  on  educational  activities  but 
in  many  cases  were  responsible  for  the  relief  of  destitution,  medical 
supervision  in  the  area  about  the  station,  and  supervision  of  the  in¬ 
dustries,  including  the  reindeer.  Including  school  buildings,  teacher- 
ages,  hospitals,  and  orphanages,  there  are  in  Alaska  116  Government 
buildings  in  this  service,  valued  at  $273,550,  not  counting  the  equip¬ 
ment,  school  supplies,  and  other  miscellaneous  property,  such  as  light¬ 
ing  plants  and  radio  stations  in  a  few  villages,  U.  S.  S.  Boxer ,  gas 
boats,  etc.,  used  in  carrying  out  the  Government  programs.  The 
educational  statistics  for  the  school  year  ending  June  30,  1924,  are  as 
follows : 


Total  number  of  days  in  actual  attendance _  367,  395.  84 

Total  number  ©f  pupils  enrolled  during  year _ _  3,  910 

Average  daily  attendance  throughout  the  year _  2,  652 

Percentage  of  attendance _  67.  7 

Average  number  in  each  schoolroom  each  day _  26.  9 

Number  of  schools  open  180  days  per  year  or  more -  5 

Number  of  schools  open  160  days  or  more,  but  less  than  180  days _  16 

Number  of  schools  open  140  days  or  more,  but  less  than  160  days..  34 

Number  of  schools  open  120  days  or  more,  but  less  than  140  days..  15 

Number  of  schools  open  100  days  or  more,  but  less  than  120  days—  18 

Number  of  schools  open  80  days  or  more,  but  less  than  100  days _  4 

Number  of  schools  open  less  than  80  days _  9 

Total  schoolrooms  open _ _ _  101 

Average  number  of  days  in  the  school  year _  135. 12 

Cost  of  school  per  day  per  child,  based  on  actual  attendance _  $0.  70 

Cost  of  school  per  year  per  child,  based  on  actual  attendance _  $97.  65 

Cost  of  school  per  year  per  child,  based  on  total  enrollment _  $66.  23 

During  the  year  there  was  spent  for  repairs  on  the  school  buildings 

and  not  counted  as  a  part  of  the  operation  of  the  schools _  $7, 193.  23 

Spent  for  new  buildings _  $8, 153.  33 

Medical  relief. — For  the  medical  service  the  Government,  through 
the  Alaska  division  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  paid  out  the  past 
fiscal  year,  a  total  of  $89,987.15,  which  covered  the  following  service : 

Patients  or  cases  handled  through  the  five  hospitals _  9, 559 

At  a  per  patient  or  case  cost  of _ - _ . _  $9.  41 

Total  treatments,  outside  and  clinic _ i _  24, 433 

Days  of  hospital  care _ 14, 156 


As  indicated  above,  each  teacher  not  only  teaches  the  school  but  is 
a  dispensing  agent  of  the  medical  chest,  a  teacher  of  sanitation  and 
health,  and  a  village  sanitary  engineer.  From  the  summaries  made 
from  the  reports  submitted  by  the  101  schoolroom  teachers  in  the 
Alaska  service  the  past  year,  the  following  welfare  services  were 
rendered 


Number  of  teachers’  visits  to  homes _ 14, 137 

Number  of  times  medical  assistance  was  rendered  to  the  natives  by 

teachers _ 17,  709 

Number  of  births  reported  in  villages  under  the  Alaska  service  outside 

of  hospitals _  391 

Number  of  deaths  reported  during  the  same  period  outside  of  hospitals.  324 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


29 


In  this  connection  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  appropriation 
made  by  Congress  is  not  large  enough  for  the  Bureau  of  Education 
to  attempt  to  cover  the  entire  field  in  Alaska  with  its  educational 
program,  medical  and  reindeer  service.  The  total  native  population, 
according  to  the  1920  census,  was  25,508,  and  the  total  population 
served  in  the  75  villages  last  year  was  11,158.  It  is  evident  that  the 
field  in  which  the  Government  might  extend  its  beneficial  influence 
is  large. 

Reindeer  industry. — Originating  in  1892  in  importation  of  rein¬ 
deer  from  Siberia  to  furnish  subsistence  for  the  Eskimos  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Bering  Strait,  the  reindeer  industry  has  expanded 
until  it  has  assumed  chief  importance  in  the  bureau’s  industrial  ac¬ 
tivities  in  behalf  of  the  natives.  Herds  are  now  found  near  all  of 
the  principal  native  settlements  of  western  Alaska  from  the  Arctic 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  the  interior  near  Mount  McKinley  Na¬ 
tional  Park,  along  the  Alaskan  Railroad,  and  on  Kodiak  Island  off 
the  Gulf  of  Alaska,  along  the  Alaska  Peninsula  and  as  far  west  as  the 
Aleutian  Islands.  So  rapidly  have  the  herds  increased  that  the  to¬ 
tal  number  of  reindeer  in  Alaska  is  now  estimated  at  350,000,  of 
which  about  235,000  are  owned  by  the  natives  themselves.  One  of 
the  principal  problems  confronting  the  Bureau  of  Education  at  this 
time  is  the  reorganization  of  the  reindeer  industry  on  a  cooperative 
basis  so  as  to  make  it  possible  to  handle  more  efficiently  the  increasing 
herds  and  market  the  surplus  meat.  This  reorganization  will  at¬ 
tempt  to  care  not  only  for  the  distribution  of  the  herds  as  in  the  past 
but  for  handling  the  industry  on  a  business  basis.  The  present  com¬ 
mercial  value  of  Alaskan  reindeer  herds  is  approximately  $8,750,000, 
$1,550,000  more  than  the  sum  paid  for  the  territory  by  the  United 
States  in  1867.  This  does  not  take  any  account  of  more  than  200,000 
reindeer  slaughtered  in  the  past  and  used  as  meat  by  the  natives  nor 
the  great  benefit  derived  by  the  natives  through  participation  in  this 
great  industrial  success. 

U.  S.  S.  “Boxer”. — In  April,  1920,  the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer ,  a  wooden 
vessel,  used  by  the  Government  as  a  training  ship  for  naval  cadets, 
was  transferred  to  the  Interior  Department  for  the  use  of  the  Alaska 
division  in  connection  with  its  work  in  Alaska.  Funds  have  been 
appropriated  and  used  to  make  repairs  and  remodel  this  schooner 
and  equip  it  with  modern  machinery  at  a  cost  of  approximately 
$100,000,  and  she  is  to-day  a  sturdy  craft,  braving  the  waters  of  the 
Pacific  and  Arctic  Oceans  as  far  north  as  Point  Barrow.  Annually 
she  carries  a  heavy  tonnage  of  supplies  and  equipment,  teachers, 
doctors,  and  nurses  to  the  coast  stations  and  to  the  distributing  points 
on  the  mouths  of  large  rivers.  When  transportation  is  closed  in  the 
North  she  serves  as  a  floating  school.  The  first  expedition  of  the 
kind  ever  undertaken  was  made  the  past  winter  in  a  four-month 
cruise  to  points  in  southeastern  Alaska.  She  carried  on  board  natives 
of  Alaska  with  ship’s  officers  and  special  instructors,  with  equip¬ 
ment  to  teach  units  of  work  that  would  afford  opportunities  to  the 
native  boys  for  the  acquisition  of  new  knowledge  and  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  manipulative  and  managerial  skill.  Such  courses  were 
offered  as  navigation,  with  special  training  covering  the  operation 
and  care  of  Diesel  engines,  dynamos,  and  marine  machinery;  radio 
telegraphy,  qr  wireless,  including  practice  work  in  installation  of 


30 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


wireless  receiving  and  sending  sets;  cooking,  with  instructions  and 
practice  in  the  preparation  of  a  proper  marine  menu;  general  ele¬ 
mentary  subjects,  with  special  emphasis  in  speaking  and  writing 
English ;  history,  including  civil  governments ;  personal  hygiene,  and 
physical  training;  lectures  on  such  virtues  as  cleanliness,  morality, 
courage,  dependability,  and  politeness. 

Industrial  education. — In  the  ordinary  day  schools  for  the  natives 
in  Alaska  industrial  education  supplements  the  fundamental  work 
of  the  schools.  The  study  of  animal  husbandry,  home  economics, 
and  manual  training  helps  to  connect  the  home  life  and  the  life  of 
the  community  with  the  school,  adds  interest  to  the  academic  subjects, 
and  makes  skilled  and  efficient  citizens.  Any  industrial  subject 
properly  taught  is  highly  cultural.  Special  industrial  schools  are 
in  the  process  of  organization  at  Eklutna,  Kanakanak,  and  White 
Mountain,  where  the  Government  has  made  appropriations  and  build¬ 
ings  have  been  erected  and  teachers,  specially  qualified,  sent  in  to 
develop  industrial  courses  along  the  lines  of  animal  husbandry, 
fishing,  ivory  industry,  boat  building,  tanning,  tailoring,  commercial 
work,  carpentry,  household  management  and  home-making,  nurs¬ 
ing  and  sanitation,  art,  music,  and  physical  education. 

Activities  of  the  Commissioner 

During  the  year  the  commissioner  traveled  58,140  miles;  spent 
173  days  in  the  field,  including  Sundays;  conducted  four  national 
educational  conferences,  and  in  collaboration  with  the  General  Fed¬ 
eration  of  Women’s  Clubs,  the  National  Education  Association,  and 
the  American  Legion,  conducted  a  national  illiteracy  conference ;  ad¬ 
dressed  16  national  associations,  4  regional  associations,  and  19 
State  associations;  visited  officially  3  State  departments  of  educa¬ 
tion;  addressed  several  city  and  county  educational  associations; 
visited  and  addressed  17  institutions  of  higher  learning  and  13 
summer  schools;  made  9  commencement  addresses,  3  dedicatory  ad¬ 
dresses,  and  represented  the  Government  on  one  inaugural  occasion ; 
addressed  4  high  schools,  and  10  business  organizations  (chambers 
of  commerce,  Botary,  Kiwanis,  and  other  clubs),  making  a  total  of 
150  addresses  before  audiences  aggregating  91,459.  (See  Fig.  3.) 

In  addition,  the  commissioner  attended  meetings  and  discharged 
duties  as  a  member  of  the  Federal  Boards  for  Vocational  Education 
and  Maternity  and  Infant  Hygiene,  and  as  chairman  of  the  Federal 
Council  for  Citizenship  Training,  which  board  was  createcf  by  order 
of  the  President.  He  also  served  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
closer  correlation  of  the  work  of  Federal  agencies  for  the  President’s 
conference  on  outdoor  recreation. 

He  wrote  35  articles  and  held  about  300  conferences  in  his  office 
in  Washington  with  those  seeking  advice  and  assistance  in  educa¬ 
tional  matters. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

A  former  recommendation  requested  the  removal  of  the  Bureau 
of  Education  from  the  Pension  Building  to  more  suitable  quarters, 
and  this  has  been  carried  out  with  greatly  increased  efficiency  and 


ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER 


31 


improvement  in  the  morale  of  the  bureau,  as  already  mentioned  in 
this  report. 

The  commissioner  has  pointed  out  in  previous  reports  the  need 
for  an  enlargement  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  so  that  it  can  be 


made  an  adequate  agency  for  research  and  investigation  in  such 
important  fields  as  curriculum  organization,  school  finance,  build¬ 
ings  and  construction,  adult  education  (including  Americanization 
and  illiteracy),  teacher  training,  secondare  education,  and  other 


32 


EDUCATION  REPORT,  1924 


lines.  These  recommendations  are  dependent,  of  course,  upon  more 
adequate  appropriations.  It  appears  unnecessary  to  recapitulate 
in  detail  these  suggestions  made  in  previous  reports.  There  are 
pending  before  the  Congress  a  number  of  bills  intended  to  take  care 
of  this  situation,  among  which  is  the  plan  for  reorganization  of  the 
executive  departments  of  the  Government,  including  within  it  a 
proposed  department  of  education  and  relief.  This  new  department 
would  bring  about  an  amalgamation  of  more  than  10  different 
bureaus  and  agencies  now  carrying  on  education  wholly  or  in  part, 
and  thus  provide  for  a  more  efficient  and  economical  administration 
of  educational  affairs  in  the  Federal  Government.  This  plan  has 
the  hearty  indorsement  of  the  President.  If  this  measure  or  some 
other  measure  providing  for  a  more  adequate  Federal  agency  in 
education  for  research  and  investigation  is  not  enacted  in  the  near 
future,  there  is  great  demand  from  the  States  and  those  locally 
responsible  for  education  that  a  larger  service  be  afforded  them  by 
the  Bureau  of  Education.  This  service  should  be  rendered,  but 
can  not  be  expected  without  an  enlargement  of  our  present  appro¬ 
priations.  v 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Jno.  J.  Tigert,  G ommissioner. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


ADDITIONAL  COPIES 

OF  THIS  PUBLICATION  MAY  BE  PROCURED  FROM 
THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  DOCUMENTS 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

AT 

5  CENTS  PER  COPY 
V 


REPORT 


OF  THE 

Commissioner  of  Education 


FOR 


THE  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1925 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1925 


THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 

Created  as  a  Department  March  2,  1867 
Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869 


COMMISSIONERS 


Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D., 

March  lk,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870. 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1886. 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D., 

August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889. 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  1,  1906,  to  June  30,  1911. 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D., 
July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921. 

John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  Ed.  D.,  LL.  D., 
June  2,  1921,  to  date. 


n 


CONTENTS 


Present  status  and  outlook _ 

Technical  activities : 

Educational  research  and  promotion _ 

(1)  Research  and  investigation _ _ _ 

(2)  Educational  surveys _ 

(3)  Dissemination  of  information _ 

(4)  Service  in  the  field _ 

Activities  of  technical  divisions — 

(1)  Division  of  higher  education _ _ 

Educational  surveys _ 

Special  studies  and  reports _ 

Conferences  and  addresses _ 

(2)  Division  of  rural  education _ 

New  undertakings _ v _ 

Surveys  and  special  studies _ 

Publications _ 

Correspondence _ 

Field  work - 

Miscellaneous  activities _ 

(3)  Division  of  city  schools _ 

Field  service  and  surveys _ 

Conferences _ _ _ 

Publications _ 

Miscellaneous  activities _ 

(4)  Division  of  physical  education  and  school  hygiene _ 

Personnel _ _ _ 

Correspondence _ 

Studies  and  publications _ 

Conferences _ 

Miscellaneous  activities _ 

(5)  Service  division _ 

Industrial  education _ > _ 

Commercial  education _ 

Home  economics  education _ 

Educational  legislation _ _ _ 

Education  in  foreign  countries _ 

General  service  activities : 

(1)  Statistical  division _ 

(2)  Editorial  division _ 

(3)  Library  division _ 

(4)  Home  education _ : _ 

(5)  Section  of  mails  and  files _ 

(6)  Alaska  division _ 

Education _ 

Medical  relief _ 

Reindeer  industry _ 

U.  S.  S.  Boxer _ 

Activities  of  the  Commissioner _ 

Recommendations _ _ 

m 


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84 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 

W ashington,  D .  C.,  September  19  1925 . 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  opera¬ 
tions  of  this  office  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1925,  together 
with  recommendations  for  the  extension  and  improvement  of  its 
work,  as  required  by  act  of  Congress  approved  March  3,  1867. 

Present  Status  and  Outlook 

In  my  last  report  I  had  occasion  to  forecast  a  larger  opportunity 
and  brighter  prospect  for  the  Bureau  of  Education.  These  antici¬ 
pations  are  being  realized  in  evident  ways.  The  housing  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education  in  the  Interior  building  has  increased  the 
efficiency  of  the  staff,  elevated  the  morale,  and  made  the  bureau  an 
integral  part  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  in  policy  and  in 
effort.  The  reclassification  act  has  been  of  great  benefit  in  improving 
the  spirit  of  the  staff  and  in  making  possible  a  higher  quality  of  per¬ 
sonnel.  This  latter  applies  with  peculiar  force  to  the  personnel  in 
the  technical  and  research  activities.  Previous  to  reclassification 
the  maximum  salaries  would  not  attract  or  hold  persons  capable  of 
doing  original  work  of  a  high  grade.  Since  the  passage  of  the 
reclassification  act  it  has  been  possible  to  begin  the  placing  of  the 
work  of  the  bureau  on  a  better  basis  and  to  undertake  more  investiga¬ 
tions  of  a  research  character.  The  Personnel  Classification  Board 
has  been  considerate  in  permitting  a  number  of  the  educationists 
on  the  technical  .staff  to  be  graded  in  higher  positions,  so  that  per¬ 
sons  of  considerably  greater  ability  are  now  being  attracted  to  these 
positions.  During  the  year  we  have  been  successful  in  inaugurating 
a  program  which  will  enable  us  to  do  more  and  better  work  with 
a  smaller  number  of  persons.  , 

The  space  provided  for  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  the  Interior 
building  does  not  permit  of  transferring  the  entire  library  at  the 
pre.sent  time,  nor  is  the  bureau  yet  able  to  undertake  research  in 
a  number  of  important  fields  of  education,  for  which  the  need  is 
urgent,  but  our  progress  has  been  gratifying.  I  wish  to  express 
again  my  gratitude  for  the  continued  interest,  support,  and  advice 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  which  has  been  an  indispensable 
element  in  the  progress  that  we  have  made.  Likewise,  I  should  be 
remiss  if  I  did  not  acknowledge  that  the  Commissioner  of  Education 
has  enjoyed  a  continually  increasing  cooperation  from  all  the  staff, 
to  which,  of  course,  belongs  most  of  the  credit  for  our  accom¬ 
plishments. 


1 


2 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Technical  Activities 

EDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH  AND  PROMOTION 

The  functions  and  activities  of  the  technical  staff  of  the  bureau 
fall  into  several  classes,  as  follows:  (1)  Research  and  investigation; 
(2)  educational  surveys;  (3)  dissemination  of  information ;  and  (4) 
field  service. 

(1)  Research  and  Investigation 

As  has  been  stated  in  previous  reports,  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  of  the  bureau’s  specialists  is  spent  in  research  and  investigation 
into  educational  conditions.  The  necessity  for  modifying  educa¬ 
tional  curricula  and  administration  on  the  basis  of  established  facts, 
rather  than  on  clashing  opinions,  is  becoming  more  apparent  each 
year.  Both  educators  and  laymen  are  agreed  that  modifications  of 
educational  policy  will  not  be  permanent  or  economical  unless  based 
on  scientific  information.  This  conclusion  enhances  the  opportunity 
of  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  be  the  chief  constructive  force  in  the 
country  in  bringing  together  information  on  the  basis  of  wThich  edu¬ 
cational  policies  may  be  formulated  and  expressed. 

The  character  and  extent  of  the  bureau’s  studies  cover  many  sub¬ 
jects  in  education.  When  considered  over  a  series  of  years  they  are 
doubtless  more  comprehensive  than  those  undertaken  by  any  other 
organization  engaged  in  educational  research. 

(2)  Educational  Surveys 

Surveys  of  educational  conditions  in  particular  institutions,  locali¬ 
ties,  counties,  and  States  afford  an  excellent  opportunity  for  members 
of  the  bureau’s  staff  to  come  in  close  contact  with  actual  educational 
conditions.  At  the  same  time  they  enable  the  bureau  to  render 
direct  and  specific  assistance  as  well  as  general  service.  The  work  of 
the  bureau  in  this  field  has  been  greatly  appreciated  by  educational 
officials,  and  the  demand  for  this  type  of  service  has  always  been 
much  greater  than  the  bureau  has  been  able  to  render.  It  would  be 
highly  desirable  if  the  bureau  could  increase  the  number  of  special¬ 
ists  available  for  survey  work. 

During  the  fiscal  year  1924-25  educational  surveys  were  made  (see 
fig.  1),  as  follows: 

Higher  education - - -  4 

Tennessee  (general  conditions  relating  to  higher  education ;  field  work 
in  1923-24;  report  completed  in  1924—25). 

Cleveland,  Ohio  (higher  education,  with  special  reference  to  Western 
Reserve  University  and  The  Case  School  of  Applied  Science ;  part 
of  field  work  in  1923-24 ;  field  work  and  report  completed  in  1924- 
25). 

Berea  College,  Ky.  (internal  administration). 

Russell  Sage  College  and  Emma  Willard  School,  Troy,  N.  Y.  (rela¬ 
tions  of  two  institutions  with  view  to  correlation). 

Rural  education  (county  and  other  local  systems  of  education) -  8 

Falls  Church  and  Herndon  (Fairfax  County),  Va.  (elementary  and 
secondary  education  survey ;  part  of  field  work  in  1923-24 ;  continued 
in  1924-25). 

Arlington  County,  Va.  (elementary  and  secondary  education  survey; 
part  of  field  work  in  1923-24;  continued  in  1924-25). 

Prince  William,  Prince  George,  Brunswick,  Dinwiddie  Counties,  Va. 
(secondary  education  surveys). 

Charlottesville  and  Hopewell,  Va.  (secondary  education). 


Fro.  1. — (During  the  fiscal  year  1924—25  the  Bureau  of  Education  conducted  18  surveys  in  8  States :  Kentucky,  New 
York,  Ohio,  Oregon,  Pennsylvania,  Tennessee,  Virginia,  and  West  Virginia 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


City  schools _  6 

"  Radnor  Township,  Pa.  ( general  public-school  system ;  field  work  in 
1923-24;  report  completed  in  1924-25). 

Charlottesville  and  Hopewell,  Va.  (general  public-school  systems). 
Fairmont,  W.  Va.  (school-building  survey;  part  of  field  work  in  1923- 
24;  completed  in  1924-25). 

Martinsburg,  W.  Va.  (school-building  survey). 

Portland,  Oreg.  (school-building  survey;  field  work  in  1923-24;  report 
completed  in  1924-25). 

Total  _ _ _  18 


4 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


■ 


(3)  Dissemination  of  Information 

The  results  of  the  bureau’s  studies  are  made  available  to  school 
and  college  administrators  and  teachers  in  a  variety  of  ways,  in¬ 
cluding  especially  bulletins  and  circulars,  which  are  distributed  as 
soon  as  they  come  from  the  press.  At  the  same  time,  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  bureau,  in  public  addresses  or  by  correspondence,  use 
every  opportunity  to  inform  the  public  on  educational  matters.  In 
this  way  many  thousands  of  people  are  served  each  year. 

(4)  Field  Service 

In  the  conduct  of  surveys,  members  of  the  bureau’s  staff  have  oc¬ 
casion  to  visit  widely  separated  parts  of  the  country.  These  studies 
often  require  extended  absence  in  the  field.  At  the  same  time,  the 
bureau’s  specialists  conduct  frequent  educational  conferences  in  vari¬ 
ous  parts  of  the  country.  Also,  they  are  called  upon,  from  time 
to  time,  to  deliver  addresses  before  educational  associations,  student 
assemblies,  and  public  gatherings.  A  large  proportion  of  the  travel 
expenses  incident  to  this  service  in  the  field  are  borne  by  local,  State 
and  National  organizations.  The  bureau  is  anxious  to  render  these 
various  forms  of  field  service  to  all  sections  of  the  country  on  an 
equal  basis. 

Summarizing  all  types  of  field  service,  I  may  report  that  during 
the  fiscal  year  20  members  of  the  bureau  staff,  exclusive  of  the  com¬ 
missioner,  rendered  an  aggregate  of  616  days  of  field  service  out¬ 
side  of  the  District  of  Columbia  in  32  different  States.  (See  fig.  2=) 

As  one  feature  of  this  service,  17  members  of  the  staff,  exclusive 
of  the  commissioner,  delivered  185  addresses  in  30  different  States 
to  audiences  aggregating  45,255  persons. 

ACTIVITIES  OF  TECHNICAL  DIVISIONS 
(1)  Division  of  Higher  Education 

Educational  surveys, — During  the  year  the  chief  of  the  division 
has  been  engaged  in  making  surveys  of  higher  educational  institu¬ 
tions  in  Ohio,  New  York,  Tennessee,  and  Kentucky.  The  most  im¬ 
portant  of  these  studies  was  made  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  a  number 
of  prominent  educators  from  outside  the  bureau  operated  with 
the  chief  of  the  division.  The  survey  commission  recommended  a 
plan  providing  for  the  permanent  cooperation  of  the  Case  School  of 
Applied  Science  and  Western  Reserve  University,  as  the  basis  for  a 
large  and  comprehensive  university  which  should  be  located,  in  part, 
on  a  new  campus.  It  was  also  recommended  that  evening-school 
facilities  should  be  expanded.  The  findings  in  the  report  were  pre¬ 
sented  at  a  series  of  public  luncheons.  Since  that  time  considerable 
progress  has  been  made  toward  the  organization  of  the  proposed  uni¬ 
versity.  The  report  of  the  survey  commission  was  printed  by  the 
Cleveland  Foundation. 

A  tentative  draft  of  the  report  of  a  survey  of  higher  education  in 
Tennessee  was  presented  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Tennessee  Col¬ 
lege  Association  in  April,  1925.  The  report  called  attention  to  the 
low  proportion  of  Tennessee’s  population  in  college,  the  inadequate 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


5 


financial  support  from  a  State  which  has  considerable  wealth,  the 
lack  of  cooperation  between  and  among  colleges  conducted  under  the 
auspices  of  the  same  church  denomination,  low  rates  of  tuition,  in¬ 
adequate  preparation  of  the  faculties  at  a  number  of  institutions,  and 


the  small  attendance  of  students  from  counties  difficult  of  access. 
Appropriate  recommendations  looking  to  greater  student  attendance, 
increased  financial  report,  and  higher  standards  of  collegiate  educa¬ 
tion  were  included  in  the  report. 

60046°— 25 - 2 


0 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Studies  at  Berea  College,  in  Kentucky,  and  Russell  Sage  College, 
in  New  York,  resulted  in  certain  recommendations  for  the  reorgan¬ 
ization  of  the  internal  administration  of  these  two  institutions. 

Special  studies  and  reports. — During  the  year  the  bureau  pub¬ 
lished  the  first  four  parts  of  a  comprehensive  review  of  the  work  of 
the  land-grant  colleges  for  the  decade  from  1910  to  1920,  as  follows: 
History  and  Educational  Objectives;  Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences,. in¬ 
cluding  miscellaneous  subjects  and  activities;  Agriculture;  Engineer¬ 
ing  and  Mechanic  Arts;  and  Home  Economics.  This  survey  con¬ 
sists  of  a  large  number  of  articles  contributed  by  specialists  in  the 
various  fields  of  land-grant  college  education.  It  was  compiled  and 
edited  by  the  assistant  specialist  in  higher  education.  Other  studies 
which  have  been  prepared  in  the  division  and  are  ready  for  publica¬ 
tion  include :  Statistics  of  Land-Grant  Colleges  for  the  Year  Ended 
June  30,  1924. 

In  addition  to  the  printed  bulletins  prepared  in  the  division,  the 
following  studies  were  compiled  and  distributed  in  mimeographed 
form:  Statistics  of  current  (1924—25)  enrollments,  income,  salaries, 
and  student  fees  at  State  universities,  colleges,  and  teacher-training 
institutions;  enrollments  in  schools  of  engineering  (1924—25) ;  a  pre¬ 
liminary  report  on  engineering  curricula,  summarizing  and  analyz¬ 
ing  the  requirements  for  admission  and  for  graduation  in  25  typical 
engineering  schools. 

There  are  several  special  investigations  which  are  now  nearing 
completion.  Chief  among  these  is  a  study  of  the  residence  and 
migration  of  university  and  college  students  and  a  study  of 
engineering  curricula.  The  first  not  only  shows  the  number  of  stu¬ 
dents  residing  in  each  State  and  the  degree  to  which  they  migrate 
to  other  States  for  an  education,  but  the  information  is  classified 
according  to  the  sex  of  students  and  the  courses  of  study  which  they 
are  following.  The  study  of  engineering  curricula  is  a  careful, 
quantitative  analysis  of  the  several  types  of  subjects  which  are  com¬ 
prised  in  the  various  engineering  curricula.  The  information  is 
shown  for  public  and  private  institutions  respectively. 

Several  studies  of  standards  and  sources  of  standards  for  bache¬ 
lors’  degrees  have  also  been  completed  in  cooperation  with  graduate 
students  or  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  American  University,  the 
Catholic  University  of  America,  and  the  Municipal  University  of 
Akron.  The  completed  studies  are  “  Standards  in  the  Non- Aca¬ 
demic  Subjects  for  College  Entrance  and  Graduation  in  Relation 
to  the  Bachelors’  Degrees,”  and  the  “  Status  of  Physical  Education, 
including  Military  Training  and  Hygiene,  in  American  Colleges  and 
Universities.”  Studies  of  standards  and  sources  of  standards  of 
education  in  the  biological  sciences  and  in  mathematics,  in  relation 
to  the  bachelors’  degrees,  have  been  completed  for  the  State  uni¬ 
versities.  A  survey  of  the  resources  and  standards  of  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
colleges  has  also  been  made  during  the  past  year. 

The  division  of  higher  education  has  cooperated  with  the  Pan 
American  Highway  Commission  in  obtaining  data  on  education  per¬ 
taining  to  highway  engineering  and  related  subjects  for  all  of  the 
countries  of  Latin  America. 

Conferences  and  addresses . — The  division  organized  and  conducted 
the  fifth  Southern  Conference  on  Negro  Land-Grant  College  Edu- 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


7 


cation,  called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  at  the  Agricultural 
and  Technical  College,  Greensboro,  A.  C.,  April  16  and  17, 1925.  The 
conference  had  for  its  principal  aim  the  study  of  training  in  mechanic 
arts,  trades,  and  industries.  Special  committees,  including  repre¬ 
sentatives  of  the  industrial  departments  of  these  colleges,  in  coopera¬ 
tion  with  the  Chief  of  the  Industrial  Service  of  the  Federal  Board 
for  Vocational  Education,  outlined  a  program  of  investigation  of  the 
various  questions  involved.  The  conference  also  discussed  various 
problems  of  internal  administration  and  discipline  of  these  colleges. 

Addresses  have  been  delivered  b}^  members  of  the  division  at  the 
following  educational  meetings:  Association  of  American  Colleges; 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering  Education:  Maryland 
Branch  of  Collegiate  Registrars;  Conference  on  Negro  Land-Grant 
College  Education;  National  Council  on  Medical  Education:  Educa¬ 
tional  Association  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and 
the  Southern  Baptist  Church;  American  Association  of  Junior  Col¬ 
leges;  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Agricultural 
Teachers;  Tennessee  College  Association;  colleges  in  Ohio,  Dis¬ 
trict  of  Columbia,  Tennessee,  and  Kentucky ;  and  the  Alumni  Asso¬ 
ciation  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

(2)  Division  of  Rue  at  Education 

New  undertakings. — In  addition  to  carrying  on  its  regular  work, 
the  division  has  undertaken  during  the  year  a  new  type  of  activity, 
namely,  that  of  cooperating  on  an  extensive  and  systematic  scale 
with  selected  educational  organizations  for  the  coordination  and 
conduct  of  educational  research  studies.  Two  fields  of  cooperation 
are  now  in  the  process  of  development  under  the  direction  of  spe¬ 
cialists  in  this  division : 

(1)  Cooperation  with  National,  State,  and  other  selected  organi¬ 
zations  in  the-  field  of  secondary  education.  The  plan  of  cooperation 
contemplates  the  organization  of  a  national  committee  on  research  in 
secondary  education  wdiose  purposes  will  be  to  stimulate  purposeful 
research  activities  in  this  field,  to  advise  and  aid  in  investigations 
initiated  by  other  agencies,  and  to  coordinate  research  activities  car¬ 
ried  on  by  agencies  interested  in  secondary  education.  The  Bureau 
of  Education,  as  secretariat,  acts  as  the  coordinating  influence  and 
becomes  a  clearing  house  of  information  for  all  research  conducted 
by  the  cooperating  organizations  and  institutions  in  the  field  of 
secondary  education.  This  work  has  progressed  to  the  extent  that 
the  National  Committee  on  Secondary  Education  Research  has  been 
formed,  and  plans  of  procedure  for  its  activities  have  been  adopted. 
Four  important  subcommittees  have  been  formed  and  are  now  pro¬ 
ceeding  with  research  projects.  Plans  were  consummated,  certain  re¬ 
search  studies  of  subcommittees  were  projected,  and  others  previously 
organized  were  approved  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  June  15  and  16.  The  following  organizations  were  represented: 
North  Central  Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools; 
National  Association  of  Secondary  School  Principals;  National 
Society  of  College  Teachers  of  Education;  National  Education  Asso¬ 
ciation;  Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools  of  the  South¬ 
ern  States;  State  Departments  of  Education  of  Ohio,  Pennsylvania, 
Alabama,  Montana,  and  Maine;  Cornell  University;  Teachers’  Col- 


8 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


lege,  New  York  City;  Stanford  University;  and  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Education. 

(2)  Cooperation  with  the  executive  committee  of  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Rural  Education  of  the  National  Education  Association. 
The  plan  contemplates  a  type  of  cooperation  similar  to  that  indi¬ 
cated  in  the  field  of  secondary  education  and  applies  to  research  in 
fields  of  rural  education  other  than  secondary.  To  date,  two  com¬ 
mittees  have  been  formed  and  two  research  studies  projected.  It  is 
believed  that  the  service  rendered  by  the  division  will  be  extended 
in  scope;  that  practice  in  research  in  the  field  of  rural  education 
will  be  standardized  and  improved,  and  results  made  available  to 
a  larger  group  through  the  plans  indicated. 

A  specialist  in  the  field  of  rural  teacher  preparation  was  added 
to  the  staff  of  the  division  in  March,  1924.  During  the  year  work 
in  this  field  has  been  initiated,  with  the  idea  of  extending  existing 
relationships  and  establishing  new  ones  with  workers  in  this  field 
through  visits  to  teacher-preparing  institutions,  attendance  at  con¬ 
ferences,  addresses,  correspondence,  and  publications.  Plans  of 
procedure  for  extending  and  carrying  out  this  work  in  the  division 
have  been  projected  and  some  progress  has  been  made  in  their  pro¬ 
motion.  A  preliminary  survey  of  the  needs  of  this  field  has  been 
made,  information  collected,  and  data  assembled.  A  series  of  studies 
is  contemplated  which'  will  enable  the  division  to  extend  much 
needed  service  to  those  preparing  rural  school  teachers. 

Specialized  service,  previously  established  in  the  fields  of  ad¬ 
ministration,  supervision,  school  consolidation,  secondary  education, 
and  rural  education  statistics,  has  continued  throughout  the  year, 
in  a  manner  similar  to  that  followed  during  the  preceding  year. 

Surveys  and  special  studies. — A  large  part  of  the  time  of  spe¬ 
cialists  in ‘the  division  is  given  to  special  investigation;  collection  of 
information  in  response  to  requests;  research  studies  and  surveys. 
During  the  year  members  of  the  division  have  directed  or  partici¬ 
pated  in  eight  educational  surveys  of  counties,  school  systems,  or 
schools.  In  six  of  these  surveys  field  investigations  have  been 
followed  by  reports  of  findings  and  recommendations  for  improve¬ 
ment  prepared  for  jDresentation  to  school  officials  concerned. 

Of  the  other  two  surveys  initiated,  one  will  continue;  advisory 
service  is  to  be  given  to  school  officials  concerned  throughout  the 
coming  year.  A  report  of  the  other  survey  is  now  nearing  com¬ 
pletion. 

The  following  special  studies  have  been  made  during  the  year  and 
have  been  printed,  presented  for  publication,  or  distributed  in  mime¬ 
ographed  or  typewritten  form: 

A  study  of  administrative  practice  in  rural  school  organization, 
prepared  for  the  guidance  of  State  legislatures;  a  review  of  the 
status  of  school  consolidation  in  the  United  States ;  present  tenden¬ 
cies  in  State  courses  of  study;  investigation  of  school  improvement 
associations  in  the  United  States;  recent  data  on  school  consolida¬ 
tion  in  the  United  States ;  courses  and  curricula  for  the  preparation 
of  rural  teachers  offered  in  higher  institutions  in  the  United  States ; 
salaries  of  rural  school  teachers  in  1924;  a  study  of  260  school  con¬ 
solidations,  a  study  of  constructive  tendencies  in  rural  education  in 
the  United  States  during  the  biennium  1922-24;  a  review  of  10  years 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


9 


of  educational  progress  in  the  United  States ;  study  of  attendance  in 
rural  schools  and  certain  factors  influencing  it;  high-school  educa¬ 
tion  of  the  farm  population ;  study  of  provisions  for  practice  teaching 
in  rural  schools  as  followed  in  certain  teacher-preparing  insti¬ 
tutions;  study  of  school  term  in  rural  schools;  studies  of  certain 
types  of  high  schools  in  selected  States ;  preparation  of  bibliography 
of  research  studies  in  secondary  education;  and  minor  projects  in¬ 
cluding  preparation  of  form  for  gathering  data  on  rural  schools  for 
county  superintendents ;  normal  courses  offered  in  secondary  schools 
preparing  rural  teachers,  and  the  like.  Considerable  progress  has 
been  made  on  the  preparation  of  a  bibliography  of  research  studies 
in  secondary  education  and  a  study  of  the  county  organization  for 
school  administration. 

Publications. — Through  its  publications,  bulletins,  leaflets,  and  cir¬ 
culars;  articles  in  School  Life;  monthly  editions  of  the  Rural 
Schools  News  Letter,  and  correspondence,  the  division  conducts  in¬ 
formational  and  advisory  service  concerned  with  the  varied  phases 
of  rural  education  in  the  United  States.  During  the  year  9  bulle¬ 
tins  and  14  leaflets  have  been  prepared  by  members  of  the  division 
or  under  its  direction.  These  have,  for  the  most  part,  resulted  from 
special  studies,  assigned  projects,  and  requests  for  information  con¬ 
cerned  with  problems  in  the  held  of  rural  education.  Mimeographed 
circulars  have  been  prepared  and  distributed,  designed  for  the  use  of 
superintendents  and  supervisors  of  rural  schools,  and  for  principals 
and  teachers  in  rural  schools.  These  circulars  are  usually  concerned 
with  timely  articles  or  information  of  a  kind  which  should  be  circu¬ 
lated  more  quickly  than  is  possible  through  printed  publications. 
They  are  intended  to  familiarize  school  officials  with  recent  develop¬ 
ments,  organization,  and  practice  in  rural  schools. 

Besides  the  publications  mentioned,  34  articles  in  the  bureau’s 
monthly  magazine,  School  Life,  were  prepared  in  the  division,  50  or 
more  articles  for  the  Clip  Sheet,  and  75  articles  for  the  Rural  Schools 
Rews  Letter.  The  latter  is  a  mimeographed  circular  which  is  dis¬ 
tributed  monthly  to  approximately  6,000  county  newspapers  and 
weekly  and  monthly  magazines  circulated  among  farm  people  and 
educational  institutions. 

Members  of  the  staff  contribute  also  to  publications  (educational 
and  other)  issued  outside  the  Bureau  of  Education.  Among  the 
periodicals  to  which  contributions  were  made  during  the  -year  were 
the  American  School  Board  Journal,  Music  Trades,  Journal  of  Rural 
Education,.  Musical  America,  State  educational  journals,  and 
monthly,  weekly,  and  daity  newspapers. 

C orTespondence. — Informational  and  advisory  service  is  given 
through  the  division  correspondence.  The  correspondence  covers  a 
wide  variety  of  topics,  including  requests  for  information  and  ad¬ 
vice  on  all  subjects  concerned  with  rural  education  in  the  United 
States.  Inquiries  come  from  school  superintendents,  professors  of 
education,  teachers,  and  the  general  public.  Among  those  most  fre¬ 
quently  received  are  requests  for  outlines  which  may  be  made  the 
basis  for  rural  teachers  in  summer  schools,  institutes,  etc. ;  for  advice 
concerning  procedure  in  rural  surveys ;  for  organization  of  or  assist¬ 
ance  in  the  organization  of  programs  of  study  in  secondary  and  ele¬ 
mentary  schools ;  for  special  bibliographies,  etc. 


10 


REPORT  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER.  OF  EDUCATION 


Field  work. — During  the  year  members  of  the  division  engaged 
in  field  work  of  different  kinds  in  20  different  States  covering  all 
sections  of  the  United  States.  The  service  includes,  besides  surveys 
and  investigations,  addresses  before  State  teachers’  associations, 
State  conferences  of  county  superintendents,  State  and  county  sec¬ 
tional  conferences  of  principals,  teachers,  and  supervisors,  educa¬ 
tional  institutions,  summer  schools;  participation  in  conferences  of 
National,  State,  and  local  organizations;  and  general  consultative 
and  advisory  service.  Approximately  160  days  have  been  spent  in 
the  field  during  the  year;  TO  addresses  were  made  by  members  of 
the  division  to  audiences  varying  in  size  from  small  groups  to  over 
1,000  persons. 

Miscellaneous  activities. — Members  of  the  division  have  rendered 
service  on  educational  committees,  National  and  State;  prepared 
tables  and  charts  which  have  been  exhibited  at  State  teachers’  asso¬ 
ciations,  national  conferences,  and  higher  institutions ;  assisted  in  the 
exhibit  given  in  the  Interior  Department  Building  during  the  Na¬ 
tional  Education  Association  convention,  July,  1924,  and  assumed 
direction  of  the  use  of  the  auditorium  during  the  same  week.  Be¬ 
sides  the  general  exhibit  a  special  exhibit  was  prepared  for  the 
Department  of  Bural  Education  and  shown  in  the  auditorium. 
Programs  for  exhibiting  slides  and  moving  pictures  were  prepared 
and  their  presentation  directed  by  members  of  the  division,  pro¬ 
viding  continuous  use  of  the  auditorium  when  meetings  of  the  Na¬ 
tional  Education  Association  were  not.  in  sessison. 

The  division  circulates  slides  and  films  prepared  under  its  direc¬ 
tion.  Both  slides  and  films  may  be  organized  for  special  purposes 
on  request.  During  the  year  they  have  been  circulated  in  27  dif¬ 
ferent  States;  they  have  been  used  by  rural-school  officials,  super¬ 
intendents  and  principals,  and  exhibited  extensively  in  summer 
schools.  While  audiences  in  rural  communities  are  small,  it  is  esti¬ 
mated  that  at  least  30,000  people  have  seen  the  slides  or  films  during 
the  year. 

(3)  Division  of  City  Schools 

Field  service  and  surveys. — During  the  year  the  members  of  the 
division  spent  a  total  of  124  days  on  field  work  in  12  different  States. 
This  included  the  time  given  to  school  surveys  and  addresses  at  edu¬ 
cational  meetings.  The  following  surveys  were  undertaken  by  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  division : 

(1)  A  general  survey  of  the  schools  of  Charlottesville,  Va.,  which 
was  made  at  the  request  of  .  the  Virginia  State  board  of  education. 
This  survey  was  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  of  the  city  schools 
division,  who  was  assisted  by  two  other  members  of  the  division,  the 
chief  of  the  division  of  physical  education  and  school  hygiene,  one 
member  of  the  rural  education  division,  and  two  members  of  the 
Virginia  State  department  of  education  and  the  dean  of  the  school 
of  education  of  the  College  of  William  and  Mary,  Williamsburg,  Va. 
The  report  covered  school  organization,  elementary  and  high  school 
instruction,  school  hygiene,  and  vocational  education.  The  report, 
comprising  198  typewritten  pages,  was  submitted  to  the  State  board 
in  June,  1925. 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


11 


(2)  In  1923-24  a  school-building  program  was  recommended  to 
the  school  board  of  Fairmont,  W.  Ya.  The  board  adopted  all  the 
recommendations  but  one,  and  in  1924^25  invited  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  to  make  further  study  of  the  situation.  After  several  days’ 
study  by  the  chief  of  the  division  of  city  schools  a  second  report 
was  submitted,  and  all  the  recommendations  were  accepted  by  the 
board.  As  a  result  of  the  survey  an  architect  has  been  employed  to 
draw  up  plans  for  the  buildings  recommended.  A  bond  issue  of 
$800,000  will  be  voted  on  this  fall. 

(3)  Upon  the  invitation  of  the  school  board  of  Martinsburg, 
W.  Ya.,  the  bureau,  through  the  chief  of  the  division  of  city 
schools,  made  recommendations  regarding  a  schooKbuilding  program 
for  the  schools  of  that  city.  The  report  was  adopted  by  the  board, 
which  submitted  a  bond  issue  of  $310,000  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
high-school  building.  The  bond  issue  carried  by  a  large  majority. 

(4)  The  chief  of  the  division,  upon  invitation  of  the  Virginia 
State  board  of  education,  assisted  a  member  of  the  Virginia  State 
department  of  education  in  making  a  survey  of  the  schools  of  Hope- 
well,  Ya.  The  report  has  not  been  completed. 

(5)  In  1923-24  a  school-building  survey  was  made  of  the  city  of 
Portland,  Oreg.,  imder  the  direction  of  the  specialist  in  city  schools, 
A  five-year  building  program  was  submitted  to  the  board  of  education 
and  adopted.  The  people  of  the  city  voted  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
$5,000,000  to  carry  out  this  building  program. 

Ar  second  report  is  being  prepared  outlining  a  building  program 
for  a  second  and  a  third  five-year  period,  beginning  in  1927  and  in 
1932,  respectively.  This  second  report  involves  more  office  work  than 
the  first  report  in  that  it  covers  two  five-year  periods. 

As  a  result  of  the  first  report  a  school-building  program,  based 
upon-  the  platoon,  or  work-study-play,  plan  of  organization,  was 
adopted. 

C! onferences. —  (1)  The  fourth  national  conference,  under  the  aus¬ 
pices  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  on  the  platoon,  or  work-study- 
play,  plan  of  organization,  was  held  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  February 
22-27,  inclusive,  in  connection  with  the  annual  meeting  of  the  de¬ 
partment  of  superintendence  of  the  National  Education  Association. 
The  general  sessions  of  the  conference  were  held  in  the  afternoon 
and  evening  of  February  24.  Those  engaged  in  work  in  schools 
organized  on  the  plan,  and  those  who  had  expressed  an  interest  in  the 
plan  were  invited  to  attend  the  conference.  The  following  com¬ 
mittees,  appointed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to  make 
studies  of  the  problems  and  activities  of  platoon  schools,  held  meet¬ 
ings,  beginning  the  morning  of  February  23  and  ending  at  noon, 
February  27:  Committee  on  building,  organization,  training  of 
teachers,  auditorium,  special  activities,  play,  education  of  public 
opinion,  and  music.  There  were  41  addresses  and  free  discussion  at 
the  eight  committee  meetings.  So  great  was  the  interest  in  these 
committee  meetings  that  it  became  necessary  to  limit  admittance  by 
cards. 

In  connection  with  the  conference,  an  exhibit  on  platoon-school 
work  was  given  in  the  music  hall,  which  contained  more  than  300 
mounts,  and  slides  were  shown  to  illustrate  the  activities  of  platoon 
schools. 


12 


REPORT  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


As  a  result  of  the  four  conferences  called  by  the  Commissioner  of 
Education  the  group  present  at  the  evening  session  formed  a  per¬ 
manent  organization  called  the  National  Association  of  Platoon,  or 
Work-Study-Play,  Schools.  The  Bureau  of  Education  having  spon¬ 
sored  these  meetings  for  four  j^ears,  does  not  contemplate  any  more 
national  conferences  on  the  plan.  The  newly  formed  association  has 
invited  the  bureau’s  specialist  in  city  schools  to  act  as  executive  sec¬ 
retary  of  the  association. 

The  specialist  in  city  schools  Avill  continue  to  work  with  the  na¬ 
tional  committees  as  in  the  past  in  order  to  have  the  means  of  re¬ 
ceiving  through  them  up-to-date  information  regarding  the  platoon 
plan. 

(2)  The  Bureau  of  Education,  in  cooperation  with  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  held  a  conference  at  Philadelphia,  March  27,  1925, 
to  discuss  individualized  instruction.  There  were  two  general  ses¬ 
sions,  with  an  attendance  of  1,800  at  each  session.  Eight  round¬ 
table  conferences  were  held  to  discuss  topics  of  interest  to  special 
groups  of  teachers.  The  attendance  at  each  of  these  was  from  25 
to  50. 

As  an  outcome  of  the  conference,  an  association  of  teachers  in¬ 
terested  in  the  Dalton  plan  of  individualized  instruction  has  been 
organized. 

Publications. — The  following  bulletins  and  leaflets  were  prepared 
by  members  of  the  division  or  under  their  direction :  “  Leaflet  to 
Parents,”  which  was  used  as  a  home  education  circular  and  dis¬ 
tributed  shortly  before  American  Education  Week;  “The  Use  of 
Intelligent  and  Achievement  Tests,”  which  summarizes  the  chief 
purposes  for  which  these  tests  are  used ;  “  Some  Recent  Movements 
in  City  Schools  ” ;  “  Kindergarten  Legislation  ” ;  nature-study  bul¬ 
letins — Cycles  of  Garden  and  Plant  Life,  Cycles  of  Animal  Life  in 
Field  and  Stream,  Cycles  of  Home  Life,  Cycles  of  Town  Life,  Digest 
of  Nature-Study  Courses  in  Normal  Schools  and  City  School  Sys¬ 
tems  ;  “  Suggestions  for  the  Observance  of  American  Education 
Week”;  Broadside  Sheet  for  American  Education  Week;  “The 
Kindergarten  in  Educational  Surveys,”  which  summarizes  the  prin¬ 
cipal  recommendations  found  in  survey  reports  concerning  the  kin¬ 
dergarten.  The  following  bulletins  and  leaflets  have  been  prepared 
under  the  direction  of  the  city  schools  division  by  persons  not  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Bureau  of  Education;  “Time  Allotments  in  the  Ele¬ 
mentary  School  Subjects,”  by  Fred  C.  Ayer;  “The  Motivation  of 
Arithmetic,”  by  G.  M.  Wilson,  Boston  University;  “Personnel  and 
Organization  in  the  Smaller  Schools,”  by  Harry  Ganders,  State 
Teachers  College,  Greeley,  Colo. ;  “  Work-Study-Play  or  Platoon 
Plan,”  by  Charles  A.  Rice,  assistant  superintendent  of  schools,  Port¬ 
land,  Oreg. ;  “  The  Organization  and  Development  of  Pittsburgh 
Platoon  Schools,”  by  W.  F.  Kennedy,  director  of  platoon  schools, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.;  “The  Work-Study-Play  Curricula,”  by  John  G. 
Rossman,  assistant  superintendent  of  schools,  Gary,  Ind. ;  and  “  The 
Platoon  Schools,  Birmingham,  Ala.,”  by  C.  B.  Glenn,  superintend¬ 
ent  of  schools,  Birmingham,  Ala. 

Articles  were  published  in  educational  journals  under  the  follow¬ 
ing  titles:  “Individual  Instruction”;  “Sequence  of  Handwork  for 
Kindergarten-Primary  Classes  ” ;  “  A  Kindergarten-Primary  School 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


13 


Project  Involving  Handwork”;  “ How  to  Teach  Geography  to  Be¬ 
ginners  ” ;  “  Facts  of  Interest  About  Kindergarten  Laws  ”  and  “  The 
Growth  of  the  Platoon  School.” 

Miscellaneous  activities. — Five  years  ago  the  Bureau  of  Education 
inaugurated  a  week  of  national  observance  with  reference  to  educa¬ 
tional  needs.  This  week  is  now  known  as  American  Education 
Week.  Material  for  this  observance  last  year  was  prepared  and  dis¬ 
tributed  by  the  chief  of  the  division  of  city  schools.  This  campaign 
has  become  increasingly  successful,  and  is  probably  better  estab¬ 
lished  and  more  widely  known  than  any  other  so-called  “  week.”  In 
this  enterprise  the  bureau  has  enjoyed  the  unstinted  cooperation  of 
more  than  a  hundred  educational,  civic,  and  patriotic  organizations. 
In  this,  the  National  Education  Association  and  American  Legion 
have  taken  a  leading  part.  The  latter  organization  inaugurated  a 
week  of  its  own  at  one  time,  but  later  merged  its  campaign  into  that 
of  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

In  the  field  of  kindergarten  education  the  division  of  city  schools 
has  secured  the  names  of  over  300  kindergarten  teachers  in  foreign 
missionary  service  and  supplied  them  with  information  and  mate¬ 
rials  relating  to  kindergarten  work,  and  has  prepared  a  new  set  of 
lantern  slides,  with  an  appropriate  lecture  setting  forth  a  series 
of  kindergarten  projects. 

(4)  Division  of  Physical  Education  and  School  Hygiene 

Personnel. — There  was  one  resignation  from  the  staff  of  this  divi¬ 
sion  during  the  year,  and  at  its  close  the  personnel  consists  of  a 
specialist,  an  assistant  specialist,  a  part-time  field  agent,  and  one 
clerical  assistant. 

C orrespondence. — The  number  of  special  inquiries  received  dur¬ 
ing  the  past  year  indicates  that  interest  in  the  physical  welfare  of 
the  school  child  is  not  only  undiminished  but  is  increasing. 

Studies  and  'publications. — Research  completed  during  the  year 
includes:  (a)  A  study  of  health  administration  in  city  and  rural 
schools;  (6)  requirements  and  credits  in  physical  education  and 
athletics  in  American  colleges  and  universities;  ( c )  courses  in  profes¬ 
sional  training  in  phj^sical  education  in  universities,  colleges,  nor¬ 
mal  schools,  and  special  schools;  and  (d)  State  requirements  for 
directors  and  supervisors  of  physical  education. 

A  four-year  outline  course  in  hygiene  and  physiology  for  high 
schools  was  prepared,  circulars  on  physical  education  and  on  school 
nursing  were  issued,  a  radio  message  and  suggestions  for  “  Physical 
Education  Day”  (American  Education  Week)  were  prepared,  and 
the  divisional  section  for  the  biennial  survey  was  written. 

Conferences. — The  division  initiated  two  important  conferences, 
that  of  State  directors  of  physical  education,  held  in  Rochester,  N.  Y,. 
on  April  2,  and  a  meeting  of  institutions  giving  professional  train¬ 
ing  in  physical  education,  which  took  place  in  Washington,  D.  C., 
May  7  and  8.  The  National  Conference  on  Outdoor  Recreation  was 
attended,  information  for  the  use  of  committees  of  this  conference 
was  prepared,  and  the  chief  of  the  division  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  committee  on  social  relations.  A  conference  of  directors  of 
physical  education  in  colleges,  the  annual  meeting  of  the  National 
60046°— 25 - 3 


14  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

Education  Association,  the  conferences  of  the  Playground  and  Rec¬ 
reation  Association  of  America,  the  New  Jersey  Public  Health 
Nurses  Association,  the  American  Child  Health  Association,  and  the 
northwestern  district  meeting  of  the  North  Carolina  Education  As¬ 
sociation  were  attended  and  addresses  were  delivered  at  the  last 
three  meetings,  and  also  at  the  conference  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

Miscellaneous  activities. — The  special  agent  in  school  planning 
and  construction,  besides  giving  much  information  and  advice  by 
correspondence,  visited  and  assisted  with  the  planning  of  school 
buildings  and  grounds  at  Florence  and  Gadsden,  Ala.;  Little  Rock, 
Ark.;  Daytona  and  New  Smyrna,  Fla.;  Alexandria,  La.;  Jackson, 
Mi  ss. ;  Currituck,  N.  C. ;  Athens,  Carthage,  and  Etowa,  Tenn. 

The  chief  of  the  division  assisted  in  the  survey  of  schools  of 
Charlottesville,  Va.,  and  inspected  the  schools  of  Burlington,  N.  C. 

A  study  of  summer  camps,  especially  in  their  relationship  to  the 
public  schools,  was  carried  out  in  the  eastern  section  of  the  country 
by  the  assistant  specialist. 

(5)  Service  Division 

For  administrative  purposes  certain  members  of  the  bureau’s 
staff,  whose  fields  of  service  touch  the  various  levels  of  the  educa¬ 
tional  system  from  the  elementary  schools  to  the  universities,  have 
been  set  apart  in  the  service  division.  Their  activities  for  the  fiscal 
year  are  summarized  as  follows; 

Industrial  education. — The  position  of  specialist  in  industrial 
education  was  vacant  until  the  first  half  of  the  year  1925.  This 
report,  therefore,  covers  only  the  latter  six  months  of  the  fiscal  year 
1924-25. 

Early  in  the  year  an  industrial  education  dinner  conference  was 
held  in  connection  with  the  meeting  in  Chicago  of  the  Vocational 
Education  Association  of  the  Middle  West.  A  program  was  pre¬ 
pared  on  the  subject  “The  General  Shop.”  Representatives  from 
14  States  were  in  attendance.  It  is  expected  that  a  report  of  the 
conference  will  be  published  by  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

In  cooperation  with  one  of  the  regional  agents  of  the  Federal 
Board  for  Vocational  Education,  the  specialist  in  industrial  educa¬ 
tion  held  a  conference  in  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,*with  representatives 
from  the  State  departments  of  education  of  Ohio  and  West  Vir¬ 
ginia,  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  the  objectives  in  manual-arts 
work  and  reviewing  the  proposed  bulletin  on  manual  arts  to  be 
issued  by  the  State  department  of  education  of  Ohio. 

In  May  a  two-day  conference  was  held  at  Portland,  Me.,  with 
representatives  of  the  State  departments  of  education  from  Maine, 
New  Hampshire,  and  Vermont,  The  conference  was  devoted  to  a 
critical  discussion  of  the  aims  of  the  manual-arts  work  and  the 
value  of  specific  types  of  courses  for  the  realization  of  these  aims. 
At  both  the  Wheeling  and  Portland  conferences  the  need  for  de¬ 
veloping,  through  studies  and  conferences,  some  general  agreement 
as  to  specific  objectives  for  the  manual-arts  work,  other  than  that 
of  a  strictly  vocational  character,  was  emphasized. 

For  the  purpose  of  aiding  some  penal  institutions  in  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  industrial-education  courses,  the  specialist  in  industrial 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


15 


education  has  had  interviews  and  correspondence  with  some  State 
and  Federal  agencies  and  individuals  interested  in  this  movement, 
and  information  is  being  compiled  for  distribution. 

The  specialist  in  industrial  education  spent  a  total  of  37  days  in 
field  work  in  11  different  States.  As  a  part  of  this  service  he 
delivered  addresses  as  follows:  Industrial-education  dinner  confer¬ 
ence,  Chicago,  Ill. ;  industrial  section  of  the  department  of  superin¬ 
tendence  of  the  National  Education  Association,  Cincinnati,  Ohio; 
Rotary  Club,  Hagerstown,  Md. ;  Franklin  College,  Franklin,  Ind. ; 
and  the  State  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  Orangeburg, 
S.  C. ;  commencement  exercises  of  Industrial  Demonstration  School, 
Baltimore,  Md.,  and  of  Riverdale,  Md..  public  school. 

For  four  months  the  specialist,  in  cooperation  with  the  University 
of  Maryland,  carried  on  in  Baltimore  three  conferences  on  indus¬ 
trial  education.  One  conference  was  composed  of  industrial  teachers 
in  Baltimore,  organized  as  a  teacher-training  group  on  the  con¬ 
ference  basis.  The  other  two  groups  dealt  with  the  improvement  of 
foremanship.  One  group  was  composed  of  a  number  of  foremen 
from  representative  industries,  the  other  was  a  plant  group  in  a 
large  meat-packing  plant.  All  groups  met  weekly  and  the  work  was 
conducted* by  the  conference  method.  A  mimeographed  report  was 
made  of  the  work  of  each  conference. 

Commercial  education. — Early  in  the  year  the  associate  specialist 
in  commercial  education  prepared  reports  on  several  conferences 
held  during  the  previous  year,  relating  to  the  preparation  of  high- 
school  students  for  business  careers.  He  also  prepared  a  leaflet 
containing  certain  statistics  relating  to  business  education  in  the  col¬ 
leges  and  universities. 

In  connection  with  a  trip  to  Lima,  Peru,  the  associate  specialist 
in  this  field  delivered  several  addresses  before  the  Third  Pan  Ameri¬ 
can  Scientific  Congress,  the  Society  of  Engineers  of  Peru,  and  the 
National  Institute  of  Panama.  He  also  spoke  before  the  Army 
War  College  in  Washington,  D.  C. ;  the  Southern  Commercial  Teach¬ 
ers  Association;  University  of  South  Carolina;  and  the  Washington 
(D.  C.)  School  of  Accountancy. 

During  the  year  one  conference  relating  to  this  field  of ‘education 
was  held  at  Bowling  Green  (Kentucky)  University.  The  conference 
was  largely  attended,  especially  by  students  in  the  summer  session 
at  the  university. 

The  position  in  commercial  education  has  been  vacant  during  much 
of  the  fiscal  year  covered  by  this  report. 

Home-economics  education. — In  cooperation  with  the  American 
Home  Economics  Association,  the  specialist  in  home  economics  con¬ 
ducted  a  city  supervisors’  breakfast  conference  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  on 
July  1,  1924,  and  on  June  30,  1925,  was  chairman  of  the  American 
Home  Economics  program  at  the  National  Education  meeting  in 
Indianapolis,  Ind.  A  series  of  conferences  with  city  supervisors, 
teachers,  and  home-economics  sections  of  State  teachers’  associa¬ 
tions  were  conducted  at  the  following  places:  Indianapolis,  Ind.; 
Chicago,  Ill. ;  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis,  Minn. ;  Milwaukee,  Wis. ; 
Fargo,  N.  Dak.;  Missoula,  Mont.;  Seattle,  Wash.;  Portland,  Cor¬ 
vallis,  and  Eugene,  Oreg. ;  Chico,  San  Francisco,  Oakland,  and 
Los  Angeles,  Calif. ;  El  Paso,  San  Antonio,  and  Austin,  Tex. ;  Tulsa, 


16 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Okla. ;  and  Kansas  City,  Mo.  At  these  conferences  problems  in 
public-school  home-economics  education  were  discussed.  Twenty- 
three  addresses  were  delivered  before  4,295  students,  teachers,  and 
supervisors  of  home  economics. 

During  the  year  the  specialist  in  home  economics  also  addressed 
the  State  home-economics  associations  of  New  York,  Ohio,  and  Mary¬ 
land;  the  New  England  Home  Economics  Association,  at  Simmons 
College,  Boston,  Mass.;  the  Housekeepers’  Alliance,  Providence, 
R.  I. ;  representatives  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul¬ 
ture,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  the  health-education  conference  of  the 
American  Child  Health  Association,  Chicago,  111.  (three  addresses)  ; 
representative  financiers  and  educators  of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  and  the 
home-economics  teachers  of  the  public  schools  of  Cleveland. 

The  specialist  in  home  economics  assisted  in  a  survey  of  higher 
education  at  the  College  for  Women  of  Western  Reserve  University, 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Data  were  also  obtained  through  questionnaires 
sent  to  the  State  and  county  superintendents  as  to  the  number  of 
schools  giving  home  economics;  number  of  home-economic  teachers 
giving  courses  in  child  care  and  welfare;  the  family,  personal 
hygiene,  and  health;  food,  nutrition,  and  clothing;  number  of  home- 
economics  students  taking  such  courses  and  the  annual  expendi¬ 
tures  of  home-economics  departments. 

An  inventory  was  made  of  the  home  activities  of  570  girls  attend¬ 
ing  the  Hine  and  Columbia  Junior  High  Schools  of  Washington, 
D.  C.,  to  assist  the  directors  of  domestic  science  and  art  in  the  schools 
of  the  District  of  Columbia  in  the  preparation  of  a  course  of  study  in 
household  economics. 

An  investigation  was  made  of  the  status  of  home  economics  in  the 
junior  and  senior  high  schools,  the  results  of  which  will  probably  be 
published  in  bulletin  form. 

Questionnaires  were  sent  to  State  and  city  supervisors  of  home 
economics,  presidents  of  universities  and  normal  schools,  heads  of 
home-economics  departments,  deans  of  women,  deans  of  education, 
and  State  and  county  superintendents  to  ascertain  their  opinions 
concerning  the  contribution  of  home  economics  to  general  education 
and  its  relation  to  the  social  sciences. 

The  specialist  in  home  economics  prepared  an  article  for  the 
Broadside  for  American  Education  Week,  entitled  44  Education  for 
the  home”;  a  news  letter  entitle  44 Home-economics  suggestions  for 
parent-teacher  associations”;  a  criticism  of  the  industrial-arts  and 
home-economics  courses  of  study  for  the  Alaskan  schools;  a  report 
for  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  ;  and  a  report  of  the  physical 
plant  and  status  of  home-economics  and  physical  education  in  the 
College  for  Women  of  Western  Reserve  University  in  connection 
with  the  higher  education  survey  at  Cleveland. 

Work  in  progress  includes  the  study  of  the  status  of  home  eco¬ 
nomics  in  the  junior  and  senior  high  schools  and  preparation  of  a 
bulletin;  investigation  of  the  status  of  home  economics  in  the  one- 
room  rural  school  and  the  consolidated  school  and  preparation  of  a 
bulletin ;  preparation  of  program  for  home-economics  luncheon  con¬ 
ference  at  the  meeting  of  the  American  Home  Economics  Associa¬ 
tion  at  San  Francisco  August  5. 

Ready  for  publication:  Findings  concerning  what  contribution 
does  food  study  make  to  the  health  of  Cleveland  families  and  to 


TECHNICAL  ACTIVITIES 


17 


the  happiness  of  Cleveland  families;  an  outline  concerning  what 
clothing  and  textiles  contribute  to  health. 

Educational  legislation. — During  the  past  fiscal  year  the  assistant 
specialist  in  school  legislation  has  carried  on  several  lines  of  work, 
as  follows:  (1)  The  preparation  of  special  reports  on  the  legal 
aspects  of  single  subjects  such  as  compulsory  school  attendance;  (2) 
the  issuance  of  circulars  of  information  relating  to  school  laws;  (3) 
contributions  to  School  Life  and  other  publications  of  the  Bureau  of 
Education;  (4)  interpretive  reviews  of  the  school  legislation  of 
specified  periods;  (5)  assistance  to  certain  States  in  the  writing  of 
new  school  codes;  and  (6)  giving  information  and  assistance  through 
correspondence  and  similar  means. 

Within  the  year  special  studies  were  undertaken  in  State  laws  pro¬ 
viding  for  rural  high  schools,  State  regulation  of  degree-conferring 
institutions,  laws  relating  to  the  examination  of  pupils  completing 
the  elementary  grades,  and  school-attendance  requirements.  The 
first-mentioned  subject  was  treated  in  a  study  begun  in  the  fiscal 
year  1923-24  but  not  completed  until  last  September.  A  projected 
bulletin  study  of  the  regulation  of  degree-conferring  institutions 
was  begun  within  the  past  year  but  has  not  yet  been  completed.  The 
compilation  of  legal  provisions  for  eighth-grade  examinations  was 
undertaken  in  the  early  part  of  the  fiscal  year  and  was  completed  at 
the  end  of  the  fiscal  year. 

Within  the  first  half  of  the  calendar  year  1925,  when  many  State 
legislatures  were  in  session,  a  Legislative  Circular,  giving  informa¬ 
tion  with  respect  to  progress  in  school  legislation,  was  issued  from 
time  to  time.  In  all,  seven  numbers  of  this  circular  were  sent  out 
to  a  selected  group  of  persons  interested  in  school-law  information. 

Contributions  to  the  periodical  and  special  publications  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education  included  three  articles  for  use  in  connection 
with  the  observance  of  American  Education  Week,  two  articles  for 
School  Life,  and  one  number  of  “Home  Education  Letter.”  A  re¬ 
view  of  educational  legislation,  passed  in  the  two-year  period  1923- 
24,  and  a  similar  but  briefer  review  of  the  enactments  of  1925,  were 
written  within  the  year  and  submitted  for  publication  or  other  appro¬ 
priate  use  by  the  bureau. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  present  calendar  year,  the  assistant  special¬ 
ist  in  school  legislation  rendered  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  two 
proposed  new  school  codes.  In  Tennessee  he  examined  critically 
and  made  suggestions  relative  to  a  legislative  bill  embodying  a  com¬ 
plete  recodification  of  the  State’s  school  laws.  The  assistant  special¬ 
ist  also  spent  five  weeks  in  the  spring  of  1925  in  Frankfort,  Ky., 
where  he  prepared  a  manuscript  of  about  250  typewritten  pages  com¬ 
prising  in  codified  form  all  school  laws  of  general  application  in  the 
State.  This  work  was  done  in  collaboration  with  a  legislative  com¬ 
mittee  of  the  Kentucky  Education  Association.  The  plan  is  to  have 
the  bill  introduced  in  the  Kentucky  Legislature  of  1926  and  if  pos¬ 
sible  to  obtain  its  adoption  as  the  Kentucky  school  code. 

Foreign  education. — The  main  purpose  of  the  section  is  to  gather 
and  keep  on  hand  current  information  about  the  educational  sys¬ 
tems  of  all  the  foreign  countries  and  make  it  available  to  those  who 
are  interested,  by  means  of  correspondence,  personal  interviews, 
bulletins,  circulars,  and  articles.  Throughout  the  year  the  work 


18 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


essential  to  carrying  out  this  purpose  has  been  continued.  Informa¬ 
tion  on  practically  every  phase  of  education  has  been  obtained 
through  the  Departments  of  State  and  of  Commerce,  from  some  of 
the  foreign  legations  in  the  United  States,  and  from  periodicals, 
reports,  bulletins,  catalogues,  and  other  publications,  official  and 
private,  of  foreign  countries.  The  assistant  specialist  in  foreign 
education  systems  gave  one  week  to  visiting  a  few  of  the  many 
agencies  now  interested  in  different  school  activities  abroad,  with 
a  view  to  arranging  for  exchanges  of  data  with  those  agencies  and 
avoiding  duplication  of  effort. 

Incident  to  interpreting  the  educational  practice,  laws,  and  regu¬ 
lations  of  other  countries  in  the  light  of  American  experience,  a 
total  of  written  translations  on  educational  subjects  alone  amount¬ 
ing  to  nearly  200,000  words  were  made.  These  were  from  21  lan¬ 
guages  and  included  Arabic,  Bulgarian,  Chinese,  Czechoslovakian, 
Danish,  Dutch,  German,  Greek,  Hebrew,  Hungarian,  Yugoslavian, 
Norwegian,  Polish,  Russian,  Spanish,  Swedish,  Bohemian,  French, 
Italian,  Portuguese,  and  Rumanian.  Oral  translation  far  exceeded 
the  written  in  amount.  Assistance  in  translating  legal  documents 
and  scientific  articles  was  given  to  other  bureaus  and  departments 
of  the  Government. 

Five  hundred  or  more  letters  asking  for  various  kinds  of  informa¬ 
tion  were  answered  as  accurately  and  fully  as  practicable.  Consid¬ 
erable  numbers  of  university  students  were  given  aid  and  direction 
in  their  reading  and  in  preparing  papers  or  theses.  The  many 
applicants  for  teaching  positions  in  foreign  countries  were,  in  gen¬ 
eral,  directed  to  apply  to  the  school  authorities  of  those  countries, 
since  the  section  has  no  facilities  for  teacher  placement.  The  atten¬ 
tion  of  other  divisions  of  the  bureau  has  been  called  to  items  of 
interest  or  value  in  their  special  fields.  Owing  to  pressure  of  other 
duties  no  bulletins  were  prepared  for  publication  during  the  year, 
but  work  was  begun  on  a  survey  of  foreign  education  for  the  bien¬ 
nium  1922-24,  and  on  a  study  of  ministries  of  education. 

The  present  immigration  law  makes  necessary  a  definite  knowledge 
of  the  school  training  of  the  nonquota  immigrants  who  desire  to  come 
here  to  continue  their  studies.  The  officials  of  a  large  number  of 
institutions  in  12  States  and  the  District  of  Columbia  have  asked  the 
section  to  aid  in  evaluating  certificates,  diplomas,  and  records  from 
approximately  75  different  schools  in  34  foreign  countries.  The 
credentials  came  from  many  kinds  of  public  and  private  foreign  in¬ 
stitutions  and  represented,  for  the  most  part,  difficult  and  doubtful 
cases.  They  came  from  primary,  middle,  and  secondary  schools, 
lycees,  gymnasia,  technische  hochshule,  commercial  schools  of  both 
secondary  and  university  grade,  teacher-training  institutions  of 
various  types,  colleges,  colegios,  and  universities.  The  credentials,  if 
in  a  language  other  than  English,  were  translated,  and  the  officials 
submitting  them  were  advised  as  to  their  value  in  terms  of  education 
in  the  United  States. 

General  Service  Activities 

The  general  service  activities  of  the  bureau  are  administered  by 
the  commissioner  through  the  chief  clerk,  who  also  acts  as  commis¬ 
sioner  in  the  absence  of  the  commissioner.  These  general  service 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


19 


activities  include  the  statistical  division,  the  editorial  division,  the 
library  division,  home  education,  mails  and  files,  Alaska  division, 
stenographers,  and  messengers. 

STATISTICAL  DIVISION 

The  statistical  survey  for  1922  vras  completed  and  published. 
Data  were  collected  for  1924,  tabulations  made,  and  bulletins  com¬ 
pleted  on  kindergartens,  private  high  schools  and  academies,  and 
State  universities  and  State  colleges.  Data  were  collected  for  the 
school  year  1923-24  and  tabulations  partially  completed  for  the  fol¬ 
lowing:  Teachers  colleges  and  normal  schools;  city  school  systems; 
public  high  schools;  rural  schools;  universities,  colleges,  and  pro¬ 
fessional  schools;  and  State  school  systems.  One  circular  was  issued 
on  per  capita  costs  in  city  schools  for  1923-24.  A  bulletin  on  ac¬ 
credited  secondary  schools,  one  on  the  value  of  education  to  the  State, 
and  one  on  the  housing,  staffing,  and  organization  of  State  depart¬ 
ments  of  education  were  completed  and  sent  in  for  publication.  A 
study  was  made  but  not  published  on  attendance  data  for  public 
schools  as  required  by  State  departments  of  education. 

Two  cooperative  studies  were  begun  during  the  year,  one  on  the 
revision  of  the  bureau  publication  on  uniform  records  and  accounts. 
Committees  are  working  with  the  chief  of  the  division  from  the 
National  Association  of  Public  School  Business  Officials,  and  from 
the  department  of  superintendence  of  the  National  Education  Asso¬ 
ciation  on  this  revision.  Another  study  is  being  made  in  collaboration 
with  the  American  Council  on  Education  on  the  present  status  and 
value  of  modern  foreign-language  study  and  the  methods  of  teaching 
such  languages. 

Conferences  were  held  with  State  officials  and  committees  from 
college  groups,  statistical  associations,  the  National  League  of  Com¬ 
pulsory  Officials,  the  National  Association  of  Public  School  Officials, 
the  American  Association  of  Teachers  Colleges,  and  the  National 
Education  Association. 

During  the  year  the  division  was  assisted  materially  by  four  field 
agents  who  solicited  information  directly  from  institutions  and 
school  systems.  These  men  traveled  42,000  miles,  visited  617  places, 
and  sent  in  666  reports.  The  data  thus  gathered  are  the  most  com¬ 
plete  of  any  thus  far  obtained  by  the  bureau.  Furthermore,  this  field 
service  will  make  it  possible  to  get  out  the  statistics  more  promptly 
than  was  possible  under  the  questionnaire  method. 

EDITORIAL  DIVISION 

Publications,  varying  in  extent  from  a  leaflet  of  a  few  pages  to  the 
comprehensive  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  are  in  the  aggregate 
the  most  effective  means  of  influencing  educational  thought  and  prac¬ 
tice  which  is  available  to  the  Bureau  of  Education.  In  the  number 
and  importance  of  its  printed  documents  the  bureau  far  excels  any 
institution  and  any  other  single  agency  for  education  in  the  United 
States,  and  perhaps  in  the  world.  Certainly  no  Government  other 
than  our  own  has  produced  such  an  extensive  educational  literature. 
The  achievements  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  this  respect  are  a 


20 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


constant  source  of  interest  to  educators  of  other  lands.  About  700 
of  the  bureau’s  publications  may  now  be  had  either  gratuitously  or 
by  purchase  at  nominal  prices  from  the  Superintendent  of  Docu¬ 
ments;  a  somewhat  larger  number  have  served  their  purposes  and 
have  been  allowed  to  go  out  of  print. 

The  policy  of  strict  economy  which  prevails  throughout  the  Gov¬ 
ernment  service  resulted  during  the  year,  however,  in  a  material  re¬ 
duction  in  the  distribution  of  documents  of  the  bureau. 

Some  of  the  belated  statistical  reports  of  1921-22  were  issued  dur¬ 
ing  the  fiscal  year  192L-25,  and  they  brought  the  whole  number  of 
bulletins  printed  during  the  year  to  46.  Several  of  these  Tvere  neces¬ 
sarily  of  greater  extent  than  has  been  usual  during  recent  years,  and 
that  increased  the  average  size  of  the  bulletins  from  49  to  70  pages. 

The  number  of  leaflets,  circulars,  and  the  like  published  during 
the  year  amounted  to  87,  a  reduction  of  16  from  the  number  reported 
for  1923-24.  The  principal  reduction,  however,  was  brought  about 
by  issuing  unusually  small  editions  of  the  documents  that  were 
printed.  Largely  in  consequence  of  this  the  Superintendent  of  Docu¬ 
ments  distributed  for  this  bureau  during  the  past  year  24,999  fewer 
bulletins,  984  fewer  annual  reports,  5,607  fewer  leaflets  and  miscel¬ 
laneous  documents,  and  93,648  fewer  copies  of  School  Life  than  in 
the  year  1923-24.  About  80,000  copies  of  two  special  numbers  of 
School  Life  were  issued  in  the  earlier  year  but,  aside  from  that  fact, 
the  decrease  in  the  number  of  free  copies  distributed  was  about  3,000 
per  month.  Partly  because  of  this  but  more  because  of  the  increase 
of  the  subscription  price  from  30  cents  to  50  cents  a  year,  the  number 
of  paid  subscribers  to  School  Life  fell  from  7,665  to  5,913. 

Similarly,  the  reduction  in  number  of  free  copies  of  general  publi¬ 
cations  resulted  in  a  falling  off  of  nearly  8,000  in  the  number  of 
letters  requesting  documents. 

Publications  of  the  Bureau  of  Educdtion,  July  1,  1921f,  to  June  30,  1925 

BULLETINS,  1923 

No.  55.  Bibliography  of  educational  and  psychological  tests  and  measurements. 
Margaret  Doherty  and  Josephine  MacLatchy,  under  the  direction  of  B.  R. 
Buckingham. 

BULLETINS,  1924 

No.  4.  A  type  rural  high  school.  C.  A.  Nelson  and  E.  E.  Windes. 

No.  5.  The  chief  State  school  official.  Ward  G.  Reeder. 

No.  6.  Statistics  of  land-grant  colleges,  1922.  L.  E.  Blauch. 

No.  7.  Statistics  of  public  high  schools,  1921-22.  Advance  sheets  from  Bien¬ 
nial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  8.  Visual  education  departments  in  educational  institutions.  A.  P.  Hollis. 

No.  9.  Intelligence  of  seniors  in  the  high  schools  of  Massachusetts.  Stephen  S. 
Colvin  and  Andrew  H.  MacPhail. 

No.  10.  Statistics  of  teachers  colleges  and  normal  schools,  1921-22.  Advance 
sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  11.  Manual  arts  in  the  junior  high  school.  William  E.  Roberts. 

No.  13.  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1920-1922,  vol.  1  (text). 

No.  15.  The  daily  schedule  in  the  high  school.  J.  B.  Edmonson,  W.  E.  Bow, 
and  Irvin  Van  Tassell. 

No.  16.  Objectives  in  commercial  engineering.  Glen  L.  Swiggett. 

No.  17.  American  school  buildings.  Fletcher  B.  Dresslar. 

No.  18.  Introduction  of  algebra  into  American  schools  in  the  eighteenth  cen¬ 
tury.  Lao  G.  Simons. 

No.  19.  Schools  for  adults  in  prisons.  A.  C.  Hill. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


21 


No.  20.  Statistics  of  universities,  colleges,  and  professional  schools.  Advance 
sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  22.  Technique  of  procedure  in  collegiate  registration.  George  T.  Avery. 
No.  23.  Government  publications  useful  to  teachers.  E.  E.  Windes. 

No.  24.  Organization  and  administration  of  the  duplicate  school  in  Phila¬ 
delphia,  Pa. 

No.  25.  A  platoon  school  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  G.  A.  Diemer. 

No.  26.  Statistics  of  State  universities  and  State  colleges  for  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1923. 

No.  27.  Record  of  current  educational  publications,  June  1,  1924. 

No.  28.  Fiscal  support  of  State  universities  and  State  colleges.  C.  H. 
Thurber. 

No.  29.  Legislation  on  the  junior  high  school.  Paul  W.  Terry  and  W.  J. 
Marquis. 

No.  30.  Land-grant  college  education,  1910  to  1920.  Part  I,  History  and 
.educational  objectives. 

No.  31.  Statistics  of  State  school  systems,  1921-22.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  32.  A  study  of  260  school  consolidations.  J.  F.  Abel. 

No.  33.  The  quest  of  youth.  A  pageant  for  schools.  Hazel  Mackaye. 

No.  34.  Statistics  of  city  school  systems,  1921-22.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey,  1920-1922. 

No.  35.  The  trend  of  college  entrance  requirements,  1913-1922.  Plarry  C. 
McKown. 

No.  36.  A  manual  of  educational  legislation. 

No.  37.  Land-grant  college  education,  1910  to  1920.  Part  II,  The  liberal 
arts  and  sciences,  including  miscellaneous  subjects  and  activities. 

No.  38.  Statistical  survey  of  education,  1921-22.  Frank  M.  Phillips.  Ad¬ 
vance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey, '  1920-1922. 

No.  39.  Visual  education  and  the  St.  Louis  school  museum.  Carl  G.  Rath- 
mann. 

No.  40.  Legal  provisions  for  rural  high  schools.  William  R.  Hood. 
BULLETINS,  1925 

No.  1.  Educational  directory,  1925. 

No.  2.  Important  State  laws  relating  to  education,  1922-1923.  William  R. 
Hood. 

No.  3.  Contribution  of  home  economics  to  citizenship  training.  Emeline  S. 
Whitcomb. 

No.  4.  Land-grant  college  education,  1910  to  1920.  Part  III,  Agriculture. 
No.  5.  Land-grant  college  education,  1910  to  1920.  Part  IV,  Engineering  and 
mechanic  arts. 

No.  6.  High-school  education  of  the  farm  population  in  selected  States.  E.  E. 
Windes. 

No.  7.  Kindergarten  legislation.  Nina  C.  Vandewalker. 

No.  8.  Elementary  instruction  of  adults.  Report  of  national  illiteracy  con¬ 
ference  committee.  Charles  M.  Herlihy,  chairman. 

No.  9.  Some  lessons  from  a  decade  of  rural  supervision.  Annie  Reynolds. 

No.  10.  The  rural  high  school :  Its  organization  and  curriculum.  Emery  N. 
.Ferris. 

No.  14.  Record  of  current  educational  publications,  April  1,  1925. 

CITY  SCHOOL  LEAFLETS 

No.  17.  A  basis  for  music  in  the  work-study-play  school.  Will  Earhart. 

No.  18.  Samples  of  teacher  self-rating  cards.  Bertha  Y.  Hebb. 

No.  19.  Time  allotments  in  the  elementary  school  subjects.  Fred  C.  Ayer. 

No.  20.  Uses  of  intelligence  and  achievement  tests  in  215  cities.  W.  S.  Def- 
fenbaugh, 

COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION  LEAFLETS 

No.  8.  Cooperative  vocational  guidance.  G.  L.  Swiggett. 

No.  9.  Commercial  occupations.  G.  L.  Swiggett. 

No.  10.  Coordination  of  business  preparation  and  placement..  G.  L.  Swiggett. 


22 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


HEALTH  EDUCATION  PUBLICATIONS 

Health  Education  Series 

No.  17.  Helps  for  the  rural-school  nurse.  Harriet  Wedgwood  and  Hazel 
Wedgwood. 

No.  18.  What  every  teacher  should  know  about  the  physical  condition  of  her 
pupils.  James  P.  Rogers. 

Cards 

No.  1.  What  is  health. 

Snellen  Test  Card. 

Miscellaneous 

Price  list  (2  editions). 


Physical  education  series 

No.  5.  Problems  in  physical  education.  J.  F.  Rogers. 

School  health  studies 

No.  7.  Recognition  of  health  as  an  objective.  Harriet  Wedgwood. 

No.  8.  School  health  supervision.  Harriet  Wedgwood. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS 

No.  29.  Rhodes  scholarships,  1925. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  CIRCULARS 

No.  18.  Titles  of  completed  research  from  home  economics  departments  in 
American  colleges  and  universities,  1918  to  1923.  Emeline  S.  Whitcomb. 

No.  19.  Sources  of  useful  information  for  the  teacher  of  home  economics. 
Emeline  S.  Whitcomb. 


HOME  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS 

No.  6.  Cooperation  in  adult  education.  Ellen  C.  Lombard. 

No.  7.  Teacher’s  and  pupil’s  reading  circles.  Ellen  C.  Lombard. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS 

No.  22.  The  preparation  of  teachers.  (Conference  report.) 

No.  23.  Vocational  education  in  Geneva,  Switzerland.  Elise  Hatt. 

KINDERGARTEN  CIRCULARS 

No.  8.  What  they  think  of  the  kindergarten.  (Reprint.) 

No.  17.  How  the  kindergarten  aids  children’s  progress  in  the  grades.  Nina  C. 
Vandewalker. 

No.  18.  How  the  kindergarten  educates.  Luella  A.  Palmer  and  Mary  G. 
Waite. 

Extension  Series  No.  1.  How  to  arouse  public  interest  in  kindergartens. 
Folder.  Why  your  child  should  go  to  the  kindergarten.  Julia  Wade  Abbot. 
(2  editions.) 

LIBRARY  LEAFLETS  (LISTS  OF  REFERENCES) 

No.  24.  Money  value  of  education. 

No.  25.  Vocational  education. 

No.  26.  Rural  life  and  culture. 

No.  27.  Junior  high  school. 

No.  28.  Higher  education. 

No.  29.  Play  and  playgrounds. 

No.  30.  Education  for  citizenship. 

No.  31.  Student  self-government  and  the  honor  system. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


23 


READING  COURSES 

No.  1.  World’s  great  literary  Bibles,  ( Reprint. ) 

No.  2.  Great  literature — ancient,  medieval,  and  modern.  (Reprint.) 

No. 3.  Reading  course  for  parents.  (Reprint.) 

No.  4.  Reading  course  for  boys.  (Reprint.) 

No.  5.  Reading  course  for  girls.  (Reprint.) 

No.  7.  Thirty  world  heroes.  (Reprint.) 

No.  8.  American  literature.  (Reprint.) 

No.  9.  Thirty  American  heroes.  (Reprint.) 

No.  10.  American  history.  (Reprint.) 

No.  12.  Heroes  of  American  democracy.  (Reprint.) 

No.  21.  Twenty  good  books  for  parents.  (Reprint.) 

No.  23.  Kow  to  know  architecture.  R.  F.  Bach.  (Reprint.) 

No.  24.  Citizenship  and  government.  G.  F.  Zook.  (Reprint.) 

No.  25.  Pathways  to  health.  Harriet  Wedgwood.  (Reprint.) 

No.  26.  Sixty  selected  stories  for  boys  and  girls.  Florence  C.  Fox. 

No.  27.  Poetical  literature  for  boys  and  girls.  Florence  C.  Fox. 

No.  28.  Kindergarten  ideals  in  the  home  and  school.  Nina  C.  Vandewalker. 
No.  29.  The  preschool  child. 

RURAL  SCHOOL  LEAFLETS 

No.  25.  Ypsilanti  Kiwanis  Club  and  the  Country  schools.  M.  S.  Pittman. 

No.  26.  Types  of  courses  of  study  in  agriculture.  E.  E.  Windes. 

No.  27.  Milpitas — a  rural  school  project  in  teacher  training.  Clara  H.  Smith 
and  La  Rae  Olvey. 

No.  28.  The  county  unit  in  New  Mexico.  John  V.  Conway. 

No.  29.  Transportation  costs  in  Minnesota  consolidated  schools.  George  A. 

Selke. 

No.  30.  Orange  township  consolidated  school.  Macy  Campbell. 

No.  31.  Take  no  risks.  J.  F.  Abel. 

No.  32,  Improvement  of  rural  schools  by  standardization.  Edith  A.  Lathrop. 
No.  33.  Preparation  of  rural  teachers  in  high  schools.  Mabel  Carney. 

No.  34.  Some  practical  uses  of  auditoriums  in  the  rural  schools  of  Mont’ 
gomery  County,  Ala.  Lillian  Allen  and  Cora  Pearson. 

No.  35.  Improvement  in  teaching  reading  in  rural  schools.  Maud  C.  Newbury. 
No.  36.  Publications  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  pertaining  to 
rural  education.  Florence  E.  Reynolds. 

No.  37.  Courses  in  rural  education  offered  in  universities,  colleges,  and  normal 
schools. 

No.  38.  Preparation  of  teachers  for  rural  consolidated  and  village  schools. 
L,  J.  Alleman. 

REPORT 

Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1924. 

STATISTICAL  CIRCULARS 

No.  4.  Per  capita  costs  in  city  schools,  1923-24. 

TEACHERS’  LEAFLETS 

No.  17.  List  of  books  for  a  teacher’s  professional  library ;  a  classified  list  of 
100  titles.  Edith  A.  Wright. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Declaration  of  Independence.  (Facsimile.) 

Federal  council  of  citizenship  training. 

An  opportunity  for  the  promotion  of  better  citizenship. 

Suggestions  for  the  observance  of  American  Education  Week. 

School  and  teacher  day  of  American  Education  Week. 

Program — American  Education  Week. 

Broadside — American  Education  Week. 

Publications  available,  September,  1924. 

Publications  available,  March,  1925. 

Publications  of  interest  to  high-school  teachers. 


24 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


July,  1924,  to  June,  1925  (monthly;  12  numbers). 

PERIODICAL 

School  Life,  Vol.  10,  Nos.  1-10,  September,  1924,  to  June,  1925,  inclusive 
(10  numbers). 

School  Life,  index  and  title-page,  ATol.  9,  September,  1928,  to  June,  1924. 

(Unfinished  printing — June  30,  1925) 

BULLETINS,  1925 

No.  11.  Accredited  secondary  schools. 

No.  12.  Statistics  of  State  universities  and  State  colleges  for  the  year  end¬ 
ing  June  30.  1924. 

No.  13.  Bibliography  of  science  teaching  in  secondary  schools.  Earl  R. 
Glenn,  assisted  by  Josephine  Walker. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION  PUBLICATIONS 

Physical  Education  Series 

No.  6.  The  school  as  the  people’s  clubhouse.  Harold  O.  Berg. 

LIBRARY  DIVISION 

Considerable  additions  were  made  to  the  library  of  the  bureau  dur* 
ing  the  year,  chiefly  by  the  incorporation  of  current  educational 
material.  The  volumes  and  pamphlets  acquired  by  gift,  by  ex¬ 
change,  and  by  purchase  numbered  730.  Other  additions  were  670 
volumes  of  copyright  transfers  from  the  Library  of  Congress  and 
5,448  numbers  of  serial  publications.  A  great  number  of  current 
periodicals  were  also  accessioned. 

Large  numbers  of  the  printed,  mimeographed,  and  typewritten 
bibliographies  prepared  by  the  library  were  distributed  both  by  mail 
and  directly  to  inquirers.  The  practice  of  frequent  revision  of  these 
lists  was  continued.  The  number  revised  and  brought  up  to  date 
was  206,  while  40  entirely  new  bibliographies  were  compiled.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  year  six  lists  of  references  in  the  library  leaflet  series  were 
issued  as  follows:  No.  26,  Rural  life  and  culture;  No.  27,  Junior  high 
school;  No.  28,  Higher  education;  No,  29,  Play  and  playgrounds; 
No.  30,  Education  for  citizenship;  and  No.  31,  Student  self-govern¬ 
ment  and  the  honor  system.  Copy  for  Library  Leaflet  No.  32,  List 
of  references  on  vocational  guidance,  was  completed  ready  for  print¬ 
ing.  The  record  of  current  educational  publications  received  to 
April  1,  1925,  was  compiled  and  published  as  Bulletin,  1925,  No.  14. 
The  library  prepared  its  usual  sections  for  the  Educational  Direc¬ 
tory,  1925. 

Numerous  outside  visitors  and  borrowers  sought  the  service  of  the 
library.  During  the  year,  approximately  1,800  volumes  were  lent 
outside  the  office,  many  of  these  loans  being  forwarded  by  mail.  An 
extensive  information  service  was  also  conducted  by  correspondence. 

The  cataloguing  of  the  library  continued  to  make  progress,  with  a 
total  of  2,681  volumes  catalogued  and  classified.  Under  the  system 
of  cooperation  with  the  Card  Division  of  the  Library  of  Congress, 
cards  for  about  600  titles  were  printed  from  copy  supplied  by  the 
cataloguers  of  the  Bureau  of  Education. 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


25 


The  statistical  tables  of  public,  society,  and  school  libraries  in  1923 
were  revised  in  the  library  division,  and  it  is  expected  that  this  mate¬ 
rial  will  soon  be  ready  for  the  printer. 

Form  letters  were  prepared  for  collecting  information  for  a  bulletin 
descriptive  of  educational  associations  to  be  compiled  by  the  library. 

The  chief  of  division  had  in  preparation  a  chapter  on  library  activ¬ 
ities  in  the  United  States  for  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education, 
1922-1924.  He  also  contributed  to  each  of  the  10  numbers  of  School 
Life  a  page  of  notices  of  new  educational  books,  with  descriptive 
annotations.  As  official  representative  of  the  bureau,  he  attended  the 
conferences  of  the  Special  Libraries  Association  and  of  the  New 
England  Librarians,  held  at  Swampscott,  Mass.,  during  the  week  of 
June  22,  1925. 

HOME  EDUCATION 

With  the  establishment  of  cooperative  arrangements  with  the 
University  of  Kansas  this  year,  18  States  and  1  Territory  are 
now  enlisted  in  the  conduct  of  the  reading  courses  of  the  Bureau  of 
Education.  An  experiment  in  cooperation  is  in  progress  in  Okla¬ 
homa  in  connection  with  the  Home  Education  Section.  Instead  of 
establishing  cooperation  in  this  State  with  the  State  university, 
an  exception  to  the  regular  practice  has  been  made  in  securing  the 
cooperation  of  the  State  librar}^  commission.  This  has  been  a  success¬ 
ful  project,  especially  in  reaching  the  farm  women  and  in  interest¬ 
ing  them  in  home  reading.  Louisiana  is  another  exception  to  the 
regular  practice  of  selecting  State  universities  to  cooperate  in  this 
work.  In  this  State  the  reading  courses  are  conducted  in  the  State 
Normal  College. 

There  is  no  abatement  in  the  interest  in  these  courses.  The  in¬ 
coming  mail  averages  over  1,500  pieces  each  month,  and  1,522  read¬ 
ers  were  enrolled  during  the  year.  The  issuance  of  131  certificates 
during  the  year  brings  the  total  number  of  certificates  granted  to 
more  than  800.  The  number  of  readers  who  have  at  some  time  en¬ 
rolled  for  the  reading  courses  exceeds  18,500. 

More  than  a  score  of  specialists  in  various  fields  have  collaborated 
in  the  preparation  of  appropriate  lists  of  books  for  readers.  This 
is  in  accord  with  the  practice  in  the  bureau  of  securing  the  consensus 
of  opinion  of  the  best  authorities  on  each  subject.  Twenty -nine 
courses  have  been  issued,  two  of  which  were  published  during  the 
year. 

Two  national  conferences  on  home  education  have  been  held  within 
the  past  three  years.  These  conferences  were  initiated  and.  organized 
under  the  direction  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education.  The  first 
was  held  in  cooperation  with  the  National  University  Extension  As¬ 
sociation,  and  the  second  with  the  cooperation  of  that  association, 
the  American  Library  Association,  and  the  National  Congress  of 
Parents  and  Teachers.  The  outcome  of  the  second  conference  has 
been  the  appointment,  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  of  a  com¬ 
mittee  of  seven  to  study  the  whole  subject  of  home  education;  the 
committee  consisting  of  Prof.  Charles  G.  Maphis,  University  of 
Virginia;  Prof.  R.  R.  Price,  University  of  Minnesota;  Judson  T. 
J ennings,  Seattle  Public  Library ;  L.  L.  Dickerson,  American  Library 
Association;  Mrs.  A.  H.  Reeve,  president  National  Congress  of 


26 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Parents  and  Teachers;  and  Mrs.  D.  W.  Cooper,  president  New 
Jersey  Parent-Teachers  Association. 

During  the  past  year  the  report  of  the  proceedings  of  the  second 
conference  was  prepared  and  issued  as  Home  Education  Circular 
No.  6,  “  Cooperation  in  Adult  Education.” 

The  home  education  section  aims  to  reach  the  homes  through 
the  distribution  of  its  reading  courses,  circular  letters,  press  articles, 
circulars,  correspondence,  conferences,  and  addresses.  There  has 
been  considerable  demand  for  suitable  material  for  programs  for 
the  use  of  parent-teacher  associations.  In  the  interest  of  the  schools 
which  these  organizations  serve  the  Home  Education  Section  has 
issued  seven  home  education  letters  during  the  year,  distributing 
upwards  of  21,000  copies.  They  are  entitled:  What  parents  should 
look  for  in  visiting  the  schools,  The  health  of  school  children.  New 
school  legislation,  Campaign  for  the  kindergarten,  Working  for  the 
betterment  of  rural  schools,  Home  economics  suggestions  for  parent- 
teacher  associations,  and  Parents’  responsibility  for  the  preparation 
of  their  children  for  school  life.  jThe  demand  for  this  type  of  service 
warrants  its  continuance. 

A  study  of  the  conditions  under  which  teachers’  and  pupils’  read¬ 
ing  circles  are  conducted  by  State  departments  of  education  has  been 
made,  and  the  results  have  been  set  forth  in  a  printed  circular  en¬ 
tiled  “Teachers’  and  Pupils’  Heading  Circles,”  Home  Education 
Circular  No.  7,  1925.  For  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education, 
1922-1924,  a  study  of  the  work  of  parent-teacher  associations  has 
been  made  and  the  results  have  been  prepared  as  a  chapter  on 
parent-teacher  associations. 

The  junior  specialist  in  home  education  represented  the  bureau 
and  addressed  the  convention  of  the  National  Congress  of  Parents 
and  Teachers  at  Austin,  Texas,  addressed  the  library  school  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  and  prepared  reports  for  the  meetings  of  the  American 
Library  Association  and  the  National  University  Extension  Asso¬ 
ciation. 

There  is  in  progress  a  cooperative  project  in  the  preparation  of  a- 
list  of  40  books  that  every  child  should  read  before  reaching  the 
age  of  16.  This  work  is  carried  on  with  the  cooperation  of  several 
educators  and  children’s  librarians.  There  is  also  in  progress  a 
fairly  complete  bibliography  of  the  publications  of  parent-teacher 
associations. 

MAILS  AND  FILES 

The  mailing  and  filing  of  correspondence  in  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  requires  the  full  time  of  tv/o  persons  and  part  time  of  another. 
The  bureau  no  longer  attempts  to  enumerate  the  number  of  pieces 
of  mail  handled  annually.  All  multigraph  work,  which  includes 
circulars  of  information,  blanks  for  office  records,  questionnaires, 
bibliographies,  announcement  of  conferences,  etc.,  is  now  taken  care 
of  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior. 

ALASKA  DIVISION 

The  Alaska  division  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  undertakes  to 
make  provision  for  the  education  of  the  natives  of  Alaska,  extend 
to  them  all  possible  medical  relief,  train  them  in  the  industries,  and 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


27 


relieve  worthy  cases  of  destitution.  The  work  in  Alaska  is  under 
the  direct  supervision  of  the  chief  of  the  Alaska  division,  with 
headquarters  in  Seattle.  The  Seattle  office  functions  as  a  purchas¬ 
ing  and  disbursing  agent  for  all  the  bureau’s  activities  in  Alaska. 
It  selects  teachers  and  other  personnel  to  recommend  to  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education  for  appointment;  it  expends  or  invests, 
under  the  direction  of  the  interested  parties,  funds  sent  to  it  by 
employees  in  Alaska,  by  the  cooperative  stores  of  the  natives,  or  by 
individual  natives  of  Alaska ;  it  also  sells  commodities,  such  as  furs, 
ivory,  and  fish,  for  the  natives,  and  remits,  deposits,  or  expends  the 
proceeds  as  directed. 

The  administration  of  this  work  involves  great  difficulties,  arising 
principally  from  the  remoteness  of  most  of  the  villages,  the  enor¬ 
mous  distances  between  them,  the  meager  means  of  communication, 
and  the  severity  of  the  climate  in  many  sections.  Most  of  the 
natives  are  a  seafaring  people,  scattered  along  thousands  of  miles  of 
coast  and  on  the  great  rivers,  in  the  villages  ranging  from  30  or 
40  to  300  or  500  in  population.  The  work  would  extend  to  the  utmost 
limits  of  the  United  States  in  terms  of  distance,  with  schools  in 
Maine,  California,  Georgia,  and  Minnesota.  One  of  the  school  dis¬ 
tricts  is  twice  the  size  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  Many  of  the  settle¬ 
ments  are  far  beyond  the  limits  of  transportation  and  regular  mail 
service,  and  one-third  of  the  native  population  is  north  of  the  Arctic 
Circle. 

Education . — The  educational  w’ork  in  Alaska  has  been  extended 
considerably  during  the  past  year.  The  most  important  phase  of 
this  extension  has  been  in  providing  opportunities  for  industrial 
training  at  certain  points.  Formerly  no  industrial  education  was 
provided  for  the  Alaskan  natives  in  the  Territory.  For  many  years 
the  ordinary  day  schools  of  the  one  or  two  room  type,  with  work 
mostly  in  the  primary  grades  and  all  of  an  academic  character,  were 
the  only  schools  available  for  the  natives.  In  recent  years  about  500 
young  men  and  women  of  Alaska  were  attending  schools  two  and 
three  thousand  miles  from  their  natural  environment  in  order  to  get 
industrial  training.  Some  of  them  were  removed  from  their  homes 
at  the  age  of  5  or  6,  and  never  revisited  Alaska  until  18  or  20  years 
of  age.  A  study  of  the  situation  revealed  the  fact  that  this  policy 
was  uneconomic  and  unwise^  Many  of  these  exiled  natives  found  it 
difficult  to  adapt  themselves  again  to  their  home  environment ;  others 
remained  in  the  States.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  industrial  and  vo¬ 
cational  education  is  more  necessary  for  these  natives  than  any  other 
type  of  education,  it  is  difficult  to  understand  wdiy  an  industrial  pro¬ 
gram  of  education  in  Alaska  has  not  been  previously  undertaken. 

To  meet  the  situation  the  Bureau  of  Education  decided  to  provide 
at  least  three  industrial  schools  at  important  points  in  Alaska. 
During  the  past  fiscal  year  special  industrial  schools  have  been 
organized  at  Eklutna,  28  miles  north  of  Anchorage,  on  the  Alaska 
Railroad;  at  Kanakanak,  on  Bristol  Bay;  and  at  White  Mountain, 
on  Fish  River,  25  miles  from  Golovin,  on  Norton  Sound.  These 
institutions  have  been  located  at  strategic  points  covering  in  a  great 
triangle  all  sections  of  Alaska.  It  is  planned  to  locate  a  manual¬ 
training  high  school  in  southeastern  Alaska  at  an  early  date.  F rom 
the  appropriation  made  available  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1925, 


28  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

a  number  of  buildings  were  erected  in  connection  with  the  industrial 
schools,  including  a  school  building  at  White  Mountain  and  a  girls’ 
dormitory  at  Eklutna.  During  the  fiscal  year  1926  it  is  planned  to 
erect  a  school  building,  an  industrial  shop,  and  a  boys’  dormitory  at 
Eklutna ;  an  industrial  shop  and  a  girls’  dormitory  at  White  Moun¬ 
tain;  and  an  industrial  shop  at  Kanakanak. 

This  year  about  200  students  will  be  accommodated  in  the  indus¬ 
trial  schools.  Ultimately,  450  students  can  be  accommodated  in  the 
dormitories  that  are  now  completed  or  planned. 

The  course  of  study  for  these  industrial  schools  must  be  devised 
for  this  specific  purpose.  Mere  manual  training  will  not  suffice.  The 
natives  must  be  taught  those  things  which  will  enable  them  to  secure 
a  livelihood.  One  of  the  great  needs  in  all  Alaska  is  better  housing 
facilities  for  the  natives.  Carpentry  and  building  instruction  de¬ 
mand  a  prominent  place  in  the  curriculum.  Proficiency  in  the  use 
of  woodworking  tools  will  find  a  place  in  boat  building,  sled  con¬ 
struction,  cabinet  and  furniture  work.  As  many  natives  have  their 
homes  along  the  rivers  and  coasts  of  Alaska,  instruction  in  the  opera¬ 
tion  and  repair  of  gas  engines,  marine  engineering,  and  navigation 
is  a  part  of  the  course  of  study.  Household  management,  home  mak¬ 
ing,  nursing,  and  sanitation  for  the  girls  are  especially  stressed. 
These  basic  courses,  with  animal  husbandry  of  the  reindeer,  the  tan¬ 
ning  of  skins,  the  carving  of  ivory,  basket  weaving,  form  the  frame 
about  which  other  courses  are  grouped  and  worked  out.  It  is  ex¬ 
pected  that  these  courses  will  attract  mature  men  and  women  as  well 
as  the  youth.  The  natives  show  remarkable  deftness  in  weaving, 
carving,  and  other  crafts.  Unfortunately,  because  of  the  lack  of  op¬ 
portunity  for  training,  many  of  these  crafts  have  died  out.  It  is 
hoped  that  they  may  be  revived.  If  the  Government  is  to  help  the 
natives,  it  must  help  them  to  help  themselves  through  seif-activity 
and  self-support.  To  that  end  each  institution  must  be  made  a 
teacher-training  school  for  the  natives  as  well  as  an  industrial  school. 
This  teacher-training  idea  is  carried  out  when  the  more  apt  pupils 
from  the  various  day  schools  scattered  over  Alaska  are  brought  to 
these  industrial  schools  to  assist  the  regular  teacher,  assume  some 
responsibility  in  the  way  of  leadership,  and  organize  classes,  both 
regular  and  special,  to  give  them  the  kind  and  type  of  training  that 
will  fit  them  to  live  most  usefully  and  completely  in  Alaska. 

Aside  from  the  industrial  program,  general  education  for  the 
natives  of  Alaska  has  been  extended  and  improved  during  the  past 
year.  Four  new  schools  were  established  or  reopened,  respectively, 
at  Tetlin,  Kanatak,  Quigillingok,  and  Igloo.  An  additional  district 
superintendent  and  six  additional  teachers  were  added  to  the  service. 
A  new  course  of  study  has  been  organized  and  will  be  put  into  effect 
in  the  coming  year.  The  general  educational  program  for  the  na^ 
tives  has  been  considerably  improved  by  increasing  the  attendance 
and  lengthening  the  school  term.  The  extent  of  this  improvement 
can  be  seen  in  the  tabulation  in  the  following  paragraph. 

During  the  fiscal  year  for  which  the  following  statistics  will  apply, 
85  schools  were  operated  in  Alaska,  with  157  teachers  employed, 
including  schoolroom  teachers,  superintendents,  and  principals. 
These  teachers  not  only  carried  on  educational  activities,  but  in  many 
cases  were  responsible  for  the  relief  of  destitution,  medical  super- 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


29 


vision  in  the  area  about  th£  station,  and  supervision  of  the  industries, 
including  the  reindeer.  Including  school  buildings,  teacherages, 
hospitals,  and  orphanages,  there  are  in  Alaska  116  Government 
buildings  in  this  service,  valued  at  $273,550,  not  counting  the  equip¬ 
ment,  school  supplies,  and  other  miscellaneous  property,  such  as 
lighting  plants  and  radio  stations  in  a  few  villages,  U.  S.  S.  Boxer , 
some  gas  boats,  etc.,  used  in  carrying  out  the  Government  programs. 
The  educational  statistics  for  the  school  year  ending  June  30,  1925, 
are  as  follows: 


Total  number  of  days  in  actual  attendance _  358,  281.  05 

Total  number  of  pupils  enrolled  during  the  year -  3,  912 

Average  daily  attendance  throughout  the  year -  2,  632. 13 

Percentage  of  attendance _  69.  25 

Average  number  in  the  schoolroom  each  day _  26 

Number  of  schools  open  180  days  per  year  or  more -  6 

Number  of  schools  open  160  days  or  more,  but  less  than  180  days _  13 

Number  of  schools  open  140  days  or  more,  but  less  than  160  days _  33 

Number  of  schools  open  120  days  or  more,  but  less  than  140  days_ _  16 

Number  of  schools  open  100  days  or  more,  but  less  than  120  days _  19 

Number  of  schools  open  80  days  or  more,  but  less  than  100  days _  8 

Total  schools  open  less  than  80  days _  9 

Total  schoolrooms  open _ _  104 

Average  number  of  days  in  the  school  year _  137.  32 

During  the  year  there  was  spent  for  repairs  on  the  school  buildings 

and  not  counted  as  a  part  of  the  operation  of  the  schools _ $12,  471.  70 

Spent  for  new  buildings _ _ $19,  318. 17 


The  total  enrollment  during  the  fiscal  year  1925  was  3,912,  with 
an  average  daily  attendance  of  2,632.13,  making  the  percentage  of 
attendance  based  on  the  total  enrollment  69.25  per  cent.  This  com¬ 
pares  with  an  enrollment  of  3,910,  with  an  average  attendance  of 
65.77  per  cent  for  the  fiscal  year  1924,  an  increase  in  the  average 
attendance  for  the  fiscal  year  1925  of  6.52  per  cent.  In  considering 
the  total  enrollment  and  the  average  attendance  for  these  two  years 
it  should  be  remembered  that  during  1925  the  totals  did  not  include 
the  mission  schools  at  Akulurak,  Holy  Cross,  and  JSulato,  with  a 
total  enrollment  of  325.  The  past  year,  therefore,  has  shown  a 
decided  increase  in  the  total  enrollment,  the  average  daily  attend¬ 
ance,  and  total  days’  attendance.  The  average  length  of  term  for 
the  year  ending  June  30,  1925,  was  137.32  days,  as  compared  with 
128.08  days  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1924,  an  increase  during 
the  past  year  of  9.24  days. 

The  school  attendance 


District 

Total  en¬ 
rollment 

Average 

daily- 

attendance 

Total  days 
taught 

Total  days 
attendance 

Per  cent 
attendance 

Northwestern.. _ _ _ _ _ 

Seward  Peninsula... . . . 

Western . . . 

Southwestern . . . . . 

Central. . . 

701 

678 

696 

346 

606 

1,085 

498.2 
469.  75 
398.  69. 
271.  79 
318.  63 
675.  07 

1, 176.  5 
1,832 

2, 165 
1,300 
2,287 

2,  748 

59,  349.  95 
62, 122.  8 
49,  480.  92 
33, 190. 94 
43,  332.  05 
110,  805.  29 

71.07 
69.  23 
71.  42 
78.  55 
62. 97 
62  21 

Southeastern . . . . 

Total . . . . . . 

3,912 

2,  632. 13 

11,  508.  5 

358,  281. 95 

69.25 

As  indicated  above,  each  teacher  not  only  teaches  the  school  but  is 
a  dispensing  agent  of  the  medical  chest,  a  teacher  of  sanitation  and 
health,  and  a  village  sanitary  engineer.  From  the  summaries  made 


30 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


from  the  reports  submitted  by  the  104  schoolroom  teachers  in  the 
Alaska  service  the  past  year  the  following  welfare  services  were 
rendered : 

The  community  service 


District 

Visits 
made  to 
homes 

Medical 

assist¬ 

ance 

rendered 

Number 

births 

reported 

Number 

deaths 

reported 

Native 

popula¬ 

tion 

served 

Number 

of 

teachers 

N  orthwestern _ 

1, 339 
3, 463 
2,905 
918 

2, 797 
4,064 
'7,459 
1,836 
3,505 

53 

32 

2,119 
2, 062 
2,050 
956 

20 

Seward  Peninsula _  _ 

37 

22 

27 

W  estern  _ 

54 

37 

30 

Southwestern  _  __  _ 

31 

28 

20 

Central  _ 

2,  548 

48 

38 

1,589 

4,029 

24 

Southeastern _ _ 

1,747 

2, 401 

37 

36 

36 

Total  _ _ 

12, 925 

22,062 

260 

193 

12, 805 

157 

The  total  days’  attendance,  the  average  daily  attendance,  the  per¬ 
centage  of  attendance,  and  other  related  statistics  were  also  de¬ 
creased  materially  on  account  of  the  diphtheria  epidemic  prevalent 
over  the  Seward  Peninsula  during  the  winter  and  spring  of  the 
school  year,  and  the  “  flu  ”  epidemic  on  the  Bristol  Bay  district  and 
along  the  peninsula  toward  the  Aleutian  Islands.  In  his  final  report 
on  sanitary  conditions  in  the  northwestern  district,  Dr.  W.  H.  Gage, 
physician  and  surgeon  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  with  headquar¬ 
ters  at  Noorvik,  wrote : 

This  has  been  the  most  exciting  and  important  quarter  of  the  year.  The 
diphtheria  epidemic  at  Nome  naturally  produced  panic  everywhere  in  the 
schools,  as  well  as  in  the  communities,  and  unfortunately  during  the  period 
this  entire  district  suffered  a  severe  epidemic  of  sore  throats.  Tonsillitis  pre¬ 
vailed  generally,  and  many  of  the  cases  were  of  a  very  severe  type.  The  native 
continually  feared  it  was  diphtheria. 

Notwithstanding  the  closing  of  a  large  number  of  schools  in  the 
districts  affected  by  the  epidemics,  there  is  an  increase  in  the  total 
enrollment  over  the  previous  year,  and  the  average  per  capita  cost 
was  low. 

Medical  relief. — The ’medical  work  for  the  natives  of  Alaska  has 
fallen  short  of  what  has  been  accomplished  along  educational  lines. 
This  deficiency  arises  principally  from  a  lack  of  funds  adequately 
to  meet  the  situation.  Hitherto  medical  relief  has  been  extended  to 
considerably  less  than  one-half  of  the  natives.  Tuberculosis  and 
other  deadly  diseases  are  ravaging  the  natives  at  certain  points  in 
t  Alaska  practically  without  check.  It  has  never  been  possible  to 
secure  appropriations  to  relieve  natives  suffering  from  tuberculosis. 
It  is  not  practicable  to  handle  these  patients  in  the  regular  hospitals. 
Nevertheless  medical  relief  has  been  extended  considerably  during 
the  current  year.  Six  additional  nurses  were  employed  and  posted 
at  the  following  points:  Karluk,  Kotzebue,  Sitka,  Ilydaburg,  and 
Juneau,  while  one  nurse  divided  her  time  between  the  villages  of 
Killisnoo  and  Angoon. 

The  physician  formerly  employed  at  Unalaska  by  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  having  left  that 
station,  the  Bureau  of  Education  appointed  a  physician  and  sent  him 
to  Unalaska  to  render  medical  assistance  to  the  natives  of  that  re¬ 
gion.  During  the  winter  months  he  is  the  only  physician  available 
within  a  radius  of  several  hundred  miles.  The  Coast  Guard  has 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES  31 

turned  over  to  the  Bureau  of  Education  a  building  for  his  use  as  a 
residence  and  as  a  hospital  for  natives. 

Isolation  cottages  of  four  rooms  each  for  the  accommodation  of 
patients  with  contagious  diseases  have  been  erected  at  the  follow¬ 
ing  places:  Two  at  Akiak,  one  at  Eklutna,  two  at  Juneau,  two  at 
Kanakanak,  and  two  at  White  Mountain. 

The  need  for  medical  relief  for  the  people  living  along  the  Yukon 
and  tributary  rivers  in  the  interior  of  Alaska  is  imperative.  An 
antiquated  hospital,  housed  in  an  old  building  erected  for  other  pur¬ 
poses,  located  at  Nulato  on  the  Yukon,  is  the  only  available  hospital 
in  all  this  region.  This  antiquated  building  provides  for  only  seven 
beds.  There  are  about  6,000  persons  living  along  these  rivers,  of 
whom  4,000  are  natives.  If  adequate  appropriations  could  be  made 
available  during  the  coming  year,  it  would  be  well  to  establish  one 
or  more  floating  hospitals  upon  the  Yukon  and  the  tributaries  dur¬ 
ing  the  summer  months.  If  this  could  be  done  the  hospital  at 
Nulato  could  be  abandoned  and  its  personnel  and  equipment  used 
toward  establishing  a  floating  hospital.  If  this  is  not  done,  it  is 
highly  desirable  that  the  hospital  at  Nenana  be  equipped  and  manned 
so  that  relief  may  be  extended  to  some  extent  in  this  region. 

During  the  year  ending  June  30,  1925,  the  Government,  through 
the  Alaska  division  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  spent  $126,382.20 
for  the  medical  relief  of  natives  in  Alaska,  maintaining  five  hospitals, 
with  a  staff  of  physicians  and  surgeons,  nurses,  cooks,  and  orderlies 
at  Koorvik,  Akiak,  Nulato,  Kanakanak,  and  Juneau,  and  contractual 
relations  with  a  number  of  other  hospitals  in  Alaska  as  well  as  out¬ 
side  in  Washington  and  Oregon.  It  employed  and  supplied  17  full¬ 
time  village  nurses  in  Alaska  and  supported  four  native  nurses  in 
training  throughout  the  year,  as  well  as  a  large  number  of  teachers 
of  sanitation.  The  last  half  of  the  year  an  itinerant  dentist  was 
employed  to  visit  and  render  professional  services  to  the  natives  in 
all  the  most  important  stations  in  southeastern  Alaska  and  to  the 
orphans  in  the  industrial  school  and  home  at  Kanakanak.  A  large 
number  of  native  boys  and  girls  were  brought  to  Seattle  for  special¬ 
ized  treatments  and  delicate  operations,  and  the  blind  and  deaf  were 
educated  in  special  schools.  One  hundred  forty-three  orphans  were 
cared  for  in  the  Government  homes  and  industrial  schools  at 
Kanakanak  and  Eklutna,  and  many  cases  of  distressed  and  destitute 
natives  were  relieved.  The  following  services  were  rendered  through 
.  medical  relief : 


Summary  of  reports  made  "by  nurses,  teachers  of  sanitation,  and  doctors 


Nurses 

and 

teachers 
of  sani¬ 
tation 

Doctors 

Total 

Number  of  visits  to  homes.  _  . 

5,854 

4,944 

5, 854 

Number  of  patients  treated _ _ _ _ _ _ 

1,030 

5,974 
23, 113 

Number  of  treatments  given _ _ _ 

12, 160 

10, 953 

Number  of  births  reported . .  . . . . . . 

31 

64 

95 

Number  of  deaths  reported _  ...  _  _ _ 

9 

46 

55 

Total  davs  of  hospital  care  . 

12, 835 
3,  671 

12,835 

3,671 

Out  and  clinic  patients.  . .  . . 

Out  and  clinic  calls . . . . . . . 

6,223 

6,  223 

Total  cost  of  medical  service  ..  .  . . . 

$125,790.5; 

s 

32 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Classification  of  diseases 


Treat¬ 

ments 

Days 

hospital 

care 

Total 

453 

1,  617 
454 

1, 970 
457 

3 

11 

59 

70 

105 

966 

59 

46 

201 

765 

25 

99 

124 

42 

386 

428 

8 

142 

150 

35 

156 

191 

883 

1,  345 
2,768 

2,228 

3,809 

1,041 

By 

nurses 

and 

teachers 
of  sani¬ 
tation 

By 

doctors 

Total 

Kidney  disorders _ _ _ 

67 

103 

170 

M  alnutrition _ _ _ _ _ _ 

21 

36 

57 

Meningitis _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

3 

63 

66 

N  ervou  s  system — mental _  _ 

91 

571 

662 

Newborn2.-. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

258 

258 

Pelvic  disorders _ _ _  _  _ _ 

53 

399 

452 

Pregnancy,  confinement _ _ _ _ _ _ 

61 

846 

907 

Rheumatism,  neuralgia _  _ _ _ 

417 

506 

923 

Stomach  and  bowels _  _ _ 

570 

729H 
1, 23P 
788 

1, 299J4 
2,068 
1,076 

Surgical  operations  and  dressings _  _ 

837 

Syphilis _ _ _ _ _ _ 

288 

Throat,  tonsils, etc _ _ _ _ _  . _  .  .. 

355 

826 

1,181 

Trachoma  _ _  .  _  _ 

5 

71 

76 

Tuberculosis _ _  _ _ _ _ 

298 

3, 569 

3, 867 

Undiagnosed — miscellaneous 3 _ _ _  _ 

876 

1,324H 

2, 19934 
203 

Violence — accidents 

203 

Total  treatments  and  days  care . . . . . 

6,905 

19,058 

25,963 

1  lu  orphanages  at  Kanakanak  and  Eklutna  and  no  record  of  treatments  given  and  not  countedln  totals, 
a  No  reports  given  by  nurses. 

8  Many  minor  ailments,  colds,  snow  blindness;  some  uncommon  and  serious. 


In  addition  to  the  usual  work  of  nurses  and  doctors  reported 
above,  many  times  these  medical  employees  rendered  services  out  of 
the  ordinary,  such  as  washing  clothing  of  children,  directing  the 
general  clean-up  of  the  village,  digging  of  ditches  to  drain  stagnant 
pools,  demonstrating  use  of  tooth  brushes,  proper  fumigation,  prac¬ 
tical  nursing,  special  mothers’  meetings,  demonstration  of  making 
oat  meal,  gruel,  and  barley  water  for  sick  children,  burning  rubbish, 
distributing  chloride  of  lime,  the  use  of  vaseline,  iodine,  and  castor 
oil  in  fishing  camps,  extraction  of  teeth,  etc. 

During  the  year  a  special  nurse  was  appointed  by  the  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education  with  special  assignment  to  go  aboard  the  Boxer 
and  visit  villages  in  the  far  north,  making  inspections  of  the  chil¬ 
dren  and  holding  parents’  meetings  and  rendering  whatever  medical 
relief  was  possible.  She  left  Seattle  in  June  and  returned  the  middle 
of  November,  and  visited  Sevoonga  and  Gambell  on  St.  Lawrence 
Island,  Shishmareff,  Wales,  Kivalina,  Point  Hope,  Kotzebue,  Noa- 
tak,  Noorvik,  Selawik,  Wainwright,  Barrow,  Nome,  and  St.  Michael. 
She  inspected  500  children  and  reported  the  following: 


Defective  eyes -  42 

Defective  ears -  25 

Defective  teeth - 160 

Defective  nose _  97 


Defective  throat -  75 

Defective  skin -  20 

Defective  glands - 178 

Defective  nutrition -  57 


GENERAL  SERVICE  ACTIVITIES 


33 


Defective  posture - 139 

Pulmonary  tuberculosis -  1 

Partial  blindness -  5 

Paralysis  of  arm -  1 

Harelip _  2 

Enlarged  thyroid -  2 


Feeble-mindedness _  1 

Pott’s  disease _  2 

Corrections,  teeth _  21 

Corrections,  throat _  3 

Corrections,  eyes _  4 


In  addition  to  these  services  this  nurse  performed  distinguished 
service  by  assisting  in  the  rescue  of  the  crew  of  20  men  from  the 
Lady  Kindersley ,  which  was  caught  in  the  ice  and  abandoned  off 
the  coast  near  Point  Barrow. 

From  January  19  to  July  31,  1925,  the  Bureau  of  Education  had 
in  its  employ  an  itinerant  dentist  who  visited  most  of  the  native 
villages  in  southeastern  Alaska  and  the  Government  orphanage  at 
Kanakanak  on  Bristol  Bay.  A  summary  of  his  report,  submitted 
at  the  termination  of  his  appointment,  follows : 


Station 

Teeth 

pulled 

Teeth 

filled 

Teeth 

cleaned 

Saxman  _  _ _ _ _  _ _ _ 

.  25 

47 

18 

Hydaburg  _ _ - _ _ _ _ 

64 

106 

67 

Klawoek  _ _  _ _ _ 

123 

38 

61 

Wrangell  . _ . - _ _ 

29 

(9 

96 

(9 

80 

Kake . . . .  .  ..  .  . . . 

138 

Angoon _ _ _ _ _ 

76 

13 

38 

Kilhsnoo  _ _  _ _ _ _  _ 

16 

4 

16 

Sitka  _  ..  ..  _ _ _ -  - _ _ 

210 

14 

80 

Juneau  . . . . . . - _ _ _ 

76 

11 

37 

Douglas  .  . . .  . . . 

23 

6 

12 

Metlakatla  _ _ _ 

25 

25 

19 

Ketchikan  _  -  _ 

38 

42 

35 

Kanakanak  . . . . . . . 

43 

102 

100 

Total  „  _ _ _ _ _ 

886 

504 

563 

1  Referred  to  local  dentist. 


In  this  connection  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  appropriation 
made  by  Congress  is  not  large  enough  for  the  Bureau  of  Education 
to  attempt  to  cover  the  entire  field  in  Alaska  with  its  educational 
program,  medical  and  reindeer  service.  The  total  native  population, 
according  to  the  1920  census,  was  25,508,  and  the  total  population 
served  in  the  villages  last  year  was  11,158.  It  is  evident  that  the 
field  in  which  the  Government  might  extend  its  beneficial  influence  is 
large. 

Reindeer  industry. — Originating  in  1892  in  importation  of  rein¬ 
deer  from  Siberia  to  furnish  subsistence  for  the  Eskimos  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Bering  Strait,  the  reindeer  industry  has  expanded 
until  it  has  assumed  chief  importance  in  the  bureau’s  industrial 
activities  in  behalf  of  the  natives.  Herds  are  now  found  near  all  of 
the  principal  native  settlements  of  western  Alaska  from  the  Arctic 
.to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  the  interior  near  Mount  McKinley  National 
Park,  along  the  Alaskan  Railroad,  and  on  Kodiak  Island  off  the 
Gulf  of  Alaska,  along  the  Alaska  Peninsula,  and  as  far  west  as  the 
Aleutian  Islands.  So  rapidly  have  the  herds  increased  that  the 
total  number  of  reindeer  in  Alaska  is  now  estimated  at  350,000,  of 
which  about  235,000  are  owned  by  the  natives  themselves.  One  of 
the  principal  problems  confronting  the  Bureau  of  Education  at  this 
time  is  the  reorganization  of  the  reindeer  industry  on  a  cooperative 
basis  so  as  to  make  it  possible  to  handle  more  efficiently  the  increas- 


34 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


ing  herds  and  market  the  surplus  meat.  The  reorganization  will 
attempt  to  care  not  only  for  the  distribution  of  the  herds,  as  in  the 
past,  but  for  handling  the  industry  on  a  business  basis.  The  present 
commercial  value  of  the  Alaskan  reindeer  herds  is  approximately 
$8,750,000,  or  $1,550,000  more  than  the  sum  paid  for  the  Territory  by 
the  United  States  in  1867.  This  does  not  take  any  account  of  more 
than  200,000  reindeer  slaughtered  in  the  past  and  used  as  meat  by 
the  natives,  nor  the  great  benefit  derived  by  the  natives  through 
participation  in  this  great  industrial  success. 

U .  jS.  jS.  “Boxer” — In  April,  1920,  the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer ,  a  wooden 
vessel  used  by  the  Government  as  a  training  ship  for  naval  cadets, 
was  transferred  to  the  Interior  Department  for  the  use  of  the  Alaska 
division  in  connection  with  its  work  in  Alaska.  Funds  have  been 
appropriated  and  used  to  make  repairs  and  remodel  this  schooner 
and  equip  it  with  modern  machinery  at  a  cost  of  approximately 
$100,000,  and  she  is  to-day  a  sturdy  craft,  braving  the  waters  of  the 
Pacific  and  Arctic  Oceans  as  far  north  as  Point  Barrow.  Annually 
she  carries  a  heavy  tonnage  of  supplies  and  equipment,  teachers, 
doctors,  and  nurses  to  the  coast  stations  and  to  the  distributing 
points  on  the  mouths  of  large  rivers. 

Activities  of  the  Commissioner 

During  the  year  the  commissioner  traveled  43,444  miles;  spent 
137  days  in  the  field,  including  Sundays;  conducted  4  national  edu¬ 
cational  conferences;  addressed  25  national  associations,  3  regional 
associations,  and  12  State  associations;  visited  officially  3  State  de¬ 
partments  of  education;  addressed  several  city  and  county  educa¬ 
tional  associations;  visited  and  addressed  15  institutions  of  higher 
learning  and  6  summer  schools;  made  5  commencement  addresses, 
2  dedicatory  addresses,  and  represented  the  Government  on  1  inau¬ 
gural  occasion ;  addressed  3  high  schools  and  13  business  organizations 
(chambers  of  commerce,  Rotary,  Kiwanis,  and  other  clubs)  ;  making 
a  total  of  157  addresses  before  audiences  aggregating  87,410.  (See 
fig-  3.) 

The  commissioner  attended  meetings  and  discharged  duties  as  vice 
chairman  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education  as  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Maternity  and  Infant  Hygiene,  and  as 
chairman  of  the  Federal  Council  of  Citizenship  Training.  He  wrote 
36  articles  and  held  about  310  conferences  in  his  office  in  W ashington 
with  those  seeking  advice  and  assistance  in  educational  matters. 

Recommendations 

I  have  taken  occasion  to  indicate  in  previous  reports  that  the. 
research  facilities  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  should  be  consider¬ 
ably  enlarged.  Those  responsible  for  school  administration  in  the 
United  States  are  in  great  need  of  assistance  in  certain  important 
fields.  The  facts  must  be  discovered  before  a  sound  educational 
method  and  policy  can  be  formulated.  No  other  agency  can  render 
such  impartial  and  satisfactory  assistance  in  the  discovery  of  the 
necessary  facts  as  a  Federal  agency  in  education,  such  as  the  bureau. 


BEGOM  ME  NDATIONS 


35 


At  the  present  time  adequate  provision  is  direly  needed  for  study 
in  the  fields  of  curriculum  organization,  school  finance,  buildings 
and  construction,  teacher  training,  and  secondary  education.  The 


establishment  of  the  various  types  of  service  is  dependent  upon  ad¬ 
ditions  to  the  sums  appropriated  for  the  bureau’s  operations. 

The  work  of  the  bureau  in  Alaska  should  be  expanded.  The 
Alaska  service  at  present  is  available  to  less  than  half  the  native 
population.  The  need  for  extended  medical  assistance  is  peculiarly 


36 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


great.  Medical  relief  is  now  furnished  a  small  minority  of  the 
natives  and  there  is  practically  no  provision  for  the  treatment  of 
tuberculosis,  which  is  rapidly  ravaging  the  native  population  in 
certain  parts  of  Alaska.  Along  the  Yukon  River  and  its  tributaries 
are  large  numbers  of  natives  to  whom  no  medical  assistance  can  be 
rendered  under  present  conditions.  To  furnish  such  assistance  pro¬ 
vision  should  be  made  for  the  operation  of  a  medical  boat  on  these 
rivers  during  the  four  months  of  the  open  season  and  the  establish¬ 
ment  and  operation  of  a  hospital  either  at  Renana  or  Tanana.  These 
additional  facilities  will  require  an  addition  to  the  appropriation  for 
medical  relief  in  Alaska  of  not  less  than  $40,000  for  the  next  fiscal 
year.  The  Governor  of  Alaska  estimates  that  there  are  about  4,000 
natives  and  about  2,000  white  people  in  this  area,  ^many  of  whom 
have  never  seen  a  doctor  or  dentist.  The  need  for  this  additional 
service  is  urgent. 

Three  industrial  schools  have  been  provided  for,  but  the  industrial 
program  should  be  carried  much  further,  as  vocational  education  is 
the  type  of  training  most  needed  by  the  Alaskan  native. 

The  funds  available  to  the  bureau  for  printing  should  be  mate¬ 
rially  increased.  A  wTell-trained  and  efficient  staff  has  been  assem¬ 
bled,  but  their  work  must  be  fruitless  to  the  extent  of  the  lack  of 
means  for  informing  the  educational  public  of  the  results  of  their 
studies.  The  steady  reduction  from  year  to  year  in  the  amounts 
allotted  to  this  office,  combined  with  constant  increase  in  costs,  has 
been  already  a  serious  detriment. 

About  two-thirds  of  the  bureau’s  library  is  still  housed  in  the 
Pension  Office  Building.  The  books  are  accessible,  but  it  is  highly 
desirable  that  the  entire  library  should  be  consolidated  as  early  as 
possible  for  the  better  supervision  and  use  of  the  collection.  I  hope 
that  it  will  prove  possible  to  transfer  the  balance  of  the  library  to 
the  Interior  Department  Building  in  the  near  future. 

In  closing  I  wish  again  to  express  my  appreciation,  sir,  for  the 
interest,  support,  and  advice  which  you  have  so  generously  rendered 
during  the  year.  The  emphasis  that  you  have  placed  upon  our  Avork 
has  been  encouraging  and  helpful. 

Respectfully  submitted. 


Jno.  J.  Tigert,  Commissioner. 


The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


ADDITIONAL  COPIES 
OF  THIS  PUBLICATION  MAY  BE  PROCURED  FROM 
THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  DOCUMENTS 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
"WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

AT 


10  CENTS  PER  COPY 
V 


REPORT 


OF  THE 

Commissioner  of  Education 


FOR 


THE  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1926 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1926 


THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 

Created  as  a  department  March  2,  1867 
Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869 


COMMISSIONERS 

Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D. 

March  lit,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1886 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D. 
August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D..  LL.  D. 
July  1,  1906,  to  June  30,  1911 

Philander  Priestley  Clayton,  Litt.  D..  LL.  D. 

July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921 
John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  Ed.  D.,  LL.  D. 
June  2,  1921,  to  date 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Preliminary  statement -  1 

I.  Review  of  recent  events  in  public  education : 

Statistics  of  education -  2 

Rural  education _  3 

City  school  systems - -  6 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene -  10 

Adult  education _ 12 

Industrial  education _  12 

Commercial  education. - -  12 

Library  activities _ 13 

II.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education : 

A.  General — 

1.  Research _ . _  15 

2.  Surveys _  18 

3.  Conferences _  21 

4.  Cooperative  undertakings  other  than  conferences _  22 

5.  Miscellaneous _  23 

B.  Home  education _  24 

C.  Alaska _ , _  25 

D.  Library _  28 

E.  Publications _ 29 

F.  Activities  of  the  commissioner _  34 

G.  Recommendations _  85 

in 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 

W  asMngton,  D.  G September  1 , 1926. 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  opera¬ 
tions  of  this  office  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1926,  together 
with  recommendations  for  the  extension  and  improvement  of  its 
work,  as  required  by  act  of  Congress  approved  March  2,  1867. 

Preliminary  Statement 

Service  to  public  education  in  the  United  States  is  the  foundation 
upon  which  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  rests.  It  was 
created  “for  the  purpose  of  collecting  such  statistics  and  facts  as 
shall  show  the  condition  and  progress  of  education  in  the  several 
States  and  Territories,  and  of  diffusing  such  information  respecting 
the  organization  and  management  of  schools  and  school  systems  and 
methods  of  teaching  as  shall  aid  the  people  of  the  United  States  in 
the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  efficient  school  systems,  and 
otherwise  promote  the  cause  of  education  throughout  the  country.” 

The  functions  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  are  twofold : 

I.  N onadministrative  functions ,  which  consist  of  (1)  research  work 
and  the  collecting  of  information  on  all  matters  relating  to  educa¬ 
tion  in  the  United  States  and  foreign  countries;  (2)  dissemination 
of  such  data;  (3)  the  promotion  of  education  generally. 

II.  Administrative  functions ,  which  embrace  (1)  administration 
of  income  accruing  from  lands  under  the  first  Morrill  Act  and  an¬ 
nual  appropriations  under  the  second  Morrill  Act  and  Nelson 
amendment;  (2)  administration  of  a  system  of  education,  support, 
and  medical  relief  for  the  natives  of  Alaska. 

For  the  more  effective  prosecution  of  these  functions,  the  bureau 
is  organized  into  two  general  departments  or  activities,  with  the 
following  divisions : 

(1)  Technical  activities:  (a)  Higher  education;  (b)  rural 
schools;  (c)  city  schools;  (d)  physical  education  and  school  hygiene; 
(e)  service,  which  comprises  adult  education,  industrial  education, 
commercial  education,  home- economics  education,  educational  legisla¬ 
tion,  and  foreign  education. 

(2)  General  service  activities:  (a)  Statistics;  (b)  editorial;  (c) 
education,  medical  relief,  and  reindeer  service  for  the  Alaskan 
natives;  (d)  library;  (e)  stenographic;  (f)  mails  and  files; 
(g)  messenger  service. 

The  functions  and  activities  of  the  technical  staff  of  the  Bureau 
of  Education  fall  into  several  classes,  as  follows:  (1)  Research  and 
investigation;  (2)  educational  surveys;  (3)  dissemination  of  infor¬ 
mation;  and  (4)  field  service. 


1 


2 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


The  results  of  the  bureau’s  studies  are  made  available  to  school 
and  college  administrators  and  teachers  in  a  variety  of  ways,  includ¬ 
ing  especially  bulletins  and  circulars,  which  are  distributed  as  soon 
as  they  come  from  the  press.  At  the  same  time,  the  members  of 
the  bureau,  in  public  addresses  or  by  correspondence,  use  every  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  inform  the  public  on  educational  matters. 

In  the  conduct  of  survej's  members  of  the  bureau’s  staff  have 
occasion  to  visit  widely  separated  parts  of  the  country.  These 
studies  often  require  extended  absence  in  the  field.  At  the  same 
time  the  bureau’s  specialists  conduct  frequent  educational  confer¬ 
ences  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  Also,  they  are  cklled  upon, 
from  time  to  time,  to  deliver  addresses  before  educational  associa¬ 
tions,  student  assemblies,  and  public  gatherings.  A  large  propor¬ 
tion  of  the  travel  expenses  incident  to  this  service  in  the  field  is 
borne  by  local,  State,  and  national  organizations.  The  bureau  is 
anxious  to  render  these  various  forms  of  field  service  to  all  sections 
of  the  country  on  an  equal  basis. 

Summarizing  all  types  of  field  service,  I  may  report  that  during 
the  fiscal  year  21  members  of  the  bureau  staff,  exclusive  of  the  com¬ 
missioner,  rendered  an  aggregate  of  783  days  of  field  service  outside 
of  the  District  of  Columbia  in  39  different  States. 

As  one  feature  of  this  service,  16  members  of  the  staff,  exclusive 
of  the  commissioner,  delivered  123  addresses  in  29  different  States 
to  audiences  aggregating  28,662  persons. 

It  has  been  the  custom  in  previous  annual  reports  to  outline  the 
activities  of  the  bureau  under  the  heads  of  the  different  divisions 
of  the  office,  which  often  resulted  in  the  overlapping  of  material. 
In  this  report  the  work  of  the  bureau  is,  with  a  few  exceptions,  pre¬ 
sented  under  topics.  In  addition  to  the  foregoing  I  have  given 
some  of  the  outstanding  events  in  the  field  of  public  education  during 
the  year,  which  should  prove  of  interest  not  only  to  schoolmen  but 
to  the  general  reader. 

I.  Review  of  Recent  Events  in  Public  Education 

STATISTICS  OF  EDUCATION 

Data  for  the  school  year  1923-24  show  564,363  pupils  enrolled  in 
public  kindergartens;  54,456  in  private  kindergartens;  20,898,930  in 
public  elementary  schools,  including  kindergartens;  1,473,145  in  pri¬ 
vate  and  parochial  elementary  schools,  including  kindergartens; 
3,389,878  in  public  high  schools;  254,119  in  private  high  schools; 
61,858  in  preparatory  departments  of  colleges  and  universities; 
35,232  in  secondary  courses  in  normal  schools;  a  total  of  3,741,087  in 
secondary  schools;  245,669  in  teacher-training  schools;  664,266,  ex¬ 
cluding  preparatory  students,  in  colleges,  universities,  and  profes¬ 
sional  schools.  Private  commercial  and  business  schools  report 
188,368  students  in  1925.  If  enrollments  in  industrial  schools  for 
delinquents,  schools  for  the  deaf,  blind,  and  feeble-minded,  as  given 
for  1922,  and  enrollments  in  schools  for  Indians,  and  for  schools  in 
Alaska  are  included,  a  total  of  27,398,170  is  secured.  There  are 
approximately  1,000,000  teachers  for  all  of  these  schools. 

Including  outlays  the  public  elementary  schools  cost  $1,231,554,330 
and  the  public  high  schools  $589,189,606,  The  private  elementary 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


3 


schools  are  estimated  to  have  cost  $86,812,435  and  the  private  high 
schools  $44,145,553.  Receipts  for  colleges  under  public  control 
amounted  to  $151,781,079  and  for  those  under  private  control  $189,- 
203.947.  Teacher-training  institutions  expended  $22,474,818.  If  to 
these  amounts  there  are  added  the  costs  of  industrial  schools,  schools 
for  the  blind,  the  deaf,  and  the  feeble-minded  for  1922,  and  for 
schools  for  the  Indians  and  for  Alaskans,  the  total  is  $2,386,889,132. 

Public  elementary  and  high  school  property  is  valued  at  $3,744,- 
780,714  and  private  high-school  property  at  $396,616,100.  Private 
elementary  school  property  is  estimated  to  be  worth  $300,000,000. 
Teacher-training  institutions  have  property  valued  at  $136,623,958 
and  colleges  and  universities  at  $1,056,929,060,  excluding  endow¬ 
ments.  Teacher-training  institutions  have  endowments  and  produc¬ 
tive  funds  valued  at  $12,862,722  and  colleges  and  universities  at 
$814,718,813.  The  total  value  of  school  propertv  as  reported  above 
is  $6,462,531,367. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  number  of  elementary  schools,  as 
localities  define  the  school  in  so  many  different  ways.  There  were  in 
use  in  1924  a  total  of  263,280  public  elementary  and  high  school 
buildings,  of  which  number  157,034  were  one-room  schools.  There 
are  approximately  22,500  public  high  schools,  2,500  private  high 
schools,  89  teachers’  colleges,  114  State  normal  schools,  29  city  normal 
schools,  and  about  67  private  normal  schools.  There  are  144  colleges 
and  universities  under  public  control  and  769  under  private  control. 

The  ratio  of  adults — that  is,  persons  21  years  of  age  and  over — to 
school  children,  those  5  to  17  years  of  age,  inclusive,  is  2.20  for  the 
United  States.  For  the  western  group  of  States  it  is  2.68;  for  the 
North  Atlantic,  2.52 ;  for  the  North  Central,  2.44;  for  the  South 
Atlantic,  1.71;  and  for  the  South  Central,  1.65.  A  child  in  the  west¬ 
ern  group  has  one  more  adult  to  support  him  in  school  than  does  a 
child  in  the  south  central  group.  Per  capita  wealth  and  per  capita 
incomes  are  higher  in  States  having  relatively  fev/er  children.  This 
unequal  distribution  of  children,  of  income,  and  of  wealth  is  one  of 
the  big  problems  in  financing  our  State  educational  systems. 

RURAL  EDUCATION 

There  has  been  relatively  little  legislation  of  special  interest  in 
the  field  of  rural  education  during  the  year,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  majority  of  legislatures  meet  in  the  odd  rather  than  the  even 
numbered  years.  The  time  has  been  used  to  advantage  in  many 
States  in  preparing  the  people  for  a  better  understanding  of  sucii 
legislative  changes  as  are  contemplated  to  be  made  by  the  1927  legis¬ 
latures  and  in  making  preparatory  studies  anticipating  advanced 
organization  or  administration  provisions. 

Particularly  noticeable  has  been  the  movement  on  the  part  of 
teachers  in  service  and  persons  preparing  for  teaching  to  secure  the 
professional  and  academic  training  necessary  to  comply  with  new 
laws  requiring  certain  prerequisites  for  teaching  certificates.  In 
general,  the  amount  of  training  required  increases  year  by  year. 
Rural-school  teachers  are  affected  more  by  these  laws  than  are  those 
of  cities.  They  are  going  to  summer  schools  and  attending  regular 
courses  in  large  numbers.  School  officials  concerned  with  the  en¬ 
forcement  of  the  laws  are  activety  engaged  in  enlarging  and  improv- 


4  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

ing  facilities  for  training  prospective  teachers  and  those  in  service, 
particularly  for  observation  and  practice. 

Unusual  interest  has  been  shown  during  the  year  in  an  effort  to 
give  practical  help  of  a  professional  nature  to  rural-school  superin¬ 
tendents  and  supervisors.  This  interest  is  apparent  in  three  obvious 
movements:  (1)  The  establishment  of  “ short  courses”  for  superin¬ 
tendents  and  supervisors  in  service.  These  are  from  three  days  to 
two  weeks  in  duration  and  are  provided  and  promoted  by  State 
departments  of  education  and  higher  institutions  of  learning.  (2) 
Increased  effort  on  the  part  of  State  education  officials  to  provide 
practical  assistance  to  rural  superintendents  and  supervisors  by  the 
assignment  of  members  of  the  State  education  department  staff  to  a 
larger  amount  of  field  work  with  the  local  superintendents  and 
supervisors  to  assist  them  in  the  solution  of  local  problems;  North 
Dakota,  Texas,  and  Minnesota  are  examples  of  States  which  have 
shown  special  interest  in  these  movements  during  the  year.  (3)  The 
establishment  in  higher  institutions  of  courses  in  rural-school  ad¬ 
ministration  and  supervision  both  during  regular  year  and  summer- 
school  sessions.  These  follow  in  part  the  demands  of  newer  laws 
providing  for  special  certificates  for  supervisory  and  administrative 
positions. 

In  the  field  of  rural-teacher  preparation  there  are  marked  tend¬ 
encies  apparent  to  discontinue  courses  designed  for  the  preparation 
of  teachers  in  schools  of  secondary  grade,  as  in  North  Dakota,  Ore¬ 
gon,  and  Oklahoma;  to  raise  entrance  requirements  to  high-school 
graduation  where  such  courses  are  continued,  as  in  Wisconsin  and 
North  Carolina;  to  establish  new  departments  in  normal  schools  for 
the  training  of  rural  teachers,  as  in  Arizona  and  Missouri ;  to  enlarge 
the  staffs  in  rural-teacher-training  departments;  to  provide  more 
differentiated  courses  for  rural  teachers;  to  provide  more  adequate 
observation  and  practice  facilities;  and  to  increase  the  amount  of 
professional  training  required  for  completion  of  courses. 

In  the  field  of  secondary  education  the  extension  of  the  reorgan¬ 
ization  movement  to  rural  areas  continues.  This  is  indicated  by 
the  fact  that  of  a  total  of  2,458  high  schools  reorganized,  reported 
to  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  1924-25,  1,215  are  located  in  places 
of  less  than  2,500  total  population;  893  of  these  are  of  the  junior- 
senior  type.  Among  the  States  which  report  progress  in  the  junior- 
senior  type  of  school  organization  in  rural  areas  are  Alabama, 
Indiana,  Iowa,  Michigan,  Ohio,  Oklahoma,  Pennsylvania,  Vermont, 
and  West  Virginia. 

The  movements  for  setting  up  larger  units  for  administrative 
organization  and  for  consolidating  small  schools  are  making  con¬ 
stant  and  substantial  progress.  Both  elementary  and  secondary 
schools  are  affected  through  professional  management,  the  enrich¬ 
ment  of  the  curriculum,  securing  teachers  with  specialized  training, 
better  support,  better  teachers,  and  better  facilities  in  general. 
Progress  in  consolidation  and  centralization  has  been  marked  more 
by  improvement  of  internal  organization  than  by  new  provisions 
for  larger  units.  There  has  been  more  intelligent  planning  for  the 
reorganization  of  rural  districts,  replacing  haphazard  plans  based 
on  enthusiasm  more  than  intelligent  care  in  organization.  Better 
provisions  for  safe  transportation  are  being  made,  and  as  roads 
improve  the  type  of  school  busses  used  improves.  Recent  changes 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


5 


in  laws  concerning  consolidation  deal  in  large  part  with  improve¬ 
ment  in  organization  and  transportation.  There  is  an  improvement 
also  in  the  type  of  reports  being  collected  and  the  accuracy  with 
which  data  are  collected.  As  an  example  of  this,  the  Bureau  of 
Education  collected  in  1918  transportation  data  from  18  States;  in 
1925  all  but  two  States  included  transportation  items  in  their  reports 
Approximately  1,000  consolidations  were  effected  during  the  year, 
either  by  voluntary  uniting  of  small  administrative  units  or  by  pro¬ 
moting  better  administrative  practice  within  large  units  already 
formed. 

Probably  the  most  promising  progress  during  the  year  has  been 
that  toward  improving  the  quality  of  instruction  made  possible  by 
better  organization,  more  professional  management,  employment  of 
supervisors,  and  better  trained  teachers  for  rural  schools.  Improved 
and  increased  professional  interest  is  manifested  in  the  fact  that 
schools  of  education  in  colleges  as  well  as  normal  schools  and  teach¬ 
ers’  colleges  are  providing  advanced  training  for  administrative  and 
supervisory  officers,  including  principals,  in  the  field  of  rural  edu¬ 
cation;  that  a  larger  number  of  research  studies  than  usual  have 
been  undertaken  during  the  year  reported  from  graduate  students 
in  education  as  masters’  and  doctors’  theses,  and  undertaken  by 
principals,  supervisors,  superintendents,  and  officials  in  State  depart¬ 
ments  of  education. 

The  year  has  been  characterized  by  a  marked  increase  in  interest 
in  the  supervisory  work  of  elementary  principals  in  rural  communi¬ 
ties  and  in  studies  of  the  kind  of  materials  suited  to  individual  needs 
of  young  children.  Special  provision  is  being  made  in  a  number  of 
States  through  the  State  education  departments,  through  special 
supervisory  conferences  and  State  teachers’  associations,  for  the 
improvement  of  supervisors  in  service.  A  better  understanding  of 
the  function  of  supervision  itself  and  of  the  respective  functions  of 
State  and  county  supervisors  is  apparent.  State  departments  are 
working  toward  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  standards  in 
rural  supervision  and  are  promoting  systematic  supervisory  pro¬ 
grams  and  a  more  equitable  distribution  of  the  supervisor’s  time. 

Studies  of  the  rural-school  curriculum  have  received  unwonted 
attention  during  the  year.  Special  studies  now  in  progress  concern¬ 
ing  problems  relating  to  the  course  of  study  include  (a)  the  bearing 
of  basic  educational  tendencies  upon  the  rural  elementary  curriculum, 
(b)  the  next  steps  in  rural  elementary  curriculum  making,  and  (e) 
specific  contributions  to  the  formulation  of  courses  of  study  by 
specialists  in  the  different  fields  of  elementary  education. 

Several  notable  contributions  have  been  made  to  the  literature  in 
the  field  of  rural  education.  There  has  been  increased  interest  in 
county  library  systems,  in  library  instruction  for  rural  teachers,  and 
in  the  preparation  of  book  lists  based  on  children’s  interests  and 
graded  according  to  children’s  reading  abilities.  Last  year  library 
instruction  was  given  in  seven  teachers’  institutes  in  New  Jersey. 
State  teachers’  colleges  in  Indiana,  North  Dakota,  and  Pennsylvania 
reported  courses  for  teacher-librarians  in  last  year’s  summer  sessions. 
The  State  school  librarian  of  Ohio  held  one-day  county  institutes 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  instruction  in  the  organization  of  school 
libraries.  At  least  two  States  have  increased  their  appropriations 
for  rural-school  libraries  during  the  year. 

9438°— 26 - 2 


6 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


By  way  of  promoting  better  standardization  regulations  for  rural 
schools  Idaho  and  Ohio  have  revised  their  score  cards;  Vermont  has 
increased  its  appropriation  for  State  aid;  Missouri  and  Oklahoma 
have  made  arrangements  for  more  careful  checking  of  schools  apply¬ 
ing  for  standardization. 

The  movement  to  promote  parent-teacher  organizations  in  rural 
communities  has  received  a  marked  impetus  during  the  year.  A 
state-wide  campaign  for  the  establishment  of  an  organization  in 
every  rural  community  carried  on  in  North  Dakota  this  year  has 
been  sufficiently  successful  to  attract  the  attention  of  other  States 
and  to  provide  an  incentive  for  at  least  two  States — Mississippi  and. 
Nebraska — to  request  similar  organized  campaigns  in  their  States 
the  coming  year.  Systematic  efforts  to  conduct  worth  while  pro¬ 
grams  in  all  the  organizations  have  been  made.  North  Dakota’s 
experience  is  that  the  organizations  have  been  conducive  to  an  intelli¬ 
gent  understanding  of  school  problems  and  to  cooperation  between 
school  officials  and  the  people  for  advanced  school  programs,  in¬ 
fluencing  legislation,  tax  rates,  bond  issues,  and  the  like. 

CITY  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS 

Without  doubt  the  education  of  city  children  is  one  of  the  most 
important  problems  facing  the  educational  world,  and  its  solution 
becomes  more  and  more  pressing  as  the  population  drifts  constantly 
toward  the  cities.  The  growth  of  cities  in  this  country  has  been 
phenomenal.  In  1790  there  were  only  6  cities  of  8,000  or  more  popu¬ 
lation  in  the  United  States.  In  1850  there  were  85  such  cities,  but 
only  one-twelfth  of  the  total  population  was  living  in  these  cities. 
In  1920,  however,  there  were  2,787  cities  of  2,500  or  more  popula¬ 
tion  and  half  the  population  was  living  in  them.  In  1890  there  were 
only  28  cities  with  a  population  of  100,000  and  over,  but  in  1920 
there  were  88  cities  of  this  size  and  28  per  cent  of  the  total  population 
was  living  in  them. 

In  1920  there  were  19,436,202  children  from  1  to  19  years  of  age 
living  in  cities  of  over  2,500  population.  In  other  words,  more  than 
45.16  per  cent  of  all  the  children  in  the  country  from  1  to  19  years 
of  age  are  living  in  cities.  How  these  children  are  educated  is  vitally 
important,  not  only  for  the  present  generation  but  for  the  whole 
future  of  the  country. 

The  city  as  it  exists  to-day  does  not  satisfy  the  fundamental  needs 
of  children.  Children  need  to  play,  but  it  is  a  rare  city  that  has 
adequate  play  space  for  its  children,  so  located  and  supervised  that 
it  is  easy  for  all  children  to  play  under  wholesome  conditions.  The 
result  is  that  a  large  number  of  children  in  the  cities  play  in  the 
onty  available  place,  i.  e.,  the  city  streets.  Last  year  nearly  6,000 
children  were  killed  on  streets  and  highways  and  151,000  were 
injured.  Children  need  to  have  the  chance  for  constructive,  creative 
manual  work,  but  there  is  small  opportunity  or  need  for  such  work 
in  the  average  city  home.  Children  need  first-hand  contact  with 
nature — the  earth  and  sea,  birds,  flowers,  trees.  Children  are  natural 
scientists  and  this  is  the  kind  of  subject  matter  upon  which  they 
should  have  the  opportunity  to  feed  their  curiosity.  Each  genera¬ 
tion  needs  these  contacts  with  the  actual  physical  world  for  the  sake 
of  its  own  growth  and  the  preservation  of  the  race.  But  the  city, 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  7 

with  its  pavements  and  brick  and  mortar,  is  starving  rather  than 
nourishing  this  curiosity  about  the  physical  world. 

Probably  one  of  the  most  serious  aspects  of  city  life  for  children 
is  that  it  tends  to  build  up  habits  of  cheap  amusement,  cheap  and 
undesirable  ways  of  using  their  leisure  time.  According  to  the  find¬ 
ings  of  modern  psychology,  the  way  in  which  people  spend  their 
leisure  time  is  of  vital  importance  in  their  whole  character  develop¬ 
ment,  and  the  use  of  their  leisure  time  depends  to  a  large  extent  upon 
the  habits  of  taste  formed  in  childhood.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  educators  are  now  realizing  that  city  schools  must  not  only  teach 
the  three  R’s  but  must  counteract  the  effect  of  city  life  upon  children 
b}7  helping  them  to  form  tastes  for  worth  while  use  of  their  leisure 
time  through  opportunities  for  hearing  good  music  and  seeing  fine 
works  of  art,  taking  part  in  producing  and  seeing  good  plays,  hear¬ 
ing  interesting  lectures  which  broaden  their  horizon. 

That  conditions  have  changed  in  our  cities  and  that  a  curriculum 
prepared  only  a  few  years  ago  no  longer  meets  the  needs  of  modern 
city  life  has  been  fully  recognized.  The  reorganization  of  the  cur¬ 
riculum  and  the  necessary  assembling  of  proper  materials  of  instruc¬ 
tion  attendant  thereto  is,  therefore,  receiving  more  of  the  attention 
of  educational  leaders  at  the  present  moment  than  any  other  school 
problem.  The  Bureau  of  Education  is  endeavoring  to  be  of  assist¬ 
ance  to  those  attempting  a  solution  of  this  important  problem.  One 
of  our  specialists  has  prepared  from  time  to  time  a  series  of  type 
studies  on  modern  life  and  the  elements  of  social  science  based  directly 
upon  the  child’s  need  and  interest  as  related  to  present-day  civiliza¬ 
tion.  The  latest  of  these  studies  is  a  bulletin  entitled  “  How  the 
World  Rides,”  and  consists  of  a  series  of  projects  on  vehicular  trans¬ 
portation  for  pupils  in  the  elementary  schools. 

Reports  of  the  reconstruction  of  the  elementary-school  curricu¬ 
lum  to  include  these  new  materials  of  instruction  have  filled  the 
programs  of  our  educational  meetings  in  recent  years  and  have  be¬ 
come  the  pivot  upon  which  most  of  the  discussions  at  these  meetings 
have  swung.  New  courses  of  study  from  city-school  systems  and 
from  State  departments  of  education  now  being  issued  evidence 
the  avidity  with  which  these  changes  are  being  written  into  cur¬ 
ricula. 

Committees1  are  being  appointed  within  the  school  system  com¬ 
posed  of  officers  and  teachers  who  are  on  leave  for  days,  months, 
and  sometimes  for  a  year  in  this  service.  Thousands  of  dollars  are 
being  spent  to  cover  extra  expenses  for  substitute  teachers,  research, 
and  tabulation  of  material.  Often  suggested  lessons  are  carried  into 
the  schoolroom  and  are  tried  out  by  a  gifted  teacher  to  preclude  any 
doubt  of  the  practical  application  of  the  new  curriculum  to  the  every¬ 
day  program. 

We  may  rewrite  the  courses  of  study,  we  may  inject  into  them  the 
elements  of  social  science  and  the  problems  of  modern  life,  but  unless 
the  teacher  herself  is  prepared  to  organize  this  material  and  to  use 
it  rightly  she  will  necessarily  discard  it  eventually  and  will  continue 
to  confine  her  training  of  children  to  the  acquisition  of  skills,  still 
ignoring  the  golden  opportunity  which  the  new  curriculum  offers — 
“  the  equipment  of  the  child  for  his  life  wrork.” 


J  See  Department  of  Superintendence  Official  Report,  1925,  p.  170. 


8 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


For,  after  all,  the  elementary-school  curriculum  is  for  the  child, 
and  not  for  the  teacher,  the  principal,  or  the  superintendent.  Nor 
is  it  designed  for  the  mature  men  and  women  who  gravely  sit  on 
committees  and  decide  what  a  little  child  shall  study;  nor  yet  for  the 
erudite  professors  of  education  who  discuss  its  values  and  have  long 
since  passed  into  another  realm  of  thinking  and  feeling  from  that 
enjoyed  by  children  in  the  elementary  schools. 

Our  problem  then  in  curriculum  reconstruction  is  to  determine 
what  is  being  done  effectively  in  our  progressive  schools.  Not  theory 
but  actual  practice  should  be  offered  by  these  framers  of  the  new 
curriculum,  practice  that  extends  through  many  years  of  the  child’s 
school  life  and  that  has  been  justified  by  test  and  measurement. 

The  elementary-school  curriculum  in  the  cities  of  the  country  has 
been  reorganized  so  as  to  give  more  time  to  play,  physical  training, 
drawing,  music,  the  industrial  arts,  and  to  the  content  subjects  so 
as  to  meet  modern  city  conditions.  The  relative  amount  of  time 
given  to  the  three  R’s  has  diminished  from  57.55  per  cent  of  the 
total  weekly  time  allotment  in  1904  to  50.58  per  cent,  while  the  con¬ 
tent  subjects,  such  as  history  and  geography,  have  increased  from 
14,42  to  15.53  per  cent,  and  the  special  subjects  have  increased  from 
27.97  to  33.89  per  cent.  If,  however,  the  increased  school  year  is 
taken  into  account  the  three  It’s  receive  practically  as  much  time  as 
they  ever  did. 

Various  plans  whose  aim  is  to  help  solve  the  educational  problems 
of  the  modern  city  have  been  introduced  into  some  of  the  schools  of 
the  country.  One  of  these  is  known  as  the  work-study-play  or 
platoon  plan  of  organization,  which  makes  possible  an  enriched  cur¬ 
riculum  of  music,  art,  physical  education,  manual  training,  etc.,  with¬ 
out  affecting  results  in  the  three  R’s  and  without  increased  cost. 

This  plan  is  being  rapidly  adopted  by  the  cities  of  the  country. 
In  1914  there  were  nine  cities  in  six  States  which  had  schools  or¬ 
ganized  on  the  work-study-play  or  platoon  plan.  In  June,  1926, 
there  were  110  cities  in  33  States  having  such  schools.  In  other 
words,  in  the  past  12  years  there  has  been  a  1,122  per  cent  increase 
in  the  number  of  cities  having  this  type  of  school  organization.  The 
110  cities  have  a  total  population  of  over  17,000,000.  Not  only 
has  the  number  of  cities  adopting  the  plan  increased,  but  there  is  a 
tendency  to  increase  the  number  of  schools  on  the  plan  in  cities 
where  it  has  been  tried.  For  example,  there  are  now  34  cities  with 
a  population  of  5,988,607  which  have  organised  all  their  schools  on 
the  plan,  of  have  adopted  it  as  a  city-wide  policy.  Of  these  34 
cities,  22  already  have  ail  their  schools  on  the  platoon  plan. 

In  the  opinion  of  superintendents  who  have  organized  schools  on 
the  plan,  its  rapid  growth  is  due  in  large  measure  to  the  fact  that 
under  the  plan  it  is  possible,  financially  and  administratively,  to  give 
to  all  children  in  a  school  system  the  opportunities  for  an  enriched 
curriculum  of  work  and  play  and  study  which  the  development  of 
cities  has  made  it  imperative  to  provide  for  city  children.  They  con¬ 
tend  that  changed  social  and  industrial  conditions  have  created  a 
new  educational  problem — that  of  making  cities  fit  places  in  which 
to  bring  up  children. 

As  one  of  the  attempts  to  help  solve  the  educational  problems 
created  by  the  modern  city,  the  work-study-play  or  platoon  plan  is 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


9 


worthy  of  careful  and  scientific  study.  The  bureau  has  been  making 
such  a  study  in  response  to  a  widespread  demand  for  information  on 
the  subject.  During  the  past  four  years  requests  for  information 
have  been  received  from  over  1,800  people,  only  112  of  whom  were 
laymen.  Three  hundred  were  school  superintendents,  722  were  prin¬ 
cipals  of  schools,  and  243  were  teachers.  Requests  were  also  received 
from  13  foreign  countries,  including  England,  Estonia,  France, 
Holland,  India,  Japan,  New  Zealand,  Sweden,  and  Switzerland. 

Modern  education  considers  work  with  pre-kindergarten,  kinder¬ 
garten,  and  primary  school  children  as  a  unit.  Evidences  of  the 
growing  acceptance  of  the  idea  of  a  unified  educational  experience 
for  young  children  are  the  increasing  number  of  combined  kinder¬ 
garten-primary  teacher-training  courses,  and  of  the  introduction  into 
these  courses  of  work  to  familiarize  the  student  with  the  interests 
and  activities  of  infants  and  children  from  2  to  4  years  of  age. 
Further  application  of  this  unit  idea  is  found  in  the  adjustment  of 
city  school  administration  to  place  the  kindergarten  and  primary 
grades  under  one  supervisor,  and  in  at  least  four  representative  cities 
nursery  schools  are  being  made  an  integral  part  of  the  school  system. 

Further  outstanding  illustrations  of  interest  in  this  unification 
throughout  the  educational  field  are  the  enlarging  of  the  journal  of 
the  international  kindergarten  union  to  include  sections  of  particular 
interest  to  nursery-school  workers  as  well  as  to  kindergarten  and 
primary  teachers,  and  the  organization  of  a  kindergarten  depart¬ 
ment  in  the  National  Education  Association,  with  provision  for 
representing  nursery-school  interests  in  its  research  problems  and 
convention  programs. 

Experimental  stations  for  studying  the  mental  and  physical  wel¬ 
fare  of  young  children  are  increasing  in  number.  Habit  clinics, 
which  are  a  vital  contribution,  are  also  being  added.  Here  parents 
and  teachers  alike  may  refer  children  of  all  ages  for  examination 
and  may  expect  advice  which  will  be  of  value  in  the  education  of 
the  children. 

Perhaps  the  most  outstanding  characteristic  for  the  past  year  in 
the  field  of  education  for  young  children  has  been  the  desire  to 
coordinate  the  work  of  the  entire  period  of  childhood,  the  unified 
effort  to  arouse  and  further  the  interests  of  parents  in  all  phases  of 
their  children’s  development,  and  the  need  expressed  by  teachers  and 
educational  administrators  for  scientific  investigations,  the  results 
of  which  should  be  guides  in  curriculum  building,  in  program  ad¬ 
justments,  and  in  record  keeping. 

To  meet  this  modern  tendency  toward  unification  in  education 
and  to  provide  guiding  and  helpful  material  through  research  the 
former  kindergarten  section  of  the  city  school  division  has  been  en¬ 
larged  to  include  nursery  and  primary  school  work. 

The  movement  to  reorganize  the  school  system,  with  six  years  in 
the  elementary-school  and  six  years  in  the  secondary-school  grades, 
continues  without  abatement  in  all  classes  of  cities  throughout  the 
country.  The  larger  cities  have  almost  uniformly  adopted  the  6-3-3 
form  of  organization,  but  in  the  smaller  cities  there  is  no  such  uni¬ 
formity  or  practice.  In  some  of  the  smaller  cities  the  schools  have 
been  organized  on  the  6-2-4  plan,  some  on  the  6-3-3  plan,  and  others 
on  the  6-6  or  undivided  secondary-school  plan,  which  seems  to  be 
gaining  in  favor,  especially  in  the  smaller  places. 


10 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Whatever  the  form  of  organization  the  aim  should  be  to  provide 
courses  of  study  better  suited  to  the  needs  of  modern  city  life  and  to 
the  needs  of  children  from  12  to  18  years  of  age.  The  aim  of  the 
early  part  of  the  secondary-school  course,  the  junior  high  school,  is 
to  provide  general  courses  in  mathematics,  physical  science,  social 
science,  languages,  manual  arts,  etc.,  so  as  to  permit  the  pupils  to 
explore  their  interests,  aptitudes,  and  capacities.  Such  exploration 
permits  a  pupil  to  elect  more  wisely  when  he  enters  senior  high 
school,  and  for  the  pupil  who  leaves  school  at  the  end  of  the  ninth 
grade  the  general  courses  are  of  greater  practical  and  cultural  value 
than  was  the  drill  upon  the  three  It’s  in  the  old-time  grammar  school, 
which  is  passing  away  for  the  newer  t}q>e  of  organization. 

Not  only  the  fact  that  the  schools  should  adapt  themselves  to 
changed  and  changing  economic  and  social  conditions  but  also  the 
fact  that  schools  must  adapt  their  work  to  individual  pupils  is 
being  recognized  more  and  more.  That  children  differ  in  ability  to 
progress  through  the  grades  has  long  been  known,  and  numerous 
attempts  have  been  made  to  break  up  the  “  lock-step  ”  system  of 
grading  and  promotion.  At  present  several  such  plans  provide 
for  individual  differences,  such  as  the  homogeneous  grouping  of 
pupils  and  the  Dalton  and  the  Winnetka  plans,  all  of  which  need  to 
be  experimented  with  further  before  certain  questions  regarding 
them  can  be  satisfactorily  answered. 

It  is  gratifying,  however,  to  know  that  such  experiments  are  under 
wav  in  various  cities  of  the  country,  for  it  is  only  by  experimentation 
and  the  testing  of  results  that  we  may  hope  to  make  any  substantial 
progress  in  education. 

One  of  the  encouraging  signs  of  progress  in  the  administration  of 
city-school  systems  is  that  questions  of  school  policy  are  no  longer 
settled  entirely  upon  the  basis  of  mere  opinion,  if  any  data  are  to 
be  had  on  the  question.  Not  content  to  depend  upon  opinion  alone 
and  upon  guesswork,  city  school  boards  are  establishing  research 
bureaus  to  collect,  compile,  and  interpret  data  regarding  practically 
every  phase  of  their  respective  school  systems.  There  are  now 
about  120  such  bureaus,  and  the  number  is  rapidly  increasing. 

Other  outstanding  movements  to  better  the  city-school  systems  of 
the  country  might  be  mentioned.  Among  these  is  the  recent  move¬ 
ment  to  raise  the  professional  qualifications  of  elementary-school 
teachers.  Many  cities  have  adopted  a  single-salary  schedule  which 
provides  the  same  pay  for  the  same  preparation  and  experience  with¬ 
out  reference  to  the  grade  taught,  whether  it  be  in  the  elementary 
grades  or  in  the  high  school. 

PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  AND  SCHOOL  HYGIENE 

The  past  year  has  seen  further  emphasis  on  health  as  of  first  im¬ 
portance  in  education. 

It  is  easy  to  state  beliefs  as  to  general  policies  in  education.  It  is 
another  thing  to  change  theory  into  practice,  especially  in  a  pon¬ 
derous  organization  such  as  our  public  schools  where  already  the 
time  has  been  fully  occupied  by  subjects  the  importance  of  which  is 
firmly  rooted  in  the  time  and  attention  given  them.  Nevertheless, 
after  more  than  a  half  century  of  agitation  on  the  subject,  health 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


11 


work  is  rapidly  being  introduced  as  an  essential  feature  of  school 
work.  In  speaking  of  the  revision  of  the  curriculum  for  elementary 
schools  in  New  York  City,  Superintendent  CfiShea  said:  “ In  my 
opinion,  health  education  is  one  of  the  fundamental  aims  of  a  modern 
public-school  system,”  and  this  aim  he  places  first  in  the  reconstruc¬ 
tion  of  their  school  program. 

In  secondary  schools  all  over  the  country  there  is,  in  most  quar¬ 
ters,  a  hiatus  in  adequate  health  examinations  and  health  teaching, 
but  the  past  year  has  seen  the  completion  of  studies  which  will  at 
least  furnish  high-school  principals  with  information  as  to  methods 
of  organizing  and  promoting  work  along  these  lines. 

It  is  characteristically  human  to  begin  things  at  the  wrong  end, 
and  such  has  been  the  case  with  school  health  work,  which  was  com¬ 
menced  a  half  century  since  with  college  students  and  has  but  re¬ 
cently  found  its  way  to  the  preschool  child.  The  past  year  has 
been  notable  for  the  work  of  the  parent-teacher  and  other  associa¬ 
tions  in  impressing  upon  parents  the  importance  economically,  as 
well  as  educationally,  of  preparing  the  child  physically  for  his 
entrance  upon  his  school  career. 

There  has  been  no  important  legislation  for  school  health  work 
during  the  year  (33  States  already  have  general  laws  requiring 
such  work  in  all  schools),  but  another  State  has  been  added  to  the 
list  of  those  which  have  wisely  headed  their  health  work  with  a 
State  supervisor.  With  the  addition  of  Florida  there  are  now  15 
States  with  such  general  directors  of  health  and  physical  education, 
and  these  States  include  half  the  school  population  of  the  country. 

Notable  among  local  changes  in  school  health  administration  has 
been  the  transfer  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  of  the  medical  inspection  from 
the  department  of  health  to  the  department  of  education.  This  is 
the  more  significant  in  that  the  medical  inspection  in  this  city  has 
been  highly  organized  and  wisely  managed  hitherto.  This  is  a 
logical  change,  for  while  medical  inspection  in  public  schools  began 
in  the  department  of  health,  for  the  purpose  of  better  control  of 
communicable  disease,  it  has,  where  more  recently  developed,  been 
taken  over  by  the  department  of  education  and  linked  with  the 
general  scheme  of  health  education  for  which  it  serves  as  an  objec¬ 
tive  foundation.  Medical  inspection  began  in  this  country  in  Boston, 
but  in  1915  this  work  was  transferred  from  the  department  of 
health  to  the  department  of  education.  Providence  adds  another 
name  to  the  increasingly  high  percentage  of  cities  in  which  this 
work  is  made  one  with  the  other  health  work  of  the  schools. 

Studies  of  the  health  service  rendered  their  students  by  the  col¬ 
leges  have  been  conducted  the  past  year.  That  which  was  made  by 
the  Association  of  Deans  of  Women  has  been  issued.  That  by  the 
Committee  of  Fifty  on  College  Hygiene,  appointed  by  President 
Harding,  has  not  yet  been  published. 

Studies  in  school  lighting  have  resulted  in  the  issuing  of  bulle¬ 
tins  on  this  important  subject  by  the  United  States  Public  Health 
Service,  by  the  Eyesight  Conservation  Council,  and  the  National 
Committee  for  the  Prevention  of  Blindness. 

There  has  been  considerable  study  in  the  past  few  years  of  the 
local  incidence  of  goiter  among  school  children,  and  in  a  number 
of  communities  the  deficiency  of  iodine  in  water  or  food  to  which  this 


12 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


condition  is  believed  to  be  due  has  been  compensated  by  its  supply 
to  the  pupils.  The  effect  of  goiter  on  mentality  and  on  school 
progress  was  studied  in  one  grade  in  the  schools  of  Cincinnati  under 
the  direction  of  the  United  States  Public  Health  Service.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  evidence  that  the  children  with  thyriod  enlarge¬ 
ment  were  retarded 


ADULT  EDUCATION 

There  has  been  unusual  activity  in  the  field  of  adult  education 
during  the  year  just  closed.  The  American  Association  for  Adult 
Education  was  organized  after  several  regional  conferences  in  dif¬ 
ferent  sections  of  the  country  were  held,  these  conferences  having 
been  called  by  the  Carnegie  Corporation  of  New  York.  The  pur¬ 
pose  of  this  association  is  to  aid,  by  cooperation  and  coordination, 
the  activities  of  the  national  and  local  organizations  which  have  as 
their  objectives  the  education  of  adults.  In  addition,  a  number  of 
State  meetings  have  been  called  to  consider  problems  in  this  field. 
At  a  special  conference  held  in  Washington  in  February,  1926, 
plans  were  discussed  and  resolutions  adopted  for  dealing  with  the 
illiteracy  question  and  with  the  instruction  of  the  foreign  born. 
There  has  been  much  comment  in  the  public  press  concerning  the 
scope  and  purpose  of  adult  education  both  in  this  country  and  in 
Europe. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION 

An  outstanding  event  of  the  past  year  in  industrial  education  was 
the  amalgamation  of  the  National  Society  for  Vocational  Education 
and  the  Vocational  Education  Association  of  the  Middle  West, 
forming  the  new  American  Vocational  Association.  This  will  unite 
into  one  national  organization  the  efforts  of  all  those  interested  in 
promoting  the  work  of  industrial  education  as  well  as  vocational 
education  in  general. 

Much  interest  has  been  manifested  during  the  year  in  developing 
plans  of  school  buildings  for  particular  types  of  schools  and  courses. 
The  erection  of  the  new  building  to  .house  the  Denver,  Colo.,  con¬ 
tinuation  school  is  an  example  of  the  emphasis  placed  upon  construc¬ 
tion  to  meet  specific  requirements. 

Considerable  interest  has  also  been  shown  in  the  organization  of 
courses  to  meet  the  needs  of  those  who  have  decided  to  enter  indus¬ 
trial  schools  but  who  are  either  too  immature  to  start  specific  trade¬ 
training  courses  or  who  have  not  come  to  a  decision  as  to  the  specific 
trade  they  desire  to  take  up.  The  organization  of  a  “  Tryout  divi¬ 
sion”  in  the  Essex  County  Vocational  School  for  Boj^s,  Newark, 
N.  J.,  and  the  “  General  shop  department  ”  of  the  William  Hood 
Dunwoody  Industrial  Institute,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  are  examples 
of  this  tendency. 

COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION 

Two.  of  the  most  significant  events  in  commercial  education  during 
the  past  year  were  the  programs  of  the  National  Association  of  State 
High-School  Inspectors  and  the  Department,  of  Business  Education 
of  the  National  Education  Association,  devoted,  respectively,  to  ad- 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  13 

justment  of  commercial  education  in  the  small  high  schools  to  the 
needs  of  the  smaller  communities  and  to  research. 

A  number  of  contributions  to  commercial-education  literature 
have  been  made  during  the  past  year.  Many  research  studies  have 
been  reported,  some  of  which  have  come  from  Europe.  A  number 
of  cities  and  States  have  issued  new  commercial  courses  of  study. 
Additional  textbooks  seeking  a  closer  adjustment  of  commercial  edu¬ 
cation  to  the  junior  high  school  have  appeared.  At  least  two  surveys 
of  opportunities  for  initial  employment  for  commercial  students  were 
started  during  the  year. 

The  need  of  city  and  State  supervision  of  commercial  education 
has  been  emphasized  in  many  commercial  teachers’  conventions  and 
in  magazine  articles.  Many  times  as  many  States  have  made  provi¬ 
sion  for  State  supervisors  of  trades  and  industries,  agriculture,  or 
home  economics  as  have  made  provision,  for  State  supervisors  of 
commercial  education.  The  situation  in  the  cities  is  almost  identical. 
However,  next  to  the  enrollment  in  the  academic  courses,  the  enroll¬ 
ment  in  the  commercial  courses  is  the  largest  in  the  field  of  secondary 
education.  In  fact,  the  enrollment  of  pupils  in  public  high  schools 
by  courses  of  study,  1923-24,  reveals  that  the  enrollment  in  the  com¬ 
mercial  courses  exceeds  the  combined  enrollment  in  all  of  the  follow¬ 
ing  courses :  Agricultural,  home  economics,  teacher-training,  indus¬ 
trial  or  trade  training,  technical  or  manual  training,  and  military 
drill.  The  commercial  subjects  that  are  offered  these  students  have 
greatly  increased  in  number  and  have  become  quite  diversified  in 
character.  Efficient  supervision  of  commercial  education  is  desirable 
in  the  development  of  a  city  or  State  program  to  provide  the  teachers 
with  a  leadership  in  professional  improvement,  assistance  and  guid¬ 
ance  in  determining  objectives,  content,  organization,  and  methods. 
The  consensus  of  opinion  is  that  adequate  supervision  of  commercial 
education  would  be  an  economy. 

During  the  past  year  the  universities  have  taken  an  increased 
interest  in  the  training  of  commercial  teachers,  and  additional  courses 
for  commercial  teachers  have  been  offered.  There  has  been  con¬ 
siderable  revision  of  curricula  and  expansion  of  facilities  for  training 
by  the  university  schools  of  commerce. 

LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES 

The  current  year  1926  is  notable  in  library  circles  as  the  semi¬ 
centenary  of  three  events  occurring  in  1876  which  marked  the 
inauguration  of  the  modern  library  movement,  namely,  the  organiz¬ 
ing  meeting  of  the  American  Library  Association  at  Philadelphia, 
October  4-6;  the  editing  and  publication  by  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  of  the  fundamental  report  on  public  libraries  in  the  United 
States  of  America — their  history,  condition,  and  management;  the 
establishment  of  a  professional  periodical,  the  Library  Journal, 
which  is  still  published.  The  annual  conference  of  the  American 
Library  Association  to  be  held  this  year  will  commemorate  this 
anniversary,  which  is  to  be  further  observed  by  the  completion  of  a 
series  of  anniversary  publications,  comprising  reports  of  a  general 
survey  of  American  libraries,  on  adult  education,  and  on  library  ex- 
94380— 26 - 3 


14 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


tension,  and  the  American  Library  Association  catalogue  of  books, 
1926;  also  by  a  library  exhibit  at  the  Sesquicentennial  Exposition. 

The  Carnegie  Corporation  of  New  York  has  set  aside  $4,385,000 
for  library  purposes,  payable  over  a  10-year  period,  to  be  distributed 
as  follows:  To  establish  and  endow  an  advanced  gradute  library 
school,  $1,385,000,  which  was  awarded  to  the  LYiiversity  of  Chicago. 
In  addition,  $1,000,000  is  to  provide  an  annual  income  which  will  be 
used  to  aid  existing  library  schools.  Of  the  remainder,  $1,000,000 
is  for  general  endowment  of  the  American  Library  Association,  the 
income  to  be  used  by  the  association  in  promoting  the  extension  and 
development  of  library  service.  Another  $4,000,000  will  be  used 
in  carrying  on  the  general  activities  of  the  association  and  in  aiding 
library  schools  until  the  $3,000,000  endowment  in  cumulating  capital 
grants  is  completed. 

The  year  was  signalized  by  a  marked  enlargement  and  improve¬ 
ment  of  facilities  for  professional  library  training,  a  movement  which 
was  fostered  by  the  American  Library  Association’s  board  of  educa¬ 
tion  for  librarianship.  The  New  York  State  Library  School  at 
Albany  and  the  Library  School  of  the  New  York  Public  Library  were 
combined  to  form  a  school  library  service  in  Columbia  University. 
The  graduate  library  school  to  be  established  on  the  Carnegie  endow¬ 
ment  at  the  University  of  Chicago  has  already  been  mentioned. 
Beginning  in  September,  1926,  the  University  of  Michigan  will 
offer  advanced  cources  in  library  science.  The  completion  of  the 
$5,000,000  Hampton-Tuskegee  endowment  insures  the  development 
of  the  recently  established  library  school  for  the  training  of  negro 
librarians  at  Hampton  Institute,  Va. 

Much  attention  continued  to  be  given  to  the  development  of  the 
public  library  as  an  agency  of  adult  education.  The  commission  on 
the  library  and  adult  education  established  by  the  American  Library 
Association  is  engaged  in  the  study  and  promotion  of  this  develop¬ 
ment. 

A  number  of  notable  library  buildings  have  recently  been  com¬ 
pleted  or  are  planned  for  erection  in  the  near  future.  Of  city 
public  libraries  the  new  buildings  at  Los  Angeles,  Cleveland,  and 
Philadelphia  are  especially  worthy  of  mention.  The  plan  of  divi¬ 
sional  reference  work  now  in  operation  in  the  Cleveland  Public  Li¬ 
brary  is  a  new  phase  of  educational  service  which  is  attracting  par¬ 
ticular  attention.  At  Yale  University  construction  is  about  to  begin 
on  the  great  new  Sterling  Memorial  Library,  to  be  completed  in  two 
years  at  a  cost  probably  to  exceed  $6,000,000. 

The  American  subscription  of  $1,000,000  to  restore  the  library 
building  of  Louvain  University  in  Belgium  was  completed  by 
December,  1925,  and  it  is  stated  that  the  total  now  assured  will  not 
only  restore  the  library  but  provide  a  trust  of  $125,000  for  its 
upkeep.  The  Carnegie  Corporation  also  provided  funds  to  erect  the 
Gennadeion,  a  building  for  the  library  presented  by  Joannes  Gen- 
nadius  to  the  American  School  for  Classical  Studies  at  Athens. 

The  Carnegie  Corporation  is  financing  a  study  of  university 
libraries  as  administrative  units,  which  is  being  made  by  Dr.  George 
A.  Works,  of  Cornell  University,  associated  with  Chancellor  S.  P. 
Capen,  of  the  University  of  Buffalo.  Librarians  are  cooperating 
with  this  study  in  an  advisory  capacity  only. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  15 

II.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education 

A.  GENERAL 
1.  Research; 

(A)  STUDIES  COMPLETED 

Research  and  investigation  form  an  integral  part  of  the  bureau’s 
activities.  During  the  year  the  following  studies  were  brought  to 
completion : 

Higher  education. — Civil  engineering  curricula,  published  in  the 
Journal  of  Engineering  Education,  April,  1926;  (2)  mechanical 
engineering  curricula,  published  in  the  Journal  of  Engineering 
Education,  May,  1926;  (3)  residence  and  migration  of  college  and 
university  students,  1922-23;  (4)  Latin  and  Greek  in  college  en¬ 
trance  and  graduation  requirements;  (5)  physics  in  college  entrance 
and  graduation  requirements;  (6)  cooperative  study  on  religious 
education;  (T)  accredited  higher  institutions;  (8)  current  statistics 
of  State  universities  and  colleges,  1925-26;  (9)  statistics  of  land- 
grant  colleges  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1924;  (10)  statistics  of 
land-grant  colleges  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1925;  (11)  engineer¬ 
ing  enrollments  for  1925-26;  (12)  bibliography  of  psychological 
testing  in  secondary  schools. 

Rural  education. —  (1)  Bibliography  of  research  in  rural  educa¬ 
tion,  in  cooperation  with  the  department  of  rural  education  of  the 
State  College  of  Agriculture,  Cornell  University,  representing  a  sub¬ 
committee  on  research  from  the  department  of  rural  education  of  the 
National  Education  Association;  (2)  study  of  State  courses  of  study 
recently  issued  in  the  United  States;  (3)  bibliography  of  secondary 
education  research;  (4)  survey  of  the  literature  since  1920  and  other 
available  material  preparatory  to  making  a  study  of  library  facilities 
for  rural  schools  in  the  United  States;  (5)  summary  of  statements 
of  State  superintendents  on  important  issues  in  rural  education;  (6) 
time  distribution  of  supervisors  in  the  Southern  States,  prepared 
for  the  Nashville  conference  of  supervisors;  (7)  progress  in  the  11 
Southern  States  comprising  the  Southern  Confederacy,  for  the  years 
1875,  1900,  and  1922;  (8)  tentative  suggestions  for  the  establishment 
of  a  four-year  curriculum  for  the  preparation  of  rural  teachers; 

(9)  entrance  requirements  for  normal  schools  and  teachers’  colleges; 

(10)  list  of  recent  books  and  pamphlets  on  rural  education  recom¬ 
mended  for  rural  social  workers,  prepared  at  the  request  of  the 
American  Country  Life  Association. 

Mimeographed  circulars,  designed  to  familiarize  school  officials 
with  recent  developments,  organization,  and  practice  in  rural  schools, 
were  prepared  and  distributed.  These  circulars  are  usually  con¬ 
cerned  with  up-to-date  articles  or  information  of  a  kind  wlriffii 
should  be  circulated  more  quickly  than  is  possible  through  printed 
publications. 

City  schools. — (1)  Pay  status  of  absent  teachers  and  pay  of  sub¬ 
stitute  teachers;  (2)  motivation  of  arithmetic;  (3)  personnel  and 
organization  of  schools  in  the  smaller  cities  (cities  from  2,500  to 
10,000  population)  ;  (4)  an  analysis  of  methods  used  by  cities  in 
advertising  the  needs  of  a  bond  issue  for  school  buildings;  (5)  cur- 


16  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

riculum  study  on  “  How  the  world  rides”;  (6)  summary  of  the 
findings  and  recommendations  contained  in  city  school  survey  reports 
regarding  the  kindergarten. 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene. —  (1)  An  investigation  of 
the  status  of  physical  education  and  hygiene  in  American  colleges; 
(2)  educational  and  recreational  features  of  the  summer  camp  and 
its  place  in  the  general  scheme  of  education;  (3)  the  health  of  the 
teacher  with  reference  to  longevity,  absence  on  account  of  illness, 
conditions  affecting  health,  and  what  is  now  done  in  training  schools 
and  by  departments  of  education  to  preserve  and  promote  the  wel¬ 
fare  of  present  and  prospective  teachers;  (4)  the  importance  of  the 
cooperation  of  the  home  in  school  health  work. 

Industrial  education. —  (1)  A  study  to  determine  the  contribution 
that  well-organized  foremanship-training  programs  may  make  toward 
the  development  of  vocational  industrial  classes;  (2)  opportunities 
for  negroes  for  employment  in  the  trades  and  industries;  (3)  experi¬ 
mental  study  in  mechanical  aptitudes  based  upon  the  comparisons  of 
the  performances  of  inexperienced  and  experienced  individuals;  (4) 
percentage  of  increase  during  the  past  10-year  period  in  the  time  of 
the  school  program  allotted  to  the  manual  arts  work. 

Commercial  education . — Preliminary  report  on  the  present  status 
of  research  in  commercial  education. 

Home  economics  education. — Contribution  of  home  economics  to 
general  education. 

Foreign  education. —  (1)  Education  in  Austria  since  1918;  (2)  the 
Giovanni  Gentile  reform  in  Italy;  (3)  system  of  education  in  Fin¬ 
land;  (4)  ministries  of  education  in  Denmark  and  Sweden;  (5) 
education  in  the  first  quarter  of  the  twentieth  century;  (6)  registra¬ 
tion  of  dentists  in  Natal;  (7)  three  institutions  of  higher  learning  in 
Egypt;  (8)  difficulties  in  the  way  of  foreigners  obtaining  degrees 
in  Spanish  universities;  (9)  scholarships  for  the  summer  session  of 
the  Academy  of  International  Law  at  The  Hague;  (10)  directory  of 
the  chief  educational  offices  of  the  various  countries  of  the  world; 
(11)  list  of  references  for  students  of  foreign  education  systems  and 
comparative  education;  (12)  estimate  of  total  number  of  persons 
attending  educational  institutions  in  the  world  and  of  their  distribu¬ 
tion  among  the  elementary,  secondary,  and  higher  schools. 

Statistics. —  (1)  State  school  systems;  (2)  teachers’  colleges  and 
normal  schools;  (3)  city  school  systems;  (4)  public  high  schools; 
(5)  universities,  colleges,  and  professional  schools;  (6)  manual¬ 
training  and  trade  schools;  (7)  private  commercial  and  business 
schools;  (8)  statistical  survey  of  education  for  1924;  (9)  illiteracy  in 
foreign  countries;  (10)  money  value  of  education;  (11)  teacher  load 
in  elementary  schools. 

More  than  40,000  questionnaires  were  sent  out  for  statistics  for 
1925-26. 


(B)  STUDIES  IN  PROGRESS 

The  following  studies,  covering  many  phases  of  educational  en¬ 
deavor,  are  in  progress: 

Higher  education. —  (1)  Electrical  engineering  curricula ;  (2)  Eng¬ 
lish  in  college  entrance  and  graduation  requirements;  (3)  modern 
languages  in  college  entrance  and  graduation  requirements;  (4)  chem- 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


17 


istry  in  college  entrance  and  graduation  requirements;  (5)  self-help 
students  in  colleges  and  universities;  (6)  college  entrance  from  junior 
and  senior  high  schools;  (7)  research  in  education  in  colleges  and 
universities;  (8)  expenditures  of  State  universities  and  colleges, 

1924- 25. 

Rural  education. —  (1)  Plans  for  the  administration  of  transporta¬ 
tion  in  consolidated  schools  in  selected  territory;  (2)  relationship 
between  school  consolidation  and  farm  ownership;  (3)  facilities  for 
the  administration  of  courses  in  observation  and  practice  teaching 
provided  by  State  teacher-preparing  institutions  in  the  two-year 
curricula  for  elementary  rural-school  teachers  in  the  United  States; 
(4)  curricula  for  the  preparation  of  rural  teachers  as  given  in  State 
institutions  in  the  several  States,  in  cooperation  with  a  representa¬ 
tive  of  the  research  committee  of  the  department  of  rural  education 
of  the  National  Education  Association;  (5)  junior  high  schools  in 
rural  and  small  school  communities,  in  cooperation  with  representa¬ 
tives  of  a  subcommittee  of  the  National  Committee  on  Research  in 
Secondary  Education;  (6)  State  laws  and  regulations  governing 
the  issue  of  teaching  certificates  in  each  of  the  48  States;  (7)  a 
digest  of  secondary  education  research  for  the  year  1925-26;  (8)  a 
questionnaire  study  of  what  supervisors  have  done  during  the  year 

1925- 26  to  discover  and  develop  potentialities  of  superior  teachers; 
(9)  a  study  relating  to  the  selection  and  evaluation  of  elementary- 
school  textbooks;  (10)  a  questionnaire  study  of  time  distribution  of 
rural  supervisors  based  on  actual  practice  during  a  designated  period 
of  time  (a  continuation  of  the  tentative  study  begun  for  the  Nash¬ 
ville  conference  of  supervisors  held  in  December,  1925;  (11)  super¬ 
vision  or  promotion  of  library  service  for  rural  schools  under  State 
di  rection. 

Studies  Nos.  8  and  10  were  undertaken  in  cooperation  with  State 
and  other  rural  supervisors  in  the  Southeastern  States. 

City  schools. —  (1)  Supervision  in  kindergarten  and  primary 
grades  in  cities  having  a  population  of  10,000  or  more;  (2)  educa¬ 
tional  value  of  building  blocks  for  children;  (3)  current  practice  in 
music  for  young  children;  (4)  the  education  provided  for  young 
children  in  foreign  countries;  (5)  housing  and  equipment  for 
nursery-kindergarten-primary  school  children  according  to  modern 
principles  of  education;  (6)  size  and  cost  of  modern  school  buildings, 
also  information  regarding  type  of  buildings,  classrooms,  etc.;  (7) 
research  studies  on  the  wTork-study-play  plan,  in  cooperation  with 
the  national  committees  appointed  by  the  United  States  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education;  (8)  a  curriculum  study  based  upon  State  parks, 
including  lessons  on  the  conservation  of  plant  arid  animal  life  and 
outdoor  recreation;  (9)  a  nature-study  curriculum  based  upon  ani¬ 
mal  life,  home  life,  and  town  life,  to  complete  the  series  already 
begun,  the  first  of  the  series  being  Bulletin,  1925,  No.  15,  44  Cycles 
of  garden  life  and  plant  life”;  (10)  the  assembling  and  interpreta¬ 
tion  of  curriculum  material  on  marketing  and  building;  (11)  super¬ 
vision  in  the  larger  urban  high  schools  of  the  country;  (12)  various 
plans  of  individualized  instruction;  (13)  teacher  councils;  (14) 
current  practices  in  the  administration  of  city  schools;  (15)  school 
board  organization, 


18  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

Achult  education. —  (1)  Best  methods  of  teaching  elementary  sub¬ 
jects  to  the  foreign  born;  (2)  best  text  material  available  in  Ameri¬ 
canization  work;  (3)  content  of  courses  of  study  for  institutions  for 
training  teachers  of  adults  in  elementary  subjects;  (4)  best  methods 
of  teaching  native-born  American  illiterates  the  elementary  subjects ; 
(5)  State  organizations  for  combating  illiteracy;  (6)  methods  used 
in  locating  the  illiterates  and  securing  their  attendance  at  schools; 
(7)  best  methods  of  financing  schools  for  illiterates;  (8)  best  ways 
of  financing  night  schools  and  securing  attendance  thereon;  (9) 
opportunities  provided  for  the  education  of  prisoners,  and  methods 
pursued. 

Industrial  education. —  (1)  Methods  for  determining  content  ma¬ 
terial  for  manual  arts  work;  (2)  organization  of  the  general  shop; 
(3)  training  courses  for  manual  arts  teachers. 

Connmercial  education. —  (1)  Report  on  research  in  commercial 
education;  (2)  commercial  education  in  the  junior  high  school. 

Home  economics  education. —  (1)  An  analysis  of  home  economics 
objectives;  (2)  courses  of  study;  (3)  credit  offered  toward  gradua¬ 
tion;  (4)  preparation  of  teachers;  (5)  cost  of  equipment  for  the 
junior  and  senior  high  schools  in  the  United  States;  (6)  present 
child  care  and  welfare  courses  offered  in  home  economics  depart¬ 
ments  in  elementary,  secondary,  and  higher  educational  institutions; 
(7)  what  is  taught  in  the  one-room  rural  school  concerning  right 
living;  (8)  home  economics  courses  for  boys  in  junior  and  senior 
high  schools. 

Foreign  education. —  (1)  Study  of  ministries  of  education  in  the 
various  countries;  (2)  statistics  of  world- wide  illiteracy. 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene. —  (1)  Conditions  affecting 
the  posture  of  the  school  child  and  methods  of  improving  his  posture; 
(2)  economic  equipment  of  school  playgrounds  and  the  management 
of  playground  activities  in  rural  schools;  (3)  State  requirements 
of  teachers  of  physical  education  and  the  time  devoted  to  the  sub¬ 
ject  and  methods  of  teaching  physical  education  in  public  schools. 

Statistics. —  (1)  Acceleration  and  retardation  in  public  schools; 
(2)  money  cost  of  repeating;  (3)  survivals  through  the  various 
grades  of  the  elementary  school  and  the  high  school;  (4)  average 
time  required  for  the  American  child  to  complete  school. 

2.  Surveys 

Surveys  of  educational  conditions  in  particular  institutions,  locali¬ 
ties,  counties,  and  States  constitute  an  important  function  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education.  Such  surveys  have  become  in  recent  years 
a  most  valuable  method  of  seeking  out  weaknesses  in  school  systems 
j*nd  educational  institutions  and  of  discovering  programs  of  im¬ 
provement.  Requests  for  surveys  have  become  so  numerous  that  it 
has  not  been  possible  to  comply  with  all  of  them. 

The  report  of  the  survey  of  higher  education  in  Tennessee,  which 
was  made  in  1923-24,  was  finally  completed  during  the  past  year. 
The  findings  and  recommendations  of  this  survey  are  summarized 
in  the  annual  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  1925. 
The  complete  report  of  this  survey  will  be  published  by  the  Tennessee 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION  10 

College  Association,  of  which  Dean  C.  H.  Gillingham,  of  Mary¬ 
ville  College,  Maryville,  Tenn.,  is  the  secretary. 

In  1925  the  Bureau  of  Education  made  a  school  building  survey 
in  Portland,  Oreg.,  at  the  request  of  the  board  of  school  directors 
of  that  city.  A  15-year  school  building  program,  divided  into  three 
5-year  periods — 1922-1927,  1927-1932,  1932-1937 — was  submitted. 
At  the  request  of  the  board  of  school  directors  this  building  program 
was  made  out  on  both  the  traditional  plan  and  the  work-study-play 
or  platoon  plan  of  school  organization.  In  1924  the  board  voted  to 
ask  for  a  bond  issue  of  $5,000,000  for  the  building  program  on  the 
work-study-play  plan  for  the  first  five-year  period,  and  this  bond 
issue  was  so  voted  by  the  people. 

In  the  spring  of  1926,  again  at  the  request  of  the  board  of  school 
directors,  the  Bureau  of  Education  made  a  recheck  of  the  survey, 
in  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  program  prepared  for  the  second 
five-year  period,  1927-1932,  was  adequate  in  view  of  possible  changed 
conditions.  It  was  found  that  with  regard  to  the  population  study 
the  survey  had  made  underestimates  in  respect  to  only  4  of  the  21 
school  divisions.  For  the  city  as  a  whole  the  survey  had  estimated 
that,  by  1927,  1,152  classes  would  have  to  be  provided  for  in  the 
elementary  schools,  and  it  was  found  that  upon  the  basis  of  actual 
growth  since  the  survey  was  made  this  was  the  exact  number  of 
classes  that  would  have  to  be  provided  for. 

In  connection  with  the  recheck  of  the  survey,  19  schools  which 
had  been  organized  on  the  work-study-play  plan  were  visited,  together 
with  22  other  elementary  schools  and  6  high  schools  involved  in 
the  second  five-year  building  program;  the  population  study  was 
rechecked;  a  comparative  study  made  of  existing  building  costs  and 
the  bureau  estimates;  and  a  revised  building  program  for  the  second 
five-year  period  for  both  elementary  schools  and  high  schools  was 
worked  out,  giving  for  each  of  60  schools  the  estimated  percentage 
of  increase,  the  number  of  rooms  needed  by  1932,  the  capacity  of 
each  building,  the  number  of  rooms  provided  in  old  buildings  and 
in  new  additions,  new  buildings  and  portables,  and  the  cost  of  addi¬ 
tions,  new  buildings,  contents,  and  total  cost. 

In  June,  1926,  the  board  of  school  directors  asked  for  a  bond 
issue  of  $4,500,000  for  the  second  five-year  building  program,  and 
the  people  voted  in  favor  of  this  second  bond  issue  2  to  1.  . 

Some  of  the  results  of  this  survey  to  date  are  as  follows:  (1) 
Erection  of  eight  buildings  of  the  A  type  (Portland  had  no  build¬ 
ings  of  this  type  at  the  time  of  the  survey)  ;  (2)  elimination  of  II 
old,  wooden-frame  buildings  of  the  type  condemned  by  school-build¬ 
ing  experts;  (3)  providing  children  in  19  schools  with  modern  school 
facilities  in  the  way  of  auditoriums,  gymnasiums,  special  activity 
rooms,  and  modern  classrooms;  (4)  making  it  possible  for  Portland 
to  accomplish  these  results  with  an  expenditure  of  $9,500,000  instead 
of  $17,639,150. 

A  survey  of  educational  conditions  in  the  State  of  Utah  was  made. 
Preliminary  work  of  this  survey  was  begun  early  in  the  fiscal  year 
in  the  submission  of  estimates  for  expense,  selection  of  people,  out¬ 
line  of  ground  to  be  covered,  etc.  This  project  is  completed  to  the 
extent  that  information  has  been  collected,  summarized,  and  inter¬ 
preted.  Written  reports  are  nearing  completion.  Final  preparation 


20  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

of  the  combined  work  of  members  of  the  staff  for  publication  is 
now  in  process. 

A  survey  of  two  school  systems  in  Fairfax  County,  Va. — Falls 
Church  and  Herndon— was  made.  This  survey  is  a  comparative 
study  of  two  schools — one  organized  on  the  8-4  basis  and  promoting 
semiannually,  and  one  on  the  7-4  basis  and  promoting  annually — in 
an  effort  to  discover  the  relative  efficiency  of  the  two  systems.  Two 
reports  were  prepared,  one  a  complete  report  of  190  pages  and  one 
an  abstract  of  44  pages,  the  former  for  the  superintendent  and  cer¬ 
tain  members  of  the  board  of  education,  the  latter  for  other  general 
readers.  Copies  are  on  file  in  the  Bureau  of  Education,  in  the  office 
of  the  county  superintendent  of  Fairfax  County,  Va.,  and  with 
each  member  of  the  board  of  education  of  Fairfax  County. 

A  survey  of  Greensville  County,  Va.,  conducted  in  cooperation 
with  representatives  of  the  State  department  and  higher  institutions 
in  the  State  of  Virginia,  was  made.  A  report  prepared  by  the  com¬ 
mittee  is  on  file  in  the  State  department  of  education  of  Virginia. 

A  study  of  the  advisability  of  transferring  Campbell  College  from 
Jackson  to  Mount  Bayou,  Miss.,  and  its  articulation  with  the  Negro 
Agricultural  and  High  School  of  Bolivar  County  was  made.  Re¬ 
ports  were  rendered  to  the  boards  of  trustees  of  Campbell  College 
and  of  Bolivar  County,  Miss.  No  published  reports  are  available  of 
the  results  of  this  survey. 

A  State  educational  survey  was  made  in  Mississippi  with  special 
reference  to  the  status  of  home-making  education  for  girls  and  women 
in  elementary,  secondary,  and  higher  education;  also  the  facilities 
for  training  teachers  of  home  economics  in  the  Mississippi  State 
College  for  Women.  These  findings  and  the  recommendations  made 
thereon  are  included  in  the  published  report  of  the  Mississippi  Sur¬ 
vey  Commission  and  may  be  procured  by  addressing  the  governor  of 
that  State. 

A  survey  was  undertaken  of  the  Wilson  Normal  School  and  the 
Miner  Normal  School,  of  Washington,  D.  C.  A  preliminary  report 
and  recommendations  have  been  made.  The  survey  will  be  con¬ 
tinued  during  the  ensuing  fiscal  year  and  a  final  report  submitted  in 
the  fall  of  1926. 

A  brief  survey  was  made  by  the  specialist  in  adult  education  of 
the  educational  opportunities  offered  at  the  Oregon  State  Prison. 
The  report  is  not  yet  completed,  and  the  printing  of  it  is  undeter¬ 
mined  at  this  time. 

Summary  of  surveys  during  the  fiscal  year  1925-26 

Number 

State  systems  of  public  education - - -  2 

Utah  (complete  study  of  the  educational  system — elementary,  second¬ 
ary,  and  higher;  field  work  in  1925-26;  report  to  be  completed  1926-27). 

Mississippi  (study  of  home  economics  in  elementary,  secondary,  and 
higher  education). 

Higher  education -  2 

Tennessee  (general  conditions  relating  to  higher  education;  field  work 
1923-24;  report  completed  1925-26). 

Wilson  Normal  School  and  Miner  Normal  School,  Washington,  D.  C. 
(survey  of  teacher-training  facilities;  report  to  be  completed  1926-27). 

Rural  education  (county  and  other  local  systems  of  education) _  4 

Campbell  College,  Jackson,  Miss,  (secondary  education  survey,  with 
special  reference  to  centralization  of  certain  schools  for  the  promotion  of 
better  education  in  agricultural  pursuits). 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


21 


Rural  education,  etc. — Continued.  Number 

Falls  Church  and  Herndon  (Fairfax  County),  Va.  (elementary  and 
secondary  education  survey  ;  field  work  begun  1923-24 :  completed  1925-26 ) . 

Arlington  County,  Va.  (elementary  and  secondary  education  survey; 
field  work  begun  1923-24;  completed  1925-26). 

Greensville  County,  Ya.  (secondary  education  survey). 

City  schools -  2 

Hopewell,  Va.  (general  public  school  system;  field  work  in  1924—25; 
report  completed  1925-26). 

Portland,  Oreg.  (school-building  survey;  recheck  of  survey  made  in 
1923-24;  field  work  1925-26;  report  to  be  completed  1926-27). 

Total _  10 


3.  Conferences 

The  following  conferences  were  called  by  the  Commissioner  of 
Education : 

(1)  Conference  of  rural  supervisors  of  the  Southeastern  States, 
held  in  Nashville,  Term.,  December  14  and  15,  1925,  which  was  at¬ 
tended  by  approximately  100  State  and  county  supervisors  of  the 
States  interested  and  by  members  of  the  technical  staff  of  the  bureau. 
Abstracts  of  the  addresses  at  the  conference  were  prepared  as  Bureau 
of  Education  Bulletin,  1926,  No.  12. 

(2)  Luncheon  conference  for  persons  engaged  in  the  preparation 
of  rural  teachers,  held  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  February  23,  1926. 

(3)  Two  conferences  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  national 
committee  on  research  in  secondary  education,  held  in  the  offices  of 
the  Bureau  of  Education,  Washington,  D.  C. 

(4)  Conferences  with  the  eight  national  committees  on  the  work- 
study-play  or  platoon  plan,  appointed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Edu¬ 
cation.  Special  reports  were  made  by  the  music,  teacher-training, 
and  auditorium  committees. 

(5)  Sixth  annual  conference  on  education  in  negro  land-grant  col¬ 
leges,  held  in  Washington,  May  10-13,  1926.  The  program  of  this 
meeting  was  directed  chiefly  to  the  discussion  of  the  preliminary  re¬ 
port  of  the  committee  on  college  administration,  with  particular 
reference  to  internal  questions  of  budget,  business  office  practices,  and 
general  management.  The  study  of  the  economic  basis  of  the  cur¬ 
ricula  in  mechanic  arts  and  industries  was  presented  by  the  specialist 
in  industrial  education  of  the  bureau  as  preliminary  to  the  reorgan¬ 
ization  of  the  mechanic  arts  and  industrial  curricula  of  these  insti¬ 
tutions.  Important  addresses  on  agricultural  problems  and  their 
relation  to  education  were  made  by  experts. 

At  the  request  of  the  Vocational  Education  Association  of  the 
Middle  West  and  the  Western  Arts  Association,  the  specialist  in 
industrial  education  of  the  bureau  organized  and  conducted  an  indus: 
trial  education  dinner  conference  on  the  subject  of  objectives  for 
manual  arts  work,  which  was  held  in  connection  with  the  joint  meet¬ 
ing  of  the  two  associations  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  March  19,  1926. 
A  report  of  this  meeting  is  now  in  preparation. 

Conferences  were  held  with  statistical  associations,  the  National 
League  of  Compulsory  Education  officials,  and  with  committees  from 
the  National  Education  Association  and  from  the  National  Associa¬ 
tion  of  Public  School  Business  Officials. 


22 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


4.  Cooperative  Undertakings  Other  than  Conferences 

The  bureau  engaged  in  the  following  cooperative  activities  during 
the  year : 

(1)  A  member  of  the  technical  staff  served  as  secretary  of  the 
national  committee  on  research  in  secondary  education,  involving 
general  advisory  service,  arrangement  and  attending  of  conferences, 
and  active  participation  in  one  study,  namely,  that  of  the  junior 
high  school  in  rural  and  small  school  communities. 

(2)  Cooperation  with  the  department  of  rural  education  includ¬ 
ing  the  two  research  undertakings  previously  mentioned;  general 
advisory  service  in  regard  to  research  in  the  field  of  rural  education 
in  so  far  as  it  is  influenced  by  the  department  of  rural  education; 
service  as  secretary  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  department  of 
rural  education. 

(3)  Cooperation  with  a  committee  of  supervisors  of  the  South¬ 
eastern  States  in  preparation  for  a  conference  to  be  held  in  De¬ 
cember,  1926,  including  two  cooperative  research  studies. 

(4)  Cooperation  with  the  committee  of  100  on  rural  teacher  prob¬ 
lems  of  the  National  Education  Association.  This  includes  service 
as  secretary  of  the  committee  and  chairman  of  a  subcommittee  which 
prepared  a  preliminary  report  concerning  the  preparation  of  teachers 
in  county  normal  schools  and  teacher-training  high  schools. 

(5)  Organized  research  work  on  different  phases  of  the  work- 
study-plav  or  platoon  plan  with  eight  national  committees. 

(6)  A  member  of  the  staff  acted  as  adviser  of  the  research  com¬ 
mittee  of  the  kindergarten-primary  department  of  the  National  Edu¬ 
cation  Association. 

(7) .  A  questionnaire  on  reading  readiness  was  prepared  and  sent 
out  on  behalf  of  the  International  Kindergarten  Union. 

(8)  Cooperation  was  had  with  the  committee  on  urban  high 
schools  in  the  preparation  of  studies. 

(9)  Cooperation  was  given  in  the  preparation  of  the  programs  for 
a  number  of  State  and  National  commercial  teachers’  meetings. 

(10)  Upon  the  invitation  of  the  State  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  of  Wisconsin  and  the  secretary  of  the  Wisconsin  Con¬ 
ference  of  Social  Work  the  chief  of  the  city  school  division  acted 
as  judge  on  education  in  the  Wisconsin  better  cities  contest.  Briefs 
submitted  by  the  14  cities  that  entered  the  contest  were  read  and 
scored.  The  chief  of  the  division,  on  behalf  of  the  American  Health 
Association,  also  acted  as  one  of  the  judges  in  a  contest  among  the 
high  schools  of  the  country  to  determine  which  three  have  the  best 
health  education  programs. 

(11)  Cooperation  was  given  in  the  preparation  of  the  programs 
for  a  number  of  State  and  National  commercial  teachers’  meetings. 

(12)  Cooperation  with  the  American  Council  on  Education  in 
gathering  data  on  the  study  of  foreign  languages.  The  work  was 
completed  and  the  material  given  to  representatives  of  the  council 
for  tabulation  and  interpretation. 

(13)  Cooperative  relationship  has  been  maintained,  as  in  the 
past,  with  college  and  university  registrars  and  committees  of  admis¬ 
sion  and  credential  divisions  of  the  State  departments  of  education. 
The  bureau,  on  request,  assists  any  of  the  foregoing  in  evaluating 
the  credentials  of  foreign  students. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


23 


(14)  Committees  from  the  National  Association  of  Public  School 
Business  Officials  and  from  the  department  of  superintendence  of  the 
National  Education  Association,  cooperating  with  the  Bureau  of 
Education  on  uniform  records  and  accounts,  have  been  continued 
as  the  work  is  still  incomplete. 

5.  Miscellaneous 

The  following  are  some  of  the  principal  miscellaneous  activities  of 
the  bureau  during  the  fiscal  year : 

(1)  The  preparation  and  distribution  of  material  for  education 
w^eek,  November  16-22,  1925.  Three  new  publications  were  prepared 
for  the  occasion,  namely,  (a)  “  How,  Why,  and  When  to  Prepare 
for  American  Education  Week,”  a  pamphlet  of  30  pages;  (b)  broad¬ 
side,  containing  appropriate  information,  statistics,. and  quotations; 
and  (c)  School  Life,  of  which  the  October  number  consisted  largely 
of  suggestive  material  for  education  week. 

(2)  Displa}7"  of  educational  charts,  models,  and  pictures  at  the 
departmental  exhibit  held  during  the  meeting  of  the  department  of 
superintendence  of  the  National  Education  Association,  Washing¬ 
ton,  February,  1926.  The  exhibit,  in  its  entirety,  was  designed  to 
show  the  Interior  Department  as  a  “Federal  university  for  the 
people,”  and  was  displayed  in  the  Interior  Department  Building. 
Three  documents  were  prepared  for  the  occasion  for  distribution, 
namely,  (a)  A  Federal  University  for  the  People,  a  pamphlet  of 
36  pages  setting  forth  the  educational  functions  of  the  Department 
of  the  Interior;  (b)  an  eight-page  leaflet  with  a  similar  title  compris¬ 
ing  the  program  of  activities  of  the  week;  and  ( c )  Service  Rendered 
by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  to  Rural  Education,  a 
folder  of  6  pages. 

In  connection  with  the  foregoing  the  bureau  made  an  exhibit  of 
plans  of  school  buildings  of  a  nation-wide  character,  showing  types 
of  buildings  nowT  being  erected  for  both  elementary  and  high  schools 
and  the  cost  of  the  same.  Information  was  received  from  127  cities 
and  63  counties  in  32  States.  Framed  designs  of  67  city  schools  and 
21  rural  schools  were  displayed.  They  included  photographs  of 
the  exterior  of  each  building,  floor  plans  of  each  floor,  and  the 
statistical  data  relating  to  the  same.  These  designs  are  now  on 
permanent  exhibition  in  the  bureau  for  the  use  of  school  superin¬ 
tendents,  boards  pf  education,  and  laymen.  A  bulletin  on  the  results 
of  this  school-building  exhibit  is  being  prepared. 

(3)  Educational  exhibit  at  the  sesquicentennial  at  Philadelphia, 
Pa.  Among  some  of  the  features  are  charts  illustrating  the  general 
growdh  of  education  in  the  United  States  during  the  past  50  years ; 
a  mechanical  model  showing  what  per  cent  of  the  children  entering 
the  first  five  elementary  grades  reach  the  subsequent  grades  and  enter 
and  graduate  from  high  school  and  college;  a  -moving-picture  exhibit 
of  55  pictures  illustrating  the  reading  activities  of  groups  of  women 
in  Glendale  and  Berkeley,  Calif.,  and  the  District  of  Columbia; 
project  in  children’s  home  reading  in  the  District  of  Columbia;  an 
exposition  of  home-economics  methods,  etc.  The  Alaska  division  of 
the  bureau  also  contributed  a  most  interesting  exhibit  of  the  educa¬ 
tional  and  industrial  progress  of  the  natives  of  Alaska. 


24 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


(4)  Numerous  articles  on  educational  subjects  were  prepared  by 
members  of  the  staff  for  educational  journals  and  other  magazines. 

(5)  The  specialist  in  commercial  education,  as  president  of  the 
department  of  business  education  of  the  National  Education  Associa¬ 
tion,  arranged  the  program  and  conducted  the  meetings  of  the 
department  which  were  held  in  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

(6)  A  large  amount  of  translating  from  foreign  languages  of  let¬ 
ters  and  documents  was  made  for  the  various  bureaus  of  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  the  Interior  as  well  as  for  the  bureau  proper. 

(7)  Radio  messages  were  prepared  for  the  American  Child  Health 
Association  and  other  educational  organizations. 

(8)  Assistance  in  planning  schools  was  extended  to  locations  in 
Alaska  and  a  number  of  cities  and  districts  in  Alabama,  Florida, 
Kentucky,  Mississippi,  Oklahoma,  Pennsylvania,  and  Tennessee. 

(9)  Preparation  of  an  informational  and  exploratory  course  for 
boys  and  girls  contemplating  business  pursuits  and  to  assist  parents 
in  the  guidance  of  their  children. 

(10)  Preparation  of  a  more  technical  reading  course  in  commercial 
education  for  the  teachers  of  commercial  subjects. 

B.  HOME  EDUCATION 

During  the  year  more  than  1,600  new  readers  were  enrolled  in  the 
home  reading  courses  of  the  bureau,  which  brings  the  total  number 
enrolled  to  more  than  20,000.  Certificates  to  the  number  of  155  were 
issued  to  readers  who  completed  courses,  bringing  the  total  number 
issued  to  about  1,000.  A  study  of  all  the  bureau’s  reading  courses 
as  to  length  and  requirements  was  made,  and  the  courses  were 
modified  and  revised  in  accordance  with  the  eATident  needs. 

As  heretofore  the  bureau  has  secured  the  advice  and  opinion  of 
specialists  in  the  subjects  selected  for  its  reading  courses,  believing 
that  the  lists  should  bear  the  approval  of  those  who  speak  with  au¬ 
thority  on  these  subjects.  More  than  20  specialists  have  made  free 
contributions  to  this  work.  During  the  past  year  the  dean  of  educa¬ 
tion  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  a  specialist  in  children’s  reading 
of  Columbia  University,  and  the  children’s  librarian’s  section  of  the 
American  Library  Association  have  cooperated  in  this  way.  For 
several  years  extension  directors  or  other  representatives  of  State 
universities,  State  colleges,  and  State  library  commissions  have  co¬ 
operated  with  the  bureau  in  conducting  the  reading  courses. 

The  campaign  to  send  children  to  the  first  grade  of  school  free 
from  remediable  defects  was  carried  on  jointly  by  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  and  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers.  For 
this  campaign  publicity  articles,  circulars,  and  a  poster  were  prepared 
and  issued.  More  than  13,000  school  superintendents  and  other 
educators  were  urged  by  the  bureau  to  lend  their  aid  and  encourage¬ 
ment.  The  response  to  this  was  immediate  and  favorable.  # 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  National  Committee  on  Home  Education 
at  the  Bureau  of  Education,  which  was  inaugurated  by  the  United 
States  Commissioner  of  Education  and  attended  by  representatives 
of  the  National  University  Extension  Association,  the  American 
Library  Association,  and  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and 
Teachers,  the  question  of  ways  and  means  of  promoting  home  educa¬ 
tion  was  discussed.  It  was  the  consensus  of  opinion  that  State  groups 
should  be  formed  to  study  the  needs  of  adult  home  education. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


25 


In  all,  more  than  6,000  press  notices  on  home-education  matters 
were  sent  out;  19,678  copies  of  circular  letters  and  15,000  posters 
were  distributed.  A  special  mailing  list  of  leaders  in  pa  rent -teacher 
associations  was  prepared  for  the  Government  Printing  Office. 

C.  ALASKA 

The  Alaska  division  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  has  charge  of  the 
education  of  the  natives  of  Alaska,  extends  to  them  all  possible 
medical  relief,  fosters  native  commercial  enterprises,  and  relieves 
cases  of  destitution  among  natives.  The  work  in  Alaska  is  under 
the  immediate  supervision  of  the  chief  of  the  Alaska  division,  with 
headquarters  in  Seattle,  Wash.  The  Seattle  office  functions  as  a 
purchasing  and  disbursing  agent  for  all  the  bureau’s  activities  in 
Alaska.  It  selects  teachers  and  other  personnel  to  recommend  to 
the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  appointment;  it  expends  or  in¬ 
vests,  under  the  direction  of  the  interested  parties,  funds  sent  to  it 
by  employees  in  Alaska,  by  the  cooperative  stores  of  the  natives,  or 
by  individual  natives  of  Alaska;  it  also  sells  commodities,  such  as 
furs,  ivory,  and  fish,  for  the  natives,  and  remits,  deposits,  or  expends 
the  proceeds  as  directed. 

Education. — When  the  Alaska  school  service  was  established  40 
years  ago  the  aborigines  of  Alaska  were  in  absolutely  primitive  con¬ 
dition,  and  their  effect  upon  the  industrial  and  economic  situation 
in  Alaska  was  negligible.  In  southern  Alaska  and  in  the  interior 
the  natives  lived  in  small,  filthy  hovels  with  little  light  and  no  venti¬ 
lation.  Along  the  shores  of  Bering  Sea  and  the  Arctic  Ocean  their 
winter  habitations  were  semisubterranean  huts;  when  the  warmer 
days  of  summer  thawed  the  frozen  soil,  rendering  these  underground 
hovels  uninhabitable,  their  shelters  were  skin-covered  tents  along 
the  coast  and  the  rivers.  The  Eskimos  still  used  rude  implements 
of  stone,  ivory,  and  bone,  and  consumed  much  of  their  seal  and 
walrus  meat  raw.  Lamps  filled  with  whale  or  seal  oil,  and  with 
dried  moss  as  a  wick,  were  still  used  for  heating  and  cooking  purposes. 

With  the  steady  advance  through  the  years  of  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation’s  school  system  and  other  civilizing  agencies  these  primitive 
conditions  have  gradually  disappeared,  except  in  some  of  the  remotest 
settlements  which  the  bureau  has  not  as  yet  been  able  to  reach.  In 
many  of  the  villages,  as  the  result  of  education,  the  old  huts  have 
been  replaced  by  neat,  well-furnished  houses,  the  homes  of  self-sup¬ 
porting,  self-respecting  natives,  thousands  of  whom  are  employed  by 
the  great  salmon  canneries  of  southern  Alaska.  The  fleets  of  power 
boats  belonging  to  and  operated  by  the  natives  are  of  great  service 
in  transporting  fish  from  the  fishing  grounds  to  the  canneries.  Many 
natives  are  employed  in  the  mines.  Others  are  pilots,  trappers, 
storekeepers,  loggers,  or  ivory  carvers.  For  many  years  the  Bureau 
of  Education  has  appointed  as  teachers  in  its  Alaska  school  service 
the  brightest  of  the  graduates  of  its  schools.  Girls  showing  special 
qualifications  for  medical  service  are  received  into  the  bureau’s  hos¬ 
pital  at  Juneau  for  training  as  nurses.  Natives  are  employed  as 
cooks,  janitors,  and  orderlies  in  the  hospitals.  Natives  are  also 
represented  in  the  legal  and  clerical  professions.  Throughout  north¬ 
western  Alaska,  and  along  the  Alaska  Railroad,  native  owners  of 
reindeer,  whose  herds  furnish  an  inexhaustible  meat  supply,  are 
most  important  factors  in  the  industrial  and  economic  situation. 


26 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


The  results  of  the  bureau’s  work  are  especially  apparent  in  the  iso¬ 
lated  settlements  of  the  far  north. 

Formerly  no  systematic  form  of  industrial  education  for  Alaskan 
natives  was  provided  within  the  Territory.  In  order  to  receive  such 
training,  for  many  years  young  Alaskans  were  sent  to  schools  main¬ 
tained  by  the  Bureau  of  Indian  Affairs  in  the  States.  This  policy 
was  unwise  and  uneconomic.  The  change  of  climate  frequently  had 
a  deleterious  effect  upon  the  health  of  the  children.  Some  remained 
in  the  States.  Many  who  returned  to  Alaska  found  it  difficult  to 
adapt  themselves  to  their  home  environment.  To  meet  the  situation 
the  policy  has  been  adopted  of  establishing  industrial  schools  within 
Alaska  itself.  Industrial  schools  have  already  been  organized  at 
Eklutna,  near  Anchorage,  on  the  Alaska  Bailroad;  at  Kanakanak, 
on  Bristol  Bay ;  and  at  White  Mountan,  on  Seward  Peninsula,  all  of 
which  are  strategic  points.  Included  in  the  curriculum  are  such  in¬ 
dustries  as  house  building,  carpentry,  boat  building,  the  making  of 
furniture,  sled  construction,  the  operation  and  repair  of  gas  engines, 
marine  engineering,  navigation,  tanning  of  skins,  the  carving  of  ivory, 
and  basket  weaving.  It  is  proposed  to  extend  to  other  sections  of 
Alaska  facilities  for  industrial  training  as  rapidly  as  funds  will 
permit. 

The  educational  statistics  for  the  school  year  ending  June  30,  1926, 
are  as  follows: 


Total  number  of  days  in  actual  attendance _ 359,  0S5.  43 

Total  number  of  pupils  enrolled  during  the  year _  3,  5S2 

Average  daily  attendance  throughout  the  year _  2,  491.  37 

Percentage  of  attendance _ _ _  73.  56 

Average  number  in  schoolroom  each  day _  29.  85 

Number  of  schools  open  180  days  per  year  or  more _  4 

Number  of  schools  open  160  days  per  year  or  more,  but  less  than  180_  25 

Number  of  schools  open  140  days  per  year  or  more,  but  less  than  160_  31 

Number  of  schools  open  120  days  per  year  or  more,  but  less  than  140_  16 

Number  of  schools  open  100  days  per  year  or  more,  but  less  than  120_  5 

Number  of  schools  open  less  than  80  days _  3 

Total  schoolrooms  opened _  126 

Average  number  of  days  in  school  year -  144.  08 

During  the  year  there  was  spent  for  repairs  on  school  buildings  and 

not  counted  as  a  part  of  the  operation  of  the  school _  89.  20S.  40 

Spent  for  new  buildings _ $40,  056.  56 


School  attendance  l>y  district 


District 

Total 

enroll¬ 

ment 

Average 

daily 

attend¬ 

ance 

Average 
number 
of  days 
in  school 
year 

Total  days 
attend¬ 
ance 

Per  cent 
attend¬ 
ance 

Central .  . .  . . 

392 

255. 84 

151.28 

31, 936. 93 

63. 12 

Northwestern _ _ _ 

553 

397.9 

129 

52, 112 

80. 84 

Seward  Peninsula  _ _ _ 

594 

451.  48 

151 

64,  043 

73.82 

Southeastern.  ..  _ _ _ _ _  _ 

1,  ICO 

764.  22 

158.7 

123, 577 

65.45 

Southwestern - . . . . 

352 

285.  69 

129.6 

38,  382.  5 

84.  32 

Western .  . . 

531 

336.  24 

144.8 

49.  034 

73.8 

Total . 

! 

3,  582 

2, 491.  37 

144.  6 

359, 085.  43 

73.56 

Each  teacher  not  only  teaches  his  own  school,  but  is  a  dispensing 
agent  of  the  medical  chest,  a  teacher  of  sanitation  and  health,  and 
a  village  sanitary  engineer.  From  the  summaries  made  from  the 
reports  submitted  by  the  schoolroom  teachers  in  the  Alaska  service 
the  past  year,  the  following  welfare  services  were  rendered : 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


27 


The  community  service 


District 

Visits 
made  to 
homes 

“Eg?1  |  Number 

tnce  ofbirths 

rendered  j  reP°rted 

Number 
of  deaths 
reported 

Native 

popula¬ 

tion 

served 

Number 

of 

teachers 

Central . . . . .  ... . . 

3,251 

2,962  46 

40 

1, 544 

23 

Northwestern . . . 

1,980 

2, 089  |  35 

14 

2,124 

22 

Seward  Peninsula . .. . . . 

2,860 

4, 195  1  51 

30 

2,  068 

26 

Southeastern.. . . . 

2, 758 

2,564  1  75 

44 

4, 358 

35 

Southwestern _  _ _ _ 

1.725 

1, 925  |  41 

17 

1,068 

23 

Western _ _ 

2,  645 

5,637  !  49 

32 

2,020 

30 

Total _ _ _ 

15,  219 

19, 372  j  297 

177 

13, 192 

159 

Medical  relief. — The  medical  work  for  the  natives  of  Alaska  has 
fallen  short  of  what  has  been  accomplished  along  educational  lines. 
It  has  never  been  possible  to  secure  appropriations  to  relieve  natives 
suffering  from  tuberculosis.  It  is  not  practicable  to  handle  these 
patients  in  the  regular  hospitals,  and  a  sanitarium  located  in  Alaska 
and  designed  for  the  care  and  treatment  of  tubercular  natives  only  of 
Alaska  should  be  the  next  step  in  the  extension  of  the  medical  service. 

The  efforts  of  the  Alaska  division  to  bring  medical  relief  to  the 
4,000  and  more  native  people  living  along  the  Yukon  and  tributary 
rivers  in  the  interior  of  Alaska  have  met  with  success.  Money  was 
made  available  on  the  10th  day  of  May,  1926,  for  the  remodeling, 
equipping,  and  manning  of  a  boat  to  be  used  as  a  floating  hospital 
on  the  Yukon  River  during  the  season  of  navigation.  In  addition 
to  rendering  medical  assistance  and  giving  instruction  in  personal 
hygiene,  the  medical  staff,  consisting  of  a  doctor  and  two  nurses,  are 
making  and  will  submit  for  consideration  at  the  end  of  the  cruise 
a  sanitary  survey  of  the  entire  region. 

Plans  are  under  consideration  for  the  repairing  and  remodeling 
of  certain  of  the  buildings  in  the  Fort  Gibbon  Military  Reservation 
at  Tanana,  now  abandoned,  which  have  been  transferred  to  this 
bureau,  with  a  view  of  extending  our  medical  service  by  opening 
another  hospital  in  the  near  future  at  this  point  on  the  Yukon. 

During  the  year  ending  June  30,  1926,  5  full-time  physicians, 
3  part-time  physicians,  22  hospital  and  village  nurses,  and 
1  first-aid  man  were  employed  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  to 
minister  to  the  needs  of  the  natives  in  Alaska.  Five  hospitals  were 
maintained  in  Alaska,  and  the  contractual  relations  with  other  hos¬ 
pitals  in  Alaska  and  in  Washington  and  Oregon  were  continued.  A 
number  of  deformed  children  were  brought  to  Seattle  and  treated 
successfully  in  the  Orthopedic  Hospital  and  returned  to  their  homes 
in  Alaska.  Some  idea  of  the  medical  services  rendered  during  the 
past  year  will  be  glimpsed  from  the  following  statistics  : 


Summary  of  reports  made  by  nurses,  teachers  of  sanitation,  and  doctors 


Nurses  and 
teachers  of 
sanitation 

Doctors 

Total 

Number  of  visits  to  homes _  ..  .. 

12, 033 
8,311 
22, 026 
117 

401 

12,434 
11, 147 
34,846 
177 

Number  of  patients  treated  _  _ 

2,836 
12,  820 
60 

Number  of  treatments  given . . . . .  . . 

Number  of  births  reported  _  _ _ _ 

Number  of  deaths  reported _ _ _  .. 

72 

41 

113 

Total  days  of  hospital  care _ _ _ _ 

6,989 
3, 109 
1,651 

8,989 

Out  and  clinic  patients _ _ _ _ _ 

3, 109 

Out  and  clinic  calls 

1,  651 

Total  cost  of  medical  service . . . . . 

$119, 910.  56 

28 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Classification  of  diseases 


Cases 
treated  by 
nurses 

Cases 
treated  by 
doctors 

Total 

262 

170 

432 

8 

95 

103 

13 

12 

25 

12 

5 

17 

174 

24 

198 

18 

99 

117 

Heart  tiouble  .  _ _ .  .  _  .  _ _ 

17 

1 

19 

36 

Hernia-.  --  _ _  _ _ _ _ _ 

4 

5 

Infections  _  -  .  _  _ _  -  _ _ _ 

89 

88 

177 

Influenza,  pneumonia,  grippe  ..  _  _  .  .  -  -  _ _ _ _ _ 

1,944 

23 

308 

2,252 

36 

Kidney  disorders 

13 

Malnutrition  _  .  _  .  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

46 

1 

25 

71 

Meningitis.  .  _ _  _ _ _  . _ _ _ _  _ 

3 

4 

Nervous  system — mental  _ _ _  .  ..  _ 

25 

85 

110 

New  born  _ _ _ -  _ _ _ 

33 

23 

56 

Pelvic  disorders  _ _ _  _  _  _ _  _ _ _ _ 

24 

7 

31 

Pregnancy,  confinement 

82 

88 

170 

Rheumatism,  neuralgia  _ 

343 

234 

577 

Stomach  and  bowels  ..  ..  _ _ _ _ _  .  _ _ _  .  .  _ _ _ 

669 

248 

917 

Surgical  operations  and  dressings _ _ _  _ -  -  ..  _ 

257 

163 

420 

Svphilis  _ _ 

8 

48 

56 

Throat,  tonsils,  etc _ _ _ _ -  _ _ _ _  . 

443 

309 

752 

Trachoma 

7 

38 

45 

Tuberculosis  _ _ 

303 

682 

985 

Miscellaneous  1  _ _ 

2,454 

480 

2,666 

105 

5,120 

585 

V iolence — acci  deuts 

Total _ 

7,  736 

5,561 

13,  297 

i  Many  minor  ailments;  some  uncommon  and  serious. 

Reindeer  industry. — The  reindeer  industry  is  no  longer  an  experi¬ 
ment,  although  still  in  its  infancy.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are 
400,000  square  miles  of  barren  tundra  in  Alaska  where  no  horse, 
cow,  sheep,  or  goat  can  find  pasture*  but  everywhere  on  this  vast 
expanse  of  frozen  land  the  reindeer  can  find  the  long,  fibrous,  white 
moss  which  is  his  food.  It  is  further  estimated  that  there  is  plenty 
of  food  for  10,000,000  of  these  hardy  animals.  The  time  has  already 
come  when  Alaska  has  great  reindeer  ranches  similar  to  the  cattle 
ranches  of  the  Southwest.  The  natives  in  many  places  are  depend¬ 
ing  on  their  reindeer  for  clothing  and  food,  and  are  now  success¬ 
fully  marketing  the  surplus  meat  and  hides  in  the  States. 

U.  S.  jS.  c;  Boxer  ”. — In  April,  1920,  the  IT.  S.  S.  Boxer ,  a  wooden 
vessel  formerly  used  by  the  Government  as  a  training  ship  for  naval 
cadets,  was  transferred  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior  for  the 
use  of  the  Alaska  division  in  connection  with  its  work  in  the  Terri¬ 
tory.  This  boat  was  remodeled  and  equipped  with  modern  ma¬ 
chinery  at  an  approximate  cost  of  $100,000  and  now  carries  annually 
to  the  coast  stations  and  to  the  distributing  points  at  the  mouths 
of  the  larger  rivers  of  Alaska  teachers,  doctors,  and  nurses,  together 
with  a  heavy  tonnage  of  supplies  and  equipment,  voyaging  as  far 
north  as  Point  Barrow.  On  its  return  trip  it  brings  back  a  cargo 
of  reindeer  meat,  which  is  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  native  owners. 

D.  LIBRARY 

During  the  year  the  library  of  the  bureau  gave  particular  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  development  of  its  bibliographical  and  reference  service, 
while  its  other  activities  continued  to  function  at  their  normal  rate. 
A  large  number  of  new  bibliographies  were  compiled  and  many 
others  were  revised  and  brought  up  to  date  for  mimeographing  and 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


29 


typewriting.  A  list  of  references  on  vocational  guidance  was 
printed  as  Library  Leaflet  No.  32,  October,  1925.  Numerous  requests 
for  these  bibliographies,  coming  both  by  mail  and  directly  from 
visitors  to  the  office,  were  filled.  Answers  were  also  prepared  and 
mailed  to  many  correspondents  who  wrote  seeking  information  on 
various  educational  topics.  A  considerable  number  of  volumes  were 
lent  outside  the  office,  a  part  of  which  were  sent  by  mail  to  libraries 
and  persons  away  from  Washington.  A  record  of  current  educa¬ 
tional  publications,  giving  a  select  list  of  the  educational  literature 
received  during  the  year  ending  April  1,  1926,  was  prepared  for  the 
printer  to  be  published  as  a  bulletin  of  the  bureau. 

The  library  completely  revised  the  manuscript  of  Statistics  of 
Public,  Society,  and  School  Libraries,  1923,  which  was  then  sent  to 
the  printer  for  publication  as  a  bulletin.  A  chart  showing  “  Ten 
year’s  growth  in  book  service,”  from  1913  to  1923,  based  on  these 
statistics,  was  prepared  and  used  as  a  feature  in  the  bureau’s 
educational  exhibit  in  the  Interior  Department  building  during  the 
meeting  of  the  department  of  superintendence  in  Washington  in 
February,  1926.  The  library  also  compiled  for  publication  a  descrip¬ 
tive  list  of  educational  associations,  boards,  and  foundations  from 
information  obtained  by  a  questionnaire  through  the  mails. 

The  current  publications  in  the  library  continued  to  increase  by 
additions  from  purchase,  gift,  and  copyright  transfer.  A  large 
section  of  the  older  material  not  adapted  to  the  use  of  this  bureau, 
however,  which  had  been  left  in  the  Pension  Building  since  the 
removal  of  the  bureau  from  that  location,  was  eliminated  during  the 
winter  by  transfer  to  the  Library  of  Congress  and  to  other  libraries, 
and  to  the  General  Supply  Committee.  The  remainder  of  the  books 
left  at  the  Pension  Office  Building  were  then  transferred  to  the 
Interior  Department  Building,  where  they  are  being  incorporated 
with  the  books  belonging  to  this  library,  which  are  already  in  the 
latter  building. 

Cooperation  with  the  Library  of  Congress  in  the  production  of 
printed  catalogue  cards  for  educational  titles  was  continued,  and 
the  general  work  of  cataloguing  the  library  also  made  progress. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  arrangements  were  made  to  acquire  a 
quantity  of  new  steel  shelving  for  the  library,  and  plans  were  carried 
out  to  install  the  personnel  and  equipment  in  the  new  quarters 
assigned  on  the  sixth  floor  of  the  Interior  Building  adjacent  to  the 
other  divisions  of  the  bureau. 

E.  PUBLICATIONS 

The  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  which  superseded  the 
voluminous  annual  report,  is  the  most  comprehensive  and  extensive 
of  the  publications  of  the  Bureau  of  Education.  As  it  has  developed 
in  the  past  10  years  it  comprises  two  volumes — the  first  presenting 
the  educational  progress  of  the  biennium  in  a  series  of  descriptive 
papers,  the  second  setting  forth  in  statistical  tables  the  status  of  each 
type  of  educational  institutions  in  the  United  States.  The  several 
chapters  of  the  Biennial  Survey  are  issued  in  pamphlet  form  as  they 
are  completed,  but  all  are  published  later  in  a  single  bound  volume. 

Documents  of  this  class  were  the  dominating  feature  of  the  publica¬ 
tions  of  1925-26  and  consumed  $12,786.51,  considerably  more  than  a 


30 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


fourth  of  the  printing  allotment  for  the  year.  They  included  the 
bound  volume  of  the  statistics  of  1921-22,  5  statistical  chapters  of 
1922-1924,  and  17  chapters  of  verbal  discussions  of  educational 
progress. 

Following  the  Biennial  Survey  in  the  outstanding  publications  of 
the  year  is  the  decennial  report  of  land-grant  college  education,  which 
was  completed  during  the  year.  It  was  issued  in  five  bulletins, 
devoted,  respectively,  to  (1)  history  and  educational  objectives:  (2) 
the  liberal  arts  and  sciences,  with  miscellaneous  activities;  (3) 
agriculture;  (4)  engineering  and  mechanic  arts;  and  (5)  home 
economics.  Each  phase  of  every  subject  is  treated  by  a  different 
author,  and  63  papers,  each  by  a  recognized  authority,  comprise  the 
entire  series. 

Bulletins  addressed  directly  to  classroom  teachers,  prepared  under 
the  direction  of  the  city  schools  division,  were  represented  in  the 
publications  of  1925-26  by  two  documents,  namely,  Motivation  of 
Arithmetic  (Bulletin,  1925,  No.  43)  by  G.  M.  Wilson,  and  Cycles  of 
Garden  and  Plant  Life  (Bulletin,  1925,  No.  15)  by  Florence  C.  Fox. 
Another  document  of  similar  type,  How  the  World  Rides,  is  now 
ready  for  distribution. 

Health  publications  ”  of  the  bureau  have  long  been  in  great 
demand,  and  the  issue  in  1925-26  maintained  the  usual  standard  of 
popularity.  Health  and  Physique  of  School  Children  (Bulletin, 
1925,  No.  21)  by  James  F.  Rogers,  M.  D.,  chief  of  the  bureau’s 
health  division,  and  Progress  and  Prospect  in  School  Health  Work 
(School  Health  Studies  No.  10),  a  statistical  study,  have  been  ex¬ 
tensively  distributed,  principally  by  sale  through  the  Superintendent 
of  Documents. 

Two  statistical  bulletins  of  unusual  character  appear  in  the  list  of 
unfinished  documents,  namely,  Statistics  of  Public,  Society,  and 
School  Libraries  (Bulletin,  1926,  No.  9)  and  Residence  and  Migra¬ 
tion  of  Lhiiversity  and  College  Students.  Both  documents  have  been 
in  preparation  for  several  years,  and  each  will  supply  a  distinct  need. 
Accredited  Higher  Institutions  (Bulletin,  1926,  No.  10)  was  not  de¬ 
livered  by  the  printer  before  the  end  of  the  year  1925-26,  but  it  is 
now  available.  Setting  forth  the  lists  and  standards  of  the  several 
accrediting  agencies  after  the  manner  of  similar  publications  of  the 
past,  it  is  a  document  of  distinct  usefulness. 

Publications  of  the  year  relating  to  rural  education  were  in  the 
main  leaflets  of  limited  scope.  Recent  Data  on  Consolidation  of 
Schools  and  Transportation  of  Pupils  (Bulletin,  1925,  No.  22)  and 
Salaries  of  Rural  Teachers  and  Length  of  School  Term  (Rural 
School  Leaflet  No.  39)  were  the  most  extensive  of  them. 

A  publication  of  the  bureau  which  is  of  great  practical  usefulness 
is  the  Educational  Directory.  It  is  published  annually — in  the  past 
year  as  Bulletin,  1926,  No.  1.  The  style  of  the  latest  issue  was  ma¬ 
terially  changed  in  order  to  make  the  lists  in  it  less  extensive  and 
easier  of  access. 

It  is  expected  that  the  relation  between  the  Bureau  of  Education 
and  the  national  committee  on  research  in  secondary  education  will 
result  in  the  publication  of  a  number  of  well-considered  reports 
in  the  field  of  that  committee’s  activities.  The  first  of  the  series 
was  Bibliography  of  Secondary  Education  Research  1920-1925 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


31 


(Bulletin,  1926,  No.  2),  which  was  prepared  by  members  of  the 
bureau's  staff  but  in  pursuance  of  the  committee’s  plans. 

In  commemoration  of  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  the  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  the  Bureau  of 
Education  issued  a  pamphlet  of  20  pages  entitled  “  The  Story  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,”  which  contained  the  declaration 
in  full,  a  brief  summary  of  the  historical  events  preceding  and 
resulting  in  its  creation,  and  short  biographical  sketches  of  six  of 
the  prominent  signers.  This  was  done  in  obedience  to  an  act  of 
Congress  approved  May  28,  1926,  which  was  proposed  and  advocated 
by  Hon.  O.  J.  Kvale,  Member  of  Congress  from  Minnesota.  The 
pamphlet  was  issued  in  a  large  edition  with  the  intention  of  supply¬ 
ing  a  copy  to  every  school  in  the  United  States. 

A  monthly  periodical,  School  Life,  is  an  essential  factor  in  the 
bureau's  scheme  for  the  dissemination  of  educational  information. 

The  usefulness  of  such  a  medium  is  recognized  generally  bjr  edu¬ 
cational  administrators,  and  many  State  departments  of  education, 
city  school  systems,  universities,  normal  schools,  and  State  and  Na¬ 
tional  associations  of  teachers  issue  periodical  bulletins  or  magazines 
of  some  sort. 

School  Life  is  not  adressed  to  specialists  of  any  type,  but  to  all 
who  are  concerned  with  the  work  of  education.  Its  articles  are  in¬ 
tended  to  be  useful  to  every  teacher  of  every  degree. 

In  accordance  with  the  law  which  governs  such  periodicals  only 
2,000  copies  may  be  printed  for  free  distribution.  These  are  sent  to 
libra  l  ies  which  make  application  for  them.  Additional  copies  are 
printed  for  supplying  persons  in  the  educational  work  of  the  United 
States  Government  and  for  exchanges  and  the  like,  but  the  principal 
distribution  is  by  subscription  through  the  Superintendent  of  Docu¬ 
ments.  The  price,  50  cents  a  year,  is  fixed  to  cover  only  the  actual 
cost  of  printing  and  distribution. 

Items  of  educational  news  are  supplied  to  the  daily  and  weekly 
press  and  to  educational  periodicals  in  the  form  of  a  “  Clip  Sheet,” 
which  is  issued  on  the  15th  of  each  month.  The  items  are  obtained 
from  a  great  variety  of  sources,  and  they  are  expressed  in  the  news¬ 
paper  style. 

Publications  issued  July  1,  1925,  to  June,  30,  1926 

BULLETIN,  1924 

No.  14.  Biennial  survey  of  education,  1920-1922.  (Statistics.) 

BULLETINS,  1925 

No.  11.  Accredited  secondary  schools  in  the  United  States. 

No.  12.  Statistics  of  State  universities  and  State  colleges  for  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1924. 

No.  13.  Bibliography  of  science  teaching  in  secondary  schools.  Earl  It.  Glenn 
and  Josephine  Walker. 

No.  15.  Cycles  of  garden  life  and  plant  life.  Florence  C.  Fox. 

No.  16.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  natives  of  Alaska.  William 
Hamilton.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  IT.  Professional  staff  of  State  departments  of  education.  A.  W. 
Ferguson. 

No.  18.  Progress  in  kindergarten  education.  Nina  C.  Yandewalker.  Ad¬ 
vance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  19.  Statistics  of  land-grant  colleges,  1923.  IV.  J.  Greenleaf. 


32 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


No.  20.  Statistics  of  kindergartens.  Advance  sheets  from  the  Biennial  Sur¬ 
vey,  1922-1924. 

No.  21.  Health  and  physique  of  school  children.  J.  F.  Rogers.  Advance 
sheets  from  the  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  22.  Recent  data  on  consolidation  of  schools  and  transportation  of 
pupils.  J.  F.  Abel. 

No.  23.  Statistics  of  private  high  schools  and  academies,  1923-1924. 

No.  24.  Status  of  high-school  principal.  D.  H.  Eikenberry. 

No.  25.  Constructive  tendencies  in  rural  education.  Katherine  M.  Cook. 
Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  26.  Statistics  of  land-grant  colleges,  1924.  W.  J.  Greenleaf. 

No.  27.  Some  recent  movements  in  city  school  systems.  W.  S.  Deffenbaugh. 
Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  28.  Statistics  of  teachers  colleges  and  normal  schools.  Advance  sheets 
from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  29.  Land-grant  college  education,  1910-1920.  Pt.  V,  Home  Economics. 

No.  30.  Parent-teacher  associations  at  work.  Ellen  C.  Lombard.  Advance 
sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924: 

No.  31.  Medical  education.  N.  P.  Colwell.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial 
Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  32.  Agricultural  education.  G.  A.  Works.  Advance  sheets  from  Bien¬ 
nial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  33.  Education  pays  the  State.  M.  A.  Foster. 

No.  34.  Educational  boards  and  foundations.  H.  R.  Evans.  Advance  sheets 
from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  35.  Review  of  educational  legislation,  1923  and  1924.  W.  R.  Hood.  Ad¬ 
vance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  36.  Adult  education  for  foreign-born  and  native  illiterates.  C.  M.  Her- 
lihy.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  37.  Industrial  education.  M.  M.  Proffitt.  Advance  sheets  from  Biennial 
Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  38.  Art  education  in  the  United  States.  R.  B.  Farnum.  Advance  sheets 
from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  39.  Progress  of  dental  education.  F.  C.  Waite.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  40.  Statistics  of  public  high  schools,  1923-24.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  42.  Statistics  of  State  school  systems,  1923-24.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  43.  Motivation  of  arithmetic.  G.  M.  Wilson. 

No.  45.  Statistics  of  universities,  colleges,  and  professional  schools,  1923-24. 
Advance  sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

BULLETINS,  1926 

No.  1.  Educational  directory,  1926. 

No.  2.  Bibiliegraphy  of  secondary  education  research,  1920-1925.  E.  E. 
Windes  and  W.  J.  Greenleaf. 

No.  3.  Recent  progress  in  legal  education.  A.  Z.  Reed.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  4.  Progress  in  home  economics  education.  E.  S.  Whitcomb.  Advance 
sheets  from  Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

No.  5.  General  university  extension.  T.  H.  Shelby.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

FOREIGN  EDUCATION  LEAFLET 

No.  1.  Education  in  the  Irish  Free  State. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION  PUBLICATIONS 

Miscellaneous 

Price  list — Health  Education  Publications,  November,  1924.  (Reprint.) 

Price  list — Health  Education  Publications,  January,  1926. 

Interest-arousing  devices  for  health  teaching.  (Reprint.) 

PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  SERIES 

No.  6.  The  school  as  the  people’s  clubhouse.  Harold  O.  Berg. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


33 


SCHOOL  HEALTH  STUDIES 

No.  9.  Training  of  dental  hygienists.  J.  F.  Rogers. 

No.  10.  Progress  and  prospect  in  school  health  work.  J.  F.  Rogers. 

No.  11.  School  nurse  administration.  J.  F.  Rogers. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION  CIRCULARS 

No.  30.  Policies  and  curricula  of  schools  of  education  in  State  universities. 

J.  B.  Edmonson  and  A.  H.  Webster. 

No.  31.  Rhodes  scholarships,  1926. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  CIRCULAR 

No.  20.  Home  economics  instruction  in  certain  higher  institutions.  Emeline 
S.  Whitcomb. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION  CIRCULAR 

No.  24.  Dr.  John  De  La  Howe  Industrial  School,  Willington,  S.  C. 

LIBRARY  LEAFLET  (LISTS  OF  REFERENCES) 

No.  32.  October,  1925.  Vocational  guidance. 

READING  COURSES 

No.  4.  Reading  course  for  boys.  (Reprint.) 

No.  5.  Reading  course  for  girls.  (Reprint.) 

No.  6.  Thirty  books  of  fiction.  (Reprint.) 

No.  7.  Thirty  world  heroes.  (Reprint.) 

No.  9.  Thirty  American  heroes.  (Reprint.) 

No.  10.  American  history.  (Reprint.) 

No.  11.  France  and  her  history.  (Reprint.) 

No.  18.  Dante.  (Reprint.) 

No.  19.  Master  builders  of  to-day.  (Reprint.) 

No.  20.  Teaching.  (Reprint.) 

No.  21.  Twenty  good  books  for  parents.  (Reprint.) 

No.  22.  Agriculture  and  country  life.  (Reprint.) 

No.  23.  How  to  know  architecture.  R.  F.  Bach.  (Reprint.) 

No.  26.  Sixty  selected  stories  for  boys  and  girls.  Florence  C.  Fox.  (Re¬ 
print.  ) 

No.  28.  Kindergarten  ideals  in  the  home  and  school.  A  reading  course  for 
parents.  Nina  C.  Vandewalker.  (Reprint.) 

No.  29.  The  pre-school  child.  (Reprint.) 

RURAL  SCHOOL  LEAFLETS 

No.  11.  Objectives  in  elementary  rural-school  agriculture.  E.  E.  Windes. 
(Reprint.) 

No.  39.  Salaries  of  rural  teachers  and  length  of  school  term.  Alex  Summers. 
No.  40.  A  rural  curriculum :  An  outstanding  need  in  rural  schools.  Fannie 
W.  Dunn. 

REPORT 

Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1925. 

STATISTICAL  CIRCULAR 

No.  5.  Organization,  housing,  and  staffing  of  State  departments  of  education. 
H.  M.  Carle. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

1925.  Faith  of  the  American  people  in  public  education.  Jno.  J.  Tigert. 

1926.  Publications  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  of  special 
interest  to  high-school  teachers. 

1926.  Service  rendered  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  to  rural 
education. 

1926.  A  Federal  university  for  the  people. 

1926.  The  story  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  J.  C.  Boykin. 

Program — American  Education  Week. 

Broadside — American  Education  Week. 

How,  why,  and  when  to  prepare  for  American  Education  Week. 

Publications  available,  September,  1925. 

Publications  available,  March,  1926. 


34 


KEPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


CLIP  SHEET 

July,  1925,  to  June,  1926  (monthly;  12  numbers). 

PERIODICAL 

School  Life,  vol.  11,  Nos.  1-10,  September,  1925,  to  June,  1926,  inclusive  (10 
numbers) . 

School  Life,  index  and  title-page,  vol.  10,  September,  1924,  to  June,  1925. 

(Unfinished  printing — June  30,  1926) 

BULLETIN,  1925 

No.  41.  Statistics  of  city  school  systems,  1923-24.  Advance  sheets  from 
Biennial  Survey,  1922-1924. 

BULLETINS,  1926 

No.  6.  Personnel  and  organization  of  schools  in  the  small  cities.  Harry  S. 
Ganders. 

No.  T.  Character  education.  Report  of  the  committee  on  character  educa¬ 
tion  of  the  National  Education  Association. 

No.  8.  How  the  world  rides.  Florence  C.  Fox. 

No.  9.  Statistics  of  public,  society,  and  school  libraries,  1923. 

No.  10.  Accredited  higher  institutions.  Ella  B.  Ratcliffe. 

No.  11.  Residence  and  migration  of  university  and  college  students.  George 
F.  Zook. 

CITY  SCHOOL  LEAFLET 

No.  21.  Pay  status  of  absent  teachers  and  pay  of  substitute  teachers. 

HEALTH  EDUCATION  PUBLICATION 

No.  19.  Is  your  child  ready  for  school?  James  F.  Rogers. 

RURAL  SCHOOL  LEAFLET 

No.  41.  Characteristic  features  of  recent  superior  State  courses  of  study. 
Annie  Reynolds. 

F.  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER 

During  the  year  the  commissioner  traveled  36,624  miles;  spent 
105  days  in  the  field,  including  Sundays;  addressed  2  national  con¬ 
ferences  called  by  the  Bureau  of  Education,  9  national  associations, 
and  18  State  associations;  visited  officially  2  State  departments  of 
education;  addressed  several  city  and  county  educational  associa¬ 
tions;  delivered  8  addresses  before  institutions  of  higher  learning 
and  7  addresses  at  summer  schools;  made  9  addresses  at  commence¬ 
ment  exercises,  2  dedicatory  addresses,  and  spoke  at  the  semicenten¬ 
nial  exercises  at  Vanderbilt  University;  addressed  4  high  schools  and 
1  iyceum ;  broadcasted  2  addresses ;  spoke  before  8  business  organiza¬ 
tions  (Ki warns,  Rotary,  and  other  clubs)  ;  and  made  a  number  of 
addresses  before  miscellaneous  organizations.  Altogether  he  made 
a  total  of  115  addresses  before  audiences  aggregating  116,346.  (See 
fig.  1.)  - 

The  commissioner  attended  meetings  and  discharged  duties  as 
vice  chairman  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education,  as  a 
member  of  the  Federal  Board  for  Maternity  and  Infant  Hygiene, 
as  chairman  of  the  Federal  Council  of  Citizenship  Training,  as  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Interdepartmental  Committee  on  Overseas  Possessions, 
and  as  chairman  of  the  Highway  Education  Board.  He  created  a 
national  “  Committee  on  Materials  of  Instruction,”  of  which  he  was 
elected  chairman,  and  attended  meetings  of  this  committee,  as  well 
as  of  the  Rational  Commission  on  Economy  and  Efficiency  in  the 
Business  Administration  of  Public  School  Systems,  of  which  he  is 
a  member.  The  commissioner  personally  directed  the  state-wide 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


35 


educational  survey  of  Utah  undertaken  by  the  bureau.  He  wrote  21 
articles  and  held  approximately  450  conferences  in  his  office  in  Wash¬ 
ington  with  those  seeking  advice  and  assistance  in  educational 
matters. 


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G.  RECOMMENDATIONS 

With  the  removal  of  the  library  and  statistical  division  to  the 
sixth  floor  of  the  Interior  Building,  this  bureau  is  now  ideally 


36  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

quartered.  As  a  result  of  placing  the  entire  staff  in  contiguous 
rooms,  morale  and  efficiency  of  organization  are  greatly  enhanced. 
In  previous  reports  the  need  for  enlarging  the  Bureau  of  Education 
so  as  to  make  it  more  adequate  for  research  and  investigation  has 
been  emphasized.  The  demand  for  increased  service  in  these  direc¬ 
tions  still  continues.  The  most  urgent  need  in  th^  direction  seems 
to  be  in  fields  related  to  curriculum  reorganization,  school  financing, 
buildings  and  construction,  secondary  education,  and  research  in 
general.  Experience  in  the  correlation  of  research  activities  in 
the  fields  of  secondary  and  rural  education  points  to  the  need  of 
the  establishment  of  a  central  clearing  house  which  will  adequately 
correlate  research  in  all  fields  of  education. 

There  is  need  for  a  still  greater  expansion  of  the  educational 
and  medical  work  for  the  natives  of  Alaska.  The  program  of  pro¬ 
viding  industrial  education  should  be  extended.  We  have  three 
industrial  schools  now  in  operation,  but  opportunities  for  vocational 
education  should  be  given  to  all  the  native  peoples  of  Alaska. 
This  seems  to  be  their  greatest  educational  need.  Medical  assistance 
falls  far  short  of  what  we  are  doing  in  an  educational  way.  In 
many  parts  of  Alaska  no  medical  relief  is  available  either  for  whites 
or  natives.  During  the  present  summer  a  boat  has  been  placed 
on  the  Yukon  and  its  tributaries,  with  a  doctor  and  two  nurses, 
for  the  purpose  of  making  a  survey  of  the  regions  bordering  on 
these  rivers.  As  yet  no  sanitarium  has  been  established  in  any 
point  in  Alaska  for  the  treatment  of  tubercular  patients.  These 
patients  should  be  segregated  and  the  establishment  of  one  or  two 
sanitariums  for  their  treatment  has  been  urged  for  a  number  of 
years.  I  can  not  too  strongly  urge  the  importance  of  doing  some¬ 
thing  to  check  tuberculosis,  which  is  ravaging  the  native  people 
of  Alaska. 

Let  me  again  express  my  appreciation  for  the  continued  interest 
and  support  which  has  been  accorded  the  Bureau  of  Education  and 
its  commissioner  by  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  It 
is  believed  that  the  bureau  has  made  substantial  progress  during 
the  past  few  years,  and  this  progress  is  due  in  a  large  measure, 
if  not  entirely,  to  the  unflagging  interest  and  unwavering  support 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Jno.  J.  Tigert,  Commissioner. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


ADDITIONAL  COPIES 

OF  THIS  PUBLICATION  MAY  BE  PROCURED  FROM 
THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  DOCUMENTS 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASNINGTON,  D.  C. 

AT 

5  CENTS  PER  COPY 
V 


REPORT 


OF  THE 


Commissioner  of  Education 


FOR 


THE  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1927 


UNITED  STATES 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASHINGTON 
1927 


THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 

Created  as  a  department  March  2,  1S67 
Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869 


COMMISSIONERS 

Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D. 

March  U,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1SS6 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D. 
August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
July  1,  1906 ,  to  June  30,  1911 

Philander  Priestley  Clanton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D. 
July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921 

John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  Ed.  D.,  LL.  D. 
June  2,  1921,  to  date 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Preliminary  statement _  1 

I.  Review  of  recent  events  in  public  education : 

Statistics  of  education -  2 

Higher  education - 3 

Rural  education _ 4 

City  school  systems _ -i _  8 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene _  10 

Adult  education _  11 

Industrial  education _  13 

Home  economics  education _  14 

Commercial  education - 14 

Library  activities _  15 

II.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education: 

A.  General — 

1.  Research _ _  16 

2.  Surveys -  20 

3.  Conferences _ 21 

4.  Cooperative  undertakings  other  than  conferences _  22 

5.  Miscellaneous -  24 

B.  Home  education _  24 

C.  Alaska _ 25 

D.  Library _  28 

E.  Publications -  29 

F.  Activities  of  the  commissioner -  30 

G.  Recommendations -  30 

m 


_  •  ■ :  t ; .  fii>  •  la 

. 

. 

' 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 

W ashing t on,  D.  <7.,  September  7,  1927. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  recent 
events  in  public  education  of  the  United  States,  and  summary  of 
the  operations  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  fiscal  year  ended 
June  30,  1927,  together  with  recommendations  for  the  extension 
and  improvement  of  its  work,  as  required  by  act  of  Congress 
approved  March  2,  1867. 

Preliminary  Statement 

A  review  of  important  movements  in  the  field  of  public  educa¬ 
tion  from  year  to  year  has  become  valuable  to  those  interested  in 
the  promotion  of  education  in  the  several  States  and  communities. 
The  Bureau  of  Education,  with  the  data  and  information  which  it 
gathers  in  all  fields  of  education,  is  the  only  agency  which  is  able 
to  make  such  a  statement.  The  interpretation  of  statistics  and 
other  types  of  information  collected  on  a  national  scale  for  the  use 
of  school  authorities  is  one  of  the  most  important  services  which 
this  office  renders.  Fortunately  we  are  able  each  year  to  make  this 
information  more  complete,  accurate,  and  recent,  and  therefore 
more  helpful  to  those  administering  schools  and  to  students  of 
educational  progress.  We  have  arrived  at  the  point  where  it  appears 
probable  that  we  can  make  data  collected  in  one  year  available  in 
the  following  year.  Unless  all  signs  fail,  this  will  be  accomplished 
in  the  next  fiscal  year.  It  was  true,  in  a  large  measure,  of  the  fiscal 
year  just  closed. 

The  functions  and  organization  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  have 
been  discussed  in  past  annual  reports.  As  these  have  continued 
without  change  during  the  year  no  statement  with  reference  to 
them  need  be  repeated  in  this  report.  In  this  report,  the  policy 
adopted  in  my  last  report  of  presenting  the  work  of  the  bureau  in 
topical  outline  rather  than  in  details  of  divisional  activities  will 
be  followed. 

Summarizing  all  types  of  field  service  during  the  fiscal  year,  21 
members  of  the  technical  staff  of  the  bureau,  exclusive  of  the  com- 

•  l 


2  EEPOET  OP  THE  COMMISSIONEE  OF  EDUCATION 

missioner,  rendered  an  aggregate  of  6T0  days  in  the  field  outside 
of  the  District  of  Columbia  in  41  different  States  and  the  Territory 
of  Hawaii.  Sixteen  members  of  the  staff,  exclusive  of  the  com¬ 
missioner,  delivered  169  addresses  in  30  different  States,  the  Dis¬ 
trict  of  Columbia,  and  Hawaii,  to  audiences  aggregating  46,356 
persons. 

I.  Review  of  Recent  Events  in  Public  Education 

STATISTICS  OF  EDUCATION 

During  the  fiscal  year  data  were  collected  from  the  States  and 
from  the  outlying  parts  of  the  United  States  concerning  public  and 
private  elementary  and  secondary  schools.  The  principal  items 
included  are  the  number  of  teachers,  enrollments,  average  daily 
attendance,  length  of  school  year,  receipts,  expenditures,  and  value 
of  school  property.  Similar  data  were  collected  from  2,900  city 
school  systems,  from  18,703  out  of  approximately  22,500  public  high 
schools,  from  2,350  out  of  2,500  private  high  schools,  from  402 
teachers’  colleges  and  normal  schools,  and  from  974  colleges  and 
universities. 

Compilation  of  the  statistics  for  all  classes  of  institutions  has 
not  been  completed  at  this  date.  Reports  from  State  departments 
of  education  show  that  for  1925  the  enrollments  in  public  elementary 
and  secondary  schools  of  the  various  States  include  24,650,291  pupils, 
of  which  number  3,650,903  were  in  public  high  schools  above  the 
regular  elementary  grades.  The  average  daily  attendance  in  these 
schools  for  the  year  was  19,838,384 ;  total  receipts  amounted  to 
$2,024,757,377,  expenditures  to  $1,946,096,912,  and  the  total  value  of 
all  property  used  for  public-school  purposes  to  $4,252,328,900. 

The  expenditure  per  pupil  in  average  daily  attendance  was  $98.10 
for  the  year.  While  expenditures  for  public  schools  are  still  on  the 
increase,  the  rate  of  increase  is  gradually  falling  off.  Growth  in 
high-school  enrollment  continues  at  a  high  rate  and  junior  high 
schools  are  being  organized  rapidly. 

Salaries  of  public-school  teachers  are  still  on  the  increase.  The 
average  annual  salary  for  teachers,  principals,  and  supervisors  in  1910 
was  $485;  in  1915  it  was  $543;  in  1920,  $871;  in  1922,  $1,166;  in  1924, 
$1,227;  and  in  1925  it  was  $1,252.  The  increase  from  1915  to  1920 
amounts  to  60  per  cent,  and  from  1920  to  1925  to  44  per  cent.  The 
increase  from  1920  to  1922  is  about  $148  annually,  from  1922  to  1924 
about  $30  annually,  and  from  1924  to  1925  it  is  $25  for  the  year.  This 
slowing  up  in  the  rate  of  increase  wmuld  indicate  that  the  peak  in 
teachers’  salaries  is  not  far  distant. 

The  total  amount  expended  for  public  elementary  and  secondary 
schools  in  1924  is  37.8  per  cent  of  the  volume  of  State  and  local' tax- 


BECEOT  EVENTS  liSf  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


3 


ation,  22.6  per  cent  of  the  whole  tax  burden,  and  2.87  per  cent  of  the 
total  income  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  for  that  year.  There 
is  a  tendency  in  many  places  to  reduce  school  taxes,  and  consequently 
school  support. 

The  total  enrollment  in  402  teachers’  colleges  and  normal  schools  in 
1926  was  294,064,  of  which  number  270,206,  or  92  per  cent,  were  en¬ 
rolled  in  teacher-training  courses.  In  all  types  of  institutions  having 
teacher-training  work,  304,412  were  enrolled  in  such  courses  in  regu¬ 
lar  sessions,  and  494,943  is  the  total  if  summer-school  students  are 
included  and  duplicates  excluded.  If  the  regular  students  enrolled  in 
teacher  training  complete  tlie  work  in  the  usual  time  required  in  the 
schools  in  which  they  are  enrolled,  they  can  replace  one-seventh  of 
the  present  teaching  force  in  all  schools  in  the  United  States  annually. 

One  hundred  and  one  teachers’  colleges  have  now  been  organized. 
In  1926  about  62  per  cent  of  the  teacher-training  students  in  teachers’ 
colleges  and  normal  schools  were  enrolled  in  teachers’  colleges. 
Teacher-training  work  is  being  taken  over  rather  steadily  by  public 
institutions,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  past  six  years,  a  gradually 
decreasing  proportion  of  men  have  been  preparing  for  the  teaching 
profession. 

Reports  were  received  from  739  private  commercial  and  business 
schools  showing  an  enrollment  in  1925  of  188,363  students,  who  were 
being  instructed  by  4,105  teachers.  This  enrollment  is  a  decrease 
from  that  reported  for  1920,  when  902  schools  had  an  enrollment  of 
336,032  students.  In  1924  the  public  high  schools  had  430,975  en¬ 
rolled  in  commercial  courses,  which  number  is  about  twice  the  enroll¬ 
ment  in  similar  courses  in  public  high  schools  in  1916.  The  large 
enrollment  in  commercial  work  in  high  schools  partly  accounts  for  the 
reduction  in  the  number  of  students  in  private  commercial  and 
business  schools. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION 

Three  matters  are  of  outstanding  importance  for  higher  education 
in  the  United  States  during  the  current  year.  The  survey  of  engi¬ 
neering  education,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Society  for  the  Promo¬ 
tion  of  Engineering  Education,  has  virtually  been  completed.  The 
findings  of  the  survey  have  been  made  available,  and  the  engineering 
colleges  of  the  country  are  applying  the  principles  developed  in  the 
course  of  the  study  to  their  local  problems,  in  so  far  as  conditions 
permit.  A  resurvey  of  the  negro  colleges  and  universities  of  the 
United  States  has  been  arranged  and  is  in  progress.  This  survey 
will  give  a  picture  of  the  progress  of  these  institutions  since  the 
period  covered  by  the  report  made  in  1916.  Upon  the  initiative  of 
the  Association  of  Land-Grant  Colleges  and  Universities  a  survey 
of  the  land-grant  colleges  has  been  undertaken  by  the  Bureau  of 


4 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Education.  Congress  has  appropriated  the  money  for  this  national 
study,  which  affects  so  generally  the  State  and  federally  supported 
institutions.  Surveys  of  individual  institutions  and  of  State  higher 
educational  systems  will  doubtless  continue,  but  the  fact  of  three 
nation-wide  surveys  indicates  the  tendency  to  consider  higher  educa¬ 
tion  from  a  national  viewpoint. 

RURAL  EDUCATION 

Progress  in  rural  education  has  been  concerned  largety  with  the 
following  activities:  Securing  more  generous  appropriations  for 
schools,  particularly  from  State  sources,  and  establishing  better 
methods  of  school  support ;  raising  qualifications  of  teachers  through 
laws  and  regulations  governing  certificates;  improving  facilities  for 
pre-service  and  in-service  training  of  teachers;  curriculum  revision; 
improving  organization  and  facilities  in  State  and  county  education 
departments  and  in  rural  schools. 

Changes  affecting  the  sources  and  methods  of  school  support  have 
been  influenced  by  the  economic  depression  affecting  farmers.  Re¬ 
trenchments  in  important  school  programs  due  to  this  situation  have 
served  to  bring  nearer  to  a  culmination  a  growing  realization  of  the 
necessity  of  placing  rural  school  systems  on  a  sounder  economic  basis 
if  educational  results  achieved  are  to  be  comparable  to  those  in  urban 
communities.  In  approximately  15  States  careful  research  studies 
of  the  methods  of  support  in  practice  have  been  made.  These  have 
set  forth  recommendations  for  improArement,  and  much  of  the  legis¬ 
lation  advocated  and  enacted  during  the  1927  sessions  of  the  legis¬ 
latures  either  resulted  from  or  was  influenced  by  these  studies. 
Practically  all  of  the  reports  have  emphasized  the  necessity  of  a 
nearer  approach  to  equalizing  educational  opportunity  and  tax  bur¬ 
dens  within  the  State  studied,  and  because  of  the  wide  circulation 
given  them,  the  school  finance  problems  discussed  have  received 
unusual  attention.  Among  the  States  which  have  reported  definite 
revisions  of  the  laws  governing  State  school  funds  or  secured  appro¬ 
priations  providing  for  more  generous  support  from  State  sources 
during  1926-27  are  Georgia,  Illinois,  Kentucky,  Louisiana,  Maine, 
Massachusetts,  Mississippi,  Nebraska,  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
South  Carolina,  and  Tennessee. 

The  movement  for  improving  schools  by  raising  standards  of 
qualifications  on  which  teaching  certificates  are  based  has  long  been 
in  progress.  By  the  end  of  the  year  1927  four  States — Connecticut, 
Pennsylvania,  Utah,  and  Washington — will  have  reached  the  mini¬ 
mum  scholarship  prerequisite  previously  set  up  of  graduation  from  a 
standard  normal  school  for  the  lowest  grade  of  certificate  issued  to 
inexperienced  teachers.  In  addition  to  setting  up  higher  minimum 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  5 

prerequisites  for  the  lowest-grade  certificate,  a  number  of  States  have 
raised  standards  of  scholarship  requirements  for  all  or  other  grades 
of  certificates.  More  professional  training  and  more  specialization 
are  required  and  a  greater  number  of  special  types  of  certificates  are 
issued  than  ever  before.  Special  certificates  for  elementary  prin¬ 
cipals,  for  high-school  principals,  for  teachers  of  special  classes,  for 
teaching  adults,  and  for  carrying  on  research  work  are  issued  under 
provisions  of  the  more  recent  laws  or  regulations. 

The  nation-wide  interest  in  the  improvement  of  school  curricula 
has  extended  to  the  field  of  rural  education.  A  number  of  States  and 
counties  are  revising  their  curricula  with  the  idea  of  better  adapting 
them  to  needs  of  rural  schools.  State  departments  of  education  re¬ 
sponsible  for  making  new  courses  of  study  are  following  modern 
practices  in  curriculum  making  as  never  before.  In  general,  States 
are  depending  on  the  State  course  of  study  with  local  adaptations  and 
made  with  particular  reference  to  the  needs  of  rural  schools  as  a  guide 
for  school  officers.  However,  in  at  least  one  State,  Maryland,  sepa¬ 
rate  courses,  one  for  each  county,  are  in  continuous  process  of  forma¬ 
tion  by  teachers  and  supervisors,  with  general  direction  from  the 
State  education  department.  Mimeographed  sheets  are  prepared, 
used  by  teachers,  and  changed  as  experimentation  suggests  to  be 
desired. 

Curriculum  adjustments  to  meet  the  needs  of  those  rural  com¬ 
munities  in  which  school  terms  are  short  and  for  more  effective 
use  in  one  and  two  teacher  schools  are  being  made  in  a  number  of 
States.  The  trend  is  toward  a  curriculum  revision  designed  to 
provide  an  intelligent  distribution  of  the  teacher’s  time  among 
groups  of  children  and  among  subjects;  toward  finding  an  effec¬ 
tive  balance  between  the  desirability  of  providing  for  individual 
instruction  and  of  retaining  the  socializing  values  of  group 
instruction;  and  giving  through  the  courses  of  study  specific  help 
to  teachers  in  those  problems  peculiar  to  rural  communities, 
particularly  those  served  by  small  schools. 

In  the  field  of  teacher  training,  progress  has  been  through  rais¬ 
ing  standards  of  entrance  requirements  of  students  enrolling  for 
courses  in  rural  education;  lengthening  curricula  offered;  differ¬ 
entiating  curricula  to  afford  more  specific  preparation  for  service 
in  rural  communities;  extending  the  practice  of  basing  courses  on 
professionalization  of  subject  matter;  and  increasing  the  amount 
of  observation  and  practice  teaching  by  students  in  training. 
Curricula  designed  especially  for  the  preparation  of  teachers  for 
rural  schools  are  given  in  more  normal  schools  and  teachers  colleges 
than  at  any  previous  time.  Since  1923-24  the  number  of  higher 
institutions  offering  such  specialized  courses  has  increased  from 
122  to  152. 


68109—27 - 2 


6 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Normal  school  curriculum  revision  committees  have  been  at  work 
and  have  completed  or  have  in  progress  new  curricula  for  the 
institutions  concerned  in  Louisiana,  Pennsylvania,  Mississippi,  Vir¬ 
ginia,  Oklahoma,  Massachusetts,  New  York,  and  Connecticut. 
There  is  also  wider  recognition  of  the  value  of  supervision  of  gradu¬ 
ates  during  their  first  year  of  teaching  experience  by  members  of 
the  faculty  of  the  training  institution. 

Despite  the  fact  that  there  has  been  a  slight  falling  off  in  the  num¬ 
ber  of  county  rural-school  supervisors  employed,  rural-school  super¬ 
vision  has  made  noteworthy  progress  in  improvement  of  techniques 
followed,  in  effective  organization  of  supervisory  staffs,  in  ability 
to  work  with  and  through  principals  of  consolidated  and  other  large 
rural  schools  in  extending  the  scope  of  the  supervisor’s  influence  and 
improving  the  quality  of  instruction.  The  falling  off  in  numbers 
has  been  due  in  large  part  to  the  economic  depression,  aggravated 
by  dependence  on  local  taxation  as  the  chief  means  of  school  support, 
and  consequent  inability  to  raise  the  money  necessary  to  secure  and 
retain  adequately  prepared  supervisors. 

The  number  of  State  conferences  for  county  superintendents  who 
have  no  supervisory  assistants  has  increased,  and  the  quality  of  the 
conferences  has  improved.  Higher  institutions  in  several  States, 
notably  Missouri,  Texas,  Oklahoma,  and  State  departments  of  educa¬ 
tion  in  others — New  York,  Connecticut,  Montana,  for  example — are 
providing  “  short  courses  ”  for  superintendents  in  which  intensive 
work  in  instructional  supervision  is  emphasized.  A  few  States  have 
enlarged  their  staffs  of  State  supervisors  in  order  that  more  and  more 
practical  assistance  can  be  given  county  superintendents  in  improving 
their  teaching  staffs.  In  Connecticut  a  reorganization  of  the  super¬ 
visory  force  in  small  towns  (under  State  direction)  is  taking  place. 
Territories  of  the  more  successful  supervisors  are  being  enlarged 
and  with  them  women  primary  supervisors  are  being  associated. 

The  second  conference  for  supervisors  in  the  Southeastern  States 
called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  held  in  Kaleigh,  N.  C., 
December,  1926,  revealed  the  fact  that  supervisors  in  these  States 
had  made  considerable  progress  since  the  preceding  conference,  par¬ 
ticularly  in  adapting  supervision  to  the  varying  abilities  of  teachers 
classified  in  homogeneous  groups;  participating  in  and  using  the. 
results  of  recent  research  studies  for  the  improvement  of  supervisory 
technique;  improving  cooperation  between  supervisors  and  princi¬ 
pals.  The  conference  resulted  also  in  the  initiation  of  two  important 
research  studies  to  be  carried  on  during  the  coming  year. 

In  secondary  schools  located  in  rural  communities  grade  reorgani¬ 
zation  (including  some  form  of  junior  high  school  plan)  and  corre¬ 
sponding  curriculum  revision  in  the  direction  of  broadening  and 
enriching  school  offerings  have  continued  during  the  year.  A  num- 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


7 


ber  of  studies  of  the  small  high  school  have  been  initiated.  One  now 
in  progress,  in  which  a  subcommittee  of  the  National  Committee  on 
Ilesearch  in  Secondary  Education  is  cooperating  with  the  Bureau  of 
Education,  is  of  special  importance.  The  junior  college  extension  of 
the  secondary  school  has  so  far  reached  few  rural  communities. 

Consolidation  of  school  units  in  the  country  as  a  whole  has  pro¬ 
gressed  during  the  year  at  about  the  same  rate  which  has  prevailed 
for  the  past  seven  years.  Mississippi  reports  unusual  progress,  with 
78  per  cent  of  the  rural  children  enrolled  in  consolidated  graded 
schools,  which  have  a  minimum  term  of  eight  months.  North  Caro¬ 
lina  reports  about  one-third  of  the  rural  children  enrolled  in  con¬ 
solidated  schools  of  seven  or  more  teachers.  It  is  estimated  that 
there  are  approximately  16,000  consolidated  schools  in  the  United 
States  at  the  present  time.  Forty-two  States  reported  nearly 
$31,000,000  spent  for  pupil  transportation  during  1925,.  the  last 
year  for  which  full  data  are  available.  Of  the  32  States  which 
have  so  far  reported  transportation  costs  for  the  year  ended  1926, 
all  but  4  show  larger  amounts  than  for  the  previous  year. 

New  York  and  Pennsylvania  are  among  the  States  which  passed 
important  legislation  during  the  year  affecting  school  consolidation. 

In  both,  State  aid  to  transportation  was  materially  increased.  F rom 
several  other  States  minor  changes  in  the  laws  which  facilitate  either 
consolidation  or  transportation  have  been  reported. 

There  has  been  considerable  progress  in  improving  the  organiza¬ 
tion  of  consolidated  schools  and  the  quality  of  classroom  instruction. 
This  is  indicated  by  replies  received  in  the  Bureau  of  Education  to 
an  inquiry  sent  in  connection  with  a  study  in  progress  concerning 
organization  and  quality  of  instruction  in  consolidated  schools.  Of 
the  principals  from  whom  reports  have  so  far  been  received,  50  per 
cent  or  more  report  classification  of  pupils  in  ability  groups;  par¬ 
ticipation  in  educational  research;  better  trained  teachers,  the  major¬ 
ity  of  whom  are  now  college  graduates ;  and  free  time  for  supervision 
provided  for  principals. 

There  has  been  an  unusual  output  of  professional  literature  of 
high  quality  in  the  field  of  rural  education  during  the  year.  A  num¬ 
ber  of  theses  and  dissertations  prepared  or  under  way  by  graduate 
students  in  higher  institutions  of  learning  concerned  with  rural  edu¬ 
cation  have  been  reported  to  the  bureau  and  many  articles  of  high 
professional  quality  have  found  their  way  into  various  educational 
magazines  during  the  year.  A  recent  bibliography  of  rural  education 
published  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  (Bulletin,  1927,  No.  4),  com¬ 
piled  by  a  joint  committee  of  the  department  of  rural  education  of 
the  National  Education  Association  and  the  division  of  rural  edu¬ 
cation  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  includes  approximately  500  titles 
of  important  contributions  in  this  field  during  a  five-year  period, 


8 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


CITY  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS 

Curriculum  revision  is  one  of  the  movements  that  have  without 
doubt  occupied  the  attention  of  superintendents,  supervisors,  and 
teachers  more  than  any  other  movement.  For  some  time  professional 
school  people  and  laymen  as  well  have  been  of  the  opinion  that  the 
multiplicity  of  studies  and  topics  crowded  into  the  elementary  school 
curriculum  has  impoverished  rather  than  enriched  it.  Curriculum 
makers  are  accordingly  making  careful  studies  to  see  what  topics  may 
be  omitted  and  what  ones  may  be  organized  in  larger  units  so  that 
the  pupils  may  have  a  better  knowledge  of  those  things  most  worth 
while. 

The  revised  arithmetic  courses  of  the  past  year  illustrate  the  tend¬ 
ency  to  eliminate  obsolete  topics.  The  old-time  arithmetician  would 
scarcely  recognize  a  textbook  made  to  conform  with  an  arithmetic 
course  prepared  in  1927.  He  would  find  that  most  of  the  obsolete 
problems  and  most  of  those  used  only  by  specialists  have  been  omitted 
and  that  the  course  is  confined  largely  to  the  fundamentals  and  their 
practical  application. 

Although  progress  has  been  made  in  curriculum  revision,  much 
more  remains  and  always  will  remain  to  be  done.  The  new  point  of 
view  is  that  the  curriculum  should  be  in  process  of  revision  all  the 
time,  since  conditions  are  continually  changing  and  since  our  knowl¬ 
edge  of  child  life  is  being  continually  modified  by  new  discoveries 
regarding  the  child’s  nature  and  his  individual  and  social  needs. 

Questions  have  been  raised  not  only  regarding  the  elementary- 
school  curriculum  but  regarding  the  secondary-school  program  of 
studies  as  well.  It  is  generally  agreed  that  elementary-school  work 
can  be  completed  in  six  years,  but  the  question  is  what  can  be  done 
within  the  next  six  years.  As  the  secondary  schools  are  now  being 
organized  three  years  are  devoted  to  junior  high  school  and  three  to 
senior  high  school  work.  It  thus  still  requires  12  years  ( 13  years,  in¬ 
cluding  kindergarten)  to  complete  the  elementary  and  secondary 
school  courses.  The  two  “  lost  ”  years  in  the  American  school  system 
have  not  been  found,  especially  for  those  students  preparing  for 
college. 

Time,  however,  is  being  economized  in  the  sense  that  the  courses  of 
study  in  the  real  junior  high  schools  provide  for  a  better  use  of  the 
pupil’s  time  than  did  the  courses  of  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades 
under  the  8-4  plan. 

In  some  cities  of  the  country  the  schools  are  organized  with  seven 
years  in  the  elementary  grades  and  four  in  high  school,  making  the 
public-school  course  but  11  years  in  length,  exclusive  of  the  kinder¬ 
garten  course.  In  these  cities  one  of  the  “  lost  ”  years  has  been  found. 
Possibly  the  other  one  could  be  found,  too,  if  careful  and  comprehen- 


BECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


9 


sive  studies  were  made  of  the  secondary-school  program.  Possibly 
those  cities  now  organizing  junior  colleges  could  find  a  way  of  includ¬ 
ing  the  junior  college  in  the  six-year  secondary-school  program. 

Interest  has  been  shown  not  only  in  the  education  of  children  of 
school  age  but  also  of  preschool  age.  One  city  has  added  a  nursery 
school  for  these  children  as  a  laboratory  for  its  department  of  re¬ 
search  in  which  the  school  workers  in  psychology,  educational  theo¬ 
ries,  and  in  home  economics  cooperate.  Another  has  two  nursery 
schools  as  laboratories  for  its  liigh-school  students  registered  in 
home-economics  courses,  and  still  another  has  made  the  nursery 
school  a  part  of  its  department  of  kindergarten-primary  education. 
In  three  cities  nursery"  schools  are  housed  and  equipped  by  the  public- 
school  system,  while  the  teachers’  salaries  and  other  current  expenses 
are  met  by  cooperating  universities  or  other  educational  organizations. 

Evidence  of  the  tendency  to  consider  the  kindergarten  an  inte¬ 
gral  part  of  the  school  system  is  shown  in  the  preparation  of  teachers 
and  in  the  supervision  of  teachers  in  service.  Approximately  200 
teacher-training  institutions  make  a  special  point  of  providing  train¬ 
ing  for  kindergarten  or  kindergarten-primary  teachers.  Of  this 
number  more  than  80  per  cent  combine  the  kindergarten  and  primary 
work  in  one  department,  eliminating  former  tendencies  to  segregate 
the  kindergarten  courses.  Approximately  half  of  this  work  is  now 
given  on  the  collegiate  level. 

Eighty  per  cent  of  the  school  systems  which  provide  supervision 
for  their  kindergartens  combine  it  with  that  for  the  primary  grades. 
This  helps  to  unify  curricula,  methods  of  teaching,  and  types  of 
equipment  and  supplies  provided  for  all  grades  of  the  kindergarten¬ 
primary  unit.  This  insures  greater  continuity  for  the  children’s 
educational  experiences. 

Interest  in  evening  as  well  as  in  day  schools  is  growing.  In  the 
cities  of  the  country  there  are  thousands  of  young  men  and  women 
employed  during  the  day  who  are  attending  evening  schools,  and 
thousands  of  others  would  attend  if  given  the  opportunity.  Lack  of 
funds  is  often  given  as  one  of  the  reasons  why  evening  schools  are 
not  organized  or  why  those  already  organized  have  not  been 
expanded,  but  no  better  investment  of  public  funds  could  be  made. 

Although  millions  of  dollars  are  being  expended  each  year  on 
school  buildings  there  are  still  many  children  on  part  time.  Many 
are  attending  school  in  basement  rooms  and  portables,  and  others  are 
required  to  sit  in  badly  lighted  and  badly  ventilated  classrooms  in 
buildings  erected  years  ago  when  but  little  thought  was  given  to 
lighting  and  ventilation  and  when  the  program  of  studies  was  limited 
to  the  three  R’s. 

The  demand  for  more  school  buildings  has  arisen  not  only  because 
of  the  natural  growth  in  population  but  because  a  larger  proportion 


10 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


of  children  remain  in  school  longer.  The  higli-school  enrollment  has 
gone  forward  at  such  an  astonishing  pace  that  few  cities  have  been 
able  to  provide  adequate  accommodations  for  their  secondary  school 
enrollment.  Cities  that  have  adopted  the  junior  high  school  plan 
are  erecting  junior  high  school  buildings,  which  help  relieve 
congestion  both  in  the  elementary  and  high-school  grades. 

It  is  gratifying  to  report  that  in  many  cities  the  new  elementary- 
school  plants  include  gymnasiums,  auditoriums,  playgrounds,  shops, 
nature-study  rooms,  libraries,  and  the  like  to  meet  the  needs  of  the 
city  child  of  to-day.  But  in  spite  of  the  need  for  all  these  facilities 
some  boards  of  education  are  not  including  them  in  the  plans  of  the 
new  elementary-school  buildings  on  the  ground  that  they  add  too 
much  to  the  cost  of  the  buildings. 

A  plan  of  school  organization  known  as  the  platoon  plan  has, 
however,  been  devised  whereby  auditoriums,  gymnasiums,  etc.,  may 
be  included  in  elementary-school  buildings  without  adding  to  the 
cost,  since  fewer  classrooms  are  needed  when  a  school  is  organized 
on  the  platoon  plan.  At  first  the  platoon  school  was  looked  upon  as 
a  radical  departure,  and  predictions  were  freely  made  that  it  would 
not  be  adopted  *by  many  school  systems.  To-day,  however,  121 
cities  have  one  or  more  of  their  schools  organized  on  the  plan,  and 
others  are  contemplating  organizing  platoon  schools  as  soon  as 
possible. 

During  the  year  there  was  no  great  increase  in  teachers’  salaries, 
but  some  salary  schedules  were  revised  so  as  to  provide  equal  pay 
for  teachers  with  equal  training  and  experience,  whether  they  teach 
in  the  elementary  school  or  in  the  high  school.  No  doubt  such 
schedules  will  help  to  place  elementary-school  teaching  on  a  higher 
plane  if  teachers  with  four  years’  normal  school  or  college  work 
are  employed  to  teach  in  the  elementary  grades.  Such  schedules 
should  at  least  offer  an  incentive  to  those  who  are  not  college 
graduates  to  add  to  their  present  educational  and  professional 
equipment. 

PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  AND  SCHOOL  HYGIENE 

The  most  important  event  in  the  realm  of  school  hygiene  has  been 
the  public  announcement  of  the  methods  for  combating  dental  decay 
evolved  in  the  Forsyth  Dental  Dispensary,  Boston.  The  dental  prob¬ 
lem  in  school  children  has  been  so  overwhelming  that  nowhere  in 
this  country  has  it  been  adequately  dealt  with.  The  source  of  rotting 
teeth,  which  90  per  cent  of  school  children  exhibit,  lies  in  faulty 
feeding  before  and  after  birth,  and  while  this  condition  in  the  de¬ 
veloping  child  will  be  corrected  in  time,  the  next  best  thing  is  to  find 
the  faults  of  construction  in  the  teeth  (the  pits  and  fissures  of  the 
enamel  in  which  decay  begins)  and  remove  these  at  the  earliest  mo- 


EECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


11 


ment.  Details  regarding  this  work  are  furnished  in  the  bulletin 
entitled  “  Better  Teeth,”  which  was  issued  by  the  bureau  in  June.  • 

The  Commission  of  the  Organization  for  the  Hard  of  Hearing  has 
completed  its  study  of  the  best  methods  of  finding  those  children 
whose  hearing  is  defective  and  of  giving  special  aid  to  those  who  need 
it,  in  order  that  they  may  secure  the  most  benefit  from  their  school 
work.  This  report  will  soon  be  issued  by  this  bureau. 

There  has  been  a  marked  increase  in  the  sight-saving  classes  in  this 
country  in  the  past  year  and  these  now  number  265. 

The  State  of  Florida  has  passed  a  law  requiring  the  teaching  of 
physical  education  and  hygiene.  The  State  director  of  this  work, 
who  has  been  paid  by  voluntary  agencies,  will  now  become  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  staff  of  the  department  of  education.  The  State  of  Ohio 
is  also  to  have  a  State  director  of  hygiene  and  physical  education. 

The  problems  of  ventilation  are  far  from  solved  either  in  theor}' 
or  practice,  and  the  New  York  commission,  which  has  done  so  much 
along  this  line,  has  resumed  its  studies. 

Three  studies  of  health  work  in  colleges  were  published  the  past 
year — that  by  W.  E.  Forsythe,  by  the  University  of  Michigan;  that 
by  Dr.  Thomas  W.  Storey,  by  Stanford  University;  and  that  by 
Dr.  Marie  M.  Ready,  of  this  bureau. 

A  study  of  athletics  in  colleges  is  being  made  by  the  Carnegie 
F oundation  for  the  Advancement  of  Teaching.  The  result  of  its  pre¬ 
liminary  investigation  of  college  sports  abroad  was  published  re¬ 
cently  under  the  title  “  Games  and  Sports  in  British  Schools  and 
Universities.” 

Investigations  of  the  status  of  teaching  of  hygiene  in  secondary 
schools  have  been  carried  on  the  past  year,  notably  by  Miss  Laura 
Cairnes,  of  the  University  of  California;  by  F.  L.  Stetson,  of  the 
University  of  Oregon ;  and  F.  W.  Cozens,  of  the  University  of  Cali¬ 
fornia,  at  Los  Angeles.  The  results  of  the  study  by  the  last  two 
persons  have  been  published  by  the  University  of  Oregon.  Statistics 
recently  gathered  by  this  bureau  show  that  in  not  more  than  25  per 
cent  of  our  high  schools  is  physiology  and  hygiene  a  required  sub¬ 
ject;  when  offered,  it  is  taught  by  a  variety  of  specialists  and  most 
often  by  the  teacher  of  physical  education.  There  has  been  an  in¬ 
creasing  demand  by  secondary  schools  that  physical-education  teach¬ 
ers  be  fully  prepared  to  handle  this  kind  of  work,  though  at  present 
this  is  not  always  considered  in  their  preparation. 

ADULT  EDUCATION 

The  one  word  that  characterizes  the  field  of  adtilt  education  in  the 
year  just  past  is  “  growth.”  The  number  of  people  who  have  used 
the  term  with  some  personal  application  has  greatly  increased.  There 
has  also  been  an  increase  in  the  number  of  those  who  have  taken  the 


12 


REPORT  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


words  “  adult  education  ”  as  a  challenge  to  endeavor  to  understand 
their  relationship  to  the  world  in  which  they  live.  This  means  that 
a  sympathetic  effort  will  be  made  to  secure  mental  development  to 
the  end  of  life,  which  will  bring  a  broader  mental  horizon  and 
enlarged  sympathies  that  result  from  better  understanding.  In  the 
elementary  application  of  the  term  “  adult  education  ”  there  has  been 
progress  in  the  development  of  the  program  that  has  as  its  objective 
the  bringing  of  opportunity  to  the  millions  whose  early  education 
was  neglected. 

To  realize  the  activity  in  this  field  one  has  but  to  observe  the 
amount  of  comment  that  has  appeared  in  the  public  press  and  to  note 
the  relatively  large  number  of  books  that  have  been  published  on 
the  subject  during  the  year. 

Some  public  libraries  have  added  specialists  in  adult  reading  to 
serve  their  adult  patrons  who  desire  help  in  outlining  courses  of 
special  study.  The  American  Library  Association  has  issued  excel¬ 
lent  bulletins  on  adult  education  for  the  use  of  their  librarians  and 
for  the  public  in  general.  In  addition  to  the  31  reading  courses 
published  by  this  bureau,  many  lists  and  suggestions  for  systematic 
reading  have  been  issued  by  various  National  and  State  organizations 
in  an  endeavor  to  meet  the  growing  demand  for  such  aids. 

During  the  past  year  several  State  departments  of  education  have 
added  to  their  staffs  special  officials  whose  duty  it  is  to  organize  and 
supervise  educational  work  for  adults. 

On  account  of  the  fact  that  children  of  parents  who  have  had 
little  or  no  schooling  are  so  difficult  to  interest  in  their  school  work, 
educators  appear  to  see  more  clearly  than  ever  before  the  importance 
of  the  education  of  parents  for  the  sake  of  their  children,  if  for  no 
other  reason.  In  cases  where  parents  can  be  induced  to  attend  eve¬ 
ning  school  there  is  usually  an  improved  attitude  on  the  part  of  their 
children  toward  school.  Parental  education  is  receiving  much  atten¬ 
tion  by  parents  and  educators  as  is  evidenced  by  the  increased  number 
of  articles  on  this  subject  which  appear  in  newspapers  and  magazines. 

The  education  of  the  foreign  born  has  been  undertaken  more  seri¬ 
ously  by  a  number  of  States  than  in  previous  years.  In  those  States 
where  State  aid  is  given  to  school  districts  which  provide  evening 
schools  for  adults  much  progress  has  been  made.  In  some  cities, 
even  where  no  State  aid  is  given,  much  has  been  accomplished 
through  evening  schools. 

Non-English-speaking  mothers  are  now  being  given  more  attention 
by  school  departments  than  ever  before.  It  has  been  found  that  the 
best  way  to  start  this  work  is  by  holding  classes  for  these  women  in 
their  own  homes  or  in  the  homes  of  their  neighbors  in  the  afternoons. 

Colleges  and  universities,  by  extension  methods,  are  reaching  larger 
numbers  of  those  who  wish  advanced  work.  More  than  300  colleges 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


13 


and  universities  during  the  past  two  years  gave  extension  work. 
There  has  been  a  very  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  adults  who 
attend  summer  sessions  of  higher  educational  institutions. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION 

The  past  year  has  witnessed  some  interesting  attempts  to  provide 
industrial  courses  for  pupils  in  small  communities.  On  account  of 
the  cost  of  shop  equipment  and  the  added  expense  of  a  special  teacher, 
the  small  schools  have  been  slow  in  providing  shop  courses.  Where 
schools  have  been  centralized  these  difficulties  have  been  largely  over¬ 
come.  The  growth  of  consolidated  schools  is  closely  paralleled  by  a 
corresponding  increase  in  shop  courses.  A  new  scheme  for  providing 
shop  work  through  the  employment  of  an  itinerant  shop  teacher  has 
been  undertaken  by  a  small  number  of  schools.  The  itinerant  teacher 
works  on  a  definite  schedule,  dividing  his  time  among  a  sufficient 
number  ofi  adjacent  schools  to  give  him  full-time  employment. 
Usually  the  teacher  travels  by  automobile  from  one  school  to  another, 
carrying  with  him  much  of  the  needed  hand-tool  equipment.  Each 
school  bears  its  proportionate  part  of  the  salary  of  the  teacher  and 
the  cost  of  the  portable  equipment.  In  some  cases  a  part  of  the 
•expense  is  borne  by  the  county. 

The  need  for  specially  trained  teachers  for  manual-arts  work  has 
recently  led  a  few  large  cities  to  develop  cooperative  arrangements 
with  teacher-training  institutions  for  the  purpose  of  providing  courses 
for  their  teachers  in  service.  The  city  supervisor  outlines  the  courses 
desired  and  furnishes  a  sufficient  number  of  students  from  his  list  of 
teachers  to  warrant  the  teacher-training  institution  offering  the 
course.  There  are  various  practices  for  carrying  out  such  a  program. 
Sometimes  the  instruction  is  given  as  extension  courses,  the  classes 
being  held  in  the  city  desiring  the  work.  Sometimes  a  program  is 
developed  in  connection  with  a  local  teacher-training  school.  In  such 
a  case  the  theoretical  courses  are  frequently  offered  at  the  institution 
and  the  shop  courses  in  the  city  schools.  It  is  not  unusual  for  the 
city  school  to  furnish  the  shop  instructor  in  such  instances.  Again 
the  program  may  be  developed  as  a  summer  course  conducted  at  the 
teacher-training  institution. 

During  the  past  year  there  has  been  a  rapid  increase  in  the  number 
of  schools  offering  courses  in  occupational  information.  With  the 
general  acceptance  of  the  need  for  such  work  scientific  studies  relative 
to  content  material  and  instructional  organization  have  been  under¬ 
taken.  There  also  has  been  an  increasing  number  of  schools  intro¬ 
ducing  the  general  shop  as  an  organization  for  teaching  manual- 
arts  work  in  the  junior  high  school.  This  is  especially  noticeable  in 
the  smaller  school  systems.  The  opportunities  for  industrial  training 


68109—27 - 3 


14 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


on  the  part-time  and  evening-school  basis  have  been  greatly  extended, 
with  a  consequent  increase  in  enrollment. 

HOME-ECONOMICS  EDUCATION 

The  year  has  been  characterized  by  marked  research  activities  in 
various  phases  of  home-economics  education.  Significant  among  these 
have  been  those  concerned  with  curriculum  building. 

Home  economics,  whether  city  or  State  supervisors,  teacher  train¬ 
ers,  or  classroom  teachers,  have  applied  the  principles  of  modern 
psychology,  sociology,  economics,  and  the  natural  and  biological 
sciences  to  the  building  of  home-economics  curricula  designed  to 
meet  the  physical,  economic,  social,  and  prevocational  needs  and 
interests  of  school  girls  of  varying  ages.  Such  research  activities 
have  been  especially  pronounced  in  the  States  of  California,  Colorado, 
Georgia,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Indiana,  Ohio,  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
Massachusetts,  and  Maryland. 

Among  other  significant  achievements  have  been  (1)  an  increas¬ 
ing  number  of  nursery  schools  established  in  home-economics  depart¬ 
ments  of  higher  educational  institutions;  (2)  inclusion  of  child  devel¬ 
opment  and  parental  education  work  in  a  large  number  of  elementary 
and  high  school  home-economics  courses;  (3)  procurement  of  funds 
by  the  American  Home  Economics  Association  for  the  development 
of  a  child-welfare  center  in  Washington,  D.  C. ;  (4)  general  attitude 
on  the  part  of  high-school  administrators  to  assign  as  much  time 
and  credit  to  home  economics  as  are  allotted  to  any  other  high-school 
subject;  (5)  increasing  recognition  by  women’s  colleges  of  high- 
school  home  economics  for  partial  fulfillment  of  college  entrance 
credit  in  these  institutions;  (6)  growing  attitude  on  the  part  of 
parents  and  public-school  administrators  for  the  need  of  some  home- 
economics  instruction  for  boys  as  well  as  for  girls;  (T)  increasing 
number  of  cities  offering  prevocational  home-making  opportunities 
to  the  overaged  girl;  and  (8)  development  in  one  State  of  home- 
economics  courses  designed  to  meet  high-school  graduation  require¬ 
ments  of  two  units  in  general  science  and  one  in  social  science. 

COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION 

The  outstanding  events  in  secondary  commercial  education  during 
the  past  year  center  around  curriculum  revision.  The  objectives 
have  been  to  refine  earlier  analyses  of  the  needs  and  to  seek  improved 
instructional  methods  in  order  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  prepara¬ 
tion  for  business  occupations.  The  chief  contributions  have  been 
studies  of  commercial-teacher  training,  commercial  occupations,  office 
equipment,  clerical  salaries  and  related  topics,  job  analyses,  and 
researches  in  methods  of  instruction.  In  this  movement  a  renewed 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


15 


emphasis  has  been  placed  on  the  necessity  of  a  complementary  rela¬ 
tionship  of  the  seven  cardinal  objectives  in  the  commercial  curriculum 
and  the  necessity  of  appropriate  and  adequate  vocational  prepara¬ 
tion  of  each  pupil  who  contemplates  earning  a  livelihood  in  a  business 
occupation. 

The  outstanding  contributions  pertaining  to  the  junior  high  schools 
were  (1)  the  report  “Junior  Commerce  Curriculum,”  by  the  depart¬ 
ment  of  superintendence,  National  Education  Association,  and  (2) 
“  The  Course  of  Study  for  Junior  Business  Training,”  published  by 
the  board  of  education,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  The  tendency  is  definitely 
toward  introducing  general  business  information,  elementary  clerical 
content,  and  typewriting  in  these  schools. 

The  commercial-occupation  study  conducted  in  Pasadena,  Calif., 
which  was  published  by  the  local  board  of  education,  and  the  study 
of  clerical  occupations  conducted  by  Harvard  University  in  coopera¬ 
tion  with  the  National  Association  of  Office  Managers  are  outstand¬ 
ing  contributions.  These  and  earlier  occupational  studies  resulted  in 
greater  emphasis  on  the  needs  for  retail  selling,  diversified  clerical, 
and  machine-operating  courses.  They  have  been  the  bases  for  some 
important  conferences  on  these  subjects. 

A  larger  number  of  worthy  commercial  teacher-training  studies 
were  completed  than  in  any  previous  year.  The  outstanding  contri¬ 
butions  were  reported  from  New  York  University,  Columbia  Uni¬ 
versity,  State  University  of  Iowa,  Northeast  Missouri  State  Teachers 
College,  Grove  City  College,  Pa.  The  National  Commercial  Teacher- 
Training  Association  was  formed  in  February,  1927. 

The  first  general  meeting  of  the  International  Association  for  Com¬ 
mercial  Education  was  held  in  Zurich,  Switzerland,  on  September 
25,  1926. 

LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES 

The  growth  of  library  cooperation,  both  intranational  and  inter¬ 
national,  and  the  promotion  of  adult  education  were  two  very  con¬ 
spicuous  aspects  of  the  activities  of  American  libraries  during  the 
past  year. 

Much  attention  has  recently  been  devoted  to  devising  means  by 
which  the  book  resources  of  libraries  over  considerable  areas  of  ter¬ 
ritory,  even  of  the  entire  United  States,  may  be  so  organized  that  a 
reader  or  investigator  in  any  part  of  the  country  served  may  have  at 
his  disposal  the  contents  of  a  large  group  of  libraries,  and  may  be 
supplied  with  the  needed  book  from  the  library  having  it,  under  a 
system  of  interlibrary  loans.  The  county  library  undertakes  to 
render  this  service  for  an  entire  county  as  a  unit.  California  and 
New  York  are  examples  of  practical  unification  of  the  library  re¬ 
sources  of  entire  States  under  the  leadership  of  their  respective  State 
libraries.  Progress  toward  a  central  record  of  the  contents  of  lead- 


16  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

ing  American  libraries  is  being  made  by  the  formation  of  a  union 
card  catalogue  at  the  Library  of  Congress,  and  by  the  compilation  in 
book  form,  by  a  committee  of  the  American  Library  Association, 
of  a  union  list  of  serials.  Plans  are  under  way  for  preparing  other 
similar  general  guides  to  American  library  resources. 

The  impulse  toward  library  cooperation  transcends  international 
boundaries  and  pervades  all  civilized  lands.  The  fiftieth  anniversary 
conference  of  the  American  Library  Association  in  1926  was  attended 
by  a  large  number  of  official  delegates  from  foreign  countries,  who 
addressed  the  meeting  and  afterwards  visited  many  leading  American 
libraries.  American  delegates  attended  the  International  Congress 
of  Librarians  at  Prague,  Czechoslovakia,  in  1926,  and  a  large  group 
of  librarians  from  the  United  States  is  expected  to  attend  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  meeting  of  the  British  Library  Association,  to  be  held  in 
England  in  1927.  The  American  Library  Association  is  itself  an 
international  organization,  drawing  its  membership  from  both  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  Its  annual  meeting  was  held  June  21-26, 
1927,  in  Toronto,  Canada,  with  the  public  librarian  of  that  city  pre¬ 
siding,  and  with  delegates  from  Great  Britain  participating.  Ex¬ 
change  of  library  assistants  has  been  found  of  advantage  in  various 
parts  of  the  United  States,  and  an  international  exchange  of  this  sort 
seems  possible  within  the  near  future. 

Librarians  are  prominently  participating  in  the  adult  education 
movement  in  the  United  States.  The  commission  on  the  library  and 
adult  education,  appointed  by  the  American  Library  Association  in 
July,  1924,  to  study  the  problem  of  adult  education  in  its  relation  to 
libraries,  has  been  succeeded  by  a  permanent  board  on  the  library  and 
adult  education,  created  by  the  association  in  October,  1926,  to  con¬ 
tinue  work  along  this  line.  In  1926  the  commission  on  the  library 
and  adult  education  published  an  extensive  report  of  its  studies.  The 
sessions  of  an  adult  education  round  table  at  the  Toronto  meeting 
of  the  American  Library  Association  were  largely  attended.  With  a 
view  to  improving  library  methods  in  adult  education,  a  special  com¬ 
mittee  of  the  American  Library  Association  is  making  a  study  of  the 
development  of  reading  habits. 

The  year  was  also  marked  by  the  erection  of  various  noteworthy 
buildings,  both  for  public  libraries  and  for  those  of  colleges  and 
universities. 

II.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education 

A.  GENERAL 
1.  Research 

(A)  STUDIES  COMPLETED 

During  the  year  the  following  studies  by  members  of  the  staff  of 
the  Bureau  of  Education  were  brought  to  completion : 


WOHK  OF  ME  BUREAU  OE  EDUCATION 


17 


Higher  education. —  (1)  Expenditures  of  State  universities  and  col¬ 
leges,  1924-25;  (2)  graduation  requirements  in  electrical  engineering; 
(3)  graduation  requirements  in  chemical  engineering ;  (4)  graduation 
requirements  in  mining  engineering;  (5)  effect  of  the  junior  high 
school  upon  college  entrance  requirements;  (6)  current  statistics  re¬ 
lating  to  enrollment,  salaries,  budgets,  etc.,  of  State  universities  and 
colleges;  (7)  current  statistics  relating  to  enrollment,  salaries,  budg¬ 
ets,  etc.,  of  State  teachers  colleges  and  normal  schools;  (8)  study  of 
engineering  curricula. 

Rural  education. —  (1)  Biennial  surveys  of  rural  education,  second¬ 
ary  education,  and  rural  educational  surveys,  1924^1926;  (2)  “A 
Manual  of  Educational  Legislation”;  (3)  study  of  State  laws  and 
regulations  governing  teachers’  certificates  in  force  1926;  (4)  bibli¬ 
ography'  of  certain  aspects  of  rural  education;  (5)  bibliography  of 
secondary  education  research  for  1925-26;  (6)  administration  of 
junior  high  schools  in  rural  and  small-school  communities;  (7) 
achievement  of  pupils  in  one-room  and  larger  rural  schools:  (8) 
school  consolidation  and  pupil  transportation  at  public  expense; 
(9)  time  distribution  of  supervisors  in  the  Southeastern  States  during 
the  school  year  1925-26;  (10)  plans  used  by  supervisors  during  the 
school  year  1925-26  to  discover  and  develop  potentialities  of  superior 
teachers;  (11)  titles  of  articles  in  books  and  current  magazines  of 
special  interest  to  rural-school  supervisors  and  those  engaged  in 
preparation  of  rural  teachers;  (12)  circulars  prepared  for  use  at  the 
American  Country  Life  Association  Conference  on  Education  and 
Farm  Youth,  United  States  Rural  Population  for  Age  Groups  10-20, 
1920,  The  Status  of  Farm  Youth;  (13)  ten  circulars  of  information 
on  courses  offered  in  teacher-preparing  institutions ;  schools  and  offi¬ 
cials  responsible  for  and  other  information  relative  to  the  prepara¬ 
tion  of  rural-school  teachers. 

City  schools. — (1)  Administrative  phases  of  nursery-school  educa¬ 
tion;  (2)  growth  of  enrollment  in  kindergartens  of  194  cities;  (3) 
extent  to  which  the  kindergartens  and  primary  grades  have  been 
placed  under  the  supervision  of  the  same  person;  (4)  regulations  in 
the  several  States  regarding  the  certification  of  kindergarten  and 
primary  grade  teachers;  (5)  extent  to  which  teacher-training  institu¬ 
tions  preparing  kindergarten  teachers  combine  this  training  with 
that  for  the  primary  grades;  (6)  use  of  State  parks  and  forests  for 
rest  and  recreation  and  for  wild-life  sanctuaries;  (7)  music  in  pla¬ 
toon  schools;  (8)  auditorium  activities  in  platoon  schools ;  (9)  train¬ 
ing  teachers  in  service  for  platoon  schools;  (10)  the  organization  and 
supervision  of  platoon  schools;  (11)  general  survey  of  the  work- 
study-play  or  platoon  plan;  (12)  the  philosophy  and  administration 
of  the  work-study-play  plan;  (13)  training  prospective  teachers  for 
platoon  schools;  (14)  method  of  grouping  elementary,  junior-high, 


18  REPORT  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER  OP  EDUCATION 

and  senior-high  school  pupils  into  homogeneous  groups,  including 
features  of  the  Winnetka  technique  and  of  the  Dalton  plan  used  in 
cities  of  10,000  population  and  over;  (15)  length  of  school  day  in 
cities  of  30,000  population  and  over;  (16)  recent  movements  in  city 
school  systems;  status  of  kindergarten  education,  1924-1926. 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene. —  (1)  Requirements  of 
State  departments  of  education  for  directors  and  supervisors  of 
physical  education;  (2)  economic  equipment  for  school  playgrounds 
and  management  of  play  activities;  (3)  dental  hygiene  for  schools; 
(4)  physical  education  in  foreign  countries. 

Advil  education. —  (1)  Activities  of  State  departments  of  educa¬ 
tion  in  the  field  of  adult  education;  (2)  investigation  of  the  organi¬ 
zation  and  administration  of  public  evening  schools;  (3)  progress 
of  extension  education  in  universities  and  colleges;  (4)  administra¬ 
tion  of  schools  for  adult  native  illiterates  in  Buncombe  County,  N.  C. 

Industrial  education. — ^1)  Private  and  endowed  schools  offering 
trade  and  industrial  courses;  (2)  objectives  for  the  manual  arts; 
(3)  development  of  occupational  information  courses;  (4)  growth  of 
the  general  shop. 

Home- economics  education. —  (1)  Statistical  study  of  home  eco¬ 
nomics  in  the  high  schools  of  the  United  States;  (2)  achievements 
in  home  economics  during  1924-1926;  (3)  child  development  and 
parental  education  as  taught  in  public  and  private  schools. 

Commercial  education. — (1)  Commercial  education  surveys;  (2) 
bibliography  of  research  studies  in  commercial  education;  (3)  need 
of  research  in  commercial  education;  (4)  total  number  of  persons  in 
the  United  States  pursuing  commercial  subjects. 

School  legislation. —  (1)  Legal  status  of  the  municipal  university; 

(2)  State  laws  relating  to  the  teaching  of  the  effect  of  alcohol  and 
narcotics;  (3)  State  laws  relating  to  part-time,  continuation,  and 
evening  schools;  (4)  State  laws  restricting  foreigners  from  teaching 
in  the  public  schools;  (5)  education  required  in  the  various  States 
for  labor  permits;  (6)  proposed  school  legislation  in  different  States. 

Foreign  education. —  (1)  Public  education  in  Estonia;  (2)  educa¬ 
tional  progress  in  the  Free  City  of  Danzig;  (3)  certificates  issued  hy 
the  Scottish  education  department. 

(B)  STUDIES  IN  PROGRESS 

Higher  education. —  (1)  Statistics  of  land-grant  colleges  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1926;  (2)  fiscal  relations  of  State  universities; 

(3)  administrative  organization  of  higher  educational  institutions  in 
the  United  States. 

Rural  education. —  (1)  Biennial  survey  of  progress  in  teacher  train¬ 
ing,  1924-1926;  (2)  facilities  for  and  administration  of  courses  in 


WORK  OP  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


19 


observation  and  practice  teaching  provided  by  State  teacher-preparing 
institutions  in  the  two-year  curricula  for  elementary  rural  school 
teachers;  (3)  progress  in  school  consolidation  in  the  United  States; 
(4)  administration,  organization,  and  transportation  in  selected  con¬ 
solidated  schools  in  each  State;  (5)  possibilities  and  methods  of 
developing  principals  of  rural  elementary  schools  as  supervisory 
officers  through  whose  assistance  rural  supervisors  will  be  able  to 
reach  a  larger  number  of  teachers;  (6)  teachers’  meetings  in  several 
Southeastern  States;  (7)  distribution,  qualifications,  and  duties  of 
rural-school  supervisors;  (8)  State  direction  of  library  service  for 
rural  schools;  (9)  a  decade  of  progress  in  rural  education. 

City  schools . —  (1)  Educative  value  of  building  blocks  for  children 
in  nursery  school,  kindergarten,  and  primary  grades;  (2)  city-school 
supervision  provided  for  kindergarten-primary  grades  and  the  ad¬ 
ministrative  phases  of  the  organization  of  supervisory  units;  (3) 
type  of  training  offered  for  kindergarten-primary  teachers  in  public 
and  private  normal  schools  and  in  educational  departments  of  col¬ 
leges  and  universities;  (4)  the  auditorium  in  platoon  schools;  (5) 
the  organization  of  platoon  schools;  (6)  buildings  for  platoon 
schools;  (7)  special  activities  in  platoon  schools;  (8)  bibliography 
of  platoon  schools;  (9)  costs  of  school  buildings;  (10)  safety  educa¬ 
tion;  (11)  current  practices  and  changes  in  administration  of  schools 
in  cities  of  30,000  population;  (12)  supervision  in  the  larger  urban 
high  schools;  (13)  city  school  survey  reports  for  the  period  1922-1926. 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene. — (1)  Status  of  physical 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  United  States  in  cities  over 
10.000  population;  (2)  posture  of  school  children;  (3)  status  of 
school  hygiene  in  the  United  States ;  (4)  status  of  hygiene  and  physi¬ 
cal  education  as  required  subjects  in  teacher-training  courses. 

Adult  education. —  (1)  Educational  opportunities  offered  to  in¬ 
mates  of  prisons  in  the  United  States;  (2)  contributions  of  various 
national  organizations  toward  the  reduction  of  illiteracy  in  the 
United  States;  (3)  various  types  of  part-time  education  in  the  United 
States;  (4)  opportunities  offered  for  adults  to  further  their  educa¬ 
tion  through  college  and  university  extension;  (5)  best  methods  of 
reducing  illiteracy  in  the  United  States. 

Industrial  education. —  (1)  Types  of  part-time  industrial  educa¬ 
tion;  (2)  methods  of  grading  the  work  of  students  in  industrial 
classes;  (3)  results  of  mechanical  performance  tests;  (4)  local  sur¬ 
veys  of  industrial  opportunities  for  negroes ;  (5)  curriculum  study  in 
life  activities  for  industrial  education. 

Home  economics  education. —  (1)  Home  economics  in  one-room 
rural  schools  and  consolidated  rural  school  districts;  (2)  home  eco¬ 
nomics  for  boys  in  high  schools;  (3)  nutrition  as  taught  in  the> public 
schools  of  the  United  States;  (4)  developments  in  home-economics 


20  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

education  in  the  United  States  since  1922;  (5)  home-economics  edu¬ 
cational  methods  used  in  rural  and  urban  high  schools  of  the  United 
States. 

Commercial  education. —  (1)  Research  in  commercial  education; 
(2)  commercial  education  in  junior  high  schools;  (3)  part-time  com¬ 
mercial  education ;  (4)  collegiate  education  for  business. 

School  legislation  —  (1)  State  laws  relating  to  compulsory  educa¬ 
tion;  (2)  State  laws  relating  to  educational  relief  of  dependent  and 
neglected  children. 

Foreign  education. —  (1)  Ministries  of  education  in  foreign  coun¬ 
tries;  (2)  illiteracy  in  various  countries  of  the  world;  (3)  the  minor¬ 
ity  language  situation  and  its  relation  to  education;  (4)  education 
in  Mexico. 

2.  Educational  Surveys 

Educational  surveys  constitute  a  most  important  phase  of  the  serv¬ 
ice  of  the  Bureau  of  Education.  This  service  has  been  increasing  in 
quantity  in  recent  years.  From  the  establishment  of  the  bureau  in 
1867  a  total  of  203  educational  surveys  has  been  made  under  its 
auspices,  of  which  number  88  have  been  made  since  1921.  These  sur¬ 
veys  covered  the  whole  of  continental  United  States,  as  well  as 
Hawaii  and  Porto  Rico.  They  may  be  classified  as  follows : 


National  (study  of  negro  education) -  1 

State  systems  of  education _  11 

State  systems  of  higher  education _  10 

County  systems _  22 

City  systems _  26 

Building  programs  in  city  systems _  15 

Higher  educational  institutions _  98 

Miscellaneous _ _  20 

Total _ 203 


During  the  fiscal  year  just  closed  the  Bureau  of  Education  has  com¬ 
pleted  several  important  surveys.  A  survey  of  the  State  system  of 
education  in  Utah  was  begun  in  April,  1926,  and  completed  in  Octo¬ 
ber.  This  study  is  probably  the  most  exhaustive  work  of  its  kind 
which  the  bureau  has  yet  performed.  A  complete  array  of  facts  re¬ 
garding  education  in  the  State  of  Utah  was  assembled  as  well  as  a 
prodigious  amount  of  data  for  purposes  of  comparison.  With  these 
as  a  basis,  constructive  recommendations  were  made  to  the  State 
authorities  looking  toward  the  improvement  of  the  system.  Many  of 
the  recommendations  made  have  already  been  adopted  in  the  State  and 
the  report  is  generally  regarded  as  a  guide  for  future  development. 

A  survey  of  the  normal  schools  of  the  District  of  Columbia  was 
begun  in  January,  1926,  and  a  report  published  in  mimeographed 
form  in  October  of  the  same  year.  Sixteen  recommendations  were 
made.  Of  these,  15  have  been  adopted  in  principle  by  the  District 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


21 


board  of  education.  Of  those  adopted  and  now  in  operation  the  most 
important  is  that  of  lengthening  the  course  of  study  from  two  to 
three  years. 

A  survey  of  Rutgers  University,  the  State  university  of  New  Jer¬ 
sey,  at  New  Brunswick,  was  begun  November,  1926.  The  report  was 
completed  in  May  and  has  now  been  published.  A  number  of  im¬ 
portant  recommendations  made  by  the  survey  staff  have  been  adopted, 
including  changes  in  the  membership  of  the  board  of  trustees,  em¬ 
ployment  of  a  competent  comptroller  to  reorganize  the  financial 
methods  of  the  institution,  and  definite  steps  toward  the  improvement 
of  the  physical  plant. 

In  addition  to  these  studies,  a  survey  was  made  of  the  organization 
of  the  board  of  education  of  New  Castle,  Pa.,  and  its  operations.  The 
report  submitted  by  the  bureau  was  adopted  practically  in  its 
entirety. 

A  survey  was  made  and  plans 'prepared  for  the  athletic  grounds  of 
Roland  Park  School,  Baltimore,  Md. 

During  this  year  arrangements  were  perfected  for  the  beginning 
of  two  national  surveys  by  the  Bureau  of  Education,  one  of  which 
is  to  be  on  an  unprecedented  scale.  These  are  respectively  a  study 
of  the  negro  colleges  and  universities  of  the  United  States  and  a 
study  of  the  land-grant  colleges  of  the  United  States  and  its  Terri¬ 
tories.  The  negro-college  study  is  well  under  way.  The  field  workr 
consisting  of  67  institutions,  has  been  completed  and  a  report  is  in 
process  of  preparation.  The  study  of  the  land-grant  colleges  was 
authorized  by  the  Congress  during  the  last  session.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  work  will  require  two  years  and  involve  a  cost  of  $117,000. 
Congress  appropriated  the  sum  of  $61,000  to  cover  the  expenses  of  the 
first  year’s  work.  This  study  has  been  launched  and  a  number  of 
specialists  have  been  added  to  the  staff  of  the  Bureau  of  Education 
for  purposes  of  this  study. 

3.  Conferences 

The  following  conferences  were  called  by  the  commissioner  of 
education : 

(1)  Conference  of  State  and  local  supervisors  of  rural  schools  in 
the  Southeastern  States  held  at  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  December  6-7,  1926. 

(2)  Conference  for  those  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  rural 
teachers  held  at  Dallas,  Tex.,  February,  1927,  during  meetings  of  the 
department  of  superintendence. 

(3)  Conference  of  institutions  giving  professional  training  in 
physical  education,  which  was  largely  attended.  The  following  sub¬ 
jects  were  discussed:  Objectives  in  physical  education,  entrance 
requirements,  curriculum,  preparation  of  teachers  for  the  field  of 


22  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

health  education,  specialization  for  physical  education,  and  the  loca¬ 
tion  of  the  physical-education  training  course  in  a  university.  A 
committee  was  appointed  to  work  out  a  standard  nomenclature  for 
curricular  subjects,  and  the  Council  of  the  American  Physical  Edu¬ 
cation  Association  was  asked  to  continue  its  efforts  to  secure  a  survey 
and  classification  of  schools.  This  conference  was  held  in  Washing¬ 
ton,  D.  C.,  March  30,  1927. 

(4)  Industrial  education  dinner  conference,  conducted  as  part  of 
the  program  of  the  American  Vocational  Association,  Louisville,  Ky., 
in  December,  1926.  The  general  topic  for  the  conference  was  “  Nec¬ 
essary  preparation  of  individuals  for  vocational  training.”  Well- 
known  leaders  in  vocational  education  spoke  on  various  phases  of 
the  subject,  including  guidance,  occupational  levels,  and  try-out 
courses.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  people  were  present.  Report  of  the 
proceedings  has  been  issued  by  the  bureau  as  Industrial  Education 
Circular  No.  27,  1927,  “  Values  of  the  Manual  Arts.” 

(5)  The  second  national  conference  of  home-economics  supervi¬ 
sors,  held  in  connection  with  the  twentieth  annual  meeting  of  the 
American  Home  Economics  Association,  in  Asheville,  N.  C.,  June  20, 
1927.  The  program  of  this  conference,  which  was  attended  by  about 
300  workers  in  the  field  of  home  economics,  included  discussions  of  the 
following  subjects:  (1)  Home-economics  objectives;  (2)  bases  for 
home-economics  curriculum  building;  (3)  scope  of  child  development 
and  parental  education  in  the  home-economics  curriculum ;  (4)  house¬ 
hold  budgeting  course  as  a  means  for  social  orientation  of  high-school 
boys  and  girls.  Out  of  this  conference  there  developed  the  Organi¬ 
zation  of  City  Supervisors  and  Teachers  of  Home  Economics  of  the 
•United  States,  more  than  30,000  in  number. 

(6)  In  addition  to  the  conferences  called  by  the  Commissioner  of 
Education,  the  Bureau  of  Education  participated  in  the  Pan-Pacific 
Conference  on  Education,  Rehabilitation,  Reclamation,  and  Recrea¬ 
tion,  called  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  in  conformity  with 
a  joint  resolution  of  Congress  and  held  at  Honolulu,  Hawaii,  in 
April,  1927.  The  Commissioner  of  Education  organized  and  con¬ 
ducted  the  educational  section  for  this  conference.  An  educational 
exhibit  was  prepared  and  displayed  during  the  sessions.  Twelve 
countries  bordering  on  the  Pacific  were  officially  represented  in  the 
conference  in  addition  to  several  other  countries  which  were  unoffi¬ 
cially  represented.  The  report  of  the  proceedings  of  the  conference 
has  been  printed  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  as  authorized 
by  Congress. 

4.  Cooperative  Undertakings  Other  Than  Conferences 

(1)  Cooperation  with  the  department  of  rural  education  of  the 
National  Education  Association  in  directing  research  in  the  field  of 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION"  23 

rural  education.  Bulletin,  1927,  No.  4,  “A  bibliography  of  certain 
aspects  of  rural  education,”  was  prepared. 

(2)  Assisted  committee  of  Country  Life  Association  in  planning 
for  the  annual  conference  of  that  association;  prepared  circulars  of 
information  for  use  at  the  conference.  A  report  on  a  decade  of  prog¬ 
ress  in  rural  education  is  now  in  preparation  in  cooperation  with  a 
committee  of  this  association. 

(3)  Cooperation  was  continued  with  the  National  Committee  on 
Research  in  Secondary  Education.  Routine  work  connected  with 
the  office  of  the  secretary  of  this  organization;  preparation  for  con¬ 
ferences,  etc. ;  preparation  of  mailing  list  of  professors  and  research 
workers  in  secondary  education ;  cooperation  in  preparation  of  bibli¬ 
ography  of  current  research  undertakings,  March,  1927  (mimeo¬ 
graphed)  ;  bibliography  of  completed  research  studies  1925-26;  study 
of  junior  high  schools  in  rural  and  small  school  communities. 

(4)  Advisory  service  for  Southern  Woman’s  Educational  Alliance, 
Woman’s  Universal  Alliance,  education  committee  of  the  National 
League  of  Women  Voters,  education  committee  of  the  American 
Association  of  University  Women. 

(5)  Cooperation  with  the  Washington  Institute  for  Research  in 
Child  Development  in  the  organization  of  a  research  center  in  child 
development. 

(6)  Cooperation  with  a  nursery  school  committee  of  19  to  assemble 
and  distribute  information  of  vital  interest  to  nursery-school  workers. 

(7)  Cooperation  with  eight  committees  making  studies  of  different 
phases  of  the  work-study-play  plan. 

(8)  Cooperation  with  a  committee  of  the  department  of  adult  edu¬ 
cation  of  the  National  Education  Association  in  making  a  study  of 
the  field  of  adult  education  in  order  that  a  plan  for  better  coordina¬ 
tion  of  such  work  might  be  suggested.  This  involved  attendance  at 
several  conferences  held  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  New  York  City,  Cleve¬ 
land,  Ohio,  and  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  an  11-page  mimeo¬ 
graphed  report  which  was  presented  at  the  meeting  of  the  National 
Education  Association  in  Seattle,  Wash.,  in  July,  1927. 

(9)  Cooperation  with  several  national  organizations  interested  in 
reducing  illiteracy  in  the  United  States.  This  included  suggestions 
as  to  methods  of  procedure  which  might  be  effective  in  campaigns 
to  reduce  illiteracy  and  attendance  at  both  formal  and  informal  con¬ 
ferences  of  such  organizations  as  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the 
United  States,  American  Federation  of  Labor,  General  Federation 
of  Women’s  Clubs,  Colonial  Dames  of  America,  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  American  Legion,  and  National  Congress  of 
Parents  and  Teachers. 

(10)  Cooperative  undertakings  with  various  schools  for  (1)  giv¬ 
ing  a  mechanical  performance  test  developed  by  the  Bureau  of 


24 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Education;  (2)  local  surveys  to  determine  the  industrial  opportunities 
for  negroes. 

(11)  In  cooperation  with  a  committee  appointed  by  the  Com-  : 
missioner  of  Education  prepared  an  exploratory  and  informational 
reading  course  for  guidance  of  boys  and  girls  contemplating  prepa¬ 
ration  for  business  occupations. 

5.  Miscellaneous 

(1)  The  credentials  of  foreign  students  from  50  different  coun¬ 
tries  were  evaluated.  This  represented  an  increase  of  full  50  per 
cent  over  the  number  of  cases  handled  during  the  previous  year. 

(2)  Translations  were  made  of  a  large  number  of  letters,  docu¬ 
ments,  and  other  educational  material  from  23  different  languages.  . 
This  service  included  translations  for  outside  agencies  as  well  as  for 
the  Bureau  of  Education. 

(3)  Numerous  articles  on  educational  subjects  were  prepared  by 
members  of  the  staff  for  educational  journals  and  other  magazines. 

(4)  A  rural  school  news  letter  was  prepared  and  issued,  each  month 
during  the  year. 

(5)  Display  of  educational  charts,  models,  and  pictures  at  the 
departmental  exhibit  held  during  the  meeting  in  Washington  of  the 
American'  Medical  Association. 

(6)  Assistance  in  planning  school  buildings  was  extended  to  local¬ 
ities  in  the  States  of  Alabama,  Kentucky,  Mississippi,  and  Tennessee, 
and  plans  were  made  for  the  construction  or  reconstruction  of  school 
buildings  in  China,  Japan,  India,  and  Liberia. 

B.  HOME  EDUCATION 

The  work  in  home  education  has  been  characterized  during  the 
past  year  by  an  increase  in  the  demand  for  advice  and  consultation 
on  parents’  problems  from  individual  parents,  leaders  of  groups  of 
parents,  and  others  interested  in  parental  education.  Fully  57  per 
cent  of  those  seeking  advice  through  conferences  on  home  education 
problems  were  National,  State,  or  local  leaders  engaged  in  active 
work  on  problems  of  parental  education.  Assistance  has  been  given 
through  conferences,  correspondence,  material,  and  by  participating 
in  discussions  and  in  the  organization  of  groups  for  reading  and 
study. 

In  1926-27  the  bureau  again  cooperated  in  the  campaign  to  pre¬ 
pare  children  for  their  first  entrance  into  school,  conducted  by  the 
National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers,  which  made  considerable 
gain  over  the  previous  year.  It  is  reported  that  approximately 
50,000  children  were  examined  by  physicians  under  the  supervision 
of  their  parents  and  that  nearly  one-half  of  the  defects  discovered 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


25 


were  corrected.  There  Avas  a  100  per  cent  increase  in  the  number  of 
States  participating  in  this  “  round-up  of  children.”  To  further 
this  movement  the  bureau  urged  upward  of  19,000  educators  to  co¬ 
operate  actively,  which  resulted  in  prompt  and  favorable  response 
from  a  large  number  of  school  superintendents  and  principals.  A 
study  of  the  campaigns  of  1925  and  1926  is  in  progress. 

The  national  committee  on  home  education  held  its  second  meet¬ 
ing  at  the  bureau  in  the  fall  of  1926.  It  was  attended  by  representa¬ 
tives  of  the  National  University  Extension  Association,  the  National 
Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers,  the  American  Library  Association, 
and  the  Bureau  of  Education.  Two  subcommittees  were  appointed, 
one  to  work  out  a  plan  of  cooperation  between  extension  divisions  of 
universities  and  the  Bureau  of  Education  and  the  other  to  recom¬ 
mend  ways  and  means  of  extending  library  service  throughout  the 
United  States.  A  plan  has  been  prepared  by  the  first  subcommittee 
named  above. 

During  the  past  year  considerable  progress  has  been  made  in  the 
project  of  home  reading.  A  new  method  of  procedure  was  instituted 
in  handling  the  home  reading  of  boys  and  girls  through  the  coopera¬ 
tion  of  librarians  and  teachers.  In  North  Carolina  there  were  more 
than  700  readers  enrolled  who  completed  courses.  There  was  an  in¬ 
crease  in  the  number  of  enrollments  of  readers  of  67  per  cent  over 
those  enrolled  last  year;  the  number  of  certificates  issued  for  com¬ 
pletion  of  courses  during  the  year  exceeded  the  total  number  issued 
from  the  inception  of  the  courses  to  the'  close  of  the  year  1926. 
Upward  of  22,000  readers  have  been  enrolled  for  the  work.  There 
were  2,380  enrollments  during  the  past  year.  Of  the  more  than  2,000 
certificates  that  have  been  issued,  1,027  were  issued  during  1926-27. 

Six  reading  courses  have  been  revised  during  the  year,  a  course  on 
the  appreciation  of  music  added  to  the  list,  and  several  new  courses 
are  under  preparation. 

A  section  of  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  showing  the  progress 
of  parent-teacher  associations  in  States  during  1924—1926  has  been 
prepared.  •  • 


C.  ALASKA 

During  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1927,  the  field  force  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education  in  Alaska  consisted  of  6  superintendents,  167 
teachers,  8  physicians,  26  nurses,  and  4  employees  in  connection  with 
the  reindeer  service.  Eighty-six  schools  were  maintained,  with  an 
enrollment  of  3,616. 

In  addition  to  maintaining  schools  for  the  native  children,  the 
bureau  has  continued  its  endeavors  in  behalf  of  entire  communities 
by  extending  medical  aid,  by  relieving  destitution,  by  fostering  the 


26 


REPORT  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


] 

commercial  enterprises  of  the  natives,  and  by  supervising  the  reindeer 
industry. 

Emphasis  is  being  laid  upon  the  expansion  of  the  work  of  the 
industrial  schools  at  Eklutna,  Kanakanak,  and  White  Mountain  in 
southern,  western,  and  northwestern  Alaska,  respectively.  The  work 
of  the  day  schools,  which  is  of  undoubted  benefit,  requires  to  be  sup¬ 
plemented  by  instruction  in  such  useful  trades  as  will  enable  the 
natives  to  meet  the  new  conditions  resulting  from  the  advance  of 
civilization.  Centuries  of  experience  in  the  use  of  such  tools  as  they 
have  possessed  have  developed  among  the  native  races  mechanical 
skill  of  a  high  order.  Many  natives  show  talent  along  mechanical 
lines,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  systematic  vocational  training 
received  in  the  industrial  schools  will  enable  the  natives  successfully 
to  compete  with  their  white  neighbors. 

Educational  statistics  for  the  school  pear  ending  June  30,  1927 


Total  number  of  days  in  actual  attendance - -  372,  702 

Total  number  of  pupils  enrolled  during  the  year _  3,  616 

Average  daily  attendance  throughout  the  year _  2, 450.  99 

Percentage  of  attendance _  89. 10 

Average  number  in  schoolroom  each  day _  29. 16 

Total  number  of  schools  open _ . _  86 

Total  number  of  schoolrooms  open _  137 

Average  number  of  days  in  school  year _ __  147.  5 

During  the  year  there  was  spent  for  repairs  on  the  school  buildings 

and  not  counted  as  a  part  of  the  operation  of  the  school _ : _ $12, 231.  01 

Spent  for  new  buildings - $40,  599.  29 


The  scope  of  the  community  service  rendered  by  the  teachers  is 
indicated  by  the  following  table : 


District 

Visits  made 
to  homes 

Medical 

assistance 

rendered 

Births 

reported 

Deaths 

reported 

Native 

population 

Teachers 

reporting 

Central  _ _ _ 

2,993 

581 

5, 780 
2,000 
3, 966 

41 

41 

1, 424 
2, 136 
2, 108 
.  4, 062 

935 

22 

Northwestern  _ _ 

15 

9 

22 

Seward  Peninsula  . 

1, 303 
3, 075 
1,365 
4,097 

43 

18 

26 

Southeastern  _ 

12, 102 

110 

93 

39 

Southwestern..  _ _  .  .. 

2, 348 

48 

41 

24 

Western  .  . . . . 

7,515 

55 

50 

1, 740 

30 

Total _ _ 

13, 414 

33,  711 

312 

252 

12, 405 

163 

The  bureau’s  vessel,  the  Boxer ,  continues  to  render  valuable  service 
in  transporting  appointees,  equipment,  and  supplies  from  Seattle  to 
their  remote  destinations  on  the  coast,  on  the  outlying  islands,  or  on 
the  great  rivers  of  Alaska.  Leaving  Seattle  in  the  spring,  the  vessel 
makes  its  first  voyage  of  the  season  through  the  waters  of  south¬ 
eastern  Alaska  and  along  the  southern  coast  as  far  as  Kodiak  Island ; 
on  its  second  voyage  it  visits  the  settlements  on  the  shores  of  the 
Alaska  Peninsula  and  of  Bering  Sea;  its  third  voyage  is  the  long 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION1 


27 


Cruise  to  the  Eskimo  villages  beside  the  ice-bound  waters  of  the 
Arctic  Ocean  as  far  north  as  Point  Barrow.  To  many  settlements 
the  annual  visit  of  the  Boxer  furnishes  their  only  means  of  communi¬ 
cation  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  Its  passengers  are  the  teachers, 
doctors,  and  nurses  going  to  or  returning  from  their  voluntary  exile. 
Its  cargo  includes  the  lumber  and  hardware  for  use  in  constructing 
school  buildings  at  places  hitherto  unreached  by  the  bureau,  the  coal 
and  food  supplies  required  for  a  year,  and  a  year’s  supply  of  the 
books,  furniture,  and  equipment  needed  by  the  schools. 

The  most  notable  extension  of  the  medical  service  during  the  year 
was  the  opening  of  a  hospital  in  one  of  the  buildings  in  the  Fort 
Gibbon  Military  Reservation  at  Tanana,  now  abandoned,  which  have 
been  transferred  to  the  bureau.  The  village  of  Tanana,  on  the  Yukon 
River  where  the  Tanana  empties  into  it,  is  advantageously  located 
as  a  center  for  work  among  the  natives  of  that  entire  region. 

The  Yukon  River  medical  boat,  having  on  board  a  physician  and 
two  nurses,  in  addition  to  the  crew,  was  put  in  operation  during  the 
summer  of  1926,  and  during  its  cruise  covered  approximately  2,200 
miles.  More  than  3,000  of  the  natives  scattered  throughout  the 
Yukon  Valley  were  examined  and  about  500  treatments  were  given. 
The  opportunity  for  securing  medical  aid  afforded  by  the  cruise  of 
the  boat  was  greatly  appreciated  by  the  white  men  in  the  isolated 
settlements  along  the  river.  A  similar  cruise  is  being  made  during 
the  present  summer.  However,  the  regrettable  information  has  been 
received  of  the  death  by  drowning,  on  July  16,  of  the  physician  in 
charge  of  the  boat. 

The  hospitals  at  Juneau,  Akiak,  Kanakanak,  and  Noorvik  con¬ 
tinued  to  render  valuable  service;  and  contracts  were  entered  into 
with  other  hospitals  in  Alaska,  as  well  as  in  the  States  of  Washing¬ 
ton  and  Oregon,  for  the  treatment  of  Alaskan  natives.  Many  native 
children  were  brought  to  Seattle  for  special  treatment  and  delicate 
operations. 


Statistics  of  medical  service  ~by  physicians  and  nurses 


Nurses 

Doctors 

Total 

Number  of  visits  to  homes  . .  . . . 

13, 816 
10, 734 
37, 259 
101 
71 

805 
3,270 
19,  262 
65 
33 

10,438 
4,  035 
4, 442 

14,  621 
14,004 
56, 521 
166 
104 
10, 438 
4,110 
4,442 

Number  of  patients  treated  _  .  ..  . ._ . 

Number  of  treatments  given  _  .  .  __  _ 

Number  of  births  reported  . __ .  _  ... 

Number  of  deaths  reported  . .  . .  ... _ _  . 

Total  days  of  hospital  care  ..  . . . . . . . 

Out  and  clinic  patients  .  . . . . . . 

75 

Out  and  clinic  calls . .  ..  .  . . . . . 

Total  cost  of  medical  service. .  . . . . . . 

$147,  710.  58 

The  reindeer  industry,  originating  in  1891  to  protect  the  Eskimos 
of  the  Bering  Strait  region  against  starvation,  has  assumed  great 


28 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


proportions  and  now  presents  problems  which  require  serious  atten¬ 
tion.  In  the  10  years  prior  to  1902, 1,280  reindeer  were  imported  into 
Alaska  from  Siberia.  More  than  half  a  million  reindeer  now  graze 
upon  the  vast,  untimbered  spaces  of  Alaska.  The  great  increase  in 
the  number  of  herds,  especially  in  the  Seward  Peninsula,  rendered  it 
urgent  that  provision  be  made  for  the  allotment  of  grazing  lands, 
in  order  that  the  occupancy  of  such  lands  might  be  regulated  and 
strife  among  the  owners  of  reindeer  avoided.  Authority  for  the 
establishment  of  grazing  districts  in  Alaska  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  is  contained  in  an  act  recently  passed  by  Congress,  and 
regulations  to  carry  out  its  provisions  are  now  under  consideration. 

Another  problem  in  connection  with  the  reindeer  industry  is  the 
providing  of  a  market  for  the  surplus  meat,  which  is  now  far  in 
excess  of  local  demands.  Each  year  on  its  return  from  its  Arctic 
cruise,  the  Boxer  brings  to  Seattle  a  number  of  carcasses  of  reindeer 
belonging  to  the  Eskimos,  which  have  hitherto  been  sold  for  them 
in  small  quantities  through  the  Seattle  office  of  the  Alaska  division. 
With  a  view  to  accomplishing  the  wholesale  disposal  of  this  meat, 
the  attention  of  the  Navy  Department  was  called  to  the  possibility 
of  including  reindeer  meat  in  its  ration  lists,  with  the  result  that 
instructions  have  been  issued  for  the  delivery  to  the  Puget  Sound 
Navy  Yard  of  a  considerable  number  of  the  carcasses  which  the 
Boxer  will  bring  from  northwestern  Alaska  at  the  close  of  its  1927 
cruise. 

D.  LIBRARY 

In  its  new  quarters  on  the  sixth  floor  of  the  Interior  Building, 
adjacent  to  the  other  divisions  of  the  bureau,  the  library,  with  all 
its  collections  now  unified,  has  come  into  an  improved  position  for 
functioning.  During  the  past  year,  the  library  continued  to  add  new 
material  to  its  shelves,  and  its  various  services  were  rendered  to  an 
increased  extent.  Besides  many  typewritten  and  mimeographed  bibli¬ 
ographies  compiled  by  the  division,  three  library  leaflets — lists  of 
references — were  prepared  for  printing,  as  follows:  No.  33,  Voca¬ 
tional  Guidance;  No.  34,  Secondary  Education;  No.  35,  Higher 
Education.  Four  issues  of  the  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publi¬ 
cations  were  prepared  for  printing  as  bulletins  during  the  year. 
Bulletin,  1926,  No.  9,  “  Statistics  of  public,  society,  and  school 
libraries,  1923,”  was  published  in  December,  1926. 

Considerable  time  during  the  year  was  necessarily  spent  in  arrang¬ 
ing  the  library  books  in  their  new  location.  The  service  of  supplying 
copy  for  printed  catalogue  cards  for  educational  books,  in  the 
Library  of  Congress  series,  was  continued,  and  numerous  volumes 
were  lent  to  borrowers  both  within  and  outside  Washington.  An  ex- 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION  29 

tensive  correspondence  was  also  handled,  and  an  unusually  large 
number  of  volumes  were  sent  to  the  bindery. 

E.  PUBLICATIONS 

Publications  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  between  July  1,  1926, 
and  June  30,  1927,  included  33  bulletins;  3  city-school  leaflets;  4 
health-education  publications;  2  higher-education  circulars;  1  home- 
education  circular ;  3  industrial-education  circulars ;  1  reading  course 
and  9  reprints  of  reading  courses  previously  printed;  3  rural-school 
leaflets;  the  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  1926;  3 
statistical  circulars ;  12  numbers  of  the  clip  sheet ;  10  issues  of  School 
Life ;  3  miscellaneous  publications ;  and  4  lists  of  the  bureau’s  publi¬ 
cations,  general  or  special.  Documents  ordered  but  not  yet  delivered 
by  the  printer  comprise  9  bulletins,  2  city  school  leaflets,  1  health- 
education  publication,  2  library  leaflets,  and  1  list  of  publications. 

The  total  number  of  documents  printed  is  less  by  five  than  in  the 
previous  year  and  the  average  number  of  pages  per  document  was 
reduced.  As  an  outstanding* example  of  the  policy  of  reduction,  the 
Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  which  it  has  been  customary  to  print 
in  two  volumes,  was  reduced  in  extent  for  the  issue  for  1922-1924  and 
was  published  in  a  single  volume.  The  number  of  copies  ordered  of 
each  document  has  also  been  materially  lessened. 

Notwithstanding  its  smaller  size,  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Educa¬ 
tion  continues  to  be  the  most  extensive  and  comprehensive  publication 
of  the  bureau.  Next  to  it  in  importance  during  the  past  year  must  be 
rated  the  report  of  the  survey  of  education  in  Utah. 

Statistical  publications  constitute  the  distinctive  productions  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education.  No  other  agency  is  able  to  produce  educational 
statistics  of  nation-wide  scope  so  successfully.  Two  documents  issued 
in  the  fiscal  year  1926  conspicuously  exemplify  this  statement, 
namely,  Bulletin,  1926,  No.  9,  Statistics  of  Public,  Society,  and  School 
Libraries,  and  Bulletin,  1926,  No.  11,  Residence  and  Migration  of 
University  and  College  Students.  Bulletin,  1926,  No.  23,  Biennial 
Survey  of  Education,  contains  the  customary  statistics  of  educational 
institutions,  and  other  documents  present  statistics  of  institutions  of 
different  types. 

The  series  of  bulletins  prepared  especially  for  classroom  teachers 
was  continued  in  1926  by  the  publication  of  “  How  the  world 
rides.”  Another  document  of  similar  character,  “  Playgrounds  of 
the  Nation,”  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  printer. 

Publication  has  been  continued  in  accordance  with  established 
plans  of  the  four  publications  that  have  appeared  with  some  regu¬ 
larity  for  several  years,  namely,  School  Life,  Record  of  Current 
Educational  Publications,  the  Educational  Directory,  and  the  Clip 


30  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

Sheet.  All  these  appear  at  varying  intervals  except  School  Life, 
which  is  rated  as  a  monthly  periodical. 

F.  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER 

During  the  year  the  usual  heavy  pressure  upon  the  commissioner 
for  field  service  has  continued.  The  most  important  event  in  which 
the  commissioner  participated  was  the  Pan-Pacific  Conference  on 
Education,  Rehabilitation,  Reclamation,  and  Recreation,  held  in 
Hawaii  in  April.  Summarizing  the  year’s  work,  a  total  of  83 
addresses  before  various  national,  State,  and  other  organizations 
chiefly  of  an  educational  character,  was  made  and  a  distance  of 
approximately  38,000  miles  was  traveled.  The  commissioner 
attended  during  the  year  the  regular  meetings  of  the  Federal  Board 
for  Vocational  Education  and  the  Federal  Board  for  Maternity  and 
Infant  Hygiene,  acting  as  vice  chairman  of  the  former.  During  the 
year  he  presided  at  the  meetings  of  the  National  Committee  on  Home 
Reading  Courses  and  the  Committee  on  Reorganization  of  Materials 
for  the  Curriculum,  both  of  which  were  created  by  him.  The  com¬ 
missioner  published  28  articles  bearing  chiefly  upon  educational  mat¬ 
ters,  and  held  approximately  400  conferences  in  his  office  in  Washing¬ 
ton  with  those  seeking  advice  and  assistance  in  educational  matters. 

G.  RECOMMENDATIONS 

The  recommendations  for  the  improvement  of  the  service  which 
were  made  in  the  last  report  are  still  applicable.  Briefly  these 
include : 

(1)  An  enlargement  of  the  activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Education 
so  as  to  make  it  more  adequate  for  research  in  certain  fields  of  educa¬ 
tion.  During  the  year  one  or  two  additional  specialists  were  added 
to  the  staff  but  a  number  of  others  are  needed,  particularly  in  fields 
relating  to  the  curriculum,  school  financing,  and  school  buildings. 

(2)  Expansion  of  the  work  in  Alaska.  The  educational  program 
in  Alaska  is  more  adequate  than  the  medical  service,  while  there  is 
need  of  vigorous  handling  of  the  reindeer  industry  in  the  immediate 
future.  Medical  relief  is  extended  to  less  than  half  of  the  natives, 
and  some  diseases  which  are  ravaging  the  aboriginal  people  remain 
practically  unchecked,  the  principal  one  of  these  being  tuberculosis. 
The  point  has  been  reached  in  the  reindeer  industry  where  the  en¬ 
largement  of  the  herds  is  very  rapid.  In  the  early  years  increments 
came  by  the  hundreds,  now  they  come  by  the  hundreds  of  thou¬ 
sands.  At  the  present  time  there  are  no  less  than  500,000  deer  in  the 
Territory  and  they  are  increasing  approximately  30  per  cent  an¬ 
nually.  At  certain  places  deer  have  become  so  numerous  as  to  be 
almost  valueless  and  are  beginning  to  suffer  from  neglect. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


31 


It  is  recommended  that  it  might  be  wise  at  this  time  to  establish  the 
schools,  the  medical  service,  and  the  reindeer  industry  under  separate 
supervision.  Hitherto  for  administrative  purposes  all  the  services 
have  been  merged  under  the  educational  work.  If  the  entire  rein¬ 
deer  industry  could  be  placed  under  expert  direction,  with  an  able 
physician  at  the  head  of  the  medical  service  and  the  schools  under 
the  administration  of  the  superintendent  for  education,  better  results 
would  probably  be  secured  in  all  three  branches  of  the  bureau’s  activ¬ 
ities.  The  three  branches  of  the  work  would  still  function  as  a  Bu¬ 
reau  of  Education  activity  unless  it  might  prove  feasible  to  transfer 
the  medical  work  to  the  United  States  Public  Health  Service.  I 
recommend  that  consideration  be  given  to  such  a  transfer. 

(3)  The  Washington  office  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  direly 
in  need  of  more  adequate  funds  for  printing  purposes.  Under  the 
act  of  its  creation  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  primarily  an  agency  of 
investigation  and  dissemination  of  educational  information.  The 
usefulness  of  the  bureau  therefore  depends  in  a  large  measure  on  the 
possibility  of  making  its  studies  available  through  printing.  Print¬ 
ing  is  essentially  the  principal  avenue  through  which  the  bureau  must 
diffuse  information.  Without  distribution  of  printed  documents,  the 
influence  of  the  specialists  employed  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  is 
confined  to  personal  conferences  and  correspondence,  which  are 
necessarily  limited  as  compared  with  the  contacts  made  through 
publication.  Inadequate  appropriations  for  printing  mean  an  indi¬ 
rect  abolition  of  the  purpose  for  which  the  bureau  was  created. 

In  recent  years  the  cost  of  printing  has  doubled.  The  average  cost 
per  page  per  thousand  copies  of  bulletins  printed  for  this  bureau  in 
1918  was  90  cents;  like  cost  in  1920  was  $1.23;  and  in  1926  it  was 
$1.84,  slightly  more  than  double  the  cost  of  1918.  Consequently  the 
allotment  of  $42,500  for  printing  during  the  coming  fiscal  year  means 
little  more  than  $20,000  some  eight  or  nine  years  ago.  In  this  con¬ 
nection  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  staff  of  the  Bureau  of 
Education  is  being  gradually  increased  and  the  output  of  the 
specialists  is  considerably  larger  than  was  the  case  previously. 

It  is  worth  while  to  note  that  in  1925,  the  last  year  for  which 
figures  are  available,  the  sales  of  publications  of  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  through  the  Superintendent  of  Documents  amounted  to 
$26,726.87,  as  against  a  total  amount  of  $20,781  in  1924.  The  total 
sales  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents  of  all  publications  of  the 
Department  of  the  Interior  in  1925  amounted  to  $40,441.94.  The 
sales  of  this  bureau’s  publications  amounted  to  $26,726.87,  or  nearly 
66  per  cent  of  the  total  sales  of  the  publications  of  the  Department 
of  the  Interior  through  the  Superintendent  of  Documents. 

The  increase  of  receipts  from  the  sale  of  publications  and  maps  for 
the  various  bureaus  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  for  1925  over 


32 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


the  preceding  year  amounted  to  $7,210.  The  increase  in  sales  for  the 
Bureau  of  Education  alone  amounted  to  approximately  $6,000,  which 
is  abount  83  per  cent  of  the  total  increase. 

May  I  take  this  opportunity  to  again  express  my  sincere  appre¬ 
ciation  of  the  continued  confidence  and  steadfast  support  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  in  the  work  of  the  bureau. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Jno.  J.  Tigert,  Commissioner. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


ADDITIONAL  COPIES 

OF  THIS  PUBLICATION  MAY  BE  PROCURED  FROM 
THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  DOCUMENTS 
U.  S.  GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

AT 

10  CENTS  PER  COPY 
V 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


REPORT 

OF  THE 

COMMISSIONER  OF 
EDUCATION 

FOR  THE 

YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30 

1928 


UNITED  STATES 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASHINGTON 
1928 


THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 

Created,  as  a  department  March  2,  1867 
Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869 


COMMISSIONERS 
Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D. 

March  14,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1886 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D. 

August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
July  1,  1906,  to  June  30,  1911 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D. 
July  8,  1911 ,  to  June  1,  1921 

John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  Ed.  D.,  LL.  D. 
June  2,  1921,  to  August  31,  1928 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Preliminary  statement _  1 

I.  Review  of  recent  events  in  public  education: 

Statistics  of  education -  2 

Higher  education _  3 

Rural  education _  4 

City  school  systems _  9 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene _  13 

Adult  education _ 15 

Industrial  education _  17 

Home  economics  education _  18 

Commercial  education _  19 

School  legislation _ 20 

Library  activities _  21 

II.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education: 

A.  General — 

1.  Research _  23 

2.  Surveys _ 27 

3.  Conferences _  28 

4.  Cooperative  undertakings  other  than  conferences _  28 

5.  Miscellaneous _  30 

B.  Home  education _  30 

C.  Alaska _  31 

D.  Library _  37 

E.  Publications _  38 

F.  Activities  of  the  commissioner _  39 

G.  Recommendations _  39 


hi 


. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  recent  events 
in  public  education  of  the  United  States,  and  summary  of  the  opera¬ 
tions  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30, 1928, 
together  with  recommendations  for  the  extension  and  improvement 
of  its  work,  as  required  by  act  of  Congress  approved  March  2,  1867. 

PRELIMINARY  STATEMENT 

Two  years  ago  I  inaugurated  a  practice  of  giving  a  brief  outline  of 
important  movements  in  the  field  of  public  education  during  the  year 
under  consideration,  in  connection  with  my  annual  report  concerning 
the  activities  of  the  bureau.  I  shall  do  the  same  in  the  present  report. 
The  Bureau  of  Education  is  the  only  agency  in  the  country  which 
gathers  complete  data  and  information  on  a  national  scale.  There¬ 
fore,  it  would  seem  appropriate  that  a  short  analysis  of  the  present 
condition  of  American  education  should  be  here  presented.  In  my 
last  report  I  spoke  of  the  hope  that  the  statistical  service  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education  might  be  made  more  adequate.  I  am  glad  to 
say  that  this  aspiration  has  been  partially  realized.  In  the  near 
future  there  is  every  likelihood  that  statistics  of  the  bureau  will  be 
still  more  complete,  accurate,  and  recent.  During  the  past  fiscal 
year,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  bureau,  so  far  as  I  know, 
most  of  its  statistics  were  available  in  the  year  following  collection; 
that  is  to  say,  figures  for  1926  were  practically  all  available  in  1927. 

The  State  educational  officers  have  become  very  much  interested 
in  the  improvement  of  educational  statistics,  and  largely  for  this 
reason  have  voted  to  hold  a  meeting  in  Washington  next  December, 
with  the  Commissioner  of  Education.  They  have  asked  me  to 
prepare  the  preliminary  data  for  this  meeting,  and  have  indicated 
that  one  of  its  chief  objectives  should  be  further  improvement  of  our 
statistical  service.  This  meeting,  which  the  State  educational 
officers  have  called  of  their  own  initiative,  is  one  of  the  evidences  of 
the  closer  cooperation  which  is  coming  to  the  Bureau  of  Education 
with  educational  leaders  throughout  the  country.  It  argues  well 
for  the  bureau,  and  particularly  for  larger  service  to  the  schools  of 
the  country. 

The  functions  and  organization  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  have 
been  discussed  in  past  annual  reports.  As  these  have  continued 
without  change  during  the  year  no  statement  with  reference  to  them 
need  be  repeated  in  this  report.  The  policy  adopted  in  my  last 
report  of  presenting  the  work  of  the  bureau  in  topical  outline,  rather 
than  in  details  of  divisional  activities,  will  be  followed. 


2 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Summarizing  all  types  of  field  service  during  the  fiscal  year,  22 
members  of  the  bureau  staff,  exclusive  of  the  commissioner,  rendered 
an  aggregate  of  536  days  of  field  service,  outside  of  the  District  of 
Columbia,  in  32  different  States,  Canada,  and  Cuba.  Seven  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  staff,  exclusive  of  the  commissioner,  delivered  156  ad¬ 
dresses  in  27  different  States,  the  District  of  Columbia,  Canada,  and 
Cuba,  to  audiences  aggregating  40,530  persons.  Forty-nine  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  land-grant  college  survey  staff  rendered  an  aggregate  of 
740  days  of  field  service  in  48  different  States. 

/.  REVIEW  OF  RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 

STATISTICS  OF  EDUCATION 

During  the  fiscal  year  bulletins  were  distributed  by  the  bureau 
which  contain  statistics  for  1926,  showing  the  activities  of  public 
elementary  and  secondary  schools;  private  elementary  and  secondary 
schools,  city  school  systems;  public  high  schools;  private  high  schools; 
teacher-training  institutions;  colleges,  universities,  and  professional 
schools;  and  a  summary  of  statistics  concerning  all  types  of  schools. 
Data  were  collected  and  compiled  for  1927,  showing  activities  in 
nurse-training  schools;  schools  and  classes  for  the  blind;  schools  and 
classes  for  the  deaf;  industrial  schools  for  delinquents;  and  schools 
and  classes  for  the  feeble-minded  and  subnormal.  The  collection  of 
statistics  for  1928  was  begun. 

Data  collected  for  1926  show  20,984,002  pupils  enrolled  in  public 
and  2,143,100  in  private  elementary  schools,  including  kindergartens; 
3,786,071  in  public  and  346,054  in  private  secondary  schools;  252,907 
in  public  and  17,209  in  private  teacher-training  institutions;  and 
280,437  in  public  and  486,704  in  private  colleges  and  universities, 
excluding  preparatory  students.  The  total  number  of  teachers 
employed  in  all  types  of  schools  is  977,291.  The  total  cost  of  main¬ 
taining  and  operating  these  schools  is  reported  as  $2,744,979,689; 
and  the  total  value  of  school  property  is  $8,125,085,472,  which 
amount  includes  endowments  valued  at  $1,061,589,042. 

The  nurse-training  schools  had  77,768  students  in  1927,  schools  for 
the  blind  6,084,  schools  for  the  deaf  84,844,  industrial  schools  for 
delinquents  84,317,  and  schools  for  the  feeble-minded  and  subnormal 
104,021. 

The  total  cost  of  public  elementary  and  high  schools  in  1903  was 
$251,457,625;  by  1913  this  amount  had  doubled,  being  $521,546,375; 
by  1920  it  had  doubled  again,  $1,036,151,209;  and  in  1926  again 
doubled  to  $2,026,308,190.  This  doubling  process  promises  not  to 
continue  indefinitely,  since  the  increase  in  expenditures  has  been 
slowing  down  during  the  past  two  or  three  years.  The  cost  per  pupil 
in  average  daily  attendance  was  $95.17  in  1924,  $98.45  in  1925,  and 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


3 


$102.05  in  1926.  Expenditures  per  capita  of  population  for  these 
years  are  $16.25,  $17.15,  and  $17.50. 

One  factor  that  affects  per  capita  costs  is  the  change  that  takes  place 
in  the  percentage  distribution  of  the  age  groups  in  the  whole  popu¬ 
lation.  Previous  to  1890  more  than  30  per  cent  of  the  population 
was  in  the  5  to  17  age  group.  To-day  this  group  comprises  about 
25  per  cent  of  the  whole  population.  This  means  an  increasing 
proportion  of  adults  to  support  schools.  Reduction  in  the  birth 
rate,  and  life  extension  assist  in  bringing  about  these  changes.  In 
the  registration  area  the  birth  rate  has  decreased  from  25.1  per 
thousand  in  1915  to  20.4  in  1927.  This  decrease  is  beginning  to 
affect  the  increase  in  enrollments  in  the  lower  grades.  Slower 
growth  and  a  smaller  proportion  of  school  children  will  in  time  affect 
school  costs.  While  the  general  population  has  increased  87  per 
cent  since  1890,  the  school  population  has  increased  only  62  per  cent. 

A  study  was  completed  concerning  the  teaching  load  in  typical 
elementary  schools  in  79  cities.  The  replies  of  4,000  teachers  were 
tabulated.  This  study  attempts  to  determine  the  length  of  the  work 
day  of  the  teacher,  her  load  as  measured  in  pupil  hours,  the  time 
allotment  of  each  subject,  her  time  spent  in  community  interests, 
the  academic  and  the  professional  training  of  teachers,  the  length 
of  her  experience,  her  average  annual  salary,  and  the  amounts  earned 
outside  of  regular  school  hours. 

Final  reports  were  received  from  the  committees  that  were  cooper¬ 
ating  with  the  bureau  in  the  revision  of  a  bulletin  on  uniform  records 
and  reports.  The  material  has  been  edited,  prepared  as  a  bulletin, 
and  is  now  ready  for  the  printer. 

A  list  of  accredited  high  schools  has  been  prepared,  and  the  material 
is  now  about  ready  for  the  printer.  All  statistics  having  to  do  with 
negro  education  have  been  collected  into  one  bulletin  and  the  mate¬ 
rial  is  now  in  press.  A  bulletin  on  the  money  value  of  education  to 
the  individual  has  been  prepared,  and  is  ready  for  the  printer.  A 
study  of  acceleration  and  retardation  among  150,000  public  ele¬ 
mentary  school  children  was  undertaken  during  the  year,  and  the 
final  tabulations  are  now  about  completed. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION 

Four  matters  in  the  field  of  higher  education  seem  worthy  of  com¬ 
ment,  although  they  have  not  received  so  much  attention  in  the  public 
prints  as  have  other  events  and  problems. 

A  recent  decision  of  the  courts  of  Minnesota  has  helped  to  clarify 
the  relationship  between  legislative  authority  and  the  governing 
bodies  directly  responsible  for  the  administration  of  State  educational 
institutions.  The  State  Legislature  of  Minnesota  set  up  a  commission 
of  administration  and  finance,  which,  in  accordance  with  the  law, 


4 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


exercised  powers  of  control  over  university  finances.  This  control, 
if  carried  to  the  logical  conclusion,  would  have  profoundly  modified 
the  educational  program  of  the  institution.  Since  the  University  of 
Minnesota  is  a  constitutional  body  and  the  powers  of  the  board  of 
regents  are  defined  by  the  constitution,  the  act  of  the  legislature  in 
setting  up  an  agency  which  in  effect  nullified  the  rights  and  powers 
thus  granted  was  declared  unconstitutional.  The  decision  does  not 
prevent  proper  legislative  or  State  control  over  public  institutions, 
but  insures  a  professional  rather  than  political  development  of  the 
educational  policies  of  the  university. 

The  survey  of  a  selected  group  of  college  libraries,  undertaken  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Carnegie  Corporation,  is  important  in  that  it 
indicates  an  awakened  consciousness  of  the  supreme  value  of  the 
library  in  modern  methods  of  college  instruction.  The  report  is 
especially  significant  with  respect  to  the  facts  presented  concerning 
the  necessary  dependence  of  graduate  work  upon  library  resources. 
Institutional  specialization  and  cooperation  in  the  field  of  graduate 
and  research  work  would  seem  to  be  made  necessary  by  the  very 
physical  limitation  of  library  resources  in  advanced  fields. 

The  whole  problem  of  graduate  work  has,  during  the  year,  been 
the  subject  of  much  discussion  that  is,  as  yet,  in  a  somewhat  chaotic 
state.  The  administrative  organization  for  graduate  schools  is  being 
developed  satisfactorily;  the  objectives  and  limitations  of  graduate 
work  are  not  very  clearly  defined.  Since  graduate  work  is  so  closely 
related  to  research,  recent  tendencies  to  segregate  research  work  from 
the  standpoint  of  personnel,  finances,  and  administration  are  especi¬ 
ally  significant.  Indications  in  the  development  of  both  research  and 
graduate  work  point  to  constructive  programs  which  will  be  revolu¬ 
tionary,  in  that  they  will  probably  substitute  orderly  procedure  for 
mere  ambition  to  develop. 

Little  public  attention  has  been  given  to  isolated  instances  of 
affiliation  of  small  or  junior  colleges  with  larger  institutions  or  with 
groups  of  institutions.  However,  such  affiliations  have  during  recent 
months  been  effected  in  sufficiently  scattered  portions  of  the  United 
States  to  indicate  that  a  new  method  and  form  of  organization  is 
likely  to  be  developed  in  higher  education.  In  general,  it  would 
seem  that  there  is  a  tendency  to  set  up  systems  of  associated  and 
affiliated  institutions  for  the  purpose  of  perfecting  the  selective  proc¬ 
esses  of  the  strongest  institutions  in  the  systems,  to  serve  as  feeders 
to  advanced  work,  and  to  strengthen  the  faculties  and  prestige  of  the 
weaker  elements. 

RURAL  EDUCATION 

Public  sentiment  has  not,  for  many  years  at  least,  been  so  concerned 
with  the  social,  economic,  and  educational  conditions  of  the  farm 
population  as  in  1928.  Attention  has  thereby  been  called  to  the 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


5 


fact  that  the  educational  facilities  provided  for  rural  children  are 
generally  inferior  in  quality  and  scope  to  those  offered  in  cities,  and 
that  not  the  least  important  of  remediable  conditions  calling  for  re¬ 
form  in  rural  communities  are  those  concerned  with  supplying  ade¬ 
quate  educational  facilities,  elementary  and  secondary.  These  facil¬ 
ities  apply  not  only  to  children,  but  to  adults  as  well.  If  our  farm 
population  is  not  satisfactorily  solving  its  economic  problems,  may 
not  the  lack  of  educational  facilities  be  accountable,  in  part  at  least, 
for  the  condition?  Can  increasingly  complex  problems  affecting 
rural  life — social,  economic,  and  recreational — be  intelligently  solved 
now  or  in  the  future  if  we  continue  to  be  content  with  a  type  of 
education  for  rural  children  inferior  to  that  offered  urban  children 
in  the  United  States?  These  and  similar  considerations  have  resulted 
in  a  demand  for  equalization  of  educational  opportunity  that  is  more 
insistent  throughout  the  country  than  ever  before,  and  definite  plans 
are  being  formulated  on  a  large  scale  to  effect  improvement  in  the 
present  situation.  An  outstanding  evidence  of  progress  in  this 
direction  is  the  fact  that  about  three-fourths  of  the  States  have  now 
established  and  maintain  some  type  of  State  equalizing  fund,  based 
on  the  principle  that  the  wealth  of  the  State  should  be  used  for  the 
education  of  the  children  of  the  State  regardless  of  their  living  place, 
whether  on  the  isolated  farms  or  in  the  crowded  city  districts.  About 
one-third  of  the  States  in  this  group  have  adopted  their  present 
equalization  plan  during  the  past  two  years. 

Characteristic  of  progress  in  rural  education  during  the  year  is 
the  continued  emphasis  on  scientific  study  of  the  state-wide  educa¬ 
tional  situation  as  a  basis  for  formulating  an  intelligent  plan  for  the 
distribution  of  State  funds.  During  the  year  several  States  have 
inaugurated  investigations,  results  of  which  will  be  presented  before 
the  coming  legislative  sessions  in  the  hope  of  securing  intelligent 
revision  of  existing  methods  of  school  support.  New  York,  Alabama, 
Arkansas,  Pennsylvania,  Florida,  and  Virginia  are  among  the  States 
in  which  additional  State  funds  have  been  granted,  or  changes  in 
the  methods  of  distribution  have  been  made,  or  contemplated  plans 
have  received  study  and  attention  during  the  year. 

Newer  sources  of  revenue  to  relieve  the  overburdened  property 
taxation  as  the  sole  source  of  school  support  continue  to  elicit  favor¬ 
able  consideration  among  States  considering  the  revision  of  taxing 
methods.  The  tobacco  tax,  which  has  recently  been  adopted  in 
four  States,  is  apparently  proving  satisfactory.  It  and  other  types 
of  sales  tax  are  being  considered  favorably  by  other  States.  It  seems 
probable  that  the  next  few  years  will  bring  substantial  changes  in 
sources  of  revenue  utilized  for  school  support. 

Arkansas  has  followed  the  example  set  several  years  ago  by  North 
Carolina  of  establishing  by  State  bond  issue  a  “ revolving’ 1  or  build- 
23793—28 - 2 


6 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


ing  fund.  This  money  is  lent  to  districts,  generally  small  rural  dis¬ 
tricts,  to  assist  them  in  securing  suitable  school  buildings.  In  some 
other  States  in  which  State  aid  for  buildings  is  provided  some  increases 
in  the  State  funds  have  been  secured  during  the  year.  New  or  en¬ 
larged  school  building  services  have  been  set  up  in  a  few  State  depart¬ 
ments.  Progress  in  securing  better  rural  school  buildings  has  been 
accelerated  also  by  school  consolidation  and  by  the  availability  of 
more  definite  professional  and  technical  help  from  State  and  county 
school  departments. 

Efforts  toward  improvement  of  the  quality  of  instruction  offered 
in  rural  schools  continue  to  receive  concentrated  attention  from 
State  and  county  departments  of  education.  In  three  States  a 
minimum  standard  for  the  lowest  grade  of  teaching  certificates  of 
completion  of  two  years  of  professional  work  in  addition  to  high- 
school  graduation  became  effective  in  the  fall  of  1927.  In  at  least  six 
States  the  standard  of  one  year  beyond  high  school  became  effective, 
while  in  several  other  States  improved  standards  of  varying  kinds  or 
in  varying  degrees  were  effected.  Teachers  in  service  and  candi¬ 
dates  preparing  to  teach  in  rural  schools  have  attended  professional 
schools  in  large  numbers  during  regular  and  summer  sessions  held 
during  the  year. 

The  movement  for  improving  preservice  and  inservice  training  of 
teachers  for  rural  schools  has  received  considerable  impetus  during 
the  past  year.  The  need  for  coordinating  the  various  functions 
concerned  with  teaching  service  has  been  pointed  out  in  several 
recent  studies,  notably  those  made  in  Ohio,  North  Carolina,  and 
Pennsylvania.  These  studies  show  that  the  lack  of  coordination 
among  the  various  functions  indicated  results  in  chaos  in  the  teach¬ 
ing  situation.  Certification  requirements  and  regulations  are  not 
coordinated  with  courses  offered  in  teacher-preparing  institutions. 
There  is  a  lack  of  harmony  between  preservice  and  inservice  training 
provided.  Teactuu'  rained  for  one  type  of  work  are  employed  to 
do  an  entirely  different  type.  There  is  little  knowledge  of  the  num¬ 
ber  of  annual  replacements  for  which  teachers  should  be  trained  by 
teacher-preparing  institutions;  of  the  types  of  positions  for  which 
special  training  should  be  offered;  of  suitable  curricula  designed  to 
prepare  teachers  for  specialized  fields,  and  the  like.  Plans  for  making 
careful  studies  of  the  whole  situation  or  for  coordinating  the  work  of 
the  various  agencies  concerned  are  getting  under  way  in  a  few  States. 
Ohio  is  an  example.  A  State  plan  for  coordination  has  been  worked 
out  during  the  year  under  the  direction  of  the  State  department  of 
education  and  is  well  on  the  way  to  fulfillment. 

In  the  meantime  the  number  of  State  teacher-preparing  institu¬ 
tions  in  which  rural  education  courses  are  established  is  growing  and 
the  quality  of  the  training  offered  improving.  At  present  152  of  the 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


7 


185  public  normal  schools  and  teachers  colleges  offer  some  courses 
in  rural  education.  There  is  improvement  particularly  in  entrance 
requirements,  quality  of  courses  offered,  and  in  the  opportunities 
furnished  for  observation  and  practice  work  under  rural  school  con¬ 
ditions.  During  the  year  at  least  six  institutions  have  either  estab¬ 
lished  or  enlarged  and  improved  departments  or  divisions  of  rural 
education  previously  established  as  a  regular  part  of  the  work  offered. 

Although  the  latest  available  statistics  show  a  larger  increase  in 
the  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  small  high  schools  than  ever  before, 
these  increases  are  as  yet  not  keeping  pace  with  the  increases  in 
enrollments  in  the  urban  high  schools.  Either  because  of  inacces¬ 
sibility  or  because  of  the  failure  of  the  objectives,  materials,  or 
methods  of  instruction  now  obtaining  in  these  high  schools  to  meet 
satisfactorily  the  needs  of  rural  life,  these  schools  are  reaching  a 
relatively  small  proportion  of  the  rural  children.  Only  25.7  per  cent 
of  the  children,  15  to  18  years  of  age,  dwelling  in  rural  communities 
are  enrolled  in  rural  high  schools;  whereas  71.1  per  cent  of  the 
children  of  the  same  age  group  in  urban  communities  are  found  in 
urban  high  schools.  Thus  nearly  three  times  as  large  a  proportion 
of  city  children  go  to  high  school  as  rural  children.  Rural  dwellers 
can  not  hope  to  compete  advantageously  with  urban  dwellers  so  long 
as  their  educational  equipment  is  so  generally  inferior. 

Data  compiled  during  the  year  show  also  that  rural  children  who 
are  enrolled  in  high  schools  have  a  much  shorter  school  term  than 
urban  children.  Ten  and  nine-tenths  per  cent  of  these  children 
attend  schools  which  are  in  session  less  than  160  days  a  year;  76.4 
per  cent  in  schools  which  are  open  161-180  days;  and  only  12.7 
per  cent  in  schools  open  181  days  or  more.  In  the  case  of  urban 
children,  by  comparison,  59.4  per  cent  attend  schools  in  session  more 
than  181  days  per  year  and  only  0.3  of  1  per  cent  in  schools  open 
less  than  160  days.  These  differences  in  the  length  of  the  school 
term  for  the  four  years  of  the  high-school  period  become  a  significant 
measure  of  the  more  limited  high-school  opportunities  of  the  rural 
child. 

Another  important  fact  revealed  during  the  year  is  the  failure  of 
the  rural  high-school  curriculum  to  fit  the  needs  of  the  rural  child. 
The  great  majority  of  rural  children  are  limited  in  their  high-school 
education  to  a  college  preparatory  curriculum.  Statistics  show,  how¬ 
ever,  that  only  about  20  per  cent  of  the  children  attending  rural 
high  schools  go  to  college.  This  is  a  problem  of  curriculum  malad¬ 
justment  greatly  in  need  of  study  and  improvement. 

The  junior  high  school  as  the  immediate  unit  of  centralization,  and 
the  senior  high  school  and  junior  college  as  a  second  or  third  unit  are 
showing  growth.  The  junior  high  school  reorganization  as  such  has 
not,  however,  made  the  rapid  progress  in  rural  communities  that  the 
advantages  offered  by  it  seemed  to  promise.  Thus  far  only  12  per 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


cent  of  the  rural  high  schools  have  reorganized  upon  this  basis, 
whereas  47.2  per  cent  of  the  urban  high-school  systems  have  organized 
on  the  junior  high  school  plan. 

The  consolidation  movement  in  rural  schools  progressed  normally 
during  the  year.  It  is  estimated  that  there  were  more  than  3,000,000 
children  enrolled  in  approximately  17,000  consolidated  schools  in  the 
United  States  during  the  school  year  1927-28.  These  statistics  do 
not  include  many  rural  high  schools  which  transport  pupils,  and  are, 
therefore,  essentially  of  the  consolidated  type. 

New  causes  are  constantly  appearing  which  affect  consolidation. 
The  junior  high  school  organization  involving  the  advantages  of 
departmentalized  instruction  is  receiving  special  attention  in  several 
States,  notably  New  York  and  California.  In  many  communities 
this  type  of  organization  brings  another  year  of  education  within  the 
reach  of  the  children  of  the  local  consolidated  district;  it  also  tends 
to  improve  instruction,  to  enrich  the  school  program,  and  enrolls 
larger  proportions  of  rural  children  in  school. 

During  the  year  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Arkansas 
rendered  a  decision  of  considerable  importance,  upholding  the  right 
of  county  boards  of  education  to  join  districts  in  their  respective 
counties.  In  Texas  20  counties  have  availed  themselves  of  a  recent 
law  providing  State  funds  for  rural  high  school  districts  formed  by 
county  boards  of  education  under  stated  conditions.  In  Alabama  a 
special  law  enacted  during  the  year  consolidated  the  city  and  county 
of  Montgomery  into  one  school  administrative  unit. 

Economic  conditions  in  rural  areas  have  not  been  favorable  to 
increases  in  the  number  of  supervisors  employed  in  the  rural  schools. 
Significant  progress  in  this  field  in  organization  and  technique  is, 
however,  reported.  County  and  other  rural  superintendents  are 
coming  more  and  more  to  appreciate  the  real  possibilities  of  their 
supervisory  functions.  They  no  longer  act  solely  as  inspectors, 
critics,  or  visitors.  Supervisors  who  are  technically  trained  specialists 
make  scientific  analyses  of  the  conditions  and  problems  of  the  rural 
schools,  and  of  the  needs  of  the  rural  teachers,  and,  with  the  best 
available  facts  at  hand,  give  constructive  help  of  a  high  professional 
quality. 

An  examination  of  problems  discussed  by  conferences  of  rural 
supervisors  held  during  the  year  indicates  that  they  are  attacking 
such  problems  as:  Teacher  attitude  and  cooperation;  improvable 
factors  in  teaching  skill ;  teacher  failures,  their  causes  and  prevention; 
in-service  growth  of  teachers  and  principals;  the  discovery,  enumera¬ 
tion,  and  education  of  exceptional  children;  the  measuring  of  pupil 
progress  and  achievements;  and  the  development  of  ways  and  means 
of  providing  for  very  young  and  over-age  pupils.  The  significant 
point  is  that  this  work  is  in  an  increasing  degree  based  on  careful  and 
scientific  investigation. 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


9 


The  meager  facilities  for  high-grade  reading  material  in  rural 
schools  and  communities  are  being  improved  through  State  and  county 
libraries.  In  14  States  the  State  library  is  either  a  definite  part  of 
the  State  department  of  public  instruction  or  it  is  closely  affiliated 
with  it.  These  States  are  Arkansas,  California,  Connecticut,  Idaho, 
Maryland,  Massachusetts,  Minnesota,  New  York,  Ohio,  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  Rhode  Island,  Tennessee,  Vermont,  and  Utah.  According  to 
to  the  American  Library  Association  the  number  of  county  libraries 
has  increased  during  the  past  year  from  223  to  260.  Some  of  the 
States  in  which  new  county  libraries  were  established  during  the 
year  are  Indiana,  Kentucky,  New  Jersey,  New  York,  North  Carolina, 
Oregon,  Pennsylvania,  Texas,  Mississippi,  and  West  Virginia. 

Progressive  tendencies  are  evident  in  the  State  courses  of  study 
which  have  been  published  during  the  past  year,  the  most  significant 
of  which  are  (1)  the  attempt  to  organize  the  content  of  the  curriculum 
around  children’s  needs  and  activities  rather  than  the  adopted  text¬ 
books  or  the  traditional  subjects;  and  (2)  distribution,  by  officials  in 
charge,  of  the  work  of  curriculum  construction  among  representatives 
of  the  various  educational  agencies  in  the  State.  Curriculum  com¬ 
mittees  have  been  composed  of  specialists  in  subject  matter  and  in 
education,  of  supervisory  officials,  and,  in  a  few  instances,  of  class¬ 
room  teachers.  Illustrative  of  the  newer  tendencies  are  State  courses 
of  study  published  by  West  Virginia  and  Iowa  and  the  work  now  in 
progress  by  state-wdde  committees  in  North  Dakota  and  California. 
In  Massachusetts  a  special  course  for  retarded  children  was  prepared 
during  the  year  by  the  State  department  of  education. 

CITY  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS 

A  few  years  ago  a  movement  to  revise  both  the  elementary  and 
the  secondary  school  curriculums  w^as  started.  This  movement  Las 
gained  momentum  until  practically  every  large  city  school  system 
and  many  of  the  smaller  ones  are  now  working  on  some  or  all  phases 
of  curriculum  reorganization.  Although  great  progress  has  been 
made  in  this  direction,  much  more  remains  to  be  done.  In  fact,  the 
curriculum  should  be  in  process  of  revision  all  the  time,  and  not 
every  10  or  15  years,  so  that  it  may  be  continually  changing  to  meet 
the  needs  of  an  ever-changing  civilization. 

Great  emphasis  is  being  placed  upon  civics  instruction,  especially 
upon  civics  as  directly  related  to  the  child ’s  immediate  environment. 
In  many  schools  a  study  of  the  city  is  made  by  the  children  in  the 
lower  elemental  grades.  The  National  Constitution  and  the 
problems  in  a  democracy  are  being  given  a  prominent  place  in  the 
secondary -school  program. 

Character  education  is  receiving  much  attention,  either  by  direct 
or  by  indirect  instruction.  Some  cities  have  prepared  suggested 


10 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


courses  of  study  and  reports  upon  the  subject.  For  example,  the 
Head  Masters’  Association  of  the  Boston  Public  Schools  has  issued 
a  report  on  character  education  in  secondary  schools,  which  outlines 
the  aims  and  objectives  in  character  education  and  which  shows 
how  these  aims  and  objectives  may  be  realized  through  the  school 
organization.  A  committee  of  teachers  of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  has 
prepared  a  syllabus  for  character  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  city,  the  outline  being  chiefly  for  use  in  the  elementary  school. 

The  effort,  begun  several  years  ago,  toward  the  coordination  of  the 
work  of  the  kindergarten  and  the  elementary  school  continues  by 
the  preparation  of  kindergarten-primary  courses  of  study,  by  placing 
the  kindergarten  and  primary  grades  under  the  same  supervisor,  by 
requiring  that  new  kindergarten  teachers  be  trained  in  primary -grade 
methods,  and  by  requiring  that  primary  teachers  be  trained  in  kinder¬ 
garten  methods.  At  a  conference  of  kindergarten  and  grade  super¬ 
visors,  called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  last  February,  it  was 
the  general  expression  that  the  work  of  the  kindergarten  and  the 
primary  grades  should  be  unified  through  supervision. 

That  the  city  schools  of  the  country  are  attempting  to  improve  the 
quality  of  instruction  in  the  elementary  schools  and  to  make  these 
schools  stand  out  as  prominently  as  any  other  unit  of  the  system  is 
evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the  educational  and  professional  standards 
for  elementary-school  teachers  are  being  raised  in  some  cities  from 
two  to  three  or  even  four  years  of  normal-school  training.  Tulsa, 
Okla.,  for  instance,  is  now  requiring  a  bachelor’s  degree  of  elementary- 
school  teachers.  City  normal  schools  are  extending  their  courses. 
As  an  example  the  normal  schools  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  have  been 
added  to  the  list  of  those  which  have  extended  their  courses  from  two 
to  three  years.  In  several  States  the  normal-school  courses  have 
extended  to  three  or  four  years,  thus  making  it  possible  for  the  cities 
in  these  States  to  obtain  better-trained  teachers  for  their  elementary 
schools. 

There  is  also  a  tendency  to  demand  increased  professional  prepara¬ 
tion  on  the  part  of  high-school  teachers,  and  to  stimulate  those  already 
in  service  to  pursue  professional  courses.  The  movement  in  the 
direction  of  requiring  a  master’s  degree  for  academic  high-school 
teachers  is  also  pronounced  in  many  cities. 

One  of  the  outstanding  movements  is  the  effort  to  improve  the 
elementary  schools  through  the  elementary-school  principal.  Until 
rather  recently  the  elementary-school  principal  was  often  considered 
as  the  managing  or  clerical  head  of  his  school,  but  now  he  is  being 
recognized  in  many  school  systems  as  the  professional  as  well  as  the 
managing  head  who  is  held  responsible  for  results  in  his  school. 

The  work  of  the  elementary  schools,  especially  of  the  primary 
grades,  will  no  doubt  be  improved  as  a  result  of  the  recent  move- 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


11 


ment  to  study  scientifically  children  of  preschool  age  and  to  instruct 
parents  regarding  the  training  of  children.  Interest  in  this  matter 
is  shown  by  the  increased  number  of  child-study  classes,  enroll¬ 
ments  in  university  extension  courses  for  parents,  demands  for  read¬ 
ing  matter  on  the  care  of  children,  and  by  the  number  of  national, 
State,  and  local  conferences  on  modern  parenthood  participated  in 
by  both  teachers  and  parents.  In  the  elementary-school  unit  at 
least  eight  city-school  systems  are  housing  or  fully  supporting  nursery 
schools. 

Possibly  no  movement  in  education  is  being  so  carefully  developed 
under  the  guidance  of  research  workers  as  is  the  movement  to  study 
the  preschool  child.  Child-research  centers,  supported  by  private 
or  public  funds,  have  been  established  in  several  cities  and  in  some 
universities.  The  results  obtained  from  the  child-research  studies, 
it  is  thought,  will  lead  to  a  better  understanding  of  the  emotional 
nature  not  only  of  the  preschool  child,  but  of  children  in  the  kinder¬ 
garten  and  the  elementary-school  grades  as  well. 

That  children  should  be  trained  in  certain  behavior  habits,  and 
that  their  emotional  as  well  as  their  intellectual  nature  should  be 
developed,  is  being  recognized  as  never  before.  The  superintendent 
of  schools  of  Boston,  Mass.,  for  instance,  recently  appointed  a  council 
of  teachers  to  make  a  report  to  him  on  the  educability  of  the  emotions. 
The  immediate  concern  of  the  council,  according  to  the  report, 
was  not  with  the  appreciation  of  lessons  in  art,  music,  and  literature 
nor  with  the  sentiments,  but  with  the  urges  below  the  child *s  mental 
and  physical  activities. 

One  of  the  significant  movements  in  education  during  the  past  few 
years  has  been  the  rapid  growth  of  the  platoon  or  work-study-play 
plan  of  school  organization  in  the  cities  of  the  country.  In  1922,  only 
33  cities  had  platoon  schools,  while  in  1928  there  are  146  cities  in  38 
States  which  have  one  or  more  of  their  schools  organized  upon  the 
plan,  or  an  increase  at  the  rate  of  18  cities  a  year.  Recent  reports 
show  that  there  are  over  800  platoon  schools  in  these  cities. 

Not  only  is  the  number  of  platoon  schools  increasing,  but  a  nation¬ 
wide  study  of  platoon  schools  just  completed  by  the  bureau  reveals 
the  fact  that  the  curricular  content  of  these  schools  is  being  enriched, 
and  that  many  new  and  interesting  developments  are  taking  place. 
For  example,  not  only  are  elementary  schools  being  organized  on 
the  platoon  plan,  but  the  plan  is  being  adapted  to  junior  and  senior 
high  schools.  At  least  nine  cities  now  have  either  junior  or  senior 
high  schools  operating  on  the  plan. 

Another  development  is  the  adaptation  of  the  Dalton  plan  to 
platoon  schools.  Experiments  in  this  method  of  teaching  are  being 
carried  on  in  several  platoon  schools;  for  example,  in  the  Canton 
School,  Baltimore,  Md.,  the  nature  study,  geography,  and  history 


12 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


work  in  the  sixth  and  seventh  grades  is  being  carried  on  by  the  Dalton 
plan,  and  a  very  complete  record  of  the  results  is  kept  by  the  teachers. 

The  use  of  the  auditorium  in  platoon  schools  by  different  groups 
every  period  of  the  day  is  now  well  established  in  this  type  of  school 
organization.  Those  engaged  in  platoon  school  work  contend  that 
the  auditorium  is  one  of  the  most  important  features  of  the  school, 
and  that  some  of  its  values  are  that  it  educates  children  in  the  desirable 
use  of  their  leisure  time,  and  serves  as  a  correlating  and  integrating 
center  for  the  whole  school.  It  is  certainly  a  new  development  in 
the  elementary  school  which  is  worthy  of  study,  if  only  as  a  rather 
significant  experiment  in  attempting  to  solve  one  of  the  most 
important  problems  of  our  city  civilization,  i.  e.,  training  for  leisure¬ 
time  activities. 

The  growth  of  secondary  education,  which  has  been  one  of  the 
outstanding  developments  in  recent  years,  continues  at  almost 
undiminished  rate.  At  the  present  time  more  than  one-half  of  the 
population  of  high-school  age  is  in  actual  high-school  attendance. 
The  figures  for  urban  as  distinct  from  rural  enrollments  reveal  greater 
opportunities  of  high-school  attendance  offered  to  city  than  to  rural 
youth.  It  is  better  than  an  even  chance  that  the  city  boy  of  14  to  17 
is  in  high  school;  by  contrast  the  probabilities  were  7  to  1  against 
his  father  having  opportunities  for  a  high-school  education  in  1900. 

High-school  enrollments  have  more  than  doubled  since  1920.  The 
extension  of  secondary  education  to  include  in  its  junior  high  school 
some  of  the  grades  formerly  assigned  to  elementary  schools  accounts 
in  some  measure  for  this  growth.  The  larger  city  school  systems  are 
expeditiously  placing  more  and  more  of  their  pupils  into  junior  high 
schools,  while  the  smaller  systems  are  less  rapidly  but  quite  consist¬ 
ently  also  adopting  the  junior  high-school  organization.  In  cities  of 
over  10,000  population  between  75,000  and  100,000  pupils  are  being 
transferred  from  elementary  schools  into  junior  high  schools  every 
year. 

Secondary  education  in  some  cities  is  also  reaching  upward  beyond 
its  traditional  limit.  While  the  publicly  supported  junior  college  is 
a  rather  recent  development,  nevertheless  it  is  beginning  to  take 
definite  form.  The  private  junior  colleges  still  outnumber  the  public 
institutions  of  this  type,  but  the  latter  are  being  organized  at  a  more 
rapid  rate.  There  are  at  the  present  time  over  100  junior  colleges 
operated  as  parts  of  local  school  systems.  Their  number  has  doubled 
in  the  past  five  j^ears  and  their  enrollments  have  tripled  within  the 
same  period  of  time.  The  greatest  development  has  taken  place  in 
the  cities  of  the  West  and  South,  especially  in  the  States  of  California, 
Iowa,  Texas,  Kansas,  Michigan,  and  Minnesota. 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


13 


Secondary  education  is  becoming  exceedingly  involved,  due  to 
increased  enrollments,  a  multiplicity  of  types  of  schools,  varied  needs 
and  interests  of  pupils,  and  the  general  complexity  of  demands  placed 
upon  the  high  school  by  the  present-day  social  order. 

Not  many  years  ago  our  educational  system  included  three  units, 
namely,  elementary  school,  high  school,  and  college.  At  present 
there  are  at  least  five  distinct  levels:  Elementary  school  (including 
kindergarten),  junior  high  school,  senior  high  school,  junior  college,* 
and  college  or  university  (including  the  professional  school).  On 
the  secondary-education  level  the  bureau  has  record  of  more  than 
30  different  organization  types  of  junior,  senior,  and  junior-senior 
high  schools.  If  classification  is  made  on  the  basis  of  function  as  well 
as  organization  the  number  of  types  becomes  much  more  numerous. 

In  the  halcyon  days  of  elementary-high  school-college  education, 
we  operated  on  a  single-track  system  which  oddly  enough  provided 
no  stopping  facilities  for  anybody  except  at  the  terminus;  if  a  passen¬ 
ger  wished  to  get  anywhere  he  had  to  agree  to  take  a  long  trip  and  to 
stay  with  the  train.  At  present  our  large  city  secondary  schools 
provide  accommodations  for  all,  even  for  those  who  do  not  want  to 
ride.  After  a  certain  minimum  length  of  the  journey  is  completed  we 
are  called  upon  to  make  local  stops  all  along  the  fine  for  those  who 
wish  to  go  no  farther,  to  furnish  express  services  for  those  who  go  to 
the  end  of  the  division,  and  to  supply  a  limited  extra-fast  service  to 
those  who  go  to  the  end  of  the  fine  and  are  intent  upon  making 
connections  at  that  point. 

Each  of  the  units  in  secondary  education  is  called  upon  to  meet  the 
problems  of  the  pupils  who  drop  out  before  completion  of  the  course, 
those  who  complete  but  go  no  farther,  and  those  who  complete  and 
wish  to  continue.  This  situation  involves  the  solution  of  problems 
within  each  unit,  the  relationship  between  the  various  units,  and  the 
articulation  with  the  elementary  school  at  the  beginning  and  with 
the  college  at  the  end  of  the  secondary  school  period.  Through 
exploratory  courses,  pupil  guidance,  special  vocational  schools,  com¬ 
prehensive  high  schools,  programs  for  curricular  reorganization,  and 
the  like,  city  school  systems  are  at  work  upon  these  problems.  The 
whole  field  of  secondary  education  is,  however,  greatly  in  need  of 
coordinated  study  in  order  that  proper  balances  may  be  established 
in  expenditures,  administration,  and  instruction. 

PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  AND  SCHOOL  HYGIENE 

The  New  York  State  Commission  on  Ventilation,  in  a  preliminary 
report  of  investigation  made  in  the  schools  of  Syracuse,  states  that 
respiratory  diseases  were  much  more  frequent  in  children  attending 
23793—28 - 3 


14 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


recently  constructed  schools  with  forced  draft  than  in  old  schools  in 
which  heat  and  gravity  were  the  principal  factors  in  air  exchange. 
Following  rainy  weather  there  was  a  striking  increase  in  such  diseases 
in  the  former  schools,  due  apparently  to  the  more  rapid  evaporation 
from  wet  clothing  produced  by  the  greater  air  motion  and  consequent 
chilling  of  the  children.  Similar  studies  in  one  and  two  room  rural 
schools  of  Cattaraugus  County,  N.  Y.,  confirm  previous  findings  of 
'the  commission  that  “ rooms  with  moderate  temperature  show  lower 
rates  of  respiratory  illness  than  do  those  which  are  overheated  or 
underheated.” 

There  has  been  much  interest  in  the  possibilities  of  the  use  in 
schools  of  window  glass  more  permeable  to  ultraviolet  rays  than  ordi¬ 
nary  glass.  However,  according  to  Tisdale  and  Brown,  indirect  sun¬ 
light  (sky  shine)  in  the  latitude  of  Toronto  passing  through  special 
glass  is  slight  or  negligible  in  antirachitic  effect,  except  in  the  immedi¬ 
ate  neighborhood  of  the  window,  and  Doctors  Goodman  and  Green, 
working  in  New  York  City,  find  that  “during  the  winter  months, 
under  the  most  favorable  conditions,  very  little  of  the  health-giving 
ultraviolet  of  the  sun  can  enter  even  through  an  open  wndow. 
When  the  window  is  protected  by  a  glass  substitute,  the  am  unt  of 
ultraviolet  entering  is  still  further  decreased  by  the  lowered  trans¬ 
mission  of  the  glass.  Whether  by  using  such  a  glass  substitute 
sufficient  ultraviolet  can  be  introduced  to  a  room  during  the  winter 
months  to  be  of  value  as  an  aid  to  health,  is,  in  view  of  present  evi¬ 
dence,  very  doubtful.” 

Three  States — Delaware,  Florida,  and  Ohio — have  been  added  to 
the  list  of  those  having  State  directors  of  health  and  physical  educa¬ 
tion,  and  a  physical  education  law  was  passed  by  Arizona. 

A  study  by  Westenberger  of  the  influence  of  physical  defects  upon 
intelligence  and  school  achievement  adds  another  to  the  investigations 
which  find  that  this  effect  is  only  evident  when  the  defects  are  serious 
or  of  a  certain  type.  The  influence  of  lesser  defects  is  present,  but 
does  not  show  itself  in  tests  which  represent  only  mental  work  at 
average  school  pressure. 

An  investigation  carried  out  in  the  dental  college  of  the  University 
of  California  emphasizes  again  the  importance  of  the  proper  feeding 
of  the  child,  from  conception,  if  he  is  to  have  sound  teeth.  This 
study  suggests  that  heredity  is  not  so  strong  a  factor  in  the  condition 
of  the  teeth  as  is  usually  supposed,  and  that  improvement  of  the  diet 
at  school  age  helps  in  the  prevention  of  caries. 

Investigations  by  Dean  Ruediger  and  others  show  anew  the  neglect 
of  the  teaching  of  physiology  and  hygiene  in  secondary  schools  and  in 
colleges. 


15 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  ,  EDUCATION 

A  survey  recently  made  jointly  by  the  United  States  Public  Health 
Service  and  the  Bureau  of  Education  with  regard  to  sex  education  in 
high  schools  shows  that  there  has  been  a  steady  increase  in  the  schools 
giving  instruction  in  this  subject.  The  tendency  has  been  to  make 
it  a  part  of  more  general  courses,  such  as  biology  or  physiology,  and 
to  give  less  emphasis  to  disease,  and  more  to  the  normal  personal  and 
social  aspects  of  the  subject. 

The  committee  on  health  and  physical  education  in  junior  and 
senior  high  schools  made  its  report  to  the  department  of  superinten¬ 
dence,  and  this  was  published  in  the  sixth  yearbook  of  the  department. 
It  outlines  in  considerable  detail  health  and  physical  education  pro¬ 
grams  for  junior  and  senior  high  schools. 

There  has  been  not  only  complaint  of  the  mismanagement  of  ath¬ 
letics  in  high  schools  and  colleges,  but  efforts  are  being  made  to  im¬ 
prove  present  conditions,  notably  by  the  State  Department  of  Edu¬ 
cation  of  New  York. 

ADULT  EDUCATION 

Perhaps  the  most  potent  event  in  the  field  of  adult  education  during 
the  year  has  been  the  publication  by  Doctor  Thorndike  and  other 
psychologists,  of  research  studies  which  show  that  adults  retain  their 
learning  ability.  Although  it  was  well  known  that  many  adults  did 
retain  their  learning  ability,  these  cases  were  considered  by  many 
people  as  being  exceptional. 

There  has  been  a  decided  growth  in  the  general  belief  that  the 
average  individual  retains  his  ability  to  learn  adequately  long  after 
middle  age.  This  is  a  matter  of  great  significance  and  is  creating  a 
demand  that  educational  programs  which  have  been  constructed  on 
the  theory  hitherto  generally  accepted,  that  learning  ability  for  the 
average  individual  ceases  at  maturity,  be  reorganized.  Education  is 
rapidly  becoming  more  vital,  and  more  a  part  of  everyday  life,  and, 
as  it  explains  life  at  every  stage  of  development,  it  is  a  continuous 
process. 

It  is  now  becoming  evident  that  public  opinion  will  not  long  permit 
millions  of  our  people  between  the  ages  of  15  and  50  to  remain  func¬ 
tionally  illiterate  for  the  lack  of  educational  opportunities.  This 
adult  illiteracy  is  not  in  keeping  with  our  form  of  government  nor  with 
the  principles  of  economy.  The  offering  of  elementary  educational 
opportunity  to  adults  pays  large  returns  in  the  form  of  increased 
earnings  to  the  individuals  taught  and  to  the  people  as  a  whole  by  the 
rise  of  the  general  welfare. 

The  theory  formerly  held  by  some  that  fixed  habits  of  adults  would 
prevent  them  from  attending  classes  even  if  they  had  the  opportunity 
to  do  so  is  clearly  refuted  by  the  large  evening-school  attendance  in 


16 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Gary,  Ind.,  Ithaca  and  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Los  Angeles, 
Calif.,  Johnstown,  Pa.,  Buncombe  County,  N.  C.,  the  rural  schools  of 
southern  Delaware,  and  in  other  places.  It  has  become  clearly  evi¬ 
dent  that  a  certain  amount  of  education  is  necessary  if  men  and  women 
are  to  adjust  themselves  to  the  ever-changing  industrial  conditions 
caused  by  the  introduction  of  new  machinery  and  the  new  organiza¬ 
tion  of  industry.  Those  who  are  studying  nonemployment  problems 
hold  that  education  is  the  best  rehabilitating  agent  to  prevent  men 
and  women  from  being  thrown  out  of  employment. 

The  public  agency  for  the  formal  education  of  adults  is  evening  and 
late  afternoon  schools.  There  has  been  shown  more  interest  in  even¬ 
ing  schools  in  the  past  year  than  during  the  previous  year. 

Informal  adult  education  has  made  notable  progress  during  the  year 
as  is  seen  in  the  report  of  the  American  Library  Association,  in  attend¬ 
ance  at  museums,  and  by  the  increased  number  of  reading  and  study 
clubs  that  have  been  organized. 

Educators  are  discovering  that  adults  exert  the  strongest  influence 
in  the  lives  of  children,  hence  the  education  of  parents  and  other  adults 
is  being  considered  as  very  important  in  any  program  of  education. 

Parental  education  throughout  the  United  States  during  the  past 
year  has  been  characterized  by  the  growing  interest  of  parents  in 
problems  that  arise  in  rearing  their  children  and  by  the  tendency 
toward  better  cooperation  and  coordination  of  existing  agencies 
engaged  in  one  phase  or  another  of  parental  education;  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  more  centers  for  research  in  child  development  and 
parental  education  in  institutions  of  learning,  such  as  the  Ohio 
State  University  and  the  New  York  State  Department  of  Education; 
the  development  of  nursery  schools  in  connection  with  research  cen¬ 
ters  for  child  welfare  and  home  economics  departments  of  colleges 
and  universities  from  which  parents  receive  advice  and  instruction; 
contributions  to  research  studies  made  by  the  publication  of  child 
development  abstracts,  bibliographies,  and  other  publications  of  the 
National  Research  Council;  the  publication  of  reliable  data  devel¬ 
oped  in  other  centers  of  research  in  child  development;  and  a  marked 
increase  in  the  publication  of  books  by  experts  on  the  problems  of 
child  development  written  for  the  layman  in  nontechnical  language. 

Many  of  the  centers  for  research  work  in  child  development  and 
parental  education  in  progress  have  been  made  possible  through 
grants  by  foundations  which  have  also  granted  funds  to  several 
organizations  for  the  promotion  of  parental  education.  Among 
these  organizations  are  the  American  Association  of  University 
Women,  whose  educational  program  includes  the  study  of  preschool 
education,  the  organization  of  study  groups  among  college-trained 
mothers,  and  the  publication  of  materials  for  organizing  and  con- 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


17 


ducting  this  work;  the  American  Home  Economics  Association, 
whose  work  in  child  development  includes,  among  other  things,  the 
maintenance  of  a  consultant  field  service,  the  study  of  materials 
available  on  the  subject  of  child  care,  and  parent  education;  the 
Child  Study  Association  of  America,  located  in  New  York  City, 
which  carries  on  training  courses  for  leaders  in  parental  education, 
organizes  study  groups,  institutes,  and  conferences  for  parents  in 
New  York  City  and  in  various  other  cities,  and  issues  publications  in 
connection  with  its  endeavors. 

The  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers,  through  its 
national,  State,  and  local  bureaus,  committees,  reading  and  study 
groups,  works  for  an  educated  parenthood  and  aids  individual  mem¬ 
bers  in  the  discovery  of  educational  material  which  has  been  made 
available  by  experts.  This  organization  conducts  annually  a  nation¬ 
wide  summer  round-up  of  children  which  is  a  campaign  to  have  pre¬ 
school  children  examined  by  experts  and  to  have  their  remediable 
physical  defects  corrected  during  the  summer  preceding  their  first 
entrance  into  school.  Many  Federal  and  national  agencies,  educa¬ 
tional,  medical,  and  social,  have  cooperated  in  this  campaign.  The 
instruction  of  parents  in  the  physical  care  of  their  children  might  be 
called  one  of  the  by-products  of  this  round-up.  The  National  Con¬ 
gress  of  Parents  and  Teachers  has  conducted  courses  on  the  “educa-. 
tional  aspects  of  the  parent-teacher  movement”  in  many  colleges 
and  universities  and  institutes  at  normal  schools. 

Local  groups  in  large  cities,  such  as  the  Parents’  Council  of  Phila¬ 
delphia,  which  during  the  past  year  met  periodically  in  many  child- 
study  groups  for  lectures  or  instruction,  and  the  United  Parents’ 
Association  of  New  York  City,  whose  unique  feature  for  the  past 
year  was  the  parents’  exposition  in  New  York  City,  are  conducting 
programs  for  the  education  of  parents. 

An  outstanding  example  of  cooperation  and  coordination  is  to  be 
found  in  California,  where  a  state-wide  project  in  parental  education 
has  been  in  progress  for  a  year.  The  State  department  of  education, 
the  State  university,  the  parent- teacher  associations,  the  department 
of  health,  and  the  county  library  cooperate  for  the  success  of  this 
work  under  the  combined  administration  of  the  State  department  of 
education  and  the  State  university. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION 

There  has  been  marked  progress  in  the  field  of  industrial  education 
during  the  past  year.  An  increased  interest  has  been  manifested  on 
the  part  of  school  superintendents  in  all  phases  of  the  work;  industrial 
companies  have  been  active  in  their  support  of  plans  for  cooperating 
with  the  public  schools  in  offering  training  to  employed  people;  and 
enrollments  in  general  have  materially  increased,  especially  in  the 
all-day  and  part-time  classes. 


18 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


During  the  year  there  was  a  growing  recognition  of  the  fact  that 
efficient  work  can  not  be  carried  on  without  adequate  shop  rooms  and 
equipment.  The  housing  facilities  for  shop  work  and  other  industrial 
courses  have  been  improved  in  many  places.  New  vocational  build¬ 
ings  and  technical  high-school  buildings  have  been  erected,  additions 
have  been  made  to  present  vocational  building,  and  shops  have  been 
included  in  the  plans  for  new  high-school  buildings.  In  some  sections 
of  the  country  new  gymnasium  buildings  have  included  shop  rooms  in 
their  plans,  and  have  found  them  satisfactory  in  operation. 

Increased  emphasis  has  been  placed  upon  the  values  to  be  derived 
from  the  exploratory  and  developmental  types  of  experiences  for  the 
industrial -arts  work  in  the  junior  high  school.  A  study  of  the  courses 
offered  by  various  schools,  their  statement  of  aims,  and  their  list  of 
projects,  together  with  the  discussions  of  these  subjects  by  teachers’ 
organizations,  all  point  toward  a  rather  general  acceptance  of  these 
values  as  the  chief  objectives  for  industrial-arts  work  in  the  junior- 
high-school  grades.  More  frequently  than  in  previous  years  is  this 
work  regarded  as  a  part  of  the  general  educational  program  and  not 
a  phase  of  a  special  type  of  education.  This  is  as  it  should  be,  as  it  is 
in  keeping  with  the  generally  recognized  aims  of  the  junior  high 
school. 

The  past  year  has  also  witnessed  a  considerable  increase  in  the 
number  of  local  organizations  of  industrial  teachers  and  a  pronounced 
activity  on  the  part  of  these  organizations  directed  toward  the  im¬ 
provement  and  promotion  of  all  types  of  industrial  education.  These 
organizations  are  rendering  great  service  by  emphasizing  the  values 
of  vocational-industrial  and  industrial-arts  courses  in  the  school 
systems  which  they  serve  and  by  their  constructive  criticisms  of  the 
organization  of  the  courses,  methods  of  teaching,  and  standards  of 
pupil  attainments.  The  American  Vocational  Association  organ¬ 
ized  an  industrial-arts  section  which  held  its  first  meeting  as  a  part  of 
the  program  of  the  annual  convention  of  this  association  in  December, 
1927.  This  association  during  the  past  year  appointed  a  committee 
to  make  a  study  of  standards  for  industrial-arts  work. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  EDUCATION 

Among  the  significant  achievements  during  the  past  year  in  public- 
school  home  economics  are:  Universal  home  economics  curriculum 
building  conforming  to  the  life  needs  of  the  girls,  in  the  elementary, 
junior,  and  senior  high  school;  the  development  of  courses  on  the 
economic  and  social  relationships  of  the  family;  extension  of  home 
economics  for  boys;  expansion  of  child  development  and  parental 
education  courses;  the  increase  in  the  number  of  nursery  schools,  day 
nurseries,  and  research  centers  for  the  observation  and  study  of  pre¬ 
school  children;  formation  of  the  Organization  of  Supervisors  and 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


19 


Teachers  of  Home  Economics,  which  convened  for  the  first  time  just 
preceding  the  meeting  of  the  Department  of  Superintendence  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  February  24  and  25,  1928;  recognition  by  school 
authorities  that  the  school  lunch  room  is  an  important  educational 
factor  of  the  school  system ;  development  of  scientific  home-economics 
tests  and  measurements;  studies  concerning  the  gainful  occupations 
open  to  girls  trained  in  home  economics,  why  girls  elect  home  econom¬ 
ics,  status  of  home  economics  in  certain  accredited  high  schools, 
intelligence  quotients  of  home-economics  girls  versus  those  of  the 
girls  choosing  other  academic  subjects,  grade  placement  of  home- 
economics  subjects,  and  the  administration  of  home  economics  in 
the  public  schools. 

Nine  regional  cooperative  studies  concerned  with  the  time  allot¬ 
ment  and  home  economics  as  a  required  subject  in  junior  high  schools, 
researches  on  the  placement  of  home  economics  content  in  junior  and 
senior  high  schools,  and  the  administration  of  home  economics  in 
our  public-school  system,  etc.,  were  made  by  city  supervisors  of 
home  economics. 


COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION 

The  most  significant  developments  in  the  various  levels  of  commer¬ 
cial  education  during  the  past  year  pertain  to  research.  The  research 
studies  were  designed  to  contribute  toward  a  fact  basis  for  the  organi¬ 
zation  of  the  subject  matter  and  improvement  of  instruction  in  the 
secondary,  normal,  and  collegiate  schools.  Among  the  studies 
reported  during  the  year,  the  following  are  outstanding:  A  compre¬ 
hensive  survey  of  secondary  commercial  education  in  Minnesota; 
a  study  of  the  business  biographies  of  3,000  graduates  from  the 
commercial  departments  of  Iowa  high  schools;  a  study  of  the  present 
status  of  commercial  teacher  training;  analyses  of  the  work  of  book¬ 
keepers;  studies  regarding  standards  for  credit  in  commercial  subjects 
and  standards  of  achievement  among  office  workers;  and  the  research 
studies  reported  by  the  American  Association  of  Collegiate  Schools 
of  Business  regarding  research  in  business  problems.  Occupational 
and  follow-up  studies  were  made  at  a  number  of  universities  in 
Iowa  and  in  many  cities,  including  the  following:  Oakland,  Calif.; 
Chicago,  Ill.;  Pittsburgh,  Pa.;  Minneapolis,  Minn.;  St.  Louis,  Mo.; 
Dayton,  Ohio;  and  Joliet,  Ill. 

The  organizations  of  commercial  teachers  have  been  important 
factors  in  the  progress  of  the  past  year.  In  accord  with  the  two  previ¬ 
ous  programs  of  the  Iowa  Research  Conference  on  Commercial  Edu¬ 
cation,  the  1928  program  was  excellent,  consisting  of  reports  on  the 
major  research  studies.  The  Eastern  Commercial  Teachers’  Associa¬ 
tion  inaugurated  a  program  of  issuing  yearbooks.  The  National 
Commercial  Teachers’  Federation  began  the  publication  of  a  quarterly 


20 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


magazine,  and  the  first  award  of  the  Willard  J.  Wheeler  prize  for  the 
best  research  in  commercial  education  was  made  through  the  federa¬ 
tion.  Commercial  teachers’  associations  were  organized  in  the  State 
of  Ohio;  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  and  New  York,  N.  Y.  The  National 
Association  of  Commercial  Teacher  Training  Institutions  held  its 
first  meeting  at  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  in  March,  1928. 

The  outstanding  events  in  commercial  teacher  training  were  the 
announcements  regarding  this  subject  by  the  University  of  Michigan, 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  State  departments  of  education 
in  California  and  Ohio.  Many  universities  are  studying  the  need  for 
such  curricula  and  have  signified  their  intentions  of  entering  this 
field. 

Much  progress  has  been  made  regarding  many  other  phases  of 
commercial  education,  including  supervision,  improvement  of  methods 
of  instruction,  organization  of  clerical  training,  and  retail  selling 
courses. 

SCHOOL  LEGISLATION 

During  the  past  year  the  legislatures  of  nine  States  met  in  regular 
session,  namely,  Kentucky,  Louisiana,  Massachusetts,  Mississippi, 
New  Jersey,  New  York,  Rhode  Island,  South  Carolina,  and  Virginia. 
Special  sessions  were  held  in  Iowa  and  North  Dakota,  apparently 
without  enacting  any  educational  legislation. 

From  the  reports  received  by  the  bureau  it  appears  that  the  out¬ 
standing  feature  of  educational  legislation  during  the  year  is  not  its 
volume  or  content  but  rather  its  method  of  procedure.  A  review  of 
the  subject  indicates  a  change  in  the  technique  of  procedure  on  the 
part  of  various  representatives  of  educational  interests  seeking  legis¬ 
lation.  Formerly  they  generally  urged  their  legislative  programs 
separately,  manifesting  not  only  divided  interests  but  occasionally 
opposing  programs,  either  of  which  tended  to  impede  legislation. 

In  recent  years  school  officials,  educational  associations,  institu¬ 
tions,  and  various  organizations  interested  in  education  have  been 
inclined  to  harmonize  their  interests  and  to  unite  in  their  efforts  for 
desired  legislation.  Moreover,  they  have  endeavored  to  prepare 
jointly,  through  legislative  committees,  educational  programs  to  be 
submitted  to  the  legislatures  for  their  approval  and  support. 

This  procedure  on  the  part  of  the  various  educational  groups  appears 
both  effective  and  appropriate.  It  is  the  scientific  spirit  operating  in 
the  field  of  school  legislation,  working  out  programs  based  upon 
reports  of  various  committees  appointed  to  study  in  detail  the  different 
problems  in  need  of  legislation.  Such  programs  are  more  and  more 
winning  legislative  favor.  Such  committees  are  being  looked  upon 
by  legislators  as  a  reliable  source  of  information  in  regard  to  matters 
affecting  the  schools.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  continued  develop¬ 
ment  and  use  of  this  procedure  will  eventually  tend  to  produce  more 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  PUBLIC  EDUCATION 


21 


economic,  constructive,  and  effective  school  laws,  and  also  to  prevent 
enactment  of  undesirable  ones. 

The  content  of  school  legislation  within  the  past  year  is  similar  in 
general  to  that  of  recent  years.  Kentucky  enacted  a  State  teachers’ 
retirement  law,  and  the  legislature  of  Mississippi  appointed  a  com¬ 
mission  to  study  the  question  of  teacher  retirement,  while  New  Jersey 
and  New  York  made  slight  changes  in  their  retirement  laws.  In¬ 
creased  compensation  for  county  superintendents  was  provided  for 
in  Mississippi  and  New  Jersey.  A  law  requiring  teachers  to  be 
citizens  of  the  United  States  was  passed  in  New  Jersey.  The  most 
noticeable  changes  were  witnessed  in  Virginia,  where  the  school  law 
was  recodified  and  constitutional  amendments  were  made.  Consti¬ 
tutional  amendments  provided  that  the  State  board  of  education 
consist  of  seven  members  appointed  by  the  governor,  subject  to 
confirmation  by  the  senate;  that  the  State  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  be  appointed  in  the  same  manner;  and  that  county 
superintendents  be  appointed  by  the  county  boards  of  education 
from  an  eligible  list  approved  by  the  State  department.  Generally 
speaking,  the  tendency  of  recent  years  to  equalize  school  funds  has 
not  abated,  and  the  problem  of  securing  adequate  funds  for  poor 
districts  still  confronts  legislators  and  school  officials. 

LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES 

Organized  cooperative  work  by  American  libraries  produced  note¬ 
worthy  results  during  the  past  year.  The  Union  List  of  Serials, 
showing  the  holdings  in  these  publications  of  all  the  principal  libraries 
of  the  country,  was  completed,  and  a  new  List  of  Serial  Publications 
of  Foreign  Governments  owned  by  the  same  libraries  was  inaugurated. 

The  Library  of  Congress  continued  to  develop  a  service  wffiich  has 
come  to  be  organic  in  an  institutional  way.  In  addition  to  an  enlarged 
and  intensified  service  to  Congress  and  to  the  various  Government 
department,  it  now  renders  a  diversified  aid  to  scholarship  and  to 
libraries  as  such.  The  library  is  now  empowered  by  Congress  to 
receive  and  administer  endowments  for  specific  purposes.  Funds 
recently  presented  to  the  library  have  enabled  it  to  establish  “chairs” 
of  various  subjects.  These  are  not  “ chairs”  in  the  university  sense, 
but  are  interpretive  chairs,  whose  incumbents  will  combine  with 
administrative  duties  an  active  aid  and  counsel  to  those  pursuing 
research  in  the  library,  and  general  promotion  of  research  within  their 
fields.  These  “chairs”  are  designed  to  supplement  in  their  respective 
fields  the  regular  services  of  the  bibliographic  and  reference  sections 
of  the  library.  Chairs  in  American  history  and  in  the  fine  arts  have 
recently  been  established.  Archer  N.  Huntington  has  given  the 
Library  of  Congress  $100,000,  the  entire  income  of  which  is  to  be 
applied  to  the  purchase  of  recent  publications  in  the  field  of  Spanish, 


22 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Portuguese,  and  Spanish- American  history,  art,  and  literature.  John 
D.  Rockefeller,  jr.,  recently  gave  the  Library  permission  to  draw  upon 
him  during  a  5-year  period  to  the  amount  of  $450,000  for  the 
acquisition,  in  reproductions,  of  source  material  for  American  his¬ 
tory  and  of  $250,000  for  the  extension  of  bibliographic  service. 

The  union  card  catalogue  of  the  Library  of  Congress,  which  is  a 
record  of  books  in  other  American  libraries  that  may  be  useful  to 
research,  has  been  revised  and  enlarged  during  the  past  year  so  that 
it  now  numbers  some  4,000,000  cards.  This  is  a  cooperative  under¬ 
taking  for  public  service,  and  is  based  upon  voluntary  contributions 
of  information.  Henry  C.  Folger  is  to  erect  a  new  building  on  a  site 
immediately  adjacent  to  the  Library  of  Congress  to  house  his  great 
collection  of  Shakespeariana.  This  will  be  another  addition  to  the 
research  facilities  of  the  Library  of  Congress. 

Last  year  $750,000  was  expended  to  construct  for  the  Library  of 
Congress  a  new  bookstack  to  accommodate  a  million  and  a  half  vol¬ 
umes,  with  special  facilities  also  for  the  accommodation  of  research 
workers.  An  additional  appropriation  was  also  granted  to  extend 
the  three  upper  levels  of  the  new  stack,  and  provision  was  also  made 
for  the  acquisition  of  additional  ground  on  which  to  erect  a  building 
auxiliary  to  the  main  library  building. 

With  the  direct  approval  of  the  Pope,  three  prominent  American 
librarians  have  been  investigating  the  resources  of  the  V atican  library 
at  Rome  with  a  view  to  inaugurating  measures  to  make  its  collections 
more  serviceable  to  scholars.  The  plan  is  to  catalogue  the  numerous 
incunabula  of  the  Vatican  library,  to  begin  cataloguing  the  manu¬ 
scripts,  and,  perhaps,  prepare  a  catalogue  of  some  special  section  of 
the  library  as  a  pattern  for  what  may  ultimately  be  a  complete  cata¬ 
logue  of  its  books.  The  plan  is  reported  to  be  making  excellent  prog¬ 
ress.  Several  representatives  of  the  Vatican  library  have  visited  the 
United  States  in  order  to  study  American  library  methods  at  first 
hand.  The  scheme  is  being  financed  by  the  Carnegie  Endowment  for 
International  Peace. 

Education  for  librarianship  continues  to  make  notable  advances. 
The  new  Graduate  Library  School  of  the  University  of  Chicago  is 
just  opening,  and  the  School  of  Library  Service  of  Columbia  Univer¬ 
sity  is  making  fine  progress.  The  University  of  Michigan  now*  has  a 
department  of  library  instruction,  and  the  regents  of  the  University  of 
Minnesota  have  just  authorized  the  establishment  of  a  division  of 
library  instruction.  Dr.  George  Alan  Works,  dean  of  the  Graduate 
Library  School  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  prepared  a  notable 
report  on  college  and  university  library  problems,  which  was  published 
by  the  American  Library  Association  during  the  year. 

The  American  Library  Association  held  its  fiftieth  annual  meeting 
at  West  Baden,  Ind.,  May  28  to  June  2,  1928.  One  of  the  principal 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


23 


features  of  the  meeting  was  the  presence  of  a  delegation  of  Mexican 
librarians,  headed  by  the  chief  of  the  library  department  of  the 
Ministry  of  Education  and  by  the  Director  of  the  National  Library. 
Several  members  of  the  delegation  made  addresses  which  emphasized 
the  note  of  cooperation  between  Mexico  and  the  United  States  in 
the  matter  of  library  service,  including  especially  international 
bibliography. 

Progress  in  library  architecture  was  made  during  the  year  by  the 
erection  of  noteworthy  buildings,  among  which  were  that  of  the 
California  State  Library  at  Sacramento,  and  public  library  buildings 
for  Pasadena,  Calif.;  Birmingham,  Ala.,  and  Queensborough,  N.  Y. 
Besides  the  new  edifice  of  Yale  University,  work  was  also  under  way 
on  new  buildings  for  Dartmouth  College;  Wesleyan  University, 
Middletowm,  Conn.;  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York;  and  the 
University  of  Washington,  at  Seattle. 

II.  WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 
A.  General 
1.  RESEARCH 
(A)  Studies  Completed 

During  the  year  the  following  studies  by  members  of  the  staff  of 
the  Bureau  of  Education  were  brought  to  completion : 

Higher  education. — (1)  Statistics  of  land-grant  colleges  for  the  year 
ending  June  30,  1926;  (2)  report  on  surveys  of  higher  education  for 
1922-1926;  (3)  accredited  higher  institutions ;  (4)  statistics  relating  to 
enrollment  in  engineering  schools  for  1926-27  and  1927-28;  (5)  cur¬ 
rent  statistics  relating  to  enrollment,  salaries,  budgets,  etc.,  of  State 
universities  and  colleges;  (6)  self-help  in  American  colleges;  (7)  sta¬ 
tistics  relating  to  student  enrollment  in  land-grant  institutions  since 
1900;  (8)  statistics  of  land-grant  colleges  for  the  year  ending  June  30, 
1927;  (9)  study  of  science  and  chemistry  in  college  entrance  and 
graduation  requirements;  and  (10)  report  on  income  of  land-grant 
colleges  since  1900. 

Rural  education. — (1)  Biennial  surveys  of  rural  education  (teacher 
preparation  and  educational  surveys);  (2)  State  normal  schools  and 
teachers  colleges  (for  -whites)  in  the  United  States  and  other  institu¬ 
tions  reporting  courses  in  rural  education  and  faculty  members 
responsible  for  the  interests  of  prospective  rural-school  teachers; 

(3)  consolidation  of  schools  and  transportation  of  pupils  for  1925-26; 

(4)  selected  list  of  recent  publications  of  special  value  for  rural-school 
supervisors;  (5)  curricula  and  differentiated  courses  for  the  prepara¬ 
tion  of  rural  elementary-school  teachers  offered  by  State  normal 
schools  and  teachers  colleges  (for  whites)  in  the  United  States;  (6) 


24 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


annotated  list  of  publications  helpful  to  those  interested  in  planning 
or  improving  rural-school  buildings;  (7)  selected  bibliography  of 
references  to  recent  publications  pertaining  to  rural-school  libraries; 
(8)  list  of  magazine  articles  helpful  to  those  engaged  in  the  preparation 
or  supervision  of  teachers  for  rural  schools;  (9)  bibliography  of  recent 
materials  dealing  with  small  high  schools;  (10)  abstracts  of  proceedings 
of  rural  teacher-training  conference  in  Boston,  February,  1928; 
(11)  abstracts  of  addresses  delivered  at  the  Northeastern  Supervisory 
Conference,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  April,  1928;  (12)  educational  progress 
among  the  mountain  whites  and  educational  and  road  conditions 
in  the  southern  Mountain  States;  (13)  activities  of  parent-teacher 
associations  in  rural  communities;  (14)  State  officials  responsible  for 
supervision  of  rural  schools;  (15)  county  (and  other  rural)  superin¬ 
tendents;  (16)  trends  of  secondary  education  in  Czechoslovakia; 
(17)  museums  as  a  national  asset;  (18)  curriculum  construction  under 
direction  of  county  superintendents;  (19)  criteria  for  judging  rural- 
school  courses  of  study;  (20)  State  supervision  or  promotion  of 
libraries  for  rural  schools;  (21)  cooperation  of  county  libraries  wdth 
rural  schools;  (22)  elementary  teachers’  meetings;  (23)  abstract  of 
certain  statistics  given  in  bureau  bulletin,  “  Statistics  of  Public  High 
Schools,  1925-26,”  with  special  implications  for  rural  high  schools; 
and  (24)  developments  in  rural-school  supervision. 

City  schools. — (1)  Certain  practices  in  city  school  administration; 
(2)  review  of  city  school  survey  reports  for  1922-1926;  (3)  supervi¬ 
sion  by  heads  of  departments  in  the  larger  high  schools ;  (4)  an  evalua¬ 
tion  of  the  schools  of  Tomahawk,  Wis.,  and  of  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  from 
data  submitted  through  the  extension  division  of  the  University  of 
Wisconsin;  (5)  standing  committees  of  city  boards  of  education;  (6) 
teachers’  salaries  in  cities  having  a  population  of  2,500  and  over;  (7) 
twelve  articles  for  the  United  States  Daily  on  various  city  school 
problems;  (8)  administration  and  organization  of  nursery  schools  in 
the  United  States;  (9)  an  analytical  study  of  curricula  offered  for  the 
preparation  of  nursery,  kindergarten,  primary  teachers,  by  teacher¬ 
training  institutions;  (10)  a  primer  of  information  regarding  kinder¬ 
garten  education;  (11)  growth  of  kindergarten  education  in  public- 
school  systems  in  cities  having  a  population  of  2,500  and  over,  analyzed 
by  States  and  by  cities  according  to  population  size;  (12)  annotated 
list  of  pamphlets  on  early  childhood  education,  issued  by  schools  and 
professional  organizations;  (13)  child  study  material  for  parents 
grouped  to  help  parents  guide  their  children’s  growth  and  play  activi¬ 
ties;  (14)  publications  in  the  field  of  kindergarten-primary  education — 
a  classified  and  annotated  list  of  references  on  the  history,  current 
practice,  and  scientific  investigations  in  kindergarten-primary  educa¬ 
tion;  (15)  projects  and  curriculum  materials  on  safety  instruction  for 
the  elementary  schools;  (16)  source  material  on  different  phases  of 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


25 


the  platoon  plan  of  school  organization;  and  (17)  requirements  for 
high-school  graduation  in  States,  cities,  and  individual  schools. 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene. — (1)  Present  status  of  school 
health  work  in  the  United  States;  (2)  posture  of  school  children; 

(3)  methods  of  organizing  health  work  in  rural  schools;  (4)  adminis¬ 
tration  of  physical  education  in  the  public  schools;  (5)  professional 
courses  for  teachers  of  physical  education;  (6)  study  of  State  athletic 
associations  for  control  of  high-school  interscholastic  athletics  for 
boys  and  for  girls. 

Adult  education. —  (1)  Opportunities  offered  for  adults  to  further 
their  education  through  college  and  imiversity  extension;  (2)  effective 
methods  of  teaching  adult  alien  and  adult  native  illiterates;  (3) 
educational  opportunities  offered  to  adults  in  Denver,  Colo.;  and  (4) 
charts,  showing  age,  previous  occupation,  and  education  of  inmates 
of  Oregon  State  Penitentiary  and  school  subjects  wanted  by  them. 

Industrial  education. — (1)  List  of  private  and  endowed  schools 
offering  trade  and  industrial  courses,  with  a  short  descriptive  account 
of  each  school;  (2)  study  of  the  general  shop,  dealing  with  organiza¬ 
tion,  courses  of  study,  buildings,  and  equipment;  (3)  study  of  grading 
the  work  of  pupils  in  industrial  schools  and  classes;  (4)  study  of  the 
use  of  tests  and  measurements  in  industrial  schools;  and  (5)  industrial 
teacher-training  and  industrial  courses  in  land-grant  colleges. 

Home  economics  education. — (1)  Study  concerning  the  election  of 
home  economics  in  senior  and  regular  high  schools  of  representative 
cities  of  the  United  States;  and  (2)  study  concerning  time  allotment 
and  requirements  of  home  economics  courses  and  subjects  taught  in 
the  junior  high  schools. 

Commercial  education. — (1)  Need  for  supervision  of  commercial 
education;  (2)  follow-up  and  commercial  occupation  surveys;  (3) 
status  and  trends  of  commercial  education  in  junior  high  schools; 

(4)  city  and  State  standards  for  credit  in  shorthand  and  typewriting; 

(5)  reports  on  research  pertaining  to  bookkeeping,  stenography,  and 
commercial  teacher  training;  (6)  commercial  teacher  training  in 
normal  schools  and  teachers’  colleges;  (7)  collegiate  education  for 
foreign  trade;  (8)  evening  collegiate  courses  in  business;  (9)  tests  and 
measurements  in  commercial  education;  and  (10)  private  and  en¬ 
dowed  schools  for  negroes,  offering  education  and  training  for  business. 

School  legislation. — (1)  Analysis  of  State  laws  relating  to  conpulsory 
education;  (2)  statistics  showing  relation  between  compulsory  educa¬ 
tion  laws  and  illiteracy  of  persons  10  to  25  years  of  age  in  the  United 
States  in  1890  and  1920;  (3)  digest  of  legislation  for  the  education 
of  crippled  children;  (4)  legal  status  and  current  practice  in  regard 
to  the  Bible  in  the  public  schools;  (5)  digest,  by  States,  of  1927 
educational  legislation;  and  (6)  digest  of  State  laws  relating  to  the 
teaching  of  the  effect  of  alcohol  and  narcotics. 


26 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Foreign  education. — (1)  Illiteracy  in  the  various  countries  of  the 
world;  (2)  major  trends  in  education  in  foreign  countries;  and  (3) 
practical  program  of  education  for  promotion  of  international  good 
will. 

(B)  Studies  in  Progress 

Higher  education. — (1)  Statistics  of  land-grant  colleges  for  the  year 
ending  June  30,  1928;  (2)  extension  work  in  teachers  colleges;  and 
(3)  study  on  fellowships  and  scholarships. 

Rural  education. — (1)  Achievement  of  pupils  in  consolidated  and 
one-room  rural  schools;  (2)  plans  for  the  administration  of  transpor¬ 
tation  in  selected  consolidated  schools;  (3)  trends  of  salaries  of 
teachers  in  rural  schools  between  the  years  1922  and  1926;  (4) 

statistical  and  analytical  study  of  rural  high  schools;  (5)  a  cur¬ 
riculum  unit  based  upon  plans  for  a  play  day;  (6)  curriculum  unit 
based  upon  activities  intended  to  stimulate  and  develop  children’s 
interest  in  nature;  and  (7)  distribution,  qualifications,  and  duties  of 
rural-school  supervisors. 

City  schools. — (1)  How  the  school-building  problem  is  being  solved 
in  the  United  States;  (2)  the  platoon  plan  in  135  cities  in  36  States; 
(3)  individual  instruction  in  platoon  schools;  (4)  the  auditorium  in 
platoon  schools;  (5)  types  and  extent  of  devices  for  adapting  second¬ 
ary  schools  to  the  individual  differences  of  pupils;  (6)  the  educational 
value  of  building  blocks  in  nursery  schools,  kindergartens,  and  pri¬ 
mary  grades;  (7)  supervision  for  the  kindergarten  and  primary  grades 
of  city-school  systems;  (8)  revision  of  reading  course  for  parents;  (9) 
chapter  on  city-school  systems,  for  the  biennial  survey,  1926-28; 

(10)  progress  in  schoolhouse  construction  for  the  biennium  1926-28; 

(11)  a  review  of  city-school  survey  reports  for  1926-28;  (12)  progress 
in  nursery,  kindergarten,  primary  education  in  the  United  States; 
(13)  progress  in  secondary  education;  (14)  methods  of  selecting  new 
teachers  in  city  schools;  and  (15)  a  series  of  lesson  projects  on  the 
American  Indian  for  use  in  the  elementary  school. 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene. — (1)  Physical  defects  of 
school  children  and  what  can  and  should  be  done  about  them;  (2) 
sanitation  of  the  schoolroom;  (3)  open-air  schools  and  their  manage¬ 
ment;  (4)  physical  education  as  a  required  subject  in  teacher- training 
schools;  and  (5)  best  methods  of  construction  for  rural  schools. 

Adult  education. — (1)  Best  methods  of  reducing  illiteracy  in  the 
United  States,  with  special  attention  to  means  of  promoting  the  organ¬ 
ization  of  evening  schools  in  both  city  and  country  districts;  (2) 
various  types  of  part-time  education  in  the  United  States;  (3)  con¬ 
tributions  of  various  national  organizations  toward  the  reduction  of 
illiteracy  in  the  United  States;  (4)  extension  activities  in  teachers’ 
colleges  and  normal  schools;  (5)  educational  opportunities  offered  to 
inmates  of  prisons  in  the  United  States;  (6)  educational  opportunities 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION- 


27 


offered  to  adults  in  rural  communities  in  Delaware;  (7)  extension 
activities  in  land-grant  colleges;  (8)  compaigns  to  prepare  children 
for  their  first  entrance  into  school,  free  from  remediable  defects; 
(9)  courses  in  home  education  for  reading  or  study  by  individuals  or 
groups. 

Industrial  education. — (1)  Part-time  work  in  industrial  education; 
(2)  survey  of  courses  for  manual-arts  teachers  offered  in  teacher-training 
institutions;  (3)  survey  of  progress  in  industrial  education  for  the 
biennium  1926-1928;  and  (4)  list  of  supplementary  reading  material 
for  industrial  schools  and  classes. 

Home  economics  education. — (1)  Home  economics  for  boys  and  men; 
(2)  home  economics  in  the  one-room  rural  schools  and  consolidated 
rural  districts;  and  (3)  nutrition  as  taught  in  the  public  schools  of 
the  Nation. 

Commercial  education. — (1)  Part-time  commercial  education;  (2) 
collegiate  education  for  business;  and  (3)  commercial  teacher  train¬ 
ing  and  education  for  business  in  land-grant  colleges. 

School  legislation. — (1)  Review  of  1926  and  1927  educational 
legislation;  and  (2)  legislation  for  financing  education,  showing 
sources  of  school  funds  and  methods  of  distribution. 

Foreign  education. — (1)  Ministries  of  education  in  foreign  countries; 
(2)  bilingual  and  multilingual  school  system  5;  (3)  foreign  students 
in  land-grant  colleges;  and  (4)  education  in  Argentina. 

2.  EDUCATIONAL  SURVEYS 

Educational  surveys  constitute  an  important  function  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education.  In  March,  1927,  the  bureau  undertook  a 
resurvey  of  negro  colleges  and  universities  in  the  United  States.  The 
report  has  been  completed  and  is  now  in  process  of  publication. 
The  survey  shows  the  remarkable  gains  made  in  the  development  of 
institutions  of  higher  learning  for  negroes  in  the  past  10  years,  and 
the  need  for  even  greater  development  of  colleges  and  universities 
in  order  that  the  needs  of  the  race  may  be  fully  met. 

The  work  of  the  survey  of  the  land-grant  colleges  was  begun  in 
July,  1927,  when  the  funds  appropriated  by  Congress  became  avail¬ 
able.  Rapid  progress  has  been  made.  Large  numbers  of  persons 
are  actively  participating  in  this  survey  as  members  of  local  committees 
and  of  the  field  staff.  Many  of  the  questionnaires  have  been  pre¬ 
pared  and  distributed  to  the  colleges  for  final  filling  out.  The  bureau’s 
field  staffs  to  handle  four  of  the  questionnaires  have  been  organized 
and  their  members  have  commenced  to  make  visits  to  the  institutions. 

An  investigation  of  possibilities  for  the  establishment  of  courses 
in  rural  education  in  Miami  University,  Ohio,  was  made. 

The  bureau  is  cooperating  with  the  Office  of  Indian  Affairs  of  the 
Department  of  the  Interior  in  a  survey  of  Indian  educational  con- 


28 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


ditions  and  revision  of  the  course  of  study  for  Indian  schools.  Several 
days  preliminary  field  work  have  been  devoted  to  this  endeavor. 

The  State  superintendents  of  public  instruction  and  commissioners 
of  education  during  the  fiscal  year  decided  to  hold  a  two-day  con¬ 
ference  in  Washington  in  December,  1928,  with  the  Federal  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education.  One  of  the  problems  which  they  propose  to  dis¬ 
cuss  is  the  support  and  financing  of  schools.  In  view  of  the  fact  that 
the  costs  of  public  schools  have  more  than  doubled  in  the  past  few 
years,  it  seems  that  such  a  study  would  be  highly  serviceable  to  the 
cause  of  education;  measures  might  be  formulated  in  the  interest  of 
economy  that  would  prove  most  efficacious.  This  whole  field  is 
relatively  unexplored.  Every  conceivable  form  of  taxation  is  used  in 
the  effort  to  support  schools.  No  one  has  attempted  to  show  the  most 
satisfactory  ways  of  raising  funds  for  school  purposes.  A  sound  and 
economic  program  for  expenditures  is  equally  as  important  as  a  proper 
system  of  revenue.  These  and  other  studies  ought  to  be  made  as 
quickly  as  funds  are  available. 

3.  CONFERENCES 

The  following  conferences  were  called  by  the  Commissioner  of 
Education : 

Conference  on  rural-teacher  preparation,  held  in  Boston,  January 
25,  1928. 

Conference  of  State  and  local  supervisors  of  rural  schools  in  the 
Northeastern  States,  held  in  New  York  City,  April  23  and  24,  1928. 

Conference  on  rural-teacher  preparation,  held  in  Los  Angeles, 
Calif.,  June  14-18,  1928. 

Conference  of  Idndergarten-elementary  grade  supervisors  in  city 
school  systems,  held  in  Boston,  January,  1928. 

The  third  national  conference  of  home  economics  supervisors,  which 
was  held  in  connection  with  the  twenty-first  annual  meeting  of  the 
American  Home  Economics  Association  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  June 
25,  1928. 

The  bureau  also  cooperated  wdth  the  National  Platoon  School 
Organization  in  holding  a  series  of  committee  conferences  in  Boston 
during  the  meeting  of  the  department  of  superintendence. 

4.  COOPERATIVE  UNDERTAKINGS  OTHER  THAN  CONFERENCES 

Cooperation  with  other  organized  educational  agencies  is  empha¬ 
sized  by  the  Bureau  of  Education.  During  the  fiscal  year  cooperation 
was  inaugurated  with  local,  State,  and  national  organizations  inter¬ 
ested  in  reducing  illiteracy.  A  plan  for  cooperation  between  the 
bureau  and  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Naturalization  regarding 
the  preparation  of  aliens  for  citizenship  in  the  United  States  was 
formulated. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


29 


Cooperation  was  effected  with  the  United  States  Department  of 
Justice  in  devising  an  educational  program  for  Federal  penal  and 
correctional  institutions.  During  the  year  this  cooperation  has 
included  conferences  with  officials  of  the  Department  of  Justice  in 
Washington,  D.  C.,  and  preliminary  plans  for  visits  to  institutions 
in  the  early  part  of  the  fiscal  year  1928-29. 

The  bureau  cooperated  with  the  American  Library  Association,  the 
National  University  Extension  Association,  and  the  National  Congress 
of  Parents  and  Teachers,  in  connection  with  the  national  committee 
on  home  education,  of  which  the  United  States  Commissioner  of 
Education  is  chairman.  The  third  meeting  of  this  committee  was 
held  on  April  6,  1928,  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  at  which  a  general  plan 
of  cooperation  between  these  agencies  and  the  Bureau  of  Education 
was  formulated. 

Cooperation  with  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers 
in  the  summer  round-up  of  children  was  continued  during  the  past 
year,  by  urging  the  increased  participation  of  19,000  school  officials 
in  this  campaign  to  prepare  children  for  entrance  into  school  free 
from  remedial  defects. 

Cooperation  was  had  with  the  following  committees  of  the  National 
Education  Association:  (a)  Committee  on  coordination  in  adult 
education;  (b)  committee  interested  in  posters  for  use  in  adult 
classes;  and  (c)  commission  on  the  articulation  of  the  units  of  the 
American  school  system. 

Cooperation  was  also  maintained  by  the  bureau  with  the  Rural 
Life  Bureau  of  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers, 
American  Vocational  Association,  Negro  Land-Grant  College  Asso¬ 
ciation,  United  States  Department  of  Commerce,  etc.  Cooperation 
was  effected  with  several  city  school  systems  in  examination  of  their 
home-economic  courses  of  study,  with  a  view  to  suggesting  improve¬ 
ments;  and  with  the  Board  of  Education  of  Dallas,  Tex.,  in  formu¬ 
lating  plans  for  a  new  technical  high  school. 

The  bureau  cooperated  with  the  national  nursery  school  committee 
and  with  a  subcommittee,  in  developing  a  tentative  list  of  minimum 
essentials  for  nursery -school  education,  the  purpose  of  which  is  to 
show  educational  objectives  underlying  this  work  and  to  set  up 
standards  by  which  the  rapidly  increasing  number  of  preschool 
classes  can  be  grouped  as  nursery  schools,  or  as  informally  organized 
play  groups. 

During  the  past  year  the  bureau  assisted  in  establishing  the  Wash¬ 
ington  Child  Research  Center.  The  bureau  representative  acted  on 
the  housing  and  teacher  appointment  committees  and  was  put  in 
charge  of  the  work  of  reconstructing  the  building  and  equipping  it 
for  the  research  center.  Cooperation  with  this  center  gives  the 


30 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  CF  EDUCATION 


Bureau  of  Education  an  opportunity  to  study  phases  of  child 
development  and  parental  education  at  first  hand. 

The  bureau  cooperated  with  10  national  research  committees  on 
the  platoon  plan.  It  also  cooperated  with  the  District  of  Columbia 
Parent-Teacher  Association  by  erecting  a  school  building  exhibit  of 
100  mounts  in  the  main  corridor  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior 
Building;  with  the  department  of  rural  education  of  the  National 
Education  Association,  American  Country  Life  Association,  Southern 
Women’s  Educational  Alliance,  National  Fire  Waste  Council  (agri¬ 
cultural  committee);  and  with  the  venereal  disease  division  of  the 
Public  Health  Service  in  making  a  survey  of  the  teaching  of  sex 
hygiene  in  high  schools. 

5.  MISCELLANEOUS 

The  credentials  of  307  foreign  students  from  53  different  countries 
were  evaluated. 

Translations  were  made,  for  the  bureau,  of  educational  material 
from  17  different  foreign  languages,  a  total  of  50,500  words.  In 
addition,  service  was  rendered  to  governmental  agencies,  outside  of 
the  bureau,  in  the  translation  of  material  from  17  different  foreign 
languages,  a  total  of  39,360  words. 

A  member  of  the  bureau  staff  served  as  secretary  of  the  commission 
on  education  of  the  World  Conference  on  International  Justice, 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  May  7-11,  1928. 

The  bureau  was  represented  at  the  Fifth  Pan-American  Child 
Congress  held  in  Habana  in  the  fall  of  1927.  Its  representative 
delivered  an  address  before  the  congress  and  spoke  before  three  local 
organizations.  An  exhibit  was  prepared  by  the  bureau  to  show 
activities  in  nursery-school,  kindergarten,  and  primary  grades. 

The  following  additions  were  made  to  the  visual  material  available 
for  distribution:  900  feet  of  film  showing  nursery-school  activities,  a 
reprint  from  pictures  taken  in  the  Oregon  Agricultural  College;  and 
163  colored  stereopticon  slides  of  activities  in  nursery  schools,  kinder¬ 
garten,  and  primary  grades. 

The  bureau  collected  an  art  exhibit  from  several  of  the  city  school 
systems  of  the  country  for  the  executive  committee  of  the  Imperial 
School  Children’s  Association  in  Japan,  to  be  used  in  connection  with 
an  art  exhibit  in  that  country.  An  exhibit  of  art  by  Japanese  school 
children  was  received  and  sent  to  the  cities  that  contributed  to  the 
exhibit  for  Japan. 

A  directory  of  828  supervisors  of  kindergarten-elementary  grades 
in  the  city  school  systems  of  the  country  was  compiled. 

B .  Home  Education 

During  the  past  fiscal  year  the  work  of  home  education  has  been 
largely  reorganized.  Projects  to  be  carried  on  in  home  education 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


31 


include:  Studies  of  various  phases  of  parental  education  and  of  move¬ 
ments  related  to  the  education  of  parents  in  groups  or  individually; 
the  preparation  of  materials  for  the  home  education  of  the  whole 
family,  such  as  courses,  lists  of  books,  circular  letters,  bulletins, 
reports,  and  other  publications  in  connection  with  the  work;  making 
contacts  with  individuals,  groups,  institutions,  and  agencies  for  the 
promotion  of  home  education;  a  consulting  and  advisory  service  for 
parents,  for  leaders  in  the  organization  of  parent  groups,  and  others 
interested  in  pursuing  their  own  education  at  home. 

The  enrollment  and  certificate  features  of  the  bureau’s  reading 
courses  were  discontinued  November  15,  1927.  For  the  5,997  read¬ 
ers  already  enrolled  for  courses  the  bureau  will  continue  the  service 
for  three  years  following  the  date  of  each  enrollment  up  to  November 
15,  1930.  The  total  enrollment  for  reading  courses  since  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  this  project  reaches  almost  to  30,000  readers.  During  the 
past  year  402  certificates  were  issued. 

New  reading  courses  have  been  prepared  on  home  training  of  chil¬ 
dren,  the  whole  child,  and  problems  in  adolescence  for  parents.  Re¬ 
visions  have  been  made  on  the  courses:  World’s  great  literary  bibles; 
Great  literature,  ancient,  medieval,  and  modern;  Agriculture  and 
country  life;  Citizenship  and  government;  The  preschool  child; 
Forty  books  for  boys  and  girls.  To  all  of  these  courses  new  features 
have  been  added. 

There  are  now  in  process  of  preparation  courses  on  Transportation, 
Parent- teacher  associations,  Art,  Nature  study,  and  revisions  of  other 
courses. 

C.  Alaska 

The  only  purely  administrative  functions  of  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  are  in  connection  with  its  work  for  the  benefit  of  the  natives  of 
Alaska.  This  work  comprises  the  education,  medical  relief,  and  the 
promotion  of  industries,  including  the  herding  of  reindeer,  of  the  native 
Alaskans. 

The  organization  of  the  Alaska  division  of  the  bureau  consists  of 
the  Washington,  D.  C.,  office,  with  3  employees;  the  Seattle,  Wash,, 
office,  which  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Chief  of  the  Alaska  Division 
and  functions  as  the  purchasing  and  disbursing  office  for  the  bureau ’s 
Alaskan  work,  with  7  employees;  and  the  field  force  in  Alaska,  which, 
during  the  fiscal  year  1927-28,  included  6  superintendents,  177 
teachers,  9  physicians,  28  nurses,  3  employees  in  connection  with 
the  reindeer  service,  17  employees  on  the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer  and  on  the 
Yukon  River  medical  boat;  also  19  cooks,  janitors,  and  orderlies,  a 
total  of  269  employees.  Ninety-five  schools  were  maintained  with  an 
enrollment  of  3,742. 

It  is  interesting  to  compare  the  condition  of  the  Alaskan  natives 
to-day  with  that  of  the  past.  When  the  activities  of  the  Bureau  of 


32 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Education  began  in  Alaska  44  years  ago  the  Eskimos  were  in  a 
state  of  barbarism,  with  no  written  language,  living  in  winter  in 
wreched  hovels,  half  underground,  and  in  rudely  constructed  tents  or 
shelters  of  skins  in  summer.  There  are  now  many  villages  in  which 
are  cooperative  stores  owned  by  the  natives,  churches,  community 
halls,  and  comfortable  homes  with  electric  lights  and  heaters.  Forty 
years  ago  the  natives  in  many  parts  of  Alaska  were  catching  their 
game  with  snares  made  of  sealskin  or  sinew;  spearing  fish  with  spears 
tipped  with  flint,  jade,  or  bone;  and  were  fishing  with  nets  made  of 
willow  roots.  These  crude  implements  were  not  efficient,  and  when¬ 
ever  the  supply  of  game  was  scarce,  starvation  was  inevitable.  Poor 
living  conditions  and  an  uncertain  and  ever-limited  food  supply 
made  the  people  an  easy  prey  to  disease.  Statements  have  been 
made  that  there  are  more  deaths  than  births  among  the  Indians  and 
Eskimos.  Statistics  gathered  from  nearly  all  the  villages  in  all  parts 
of  Alaska  show  that  under  the  improved  health  conditions  the  native 
population  is  increasing.  The  births  exceed  the  deaths.  The 
natives  are  rapidly  developing  into  valuable  citizens  who  will  play 
an  important  part  in  the  future  development  of  Alaska.  Many  of 
the  native  Alaskans  are  making  good  as  reindeer  men,  sailors, 
engineers,  sawmill  men,  carpenters,  mine  laborers,  teachers,  cooks, 
orderlies,  nurses,  and  in  other  lines  of  activity. 

Industrial  education. — In  each  of  the  95  schools  instruction  is  given 
in  the  usual  subjects  of  the  common  schools;  also  such  industrial 
training  as  supplies  at  hand  and  local  conditions  permit.  Sewing 
and  cooking  are  taught  in  most  of  the  schools,  and  carpenter  work  is 
limited  only  by  the  quarters  and  lumber  available.  In  some  of  the 
schools  the  girls  bought  flour  and  other  groceries  at  the  native  store, 
which  they  baked  into  bread,  biscuits,  cookies,  gingersnaps,  pilot 
bread,  doughnuts,  and  cakes,  some  of  which  they  sold  to  the  native 
store.  Sometimes  reindeer  skins  were  bought  from  which  they 
made  boots,  parkas,  socks,  and  mittens,  some  of  which  were  sold 
and  the  proceeds  used  in  buying  from  the  store  cloth,  needles,  thread, 
and  other  sewing  supplies.  In  the  schools  the  girls  receive  instruc¬ 
tion  in  tanning  and  sewing  skins,  simple  dressmaking,  and  in  general 
cooking  and  baking.  At  some  villages  berries  were  brought  to 
school  by  the  children  and  made  into  jelly;  flour  was  brought  and 
made  into  bread;  yarn  was  brought  and  made  into  mittens  and  caps. 
Utilization  of  local  talent  and  materials  is  encouraged.  In  addition 
to  this  industrial  work,  which  is  always  stressed,  each  school  has  done 
classroom  work  that  would  compare  favorably  with  that  of  the  rural 
schools  of  the  States. 

The  work  of  the  schools  is  closely  related  to  the  village  life.  The 
school  republic  becomes  the  village  council;  the  school  gardens  be¬ 
come  the  village  gardens;  the  girls  in  the  cooking  class  become  the 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


33 


bread  bakers  for  the  village;  the  clean-up  of  the  school  grounds  be¬ 
comes  the  village  clean-up;  the  teacher  of  physiology  and  hygiene 
becomes  the  sanitary  engineer  for  the  village;  and  the  schoolboy, 
who  is  sent  to  the  reindeer  herd  as  an  apprentice,  in  four  years 
becomes  the  owner  of  a  herd,  the  supporter  of  his  family,  and  a  future 
leader  of  his  people. 

Industrial  boarding  schools. — Three  industrial  schools,  located, 
respectively,  at  White  Mountain  near  Golovin  on  Norton  Sound;  at 
Kanakanak  on  Bristol  Bay;  and  at  Eklutna  on  Cooks  Inlet,  north 
of  Anchorage  on  the  Alaska  Railroad,  have  been  constructed, 
organized,  and  equipped;  they  were  opened  for  the  reception  of 
pupils  on  September  1,  1925,  as  boarding  schools.  The  purpose  of 
these  schools  is  to  offer  native  boys  and  girls  specialized  instruction 
of  an  industrial  nature  for  which  the  ordinary  day  school  is  not 
equipped,  and  to  give  training,  encouragement,  and  help  to  excep¬ 
tional  young  people  that  they  may  better  cope  with  the  peculiar 
conditions  under  which  they  live  and  render  service  to  their  own 
people  by  pointing  out  better  ways  to  utilize  the  natural  resources, 
to  build  better  homes  and  communities,  and  to  live  fuller,  richer, 
and  happier  lives. 

The  aim  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  to  prepare  the  native  boys 
and  girls  to  make  the  best  living  possible  in  an  Alaskan  way  in  Alaska. 
The  three  industrial  schools  are  located  in  strategic  points,  covering 
all  sections  of  the  Territory  except  the  southeast,  where  a  new  school 
is  planned.  Emphasis  is  placed  on  the  promotion  of  native  indus¬ 
tries,  health  and  sanitation,  and  morality  in  addition  to  the  elemen¬ 
tary  subjects  usually  taught.  Utilization  of  Alaska’s  food  supply  is 
an  important  part  of  the  courses.  The  boys  study  problems  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  reindeer  industry,  methods  of  preparing  reindeer 
meat  for  cold  storage  and  for  the  market,  cannery  processes  of  the 
fishing  industry,  and  the  growing  of  vegetables  and  fruits.  A  tannery 
course  includes  the  curing  of  skins  for  use  as  fur  clothing  and  for 
leather.  The  boys  are  taught  to  carve  ivory  for  use  as  buttons, 
beads,  carving  sets,  and  handles  for  knives  and  forks.  Special  con¬ 
sideration  is  given  to  the  tailoring  of  native  fur  and  leather  garments. 
Standard  elementary  instruction  in  commercial  work  is  designed  to 
train  the  natives  as  typists,  stenographers,  clerks,  and  managers  of 
cooperative  stores.  Because  of  the  urgent  need  of  better  housing 
conditions  among  Alaskans,  carpentry  courses  are  considered  espe¬ 
cially  important.  Directed  play  includes  primitive  games  as  well 
as  basket  ball,  baseball,  and  tennis. 

During  the  fiscal  year  five  new  schools  were  established  and  new 
buildings  provided  at  Chitina,  Chanega,  Old  Harbor,  Kashega,  and 
Koyuk,  at  a  cost  of  $4,000  for  each  building. 


34 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


To  four  Alaska  natives  falls  the  honor  of  receiving  the  first  diplomas 
from  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  completing  the  industrial  courses 
at  the  White  Mountain  School  in  northwestern  Alaska,  on  Norton 
Sound.  Isaac  Newlin  and  his  wife,  Jennie  Newlin,  Josephine  Kal- 
arak,  and  Roger  Menadelook  were  the  first  to  complete  the  school’s 
grammar  and  industrial  courses.  The  young  men  and  women 
received  their  seventh  and  eighth  grade  instruction  at  White  Moun¬ 
tain  and  pursued  practical  courses  in  Alaskan  industries.  The  pres¬ 
entation  of  the  diplomas  was  a  big  event  for  all  of  the  53  native 
boarding  pupils  drawn  to  the  school  from  villages  along  the  coast 
from  Point  Barrow,  the  northernmost  extremity  of  Alaska,  to  points 
south  of  the  Yukon  River. 

When  viewed  over  a  term  of  years,  the  accomplishments  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education  and  the  resultant  development  of  these  natives 
are  most  gratifying.  In  the  same  home  one  can  see  men  and  women 
used  to  a  mode  of  existence  of  the  old  stone-age  type  living  com¬ 
fortably  with  their  children  and  grandchildren  and  enjoying  the  con¬ 
veniences  of  a  twentieth  century  civilization. 

Disastrous  fires. — On  January  18,  1928,  the  two-room  school  and 
teacherage  at  Barrow,  erected  in  1903-4  at  a  cost  of  $6,600  for 
materials,  was  destroyed  by  fire  with  all  school  supplies  and  personal 
effects  of  the  teachers.  Nothing  was  saved  except  the  coal,  gasoline, 
and  coal  oil  stored  in  an  adjacent  building.  The  teachers  and  natives 
met  the  situation,  borrowed  from  the  school  at  Wainwright,  more 
than  100  miles  distant,  and  transported  by  dog  sleds,  supplies, 
books,  and  equipment,  and  reopened  school  in  a  storeroom.  Con¬ 
gress  promptly  made  an  emergency  appropriation  of  $16,000  for  the 
erection  of  a  new  building  and  the  purchase  of  supplies  and  equipment. 

The  night  of  April  1,  1928,  a  fire  of  unknown  origin  destroyed  the 
2-room  log  school  building  at  WTiite  Mountain.  Books,  equipment, 
most  of  the  records,  the  weekly  laundry  of  the  boarding  pupils,  and 
a  quantity  of  foodstuffs  stored  in  the  building  were  destroyed.  The 
building  was  erected  a  number  of  years  ago  as  a  station  school,  long 
before  the  industrial  school  was  established.  Congress  made  an 
appropriation  of  $60,000  for  a  modern  building  with  equipment  and 
to  provide  a  river  power  boat  and  storehouse  at  Golovin. 

On  June  8,  1928,  the  school  at  Killisnoo,  an  Indian  village  on  Chat¬ 
ham  Straits,  in  southeastern  Alaska,  was  destroyed  by  a  fire  that 
burned  practically  the  entire  village.  Congress  had  adjourned  and 
no  money  is  available  with  which  to  provide  a  school  for  the  natives, 
most  of  whom  have  moved  to  Angoon,  a  near-by  Indian  village. 

Ranalcanak  boys’  dormitory. — In  the  fall  of  1927  the  Combined 
Packers’  Association  deposited  at  Kanakanak,  in  southwestern  Alaska, 
lumber,  with  plans  and  specifications  for  a  boys’  dormitory  at  Kana¬ 
kanak  Industrial  School.  By  special  legislation  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  was  empowered  to  officially  accept  this  gift. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


35 


Frank  H.  Warren,  president  of  the  Portland  Packers’  Association, 
arranged  for  the  packers  to  send  carpenters  to  Bristol  Bay  on  the 
May  boats,  along  with  the  cannery  crews,  to  construct  the  building, 
so  that  it  might  be  ready  for  occupancy  by  July  20,  1928.  The  follow¬ 
ing  companies  participated  in  the  gift:  Nakat  Packing  Corporation, 
Seattle;  Nanek  Packing  Co.,  San  Francisco;  Bristol  Bay  Packing 
Co.,  San  Francisco;  International  Packing  Corporation,  Seattle; 
Alaska  Salmon  Co.,  San  Francisco;  Red  Salmon  Canning  Co.,  San 
Francisco;  Northwestern  Fisheries  Co.,  Seattle;  Columbia  River 
Packers’  Association,  Astoria;  Libby,  McNeill  &  Libby,  Seattle; 
Portland  Packers’  Association,  Portland;  The  Alaska  Packers’  Asso¬ 
ciation,  San  Francisco. 

Educational  statistics. — The  following  table  is  a  summary  of  school 
statistics : 

Educational  statistics  for  the  school  year  ending  June  80,  1928 


Total  number  of  days  in  actual  attendance _  397,  829.  00 

Total  number  of  pupils  enrolled  during  the  year _  3,  742.  00 

Average  daily  attendance  throughout  the  year _  2,  718.  11 

Percentage  of  attendance _  94.  41 

Average  number  in  schoolroom  each  day _  29.  94 

Total  number  of  schools  open _  95.  00 

Total  number  of  schoolrooms  open _  158.  00 

Average  number  of  days  in  school  year _  140.  29 

During  the  year  there  was  spent  for  repairs  on  the  school  buildings 

and  not  counted  as  a  part  of  the  operation  of  the  school _ $15,  170.  00 

Spent  for  new  buildings _  16,  380.  00 


Community  service  statistics 


District 

Visits 
made  to 
homes 

Medical 

assist¬ 

ance 

rendered 

Number 

births 

reported 

Number 

deaths 

reported 

Native 

popula¬ 

tion 

Number 

of 

teachers 

reporting 

Central . . . 

2,901 

4,  701 

60 

43 

1,898 

32 

Northwestern . . 

2,889 

3, 394 

61 

34 

2,  260 

22 

Seward  Peninsula _ _ - . 

4,  636 

4,  633 

59 

15 

2,142 

29 

Southeastern . . . . . 

3, 343 

5, 192 

104 

168 

4,784 

39 

Southwestern . . . . . 

1, 963 

3,544 

34 

40 

1,417 

28 

Western . . . . 

3, 666 

6,  306 

45 

41 

2,020 

27 

Total . 

19, 398 

27, 770 

363 

341 

14,  521 

177 

Medical  relief. — To  provide  for  the  medical  and  sanitary  relief  of 
the  Eskimos,  Aleuts,  Indians,  and  other  natives  of  Alaska,  the 
Bureau  of  Education  employed  in  Alaska  during  the  fiscal  year, 
9  physicians,  24  nurses,  6  cooks,  and  4  pupil  nurses.  Hospitals  were 
maintained  at  Juneau,  Tanana,  Akiak,  Kanakanak,  and  Noorvik. 
Contracts  were  entered  into  with  hospitals  at  Nome,  Anchorage, 
and  Cordova  in  Alaska,  as  well  as  with  other  hospitals  in  the  States 
of  Washington  and  Oregon,  for  the  treatment  of  Alaskan  natives. 


36 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


A  large  number  of  native  boys  and  girls  were  brought  to  Seattle  for 
special  treatment  and  delicate  operations.  The  service  rendered  in 
Alaska  during  the  fiscal  year  is  shown  in  the  following  table : 


Statistics  of  medical  service  by  doctors  and  nurses 


Nurses 

Doctors 

Total 

Number  of  visits  to  homes . . . . . 

8,725 
11, 304 
31, 286 
124 

201 

8,926 
16,454 
51, 945 
163 

Number  of  patients  treated . . . 

5, 150 
20, 659 
39 

Number  of  treatments  given _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Number  of  births  reported _ _ _ 

Number  of  deaths  reported _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

128 

30 

158 

Total  days  of  hospital  care _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

655 

14, 601 
3,988 

15, 256 
4, 645 
16,451 

Out  and  clinic  patients . . . . ____ . . . 

657 

Out  and  clinic  calls. . . . . . . . 

10,052 

6, 399 

There  has  been  no  expansion  of  the  medical  service  among  the 
natives  during  the  fiscal  year  other  than  to  station  a  nurse  at  Shish- 
maref  on  the  upper  Seward  Peninsula,  and  to  make  some  improvements 
in  the  hospital  at  Tanana. 

The  Yukon  medical  boat  was  again  operated  during  the  season. 
During  the  summer  of  1927,  it  was  in  charge  of  Dr.  John  Huston, 
detailed  from  our  Juneau  hospital,  who  was  assisted  by  two  trained 
nurses.  The  boat  went  into  operation  at  Nenana  on  June  1,  1927,  and 
its  work  was  very  successful  during  the  early  summer.  Unfortunately, 
Doctor  Huston  fell  overboard  on  July  16  and  was  drowned.  After 
his  death  the  two  nurses  continued  to  treat  all  cases  along  the  river 
that  required  medical  attention.  During  the  cruise  of  the  boat, 
upwards  of  1,473  patients  were  treated  and  much  dental  work  accom¬ 
plished,  including  884  extractions. 

During  the  spring  of  1928  repairs  were  made  on  the  engines  of  the 
boat,  which  went  into  commission  at  Nenana,  June  8,  1928,  with  a 
doctor,  dentist,  and  two  nurses.  It  arrived  at  Tanana  on  June  11, 
and  went  up  the  Yukon  River  for  the  earl  summer,  planning  to  visit 
the  lower  river  during  July,  August,  and  September. 

The  U.  S.  S.  Boxer. — The  Boxer  left  on  its  third  voyage  of  the 
season  on  July  20,  1927,  with  14  passengers  and  a  full  cargo  of 
supplies  for  distribution  to  stations  on  the  shores  of  Bering  Sea  and 
the  Arctic  Ocean.  It  returned  to  Seattle  in  December  with  500 
reindeer  carcasses  from  Point  Hope,  Kivalina,  Kotzebue,  and  Wales. 
On  May  7,  1928,  the  Boxer  left  Seattle  with  a  full  cargo  of  supplies 
and  5  teachers  for  the  lower  Kuskokwim  River,  Hooper  Bay,  Nunivak 
Island,  Nelson  Island,  and  St.  Lawrence  Island.  With  the  usual 
cargo  was  a  building  for  the  new  school  at  Egegik  and  considerable 
equipment  for  the  Kanakanak  Industrial  School,  including  lighting 
plant,  laundry,  and  heating  plant  for  the  boys’  dormitory  building, 
donated  by  the  Combined  Alaska  Packers’  Association. 

Reindeer  in  Alaska. — The  reindeer  industry  is  no  longer  an  experi¬ 
ment  although  still  in  its  infancy.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


37 


400,000  square  miles  of  barren  tundra  in  Alaska,  and  everywhere  on 
this  broad  expanse  the  reindeer  can  find  the  long,  fibrous,  white  moss 
which  is  its  food.  Many  estimates  have  been  made  of  the  number  of 
reindeer  in  Alaska  and  their  distribution.  During  the  fiscal  year  a 
count  has  been  completed  and  the  following  is  the  tabulation  of  the 
reports  made  of  the  count  by  the  district  superintendents: 


District 

Deer 
owned 
by  Gov¬ 
ernment 

Deer 
owned 
by  na¬ 
tives 

Deer 
owned 
by  white 
men 

Total 

Seward  Peninsula. . 

2,217 

86, 476 
116,000 
30,  624 
7,  603 
245 

42, 511 
14,000 
18, 131 

131,204 
130,  000 
51,  369 
8,  298 
245 

N  orth  western . . . . . . 

Western . . . 

2,614 

695 

Southwestern _ 

Central _ 

Total . . . . . 

5,526 

240, 948 

74, 642 

321, 116 

The  reindeer  of  the  natives  are  largely  owned  by  cooperative  asso¬ 
ciations  organized  by  the  natives,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  table : 


Name 

Location 

Estimated 
number  of 
reindeer 

Farthest  North  Reindeer  Co _ 

Barrow . . . 

12,000 
9, 732 
4, 100 
13,  913 
7,000 
5,000 
6,000 
6,  000 
18, 000 
18,  000 
8,000 
12,  000 
245 
8,000 
30, 000 

Wainwright  Reindeer  Co _ 

Wainwright . . 

Point  Hope  Reindeer  Co _ 

Point  Hope _ 

Kivalina  Reindeer  Co _ 

Kivalina _ 

Kotzebue  Reindeer  Co _ 

Kotzebue _ 

Noorvik  Reindeer  Co _ 

Noorvik _ 

Selawik  Reindeer  Co _ _ _ 

Selawik.. . 

Deering  Reindeer  Co _ _ _ _ _ 

Deering. . . 

Buckland  Reindeer  Co _ _ 

Buckland _ 

Cape  Reindeer  Co _ _ _ _ 

Wales. _ 

Reindeer  Commercial  Co _ _ _ 

Gambell _ _ 

Do. . . . . . 

Sevoonga _ 

Alitak  Reindeer  Co.. _ _ 

Alitak . . 

Council  Reindeer  Association _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Council _ 

Kuskokwim  Reindeer  &  Trading  Co _ _ _ _ 

Akiak _ 

Total 

157, 990 

Provision  was  made  in  the  appropriation  for  the  fiscal  year  1929 
for  a  supervisor  of  the  entire  reindeer  service. 


D.  Library 

The  major  project  carried  on  by  the  library  division  during  the  past 
year  has  been  the  collection  and  organization  of  information  regarding 
research  studies  in  education,  both  those  in  progress  and  those  recently 
completed,  conducted  by  various  agencies  thorughout  the  country. 
This  service  was  undertaken  in  answer  to  repeated  requests  that  the 
Bureau  of  Education  should  render  it.  For  this  purpose  letters  and 
report-form  cards  were  sent  to  all  known  agencies  and  institutions  in 
the  United  States  engaged  in  educational  research,  requesting  reports 
of  studies  under  way  and  of  those  completed  during  the  year  1926- 
27.  Large  returns  to  this  request  have  been  received,  both  in  the 


38 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


way  of  reports  of  studies  and  in  copies  of  the  studies  themselves, 
which  were  sent  when  available.  All  this  material  has  been  edited, 
classified,  and  placed  on  file  for  consultation  in  the  library.  Two 
mimeographed  bibliographies  of  research  studies  in  progress,  1927-28, 
were  prepared  and  distributed  in  March  and  May,  1928,  respectively. 
A  bibliography  of  research  studies  in  education  was  also  prepared  for 
printing  as  a  bulletin;  it  was  completed  during  the  year  ended  June 
30,  1928.  All  these  research  bibliographies  are  annotated  and 
equipped  with  indexes  and  cross  references.  Abstracts  of  many  of 
the  studies  were  supplied  by  the  authors  or  agencies  reporting  them, 
others  were  annotated  by  various  specialists  of  the  bureau,  and  the 
final  editing  for  publication  was  done  by  the  library  division.  A 
beginning  was  also  made  in  compiling  a  bibliography,  to  be  published 
later,  of  research  studies  in  education  completed  during  1927-28. 
During  several  months  an  assistant  educationist  was  temporarily 
employed  to  aid  in  the  research  information  service. 

The  other  bibliographical  and  reference  service  of  the  library  has 
continued  unabated  during  the  year.  The  lists  of  references,  either 
typewritten,  mimeographed,  or  printed,  were  in  great  demand  and 
were  extensively  circulated.  Bibliographies  on  Education  for  Citi¬ 
zenship,  and  on  Play  and  Recreation  were  prepared  for  printing  as 
library  leaflets.  Copy  for  a  new  library  leaflet  on  Higher  Education 
was  also  prepared.  The  final  issue  for  1927  of  the  Record  of  Current 
Educational  Publications  was  provided  with  an  index  for  the  entire 
year  and  prepared  for  printing,  the  earlier  issues  having  been  already 
published. 

The  reading  room  of  the  library  was  increasingly  used  by  students 
of  education  and  by  investigators  during  the  past  year.  A  large 
number  of  volumes  were  lent  to  borrowers  both  within  and  outside 
Washington. 

The  library  continued  its  growth  by  numerous  accessions.  It 
added  largely  to  its  files  of  publications  of  State  and  city  departments 
of  education,  and  it  established  a  new  complete  file  of  current  cata¬ 
logues  and  reports  of  American  colleges  and  universities. 

Cooperation  with  the  Library  of  Congress  was  continued  by  supply¬ 
ing  copy  for  printed  catalogue  cards  for  educational  books,  in  the 
series  supplied  by  the  card  division  of  that  library.  The  library  also 
handled  a  large  amount  of  correspondence,  and  attended  to  the  bind¬ 
ing  of  periodicals  and  serials. 

E.  Publications 

Publications  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  the  fiscal  year  of  1928 
consisted  predominantly  of  papers  for  the  biennial  survey  of  educa¬ 
tion.  Thirty-two  bulletins  were  issued;  16  of  them  were  chapters  of 
the  biennial  survey;  and  8  of  the  16  were  of  statistics.  In  extent 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION" 


39 


and  expense  the  eight  constituted  the  most  important  class  of  publica¬ 
tions  of  the  year. 

The  whole  number  of  documents  printed  in  the  year  ending  June 
30,  1928,  was  68,  of  which  32  were  bulletins,  11  leaflets  and  circulars, 
1  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  10  numbers  of  School 
Life,  12  numbers  of  the  clip  sheet,  and  2  miscellaneous  publications. 

The  allotment  of  funds  for  printing  was  less  by  $3,000  than  in 
1927,  and  the  total  output  of  printed  matter  was  less  by  26  docu¬ 
ments  than  in  the  previous  year. 

With  lessened  appropriations  further  decrease  was  necessary  in  the 
extent  of  the  individual  documents  and  in  the  size  of  the  editions. 
The  average  number  of  pages  per  bulletin  was  less  by  32.2  in  1928 
than  in  1927.  Thirty  manuscripts  prepared  by  members  of  the  staff 
of  the  Bureau  of  Education  were  in  the  files  of  the  editorial  division 
awaiting  publication  at  the  end  of  the  year.  They  could  not  be 
printed  promptly  after  their  completion  because  no  money  was 
available. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  is  fortunate  in  having  an  able  and  pro¬ 
ductive  staff ;  but  the  country  does  not  have  the  full  benefit  of  their 
labors,  because  the  sums  required  for  publishing  the  results  of  their 
investigations  are  not  provided. 

F.  Activities  of  the  Commissioner 

During  the  fiscal  year  just  closed  the  Commissioner  of  Education 
traveled  39,099  miles  in  rendering  service  in  the  field.  The  expense 
for  this  service  was  borne  almost  entirely  by  those  to  whom  service 
was  rendered.  He  made  a  total  of  94  addresses  before  various  Na¬ 
tional,  State,  and  local  organizations,  before  audiences  aggregating 
89,705  persons  without  estimating  radio  listeners.  He  published  17 
articles  bearing  upon  educational  matters.  There  "were  the  usual 
number  of  conferences  and  interviews  in  the  office  in  Washington 
and  in  connection  with  field  trips. 

G.  Recommendations 

(1)  Recommendations  which  I  have  made  in  past  reports  with 
reference  to  the  enlargement  and  activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  need  not  be  repeated  here,  but  it  is  well  to  emphasize  the  increas¬ 
ing  need  of  research  in  the  field  of  education  on  a  comprehensive 
basis  such  as  no  other  agency  aside  from  the  Bureau  of  Education 
is  in  a  position  to  perform.  Perhaps  this  purpose  may  be  served  by 
the  organization  of  a  number  of  successive  studies  national  in  scope, 
with  definite  objectives  and  limited  in  time,  for  which  specific  appro¬ 
priations  may  be  asked.  I  have  in  mind  a  series  of  studies  similar  to 
the  survey  of  the  land-grant  colleges  and  universities,  which  is  now 
in  progress.  In  the  preliminary  estimates  now  under  consideration 
by  the  Bureau  of  the  Budget,  we  have  included  an  estimate  of  $50,000 


40 


EEPOET  OF  THE  COMMISSIONED  OF  EDUCATION 


to  begin  a  study  of  secondary  education,  to  be  followed  in  successive 
years  by  appropriations  of  $75,000  and  $100,000,  respectively.  Two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  would  be  a  small  outlay 
for  a  comprehensive  study  in  the  field  of  secondary  education,  with  a 
view  to  bringing  about  some  order  in  this  chaotic  section  of  educa¬ 
tion.  The  National  Education  Association  and  numerous  regional 
associations  have  passed  resolutions  that  such  a  study  be  made. 

The  Bureau  of  Indian  Affairs  has  asked  the  Bureau  of  Education  to 
make  a  study  of  Indian  schools  and  to  suggest  methods  for  their 
improvement.  This  study  has  been  approved  by  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior,  and  a  preliminary  visit  made  to  a  number  of  Indian 
schools  wfith  a  view  to  setting  up  this  investigation.  Using  the  report 
of  the  Institute  for  Government  Research  as  a  basis,  a  very  valuable 
service  can  now  be  rendered  through  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  the 
Indian  schools. 

The  State  superintendents  of  public  instruction  and  commissioners 
of  education  have  decided  to  hold  a  two-day  conference  in  Washing¬ 
ton  in  December  with  the  Federal  Commissioner  of  Education.  One 
of  the  problems  which  they  propose  to  discuss  is  the  support  and 
financing  of  schools.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  costs  of  public 
schools  have  more  than  doubled  in  the  last  few  years,  it  seems  that 
such  a  study  would  be  highly  serviceable  to  the  cause  of  education; 
measures  might  be  formulated  in  the  interest  of  economy  that  would 
prove  most  efficacious.  This  whole  field  is  relatively  unexplored. 
Every  conceivable  form  of  taxation  is  used  in  the  effort  to  support 
schools.  No  one  has  attempted  to  show  the  most  satisfactory  ways 
of  raising  funds  for  school  purposes.  A  sound  and  economic  program 
for  expenditures  is  equally  as  important  as  a  proper  system  of  revenue. 
These  and  other  studies  ought  to  be  made  as  quickly  as  funds  are 
available. 

(2)  In  my  last  report  I  set  out  in  some  detail  the  situation  with 
reference  to  printing  funds  for  the  Bureau  of  Education.  This  re¬ 
mains  the  most  acute  need  of  the  bureau.  At  present  the  bureau  is 
not  able  to  print  all  of  the  studies  which  are  produced  by#the  special¬ 
ists.  This  is  an  unsound  and  uneconomic  procedure.  The  Bureau 
of  Education  is  essentially  a  bureau  of  research  and  information.  If 
the  channels  for  communication  through  printing  are  not  kept  open, 
its  research  function  is  enormously  impaired  in  value.  There  is 
nothing  that  I  could  urge  more  emphatically  than  the  necessity  for 
adequate  printing  funds  if  the  bureau  is  to  enlarge  its  usefulness. 

(3)  The  program  of  improving  the  Alaskan  service  is  progressing. 
The  Governor  of  Alaska  during  the  summer  made  a  tour  of  inspection 
in  the  Territory  largely  by  airplane  and  reported  most  of  our  schools 
in  much  improved  condition.  The  program  of  industrial  training  in 
Alaska  is  proving  satisfactory,  and  an  industrial  school  in  southeastern 
Alaska,  similar  to  the  three  which  have  been  established  in  other  parts 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


41 


of  the  Territory  should  be  erected  as  early  as  feasible.  The  matter 
of  transferring  the  health  work  among  the  natives  of  Alaska  from 
the  Bureau  of  Education  to  the  United  States  Public  Health  Service 
has  been  carefully  investigated.  The  Public  Health  Service  recom¬ 
mends  that  this  work  be  continued  in  the  Bureau  of  Education;  it  is 
of  the  opinion  that  the  work  now  being  done  by  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  is  as  satisfactory  as  could  be  expected  with  the  limited  funds 
available. 

I  am  glad  to  report  continued  progress  in  the  solution  of  the 
reindeer  problem.  Several  relatively  large  boats,  with  considerable 
refrigeration,  are  now  operating  between  Alaska  and  Seattle  and 
larger  quantities  of  reindeer  meat  are  being  brought  down.  A  trial 
of  reindeer  meat  was  made  in  the  United  States  Navy  but  unfortu¬ 
nately  an  attempt  was  made  to  substitute  reindeer  meat  exclusively 
for  beef.  Under  such  circumstances  it  was  hardly  expected  that 
reindeer  meat  would  be  preferred  in  all  cases  to  the  beef.  Never¬ 
theless,  a  very  considerable  proportion  of  the  men  expressed  such  a 
preference.  If  reindeer  meat  were  placed  on  the  rations  as  an 
alternative,  I  believe  that  a  large  amount  of  the  surplus  supply  would 
be  thus  consumed  in  the  Navy.  We  have  now7  appointed  a  reindeer 
man  w7ho  will  have  charge  of  the  general  administration  of  the  whole 
reindeer  industry  in  Alaska.  Under  him  will  be  an  organization  of 
supervisors  and  natives  trained  for  the  work.  Arrangements  have 
been  made  w7hereby  a  number  of  natives  will  be  sent  each  year  to  the 
college  at  Fairbanks  where  they  can  be  given  scientific  training  in  the 
husbandry  of  reindeer.  A  reindeer  experiment  station  is  maintained 
at  that  point  and  this  would  seem  to  be  an  ideal  way  of  translating 
the  scientific  information  obtained  into  practice  by  the  natives.  A 
succession  of  trained  natives  going  into  the  industry  would  rapidly 
improve  the  whole  system  of  handling  deer. 

The  great  increase  in  the  number  of  herds  of  reindeer  in  northern 
and  western  Alaska  rendered  it  urgent  that  provision  be  made  for 
the  allotment  of  grazing  lands.  By  the  act  of  March  4,  1927,  author¬ 
ity  was  granted  for  the  establishment  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
of  grazing  districts  in  Alaska  and  for  granting  leases  for  definite iv 
described  areas.  The  provisions  of  this  act  are  being  carried  into 
effect  as  rapidly  as  possible.  This  action  will  regulate  the  occupancy 
of  grazing  lands  by  the  reindeer  herds  and  prevent  friction  among 
the  owners  of  reindeer  in  regions  where  the  herds  are  numerous. 

In  extending  the  reindeer  industry  among  the  natives  the  reindeer 
were  distributed  among  them  through  a  system  of  apprenticeship 
which  has  resulted  in  a  large  number  of  individual  owners.  In  15 
widely  separated  regions  native  owners  have  combined  their  herds 
and  formed  cooperative  associations  in  order  to  safeguard  their 


42 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


interests.  More  efficient  methods  for  the  sale  of  meat  and  hides, 
economy  in  herding,  and  simplification  in  marking  reindeer  have 
resulted.  Thus  one  mark  for  the  entire  association  answers  for  the 
large  number  of  marks  of  individual  owners. 

Let  me  say  that  I  believe  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  on  the  eve 
of  marked  development  and  a  larger  service  to  education  in  the 
country.  During  the  next  few  years  its  activities  will  become 
considerably  more  valuable  and  effective  than  they  have  been  in 
the  past. 

May  I  take  this  opportunity  to  express  my  appreciation  for  the 
evident  interest  which  you  have  displayed  in  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  during  the  short  time  in  which  I  have  had  the  honor  to  work 
with  you.  Your  educational  background  and  enthusiasm  for  the 
cause  of  education  augur  well  for  the  educational  outlook  and  par¬ 
ticularly  for  the  improvement  of  this  bureau. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Jno.  J.  Tigert,  Commissioner. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


ADDITIONAL  COPIES 

OF  THIS  PUBLICATION  MAY  BE  PROCURED  FROM 
THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  DOCUMENTS 
U.S. GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

AT 

5  CENTS  PER  COPY 


UNITED  STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


ANNUAL  REPORT 

OF  THE 

COMMISSIONER  OF 
EDUCATION 

FOR  THE 

YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30 

1929 


UNITED  STATES 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASHINGTON  :  1929 


For  sale  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Price  !0  cents 


THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 

Created  as  a  department  March  2,  1867 
Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1,  1869 


COMMISSIONERS 

Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D. 

March  lJf,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1886 

Nathaniel  H.  It.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D. 
August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
July  1,  1906,  to  June  30,  1911 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D. 
July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921 

John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  Ed.  D.,  LL.  D. 
June  2,  1921,  to  August  31,  1928 

William  John  Cooper,  LL.  D.,  Ed.  D. 
February  11,  1929 


CONTENTS 


I.  Review  of  recent  events  in  education :  Page 

Statistics  of  education _  1 

Higher  education _ _ _  2 

Rural  education _  4 

City  school  systems _  8 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene _  12 

Adult  education _  13 

Industrial  education _  16 

Home-economics  education _  17 

Commercial  education _  18 

School  legislation _  19 

Library  activities _  20 

II.  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education : 

A.  General — 

1.  Research _  21 

2.  Educational  surveys _ 24 

3.  Conferences _  25 

4.  Cooperative  undertakings _  30 

5.  Miscellaneous _ 31 

B.  Library _ : _  32 

C.  Publications _  33 

D.  Alaska _ : _  33 

E.  Howard  University _  39 

F.  Additional  duties _  42 

G.  Recommendations _  43 

in 


ANNUAL  REPORT 

OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCA  TION 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Bureau  of  Education, 
Washington ,  D.  C September  1929. 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  for  the  year 
ended  June  30,  1929,  of  the  operations  of  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
including  some  of  the  principal  events  in  the  field  of  education  dur¬ 
ing  the  year,  together  with  some  recommendations  for  improving  the 
eflectiveness  of  the  bureau. 

The  report  proper  follows  in  general  the  plan  adopted  by  Com¬ 
missioner  John  J.  Tigert.  The  text  was  written  at  my  request  by 
Mr.  L.  A.  Kalbach,  chief  clerk  of  the  bureau,  based  upon  reports 
turned  in  by  chiefs  of  the  various  divisions.  The  section  of  the 
Alaska  Division  is  as  prepared  by  Doctor  Hamilton,  assistant  chief 
of  that  division. 

Mr.  Kalbach  more  than  any  other  was  in  a  position  to  give  unity 
to  this  report,  since  during  the  fiscal  year  he  was  de  facto  commis¬ 
sioner  for  a  longer  period  than  anyone  else.  Doctor  Tigert  served 
until  August  31,  1928,  when  he  became  president  of  the  University  of 
Florida.  Mr.  Kalbach  then  became  acting  commissioner,  serving 
until  the  undersigned  took  the  oath  of  office  on  February  11,  1929. 

The  recommendations  at  the  close  of  the  report  your  commissioner 
has  written  after  some  six  months  of  observation  and  study.  ^ 

/.  REVIEW  OF  RECENT  EVENTS  IN  EDUCATION 

STATISTICS  OF  EDUCATION 

The  greater  part  of  the  statistics  which  concern  education  in  the 
United  States  are  collected  and  reports  are  published  biennially. 
No  complete  compilation,  therefore,  has  been  made  since  the  last  an¬ 
nual  report.  During  the  fiscal  year  just  closed  reports  were  received 
from  33  State  departments  of  education  for  the  school  year  1927-28. 
Reports  from  city  schools,  public  high  schools,  and  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities  have  all  been  received  and  the  data  are  in  process  of 
compilation. 

Reports  from  339  teachers  colleges  and  normal  schools  show  that 
274,348  students  were  preparing  for  the  profession  of  teaching.  In 
State  institutions  1.4  per  cent  of  the  students  were  preparing  to 
teach  in  kindergartens ;  15.3  per  cent  in  primary  grades ;  5.3  per  cent 
in  kindergarten-primary  grades;  25.5  per  cent  in  upper  grades  of 
the  elementary  school ;  12.1  per  cent  in  elementary  grades  not  desig¬ 
nated;  7.8  per  cent  in  rural  schools;  9.7  per  cent  in  junior  high 
schools;  15.2  per  cent  in  regular  or  in  senior  high  schools;  7.2  per 

1 


2 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


cent  in  high  schools  of  a  type  not  specified;  or  about  68  per  cent  of 
the  total  in  rural  and  grade  schools  and  32  per  cent  in  junior  and 
other  high  schools. 

A  circular  was  issued  upon  the  per  capita  cost  in  teacher-training 
schools.  State  normal  schools  with  fewer  than  400  students  spent  on 
an  average  $363.31  for  each  student  in  average  attendance;  those  with 
400  to  799  students  spent  $278.97 ;  and  those  with  800  or  more  stu¬ 
dents  spent  $226.10  annually.  State  teachers  colleges  spent  $439.67, 
$355.37,  and  $263.80  per  student  in  schools  of  these  same  sizes  and 
in  the  same  order. 

Reports  were  received  from  2,448  private  and  parochial  high 
schools  which  had  20,333  instructors,  269,249  pupils,  and  46,189 
graduates  for  that  year.  .  This  is  an  increase  over  1926  of  12.8  per 
cent  for  instructors,  8.5  per  cent  for  pupils,  and  13.4  per  cent  for 
graduates. 

A  circular  was  issued  upon  per  capita  costs  in  city  schools.  These 
per  capita  costs  are  based  upon  the  number  of  pupils  in  average 
daily  attendance  in  day  schools  and  are  for  current  expenditures, 
exclusive  of  debt  services.  Among  35  cities  having  a  population  of 
100,000  and  over  this  per  capita  cost  varies  from  $59.02  per  pupil  to 
$157.37,  with  an  average  for  the  group  of  $113.69.  Of  this  total, 
3.4  per  cent  went  for  general  control;  76  per  cent  for  instruction; 
10.2  per  cent  for  operation ;  5.4  per  cent  for  maintenance ;  3.3  per  cent 
for  coordinate  activities  and  auxiliary  agencies ;  and  1.7  per  cent  for 
fixed  charges.  Among  60  cities  having  a  population  between  30,000 
and  100,000  the  per  capita  cost  ranges  from  $39.73  to  $149.51,  with 
an  average  of  $96.78. 

Reports  from  33  States  indicate  that  elementary-school  enrollments 
increased  slightly  over  1926;  that  secondary -school  enrollments,  in¬ 
cluding  all  grades  in  junior  high  schools,  increased  about  4.5  per 
cent,  and  that  the  total  public  high-school  enrollment  is  still  under 
4,000,000 ;  and  that  expenditures  for  public  schools  increased  about 
4.6  per  cent,  or  to  a  total  of  about  $2,120,000,000  for  the  school  year 
1927-28. 

Bulletins  were  issued  upon  Uniform  Records  and  Reports  and  upon 
Accredited  Secondary  Schools.  Considerable  material  was  collected 
and  tabulated  upon  acceleration  and  retardation  in  the  elementary 
schools. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION 

First  among  recent  significant  events  and  tendencies  in  higher  edu¬ 
cation  is  the  increased  scientific  study  and  investigation  of  institu¬ 
tional  problems  and  objectives.  Such  study,  which  has  not  in  the 
past  characterized  higher  education  to  the  extent  displayed  in  other 
fields  of  education,  has  been  reported  during  the  past  year  by  scores 
of  universities  and  colleges.  The  emphasis  is  now  on  scientific  and 
semiscientific  methods  of  investigation  of  institutional  problems 
rather  than  on  the  older  methods  of  philosophy  and  on  the  mere 
observance  of  tradition.  More  rapid  adaptation  on  the  part  of  the 
higher  institutions  has  become  imperative,  due  to  the  multiplication 
of  social  and  economic  problems  incident  to  the  advent  of  increasing 
industrialization,  machine  production,  changing  social  customs,  and 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  EDUCATION 


3 


other  characteristics  of  our  shifting  civilization.  Research  and  scien¬ 
tific  study  are  increasingly  depended  upon  by  the  higher  institutions 
as  the  basis  for  adaptation  of  their  practices  and  purposes. 

The  necessity  for  rapid  institutional  adjustment  to  the  changing 
needs  and  increased  demands  of  society  has  affected  in  some  degree 
almost  every  aspect  of  higher  education.  Administrative  organiza¬ 
tion  is  affected  in  several  ways.  There  is  an  emphasis  on  unity,  rather 
than  separatism,  in  the  organization  of  related  activities  leading  to 
the  realization  of  the  accepted  objectives  of  the  institutions,  as  in 
adult  education,  teacher  training,  and  graduate  and  research  work. 
Graduate  and  research  programs  have  been  subjected  to  close 
scrutiny,  and  changes  are  in  process  in  both  organization  and  objec¬ 
tives.  Changes  in  general  organization  of  collegiate  work  are  illus¬ 
trated  by  the  increase  in  growth  of  junior  colleges.  During  the  past 
year  an  increase  of  more  than  25  per  cent  in  the  number  of  junior 
colleges  reported  is  noted  in  the  Educational  Directory  published  by 
the  Bureau  of  Education.  Fundamental  changes  have  been  proposed 
in  the  organization  of  our  existing  system.  The  proposal  to  reor¬ 
ganize  on  a  six-four-four  basis  has  received  a  wide  and  interested 
hearing.  This  plan  provides  for  6  years  of  elementary  education,  4 
years  of  a  new-type  secondary  education,  and  4  years  of  secondary- 
collegiate  education.  University  training  for  qualified  students 
would  then  begin  at  what  is  now  the  junior  year  in  college.  The 
plan  contemplates  closer  correlation  of  the  high  school  and  the  col¬ 
lege,  growth  in  the  number  of  junior  colleges,  and  changes  in  the 
objectives  of  the  4-year  liberal  arts  colleges. 

A  significant  fact  in  relation  to  the  quantity  of  output  afforded  by 
the  higher  institutions  is  seen  in  the  very  small  increase  for  the  past 
3^ear  in  the  registration  of  full-time  students  in  the  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities.  An  estimated  increase  of  2  per  cent,  the  smallest  since  the 
World  War,  is  reported  by  institutions  on  the  approved  list  of  the 
Association  of  American  Universities.  Enrollments  increased  ap¬ 
proximately  25  per  cent  over  the  previous  period  of  five  years.  It  is 
possible,  but  by  no  means  certain,  that  a  period  of  stabilization  is  near 
at  hand.  Collegiate  enrollments  in  the  United  States  are  now  decid¬ 
edly  higher  proportionately  than  in  any  other  country  in  the  wrorld. 
The  rate  of  increase  in  the  enrollments  in  high  schools,  from  which 
are  drawn  most  college  students,  has  been  slackening  for  three  or 
four  years.  The  American  birth  rate  is  becoming  substantially  lower. 
Changes  in  agricultural  and  industrial  conditions  have  affected  col¬ 
lege  enrollments.  With  some  of  the  pressure  of  numbers  removed, 
and  with  a  continued  increase  in  financial  support,  stress  may  now  be 
put  by  the  higher  institutions  on  quality  of  output.  Refinement  of 
instructional  procedures  and  more  effective  utilization  of  improved 
material  facilities  suggest  that  higher  education  is  about  to  enter  a 
new  phase  of  development. 

The  adaptation  of  the  colleges  and  universities  to  the  demands  of 
a  changing  age  is  further  illustrated  in  a  tendency  to  study  more  in¬ 
tensively  and  to  meet  more  closely  the  needs  of  the  student  personnel. 
Students  of  educational  administration  are  now  inclined  to  judge  an 
institution  by  the  quantity  and  quality  of  its  human  product,  rather 
than  by  the  amount  of  institutional  income  or  the  nature  of  its  physi¬ 
cal  plant.  The  desirable  changes  made  in  human  beings  as  result 


4 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


of  the  educative  process  constitute  the  best  index  to  institutional 
effectiveness.  The  institutions  are  studying  as  never  before  both  the 
quantitative  and  the  qualitative  demands  by  society  for  their  human 
product.  The  introduction  in  several  institutions  of  honor  courses, 
the  extension  of  plans  for  independent  study,  employment  of  im¬ 
proved  techniques  in  student  counseling  and  guidance,  and  appli¬ 
cation  of  more  wholesome  concepts  of  student  discipline  and  manage¬ 
ment  have  all  been  increasingly  in  evidence  during  the  past  year. 
The  creation  of  the  National  Student  Personnel  Committee,  fostered 
by  the  National  Research  Council,  illustrates  a  nation-wide  interest 
in  the  field  of  student-personnel  study. 

The  insistent  demand  of  present-day  society  for  more  effective 
productivity  by  the  higher  institutions  has  resulted  in  a  marked 
emphasis  upon  effective  teaching  by  members  of  the  faculties.  Some 
reasons  for  this  increased  emphasis  include  the  influence  of  a  largely 
increased  body  of  scientific  studies  and  the  general  advancement 
of  education  as  a  whole ;  an  unprecedented  influx  of  students,  many 
of  whom  do  not  have  the  natural  ability  which  makes  them  easily  sus¬ 
ceptible  to  the  educative  methods  and  offerings  of  the  past ;  a  grow¬ 
ing  realization  of  the  needs  of  superior  students.  Conferences,  sum¬ 
mer-session  work,  and  intervisitation  of  college  teachers  as  means 
toward  instructional  improvement  were  perhaps  more  widely  noted 
during  the  past  year  than  ever  before  in  the  history  of  higher  educa¬ 
tion.  That  a  considerable  body  of  valid  and  usable  material  on  the 
instructional  aspects  of  higher  education  now  exists  is  evidenced  by 
the  extensive  bibliographies  published  during  the  year.  Administra¬ 
tive  officers  of  the  institutions  are  taking  an  active  interest  in  the 
advancement  programs  of  improvement  in  faculty  instruction.  As  a 
result,  it  is  now  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception  to  find  in  the  insti¬ 
tutions  of  higher  learning  some  type  of  program  directed  toward  the 
improvement  of  teaching.  National  and  regional  associations,  such 
as  the  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  the  National  So¬ 
ciety  for  the  Study  of  Education,  the  National  Society  of  College 
Teachers  of  Education,  the  American  Association  of  College  Teach¬ 
ers,  and  other  professional  groups  have  shown  a  strong  interest  in 
the  subject  during  the  past  year. 

RURAL  EDUCATION 

Significant  movements  in  rural  education  rarely  begin  and  culmi¬ 
nate  in  so  short  a  period  as  one  year.  Nevertheless  certain  forward 
steps  furthering  progress  in  this  field  in  1929  are  worthy  of  note. 

The  movement  for  State  centralization  of  responsibility  for  setting 
up  standards  and  for  financing  them  or  assisting  to  the  extent 
that  they  are  practicable  and  attainable  by  local  communities  has 
gained  in  scope  and  effectiveness.  It  has  been  characterized  by  cer¬ 
tain  significant  tendencies:  (1)  Plans  proposed  for  increased  funds 
and  improved  standards  represent  the  results  of  state-wide  research 
and  statistical  studies.  (2)  The  projects  are  initiated  by  or  actively 
promoted  from  State  agencies  and  organizations,  particularly  State 
departments  of  education.  (3)  Increased  funds  from  State  sources, 
generally  including  sources  not  previously  used  for  school  support, 
distributed  on  some  type  of  equalizing  basis,  are  contemplated  in  the 
programs  proposed  or  enacted.  Illinois,  New  York,  Alabama,  and 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  EDUCATION 


5 


Louisiana  are  examples  of  States  in  which  the  1929  legislative  ses¬ 
sions  provided  increased  or  more  equitably  distributed  State  funds, 
or  both.  The  projects  were  sponsored  by  State  departments  of  edu¬ 
cation  and  involved  careful  study  of  conditions  affected  and  efforts 
extending  over  a  period  of  years. 

New  York  reached  “  the  third  step  ”  in  a  financial  program  begun 
in  1925.  The  first  step  resulted  in  increased  funds  distributed  on  an 
“  equalizing  quota  plan  ”  and  affected  districts  having  a  population 
of  fewer  than  4,500.  The  second  step  provided  for  additional  appor¬ 
tionment  to  all  schools,  the  larger  portion  distributed  by  the  “  equal¬ 
izing  quota  plan  ”  to  all  school  tax  units  employing  five  or  more 
teachers.  The  third  step  (1929)  affects  two,  three,  and  four  “  teacher 
districts  ”  and  provides  for  1-teacher  schools  a  minimum  from  State 
and  local  funds  of  $1,300  the  first  year,  $1,400  the  second  year,  and 
$1,500  the  third  year  and  each  year  thereafter.  “  This  is  an  entirely 
new  proposal  for  small  districts.  It  will  add  four  or  five  million 
dollars  more  in  State  apportionment  to  schools.” 

The  Alabama  plan,  which  becomes  effective  this  year,  represents 
the  culmination  of  efforts  extending  over  a  period  of  years  and  affects 
school  standards  as  well  as  the  amount  and  distribution  of  State 
funds.  In  Illinois  an  addition  of  approximately  $2,000,000  was  made 
to  State  appropriations  during  the  past  legislative  session,  and  in 
Louisiana  a  new  tax  on  malt  sirup  was  provided  in  the  fall  of  1928. 

Efforts  to  secure  larger  units  for  administering  local  rural  schools 
are  continuing  with  increasing  vigor.  An  “  optional  ”  law  for  the 
county  unit  system,  passed  recently  in  Minnesota,  became  effective 
this  year  in  at  least  one  county — a  new  departure  for  Minnesota. 
Through  favorable  legislation  the  county  unit  plan  has  been  extended 
in  Texas  and  strengthened  in  Virginia.  In  Georgia  the  State  de¬ 
partment  of  education  reports  that  through  county-wide  plans  for 
consolidation  and  voluntary  surrender  of  their  independence  on  the 
part  of  small  districts  several  county  systems  have  been  strengthened 
and  additional  functions  centralized  therein.  The  legislation  pro¬ 
posed  and  advocated  by  education  officials  and  organizations  for 
larger  units  for  administering  rural  schools  than  the  prevailing  dis¬ 
trict  system,  better  financing  methods,  and  other  progressive  measures 
in  education  was  defeated  in  Kansas  and  Missouri,  as  was  the 
county  unit  plan  in  California. 

Reorganization  of  State  boards  of  education  in  Virginia  and 
Texas,  which  it  is  expected  will  eventually  strengthen  their  author¬ 
ity  and  prestige  and  increase  their  functions,  was  effected  during  the 
year.  From  California  two  important  steps  affecting  rural  educa¬ 
tion  are  reported.  State  aid  for  the  education  of  migratory  children 
has  been  provided.  This  will  enable  the  school  to  follow  up  children 
as  they  move  from  one  locality  in  wdiich  parents  are  engaged  in  sea¬ 
sonal  occupations  to  another.  The  distribution  of  funds  for  supervi¬ 
sion  has  been  “  equalized,”  placing  rural  communities  on  a  par  with 
urban  communities  in  the  distribution  of  State  subsidies  for  super¬ 
vision.  This  change  in  the  law  is  expected  to  result  in  50  additional 
rural-school  supervisors  during  the  coming  year. 

A  study  completed  during  the  year  in  the  Bureau  of  Education 
shows  that  the  number  of  members  of  State  departments  assigned  to 
work  with  rural  schools  has  increased  materially  during  the  past 
75208°— 29 - 2 


6 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


seven  years.  There  are  now  172  members  of  the  State  education 
departments  assigned  to  rural  education  in  38  States.  Different  titles 
are  used  for  these  officers;  rural-school  supervisor  is  that  most  com¬ 
monly  used.  The  total  amount  spent  on  supervision  for  rural  schools 
by  State  departments  of  education  has  practically  doubled  during  the 
6-3^ear  period  ended  in  1928-29. 

Another  study  completed  during  the  year  is  concerned  with  the 
salaries  of  county  superintendents  or  officers  having  similar  duties 
but  with  different  titles.  During  the  6-year  period  studied  there  has 
been  an  increase  of  approximately  $500  in  the  median  salaries  paid 
such  superintendents.  The  maximum  salary  was  increased  $500  to 
$5,000  in  29  States.  At  the  same  time  the  study  points  out  there  still 
exists  a  wide  disparity  between  salaries  of  city  and  county  superin¬ 
tendents  when  comparisons  are  made  on  a  population  basis. 

Efforts  of  at  least  three  kinds  to  improve  instruction  have  been 
noticeable  during  the  year:  (1)  Coordination  of  the  functions  of  the 
several  agencies  concerned  with  teaching  and  the  teaching  force,  such 
as  pre-service  and  in-service  training,  placement  agencies,  certifica¬ 
tion;  (2)  through  raising  standards  for  teaching  certificates  and 
establishment  of  special  and  corresponding  courses  in  teacher¬ 
preparing  institutions  for  training  rural  teachers;  and  (3)  through 
the  extension  of  and  improvement  in  local  rural-school  supervision. 

The  movement  for  improving  standards  of  teaching  certificates  has 
been  going  on  for  a  number  of  years.  During  the  year  Illinois,  New 
Hampshire,  and  Oregon  enacted  legislation  setting  a  definite  date 
after  which  two  years  of  professional  training  above  high-school 
graduation  will  be  the  minimum  qualification  for  any  grade  of  teach¬ 
ing  certificate.  The  requirement  is  effective  in  New  Hampshire.  In 
Oregon  and  Illinois  it  becomes  effective  in  1931  and  1933,  respectively. 
Iowa  and  Minnesota  are  among  the  States  in  which  minimum  quali¬ 
fications  looking  toward  the  2-year  standard  in  the  future  were  set  up 
during  the  year.  The  minimum  in  Iowa  is  12  weeks  above  high- 
school  graduation;  in  Minnesota,  one  year.  Several  States  placed 
additional  limitations  on  the  number  and  percentage  of  certificates 
issued  on  examination;  Virginia  discontinued  the  practice. 

Recent  studies  have  thrown  considerable  light  on  questions  of 
supply  and  demand  in  the  teaching  force  and  on  the  situation  as 
regards  special  training  of  teachers  in  rural  high  and  elementary 
schools.  Where  there  is  a  surplus  of  teachers,  teachers  prepared  for 
high-school  work  are  employed  in  elementary  schools,  while  a  large 
percentage  of  those  trained  to  teach  one  subject  only  accept  positions 
in  small  high  schools  where  they  must  teach  several,  for  some  of 
which  they  have  not  had  adequate  preparation.  It  appears  that  there 
is  much  need  for  establishing  specialized  courses  adapted  to  the  par¬ 
ticular  needs  of  teachers  in  the  small  high  schools  and  for  courses  to 
prepare  teachers  for  one,  two,  and  three  teacher  elementary  schools. 

Approximately  151  of  the  185  State  normal  schools  and  teachers 
colleges  in  the  United  States  are  now  offering  differentiated  courses 
or  curricula  for  prospective  rural  elementary-school  teachers.  Among 
these  institutions  the  two-year  curriculum  is  the  one  most  commonly 
offered.  However,  some  institutions  offer  a  one-year  curriculum  and 
others  three  and  four  year  curricula  for  the  preparation  of  rural 
teachers. 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  EDUCATION 


7 


During  the  year  educational  surveys,  state-wide  in  scope,  have  been 
completed  in  Virginia  under  the  auspices  of  the  Educational  Commis¬ 
sion  of  Virginia.  West  Virginia  by  the  State  Department  of  Educa¬ 
tion,  and  Florida  by  the  Florida  Educational  Survey  Commission. 
A  state- wide  survey  by  the  New  Jersey  Educational  Survey  Commis¬ 
sion  is  now  in  progress  in  New  Jersey.  County  studies  have  been 
made  in  Alabama  under  the  direction  of  the  State  department  of 
education. 

In  local  rural-school  supervision  progress  has  been  in  two  direc¬ 
tions:  First,  through  extension  of  supervision,  both  in  the  number 
of  supervisors  and  the  territory  supervised ;  and,  second,  through  im¬ 
proving  the  quality  of  the  supervision  rendered.  Legal  provision  for 
the  employment  of  supervisory  assistants  to  the  county  superintend¬ 
ent  was  made  during  the  year  in  Mississippi  and  Texas.  Increases 
in  the  number  of  rural  supervisors  employed  are  reported  from 
Arkansas,  California,  Florida,  Georgia,  Maryland,  Michigan,  New 
Jersey,  North  Carolina,  Virginia,  and  West  Virginia.  In  Alabama, 
Virginia,  and  West  Virginia  the  increase  has  been  marked.  In  Ala¬ 
bama  an  “  equalization  of  educational  opportunity  plan  ”  recently 
adopted  provides  funds  to  finance  a  project  which  contemplates  one 
supervisor  for  each  group  of  75  teachers.  In  Louisiana  a  newly- 
acquired  equalization  fund  of  $1,500,000  is  expected  to  extend  super¬ 
vision.  The  situation  in  California  has  been  noted.  At  the  present 
time  there  are  reported  818  supervisory  assistants  to  administrative 
officers  in  the  United  States  who  spend  at  least  half  time  in  the 
supervision  of  instruction.  Minnesota  and  North  Dakota  have  ex¬ 
tended  during  the  year,  through  additions  to  the  State  staff,  the  plan 
for  improving  institute  instruction. 

Considerable  attention  has  been  given  in  New  Jersey  and  North 
Carolina  to  improving  supervision  by  principals  in  consolidated  and 
other  large  rural  schools.  In  Connecticut  “  primary  supervisors  ” 
have  given  special  attention  to  improving  instruction  in  the  one 
and  two  teacher  schools.  In  California  considerable  emphasis  has 
been  placed  upon  individualized  instruction  in  the  rural  schools. 
A  number  of  State  rural  school  supervisors  report  increased  use  of 
the  results  of  research  and  increased  participation  in  carrying  on 
research  studies  by  supervisors.  Special  studies  reported  during  the 
year  concern  the  improvement  of  teachers’  meetings  in  the  South¬ 
eastern  States,  a  study  of  developing  superior  teachers  in  New  York, 
a  study  of  measuring  results  in  supervision  in  consolidated  schools  in 
North  Carolina. 

In  the  field  of  rural  secondary  education  standardization  of  the 
small  high  schools  has  been  one  of  the  major  problems  with  which 
State  departments  have  been  concerned  during  the  year.  Recent 
studies  indicate  that  there  are  limits  in  high-school  enrollment  and 
teaching  staff  below  which  it  is  impracticable  for  a  school  to  attempt 
secondary  education.  Such  studies  are  reported  from  Ohio,  Vir¬ 
ginia,  and  Wyoming.  A  study  recently  completed  in  the  Bureau  of 
Education  shows  that  in  1926,  11  per  cent  of  the  9,875  4-year  rural 
high  schools  in  the  United  States  enrolled  fewer  than  30  pupils 
each;  30  per  cent,  fewer  than  40;  and  32  per  cent,  fewer  than  50. 
More  than  6  out  of  every  10  of  these  4-year  rural  high  schools  en¬ 
rolled  fewer  than  75  students;  65  per  cent  employ  a  staff  of  fewer 
than  four  teachers,  and  14  per  cent  operate  with  only  one  or  two. 


8 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Various  forms  of  consolidation,  union  districts,  county  high 
schools,  agricultural  high  schools,  wing  schools,  and  reorganization 
on  the  junior  high  school  basis  are  some  of  the  means  used  to  im¬ 
prove  the  situation.  Thus  far  it  is  safe  to  estimate  that  fewer  than 
30  per  cent  of  the  children  of  high-school  age  in  rural  areas  have 
access  to  high-school  instruction.  To  a  large  degree  the  problem 
of  making  secondary  education  available  to  rural  children  is  still 
unsolved.  A  few  experiments  in  instructing  rural  children  in  their 
homes  by  itinerant  teachers,  through  correspondence  courses  and 
modified  plans  of  “  individualized  instruction,”  are  reported. 

Activity  in  curriculum  construction  by  State  school  authorities 
has  been  widespread.  Rural  schools  are  those  most  affected  by  State 
courses  of  study.  Complete  courses  formulated  during  the  year  are 
reported  from  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Nevada,  North  Dakota,  Virginia, 
and  Wisconsin.  In  California,  where  heretofore  the  counties  as  well 
as  the  cities  have  assumed  responsibility  for  the  courses  of  study 
used,  a  State  curriculum  commission  has  been  appointed.  In  Cali¬ 
fornia  and  in  Indiana,  where  an  executive  committee  has  recently 
been  appointed  by  the  State  superintendent  for  the  purpose  of  revis¬ 
ing  the  State  course  of  study,  it  is  expected  that  textbook  adoptions 
will  be  preceded  by  programs  for  curriculum  revision. 

Certain  of  the  more  recent  State  courses  are  organized  by  groups 
of  related  subjects  replacing  the  single-subject  plan.  Those  of  New 
York,  Wyoming,  and  West  Virginia  are  examples  of  such  organiza¬ 
tion.  In  the  New  York  plan  the  “  health  group  ”  includes  personal 
hygiene  and  sanitation,  physical  education,  health  inspection,  and 
nutrition.  English  includes  reading,  literature,  penmanship,  spell¬ 
ing,  oral  and  written  composition,  and  grammar  usage.  Similar 
combinations  are  made  in  the  social  sciences,  the  arts  group,  and  the 
natural-science  group. 

Interest  in  the  opportunities  for  reading  which  children  and  adults 
in  rural  communities  enjoy  is  apparently  increasing.  A  few  indica¬ 
tions  are:  Publication  during  the  year  of  a  number  of  articles  on 
county  libraries,  including  a  series  in  School  Life  and  single  articles 
in  several  State  education  association  journals;  enactment  of  laws 
permitting  the  establishment  of  county  libraries  in  Arizona,  Colo¬ 
rado,  Delaware,  Oklahoma,  and  Tennessee ;  a  law  permitting  the  use 
of  district  funds  for  school  libraries  in  Nebraska;  and  coordination 
of  the  State  library  and  traveling  library  department  with  the  State 
department  of  education  in  Washington. 

A  study  published  during  the  year  in  California,  where  coopera¬ 
tion  between  rural  schools  and  county  libraries  is  well  established, 
compares  library  service  in  rural  schools  under  the  county  library 
system  and  that  under  the  separate  district  library  system,  pointing 
out  the  greater  efficiency  of  the  former.  Another  study,  made  in 
Cullman  County,  Ala.,  indicates  that  books  from  the  county  library 
taken  home  by  school  children  are  read  by  more  persons  in  the  homes 
than  in  the  schools.  The  American  Library  Association  reports  the 
number  of  county  libraries  as  263,  an  increase  of  3  during  the  year. 

CITY  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS 

The  movement  for  the  scientific  study  of  elementary  and  sec¬ 
ondary  education  is  gaining  momentum  in  the  city  schools  of  the 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  EDUCATION 


9 


country.  The  number  of  research  departments  which  are  giving  at¬ 
tention  to  curriculum  study  and  to  testing  programs  is  increasing. 
The  testing  movement  which  began  in  the  elementary  schools  is  ex¬ 
tending  rapidly  into  the  high  schools.  Of  142  research  departments 
reporting  to  the  Bureau  of  Education,  more  than  one-fourth  had 
city-wide  testing  programs  in  operation  in  the  high  schools  this 
year ;  between  one-sixth  and  one-fifth  administered  achievement  tests 
in  one  or  more  subjects;  one-ninth  offered  pupils  the  advantage  of 
various  other  kinds  of  tests  such  as  aptitude,  prognosis,  health,  and 
the  like.  The  pupils  in  the  junior  high  school  are  tested  more  fre¬ 
quently  than  those  of  other  secondary-school  grades.  A  student 
entering  any  of  the  junior  or  senior  high  school  grades  is  more  likely 
to  be  tested  than  a  student  previously  registered. 

Testing  programs  in  the  elementary  and  high  schools  are  assuming 
a  new  meaning,,  since  tests  are  no  longer  given  simply  to  find  out 
how  much  the  pupils  know  or  how  much  they  have  achieved  as 
compared  with  a  standard  norm.  No  testing  program  is  now  con¬ 
sidered  complete  without  its  remedial  program. 

That  the  scientific  movement  in  education  is  going  forward  is  fur¬ 
ther  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  in  many  of  the  larger  cities  and  in 
some  of  the  smaller  ones,  especially  those  cities  having  educational 
research  bureaus,  many  interesting  and  promising  experiments  are 
under  way.  The  Detroit  experiment  in  measuring  the  effect  of  indi¬ 
vidualization  may  be  cited  as  an  example.  In  general  the  plan  as 
explained  in  the  Detroit  Educational  Bulletins  issued  in  1928-29  con¬ 
sists  of  a  trial  under  experimental  conditions  of  several  distinctly 
different  degrees  and  kinds  of  individualization.  Two  schools,  one 
a  24-section  platoon  school  and  one  a  16-section  platoon,  are  using 
each  of  the  following  different  plans:  (1)  Much  individualization; 
(2)  some  individualization  (horizontal  grouping)  ;  (3)  little  individ¬ 
ualization  or  mass  instruction;  (4)  Winnetka  plan;  (5)  Dalton 
plan;  (6)  vertical  grouping. 

The  purpose  of  the  experiment  has  been  to  discover  whether  or  not 
each  particular  amount  of  individualization,  or  particular  scheme  for 
organizing  it,  can  be  used  successfully  in  the  regular  public  schools 
of  a  large  city. 

Denver,  Colo.,  may  be  mentioned  as  another  city  that  is  under¬ 
taking  an  extensive  experimental  research  program.  Fifteen  im¬ 
portant  research  studies  were  reported  under  way  in  the  schools  of 
that  city  in  October,  1928. 

As  yet  few  school  systems  are  working  on  the  same  research  study. 
One  study,  however,  in  which  a  number  of  cities  are  cooperating 
deserves  special  mention,  and  that  is  the  investigation  under  the  di¬ 
rection  of  Dr.  Thomas  E.  Finegan,  of  Eastman  Kodak  Co.,  to  dis¬ 
cover  the  value  of  the  teaching  film  in  the  classroom.  Twelve  cities 
have  been  cooperating  in  the  experiment,  which  has  involved  about 
12,000  children  in  the  elementary  and  junior  and  senior  high  school 
grades. 

Articulation  of  the  curricula  of  the  various  school  units  is  occu¬ 
pying  the  attention  of  city-school  superintendents  and  others.  Much 
is  being  done  to  articulate  the  work  of  the  kindergarten  and  primary 
school  grades,  which  not  so  many  years  ago  was  almost  wholly  un¬ 
related.  Better  articulation  is  being  effected  by  placing  the  kinder¬ 
garten  and  primary  grades  under  one  supervisor. 


10  EEPOET  OP  THE  COMMISSIONED  OF  EDUCATION 

With  the  increase  in  the  number  of  units  in  the  secondary  school, 
educators  are  realizing  more  fully  than  ever  before  the  need  of  artic¬ 
ulation  and  correlation  between  the  several  units  and  between  sec¬ 
ondary  schools  and  colleges.  Several  studies  on  articulation  which 
generally  but  not  exclusively  concern  themselves  with  city  secondary 
schools  are  under  way.  The  department  of  superintendence  of  the 
National  Education  Association  last  February  released  an  extensive 
series  of  studies  on  articulation  and  has  announced  another  series  to 
be  reported  upon  in  1931.  State  agencies  in  Pennsylvania  have  em¬ 
barked  upon  a  6-year  study  of  the  relation  between  secondary  and 
higher  education.  Kegional  standardizing  agencies,  which  have  in¬ 
terested  themselves  in  the  relationship  between  secondary  schools  and 
colleges  within  their  respective  territories,  have,  during  the  present 
calendar  year  instituted  a  significant  movement  for  a  unified  study 
of  this  subject  in  which  all  may  participate  on  a  cooperative  basis. 

Visual  instruction,  although  not  a  new  method  of  instruction,  is 
receiving  much  attention  from  city-school  superintendents,  super¬ 
visors,  teachers,  and  others.  The  present  wide  interest  in  this  method 
of  instruction  is  due  largely  to  the  popularity  and  the  educational 
possibility  of  the  motion  picture,  but  ail  other  visual  aids,  such  as 
graphs,  stereographs,  and  stereopticon  slides,  are  receiving  attention 
as  never  before. 

That  there  is  a  widespread  interest  in  films  as  a  means  of  instruc¬ 
tion  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  school  buildings  are  not  now  consid¬ 
ered  fully  equipped  unless  they  have  one  or  more  motion-picture 
machines.  Several  cities  have  already  installed  such  machines  in  prac¬ 
tically  all  their  school  buildings.  In  order  to  solve  the  many  admin¬ 
istrative  problems  that  have  arisen  in  connection  with  the  use  of  films 
and  other  visual  aids,  departments  of  visual  instruction  are  organized 
in  some  cities  to  take  care  of  and  to  distribute  films  and  slides,  to  help 
select  visual-education  materials,  and  to  adapt  them  to  the  course  of 
study. 

Instruction  by  radio  is  also  receiving  much  attention.  Many  city 
schools  are  equipped  with  receiving  sets  and  others  are  installing  them. 
The  Ohio  State  Legislature  has  appropriated  funds  to  be  used  for 
the  extension  of  elementary  education  through  the  use  of  radio  broad¬ 
casting.  Mr.  B.  H.  Darrow,  director  of  educational  broadcasting, 
State  of  Ohio,  writes  in  School  Life,  June,  1929,  “  This  marks  a  new 
milestone  in  education  and  in  radio.”  He  states  that  in  the  survey 
which  preceded  the  launching  of  broadcasts  more  than  1,200  schools 
signified  their  intention  of  equipping  with  radio  sets  if  the  broadcasts 
were  given. 

The  Chicago  Schools  Journal,  January,  1929,  reports  as  follows  re¬ 
garding  radio  broadcasting  for  the  Chicago  schools : 

Two  periods  of  broadcasting  are  conducted  daily  by  the  Daily  News  over  its 
station  WMAQ ;  the  first,  for  children  of  the  first  six  grades  and  the  other  for 
junior  high  school  pupils.  The  talks  are  carefully  fitted  to  the  needs  of  the 
curriculum  of  the  children.  While  it  is  true  that  the  whole  program  is  in  an 
experimental  stage,  there  is  no  doubt  that  a  beginning  has  been  made  on  an 
educational  device  of  great  importance  for  Chicago. 

City  schools  are  realizing  the  need  of  organizing  a  program  of 
safety  education  and  curricula  are  being  prepared  in  which  necessary 
information  for  a  child’s  self-protection  is  outlined  as  content  for 
language  and  composition  lessons  and  dramatic  work.  The  courses  in 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  EDUCATION 


11 


safety  are  usually  designed  to  correlate  with  most  of  the  subjects 
taught  in  the  schools.  Safety  clubs  under  various  names  may  be 
found  in  many  cities;  such  as  junior  safety  councils,  safety  patrols, 
and  civic  leagues,  which  are  doing  much  to  help  the  schools  teach 
safety  in  a  practical  way. 

Integration  of  all  school  activities  has  become  a  popular  phrase 
among  many  city-school  supervisors  and  teachers.  The  extent  to 
which  they  demonstrate  the  idea  underlying  integration  can  not  now 
be  determined,  but  an  indication  that  this  idea  is  put  into  practice  is 
found  in  the  number  of  courses  of  study  which  advocate  teaching 
through  units  of  work  rather  than  the  teaching  of  isolated  subjects. 

The  tendency  is  to  lengthen  the  school  day  so  that  children  in  the 
elementary-school  grades  may  have  more  time  for  play,  physical 
training,  and  handwork,  and  so  that  high-school  pupils  may  have 
more  time  in  sefeool  for  study  and  for  extracurriculum  activities.  Of 
800  cities  reporting,  84  have  within  the  past  two  years  lengthened  the 
elementary-school  day,  102  the  junior  high  school  day,  and  122  the 
senior  high  school  day.  The  usual  increase  in  the  elementary  schools 
has  been  30  minutes,  and  in  junior  and  senior  high  schools  30  or  45 
minutes. 

A  longer  school  term  is  generally  advocated  by  city-school  super¬ 
intendents  and  by  many  other  persons,  since  they  realize  that  with  a 
school  year  of  180  days  and  with  children  in  school  about  five  and 
one-half  hours  a  day  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  the  time  at  the 
disposal  of  children  is  spent  in  school,  and  that  under  modern  city 
conditions  there  is  nothing  much  for  children  to  do  when  they  are 
not  in  school.  Some  progress  is  being  made  in  lengthening  the  city- 
school  term.  Within  the  past  two  years  50  of  800  cities  reporting 
have  added  from  5  to  20  days.  Recently  the  State  of  New  York 
increased  the  minimum  school  term  to  190  days  a  year.  More  and 
more  cities  are  conducting  summer  schools  which  afford  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  for  many  children  to  attend  school  about  30  more  days  a 
year. 

The  amount  of  educational  and  professional  training  required  of 
elementary-school  teachers  for  first  employment  is  being  increased. 
In  the  comparatively  few  cities  that  required  but  one  year  of  training 
beyond  high  school  the  requirement  is  being  uniformly  raised  to 
graduation  from  a  2-year  normal  school.  In  some  cities  that  required 
two  years’  training  of  its  elementary-school  teachers  the  standard  is 
being  raised  to  three  or  four  years.  The  tendency  is  to  raise  the 
requirements  for  the  first  employment  of  junior  high  school  teachers 
to  four  years  of  college  work  with  professional  training  and  to  re¬ 
quire  about  18  hours’  professional  training  on  the  part  of  prospective 
high-school  teachers.  The  movement  in  the  direction  of  requiring  a 
master’s  degree  for  academic  senior  high  school  teachers  is  pro¬ 
nounced  in  some  cities.  Since  city  normal-school  courses  are  being 
raised  to  three  or  four  years  and  since  the  normal  schools  in  many 
of  the  States  are  being  converted  into  teachers  colleges,  it  is  possible 
for  many  of  the  city  schools  to  obtain  better-trained  elementary 
teachers  than  formerly. 

The  median  teacher’s  salary  in  1928-29,  according  to  data  compiled 
by. the  National  Education  Association,  was  for  the  cities  of  the  coun¬ 
try  as  a  whole  slightly  higher  than  the  median  salary  in  1926-2T. 


12  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

The  number  of  cities  adopting  the  single-salary  schedule — that  is, 
a  schedule  providing  the  same  salary  for  teachers  having  the  same 
qualifications  whether  they  teach  in  the  elementary  or  high  school . 
grades — is  increasing. 

The  expansion  movement  in  secondary  education,  which  has  been 
in  progress  since  the  World  War,  continues  without  perceptible 
slackening.  Organization  of  secondary  education  intp  two  units  of 
four  years  each  appeared  unmistakably  in  two  school  systems;  thus 
this  long-heralded  type  of  organization  is  now  definitely  in  opera¬ 
tion.  The  number  of  junior  high  schools  in  the  cities  of  the  country 
is  increasing  about  10  to  12  per  cent  each  year.  Reports  from  the 
field  indicate  a  marked  increase  in  the  number  of  undivided — i.  e., 
five  or  six  year — high  schools  in  the  smaller  cities.  There  is  a  notice¬ 
able  and  not  infrequently  stated  policy  for  school  systems  in  large 
cities  to  be  wholly  reorganized  on  some  other  than  the  traditional 
4-year  high-school  basis  as  soon  as  satisfactory  building  readjust¬ 
ments  can  be  effected. 

Among  the  many  other  movements  that  are  receiving  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  city-school  superintendents  are  the  platoon  plan  of  school 
organization  and  the  Winnetka  and  Dalton  plans  of  individual  in¬ 
struction.  During  the  year  24  cities  have  organized  one  or  more 
platoon  schools,  bringing  the  total  number  of  cities  having  such 
schools  up  to  153.  About  80  cities  report  that  they  have  within  the 
past  two  years  introduced  the  Winnetka  or  Dalton  plan,  but  usually 
with  modifications  of  the  plan. 

A  much-discussed  phase  of  education  is  preschool  or  nursery- 
school  education,  but  as  yet  nursery  schools  are  supported  by  only 
three  city  boards  of  education.  The  number  of  cities  in  which  such 
schools  are  either  housed  and  equipped  or  wholly  supported  by  city- 
school  systems  has  increased  to  10  during  the  past  year.  In  practi¬ 
cally  each  instance  these  nursery  schools  are  used  as  demonstration 
centers  to  inform  high-school  pupils,  as  well  as  teachers  in  the 
elementary-school  grades,  regarding  child  development  prior  to 
school  age. 


PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  AND  SCHOOL  HYGIENE 

The  State  of  Texas  passed  a  law  requiring  provision  for  physical 
education  in  all  public  schools.  In  Illinois  the  physical-education 
law  was  modified  so  that  no  teacher  shall  be  graduated  from  a  State 
normal  school  who  has  not  completed  a  year’s  work  in  physical 
education  comprising  at  least  one  hundred  and  forty-four  40-minute 
periods  of  instruction. 

In  New  York  State  a  law  was  passed  making  it  necessary  for  cer¬ 
tification  as  school  medical  supervisor  that  besides  being  a  graduate 
of  an  approved  medical  school  and  licensed  to  practice  in  the  State 
the  physician  must  have  had  six  semester  hours  of  post-graduate  work 
which  shall  include  the  following  subjects:  (a)  Medical  examination 
of  school  children;  (b)  psychiatric  problems  of  growth  and  nutri¬ 
tion;  (c)  preventable  defects  of  eyes,  ears,  teeth,  posture,  etc.;  (d) 
school  sanitation;  and  ( e )  communicable-disease  control.  The  ap¬ 
plicant  must  also  have  had  six  semester  hours  of  post-graduate  work 
in  a  school  or  schools  of  education  in  (a)  the  principles  of  health 
education,  and  ( b )  organization  and  administration  of  health  educa¬ 
tion  in  public  schools. 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  EDUCATION  13 

Within  the  year  the  newly  organized  American  Association  of 
School  Physicians  held  its  first  meeting. 

The  broadening  of  the  activities  of  the  school  nurse  is  indicated  by 
the  publication  of  the  outline  of  a  course  preparatory  for  this  posi¬ 
tion  prepared  by  Miss  Short  and  Miss  Stanley,  of  the  National  Or¬ 
ganization  of  Public  Health  Nursing.  The  proposed  course  covers 
four  summer  terms  with  units  for  winter  extension  work. 

Among  the  studies  bearing  on  the  health  of  the  school  child  re¬ 
ported  during  the  year  was  that  of  Doctor  Sterling,  of  the  Public 
Health  Service,  on  the  Physical  Status  of  the  Urban  Negro.  The 
findings  show  less  dental  decay  among  negroes  than  among  white 
children,  and  that  “  boys  and  girls  with  the  lowest  intelligence 
quotients  had  the  greatest  number  of  more  important  physical  de¬ 
fects.”  In  the  special  study  of  vision  of  school  children  made  by 
Jarman  and  Collins,  in  which  a  cyclopiegic  was  used,  the  investi¬ 
gators  found  a  high  percentage  of  visual  defects  among  those  ap¬ 
parently  normal  by  the  Snellen  letter  test,  and  they  recommend  that 
“  any  child  with  symptoms  of  eyestrain  should  be  sent  to  an  eye 
physician  for  examination  even  if  he  reads  20/20  on  the  Snellen 
chart.”  Doctors  Lokka  and  Hyatt  have  discovered  that  only  one  out 
of  2,250  fissures  in  the  enamel  of  molar  and  bicusped  teeth  remain 
immune  to  dental  decay.  Studies  are  in  progress  by  the  Dental 
Association  of  New  York  City  to  perfect  the  means  of  prophylactic 
treatment  of  these  dental  defects. 

Tests  with  the  audiometer  in  the  schools  of  Syracuse  seem  to  in¬ 
dicate  that  the  results  of  the  use  of  this  instrument  with  young 
children  are  rendered  unreliable  by  a  language  handicap,  especially 
where  the  children  are  from  homes  of  the  foreign  born.  It  is  sug¬ 
gested  by  the  investigators  that  all  children  found  defective  should 
be  retested  before  referring  them  to  an  aurist. 

Studies  of  the  results  of  health  teaching  in  elementary  schools  were 
reported  for  Joliet,  Ill.,  and  for  Malden,  Mass.,  both  of  which  indi¬ 
cate  measurable  results  from  a  well-conducted  program  as  compared 
with  control  classes.  These  results  are  in  proportion  to  parent 
cooperation  with  the  efforts  of  the  school. 

In  physical  education  there  has  been  increasing  emphasis  on  the 
extension  of  facilities  and  supervision  to  after-school  hours  and  to 
the  development  of  such  recreational  interests  as  will  lead  to  better 
use  of  leisure  during  and  after  school  years. 

Under  the  leadership  of  the  bureau’s  special  agent  in  schoolhouse 
construction  an  interstate  school  building  service  was  established.  Its 
present  membership  consists  of  representatives  from  State  depart¬ 
ments  of  education  in  12  States. 

ADULT  EDUCATION 

Public  interest  in  adult  education  has  increased  during  the  past 
year.  There  has  developed  a  district,  county,  and  State  conscious¬ 
ness  as  to  the  importance  of  the  education  of  adults.  California,  fol¬ 
lowing  its  practice  of  the  past  several  years,  held,  through  the  coop¬ 
eration  of  the  State  department  of  education  and  the  University  of 
California  (at  Berkeley),  a  conference  on  adult  education.  This 
conference,  the  one  called  by  the  Ohio  State  University,  and  the 
75208°— 29 - 3 


14  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

one  called  by  the  University  of  Minnesota  are  representative  of  state¬ 
wide  meetings  conducted  in  various  parts  of  the  country  to  bring 
together  all  of  the  agencies  in  the  respective  States  interested  in 
adult  education  so  that  a  better  coordinated  program  of  these 
agencies  might  be  effected. 

The  two  meetings  held  by  the  department  of  adult  education  of 
the  National  Education  Association  during  the  year  showed  a  decided 
increase  of  interest  in  adult  education  on  the  part  of  public-school 
officials  and  teachers.  Such  resolutions  as  the  following  resulted 
from  these  meetings : 

That  there  be  created  in  each  State  department  of  education  a  division  of 
adult  education  and  that  there  be  appointed  an  efficient  officer  to  direct  the 
development  of  a  state-wide  program  of  adult  education. 

That  there  be  enacted  in  each  State  legislation  providing  (1)  that  adult 
education  be  made  an  integral  part  of  the  public-school  program  of  the  State; 
(2)  that  the  organization  and  maintenance  of  such  classes  be  made  mandatory 
upon  local  boards  of  school  directors  upon  the  written  application  of  20  or 
more  residents  above  compulsory  school  age;  (3)  that  adequate  financial 
support  be  furnished  for  this  Avork. 

That  there  be  a  coordination  of  adult  education  activities  within  each  State 
so  as  to  provide  cultural  refinement,  vocational  training,  and  systematic  school¬ 
ing  for  all  those  who  desire  to  improve  themselves  by  further  study. 

It  was  strongly  held  by  those  in  attendance  at  these  meetings  that 
no  State  can  be  fair  to  its  young  men  and  women  if  it  provides  only 
for  those  more  fortunate  ones  who  can  be  spared  from  the  family 
support  so  as  to  attend  day  school. 

In  1929,  for  the  first  time,  the  Yearbook  of  the  Department  of 
Superintendence  of  the  National  Education  Association  devoted  con¬ 
siderable  space  to  the  program  of  adult  education. 

The^ American  Association  of  Adult  Education  during  the  year  has 
rendered  most  important  service  through  its  annual  meeting,  its  mag¬ 
azine,  and  other  publications  by  sponsoring  certain  studies  in  the 
adult  education  field  and  by  the  promotion  of  lecture  programs. 

There  has  been  much  effort  in  various  States  to  teach  illiterate 
persons,  so  that  the  1930  census  will  show  less  illiteracy  in  those 
States.  This  is  especially  true  of  South  Carolina,  Louisiana,  Ala¬ 
bama,  New  York,  and  the  New  England  States. 

State  and  national  conferences  have  indicated  in  various  ways  that 
wThat  is  desired  is  functional  literacy ,  which  takes  some  years  of  work 
to  accomplish.  Instruction  in  most  cases  must  be  continued  until  the 
reading  and  writing  habit  becomes  habitual,  else  little  of  permanent 
value  will  result. 

The  importance  of  having  more  definite  information  as  to  the  lit¬ 
eracy  of  the  population  has  been  recognized,  first,  by  an  effort  to 
secure  more  detailed  data  in  the  forthcoming  Federal  census  as  to  the 
ability  of  adults  to  read  English,  and,  second,  by  the  effort  of  various 
communities  to  collect  this  information  independent  of  the  Federal 
census.  The  State  of  Nebraska,  for  example,  now  attempts  to  secure 
information  as  to  the  education  of  all  adults  at  the  time  it  takes  the 
regular  school  census. 

Progress  in  parent  education  is  evidenced  by  the  better  coordina¬ 
tion  of  effort  of  educational  and  philanthropic  agencies  whose  inter¬ 
ests  are  centered  in  the  education  of  parents  in  the  fundamentals  of 
child  life ;  the  appearance  of  a  wealth  of  literature  on  child  develop- 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  EDUCATION 


15 


ment  and  parent  problems  resulting  from  the  numerous  researches 
on  these  subjects  which  have  been  carried  on  in  various  centers; 
increase  in  the  number  of  study  groups  among  parents. 

A  survey  of  preschool  and  parental  education,  containing  a  large 
body  of  valuable  material  relating  to  the  care  and  training  of  young 
children  and  the  education  of  parents,  was  issued  early  in  1929  by 
the  National  Society  for  the  Study  of  Education  in  its  twenty-eighth 
yearbook.  The  survey  provides  not  only  a  historical  setting  for  the 
present-day  movement  for  parental  education  and  child  development 
but  it  also  endeavors  to  make  clear  the  underlying  principles,  mean¬ 
ing,  scope,  and  objectives  of  agencies  working  on  projects  related  to 
this  field  of  education. 

In  many  States  provision  has  been  made  for  the  instruction  of 
parents  in  various  phases  of  child  study.  It  is  reported  that  47  col¬ 
leges  and  universities  in  connection  with  their  summer  sessions  offer 
such  instruction. 

Credit  or  noncredit  courses  in  the  technique  of  organization,  de¬ 
velopment,  and  conduct  of  parent-teacher  associations  are  announced 
for  leaders  in  parent  groups,  as  well  as  for  educators,  by  at  least  40 
institutions  of  higher  learning  for  the  year  1929. 

Thirteen  or  more  universities  or  colleges  in  their  extension  divisions 
offer  courses  for  parents  on  subjects  related  to  child  welfare  and 
parent  education  and  15  have  adopted  the  home  reading  courses  of  the 
United  States  Bureau  of  Education  and  conduct  them  according  to 
the  plan  of  the  National  Committee  on  Home  Education. 

An  appreciable  increase  is  noted  in  the  number  of  programs  now 
being  broadcast  by  radio  on  parent  problems  and  child  training. 

In  addition  to  the  state-wide  cooperative  projects  in  parent  educa¬ 
tion  in  operation  in  California  and  Pennsylvania,  similar  projects 
are  being  organized  in  Ohio  and  Michigan.  The  coordination  of  ef¬ 
forts  of  several  agencies  engaged  in  parent  education  or  in  related 
activities  for  the  purpose  of  more  effective  work  and  better  results  is 
characteristic  of  these  state-wide  projects. 

One  of  the  outstanding  needs  for  parent  groups  is  that  of  trained 
leadership.  How  to  provide  lay  and  professional  leadership  to  meet 
the  demands  is  one  of  the  serious  considerations  in  this  field. 

Lectures,  institutes,  and  conferences  on  parent  problems  are  pop¬ 
ular  means  employed  for  parent  education.  This  movement  has  per¬ 
haps  been  given  its  greatest  momentum  by  the  organization  of  parent- 
teacher  associations  with  a  national  membership  in  1929  of  1,382,742. 
Other  organizations,  financed  by  grants  from  a  large  foundation, 
have  made  distinct  contributions  to  the  parent  education  movement 
during  the  year,  each  of  which  has  its  own  unique  approach  to  the 
movement.  The  American  Home  Economics  Association  works 
through  schools  and  colleges  to  promote  preparental  education  among 
students  and  supports  a  field  service  in  the  interest  of  this  phase  of 
its  work;  the  American  Association  of  University  Women  carries  on 
a  project  of  group  study  organization  among  the  college-trained 
mothers  in  its  membership,  research  in  child  welfare  and  parental 
education,  and  develops  subject  matter  furnished  by  specialists  in 
this  field ;  working  in  cooperation  with  the  Child  Development  Insti¬ 
tute  of  Columbia  University,  the  Child  Study  Association  of  America 
furnishes  demonstration  centers  for  some  of  the  research  activities' 


16  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

of  the  institute,  organization  material,  and  subject  matter  for  study 
groups,  and  organizes  and  conducts  institutes  and  conferences  on 
child  development. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION 

Progress  in  industrial  education  during  the  past  year  was  char¬ 
acterized  by  an  expansion  of  the  programs  in  both  industrial-arts 
and  vocational-industrial  education,  research  studies  dealing  with 
objectives  of  courses  and  methods  of  instruction,  and  more  ade¬ 
quate  provisions  for  training  industrial  teachers.  The  tendency  to 
include  new  types  of  courses  in  the  programs  of  shop  subjects  was 
particularly  noticeable.  Formerly  the  conservatism  manifested  by 
school  officials  relative  to  the  introduction  of  new  types  of  courses 
into  the  curriculum  of  shop  subjects  made  it  exceedingly  difficult  to 
enlarge  the  offerings  in  industrial  education.  During  the  past  year, 
however,  a  much  more  liberal  attitude  was  shown. 

An  outstanding  example  is  the  introduction  of  courses  in  radio 
and  aviation.  The  Essex  County  Vocational  School  for  Boys,  New¬ 
ark,  N.  J.,  after  a  survey  of  local  Conditions  to  determine  the  need  for 
trained  workers  in  the  radio  industry,  introduced  a  course  in  the 
servicing  of  the  radio  trade.  Some  of  the  larger  industrial  schools 
introduced  well-organized  courses  in  aviation  for  the  purpose  of 
instruction  in  groundwork  and  airplane  motors.  Estimates  have 
been  made  which  indicate  that  there  are  probably  200  public  schools 
offering  courses  in  some  phase  of  aeronautics.  In  industrial  arts, 
model  boat  building  and  the  general  shop  course  gained  rapidly  in 
popularity. 

The  demand  for  industrial  arts  teachers  and  the  raising  of  the 
professional  standards  for  teachers  of  trade  subjects  stimulated 
teacher-training  institutions  to  enlarge  and  modify  their  work  in 
industrial  education.  The  State  board  for  vocational  education  of 
Ohio  developed  a  cooperative  plan  with  municipal  universities  and 
other  colleges  for  providing  a  systematic  program  for  training  in¬ 
dustrial  teachers  in  every  section  of  the  State.  Under  the  direction 
of  the  State  board  for  vocational  education  the  industrial  trainers 
offered  both  residence  and  extension  courses  in  the  regions  covered 
by  their  respective  colleges.  In  addition,  the  teacher  trainers  visited 
the  industrial  teachers  in  their  schools  and  gave  professional  assist¬ 
ance  in  the  upgrading  of  teachers  in  service.  They  also  held  regional 
conferences  for  the  teachers  in  their  jurisdiction  for  the  purpose  of 
promoting  and  improving  the  programs  in  industrial  education. 

The  State  Board  of  Education  of  California  adoped  new  regula¬ 
tions  governing  the  training  and  certification  of  industrial  teachers, 
which  became  effective  in  September,  1928.  According  to  these  new 
provisions  the  right  to  make  recommendations  relative  to  credentials 
for  a  certificate  to  teach  industrial  subjects  is  given  over  to  the 
teacher-training  institutions  of  the  State.  To  a  large  extent  the  re¬ 
sponsibility  for  prescribing  training  courses  also  rests  with  these  in¬ 
stitutions.  In  the  field  of  industrial  arts  a  certificate  to  teach  shop 
subjects  can  be  obtained  in  only  two  ways,  namely,  by  the  completion 
of  a  4-vear  college  course  or  by  securing  a  “  limited  credential,”  which 
is  issued  only  to  persons  who  have  completed  a  high-school  education, 


BECENT  EVENTS  IN  EDUCATION 


17 


who  have  had  as  many  as  five  years  experience  in  a  trade,  and  who 
have  completed  30  semester  hours  of  special  teacher-training  work. 
The  completion  of  additional  courses  in  education  is  made  a  condition 
for  the  renewal  of  the  “  limited  certificate.”  Standards  for  teachers 
of  trade  work  were  also  raised.  Vocational  teachers  of  evening  indus¬ 
trial  classes  are  required  to  complete  36  hours  of  teacher  training. 
This,  however,  may  be  completed  while  in  service. 

Research  studies  and  experimental  work  dealing  with  the  improve¬ 
ment  of  instruction,  the  characteristics  and  needs  of  industrial  stu¬ 
dents,  guidance,  and  placement,  and  objectives  for  courses  were  car¬ 
ried  on  by  a  number  of  agencies.  A  committee  of  the  industrial-arts 
section  of  the  American  Vocational  Association  made  a  study  of 
standards  of  achievement  in  industrial-arts  courses.  The  New  York 
State  Department  of  Education  carried  on  studies  relative  to  con¬ 
tinuation-school  pupils.  A  study  was  made  of  the  graduates  in  archi¬ 
tectural  drafting  from  the  Philadelphia  high  schools  to  determine 
the  number  employed  in  the  line  of  work  for  which  they  were  trained. 
A  State  committee  in  California  on  part-time  education  made  a  study 
of  more  than  1.200  part-time  students  to  determine  mental  ability 
and  educational  accomplishment.  A  State  committee  in  Indiana 
made  a  study  of  methods  of  instruction  in  industrial  subjects.  A  vo¬ 
cational  school  of  Boston  studied  the  reasons  for  school  leaving  of  a 
large  number  of  girls. 

HOME-ECONOMICS  EDUCATION 

The  State  Home  Economics  Association  of  Indiana  made  16  differ¬ 
ent  studies,  engaged  in  by  700  or  more  persons,  including  superin¬ 
tendents  and  principals  of  schools,  home-economics  supervisors, 
teacher  trainers,  teachers,  and  pupils,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a 
cross-sectional  picture  of  the  homes  of  Indiana,  the  communities  in 
which  they  are  located,  and  the  facilities  for  teaching  home  economics 
in  the  high  schools  of  the  State. 

In  accordance  with  the  findings  of  these  studies  there  were  de¬ 
veloped  industrial  units,  class  projects,  and  pupil  activities  to  meet 
the  home-economics  interests  and  needs  of  the  high-school  pupils  of 
the  various  sections  of  Indiana. 

Likewise  the  home-economics  committee  of  the  West  Virginia 
Survey  of  Education  based  its  recommendations  for  improved  home 
economics  for  that  State  upon  data  from  the  following  sources : 

(1)  Replies  of  167  teachers  to  questionnaires  sent  to  all  home- 
economics  teachers  in  junior  and  senior  high  schools  in  the  State; 
(2)  official  reports  of  high-school  principals  to  the  State  supervisor 
of  high  schools;  (3)  observations  of  82  home-economics  lessons  in 
various  types  of  senior  and  junior  high  schools  located  in  31  counties 
of  the  State;  and  (4)  supplementary  reports  of  classroom  instruc¬ 
tion  collected  by  observers. 

This  committee  recommended,  among  other  things,  an  increased 
home-economics  enrollment  and  suggested  to  school  authorities  that 
they  investigate  the  causes  for  the  existing  low  enrollment  of  34 
per  cent  of  high-school  girls  in  home-economics  classes;  also  that  they 
become  more  interested  in  the  home-economics  curriculum,  in  order 
“  that  its  educational  values  may  be  realized.” 


18 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


The  home-economics  course  of  study  for  the  public  schools  of 
Texas  was  revised  by  a  representative  committee,  including  home 
economists  from  teacher-training  institutions,  secondary  schools, 
and  the  State  department  of  education.  The  changes  especially  rec¬ 
ommended  by  this  committee  concerned  child  care  and  guidance, 
family  and  community  relationships,  and  home  economics  for  boys. 

Increasingly,  units  in  preparental  education  or  child  care  and  guid¬ 
ance  in  the  home-economics  program  are  planned  in  accordance  with 
the  various  school  levels  beginning  as  low  as  the  sixth  grade  of  the 
junior  high  school  and  continuing  through  the  university,  with  spe¬ 
cific  objectives  for  each  group  in  the  various  educational  organiza¬ 
tions.  For  example,  these  objectives  in  the  public  schools  range  from : 
(1)  Giving  to  pupils  in  the  junior  high  school  a  better  understanding 
of  little  children  and  opportunities  to  learn  how  to  be  of  service  to 
younger  children  in  the  home;  (2)  developing  appreciations  for  the 
responsibilities  of  older  members  of  the  family  to  the  younger  ones 
and  abilities  to  teach  and  amuse  little  children;  and  (3)  acquainting 
them  with  occupational  things  of  educational  value;  to  “a  study  of 
the  physical  and  mental  development  of  the  child  with  emphasis  on 
the  effect  of  heredity  and  environment  upon  social  and  mental  habit 
formation  ”  in  the  third  and  fourth  years  of  the  high  school. 

Progress  in  parental  education  sponsored  by  the  home-economics 
program  was  made  in  many  sections  of  the  United  States.  The  States 
outstanding  in  this  progress  are  Texas,  Oklahoma,  Nebraska,  New 
York,  Kansas,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  and  South  Dakota.  Wisconsin 
has  placed  emphasis  on  a  better-defined  program  for  adult  home 
making. 

COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION 

The  developments  of  the  past  year  indicate  a  more  general  accept¬ 
ance  of  the  scientific  method  of  curriculum  making  in  education  for 
business.  Additional  commercial  occupation  surveys  and  follow-up 
studies  contributed  data  toward  a  fact  basis  for  the  organization  of 
this  phase  of  education.  Analyses  of  stenographic,  clerical,  retail¬ 
selling,  and  executive  positions  made  possible  a  better  selection  of 
content  in  the  courses.  Investigations  of  the  difficulties  of  stenog¬ 
raphers,  together  with  certain  learning  and  time  studies,  gave  direc¬ 
tion  to  improvements  in  the  classroom  procedure.  During  the  year 
much  more  progress  was  made  in  applying  the  findings  of  research  to 
the  organization  of  the  curricula  than  to  the  selection  of  content  or 
improvement  of  instruction.  Comparatively  little  was  accomplished 
in  constructing  a  program  for  the  training  of  students  to  deal  more 
effectively  with  people. 

Some  of  the  major  developments  in  the  secondary  field  pertain  to 
a  wider  variety  of  offerings.  Ordinarily  the  new  courses  have  been 
organized  as  a  result  of  research  and  are  properly  placed  in  the  cur¬ 
riculum.  In  the  junior  high  schools,  there  has  been  a  general  increase 
in  the  introduction  of  appropriate  junior  business-training  courses. 
Following  closely  the  suggestions  in  the  report  prepared  at  Harvard 
University  in  cooperation  with  the  National  Association  of  Office 
Managers,  many  schools  have  organized  courses  in  office  practice  and 
machine  operation.  An  excellent  example  of  course  of  study  con¬ 
struction  for  clerical  practice  is  that  conducted  by  the  board  of  educa- 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  EDUCATION 


19 


tion  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Additional  courses  in  retail  selling  were 
organized. 

Although  only  a  comparatively  small  number  of  senior  high 
schools  organized  1-year  intensive  curricula  in  commercial  subjects 
for  seniors  and  graduates,  the  development  is  significant.  The  trend 
toward  the  upgrading  of  secretarial,  bookkeeping,  and  certain  other 
types  of  business  positions  requires  better-trained  workers,  particu¬ 
larly  for  the  upper  levels  of  such  positions.  Stenographic  and  book¬ 
keeping  courses  have  been  to  a  very  large  extent  moved  from  the  first 
two  years  to  the  last  two  years  of  the  senior  high  school.  The  major 
demand  for  stenographers  continued  to  be  for  the  high-school  gradu¬ 
ate.  There  is,  however,  a  smaller  demand,  but  no  less  definite,  for 
those  who  have  graduated  from  high  school  and  who  have  had  some 
additional  training  for  office  and  store  positions.  A  large  number 
of  plans  for  the  operation  of  the  intensive  curricula  have  been 
developed. 

The  colleges  and  universities  have  set  forth  on  a  program  of  accu¬ 
mulating  additional  pertinent  facts  about  the  requirements  of  initial 
and  subsequent  positions  obtained  by;  their  drop-outs  and  graduates. 
Harvard  University  is  conducting  a  study  to  determine,  among  other 
things,  what  factors  make  for  success  in  business.  The  University  of 
Michigan  compiled  approximately  15,000  questionnaire  returns  re¬ 
garding  the  occupational  histories  of  business  and  professional 
women.  The  Wharton  School  of  Finance  and  Commerce  of  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Pennsylvania  has  distributed  an  excellent  questionnaire  to 
its  drop-outs  and  graduates  for  an  appraisal  of  its  business  curricula 
and  personnel  program.  The  report  of  Dean  R.  E.  Heilman,  School 
of  Commerce,  Northwestern  University,  which  was  presented  at  the 
1929  meeting  of  the  American  Association  of  Collegiate  Schools  of 
Business,  together  with  the  report  of  Dr.  J.  O.  McKinsey  at  the  con¬ 
ference  on  higher  education  for  business  at  Stanford  University 
gives  direction  to  the  organization  of  collegiate  business  courses  on 
a  fact  basis. 

SCHOOL  LEGISLATION 

Within  the  fiscal  year  State  legislative  bodies  were  in  regular  ses¬ 
sion  in  all  States  except  Alabama,  Kentucky,  Mississippi,  and  Vir¬ 
ginia.  Copies  or  digests  of  educational  laws  enacted  during  the  year 
have  been  received  by  the  bureau  from  only  a  few  of  the  States. 
It  is,  therefore,  impossible  to  give  here  a  complete  summary  of  the 
scope  and  tendency  of  such  laws.  The  material  which  has  been  re¬ 
ceived  indicates  that  the  problem  of  financing  education  received 
more  legislative  attention  than  any  other  subject  and  that  the  tend¬ 
ency  of  recent  years  to  increase  State  responsibility  for  the  support 
of  public  education  continues  undiminished.  For  example:  Indiana 
provided  that  45  per  cent  of  the  amount  collected  under  the  T-cent 
common-school  levy  (instead  of  30  per  cent  as  heretofore)  shall  be 
distributed  as  school  relief  money.  Vermont  appropriated  $10,000 
per  annum  for  two  years  to  match  money  privately  raised  for  the 
standardization  of  rural-school  buildings.  Arkansas  appropriated 
$750,000  for  two  years  to  be  used  in  erecting  new  school  buildings  in 
natural  school  centers  to  aid  in  consolidating  schools  so  that  high- 
school  advantages  may  be  placed  in  reach  of  all  the  youth  of  the 
State,  and  provided  that  such  aid  shall  be  given  first  to  communities 


20 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


most  in  need  and  which  levy  the  maximum  tax  permitted  under  the 
constitution  and  laws.  Wyoming  levied  a  school  tax  on  “  interstate 
common  carriers  ”  operating  any  motor  vehicle  upon  the  highways 
of  the  State. 

The  salaries  of  the  State  superintendents  of  Arkansas  and  New 
Jersey  were  increased  to  $5,000  and  $15,000,  respectively.  Arkansas 
also  increased  the  qualifications  of  the  State  superintendent  so  as  to 
require  a  bachelor’s  degree  from  an  approved  college  or  university 
and  five  years’  experience  in  public-school  work  immediately  pre¬ 
ceding  his  election. 

Arkansas,  Indiana,  New  Jersey,  and  Oregon  took  steps  to  aid  in 
the  consolidation  of  rural-school  districts. 

LIBRARY  ACTIVITIES 

Among  notable  developments  in  the  library  field  are :  Progress  in 
the  organization  and  administration  of  school  library  work,  evidenced 
in  the  number  of  professionally  trained  school  librarians  and  the 
number  of  school  libraries  with  full-time  instead  of  part-time  libra¬ 
rians;  library  extension  work  in  the^education  of  adults;  awakened 
interest  in  need  for  county  and  rural-school  libraries ;  and  the  begin¬ 
nings  of  radio  broadcasting  by  libraries  of  worth-while  reading, 
illustrated  by  the  broadcasting  of  “  Reading-with-a-purpose  ”  litera¬ 
ture  of  the  American  Library  Association.  Library  radio  activities 
are  of  three  types:  Reviews  of  adults’  books,  reviews  of  fiction,  and 
radio  story  hours  for  children. 

Two  States  announce  new  library  training  divisions  or  schools,  the 
University  of  North  Carolina  to  serve  libraries  in  the  South,  and  the 
University  of  Minnesota.  Five  other  State  universities  are  now  in 
the  field  with  established  library  divisions  or  schools.  In  the  order 
of  establishment  they  are:  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Washington,  Cali¬ 
fornia,  and  Michigan.  The  work  is  primarily  for  the  school  librarian, 
who  is  now  recognized  as  an  indispensable  part  of  the  school  organiza¬ 
tion.  The  Graduate  Library  School  of  the  University  of  Chicago  is 
now  an  established  fact  with  one  year  of  service  to  its  credit. 

The  Carnegie  Corporation  of  New  York  has  announced  a  fund  for 
scholarship  grants  to  persons  preparing  for  library  work.  The  pur¬ 
pose  of  the  grants  is  to  enable  those  wTho  have  had  experience  in  li¬ 
brary  work  “  with  a  promise  of  capacity  to  contribute  to  the  advance¬ 
ment  of  the  library  profession  ”  to  pursue  for  a  year  or  more  study 
and  research  in  library  problems. 

Two  important  library  meetings  were  held  during  the  year,  the 
meeting  of  the  American  Library  Association  in  Washington,  May 
13-18,  1929,  and  the  first  World  Conference  of  Librarians  and  Bibli¬ 
ography,  held  at  Rome  and  Venice,  Italy,  June  15-30, 1929.  The  first- 
named  had  an  attendance  of  approximately  3,000,  the  largest  assembly 
of  library  workers  yet  recorded.  The  opening  meeting  was  addressed 
by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  of  the  United  States,  who  ex¬ 
plained  the  attitude  of  past  commissioners  toward  libraries  and  library 
work  in  the  country  at  Jarge  and  the  service  which  the  library  of  the 
bureau  is  able  to  render  at  the  present  time  for  the  library  and  the 
teaching  professions.  No  reports  from  the  world  conference  at  Rome 
have  been  received  at  this  time.  Twenty-two  countries  were  to  be  rep¬ 
resented  by  delegates,  and  15  delegates  from  the  American  Library 
Association  were  invited  to  attend  the  conference. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


21 


Library  legislation  enacted  during  the  year  included  the  following : 
Mississippi  provided  for  a  State  Library  Commission,  and  bills  to 
establish  State  agencies  were  passed  in  Montana,  New  Mexico,  South 
Carolina,  and  West  Virginia,  the  two  last-named  without  appropria¬ 
tions  ;  Illinois  enacted  a  library  law  providing  for  library  taxes  to  be 
levied  in  addition  to  all  other  taxes;  Indiana  passed  a  State  library 
building  bill  providing  for  a  fund  of  about  $1,000,000  to  be  collected 
by  a  tax  levy,  and  a  State  library  building  commission  to  be  ap¬ 
pointed  by  the  governor  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  the  building 
project ;  county  library  legislation  was  enacted  in  Arizona,  Delaware, 
and  Tennessee,  is  now  pending  in  Colorado  and  Oklahoma,  and  estab¬ 
lishment  of  county  libraries  was  provided  for  in  12  counties  in  11 
States. 

Pension  systems  for  librarians  have  been  formulated  in  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  and  Worcester.  Mass. 

An  interesting  development  has  been  noted  in  connection  with  the 
Julius  Rosenwald  Fund,  Chicago,  which  aims  to  extend  library 
service  to  the  South  through  financial  assistance,  in  an  effort  to  meet 
the  library  needs  of  that  section  of  the  country.  Several  unique 
points  are  noted  in  the  proposal:  The  requirement  that  designated 
libraries  in  the  South  shall  serve  the  entire  population,  rural,  urban, 
colored,  and  white;  also,  that  local  authorities  will  be  expected  to 
provide  adequate  buildings  and  equipment,  and  that  the  donors’ 
contributions  shall  be  used  for  books  and  service  exclusively. 

The  Library  of  Congress  continues  to  add  to  its  resources  and 
equipment  by  the  erection  of  extensive  blocks  of  stacks  for  the  hous¬ 
ing  of  the  rapidly  growing  collection  and  by  the  gift  and  purchase  of 
private  libraries.  Library  architecture  is  becoming  standardized  and 
modernized,  and  at  the  same  time  distinctive  and  beautiful  in  design. 

Interest  in  reading  facilities  for  the  blind  is  increasing,  not  only 
for  the  blind  in  general  but  for  the  students  in  high  schools,  colleges, 
and  universities,  who  have  increased  need  for  textbooks  in  raised 
type.  The  Library  of  Congress  reading  room  for  the  blind,  various 
State  libraries  with  sections  for  the  blind,  the  American  Foundation 
for  the  Blind,  the  American  Red  Cross,  and  other  agencies  are  work¬ 
ing  to  supply  these  needs. 

//.  WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 
A.  General 
/.  RESEARCH 
( A )  Studies  Completed 

Higher  education. —  (1)  Self-help  for  college  students;  (2)  stu¬ 
dent  loan  funds;  (3)  report  on  surveys  of  higher  education  for 
1926-1928;  (4)  student  expenses  in  State  universities;  (5)  current 
statistics  relating  to  enrollment,  salaries,  budgets,  etc.,  of  State 
teachers  colleges  and  normal  schools;  (6)  current  statistics  relating 
to  enrollment,  salaries,  budgets,  etc.,  of  State  universities  and  colleges ; 
(T)  accredited  higher  institutions;  (8)  cost  of  going  to  college; 
(9)  statistics  of  land-grant  colleges  for  the  year  ending  June  30, 
1928;  (10)  biennial  survey  of  higher  education  for  1926-1928. 

75208°— 29 - 1 


22 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Rural  education. —  (1)  Biennial  survey  of  rural  education;  (2) 
staff  members  of  State  departments  of  education  assigned  to  rural 
schools;  (3)  salaries  and  certain  legal  provisions  relating  to  the 
county  superintendency;  (4)  State  and  county  financial  aid  for 
rural-school  libraries;  (5)  State  laws  concerning  financial  support 
for  rural-school  libraries;  (6)  abstracts  of  proceedings  of  conference 
on  rural-school  supervision  in  New  Orleans,  La.;  (7)  educational 
achievements  of  1-teacher  and  of  larger  rural  schools;  (8)  time  allot¬ 
ment  in  rural  schools;  (9)  comparative  statistics  of  urban  and  rural 
education;  (10)  statistical  study  of  comparative  educational  oppor¬ 
tunities  in  urban  and  rural  communities  for  the  United  States  as  a 
whole  and  for  four  representative  States;  (11)  study  of  experiments, 
with  correspondence  courses  and  itinerant  teaching;  (12)  salaries  and 
salary  trends  of  teachers  in  rural  schools  1921-1925. 

City  schools. —  (1)  Preparation  for  teachers  of  nursery  schools, 
kindergartens,  and  primary  grades;  (2)  primer  of  information  about 
kindergarten  education;  (3)  housing  and  equipment  of  the  Wash¬ 
ington  Child  Research  Center;  (4)  nursery  schools  in  the  United 
States;  (5)  progress  in  nursery-kindergarten-primary  education, 
1926^1928;  (6)  report  cards  used  in  kindergarten-primary  grades; 
(7)  civics  and  safety;  (8)  progress  of  secondary  education,  1926- 
1928;  (9)  changing  conceptions  of  the  school-building  problem; 
(10)  recent  movements  in  city  school  systems;  (11)  heads  of  de¬ 
partments  in  large  high  schools. 

Physical  education  mid  school  hygiene. —  (1)  Methods  of  construc¬ 
tion  and  reconstruction  of  small  rural  schoolhouses ;  (2)  sanitary 
care  of  schools  for  the  guidance  of  the  regular  teacher;  (3)  physical 
defects  of  school  children  and  what  can  be  done  about  them ;  (4)  mor¬ 
tality  and  morbidity  of  school  children;  (5)  organized  summer  camp 
as  a  factor  in  education  in  colleges  and  universities;  (6)  review  of 
hygiene  and  physical  education,  1926-1928. 

Adult  education. —  (1)  Adult  education  activities,  1926-1928;  (2) 
adult  education  as  conducted  under  public  auspices;  (3)  educational 
opportunities  offered  to  adults  in  rural  communities  in  Delaware; 
(4)  parent  education  and  parent-teacher  associations;  (5)  contribu¬ 
tions  of  organizations  and  institutions  to  parent  education. 

Industrial  education. —  (1)  Industrial  education,  1926-1928;  (2) 
schools  offering  a  course  in  occupations;  (3)  shop  courses  offered  by 
various  schools. 

Home  eccmomics  education. — (1)  Specific  contributions  which- 
home  economics  makes  to  the  general  education  of  the  pupil;  (2) 
universities,  colleges,  State  teachers  colleges,  and  normal  schools 
offering  home-economics  instruction;  (3)  types  of  home-economics 
courses  offered  boys  in  the  junior  and  senior  high  schools  of  the 
United  States;  (4)  trends  of  home-economics  education,  1926-1928. 

Commercial  education. —  (1)  Objectives  of  commercial  subjects  in 
the  junior  high  schools ;  (2)  surveys  and  analyses  of  commercial  occu¬ 
pations;  (3)  commercial  education,  1926-1928;  (4)  standards  for 
credit  in  shorthand  and  typewriting;  (5)  collegiate  courses  in  ac¬ 
counting,  advertising,  banking  and  finance,  commercial  teacher- 
training,  insurance,  journalism,  merchandising,  organization  and 
management,  public  service  and  civic  work,  realty,  secretarial  train¬ 
ing,  transportation. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


23 


School  legislation. —  (1)  Important  provisions  of  State  laws  relat¬ 
ing  to  free  textbooks  for  public-school  children;  (2)  educational  bills 
introduced  into  State  legislatures;  (3)  digest  by  States  of  1928  edu¬ 
cational  laws;  (4)  survey  of  school  legislation  1927  and  1928. 

Foreign  education. —  (1)  Important  phases  of  education  in  other 
countries;  (2)  requirements  for  the  degrees  of  bachelier,  licence-es- 
lettres,  and  aggregation  granted  by  secondary  schools  and  universities 
in  France;  (3)  programs  of  study  of  the  Hungarian  secondary 
schools  and  complete  list  of  the  secondary  schools  in  Hungary  whose 
graduates  are  admitted  without  examination  to  Hungarian  institu¬ 
tions  of  university  rank ;  (4)  outline  of  a  course  of  study  in  foreign 
and  comparative  education;  (5)  higher  institutions  in  other  coun¬ 
tries;  (6)  bilingual  and  multilingual  school  systems ;  (7)  educational 
institutions  in  Egypt;  (8)  normal  institutes  in  Italy;  (9)  student 
movement  for  peace;  (10)  the  unity  school;  (11)  official  publications 
relating  to  education  in  England,  Wales,  Northern  Ireland,  Irish 
Free  State,  Scotland;  (12)  information  about  the  certificates  issued 
by  the  Scottish  education  department;  (13)  examinations  in  the 
University  of  Calcutta, 


( B )  Studies  in  Progress 

Higher  education. —  (1)  Land-grant  college  survey;  (2)  income  of 
land-grant  colleges  since  1900;  (3)  statistics  of  land-grant  colleges 
for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1929;  (4)  scholarships  and  fellowships. 

Rural  education. —  (1)  Constitution  and  functions  of  county 
boards  of  education;  (2)  abstracts  of  proceedings  of  conference  on 
rural-school  supervision  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa;  (3)  status  of  rural- 
school  supervisors;  (4)  age-grade  distribution  of  pupils  in  consol¬ 
idated  schools;  (5)  State  aid  for  consolidation  and  transportation; 
(6)  decade  of  progress  in  the  consolidation  of  rural  schools;  (7) 
current  practices  in  the  construction  of  State  courses  of  study;  (8) 
aspects  of  rural-school  supervision  of  special  interest  to  patrons, 
teachers,  and  county  superintendents  in  counties  in  which  super¬ 
visory  assistants  are  not  employed;  (9)  actual  size  of  the  small  pub¬ 
lic  high  schools;  (10)  types  of  administrative  control  in  rural  high 
schools;  (11)  curriculum  offerings  of  rural  high  schools  and  their 
relationship  to  rural  educational  needs;  (12)  cooperation  of  county 
libraries  with  rural  schools. 

City  schools. —  (1)  Supervision  provided  for  primary  grades  in 
city  schools;  (2)  minimum  essentials  for  nursery  schools ;  (3)  educa¬ 
tive  value  of  building  blocks;  (4)  school  buildings;  (5)  platoon 
schools — buildings,  costs,  and  educational  features;  (6)  cycles  of 
home  life;  (7)  provision  made  in  city  high  schools  to  care  for  in¬ 
dividual  differences  of  pupils;  (8)  selection  of  teachers  in  city  school 
systems;  (9)  outline  for  self -surveys. 

Physical  education  and  school  hygiene. — (1)  Open-air  and  open- 
window  rooms;  (2)  physical  education  as  a  required  subject  in 
teachers  colleges,  normal  schools,  and  in  departments  of  education 
of  colleges  and  universities;  (3)  organized  recess  as  carried  on  in 
elementary  city  public  schools;  (4)  State  requirements  and  regula¬ 
tions  regarding  the  size  and  use  of  school  grounds  and  the  relation¬ 
ship  between  school  authorities  and  recreational  organizations  re¬ 
garding  the  use  of  these  grounds. 


24 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Adult  education. —  (1)  Types  of  part-time  education  in  the  United 
States;  (2)  best  methods  of  reducing  illiteracy  in  the  United  States; 

(3)  educational  opportunities  offered  to  inmates  of  prisons  in  the 
United  States;  (4)  extension  activities  in  land-grant  colleges;  (5) 
research  and  instructional  programs  of  agencies  engaged  in  parental 
education;  (6)  organization  and  administration  of  health  campaigns 
to  prepare  children  for  their  first  entrance  into  school;  (7)  status 
and  extent  of  home  reading  and  study  courses  and  circles. 

Industrial  education. —  (1)  Organization,  curricula,  and  staff  of  the 
industrial  education  work  in  teacher-training  institutions;  (2)  voca¬ 
tional  and  educational  guidance;  (3)  curriculum  study  in  the  in¬ 
dustrial  arts;  (4)  cooperative  part-time  education. 

Home  economics  education. —  (1)  Methods  used  in  building  the 
home-economics  curriculum  for  the  elementary  and  secondary 
schools;  (2)  home  economics  in  the  1-room  rural  schools  and  con¬ 
solidated  rural  districts. 

Commercial  education. —  (1)  Part-time  commercial  education;  (2) 
education  for  business  in  the  land-grant  colleges  and  universities. 

School  legislation. —  (1)  Legislation  for  financing  education,  show¬ 
ing  sources  of  school  funds  and  methods  of  distribution ;  (2)  digest 
of  laws  relating  to  Federal  subsidies  for  education. 

Foreign  education. —  (1)  Ministries  of  education  in  foreign  coun¬ 
tries;  (2)  land-grant  college  survey  study  with  respect  to  foreign 
students;  (3)  teaching  English  to  non-English-speaking  children; 

(4)  constitutional  provisions  relating  to  education. 

2.  EDUCATIONAL  SURVEYS 

The  progress  of  the  survey  of  land-grant  colleges  begun  in  July, 
1927,  has  been  very  gratifying.  During  the  past  year  the  ques¬ 
tionnaires  not  finished  in  1927  were  completed  and  sent  to  the  insti¬ 
tutions.  The  questionnaires  have  nearly  all  been  filled  in  and 
returned,  and  the  field  work  among  the  67  institutions  surveyed  has 
been  completed.  Leading  authorities  in  land-grant  college  education 
are  now  engaged  in  writing  the  tentative  reports  on  the  several 
aspects  of  the  survey. 

A  comprehensive  study  of  negro  colleges  and  universities  through¬ 
out  the  United  States  was  completed  by  the  bureau  during  the  past 
year.  Its  purpose  was  to  ascertain  the  present  status  of  negro  higher 
education  and  to  recommend  changes  for  its  improvement  and  de¬ 
velopment.  The  results  show  great  progress  and  an  extraordinary 
demand  among  the  negro  people  of  the  country  for  college  and 
university  education.  Of  the  79  institutions  in  the  country  included 
in  the  survey,  77  were  found  doing  college  work  as  compared  with 
31  institutions  10  years  ago.  The  survey  shows  a  gain  of  550  per 
cent  in  enrollment  in  the  negro  institutions  over  the  10-year  period, 
and  a  fourfold  increase  in  total  annual  income  for  the  same  period. 
Notwithstanding  the  exceptional  progress  made  in  negro  higher  edu¬ 
cation  the  bureau  found  that  the  immediate  need  of  the  race  is  more 
education,  better  education,  and  higher  education.  A  shortage  pre¬ 
vails  not  only  in  number,  but  also  in  the  quality  of  the  teachers.  A 
real  need  for  more  trained  professional  and  technical  leaders  of  the 
race,  including  doctors,  dentists,  and  lawyers,  is  shown  by  the  survey. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


25 


A  school -building  survey  was  made  of  the  Mount  Vernon  schools, 
Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  at  the  request  of  the  board  of  education.  A 
10-year  building  program  divided  into  two  5-year  periods,  involv¬ 
ing  a  cost  of  $3,000,000  for  the  first  5-year  period  was  worked  out 
for  the  school  board.  A  bond  issue  of  $3,000,000  for  school  buildings 
was  voted  upon  favorably  in  May,  1929. 

A  survey  was  made  of  the  junior  and  senior  high  schools  otf 
Eoanoke,  Va.  A  preliminary  report  was  submitted,  and  later  two 
representatives  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  conferred  with  the  board 
of  education  and  the  superintendent  of  schools  of  Roanoke  and  with 
the  Virginia  State  Department  of  Education  regarding  the  recom¬ 
mendations  contained  in  the  report.  The  superintendent  of  schools 
will,  before  the  opening  of  schools  in  September,  prepare  for  the 
consideration  of  the  board  of  education  recommendations  based  upon 
the  survey  report. 

Upon  the  invitation  of  the  board  of  education  of  Huntington, 
W.  Va.,  a  survey  was  made  of  school  finances  .in  that  city.  The 
report  was  not  completed  at  the  close  of  the  year,  but  was  submitted 
to  the  board  of  education  early  in  July.  The  expenditures  for  school 
purposes  are  being  analyzed  and  compared  with  expenditures  in 
other  cities  of  comparable  size. 

3.  CONFERENCES 

Two  important  conferences  in  the  field  of  education  were  called  by 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  during  the  latter  part  of  the  fiscal  year. 
The  first  was  devoted  to  the  subject  of  education  by  radio  and  the 
second  to  the  relationship  which  should  exist  between  the  Federal 
Government  and  education  in  the  States. 


Conference  on  Education  by  Radio 

The  conference  on  education  by  radio  was  held  on  May  24,  1929,  in 
the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and  was  attended  by  the 
following-named  persons : 

Ray  Lyman  Wilbur,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  presiding;  Wil¬ 
liam  J.  Cooper,  Commissioner  of  Education,  secretary ;  Ira  E.  Rob¬ 
inson  and  Eugene  O.  Sykes,  members  Federal  Radio  Commission; 
John  W.  Elwood  and  Everett  Case,  representing  the  National  Broad¬ 
casting  Co.;  William  S.  Paley,  president,  Columbia  Broadcasting 
Co.;  Samuel  Pickett,  Columbia  Broadcasting  Co.;  Sherwood  D. 
Shankland,  secretary  department  of  superintendence,  National  Edu¬ 
cation  Association;  J.  W.  Crabtree,  secretary  National  Education 
Association;  C.  R.  Mann,  director,  American  Council  on  Education; 
H.  Robinson  Shipherd,  Business  Training  Corporation;  H.  Gray¬ 
son  Martin,  representing  the  Western  Electric  Co.;  Frederic  Wil¬ 
liam  Wile;  and  Frank  M.  Russell. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  presided  over  the  conference  which 
had  for  its  objective  the  discussion  of  the  use  of  radio  in  education 
and  the  determination  of  methods  that  should  be  established  in  order 
to  make  the  radio  more  effective  in  education.  After  considerable 
discussion  of  the  subject  and  explanation  of  methods  that  have  been 
employed  in  the  past,  it  was  the  sense  of  the  conference  that  a  com- 


26 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


mission  or  committee  be  appointed  to  make  a  study  of  the  subject 
and  make  a  report  thereon  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  The 
advisory  committee  on  education  by  radio,  appointed  by  the  Sec¬ 
retary  consists  of  the  following:  William  John  Cooper  (chairman), 
United  States  Commissioner  of  Education;  Ira  E.  Robinson,  chair¬ 
man  Federal  Radio  Commission;  John  L.  Clifton,  director  of  edu¬ 
cation  (Ohio)  ;  Harold  Stonier,  educational  director  American 
Institute  of  Banking ;  William  S.  Paley,  president  Columbia  Broad¬ 
casting  Co.;  M.  L.  Aylesworth,  president  National  Broadcasting  Co.; 
H.  Robinson  Shipherd.  Business  Training  Corporation;  Frank 
Cody,  superintendent  of  schools,  Detroit;  W.  W.  Charters,  Ohio 
State  University;  James  A.  Moyer,  director  of  division  of  uni¬ 
versity  extension,  department  of  education  (Massachusetts)  ;  George 
B.  Zehmer,  director,  division  of  extension,  University  of  Virginia; 
Will  G.  Chambers,  Pennsylvania  State  College;  John  H.  Finley, 
editor,  New  York  Times;  Alice  Keith,  director  of  educational  de¬ 
partment,  Radio  Corporation  of  America;  Mrs.  Howell  Moorhead. 

The  advisory  committee  on  education  by  radio  held  its  first  meet¬ 
ing  in  Chicago,  Ill.,  June  13,  1929.  The  meeting  resulted  in  the 
appointment  of  committees  as  follows:  Ways  and  means  committee, 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  funds  necessary  for  the  work  of  the 
advisory  committee  and  of  establishing  cooperative  arrangements 
with  foundations  and  with  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education. 
Fact-finding  committee,  to  list  all  experiments  undertaken  up  to 
the  present  time;  to  indicate  the  scope  of  radio  instruction  to  the 
present  time  and  what  appeared  most  successful  and  significant; 
to  gather  all  possible  data  and  literature  respecting  programs, 
policies,  methods,  costs,  etc. ;  and  to  outline  a  program  which  should 
be  pursued  in  the  future  in  keeping  track  of  educational  activities 
by  means  of  the  radio.  Committee  on  research,  to  measure  the  re¬ 
sults  of  certain  programs  now  broadcast;  to  study  the  techniques 
now  used  in  radio  education  and  allied  types  of  instruction;  to 
cooperate  with  authorities  now  handling  carefully  outlined  pro¬ 
grams;  to  make  suggestions  to  groups  now  experimenting  with 
educational  programs  by  radio.  Executive  committee,  to  super¬ 
vise  the  work  of  all  subcommittees,  decide  upon  time  and  place  of 
meetings  of  the  advisory  committee,  correlate  the  work  of  the  sub¬ 
committees,  and  prepare  recommendations  for  action  by  the  ad¬ 
visory  committee  as  a  whole.  The  chairmen  of  committees  are  as 
follows:  Executive,  William  John  Cooper;  ways  and  means,  John  L. 
Clifton ;  fact-finding,  H.  Robinson  Shipherd ;  research,  W.  W. 
Charters. 

Advisory  Committee  on  Education 

On  June  7,  1929,  there  was  held  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  a  meeting  of  the  advisory  committee  on  education  appointed 
by  the  Secretary  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  study  of  the  present 
relations  of  the  National  Government  to  education  and  to  make  rec¬ 
ommendations  as  to  what  should  be  the  future  program  of  the  Gov¬ 
ernment  in  that  field.  Dr.  C.  R.  Mann,  director  American  Council 
on  Education,  was  designated  chairman,  and  Mr.  J.  W.  Crabtree, 
secretary  National  Education  Association,  was  designated  secretary 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION  27 

of  the  committee.  The  other  members  of  the  committee  were  divided 
into  three  subcommittees  as  follows : 

Subcommittee  No.  1  (to  consider  educational  activities  of  the 
United  States  Government,  their  present  administration,  what  should 
be  the  future  organization)  :  James  E.  Russell,  dean  emeritus  Teach¬ 
ers  College,  Columbia  University,  chairman ;  Mrs.  F.  P.  Bagley,  Bos¬ 
ton,  Mass;  Lita  Bane,  department  of  home  economics,  University 
of  Wisconsin;  Samuel  P.  Capen,  chancellor  University  of  Buffalo; 
Walton  L.  Crocker,  chairman  educational  committee,  United  States 
Chamber  of  Commerce;  William  M.  Davidson,  superintendent  of 
schools,  Pittsburgh;  Frank  P.  Graves,  commissioner  of  education, 
New  York;  Rev.  George  Johnson,  secretary  Catholic  Educational 
Association;  Lois  H.  Meek,  secretary  American  Association  of  Uni¬ 
versity  Women;  J.  C.  Merriam,  president  Carnegie  Institution  of 
Washington;  Carl  H.  Milam,  secretary  American  Library  Associa¬ 
tion;  R.  R.  Moton,  president  Tuskegee  Institute;  Belle  Sherwin, 
president  National  League  of  Women  Voters;  George  D.  Strayer, 
head  department  of  administration,  Teachers  College,  Columbia  Uni¬ 
versity;  W.  F.  Willoughby,  Institute  of  Government  Research. 

Subcommittee  No.  2  (to  consider  the  subsidies  of  the  Federal  Gov¬ 
ernment  to  Colleges,  their  administration,  results  obtained,  future 
policies)  :  Lotus  D.  Coffman,  president  University  of  Minnesota, 
chairman;  James  R.  Angell,  president  Yale  University;  Harry  W. 
Chase,  president  University  of  North  Carolina;  E.  P.  Cubberley, 
Leland  Stanford  Junior  University;  George  H.  Denny,  president 
University  of  Alabama;  Edward  C.  Elliott,  president  Purdue  Uni¬ 
versity;  Mordecai  Johnson,  president  Howard  University;  Uel  W. 
Lamkin,  president  National  Education  Association  and  president  of 
the  Northwest  Missouri  State  Teachers  College;  Cloyd  H.  Marvin, 
president  George  Washington  University;  W.  P.  Morgan,  president 
Western  Illinois  State  Teachers  College;  Edward  A.  Pace,  vice  chan¬ 
cellor  of  Catholic  University  of  America ;  D.  W.  Springer,  secretary 
Association  of  Governing  Boards  of  Universities  and  Allied  Institu¬ 
tions;  Lida  Lee  Tall,  Teachers  College,  'Towson,  Md. ;  Mary  E.  Wool- 
ley,  president  Mount  Holyoke  College;  George  F.  Zook,  president 
University  of  Akron. 

Subcommittee  No.  3  (to  consider  subsidies  granted  for  education 
of  less  than  college  grade,  how  administered,  results  obtained,  sug¬ 
gestions  for  future  policy)  :  Frank  Cody,  president  department  of 
superintendence,  National  Education  Association,  and  superintend¬ 
ent  of  schools,  Detroit,  chairman;  Maurice  Bisgyer,  secretary,  Na¬ 
tional  Association  of  Jewish  Community  Center  Secretaries;  R.  L. 
Cooley,  director  Milwaukee  Vocational  School  Committee;  John  W. 
Davis,  president  West  Virginia  Collegiate  Institute;  J.  B.  Edmon¬ 
son,  chairman  National  Committee  on  Research  in  Secondary 
Education;  T.  E.  Finegan,  educational  director  Eastman  Kodak 
Co.;  William  Green,  president  American  Federation  of  Labor;  Mrs. 
L.  W.  Hughes,  Arlington,  Tenn. ;  Mrs.  Edith  B.  Joynes,  president 
department  of  classroom  teachers,  Norfolk,  Va. ;  Charles  H.  Judd, 
director  School  of  Education,  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  Ill.; 
Mrs.  S.  M.  N.  Marrs,  president  National  Congress  of  Parents  and 
Teachers;  A.  B.  Meredith,  commissioner  of  education  (Connecti- 


28 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


cut);  W.  B.  Munroe,  Harvard  University;  William  F.  Russell, 
dean  Teachers  College,  Columbia  University;  Agnes  M.  Samuelson, 
State  superintendent  of  public  instruction  (Iowa)  ;  Guy  E.  Snaveley, 
secretary  Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools  of  the 
Southern  States. 

At  the  opening  session  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  briefly  out¬ 
lined  the  reasons  for  the  appointment  of  the  committee,  after  which 
he  placed  the  meeting  in  charge  of  the  chairman  of  the  advisory 
committee.  Addresses  on  various  phases  of  the  relationship  of  the 
Federal  Government  to  education  were  given  by  a  number  of  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  committee. 

Meetings  were  held  by  each  of  the  three  subcommittees  named 
above,  at  which  plans  were  formulated  for  carrying  on  the  work 
assigned  to  them.  It  is  expected  that  some  time  during  the  fall 
or  early  winter  another  meeting  of  the  advisory  committee  may  be 
held  to  hear  reports  of  work  accomplished  and  to  consider  such 
recommendations  as  may  be  made  at  that  time. 

Another  important  conference  held  in  Washington  was  the  meet¬ 
ing  on  December  11  and  12,  1928,  of  the  National  Council  of  State 
Superintendents  and  Commissioners  of  Education  with  the  Bureau 
of  Education.  Hon.  Roy  O.  West,  then  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
graciously  welcomed  the  members  of  the  council  to  Washington  and 
to  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  The  program  of  the  first  day, 
which  was  arranged  by  the  Acting  Commissioner  of  Education  in 
accordance  with  plans  made  by  former  Commissioner  Tigert,  was 
in  charge  of  the  Bureau  of  Education.  The  topics  discussed  during 
that  day  related  to  methods  and  means  of  securing  uniform  records 
and  reports,  financing  of  education,  and  ways  in  which  the  Bureau 
of  Education  can  be  of  more  service  to  State  departments  of  educa¬ 
tion.  The  Acting  Commissioner  briefly  introduced  and  discussed 
each  of  the  three  topics. 

The  subject  Methods  and  Means  of  Securing  Uniformity  in 
Educational  Statistics  Through  State  Departments  of  Education 
was  discussed  by  Hon.  Agnes  Samuelson,  of  Iowa,  Hon.  William 
John  Cooper,  then  State  superintendent  of  California,  Mrs.  Kath¬ 
erine  M.  Cook  and  Dr.  F.  M.  Phillips,  of  the  Bureau  of  Education, 
and  by  other  representatives  of  State  departments  of  education. 
The  discussion  brought  out  some  of  the  difficulties  in  securing  uni¬ 
formity  in  statistics,  such  as  lack  of  uniformity  in  definitions  of  edu¬ 
cational  terms,  legislative  requirements  with  respect  to  certain  items 
in  some  States.  As  a  result  of  the  discussion  of  this  topic  the 
council  directed  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  study  the  sub¬ 
ject,  of  which  committee  Hon.  A.  D.  Simpson,  assistant  commis¬ 
sioner  of  education,  New  York,  is  chairman. 

The  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  as  a  Clearing  House  for 
Educational  Information  was  discussed  by  Hon.  F.  G.  Blair,  of  Illi¬ 
nois,  Hon.  W.  E.  Ranger,  of  Rhode  Island,  and  Hon.  Harris  Hart, 
of  Virginia.  In  his  preliminary  statement,  Acting  Commissioner 
Kalbach  urged  all  State  departments  of  education  to  furnish  to  the 
bureau  copies  of  all  publications  issued  by  them.  Doctor  Ranger 
brought  out  the  fact  that  the  State  commissioner  of  Rhode  Island 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION  29 

is  required  by  State  law  to  furnish  to  the  bureau  such  reports  and 
statistics  as  may  be  requested  by  the  bureau. 

In  presenting  the  topic  A  Nation-wide  Study  of  Educational 
Finance,  Acting  Commissioner  Kalbach  submitted  for  discussion  an 
outline  for  such  a  study  prepared  by  Dr.  Fletcher  Harper  Swift, 
of  the  University  of  California.  This  topic  was  discussed  vigorously 
by  Commissioner  McConnell,  of  Minnesota,  Superintendent  Keith, 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  others.  The  consensus  of  opinion  was  that 
such  a  study  is  needed  and  should  be  made,  but  that  it  should  be 
entirely  unbiased  and  undertaken  by  a  body  without  preconceived 
conclusions ;  that  such  a  study  should  be  merely  a  fact-finding  study, 
leaving  it  to  State  and  local  authorities  to  draw  their  own  conclu¬ 
sions  with  respect  to  the  facts  ascertained. 

The  program  for  the  second  day  was  in  charge  of  President  Allen, 
of  North  Carolina.  The  general  topic  for  the  morning  session  was 
State  School  Reports  to  the  General  Assembly  or  to  the  Governor 
and  to  the  People.  Papers  were  presented  by  State  Superintendent 
Keith,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  State  Financial  Statements;  State  Super¬ 
intendent  Allen,  of  Kansas,  on  State  School  Statistical  Records  and 
Reports;  Commissioner  Butterfield,  of  New  Hampshire,  and  Super¬ 
intendent  Bond,  of  Mississippi,  on  State  Publicity  for  Public  Edu¬ 
cation.  At  the  afternoon  session  financing  public  education  was  the 
topic.  Under  the  subject  State  Equalization  Funds  and  Their  Dis¬ 
tribution,  Commissioner  Meredith  explained  the  Connecticut  plan, 
Superintendent  Callahan,  the  Wisconsin  plan,  and  Superintendent 
Cook,  the  Maryland  plan.  Other  forms  of  State  aids  and  subsidies 
were  explained  by  Superintendents  Cooper,  of  California,  and  Sam- 
uelson,  of  Iowa.  The  evening  session  was  devoted  to  the  consid¬ 
eration  of  possible  ways  of  extending  the  public-school  program. 
Superintendent  Tidwell,  of  Alabama,  discussed  new  sources  of  State 
school  revenue  to  supplement  those  already  available  and  Superin¬ 
tendent  Blair,  of  Illinois,  and  Commissioner  McConnell,  of  Minne¬ 
sota,  discussed  the  extension  of  the  school  program  through  possible 
economies  in  the  present  program. 

Thirty-four  States,  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  the  Bureau  of 
Education  were  represented  at  the  conference  by  54  persons.  The 
meetings  were  well  attended  and  seemed  so  worth  while  that  the 
council  voted  to  hold  meetings  each  alternate  years  with  the  Bureau 
of  Education  in  Washington. 

A  conference  called  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  February  10, 
1929,  and  participated  in  by  members  of  the  House  and  Senate  ap¬ 
propriations  committees,  officers  of  Howard  University,  and  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  staff  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  was  held  for  the  purpose 
of  discussing  future  relationships  of  the  Federal  Government  to 
Howard  University.  Since,  a  series  of  conferences  have  been  held 
in  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  prepare  a  plan  for  a  20-year  program 
of  development  for  Howard  University. 

The  following  conferences  were  called  by  the  Commissioner  of 
Education : 

Conference  of  State  and  county  supervisors  of  rural  education  of 
the  Southern  States  held  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  December,  1928. 


30 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Conference  of  State  and  county  supervisors  of  rural  schools  of 
the  Midwestern  States  held  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  June,  1929. 

4.  COOPERATIVE  UNDERTAKINGS 

Whenever  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  the  bureau  cooperates  with  other 
educational  organizations  in  the  solution  of  educational  problems 
and  in  the  promotion  generally  of  education.  Among  the  coopera¬ 
tive  projects  during  the  year  are  the  following: 

A  study  of  the  county  superintendency  in  the  United  States  in 
cooperation  with  the  department  of  rural  education,  Cornell  Uni¬ 
versity,  and  a  study  of  schools  and  classes  for  crippled  children  with 
Mr.  A.  O.  Heck,  Ohio  State  University. 

Collection  and  preparation  of  exhibit  material  for  a  conference 
on  American  Education  at  Mainz,  Germany,  in  cooperation  with 
the  International  Institute  of  Teachers  College. 

Advisory  service  and  assistance  in  preparing  conference  programs 
on  various  phases  of  rural  education  to  the  following  organizations :  : 

Southern  Women’s  Educational  Alliance;  American  Association  of 
University  Women;  International  Federation  of  Home  and  School; 
Rural  Life  Bureau  of  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and 
Teachers. 

Membership  on  committee  responsible  for  preparation  of  material 
on  rural  education  for  the  1931  Yearbook  of  the  National  Society 
for  the  Study  of  Education. 

Advisory  service  to  the  Indian  Bureau  concerning  education  of  j 
the  Indians,  including  membership  on  a  departmental  committee 
and  preparation  of  a  report  of  recommendations  for  procedure. 

Advisory  service  to  committee  responsible  for  survey  of  education 
in  Vermont. 

Study  of  certain  aspects  of  elementary  teachers’  meetings  in  the 
Southern  States  in  cooperation  with  a  committee  appointed  by  i 
the  members  of  the  conference  on  rural  school  supervision  held  in 
Raleigh,  N.  C.,  1926. 

Study  of  the  rural  school  principalship  in  cooperation  with  a 
committee  appointed  by  the  1928  New  Orleans  conference  of  State  : 
and  local  supervisors  of  rural  education  of  the  Southern  States.  ! 

Cooperation  with  the  agricultural  committee  of  the  national  fire  j 
waste  council,  United  States  Chamber  of  Commerce,  in  an  investi-  1 
gation  of  problems  related  to  rural  fire  hazards  and  function  of  the 
rural  school  in  guarding  against  fire  loss;  assisted  in  compilation 
of  a  book  to  be  issued  by  that  committee  on  Farm  Fires  and  Farm 
Fire  Prevention. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  in  cooperation  with  three  business 
officers’  associations  has  undertaken  the  formation  of  a  national 
committee  of  the  business  officers  of  higher  educational  institutions 
to  develop  improved  methods  of  making  financial  and  other  reports  j 
so  that  the  important  elements  of  these  reports  may  be  made  com¬ 
parable  with  a  fair  degree  of  reliability. 

The  Bureau  of  Education,  acting  in  an  advisory  capacity  with 
the  Board  of  Education  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  assisted  in  j 
the  formulation  of  the  inquiries  to  be  used  to  determine  the  basis  j 
for  licensing  degree-granting  institutions  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  j 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


31 


Cooperated  with  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers 
in  organizing  and  conducting  a  conference  of  State  chairmen  of 
home  education  of  that  organization,  held  on  May  9,  1929,  in 
Washington. 

Planned  the  programs  for  the  second  national  conference  of  the 
Organization  of  Supervisors  and  Teachers  of  Home  Economics, 
held  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  February  25-26,  1929,  and  for  the  home 
economics  section  of  the  Eastern  Arts  Association  in  New  York 
City,  April  2-5,  1929. 

Continued  cooperation  with  the  Department  of  Justice  in  plan¬ 
ning  educational  programs  for  Federal  penal  and  correctional  insti¬ 
tutions  and  made  several  visits  to  the  United  States  Penitentiary 
at  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  to  study  the  needs  of  prisoners  and  to 
assist  in  the  installation  of  an  educational  program. 

Cooperated  with  local,  State,  and  national  organizations  inter¬ 
ested  in  reducing  illiteracy  and  with  the  American  Library  Asso¬ 
ciation,  National  University  Extension  Association,  and  National 
Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers  in  home  reading  courses. 

Cooperated  with  the  American  Association  for  Adult  Education 
and  with  committees  of  the  department  of  adult  education  of  the 
National  Education  Association  in  matters  pertaining  to  adult 
education. 

Cooperated  with  the  Carnegie  Institute  of  Technology  in  con¬ 
ducting  a  conference  on  industrial  education. 

Continued  cooperation  with  the  National  Congress  of  Parents 
and  Teachers  in  the  campaign  to  prepare  children  for  their  first 
entrance  into  school. 

Cooperated  with  the  State  Home  Economics  Association  of  West 
Virginia  in  outlining  present  trends  in  home-economics  education 
and  with  the  General  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs  in  checking 
the  results  of  its  survey  of  home  economics. 

Cooperated  with  various  institutions  of  higher  education  in  the 
United  States  in  the  evaluation  of  credits  from  foreign  institutions. 

In  cooperation  with  the  National  Association  for  the  Study  of  the 
Platoon  or  Work-Study-Play  Organization,  held  a  series  of  com¬ 
mittee  conferences  on  different  phases  of  the  platoon  plan  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  February,  1929. 

Cooperation  was  continued  in  the  work  of  the  Washington  Child 
Research  Center,  the  National  Education  Association,  National  Com¬ 
mittee  on  Nursery  Schools,  and  National  Committee  on  Research  in 
Secondary  Education. 

The  cooperative  survey  with  the  Division  of  Venereal  Diseases 
of  the  Public  Health  Service  of  the  teaching  of  sex  hygiene  in  high 
schools  was  completed  and  published  by  the  Public  Health  Service. 

5.  MISCELLANEOUS 

The  credentials  of  481  foreign  students  from  57  different  countries 
were  evaluated  and  a  number  of  cases  reviewed. 

Translations  were  made  for  the  bureau  of  educational  material 
from  22  different  languages,  a  total  of  162,916  words,  and  transla¬ 
tions  made  for  other  governmental  agencies  consumed  the  equiva¬ 
lent  of  the  time  of  one  person  for  more  than  20  days. 


32  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

Numerous  articles  on  various  phases  of  education  were  prepared 
by  members  of  the  staff  for  issuance  in  educational  periodicals. 

B.  Library 

During  nine  months  of  the  year,  the  library  division  was  without 
a  librarian.  An  assistant  educationist,  who  had  been  appointed 
temporarity  to  assist  in  the  collecting  and  editing  of  material  for 
the  Bibliography  of  Research  Studies  in  Education,  left  the  .service 
in  June,  1928.  With  this  decrease  in  staff,  the  task  of  maintaining 
the  regular  work  of  the  division  and  carrying  on  the  new  research 
undertaking  has  been  arduous. 

Two  important  bulletins  were  completed  and  issued  during  the 
year,  namely,  Bulletin,  1928,  No.  22,  Bibliography  of  Research 
Studies  in  Education,  1926-1927,  with  162  pages ;  and  Bulletin,  1928, 
No.  23,  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications,  1927,  with  116 
pages.  Both  of  these  bulletins  were  furnished  with  annotations,  and 
index  to  authors  and  subjects  and  cross  references. 

In  addition  the  manuscript  of  the  Record  of  Current  Educational 
Publications  for  the  year  1928  was  prepared  and  sent  to  the  printer. 
This  comprised  one  bulletin  only,  with  more  pages  than  usual,  with 
annotations  and  index  to  authors  and  subjects  and  cross  references. 
It  is  planned  to  issue  the  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publica¬ 
tions  in  the  future  at  more  frequent  periods,  probably  every  two 
months,  and  to  furnish  an  annual  index  for  the  entire  calendar  year 
in  the  last  number.  The  manuscript  for  a  second  annual  Bibli¬ 
ography  of  Research  Studies  in  Education  covering  studies  made 
in  1928-29  has  been  completed.  Library  Leaflet  No.  36,  List  of 
References  on  Vocational  Guidance,  was  prepared  and  sent  to  the 
printer,  and  a  bibliography  on  Higher  Education  was  prepared. 

The  library  cooperated  with  various  other  Government  and  pri¬ 
vate  organizations  in  book-lending;  with  the  Washington  Child  Re¬ 
search  Center  in  the  loan  of  a  large  number  of  volumes  on  child 
study  for  use  at  their  headquarters;  by  interlibrary  loans  to  a  num¬ 
ber  of  libraries  and  institutions  of  higher  education,  including  for¬ 
eign  and  domestic  material  for  the  use  of  graduate  students ;  and  by 
loans  to  teachers  and  school  executives  both  inside  and  outside  of 
Washington.  The  material  of  the  library  was  also  placed  at  the 
service  of  graduate  students  in  education  who  came  to  Washington 
from  various  parts  of  the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  using 
the  bureau  library. 

The  bibliographical  service  assumed  larger  proportions  during 
the  year  owing  to  the  increasing  demand  for  bibliographies  on  edu¬ 
cational  subjects,  and  large  numbers  were  sent  out  by  mail  and  given 
to  personal  inquirers. 

The  division  also  collected,  classified,  and  catalogued  a  great 
many  books,  periodicals,  proceedings,  reports,  etc.,  domestic  and  for¬ 
eign,  as  well  as  made  substantial  additions  to  the  textbook  collec¬ 
tion.  Current  catalogues  and  reports  of  presidents  and  treasurers 
of  colleges,  universities,  and  professional  schools  were  collected. 
The  library  maintains  a  permanent  file  of  catalogues  of  all  the 
institutions  of  higher  education,  which  has  been  made  as  complete 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION  33 

as  possible,  and  is  very  helpful  to  persons  making  studies  of  the 
early  history  of  these  institutions. 

The  division  handled  a  large  amount  of  correspondence,  the  ref¬ 
erence  section  furnishing  information  in  reply  to  letters,  telegrams, 
telephone  messages,  and  to  personal  inquirers.  It  continued  coopera¬ 
tion  with  the  Library  of  Congress  by  furnishing  copy  for  printed 
catalogue  cards  for  educational  publications  in  the  series  supplied 
by  the  card  division  of  that  library. 

C.  Publications 

The  whole  number  .of  documents  printed  in  the  year  ended  June 
30,  1929,  was  75,  of  which  47  were  bulletins,  7  leaflets  and  circulars, 
1  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  10  numbers  of  School 
Life,  8  numbers  of  the  Clip  Sheet,  and  2  miscellaneous  publications. 
Of  the  bulletins  issued,  13  were  chapters  for  the  Biennial  Survey  of 
Education. 

The  Clip  Sheet,  which  was  issued  monthly  for  several  years  and 
was  devoted  to  current  news  items  regarding  education,  was  dis¬ 
continued  during  the  year. 

The  allotment  of  funds  for  printing  was  $2,500  more  than  in 
1928,  and  the  total  output  of  printed  matter  was  greater  by  seven 
documents  than  in  the  previous  year.  Twenty-eight  manuscripts 
were  in  the  files  of  the  editorial  division  awaiting  publication  at 
the  end  of  the  year  owing  to  the  lack  of  funds  available  for  printing. 

D.  Alaska 

Through  its  Alaska  Division,  the  Bureau  of  Education  maintains 
schools,  furnishes  medical  relief,  supervises  the  reindeer  industry, 
and  provides  assistance  generally  for  the  aboriginal  races  in  the 
widely  varying  regions  of  Alaska. 

The  27,000  Eskimos,  Aleuts,  Athabascans,  and  Thlingets  are  scat¬ 
tered  along  thousands  of  miles  of  coast  from  the  southernmost 
boundary  to  the  northernmost  cape,  and  on  the  great  rivers,  in  vil¬ 
lages  varying  from  30  or  40  to  300  or  400  persons.  To  some  of  the 
settlements  on  the  shores  of  the  frozen  ocean  or  on  remote  islands 
the  annual  visit  of  the  bureau’s  vessel,  the  Boxer ,  furnishes  their  only 
means  of  communication  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  In  many  in¬ 
stances  the  school  is  the  only  elevating  influence  in  the  village. 

From  the  nature  of  things,  the  teacher  in  an  Alaskan  native  school 
must  widen  the  scope  of  his  activities  beyond  the  schoolroom.  Of 
necessity  he  assumes  the  functions  of  a  community  leader,  an  arbi¬ 
trator  in  disputes,  a  censor  of  morals,  a  preserver  of  the  peace,  and 
a  public  nurse  and  medical  adviser.  He  must  have  the  courage  and 
resourcefulness  successfully  to  cope  with  all  manner  of  emergencies. 
He  must  face  the  problems  of  ignorance,  superstition,  immorality, 
and  sometimes  of  hunger  and  pestilence. 

The  personnel  of  the  Alaska  Division  of  the  bureau  during  the 
fiscal  year  1928-29  included  three  emplo}^ees  in  the  Washington, 
D.  C.,  office,  and  six  employees  in  the  Seattle,  Wash.,  office,  which  is 
the  headquarters  of  the  Chief  of  the  Alaska  Division  and  functions 
as  the  purchasing  and  disbursing  office  for  the  bureau’s  Alaskan 
work.  The  field  force  in  Alaska  included  6  superintendents,  181 


34 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


teachers,  9  physicians,  29  nurses,  3  employees  in  connection  with  the 
reindeer  service,  19  employees  on  the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer  and  on  the 
Yukon  River  medical  boat;  also  26  cooks,  janitors,  and  orderlies, 
a  total  of  282  employees.  Ninety-three  schools  were  maintained 
with  an  enrollment  of  3,660. 

In  all  of  the  day  schools  instruction  in  some  form  of  industrial 
work  is  given,  principally  in  cooking  and  sewdng  to  the  girls  and 
in  carpentry  to  the  boys.  When  no  other  place  is  available  cooking 
is  often  taught  in  the  teacher’s  own  kitchen.  By  purchasing  gro¬ 
ceries  and  other  supplies  at  the  local  stores  the  natives  frequently 
supplement  the  materials  furnished  by  the  Bureau  of  Education. 
In  this  way  the  domestic-science  work  at  some  of  the  day  schools 
has  become  practically  self-supporting. 

To  give  specialized  training  in  industries  for  which  the  day 
schools  are  not  equipped,  industrial  boarding  schools  are  in  opera¬ 
tion  at  White  Mountain,  on  Seward  Peninsula;  at  Kanakanak,  on 
Bristol  Bay;  and  at  Eklutna,  on  the  Alaska  Railroad,  north  of  An¬ 
chorage.  To  White  Mountain  are  sent  Eskimo  boys  and  girls  from 
the  villages  on  the  northwestern  coast  as  far  as  Point  Barrow.  Kana¬ 
kanak  is  the  center  for  vocational  training  for  the  Aleuts  and  for 
the  Eskimos  of  southwestern  Alaska.  The  Alaska  Railroad  makes 
Eklutna  readily  accessible  for  pupils  from  central  Alaska  and  from 
the  upper  Yukon  region. 

The  curriculum  of  these  schools  includes  such  industries  as  will 
improve  the  living  conditions  of  the  natives  and  afford  them  assured 
means  of  support.  Instruction  is  given  in  carpentry,  house  build¬ 
ing,  furniture  making,  cooking,  bread  baking,  sewing,  the  making 
of  clothing,  boat  building,  sled  construction,  the  operation  and  re¬ 
pair  of  gas  engines,  the  making  of  snowshoes,  the  tanning  of  skins, 
taxidermy,  the  carving  of  wood  and  ivory,  blanket  making,  and 
basket  weaving.  To  train  the  natives  for  effective  service  in  their 
cooperative  stores,  instruction  is  also  given  in  typewriting,  stenog¬ 
raphy,  clerical  work,  and  business  methods. 

Centuries  of  experience  in  the  use  of  tools  of  their  own  contrivance 
has  developed  in  the  native  races  of  Alaska  mechanical  skill  of  a 
high  order,  which  they  successfully  apply  in  the  various  industries 
taught  in  the  schools. 

The  Bureau  of  Education  encourages  the  establishment  in  native 
villages  of  cooperative  mercantile  stores,  financed  by  native  capital 
and  conducted  by  the  natives  themselves,  with  the  advice  of  the 
teachers  of  the  local  schools.  In  no  other  way  can  the  natives  so 
readily  acquire  self-confidence  and  experience  in  business  affairs. 
Such  cooperative  enterprises  are  now  in  successful  operation  in  IT 
villages  in  various  parts  of  the  Territory. 

Availing  themselves  of  the  annual  visit  of  the  bureau’s  supply 
ship  Boxer  and  of  the  parcel-post  service,  many  natives  send  to  the 
office  in  Seattle  packages  of  furs,  fur  clothing,  carved  ivory,  baskets, 
and  rugs,  which  are  sold  for  them  through  the  Seattle  Fur  Sales 
Agency.  The  proceeds  of  all  sales  are  sent  to  the  individual  natives, 
applied  to  the  settlement  of  their  accounts  with  the  Seattle  mer¬ 
chants,  or  placed  to  their  credit  in  savings  banks,  as  requested,  and 
detailed  accounts  are  rendered  of  all  transactions.  The  captain  of 
the  Boxer  annually  delivers  to  settlements  along  the  Arctic  coast 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


35 


many  tons  of  food  supplies,  packages  of  clothing,  furniture,  and 
building  materials  purchased  with  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  furs 
and  other  commodities  sent  out  by  the  Eskimos  during  the  previous 
summer. 

The  Government’s  duty  to  care  for  the  health  of  the  aboriginal 
races  of  Alaska  is  performed  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  through 
its  Alaska  Division.  Among  the  natives  hereditary  diseases  are 
much  in  evidence.  Tuberculosis  in  its  various  forms,  pneumonia, 
and  trachoma  are  very  prevalent.  Epidemics  of  smallpox,  influenza, 
and  measles  have  frequently  taken  their  toll  of  hundreds  of  lives. 

For  the  medical  relief  of  the  natives  the  Bureau  of  Education 
employs  9  physicians  and  29  nurses.  It  maintains  hospitals  at  J uneau, 
Tanana,  Akiak,  Kanakanak,  and  Kotzebue.  Each  hospital  is  a 
center  of  medical  relief  for  a  very  wide  territory,  and  each  physician 
makes  extended  tours  through  his  district.  The  hospitals,  physi¬ 
cians,  and  nurses  serve  only  the  more  thickly  populated  districts. 
In  the  vast  outlying  areas  the  teachers  must,  of  necessity,  extend 
medical  aid  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  Accordingly,  the  teachers 
in  settlements  where  the  services  of  a  physician  or  nurse  are  not 
available  are  supplied  with  simple  remedies  and  instructions  for 
their  use. 

The  bureau’s  medical  work  is  supplemented  by  contracts  with  hos¬ 
pitals  at  Anchorage,  Nome,  Cordova,  Wrangell,  and  Fairbanks,  in 
Alaska;  with  the  Children’s  Orthopedic  Hospital,  Firlands  Sana¬ 
torium,  and  Riverton  Sanatorium,  in  Seattle.  In  a  few  instances, 
the  services  of  specialists  in  Seattle  have  been  secured  for  diagnosis 
and  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  and  nose. 

To  natives  and  white  men  scattered  along  thousands  of  miles 
of  the  Yukon  River  and  its  tributaries  the  Bureau  of  Education’s 
Yukon  medical  boat  furnishes  the  only  means  of  securing  medical 
and  dental  relief.  Each  year,  in  a  cruise  during  June,  July,  August, 
and  September,  and  extending  as  far  as  the  Yukon  delta,  the  services 
of  the  physician,  the  two  nurses,  and  the  dentist  on  this  boat  are 
in  constant  demand  at  each  stopping  place.  The  work  includes 
distribution  of  medicines  with  instructions  for  their  use,  extending 
first  aid,  instructions  regarding  the  care  of  the  sick,  advice  concern¬ 
ing  the  care  and  feeding  of  children,  performing  such  operations 
as  can  be  attended  to  on  the  boat,  extracting  and  filling  teeth,  and  the 
transportation  of  a  limited  number  of  patients  to  the  hospitals  at 
Tanana  and  Fairbanks.  During  the  season  of  1928,  1,473  patients 
were  treated,  and  much  dental  work  accomplished,  including  884 
extractions.  1 

Originating  in  1892  in  the  importation  by  the  Bureau  of  Educa¬ 
tion  of  reindeer  from  Siberia  to  furnish  means  of  subsistence  and 
material  for  clothing  for  the  Eskimos  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bering 
Strait,  who  were  in  danger  of  exhausting  their  precarious  food 
supply,  the  reindeer  industry  has  long  been  of  chief  importance  in 
the  bureau’s  activities  in  behalf  of  the  natives  of  northern  and 
western  Alaska.  From  the  original  importations,  totaling  1,280  in 
the  decade  between  1892  to  1902,  the  reindeer  have  rapidly  increased 
to  the  present  great  herds  of  hundreds  of  thousands.  Year  after 
year  reindeer  were  transferred  from  one  native  village  to  another, 
until  practically  all  of  the  settlements  in  the  region  suited  to  the 


36 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


raising  of  reindeer  have  been  supplied,  and  the  problem  is  to  find 
a  market  for  the  surplus  meat  and  hides. 

In  order  to  interest  the  natives  in  reindeer  raising  and  to  en¬ 
courage  them,  the  reindeer  were  distributed  among  them  through  a 
system  of  apprenticeship ;  the  result  is  a  large  number  of  individual 
owners.  In  15  localities  native  owners  of  reindeer  have  combined 
their  herds  and  formed  cooperative  associations,  thus  insuring  better 
safeguarding  of  their  interests,  more  efficient  methods  for  the  sale 
of  meat  and  hides,  economy  in  the  herding,  and  simplification  of 
the  marking  of  the  reindeer,  one  mark  for  the  entire  association 
being  substituted  for  the  large  number  of  marks  of  the  individual 
owners.  These  cooperative  associations  own  approximately  160,000 
reindeer. 

As  part  of  their  duty,  the  teachers  in  the  Bureau  of  Education’s 
schools  in  those  regions  affected  by  the  reindeer  industry  have 
hitherto  been  required  to  exercise  supervision  over  the  herds  in  the 
vicinity  of  their  schools.  The  growth  and  importance  of  the  indus¬ 
try  have  necessitated  the  appointment  of  a  general  supervisor  whose 
duties  cover  all  matters  connected  with  the  reindeer  service,  includ¬ 
ing  the  inspection  of  the  herds,  the  establishment  of  new  herds, 
the  making  of  recommendations  for  the  issuing  of  leases  for  grazing 
areas,  cooperation  in  the  prevention  of  disease,  promoting  the  mar¬ 
keting  of  the  meat  and  hides,  and  furthering  all  other  measures 
for  the  advancement  of  the  industry. 

The  growth  of  the  reindeer  industry  rendered  it  urgent  that 
provision  be  made  for  the  allotment  of  grazing  lands.  By  the  act  of 
March  4,  1927,  authority  was  granted  for  the  establishment  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  of  grazing  districts  in  Alaska  and  for  the 
granting  of  leases  for  definitely  described  areas  therein.  The  pro¬ 
visions  of  this  act  are  being  carried  into  effect  as  rapidly  as  possible 
by  the  General  Land  Office,  with  the  cooperation  of  the  Bureau  of 
Education’s  supervisor  of  the  reindeer  service.  This  action  will 
regulate  the  occupancy  of  grazing  lands  by  the  reindeer  herds  and 
prevent  friction  among  the  owners  of  reindeer  in  regions  where 
the  herds  are  most  numerous. 

With  the  great  increase  in  the  number  of  reindeer  and  the  en¬ 
trance  of  white  men  into  the  industry,  the  need  for  scientific  atten¬ 
tion  became  apparent,  resulting  in  the  assignment  by  Congress  to 
the  Bureau  of  Biological  Survey  of  the  duty  of  making  investiga¬ 
tions  in  connection  with  the  diseases  and  parasites  affecting  the 
reindeer;  breeding,  feeding,  and  management  practices,  and  the 
grazing  resources  of  the  Territory. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  large  numbers  of  reindeer  are  killed  for 
food  locally  and  for  exportation,  it  is  difficult  to  state  the  precise 
number  in  Alaska  at  any  given  date.  According  to  a  statement 
submitted  by  the  general  supervisor  of  the  Alaska  reindeer  service, 
the  total  number  in  Alaska  June  30,  1929,  was  599,825. 

Based  on  a  preliminary  survey  of  the  grazing  areas  of  Alaska 
suitable  for  reindeer  production  in  1921,  it  was  estimated  that  be¬ 
tween  3,000,000  and  4,000,000  reindeer  could  be  supported  on  the 
150,000  to  200,000  square  miles  of  open  grazing  lands,  from  which 
1,000,000  or  more  animals  would  be  available  annually  for  slaughter. 
Later  investigations  have  shown  that  approximately  350,000  square 
miles  of  the  territory  are  of  value  for  grazing.  This  enlarged  area 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


37 


found  suitable  for  grazing  use  should  be  able  ultimately  to  support 
a  considerably  larger  number  of  reindeer  with  a  correspondingly 
increased  number  available  for  slaughter.  The  greater  part  of  this 
area  is  in  the  treeless  tundra  bordering  the  Bering  Sea  and  the 
Arctic  coast. 

The  greatest  problem  in  connection  with  the  reindeer  industry  is 
the  providing  of  a  market  for  the  surplus  meat,  which  is  greatly  in 
excess  of  local  demands.  Hitherto  exportation  has  been  confined  to 
the  remote  northwestern  region,  from  which  shipments  can  be  made 
only  during  the  summer  months  when  those  northern  waters  are 
free  from  ice.  During  the  year  1928  approximately  16,000  reindeer 
carcasses  were  shipped  out  of  Alaska.  On  the  untimbered  slopes 
of  the  region  tributary  to  the  Alaska  Railroad  there  are  unlimited 
grazing  grounds  for  reindeer.  A  plan  is  being  worked  out  that 
provides  for  driving  herds  of  reindeer  to  this  pasturage,  where  the 
animals  will  grow  fat.  When  in  prime  condition,  reindeer  will 
be  butchered  and  the  carcasses  stored  in  a  refrigerating  plant  at 
Seward,  from  which  shipments  to  the  States  can  be  made  at  any 
time  of  the  year.  A  supply  of  meat  can  thus  be  established,  its 
exportation  stabilized,  and  a  steady  market  created. 

An  interdepartmental  committee  of  representatives  of  the  De¬ 
partment  of  the  Interior  and  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  has 
been  appointed  to  consider  problems  in  connection  with  the  reindeer 
industry.  The  first  action  of  this  committee  was  to  issue  a  state¬ 
ment  in  order  to  make  clear  to  State  and  municipal  health  officers, 
to  conservation  and  game  commissioners,  and  to  the  public,  that 
reindeer  meat  may  be  received  into  the  United  States  and  shipped 
interstate  without  inspection.  No  contagious  disease  has  ever  been 
encountered,  and  no  reason  has  appeared  why  the  sale  of  reindeer 
meat  should  require  Federal,  State,  or  municipal  inspection  for  the 
detection  of  disease.  However,  State  or  municipal  inspection  of 
reindeer  meat  may  be  made  when  desirable  to  determine  whether  the 
meat  may  have  been  spoiled,  du&  to  improper  storage  or  handling. 
For  identification  purposes  the  committee  has  prescribed  a  tag  and  an 
ink  brand  to  be  affixed  to  and  placed  upon  the  carcass  of  each  rein¬ 
deer  to  be  shipped  out  of  Alaska. 

In  northern  and  western  Alaska  there  is  a  striking  contrast  be¬ 
tween  conditions  in  the  villages  where  the  bureau’s  work  has  been 
established  and  in  those  settlements  where  the  natives  are  still  in 
their  primitive  state.  There  are  villages  out  on  the  tundra  and 
along  the  coast  of  Bering  Sea  and  the  Arctic  Ocean  where  the 
natives  live  in  small  sod  houses,  partly  underground,  to  which  ac¬ 
cess  is  gained  through  a  low  tunnel.  In  many  cases,  the  only  heat 
is  that  thrown  off  by  the  bodies  of  the  occupants.  The  light  filters 
through  the  window  of  seal  intestines  in  the  roof;  the  floors  are 
indescribably  filthy  with  litter  and  refuse.  In  mild  weather  these 
sod  houses  are  wet  from  seepage  and  from  moisture  dripping  from 
the  roof  and  walls.  The  natives  living  in  these  hovels  are  dressed 
in  parkas  made  of  the  skins  of  wild  ducks,  sealskin  trousers,  and 
boots  of  fishskins  or  sealskins.  In  summer  they  live  on  the  flesh 
and  eggs  of  wild  birds  and  a  few  seal  and  salmon.  In  winter  they 
depend  for  food  upon  fish  which  they  catch  through  holes  in  the 
ice.  These  people  live  from  hand  to  mouth  and  have  no  desire  to 
better  their  conditions. 


38 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


In  villages  where  teachers  have  been  stationed  for  a  number  of 
years  there  are  well-constructed,  2-story  log  or  frame  houses, 
with  linoleum  on  the  floors,  paper  on  the  wall,  and  containing 
ranges,  heaters,  comfortable  beds,  and  good  furniture.  These  na¬ 
tives  have  on  hand  supplies  of  dried  fish  and  reindeer  meat,  wild 
berries,  and  sometimes  vegetables  grown  in  their  own  gardens.  They 
have  a  stock  of  wood  for  winter  use,  and  from  their  reindeer  herds 
they  can  secure  meat  for  their  own  use  and  for  sale,  also  skins  for 
clothing. 

In  southeastern  Alaska,  where  the  natives  have  had  the  benefit  of 
schools  and  missions  for  very  many  years,  conditions  in  some  of 
the  native  villages  compare  favorably  with  those  in  the  white 
settlements. 

Organized  air  routes  in  Alaska  are  solving  the  problem  of  swift 
communication  between  distant  points.  Airplanes  are  now  used 
by  the  bureau’s  superintendents  in  visiting  the  scattered  villages  and 
in  reaching  the  reindeer  on  distant  grazing  lands,  enabling  them 
to  accomplish  in  a  few  hours  journeys  that  on  foot  or  with  dog 
sleds  or  boats  would  require  many  days  of  arduous  travel.  In 
emergencies  airplanes  have  furnished  rapid  means  of  transporta¬ 
tion  for  physicians,  nurses,  or  patients. 

The  radio  service  operated  in  Alaska  by  the  War  and  Navy  De¬ 
partments  has  materially  aided  the  bureau’s  work.  Emergency  calls 
by  radio  for  the  services  of  a  physician  or  nurse,  requests  for  medi¬ 
cines  or  for  advice  as  to  treatment,  have  time  and  again  resulted 
in  the  relief  of  illness  or  the  saving  of  life.  Important  adminis¬ 
trative  messages  are  promptly  forwarded  by  radio  to  their  destina¬ 
tions.  The  use  of  the  radio  has  mitigated  the  life  of  the  teachers 
in  many  of  the  isolated  villages,  bringing  them  into  instantaneous 
touch  with  the  rest  of  the  world. 

Educational  statistics  for  the  school  year  ending  June  30,  1929 


Total  number  of  days  in  actual  attendance _  381,  638.  5 

Total  number  of  pupils  enrolled  during  the  year _  3,  660 

Average  daily  attendance  throughout  the  year _  2,  588.  31 

Average  number  in  schoolroom  each  day _ _ _  29.64 

Total  number  of  schools  open _ _ _  93 

Total  number  of  schoolrooms  open _  159 

Average  number  of  days  in  school  year -  142.  83 

During  the  year  there  was  spent  for  repairs  on  the  school  buildings 

and  not  counted  as  a  part  of  the  operation  of  the  school _ $17,  500.  00 

Spent  for  new  buildings _ $45,  075.  96 


Community  service  by  teachers 


District 

Visits 
made  to 
homes 

Medical 
assist¬ 
ance  ren¬ 
dered 

Number 

births 

reported 

Number 

deaths 

reported 

Native 

popula¬ 

tion 

Number 
of  teach¬ 
ers  re¬ 
porting 

Central 

3,199 
2,316 
2, 443 

5, 333 
4, 428 
3,433 
3,  919 

54 

42 

1, 833 
2, 177 

32 

Northwestern  __  _ 

74 

36 

21 

Seward  Peninsula _ 

45 

23 

2, 191 
4,  330 
896 

31 

Southeastern _ . _ _ 

2,  526 
1, 872 
3, 889 

50 

48 

39 

Southwestern.. _ ^ 

3, 022 
8, 046. 

34 

39 

30 

Western . 

64 

54 

1,  719 

29 

Total . .  .  ...  .  . . 

10,  245 

28, 181 

321 

242 

13, 146 

181 

WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


39 


Medical  service  by  nurses  and  physicians 


Nurses 

Physicians 

Total 

Number  of  visits  to  homes.  .  .  ..  .  ... _ 

10, 618 

455 

11, 073 
23,  705 
66,  965 
207 

Number  of  patients  treated _  _  ..  _ 

15, 015 
32,  656 

8,690 

Number  of  treatments  given.  ..  .  _  .. 

34,  309 
63 

Number  of  births  reported  ..  .  .  ..  _  .. 

144 

Number  of  deaths  reported.  _  _ _ _  . 

83 

62 

145 

Total  days  of  hospital  care . .  . 

2,522 

9,062 

17, 477 
6,982 
16,  508 

19, 999 
16,044 

Out  and  clinic  patients _ _ _  .  ...  . . .  .  __ 

Out  and  clinic  calls _ _ _ _  .  _  _  . 

11,  729 

28,237 

Reindeer  in  Alaska,  June  30,  1929,  showing  ownership ;  reported  by  the  general 
supervisor  of  the  Alaska  reindeer  service 


Lapps 

Government 

Natives 

Whites 

Total 

Central  district . . . 

2,529 
55,  945 
15,  206 
129, 195 
157, 174 

5,475 
31, 875 

53,  500 
100, 000 

8,  004 
121,  059 
16,  552 
197,  019 
257, 191 

Western  district _  ...  ... 

27, 422 

5,817 

1, 253 

2, 324 

Southwestern  district 

Seward  Peninsula  district _ 

Northwestern  district. . 

12,  000 
17 

Total  reindeer  in  Alaska. . . . 

39, 439 

9, 394 

360, 049 

190,  943 

599, 825 

E*  Howard  University 

An  act  of  Congress  approved  December  13,  1928,  authorizes  annual 
appropriations  to  aid  in  the  instruction,  development,  improvement, 
and  maintenance  of  Howard  University,  and  requires  an  annual 
report  by  the  Office  of  Education  concerning  the  affairs  of  the  uni¬ 
versity.  In  order  to  determine  the  nature  of  the  annual  report  that 
would  be  most  useful  to  the  Congress,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
called  a  conference  of  subcommittees  of  the  committees  on  appropria¬ 
tions  of  the  Senate  and  the  House  of  Representatives,  to  which  a 
representative  of  the  Director  of  the  Budget,  the  chief  of  the  division 
of  higher  education  of  this  office,  and  officers  of  Howard  University 
were  invited.  Discussion  made  it  evident  that  it  was  the  desire  of 
the  congressional  committees  and  of  the  Bureau  of  the  Budget  that 
an  initial  report  be  made  which  would  outline  a  plan  for  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  Howard  University  extending  over  a  period  of  from  15  to 
20  years.  It  was  indicated  that  this  plan  should,  first,  suggest  an 
educational  program  adequate  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  negro  people 
for  a  university  of  the  highest  type;  second,  estimate  the  probable 
growth  in  attendance  in  the  various  fields  of  work  offered;  third, 
provide  for  a  plant  adequate  to  care  for  the  program  suggested  and 
the  student  growth  estimated;  and  fourth,  suggest  a  plan  for  the 
division  of  the  financial  burden  involved  between  Congress  and  the 
private  board  of  trustees  of  the  university. 

The  chief  of  the  division  tof  higher  education,  representing  the 
Office  of  Education,  was  directed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to 
make  such  a  study  in  cooperation  with  the  officers  of  Howard 
University. 

In  accordance  with  this  direction,  the  chief  of  the  division  of 
higher  education  invited  the  president  and  other  officers  of  Howard 


40 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


University  to  meet  with  him  and  to  constitute  a  committee  to  collect 
the  data  required  for  a  study  of  the  kind  desired.  At  the  initial 
meeting  of  the  committee  the  following  tentative  proposals  were  laid 
down  as  guides  to  procedure  and  collection  of  the  necessary  data : 

1.  That  an  educational  and  financial  program  should  be  developed 
which  in  five  years  would  make  the  institution  the  equal  of  any 
university  of  its  size  in  the  United  States.  Corollary  to  this  proposal 
it  was  agreed  that  during  this  period  the  institution  should  limit  the 
growth  of  its  student  body  to  the  point  necessary  to  provide  educa¬ 
tional  units  of  efficient  and  economical  size. 

2.  That  the  plan  should  contemplate  assumption  by  the  Federal 
Government  of  the  major  responsibility  for  the  development  of  the 
plant  to  provide  for  this  minimum  student  body  during  the  5-year 
period,  with  the  exception  that  services  that  might  be  made  self- 
supporting,  such  as  laundry  and  dining  halls,  should  be  developed 
from  earnings  or  private  gifts. 

3.  That  an  attempt  be  made  to  suggest  a  schedule  of  Federal 
assistance  which,  apart  from  the  program  for  physical  plant,  would 
at  the  end  of  the  5-year  period  decrease  from  year  to  year  until  at 
the  end  of  10  years  a  minimum  annual  sum  would  be  provided  by 
Congress.  The  actual  amount  of  Federal  assistance  and  the  propor¬ 
tion  of  the  total  annual  budget  of  the  university  thus  provided  would 
decrease  during  the  sixth,  seventh,  eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth  years. 
Thereafter  the  amount  would  remain  constant  but'  the  proportion 
would  with  normal  expectancy  of  growth,  decrease. 

At  subsequent  meetings  of  the  committee,  upon  the  basis  of  data 
studied,  it  was  agreed  that  the  university  should  consist  of  the 
following  units:  1.  School  of  Medicine  (medicine,  dentistry,  phar¬ 
macy).  2.  School  of  Law.  3.  School  of  Religion.1  4.  College  of 
Liberal  Arts.  5.  College  of  Education.  6.  College  of  Applied 
Science  (to  become  College  of  Engineering  at  end  of  fifth  year). 
7.  School  of  Music  (to  become  College  of  Fine  Arts  at  end  of  fifth 
year).  8.  Division  of  Summer  School.  9.  Extension  Service. 
10.  Graduate  and  Research. 

Various  methods  of  predicting  growth'  in  student  attendance  were 
used.  All  showed  a  probability  of  increase  in  size  of  the  student  body 
beyond  what  seemed  practicable,  from  the  standpoint  of  expense,  to 
the  chief  of  the  division  of  higher  education  and  the  officers  of 
Howard  University.  It  was  therefore  determined  to  limit  growth 
during  the  period  of  development  to  present  attendance,  except  in 
those  cases  in  which  plant  necessary  for  efficient  instruction  and  staff 
required  to  carry  on  teaching  would  be  more  effectively  and  eco¬ 
nomically  utilized  with  larger  student  attendance.  A  further  excep¬ 
tion  was  made  in  the  case  of  the  College  of  Education  which,  because 
of  the  urgent  need  for  training  negro  teachers  on  a  high  level,  was 
allowed  a  growth  of  approximately  50  per  cent  over  present  enroll¬ 
ment.  The  following  table  indicates  the  present  size  of  units  and  the 
limitation  proposed  as  the  maximum  during  the  next  two  5-year 
periods. 


1  No  Federal  funds  to  be  applied  to  this  school. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


41 


Average  enrollment 


1928-29 

1933-34 

370 

88 

0) 

659 

456 

61 

49 

f  2  402 

\  2  134 

10 

/  2  195 

\  2  98 

456 

140 

0) 

720 

720 

140 

120 

2  945 
2315 
190 

2  336 

2  168 

/  2  2, 122 
\  21,854 

2  3, 321 

2  2,  691 

0) 

1,000 

1, 150 


1  Omitted  from  estimates. 

2  Number  of  individuals. 

2  Number  of  individuals  reduced  to  equivalent  in  terms  of  full-time  students. 


The  second  step  in  the  estimate  was  to  prepare  plans  and  estimates 
for  the  expansion  of  the  physical  plant  to  accommodate  the  maximum 
number  under  the  limited  enrollment  suggested.  A  summary  of  these 
estimates  follows:  For  purchase  of  land,  $1,386,500;  for  building 
construction,  including  remodeling,  $13,431,000.  The  latter  figure  is 
based  on  a  schedule  of  projects  giving  proposed  order  of  construction 
and  estimated  cost  for  each  project. 

The  quality  of  instruction  will  be  determined  in  large  part  by  the 
quality  and  size  of  the  staff,  which  in  turn  will  be  determined  in 
large  part  by  salary  scales,  size  of  student  body  in  the  various  units, 
and  by  the  availability  of  competent  persons  to  carry  on  instruction. 
The  salary  scale  adopted,  the  distribution  of  academic  rank  proposed, 
and  the  total  number  upon  the  staff  were  determined  upon  the  basis 
of  standard  practice  in  reputable  institutions  accredited  by  the 
professional  accrediting  bodies. 

The  following  table  summarizes  tentative  proposals  with  reference 
to  these  matters : 


Rank 

Number 
in  each 
rank  1 

Salary  range 

Professors  _  __  _  _ 

108 

25 

44 

80 

257 

$4, 000-$6, 000 
3, 000-  3,  900 
2,  300-  3,  200 
1,  600-  2,  500 

Associate  professors . -  _ -  .  _ 

Assistant  professors .  _  . . . . . 

Instructors. _ _  _ _ _ _  _ _ 

Total  staff _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ 

1  Number  of  individuals  reduced  to  equivalent  of  full-time  persons. 


Because  of  the  condition  of  higher  education  for  negroes  in  the 
United  States,  the  problem  of  securing  competent  personnel  is  a 
special  one.  Higher  institutions  find  it  necessary,  in  order  to  main¬ 
tain  a  qualified  instructing  staff,  that  opportunity  be  given  for 
further  study  and  self-improvement,  and  for  investigation  and 
research  on  the  part  of  those  competent  to  carry  on  work  of  this 
kind.  In  other  words,  the  institution  that  fails  to  provide  oppor¬ 
tunity  for  study  and  research  on  the  part  of  its  staff  will  lose  to 
institutions  which  make  such  provision  the  most  able  members  of  the 


42 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


staff,  even  though  academic  rank  and  salaries  may  be  no  greater. 
Tentative  estimates  were  therefore  made  which  would  enable  the 
university  to  set  up  a  program  to  encourage  self-improvement  on  the 
part  of  its  staff  and  to  undertake  research  in  the  fields  immediately 
concerned  with  the  peculiar  problems  of  a  university  of  the  kind 
contemplated. 

The  committee  is  now  engaged  upon  a  study  of  the  basis  for  a  pro¬ 
posed  distribution  between  the  Congress  and  the  private  board  of  the 
expense  involved  in  this  program.  This  requires  careful  study  of  the 
present  endowment,  student  fees,  and  other  sources  of  income,  and 
of  the  possibility  of  increasing  the  funds  received  from  private 
sources.  Further,  it  is  necessary  to  estimate  the  relationship  that  the 
funds  that  may  be  secured  from  private  sources  bears  to  the  total 
requirements. 

When  tentative  proposals  in  this  respect  have  been  developed  it 
will  be  necessary  to  review  the  various  elements  of  estimate  indicated 
above.  The  basic  data  and  calculations  on  which  these  estimates 
have  so  far  been  assembled  are  available  in  the  Office  of  Education 
but  are  not  submitted  with  this  report  since  the  relationships  of  the 
various  portions  must  be  determined  and  articulated  with  reference 
to  the  entire  problem.  It  is  probable  that  modifications  of  the  initial 
estimates  and  calculations  will  result  after  each  of  the  elements  has 
been  developed  in  isolation. 

In  order  to  meet  the  desire  of  the  subcommittees  of  the  appropria¬ 
tion  committees  of  the  Senate  and  the  House  of  Representatives,  and 
of  the  Director  of  the  Budget,  that  a  plan  be  prepared  for  division 
of  the  burden  of  financial  responsibility  between  the  Congress  and 
the  private  board  of  trustees,  it  is  necessary  that  the  entire  suggested 
program  be  drafted  and  submitted  to  the  trustees  of  the  university. 
Since  it  is  a  purpose  of  this  study  to  suggest  a  plan  which  involves 
the  Congress  on  one  hand  and  the  private  board  of  trustees  on  the 
other,  the  responsibility  of  the  Office  of  Education  in  making  this 
report  to  Congress  can  be  discharged  only  with  reference  to  the 
willingness  of  the  board  of  trustees  to  assume  a  proper  share  of  the 
burden.  It  is  the  belief  of  the  Office  of  Education,  as  the  result  of 
various  discussions  with  Howard  University  authorities,  that  prac¬ 
tical  suggestions  for  division  of  responsibility  may  be  devised  which 
will  be  acceptable  to  the  board  of  trustees  and  which  will  not  appear 
overburdensome  to  the  Federal  authorities. 

F.  Additional  Duties 

Under  the  provisions  of  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  December 
13,  1928,  Howard  University,  located  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  “shall 
at  all  times  be  open  to  inspection  by  the  Bureau  of  Education 
and  shall  be  inspected  by  said  bureau  at  least  once  each  year.  An 
annual  report  making  a  full  exhibit  of  the  affairs  of  the  university 
shall  be  presented  to  Congress  each  year  in  the  report  of  the  Bureau 
of  Education.” 

The  act  of  Congress  entitled  “An  act  to  regulate  the  practice  of 
the  healing  art  to  protect  the  public  health  in  the  District  of  Colum¬ 
bia,”  approved  February  27,  1929,  created  a  commission  on  licensure 
to  practice  the  healing  art  in  the  District  of  Columbia  and  desig¬ 
nated  the  Commissioner  of  Education  as  a  member  of  the 
commission, 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


43 


An  act  of  Congress  approved  March  2,  1929,  with  respect  to  the 
licensing  of  degree-granting  institutions  in  the  District  of  Columbia 
charges  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  District  of  Columbia  with 
the  duty  of  licensing  such  institutions,  but  makes  it  the  duty  of  all 
public  officers  and  bureaus  of  the  Federal  Government  concerned 
with  educational  matters  to  render  such  advice  and  assistance  to 
the  board  of  education  as  may  be  considered  necessary  or  desirable. 
Such  assistance  has  been  requested  of  this  bureau  by  the  Board  of 
Education  and  assistance  in  the  performance  of  its  duties  has  been 
rendered. 

With  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  plans  are  in 
process  of  formulation  for  the  inauguration  of  correspondence 
courses  of  study  for  the  benefit  of  the  children  living  on  Army,  Navy, 
lighthouse,  or  other  Federal  reservations  where  schooling  facili¬ 
ties  are  not  available.  If  desired  by  school  officials  of  States,  it 
is  intended  that  such  courses  will  be  made  available  for  the  instruc¬ 
tion  of  children  in  isolated  communities,  especially  in  communities 
where  the  small  number  of  children  of  school  age  makes  its  inad¬ 
visable  to  establish  regular  schools.  Toward  the  close  of  the  year  a 
member  of  the  bureau’s  staff  visited  Toronto  and  Winnipeg,  Canada, 
with  a  view  to  securing  information  regarding  the  conduct  of  cor¬ 
respondence  courses  as  carried  on  in  Canada.  It  is  hoped  that  this 
work  may  be  inaugurated  during  the  fall  of  1929. 

G.  Recommendations 

During  the  six  and  a  half  months  which  have  passed  since  the 
undersigned  became  Commissioner  of  Education  he  has  given  serious 
consideration  to  three  major  issues: 

First.  Plans  for  a  nation-wide  survey  of  secondary  education  for 
which  Congress  has  authorized  the  expenditure  of  $50,000  during  the 
current  fiscal  year,  and  $100,000  and  $75,000  in  the  two  succeeding 
years,  respectively. 

Second.  A  reorganization  of  the  personnel  of  the  Bureau  of  Edu¬ 
cation  with  a  view  to  carrying  out  in  the  most  effective  way  the 
purposes  for  which  the  Office  of  Education  in  the  Department  of 
the  Interior  was  created,  and  to  answer  in  some  small  measure  new 
demands  which  appear  to  be  proper  functions  for  the  bureau  to 
perform. 

Third.  The  effectiveness  of  our  work  in  Alaska  and  the  reorgani¬ 
zation  of  a  type  that  will  meet  present  needs  and  in  so  far  as  pos¬ 
sible  relieve  the  Commissioner  of  Education  of  administrative 
responsibilities. 

The  following  general  recommendations  are  respectively  submitted 
for  your  consideration : 

I.  With  regard  to  the  survey  of  secondary  education— 

A.  The  Commissioner  of  Education  should  personally  serve  as 
general  director  of  the  survey.  This  is  the  advice  which  has  been 
given  by  numerous  authorities  in  secondary  education,  especially 
those  who  were  active  in  urging  Congress  to  provide  for  this  nation¬ 
wide  study. 

B.  A  consulting  committee  of  persons  especially  expert  in  the 
field  of  secondary  education  and  in  the  technique  of  survey  work, 
consisting  of  some  seven  or  nine,  should  be  appointed  and  should 
meet  at  the  call  of  the  director.  During  the  first  year  meetings  will 


44  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

be  rather  frequent.  These  persons  should  receive  their  necessary 
travel  expenses.  Their  time  will  doubtless  be  furnished  by  the  insti¬ 
tutions  which  they  serve  regularly. 

C.  An  expert  in  the  field  of  secondary  education  who  has  had 
experience  in  surveys  should  be  employed  for  two  or  three  months 
at  the  beginning  of  the  study  and  again  for  a  similar  period  near 
its  close.  He  should  be  available  to  come  to  Washington  for  con¬ 
sultations  from  time  to  time  in  the  interim. 

II.  The  reorganization  of  the  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

The  Office  of  Education  was  created  for  the  particular  purpose  of 
ascertaining  facts  about  education  in  the  United  States,  organizing 
and  disseminating  these  data,  and  conducting  researches  of  value 
to  American  schools  and  colleges.  This  work  has  been  admirably 
done  over  a  long  period  of  years  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  office 
has  never  been  provided  with  an  adequate  staff  of  specialists  to  do 
all  the  work  which  the  public  and  the  profession  have  expected  of 
it.  During  the  last  few  years  funds  have  been  provided  for  small 
additions  to  the  staff.  These  additions  have  frequently  been  made 
upon  demand  of  organized  groups  of  educators.  In  spite  of  many 
merits  which  this  system  has,  it  appears  to  me  to  have  certain  dis¬ 
advantages  which  ought  not  to  be  overlooked,  among  them  the 
following : 

A.  It  encourages  organized  groups  to  become  active  in  demanding 
service  of  the  bureau  and  the  addition  of  specialists  to  render  this 
service ;  to  look  upon  these  specialists,  once  appointed,  as  the  peculiar 
agents  and  perhaps  even  propagandists  of  the  interests  of  such 
groups. 

B.  It  encourages  other  groups  to  organize  and  urge  appointment 
of  representatives  of  their  interest  to  the  bureau  staff. 

C.  It  tends  to  develop  a  personnel  in  the  Bureau  of  Education 
which  reflects  current  organization  in  the  school  world  rather  than 
an  organization  designed  to  carry  out  the  specific  purposes  for  which 
the  Bureau  of  Education  exists. 

1.  A  new  organization:  The  first  step  in  the  development  of  a 
new  organization  has  been  already  taken  by  the  Secretary  of  the  In¬ 
terior.  The  Personnel  Classification  Board,  upon  the  presentation  of 
facts  by  you  has  reclassified  the  office  of  commissioner  and  created  the 
office  of  assistant  commissioner.  And  the  first  appointee  to  this 
assistant  commissionership  is'  expected  to  report  for  duty  on  October 
1,  1929.  At  that  time  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  in  consulta¬ 
tion  with  the  Assistant  Commissioner  and  the  staff  of  division  chiefs 
in  the  bureau  will  recommend  to  you  a  new  administrative  organi¬ 
zation. 

2.  Two  other  positions  of  very  great  importance  to  the  work  of  the 
Bureau  of  Education  should  be  reclassified.  These  are,  the  librarian 
and  the  editor-in-chief.  Doctor  Wolcott  resigned  the  librarianship  on 
September  30,  1928,  to  accept  service  at  a  higher  remuneration  with 
the  Library  of  Congress.  When  the  undersigned  became  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education  he  asked  the  Civil  Service  Commission  for  a  list 
of  eligibles.  In  his  judgment  none  of  the  persons  on  the  list  seemed 
to  possess  educational  background  and  professional  training  adequate 
to  the  work  which  the  librarian  in  this  office  should  undertake.  Un¬ 
less  the  United  States  Government  is  in  a  position  to  pay  a  salary 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


45 


ranging  from  approximately  $4,500  to  approximately  $6,000,  it  is 
unlikely  that  we  can  successfully  compete  with  college  libraries  for 
persons  adequately  trained  to  do  the  work  that  should  be  expected 
of  the  library.  I  respectfully  recommend  that  the  Personnel  Classi¬ 
fication  Board  be  urged  to  reclassify  this  position  before  further 
efforts  are  made  to  fill  this  vacancy. 

During  the  month  of  July  the  office  of  editor-in-chief  became 
vacant  through  the  rather  sudden  illness  and  death  of  James  C. 
Boykin.  Mr.  Boykin  had  a  distinguished  record  of  service  with  the 
United  States  Government  extending  over  a  period  of  some  40  years. 
Some  of  his  closest  personal  friends  were  in  the  employ  of  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  the  Interior.  Accordingly,  he  served  this  office  for  a  salary 
which  was  entirely  inadequate  for  the  responsibilities  developing 
upon  an  editor-in-chief  in  a  technical  establishment.  Although  it  is 
possible  that  some  other  person  in  the  Government  service  may  be 
found  who  is  of  a  philanthropic  turn  of  mind,  your  commissioner 
believes  that  the  position  of  editor-in-chief  should  be 'reclassified  and 
should  rank  in  salary  and  in  dignity  wdth  the  position  of  librarian. 

3.  Every  position  in  the  Bureau  of  Education  should  be  an  im¬ 
portant  position.  Some  positions,  however,  are  of  such  a  key  char¬ 
acter  that  the  carrying  on  of  the  responsibilities  connected  with 
them  should  not  depend  upon  the  health,  tenure,  or  life  of  any  human 
being.  Positions  of  this  character  are :  The  chief  clerk,  the  editor- 
in-chief,  the  librarian,  the  chief  of  the  Division  of  Higher  Education. 
In  the  past  but  one  of  these,  the  editor-in-chief,  has  had  an  assistant. 
It  is  my  recommendation  that  there  be  assistant  chiefs  for  all  of  these 
offices. 

4.  Of  the  numerous  items  which  might  be  brought  to  your  attention 
in  a  report  of  this  kind,  I  select  for  especial  comment  three  only : 

(a)  The  need  of  a  larger  fund  for  printing.  A  year  ago  Com¬ 
missioner  Tigert,  commenting  upon  this  situation,  wrote : 

“  In  my  last  report  I  set  out  in  some  detail  the  situation  with  reference  to 
printing  funds  for  the  Bureau  of  Education.  This  remains  the  most  acute 
need  of  the  bureau.  At  present  the  bureau  is  not  able  to  print  all  of  the  studies 
which  are  produced  by  the  specialists.  This  is  an  unsound  and  uneconomic 
procedure.  The  Bureau  of  Education  is  essentially  a  bureau  of  research  and 
information.  If  the  channels  for  communication  through  printing  are  not  kept 
open,  its  research  function  is  enormously  impaired  in  value.  There  is  nothing 
that  I  could  urge  more  emphatically  than  the  necessity  for  adequate  printing 
funds  if  the  bureau  is  to  enlarge  its  usefulness. 

The  amounts  available  for  the  Bureau  of  Education  printing  for 
the  past  15  years  are  as  follows : 


Fiscal  year  ended— 

Allotment 
for  printing 

Fiscal  year  ended— 

Allotment 
for  printing 

Fiscal  year  ended— 

Allotment 
for  printing 

June  30, 1916. . . 

June  30,  1917 _ 

June  30,  1918 _ 

June  30,  1919 _ _ 

June  30,  1920 . . 

$52,000 

57,000 

64,000 

85,000 

85,000 

June  30,  1921 _ 

June  30,  1922  . 

June  30,  1923 _ 

June  30,  1924 _ 

June  30,  1925 _ 

$96,000 

65,000 

56,000 

48,000 

48,500 

June  30.  1926 _ 

June  30,  1927 . 

June  30,  1928 . 

June  30,  1929 _ 

June  30,  1930 _ 

$44,000 

45.500 

42.500 

45.500 
47,000 

In  the  budget  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1931,  already  approved 
by  you  and  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Bureau  of  the  Budget,  $80,000 
has  been  requested.  If  allowed,  the  amount  will  furnish  some  re¬ 
lief  for  the  situation. 


46  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

(b)  Funds  for  the  study  of  foreign  school  systems  and  for  such 
researches  in  American  education  as  in  the  judgment  of  the  Secre¬ 
tary  of  the  Interior  should  be  undertaken.  During  the  Commis- 
sionership  of  Dr.  William  T.  Harris  the  Bureau  of  Education 
rendered  a  very  distinct  service  to  American  schools  by  publishing 
monographs  on  the  school  systems  of  foreign  nations.  "  During  the 
last  few  years  comparatively  little  has  been  presented  to  the  Ameri¬ 
can  school  people  along  these  lines.  Changes  of  far-reaching  im¬ 
portance  in  the  school  systems  of  other  nations  have  come  about 
since  the  Great  War.  At  home  the  need  for  special  study  some¬ 
times  becomes  imperative  without  much  advance  notice.  A  good 
sample  of  this  was  occasioned  by  the  rapid  advance  of  the  radio 
industry.  Many  educators  desire  to  undertake  programs  of  broad¬ 
casting  school  work  for  both  adults  and  school  children.  Others 
are  apprehensive  lest  their  failure  to  do  work  of  this  kind  would 
handicap  their  own  school  systems.  The  Bureau  of  Education  has 
been  unable  to  meet  in  any  adequate  fashion  demands  made  upon 
it  in  this  regard  because  it  has  had  at  its  disposal  no  funds  with 
which  to  finance  investigations  of  this  sort.  Sixty-five  thousand 
dollars  has  been  requested  in  the  budget  for  the  year  ending  1931 
to  meet  needs  of  the  types  just  enumerated. 

( c )  The  library  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  one  of  the  world’s 
great  libraries  in  a  narrow  field— that  of  education  and  administra¬ 
tion  of  schools  and  colleges.  Here  is  a  great  depository  of  original 
reports,  catalogues,  and  textbooks,  without  access  to  which  the  his¬ 
tory  of  American  education  can  not  be  written.  There  are  in  it 
at  the  present  time  catalogues  of  colleges,  State  and  city  school  re¬ 
ports,  as  follows : 


Volumes 

Catalogues 
of  colleges, 

School  reports 

Catalogues 

universi¬ 
ties,  and 
teachers 
colleges 

State 

City  and 
town 

of  foreign 
universi¬ 
ties 

Bound . .  .  - 

4, 849 
19, 914 

1,365 

1,000 

2,935 

9,000 

Unbound 

Total _ _ _ _ _ _ 

24,  763 

2,365  |  11,935 

1, 750 

In  addition  there  is  a  remarkable  collection  of  textbooks  used  in 
American  schools;  7,295  of  these  have  been  catalogued.  There  are 
approximately  8,500  on  the  shelves  which  have  never  been  cata¬ 
logued.  One  of  the  most  important  pieces  of  work  which  should 
be  done  is  to  catalogue  these  books  and  to  issue  for  the  use  of 
students  of  education  bibliographies  in  the  various  school  curricu¬ 
lum  fields  such  as  reading,  spelling,  and  arithmetic.  We  should  have 
in  the  library  now  three  or  four  additional  members  of  the  staff  to 
do  this  work  and  to  carry  on  the  usual  functions  of  our  library. 
New  demands  for  library  service  are  being  made  upon  the  library. 
At  the  last  convention  of  the  American  Library  Association  the  fol¬ 
lowing  resolution  was  adopted : 

RESOLVED,  That  the  American  Library  Association  urge  the  Federal  Gov¬ 
ernment  to  develop  and  organize  the  educational  library  which  now  exists  in 
the  Bureau  of  Education  to  a  point  where  it  will  be  able  to  render  an  enlarged 
service  to  the  libraries  and ‘schools  of  the  Nation. 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


47 


The  American  Library  Association  also  urges  that  provision  be  made  for 
research  and  surveys  in  the  field  of  library  service,  including  libraries  in  ele- 
mentry  schools,  high  schools,  colleges,  and  teachers  colleges,  and  that  skilled 
advice  and  trained  leadership  be  made  available  to  guide  the  rapid  development 
which  is  now  taking  place  in  the  school  and  public  library  fields. 

The  American  Library  Association  further  urges  that  the  Government  widen 
the  scope  of  its  statistics  relating  to  libraries  and  issue  them  at  more  frequent 
intervals  and  that  the  range  of  its  published  studies  for  libraries  be  enlarged  to 
include  bibliographies,  service  manuals,  and  other  library  aids.  Be  it  further 

RESOLVED ,  That  the  American  Library  Association  committee  on  education 
be  instructed  to  work  toward  these  ends  and  that  copies  of  these  resolutions  be 
sent  to  the  President,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  to  the  Commissioner  of 
Education,  and  to  the  Committee  on  Education  of  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  United  States  Congress. 

Your  commissioner  recommends  in  this  connection  that  a  bulletin 
on  statistics  of  libraries  be  printed  every  four  years  and  that  there 
be  incorporated  into  it  a  directory  of  libraries.  A  special  committee 
representing  the  American  Library  Association  is  cooperating  with 
the  Bureau  of  Education  in  determining  what  information  should 
be  incorporated  in  such  bulletin. 

These  demands  for  increased  service  to  be  rendered  by  the  library 
bring  forcibly  to  our  attention  the  importance  of  assigning  more 
space  to  it.  Not  only  are  there  inadequate  quarters  for  the  library 
staff  but  the  stacks  are  overcrowded.  The  commissioner  recom¬ 
mends  that  an  investigation  be  made  of  the  feasibility  of  erecting 
space  for  stacks  upon  the  roof  of  one  of  the  wings  of  the  present 
building.  If  this  is  structurally  impossible,  plans  should  be  de¬ 
veloped  for  new  housing  of  the  bureau’s  library. 

III.  The  Alaska  Division:  Your  commissioner  has  spent  a  great 
deal  of  time  in  studying  the  work  in  Alaska.  One  entire  month  has 
been  given  to  a  consideration  of  the  problems  of  the  Alaska  Division, 
including  an  actual  visit  to  the  Territory.  Only  in  the  education  of 
the  natives  of  Alaska  does  the  Commissioner  of  Education  exercise 
any  administrative  authority  over  American  schools,  and  here,  curi¬ 
ously  enough,  are  included  responsibilities  not  usually  assigned  to 
school  administrators,  namely,  hospitalization,  oversight  of  certain 
trading  and  other  financial  operations,  and  the  supervision  of  the 
reindeer  industry.  Yet  these  same  extraneous  responsibilities  have 
been  discharged  by  the  Commissioners  of  Education  to  the  general 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned  and  within  the  limits  of  rather  re¬ 
stricted  budgets.  My  recommendations  for  this  service  are  stated  in 
conjunction  with  certain  general  principles  which  seemed  to  me  to 
be  sound.  They  are: 

A.  That  the  seat  of  authority  to  administer  should  be  located  as 
near  as  possible  to  situations  demanding  attention.  This  would 
seem  to  demand  the  transfer  of  the  Chief  of  the  Alaska  Division 
from  Seattle  to  Juneau,  or  possibly  Anchorage.  This  transfer  is 
respectfully  recommended  even  if  no  other  changes  at  this  time 
are  contemplated. 

B.  That  the  officer  charged  with  administration  of  Alaskan  af¬ 
fairs  be  given  large  discretionary  powers-  In  the  past  many  mat¬ 
ters  which  could  have  been  settled  on  the  ground  in  the  light  of 
broad,  policies  laid  down  in  Washington  have  been  referred  to  the 
Commissioner  of  Education  or  an  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  depart¬ 
ment  for  action,  causing  serious  delays- 


48 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


C.  That  financial  obligations  properly  incurred  be  settled 
promptly.  If  this  is  to  be  the  policy  of  this  department,  a  dis¬ 
bursing  officer  representing  the  department  in  Alaska  is  required. 

D.  That  as  rapidly  as  possible  the  office  of  Commissioner  of  Edu¬ 
cation  be  relieved  of  such  responsibilities  for  the  Alaskan  service 
as  are  primarily  administrative  in  character.  The  adoption  of  this 
policy  would  involve : 

1.  Transfer  of  the  oversight  of  the  reindeer  industry  to  other  rep¬ 
resentatives  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  It  is  only  after 
most  careful  thought  that  I  make  this  recommendation,  since  the 
Chief  of  the  Alaska  Division  and  others  in  the  bureau  do  not  agree 
with  me  that  it  should  be  made.  Mr.  J.  H.  Wagner  brings  to  my 
attention  such  foreign  commendations  of  the  work  of  the  bureau 
as  that  of  Dr.  Knud  Rasmussen,  given  to  the  Danish  Parliament 
after  a  survey  of  Eskimo  life  in  Alaska,  Canada,  and  Greenland, 
and  a  recent  editorial  in  the  Manchester  Guardian.  From  the  latter 
Mr.  Wagner  quotes: 

There  have  been  few  social  experiments  more  interesting  than  the  introduc¬ 
tion  of  reindeer  into  Alaska,  and  the  current  report  of  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Education  shows  that  the  experiment  is  still  going  well.  That  the 
work  should  be  done  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  gives  some  clue  to  its  nature 
and  purpose.  In  the  nineties  of  last  century  the  native  Eskimos  were  in 
some  danger  of  exhausting  their  precarious  food  supply  of  seal,  walrus,  and 
wild  caribou.  The  United  States  Government  therefore  imported  reindeer 
from  across  the  Bering  Sea.  In  10  years  more  than  1,000  head  were  introduced 
together  with  Lapp  herdsmen  to  tend  them  and  to  train  the  inhabitants  to  do 
likewise.  The  number  of  reindeer  has  now  grown  to  more  than  1,000,000. 
With  the  meat  for  food,  the  skins  for  clothing,  and  a  slight  surplus  for  export 
and  exchange  the  simple  needs  of  the  Eskimo  are.  satisfied.  Alaska  is  an 
object  lesson  in  the  treatment  of  subject  races.  The  purpose  of  the  reindeer 
industry  was  primarily  to  make  the  country  self-supporting  and  not  an  eco¬ 
nomic  dependency  to  be  exploited  for  raw  materials  or  as  a  market.  The 
Eskimo  himself  owns  the  animals  he  keeps ;  he  is  not  just  a  herdsman  em¬ 
ployed  by  a  huge  reindeer  syndicate.  If  ever  Alaska  becomes,  as  it  conceivably 
may,  one  of  the  world’s  important  meat  producers,  a  less  scrupulous  com¬ 
mercialism  may  invade  the  country.  But  export  is  not  easy ;  lofty  mountains 
fringe  the  southern  coasts,  and  the  western  ports  are  icebound  for  much 
of  the  year.  Up  to  now  the  Eskimo  has  nothing  but  gratitude  to  feel  toward 
the  United  States;  nor  is  he  the  only  one  who  might  learn  something  from 
the  Bureau  of  Education. 

“  The  reindeer  industry,”  writes  Mr.  Wagner,  “it  is  scarcely  nec¬ 
essary  to  say,  is  the  foundation  stone  in  the  building  of  native  citi¬ 
zenship  for  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  native  population  of  Alaska. 
For  this  purpose  the  industry  was  established  by  the  Bureau  of 
Education  and  has  not  only  successfully  established  the  industry  for 
the  natives,  but  added  greatly  to  the  wealth  of  the  Territory  of 
Alaska.  This  industry  is  a  vital  and  important  factor  in  the  native’s 
education.  Control  of  deer  belonging  to  Alaska  natives  should  not, 
at  the  present  stage  of  the  native’s  progress  toward  citizenship,  be 
controlled  by  any  other  than  those  responsible  for  his  welfare  and 
education.” 

One  is  justly  proud  of  a  piece  of  work  in  which  he  has  been  con¬ 
spicuously  successful.  Were  I  to  allow  sentiment  to  prevail  I  should 
vigorously  oppose  the  transfer  of  this  enterprise  in  which  we  have 
been  engaged  for  nearly  40  years.  I  would  that  space  permitted  me 
to  review  the  heroic  efforts  of  Sheldon  Jackson,  our  general  agent 
of  education  in  Alaska,  who  after  failing  to  get  any  money  from  the 


WORK  OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


49 


Fifty-first  Congress  appealed,  with  the  approval  of  Commissioner 
Harris  and  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Noble,  to  the  people  through 
the  press  of  Boston,  Chicago,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Wash¬ 
ington,  and  secured  $2,146.  With  this  money  the  preliminary  work 
of  getting  reindeer  from  Siberia  to  Alaska  was  done  and  16  deer 
were  purchased  and  successfully  transported  more  than  1,000  miles 
through  a  stormy  sea.  Doctor  Jackson  reported  to  his  chief,  Com¬ 
missioner  Harris,  in  1891,  “  several  important  objects  ”  he  hoped 
to  attain  through  this  work.  I  quote  sections  of  this  report  as 
follows : 

In  the  first  place,  the  population,  which  is  now  upon  the  verge  of  starvation, 
will  be  furnished  with  a  permanent,  regular,  and  abundant  supply  of  food. 

In  the  second  place,  the  introduction  of  domestic  reindeer  into  Alaska  will 
not  only  thus  arrest  the  present  starvation  but  will  assist  in  increasing  the 
population.  With  a  more  generous  food  supply  this  population  will  com¬ 
mence  to  increase  in  numbers.  Occupying  a  region  whose  climatic  conditions 
are  so  rigorous  that  but  few  white  men  will  ever  be  willing  to  make  their 
permanent  home  in  it,  it  is  important,  if  we  would  save  it  from  being  an 
unpeopled  waste  and  howling  wilderness,  that  we  build  up  the  people  who 
through  generations  have  become  acclimated  and  who  are  as  fervently  attached 
to  their  bleak  and  storm-swept  plains  as  the  people  of  temperate  and  torrid 
zones  to  their  lands  of  comfort  and  abundance. 

Thirdly,  the  introduction  of  domestic  reindeer  is  the  commencement  of  the 
elevation  of  this  race  from  barbarism  to  civilization.  A  change  from  the  con¬ 
dition  of  hunters  to  that  of  herders  is  a  long  step  upward  in  the  scale  of  civiliza-* 
tion,  teaching  them  to  provide  for  the  future  by  new  methods.  Probably  no 
greater  returns  can  be  found  in  this  country  from  the  expenditure  of  the  same 
amount  of  money  than  in  lifting  up  this  native  race  of  barbarism  by  the  in¬ 
troduction  of  reindeer  and  education. 

Fourthly,  the  introduction  of  the  domestic  reindeer  will  solve  the  question 
of  Arctic  transportation. 

In  the  fifth  place,  the  introduction  of  domesticated  reindeer  will  add  a  new 
industry  to  that  country,  which  will  go  to  swell  the  aggregate  of  national 
wealth. 

Would  that  Doctor  J ackson  might  return  to  Alaska  and  see  how  well 
he  had  builded.  Sentiment  and  a  proper  pride  would  urge  that  the 
Bureau  of  Education  continue  to  supervise  reindeer.  But  the  rein¬ 
deer  problems  of  to-day  are  quite  different  from  those  which  have 
been  successfully  met  by  the  Bureau  of  Education.  These  new  prob¬ 
lems  are  (1)  control  of  pests,  a  very  proper  function  of  the  De¬ 
partment  of  Agriculture;  (2)  research  into  feeding,  upbreeding, 
cross-breeding  with  caribou,  etc. — in  a  word,  agricultural  college 
research  work;  and  (3)  marketing  the  surplus  which  Doctor  Jack- 
son  expected  to  result  from  his  efforts.  For  none  of  this  work  is 
this  office  equipped. 

2.  Transfer  of  the  oversight  of  certain  financial  transactions  to 
another  representative  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  perhaps 
to  the  commissioner,  who  represents  the  Secretary  in  Alaska.  This 
would  include  the  so-called  Alaska  trust  fund,  which  probably 
should  not  be  terminated  for  a  few  years,  since  there  are  still  parts 
of  Alaska  not  cared  for  by  traders  and  other  parts  where  the  natives 
should  not  be  left  to  the  mercy  of  persons  who  possess  a  monopoly 
in  this  field.  This  work  has  been  admirably  administered  by  Mr. 
A.  H.  Miller,  who  has  rendered  faithful  and  unselfish  service  to 
natives  for  many  years.  This  recommendation  would  also  cover  the 
services  rendered  by  the  Alaska  Division  to  the  village  of  Metlakatla 
on  Annette  Island  and  general  supervision  of  cooperative  stores. 


50 


REPORT  OE  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Whoever  exercises  oversight  of  this  financial  work  in  Alaska  will 
doubtless  find  that  it  is  still  desirable  to  utilize  the  services  of  the 
teachers  in  the  native  schools  to  assist  in  keeping  records  of  accounts 
of  the  native  cooperative  stores. 

3.  A  transfer  of  the  hospitals  and  their  staffs  to  another  repre¬ 
sentative  of  the  department  and  the  development  of  a  policy  which 
will  tend  to  coordinate  the  health  work  for  the  natives  with  the 
health  work  for  the  whites  under  the  health  service  of  the  Terri¬ 
torial  Government.  If  this  service  should  remain  in  the  Bureau  of 
Education,  the  Chief  of  the  Alaska  Division  insists  that  there  be 
a  general  supervisor  for  the  medical  activities.  Alaska  is  a  land 
of  such  sparse  population  and  vast  area  that  it  seems  unwise  to 
develop  two  overhead  organizations,  one  Federal  and  one  Terri¬ 
torial.  Your  commissioner  believes  that  in  a  short'time  the  Terri¬ 
torial  government  should  perform  all  of  this  service,  receiving  sub¬ 
sidies  for  care  administered  to  nontaxpaying  natives. 

The  nurses  who  minister  to  the  needs  of  the  children  should  re¬ 
main  under  the  direction  of  those  responsible  for  the  administration 
of  the  schools,  much  after  the  custom  prevailing  in  American  cities. 

4.  A  gradual  transfer  of  the  actual  management  of  the  schools 
for  the  natives  to  other  agencies.  The  Bureau  of  Education  should 
develop,  or  at  least  approve,  the  course  of  study  to  be  followed; 
should  set  the  standards  for  teachers  and  should  certificate  them; 
and  should  study  and  determine  the  best  methods  of  teaching  of 
the  natives.  In  all  towns  and  cities  where  schools  are  maintained 
by  the  Territory  for  the  white  children  and  by  the  Federal  Govern¬ 
ment  for  the  natives  a  program  of  consolidation  should  be  instituted 
designed  to  bring  both  schools  under  one  management.  Your 
commissioner  would  recommend  the  development  of  a  program  of 
subsidies  whereby  the  Territorial  school  in  a  given  community  would 
be  reimbursed  by  the  Federal  Government  for  the  education  of  the 
children  of  all  nontaxpaying  natives.  Doubtless  the  management 
of  the  schools  in  strictly  native  villages  and  in  the  far-flung  sections . 
of  the  west  and  north  coasts  will  remain  a  F ederal  responsibility  for 
many  years.  If  the  Bureau  of  Education  is  to  continue  with  any 
administrative  authority,  this  is  its  legitimate  field.  Regardless  of 
the  authority,  administering  native  education  there  should  be  a  clear- 
cut  separation  of  interests  in  our  so-called  industrial  schools.  Up 
to  the  present  time  these  schools  have  been  primarily  orphanages 
for  young  children  rather  than  industrial  schools  for  adolescents. 
In  the  future  these  schools  should  be  real  centers  in  secondary- 
school  training,  especially  of  vocational  types,  for  the  native  chil¬ 
dren  living  over  large  areas  of  Alaska. 

5.  Transfer  of  the  operation  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Boxer  to  the  com¬ 
missioner  of  the  department  in  Alaska.  The  northbound  voyages 
of  this  vessel  are  concerned  very  largely  with  supplies  for  existing 
schools  and  hospitals  and  materials  with  which  to  build  new  schools 
and  hospitals  or  repair  old  ones.  On  the  voyage  south  the  Boxer 
frequently  brings  out  reindeer  carcasses  for  natives.  It  can  still 
render  service  for  the  schools  if  operated  by  the  department. 

Respectfully  submitted.  Wm.  John  Cooper,  C ommissioner. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

o 


UNITED  STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


ANNUAL  REPORT 

OF  THE 

COMMISSIONER  OF 
EDUCATION 

FOR  THE 

YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30 

1930 


UNITED  STATES 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASHINGTON  :  1930 


For  sale  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Price  10  cents 


THE  OFFICE  OF  EDUCATION 

Created  as  a  department  March  2,  1867 
Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1 ,  I860 


COMMISSIONERS 

Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D. 

March  14,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1886 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D. 

August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  I). 
July  1,  1906,  to  June  30,  1911 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL  D 
July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921 

John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  Ed.  I).,  LL.  D. 
June  2,  1921,  to  August  31,  1928 

William  John  Cooper,  Ed.  D.,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  J). 
February  11,  1929 


CONTENTS 


Page 

General  policy _  1 

Reorganization _  2 

Library _  4 

Editorial _  4 

Publications _  4 

Service  division _  7 

Administration _  7 

Division  of  major  surveys _  7 

Survey  of  secondary  education _  8 

Survey  of  the  teacher  situation  in  the  United  States _  10 

Proposed  study  of  school  finance _  11 

Conferences _  12 

Assistance  and  cooperation _  13 

Coordination _  13 

Howard  University -  15 

Division  of  research  and  investigation: 

Hygiene  and  physical  education _  16 

Industrial  education _  18 

Division  of  colleges  and  professional  schools _  19 

Division  of  special  problems _  22 

Division  of  American  school  systems _  27 

Division  of  statistics _  30 

Division  of  foreign  school  systems _  30 

Division  of  administration _  34 

Editorial  division _  38 

Library  division _  38 

Service  division _  39 


hi 


, 


ANNUAL  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF 
EDUCATION 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Office  of  Education, 

W ashing  ton,  D.  C August  30,  1930. 

Sir:  The  past  year  has  been  one  of  transition,  of  reorganization, 
and  of  planning  to  meet  new  and  larger  issues  in  education.  Al¬ 
though  some  previous  activities  have  been  discontinued,  the  new  work 
undertaken  has  required  the  services  of  all  former  employees,  who 
have  adjusted  themselves  to  new  duties  cheerfully. 

GENERAL  POLICY 

After  a  discussion  of  proposed  plans  with  a  committee  of  five 
advisers  whom  I  had  selected  upon  taking  office,  and  approval  by 
you,  the  office  has  been  reorganized  in  the  light  of  these  general 
principles : 

1.  That  the  reasons  for  which  Congress  established  the  Office  of 
Education,  namely,  the  collection  of  school  statistics  and  a  wide  dis¬ 
semination  of  information  on  education,  are  still  valid  and  should 
receive  chief  emphasis  by  our  staff. 

2.  That  such  promotional  activities  as  had  been  assumed  from 
time  to  time,  and  chiefly  during  the  war  period,  should  be  eliminated 
as  rapidly  as  possible. 

3.  That  the  demand  for  more  fundamental  research  in  education, 
indicated  in  part  by  bills  calling  for  the  creation  of  a  Department 
of  Education  and  appropriations  for  research,  and  also  by  petitions 
and  memorials  from  organized  professional  groups  requesting  in¬ 
vestigation  of  particular  projects,  is  fully  justified. 

4.  That  the  administrative  responsibilities  gradually  accruing  to 
the  commissioner  and  his  staff  over  a  period  of  some  40  years  and 
arising  in  particular  from  the  education  and  medical  relief  of  natives 
in  Alaska  should  be  transferred  to  other  officials  as  rapidly  as 
possible. 

5.  That  certain  service  functions  gradually  developed  by  the  office 
should  be  continued  partly  because  they  furnish  the  best  means  of 
disseminating  information,  partly  because  they  furnish  the  only 
means  of  keeping  members  of  our  staff  in  direct  contact  with  actual 
school  problems,  and  partly  because  situations  arise  in  local  and  State 
governments  where  an  agent  of  the  Federal  Government  is  the  only 
satisfactory  person  to  serve  as  a  referee. 

6.  That  the  local  autonomy  of  American  education  can  best  be 
preserved  by  having  in  Washington  a  staff  large  enough  to  perform 
adequately  these  regular  and  recurring  duties  and  by  augmenting  this 
staff  temporarily  for  the  performance  of  specific  technical  tasks,  as 

1 


2 


REPORT  OE  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


needs  arise,  from  the  experts  employed  in  universities  and  colleges 
and  the  public-school  system. 

7.  That  such  specific  tasks  be  undertaken  only  at  the  request  of  and 
with  the  approval  of  well'-'established,  organized  professional  groups ; 
and  that  each  project  so  approved  be  submitted  to  Congress  on  its 
own  merits  and  carried  on  with  funds  provided  for  that  specific 
purpose. 

8.  That  every  effort  be  made  to  locate  researches  now  under  way  in 
education,  to  cooperate  with  the  local  governments,  universities,  and 
volunteer  agencies  which  are  making  such  studies,  and,  in  so  far  as 
possible,  to  coordinate  the  efforts  of  all  such  groups. 

REORGANIZATION 

In  line  with  this  general  program,  the  office  has  been  reorganized. 

The  11  coordinate  divisions  shown  in  Figure  I  have  been  con¬ 
solidated  into  5  major  divisions  as  indicated  in  Figure  II.  Of 
these  5,  the  Division  of  Research  and  Investigation,  headed  by  the 
assistant  commissioner,  was  created  to  consolidate  and  coordinate  the 
efforts  of  the  research  divisions,  a  new  division  of  special  problems, 
and  a  division  of  foreign  school1  systems  (which  had  been  a  section 
in  the  service  division). 

Early  in  my  term  of  office  and  at  your  request,  the  Personnel  Classi¬ 
fication  Board  gave  the  commissionership  a  new  classification  and 
created  the  office  of  assistant  commissioner  in  the  grade  formerly  held 
by  the  commissioner.  This  action  seemed  to  imply  that  the  assistant 
commissioner  was  to  assume  much  of  the  responsibility  formerly 
devolving  upon  the  commissioner.  Under  the  present  organization 
(see  Fig.  II),  the  assistant  commissioner  is  directly  responsible  for 
educational  investigation  and  research  of  the  essential  work  of  the 
old  Bureau  of  Education. 

Figure  II  indicates  that  this  major  division  embraces  and  coordi¬ 
nates  the  work  of  five  divisions: 

1.  A  division  of  colleges  and  professional  schools  which  succeeds 
to  the  work  of  an  older  division  of  higher  education  (shown  in 
Fig.  I) ; 

2.  A  division  of  American  schools  which  succeeds  to  most  of  the 
work  of  former  divisions  of  city  schools  and  rural  schools; 

3.  A  new  division  of  “  special  problems.”  To  this  division  falls 
the  work  of  studying  some  results  of  recent  efforts  to  make  our 
schools  minister  in  fact  to  all  the  children  of  all  the  people.  This 
ideal  of  democracy,  incorporated  in  many  statutes  for  compulsory 
school  attendance,  has  brought  into  the  schools  children  handicapped 
in  various  physical  ways;  the  crippled,  the  partially  sighted,  the 
hard  of  hearing,  and  those  with  speech  defects;  and  children  handi¬ 
capped  mentally ;  the  dullards,  the  morons,  and  the  imbeciles.  This 
ideal  has  also  brought  the  educational  system  in  closer  contact  with 
indigenous  peoples. 

Although  the  Commissioner  of  Education  has  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  American  Indian  in  continental  United  States,  he  has  been 
responsible  for  more  than  40  years  for  the  education  of  the  Alaskan 
Indian,  the  Aleut,  and  the  Eskimo.  During  these  years,  as  noted 
in  my  last  annual  report,  most  of  the  energies  of  the  commissioner 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


3 


and  his  staff  have  been  devoted  to  the  problems  of  administration. 
The  large  educational  service  which  has  been  rendered  Alaska  has 
been  primarily  one  of  civilizing  the  native  peoples.  With  keen  social 
insight  Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson,  some  40  years  ago,  pointed  out  that  the 
difference  between  barbarism  and  civilization  lay  in  the  difference 
between  a  hunter  and  a  herder.  In  my  report  last  year  I  observed 
that  the  Department  of  the  Interior  had  right  to  be  proud  of  the 
service  rendered  through  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  changing  the 
native  Alaskan  from  a  hunter  to  a  herder.  Nevertheless,  in  all  these 
years  there  has  not  been  any  fundamental  psychological  research  into 
the  capacities  of  these  native  peoples.  This  work  should  be  under¬ 
taken  as  rapidly  as  funds  and  workers  are  available.  It,  also, 
becomes  a  responsibility  of  this  new  division  and  a  beginning  which 
has  been  made  will  be  discussed  later  in  this  report. 

There  are  also  special  problems  involved  in  the  education  of  the 
negro  race.  Although  a  surprisingly  large  number  of  our  negro 
citizens  have  adapted  themselves  well  to  our  historic  school  systems, 
it  is  obvious  that  there  are  a  great  many  of  them  on  whom  this 
adjustment  works  undue  hardship.  It  is  generally  conceded  that 
the  negro  race  has  made  the  one  distinctively  American  contribution 
to  music.  But  a  race  whose  ancestors  have  for  centuries  lived  in  the 
Tropics  is  more  likely  to  supplement  than  to  duplicate  the  contribu¬ 
tions  of  a  race  whose  ancestors  for  generations  have  lived  in  the 
Temperate  Zones.  We  may  reasonably  look  for  a  social  psychology 
somewhat  different.  During  the  past  year  we  have  had  employed 
on  the  secondary  survey  staff  a  negro  educator  who  has  been  studying 
the  nature  of  the  work  done  in  the  secondary  schools  now  provided 
for  negroes.  With  a  view  to  continuing  and  extending  this  work  we 
have  provision  in  the  Budget  for  the  fiscal  year  beginning  July  1, 1930, 
for  a  specialist  in  negro  education.  We  hope  to  secure  an  outstand¬ 
ing  educator  of  the  negro  race  to  fill  this  regular  place  on  our  staff. 

4.  A  former  section  on  foreign  education  has  been  raised  to  the 
status  of  a  division.  During  the  long  administration  of  William  T. 
Harris  American  education  was  very  greatly  benefited  by  the  publica¬ 
tion  of  bulletins,  reports,  and  articles  on  European  schools.  Your 
commissioner  believes  that  American  schools  are  now  confronting 
problems  so  new  that  we  have  not  so  much  to  learn  from  the  Old 
World  as  we  did  in  the  time  of  Doctor  Harris.  Nevertheless,  many 
nations  of  the  Old  World  have  abandoned  monarchy  and  aristocracy 
and  are  trying  democracy.  This  brings  them  face  to  face  with  many 
educational  problems  similar  to  those  we  are  trying  to  solve.  The 
numerous  experiments  which  are  going  on  in  Europe  should  have 
lessons  of  value  to  American  educators.  Accordingly,  I  believe  that 
this  division  should  receive  increased  support  sufficient  to  enable  it 
to  keep  in  close  contact  with  foreign  experiments,  and  to  prepare 
monographs  from  time  to  time  for  the  benefit  of  Americans  who 
either  do  not  read  foreign  languages  or  are  unable  to  find  the  time 
to  study  the  situation  for  themselves.  At  least  two  specialists  should 
be  added  in  the  near  future — one,  an  expert  in  comparative  education, 
European;  the  other,  an  expert  in  comparative  education,  Oriental. 

5.  A  statistical  division.  All  four  divisions  enumerated  above 
have  statistical  work  to  do.  It  has  been  found  economical  in  the 
past  to  group  these  statisticians  in  a  pool  or  single  division  rather 


4 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


than  to  scatter  them  among  the  experts  whom  they  serve.  Con¬ 
sequently  the  division  of  statistics  has  been  kept  intact,  but  since  it 
is  the  hand-maid  of  the  other  four,  it  constitutes  the  fifth  division 
in  the  major  division  of  research  and  investigation. 

LIBRARY 

Time  has  proven,  I  am  sure,  that  the  early  commissioners  were  wise 
in  establishing  our  library.  Commissioner  Brown’s  reorganization 
and  new  catalogue  made  it  available  not  only  to  us  but  to  the  educa¬ 
tional  public.  The  Personnel  Classification  Board  has  given  a  new 
classification  for  librarian,  and  the  Civil  Service  Commission  has 
certified  three  persons  for  librarian.  Miss  McCabe  has  served  as 
acting  librarian  during  the  entire  past  year  and  has  rendered  excel¬ 
lent  service.  You  will  receive  recommendation  for  an  appointment 
before  this  manuscript  appears  in  print.  Little  further  progress 
can  be  made,  however,  in  filling  the  lacunse  in  our  library  or  com¬ 
pleting  its  catalogue  until  ample  quarters  are  'secured.  Many  of  our 
books  are  boxed  in  the  basement  of  this  building  due  to  lack  of 
space,  and  the  present  stacks  are  loaded  to  the  limit  of  safety. 

EDITORIAL 

It  is  through  the  editorial  division  that  the  Office  of  Education 
speaks.  During  the  fiscal  year  this  office  has  been  without  an  editor- 
in-chief.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Boykin  the  Personnel  Classifica¬ 
tion  Board  was  requested  to  reclassify  the  editor’s  position.  This 
was  done.  And  as  this  is  written,  consideration  is  being  given  to 
the  qualifications  of  three  persons  certificated  by  the  Civil  Service 
Commission.  By  October  first  we  hope  to  have  a  new  editor-in-chief. 
In  the  interim  our  veteran  assistant  editor,  Doctor  Evans,  has  ren¬ 
dered  splendid  service  as  acting  editor.  His  work  with  School  Life 
especially  has  been  commended  by  educators  outside  our  staff. 

A  year  ago  I  called  attention  to  the  inadequacy  of  our  fund  for 
printing.  Two  thousand  dollars  more  were  given  for  the  year,  an 
amount  which  did  not  permit  publication  of  accumulated  manu¬ 
scripts  of  merit.  I  urge  a  printing  fund  of  not  less  than  $80,000 
for  next  year. 

PUBLICATIONS 

The  nature  of  the  publications  issued  is  fixed  in  a  general  way  by 
law.  The  original  act  of  1867  (14  Stat.  L.  434)  provided  for  “collec- 
ing  such  statistics  and  facts  as  shall  show  the  condition  and  progress 
of  education  in  the  several  States  and  Territories,  and  of  diffusing 
such  information  respecting  the  organization  and  management  of 
schools  and  school  systems,  and  methods  of  teaching,  as  shall  aid 
the  people  of  the  United  States  in  the  establishment  and  mainte- 
ance  of  efficient  school  systems,  and  otherwise  promote  the  cause  of 
education  throughout  the  country.”  It  specifically  directed  (sec.  3) 
“  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to 
present  annually  to  Congress  a  report  embodying  the  results  of  his 


REPORT  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


5 


investigations  and  labors,  together  with  a  statement  of  such  facts 
and  recommendations  as  will,  in  his  judgment,  subserve  the  purpose 
for  which  this  department  is  established.” 

The  execution  of  this  instruction  produced  an  annual  report  in¬ 
creasing  each  year  in  size  and  complexity  due  to  many  causes,  among 
them  the  following : 

1.  The  settlement  of  the  West  and  the  admission  of  new  States  to 
the  Union. 

2.  The  increased  interest  in  public  education,  especially  as  non- 
English-speaking  immigrants  increased  in  number. 

3.  The  growth  of  public  high  schools  which  became  marked  after 
1890. 

4.  The  improvement  of  administrative  practices  in  business,  especi¬ 
ally  in  record  keeping  and  cost  accounting,  which  began  to  interest 
educators  about  1910. 

5.  The  increasing  difficulties*  of  financing  schools  due  to  increase 
in  popularization,  fluctuation  in  the  value  of  the  dollar,  and  changing- 
character  of  taxable  wealth. 

Congress  recognized  the  problem  as  early  as  1896  (29  Stat.  L. 
140,  171)  in  authorizing  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to  publish 
a  bulletin  which  was  clearly  intended  to  care  for  some  topics  there¬ 
tofore  treated  in  the  annual  report.  No  advantage  was  taken  of 
this  law  until  1906. 

By  this  time,  however,  the  demands  had  increased  so  greatly  that 
it  had  no  appreciable  effect  in  lessening  the  bulk  and  expense  of 
the  annual  report.  One  volume  had  by  1889,  come  to  be  devoted 
entirely  to  statistics.  There  seemed  to  be  little  merit  in  an  annual 
collection  of  these  data.  War  conditions  made  economies  desirable. 
Consequently,  in  1918,  Commissioner  Claxton  attempted  to  segre¬ 
gate  the  report  on  activities  in  which  Congress  and  his  superior 
administrative  officers  might  be  interested  from  the  large  body  of 
material  of  interest  primarily  to  educators  and  investigators  of 
educational  problems.  Therefore,  out  of  what  is  legally  an  annual 
report  came  two  separate  documents  now  known  as:  (1)  The  Annual 
Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education;  (2)  The  Biennial  Survey 
of  Education. 

This  frank  admission  that  the  primary  interest  in  the  materials 
of  the  biennial  survey  rested  with  workers  in  the  field,  led  to  issuing 
chapters  of  it  in  advance  as  bulletins,  a  plan  which  made  it  possible 
to  get  materials  into  the  hands  of  those  interested  months  in  advance 
of  the  completed  volumes  at  greatly  lessened  expense,  since  it  became 
unnecessary  to  send  a  set  of  bound  books  to  a  student  interested  in 
a  single  chapter  only. 

The  bulletin  series  authorized  by  Congress  in  1896  and  begun  by 
Commissioner  Brown  in  1906,  has  enjoyed  wide  popularity.  The 
numbers  issued  each  year  have  been  as  follows.  The  number  of 
issues  (included  in  the  totals  below),  which  have  been  advance 
prints  of  chapters  later  appearing  in  the  biennial  survey,  are 
indicated  in  parentheses. 

12650—30 - 2 


6 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Year 

Number 

of 

bulletins 

Year 

Number 

of 

bulletins 

Year 

Number 

of 

bulletins 

1906 _ 

3 

1914. _ _ 

50 

1922 _ 

50  (14) 
80  (28) 

40  (7) 
45  (21) 
24  (6) 

41  (21) 
29  (9) 
38  (23) 

1907  _ 

4 

1915  _ 

50 

1923 _ 

1908 

8 

1916 

50 

1924 _ 

1909 _ 

11 

1917 _ _ 

55 

1925 _ 

1910 _ _ _ 

6 

1918 _ 

51  (8) 
87  (37) 
48  (6) 
53  (17) 

1926 _ 

1911  .... 

19 

1919  _ 

1927 _ 

1912  . 

33 

1920  .  . 

1928 _ 

1913 _ 

60 

1921 _ 

1929 _ 

Acting  under  the  general  instruction  given  by  Congress  in  1867 
to  diffuse  information  every  commissioner  has  sent  out  other  material 
in  the  form  of  circulars,  printed  or  mimeographed  news  letters,  etc. 
Much  of  the  mimeographed  material  especially  has  been  found  useful 
in  the  economical  administration  of  the  office,  since  many  inquiries 
can  be  answered  by  sending  circulars  containing  a  compilation  of 
materials  asked  for.  This  makes  possible  a  smaller  clerical  staff  to 
handle  correspondence  and  also  in  the  long  run  saves  the  time  of 
professional  workers. 

On  August  1,  1918,  the  office  began  issuing  a  monthly  magazine, 
School  Life.  This  magazine  has  carried  to  the  educational  public 
much  information  which  could  not  have  been  put  out  so  reasonably 
in  any  other  form. 

During  the  past  year  we  have  given  careful  consideration  to  our 
publications  and  have  adopted  a  policy  for  them.  We  plan  to  issue 
the  following  publications  for  the  purposes  indicated : 

1.  The  Annual  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education — a  con¬ 
cise  statement  of  policies,  proposed  plans,  and  the  activities  of  the 
staff.  It  is  aimed  to  make  this  report  so  brief  and  to  the  point  that 
it  may  be  possible  for  every  Congressman  to  read  it. 

2.  The  Biennial  Survey  of  Education — in  two  volumes,  one  statis¬ 
tical,  and  the  other  an  explanation  of  educational  progress  and 
trends.  It  is  proposed  to  continue  to  issue  in  advance  to  selected 
mailing  lists  chapters  as  they  are  ready.  It  is  not  planned  any  longer 
to  issue  them  as  numbers  in  the  Bulletin  series.  Instead  chapters 
will  be  assigned  numbers  in  advance  of  preparation.  The  advance 
sheets  will  go  out  as  sections  of  the  biennial  report  under  their  chap¬ 
ter  numbers  with  the  additional  words  “  Advance  sheets.” 

3.  The  Bulletin  series  will  be  devoted  to  monographs  and  studies 
of  permanent  value.  As  heretofore,  this  series  will  include  studies 
made  by  our  specialists  and  studies  made  by  workers  in  the  field. 
In  many  cases  these  are  revisions  of  doctoral  dissertations  which  are 
of  general  value  to  educators  but  not  likely  to  have  sufficient  circu¬ 
lation  to  become  commercial  manuscripts.  In  general,  bulletins  will 
be  thirty-two  pages  or  more  in  length. 

4.  Pamphlets.  These  will  usually  be  concerned  with  materials 
ranging  from  8  to  32  pages  and  in  fields  rapidly  changing.  For  in¬ 
stance,  the  numerous  inquiries  about  the  use  of  radio  in  education 
will  doubtless  make  necessary  the  issuance  of  bibliographies  in  this 
field.  It  can  not  be  expected  that  any  bibliography  as  much  as  a 
year  old  will  be  complete  enough  for  most  investigators.  Yet  the 
present  status  of  the  subject  will  hardly  justify  the  preparation  of 
a  large  critical  bibliography. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


5.  Leaflets.  This  series  will  be  used  for  material  which  can  be 
covered  usually  on  2  to  8  pages.  One  series  of  this  sort  has  been 
issued  for  a  number  of  years  as  reading  courses,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Home  Education  Section  of  the  office.  This  furnishes  an 
inexpensive  way  of  bringing  together  material  requested  by  laymen 
interested  in  aspects  of  education.  It  is  in  demand  by  members  of 
the  parent-teacher  associations  and  other  adults,  asking  suggestions 
for  home  reading. 

6.  Circulars  will  be  issued  in  mimeograph  form.  These  will  often 
be  concerned  with  summarizing  the  work  of  conferences  held  under 
the  auspices  of  the  commissioner  and  his  staff.  Librarians  will  come 
to  understand  that  bulletins  are  to  be  regarded  as  worthy  of  binding 
for  permanent  reference  but  that  circulars  and  pamphlets  are  not. 

7.  School  Life.  This  is  in  fact  the  organ  of  the  Office  of  Educa¬ 
tion.  It  expresses  through  articles  and  editorials  views  of  the  com¬ 
missioner  and  his  staff  on  various  aspects  of  school  work. 

The  Clip  Sheet,  formerly  issued  to  newspapers  and  educational 
periodicals,  has  been  discontinued.  Items  of  news  value  are  now 
given  directly  to  the  representative  of  the  United  States  Daily  and 
to  other  representatives  of  the  press  who  call  at  our  office. 

SERVICE  DIVISION 

The  activity  of  the  Service  Division  is  adequately  described  by 
the  report  of  Mr.  Alderman,  the  chief,  which  follows.  It  may  be 
expected  that  this  division  will  be  called  upon  to  direct  important 
surveys  in  the  field. 

ADMINISTRATION 

All  administrative  responsibilities,  including  the  administration 
of  schools  and  medical  relief  in  Alaska,  are  handled  through  the 
chief  clerk.  Mr.  Kalbach’s  report  attached  hereto  is  an  adequate 
statement  of  progress.  Since  my  last  report  the  administration  of 
the  reindeer  services  has  been  assumed  by  the  Governor  of  Alaska. 
At  present  District  Superintendent  Hawkesworth  is  acting  chief  of 
the  Alaska  Division  with  headquarters  at  Juneau.  We  are  hoping 
that  the  next  territorial  legislature  will  establish  a  territorial  board 
of  education  with  power  to  select  a  commissioner  and  also  a  terri¬ 
torial  board  of  health.  If  these  two  steps  can  be  taken  along  lines 
already  well  established  in  some  of  the  States  it  should  be  possible 
to  effect  a  unified  school  system  in  Alaska  in  place  of  the  present 
dual  system  and  to  consolidate  the  health  work.  Such  action  should 
provide  present  service  at  less  expense  or  better  service  for  the  pres¬ 
ent  outlay.  The  commissioner  plans  to  hold  conferences  at  Juneau 
in  the  spring  of  1931  in  the  interest  of  these  policies. 

DIVISION  OF  MAJOR  SURVEYS 

Figure  II  above  indicates  that  this  is  a  new  division  operating 
under  the  immediate  direction  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education. 
It  represents  the  chief  new  addition  to  the  work  of  the  old  Bureau 
of  Education.  Its  establishment  is  based  upon  the  policy  stated 
above  that  the  staff  at  Washington  should  be  kept  large  enough  to 


8 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


discharge  the  recurring  investigations  of  education  and  answer  the 
numerous  questions  from  the  field  only;  that  major  researches  should 
be  undertaken  on  special  appropriations  and  by  experts  brought 
in  for  temporary  service.  All  part-time  workers  should  be  sent 
back  to  their  respective  former  posts  after  the  study  on  which  they 
have  been  engaged  has  been  completed  and  full-time  workers  should 
be  expected  to  find  new  places. 

The  above  policy  does  not  mean  that  the  Federal  Government 
only  benefits.  It  is  true  that  it  enables  the  Commissioner  of  Edu¬ 
cation  to  secure  the  part-time  services  of  men  whose  salaries  at  their 
respective  school  and  college  posts  would  not  permit  them  to  accept 
the  salaries  paid  by  the  United  States  Government.  Accordingly, 
such  men  could  not  be  had  under  present  conditions  and  probably 
under  Civil  Service  regulations  would  not  be  available  at  all.  The 
institution  which  loans  such  experts  also  gains.  For  instance,  both 
associate  directors  of  the  two  major  surveys  now  in  progress  are 
employed  by  their  universities  at  a  higher  annual  salary  rate  than 
the  Department  of  the  Interior  can  pay;  yet  after  a  three  years’ 
connection  with  the  foregoing  surveys  they  will  return  on  full  time 
to  their  respective  institutions  with  a  view  of  their  respective  fields 
that  is  nation-wide.  Such  a  view  they  could  obtain  under  other 
conditions  only  after  years  of  study  and  probably  they  would  never 
get  as  thorough  a  grasp  of  the  problems  in  their  national  aspects  as 
they  will  in  our  service. 

Moreover,  the  courses  which  these  men  give  hereafter  will  be  en¬ 
riched  by  detailed  information  and  personal  experience  almost  im¬ 
possible  to  secure  except  through  an  intensive  nation-wide  study. 
Therefore,  this  policy  will  redound  to  the  advantage  not  only  of  the 
institutions  regularly  employing  these  experts,  but  through  them  it 
will  reach  a  group  of  younger  men  and  women  who  study  in  their 
seminars.  The  benefit  will  in  this  way  filter  out  into  educational 
practice  and  should  be  felt  for  a  generation. 

SURVEY  OF  SECONDARY  EDUCATION 

Fifty  thousand  dollars  for  undertaking  this  investigation  became 
available  in  the  fiscal  year  just  closed.  The  field  to  be  studied  had 
already  been  outlined  in  great  detail  by  a  National  Committee  for 
Research  in  Secondary  Education  of  which  Dr.  J.  B.  Edmonson, 
dean  of  the  School  of  Education,  University  of  Michigan,  was  chair¬ 
man,  and  Carl  A.  Jessen,  of  this  office,  secretary.  Through  a  sub¬ 
committee  headed  by  Dean  E.  J.  Ashbaugh,  of  Miami  University, 
Ohio,  a  detailed  outline  for  a  very  comprehensive  study  of  sec¬ 
ondary  education  had  been  developed  and  approved  by  the  national 
committee. 

On  my  recommendation  you  appointed  a  board  of  nine  consultants 
representing  important  organized  educational  interests,  including 
those  associations  which  had  been  most  interested  in  promoting  this 
work.  This  board  consists  of  the  following  persons : 

H.  V.  Church,  Superintendent,  J.  Sterling  Morton  High  School, 
Cicero,  Ill. 

Ellwood  P.  Cubbeeley,  Dean,  School  of  Education,  Stanford  University, 
Calif. 

James  B.  Edmonson,  Dean,  School  of  Education,  University  of  Michigan, 
Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  9 

Charles  H.  Judd,  Director,  School  of  Education,  University  of  Chicago, 
Chicago,  Ill. 

Charles  R.  Mann,  Director,  American  Council  on  Education,  Washing¬ 
ton,  D.  C. 

A.  B.  Meredith,  Commissioner  of  Education,  State  of  Connecticut,  Hart¬ 
ford,  Conn. 

John  K.  Norton,  Director  of  Research,  National  Education  Association, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Joseph  Roemer,  Professor  of  Secondary  Education,  University  of  Flor¬ 
ida,  Gainesville,  Fla. 

Wm.  F.  Russell,  Dean,  Teachers  College,  Columbia  University,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

During  the  period  in  which  the  personnel  of  this  board  was  being 
selected  and  appointed  by  you,  Dr.  L.  V.  Koos,  of  the  University  of 
Chicago,  accepted  your  appointment  as  associate  director  and  expert 
in  Secondary  School  Research.  On  November  25  the  Board  of  Con¬ 
sultants  and  Doctor  Koos  met  in  the  commissioner’s  office  to  discuss 
the  outline  prepared  by  the  National  Research  Committee.  It  ap¬ 
peared  that  the  committee  had  outlined  about  four  times  as  much 
work  as  could  be  done  within  the  appropriation  made  by  Congress. 
Consequently  the  following  fields  were  eliminated  entirely : 

1.  The  historical  development  of  secondary  education. 

Absence  of  monographs  on  the  rise  of  the  high  school  in  several  States 
and  the  lack  of  any  adequate  history  of  the  American  academy  ren¬ 
dered  a  treatment  of  this  field,  except  at  great  expense,  impossible. 

2.  Objectives. 

It  appeared  that  to  ascertain  the  objectives  of  instruction  by  analyses 
of  the  courses  of  study  and  methods  of  teaching  would  be  expensive  and 
perhaps  barren  of  important  results.  Objectives  enumerated  in  state¬ 
ments  from  the  field  were  likely  to  be  largely  repetitions  of  those  set 
forth  by  important  educational  committees  during  the  past  two  decades. 

3.  School  housing. 

Variations  in  climatic  conditions  throughout  the  Union  and  in  the 
financial  ability  of  districts  seem  to  make  this  field  more  profitable  for 
local  surveys  than  for  a  nation-wide  study. 

4.  Teaching  staff. 

The  vital  importance  of  this  subject  was  recognized  but  in  view  of 
the  activity  of  those  interested  in  educating  teachers  for  a  nation-wide 
study  of  that  subject,  it  seemed  desirable  to  have  this  subject  treated  in 
connection  with  the  whole  subject  of  professional  preparation  of 
teachers. 

5.  Financing  secondary  schools. 

The  importance  of  this  topic  was  fully  appreciated  but  the  difficul¬ 
ties  inherent  in  segregating  high-school  funds  from  other  moneys  were 
so  great  that  it  seemed  better  to  leave  this  subject  until  the  financing  of 
education  in  general  could  be  handled. 

Accordingly  the  board  of  consultants  and  the  directors  decided 
that  the  primary  investigations  should  be  conducted  in  the  following 
fields : 

1.  Organization  of  secondary  schools. 

2.  Student  personnel  problems. 

3.  Administrative  and  supervisory  problems  in  secondary  edu¬ 
cation. 

4.  Administrative  and  supervisory  staff. 

5.  Curriculum  activities. 

6.  Extracurriculum  activities. 


10 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


It  was  further  decided  that  there  should  be  a  professional  advisory 
committee  representing  the  various  aspects  of  secondary  education, 
including  its  relations  to  elementary  education  and  higher  education, 
appointed  by  the  commissioner.  The  members  of  such  committee 
were  to  serve  without  any  expense  to  the  Federal  Government  and 
were  to  be  called  together  with  the  Board  of  Consultants  at  the  time 
of  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Department  of  Superintendence. 
According  to  this  plan  there  has  been  one  meeting  of  the  foregoing 
committee,  held  in  Philadelphia,  February  22,  1930,  which  was 
attended  by  37  persons,  all  of  whom  had  received  progress  reports 
through  the  mail.  The  plans  of  the  board  of  consultants  and  the 
directors  were  thoroughly  discussed  and  suggestions  of  value  came 
from  many  of  the  members.  This  committee  is  rendering  a  valuable 
service  through  criticisms  of  work  in  progress  and  by  enlisting 
cooperation  in  the  field. 

It  is  planned  to  appoint  this  fall  a  committee  of  between  50  and 
60  laymen  representing  all  aspects  of  lay  opinion  and  all  States  in 
the  Union.  Condensed  reports  of  progress  will  be  sent  to  these  per¬ 
sons  and  their  criticisms  received  and  considered.  It  is  not  planned 
to  have  any  meetings  of  these  lajunen  as  a  group. 

This  survey  as  organized  furnishes  a  model  which,  if  satisfactory, 
will  be  followed  in  all  other  special  studies.  In  brief,  the  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education  is  director;  an  expert  in  the  field  concerned  is 
part-time  associate  director;  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Office  of 
Education,  whose  interest  lies  in  this  field,  becomes  executive  assist¬ 
ant;  a  board  of  consultants,  all  interested  in  the  particular  field, 
constitutes  a  board  of  directors.  A  rather  large  professional  advisory 
committee  enlists  cooperation  and  secures  consideration  of  all  aspects 
of  the  subject.  A  group  of  outstanding  laymen  adds  a  lay  point 
of  view  to  the  work  of  the  professional  groups,  and  helps  to  hold 
education  to  its  democratic  purposes. 

By  October  1,  1930,  the  survey  will  be  operating  with  a  staff  as 
follows : 

Ten  part-time  professional  experts  stationed  in  the  field.  Under 
each  of  these  will  work  some  paid  experts  and  some  nonpaid 
student  investigators. 

Eight  full-time  professional  workers  stationed  in  Washington. 

Eight  full-time  clerical  assistants  stationed  in  Washington. 

SURVEY  OF  THE  TEACHER  SITUATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

A  nation-wide  study  of  the  professional  education  of  teachers,  the 
demand  for  teachers  of  various  sorts,  and  the  supply  of  those 
adequately  trained  to  meet  these  demands  has  been  sought  for  many 
years  by  professional  associations  intimately  concerned  with  the 
problem  of  educating  people  for  this  work.  The  request  which 
brought  about  the  present  survey  originated  with  the  American  Asso¬ 
ciation  of  Teachers  Colleges  and  was  seconded  by  the  Association  of 
Deans  of  Schools  of  Education,  the  National  Council  of  State 
Superintendents  and  Commissioners  of  Education,  and  the  North 
Central  Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools.  A  joint 
committee  of  these  four  bodies  presented  the  matter  to  the  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  Education  and  drew  up  a  formal  petition  which  was 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


11 


forwarded  through  the  Department  of  the  Interior  and  the  Bureau 
of  the  Budget  to  Congress.  It  resulted  in  an  appropriation  of  $50,- 
000  for  the  current  year  and  authorization  to  pursue  the  study 
through  three  years  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  $200,000.  Immediately 
after  the  law  became  effective  you  appointed  the  following  persons  to 
serve  as  a  board  of  consultants  : 

Dr.  William  C.  Bagley,  Teachers  College,  Columbia  University,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  W.  W.  Chambers,  Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

Dr.  George  W.  Frasier,  President,  Colorado  State  Teachers  College, 
Greeley,  Colo. 

Dean  William  S.  Gray,  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  Ill. 

Dean  M.  E.  Haggerty,  University  of  Minnesota,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Dean  Henry  W.  Holmes,  Harvard  University,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

Dr.  John  A.  H.  Keith,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  of  Penn¬ 
sylvania,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Dean  William  Webb  Kemp,  University  of  California,  Berkeley,  Calif. 

Dr.  W.  P.  Morgan,  President  of  the  State  Teachers  College,  Macomb,  Ill. 

Dr.  Shelton  Phelps,  George  Peabody  College  for  Teachers,  Nashville, 
Tenn. 

Dr.  D.  B.  Waldo,  President  of  the  Western  State  Teachers  College,  Kala¬ 
mazoo,  Mich. 

Seven  of  these  gentlemen  were  able  to  meet  with  the  commissioner 
at  Columbus,  Ohio,  following  the  annual  meeting  of  the  National 
Education  Association.  We  discussed  the  fields  to  be  studied  and 
the  possible  personnel.  It  was  unanimously  agreed  that  the  com¬ 
missioner  should  recommend  to  you  the  appointment  as  part-time 
associate  director  and  expert  in  teacher  education,  Dr.  E.  S.  Evenden, 
of  Teachers  College,  Columbia  University.  He  is  now  at  work.  It 
was  also  decided  to  appoint  a  professional  advisory  committee  rep¬ 
resenting  all  organized  groups  interested  in  any  aspects  of  the 
profession  of  teaching  and  others  concerned  with  school  practice. 
Early  in  the  fall  a  list  of  persons  will  be  sent  to  you  for  considera¬ 
tion.  It  is  likely  that  a  group  of  lay  citizens  wTill  also  be  selected 
to  consider  some  aspects  of  this  problem.  If  so,  I  believe  these 
persons  should  be  members  of  boards  of  trustees  who  are  confronted 
with  financing  and  administering  programs  in  the  field. 

PROPOSED  STUDY  OF  SCHOOL  FINANCE 

At  the  Atlantic  City  meeting  in  February,  1930,  the  National  As¬ 
sociation  of  State  Superintendents  and  Commissioners  of  Education 
requested  a  study  of  school  finance.  The  Cominissioner  of  Education 
has  discovered  that  school  revenue  and  taxation  was  an  important 
issue  in  86  per  cent  of  the  legislative  sessions  of  1929-30,  that  tax 
commissions  are  at  work  in  several  States  and  that  taxpayers’  asso¬ 
ciations  are  actively  urging  studies  in  other  States.  The  time  seems 
to  be  ripe  for  a  national  consideration  of  this  problem.  Therefore 
the  commissioner  is  urging  a  study  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  $350,000 
to  extend  over  a  period  of  four  years  and  recommends  that  $50,000 
be  appropriated  for  the  next  fiscal  year.  Should  this  study  be  au¬ 
thorized  the  money  appropriated  for  special  fields  of  research  in 
education  would  be  slightly  in  excess  of  $200,000  in  the  fiscal  year 
1931-32.  This  is  approximately  20  per  cent  of  what  has  been  urged 


12 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


for  research  in  certain  bills  presented  to  Congress.  The  following 
table  indicates  the  situation: 


Survey 

Fiscal  year 

1929-30 

1930-31 

1931-32 

1932-33 

1933-34 

1934-35 

Secondary  education . . . 

$50,000 

$100, 000 
50, 000 

$75, 000 
80, 000 
50, 000 

Teacher  preparation _ 

$70, 000 
100,000 
(?) 

School  finance _ 

$100,000 

(?) 

(?) 

$100, 000 
(?) 

(?) 

X . . . . . . 

Y  . . . . . . . . 

Total . . 

50, 000 

150, 000 

205, 000 

170, 000(?) 

100, 000(?) 

100,000(?) 

Other  studies  of  nation-wide  scope  have  been  suggested  but  so  far 
as  the  commissioner  is  able  to  tell  there  appears  insufficient  una¬ 
nimity  of  opinion  in  the  profession  for  any  one  of  them  to  warrant 
formulating  plans  at  the  present  time. 

CONFERENCES 

Acting  under  appointment  of  yourself,  the  Commissioner  of  Edu¬ 
cation  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  Advisory  Committee  on  Educa¬ 
tion  by  Radio.  During  the  first  half  of  the  fiscal  year  the  meetings 
and  other  activities  of  this  committee  required  much  time.  By 
December  30,  1929,  all  subcommittees  except  the  finance  committee 
had  made  formal  reports.  On  January  1,  1930,  the  investigations 
were  formally  closed.  Your  commissioner,  as  chairman,  wrote  the 
summary  report  for  the  committee.  This  was  unanimously  approved 
by  the  members  by  mail.  No  detailed  comment  on  the  report  itself 
is  called  for  since  it  is,  as  a  printed  document,  already  in  your  hands. 

The  annual  conference  of  State  superintendents  and  commissioners 
was  held  December  9  and  10,  1929.  Following  the  precedent  set 
in  1928  one  day  was  given  over  to  a  consideration  of  issues  raised 
by  the  commissioner  and  the  second  da}7  to  topics  suggested  by  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  council.  It  was  agreed  to  try  holding  the  1930  meeting 
away  from  Washington,  and  on  vote  of  the  superintendents  the 
conference  has  been  called  for  December  8  and  9  at  Milwaukee, 
Wis.  This  next  conference  will  be  followed  by  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  American  Vocational  Association  which  many  superintendents 
wish  to  attend,  thereby  decreasing  the  expense  of  travel  for  them. 

Conferences  on  rural  education  have  been  continued  as  heretofore. 
Programs  have  been  prepared  by  Mrs.  Cook  and  her  assistants. 

The  commissioner  also  called  on  December  6  and  7,  1929,  a  con¬ 
ference  at  Washington  in  the  interest  of  considering  better  educa¬ 
tion  for  home  making.  This  conference  held  four  enthusiastic  ses¬ 
sions  and  adjourned  after  urging  the  commissioner  to  appoint  a 
National  Council  on  Home-Making  Education  and  to  hold  regional 
conferences  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States.  It  has  not  seemed 
to  the  commissioner  that  the  time  is  ripe  to  appoint  a  council. 
He  has  begun,  however,  a  series  of  regional  conferences,  holding  one 
at  the  University  of  Cincinnati  on  March  21.  This  conference  ap¬ 
pears  to  have  produced  splendid  results  in  awakening  public-school 
authorities  and  college  teachers  to  the  importance  of  education  to 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  13 

preserve  and  improve  the  American  home.  It  is  planned  to  hold 
conferences  in  various  sections  of  the  United  States,  including  sev¬ 
eral  during  the  fiscal  year  beginning  July  1,  1930.  Already  the 
dates  have  been  set  for  such  conferences  at  Ames,  Iowa,  Los  Angeles, 
Calif.,  and  tentative  dates  have  been  fixed  for  conferences  at  Port¬ 
land,  Oreg.,  and  at  Atlanta,  Ga. 

In  addition  to  these  formal  conferences  called  under  the  com¬ 
missioner’s  direction,  the  commissioner  has  participated  in  many 
conferences  called  by  universities,  State  superintendents,  national 
associations,  and  others. 

ASSISTANCE  AND  COOPERATION 

Particularly  valuable  cooperation  in  our  work  has  come  from  the 
National  Education  Association,  the  American  Council  on  Educa¬ 
tion,  the  National  Association  of  State  Superintendents  and  Com¬ 
missioners  of  Education,  the  American  Association  of  Teachers  Col¬ 
leges,  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers,  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Library  Association,  and  other  professional  groups,  and  from 
individual  colleges,  universities,  and  public-school  officials  too 
numerous  to  mention  in  this  brief  report. 

Some  of  the  foundations  have  also  assisted  us.  The  report  of  the 
committee  on  radio  will  show  that  the  Carnegie  Corporation,  the 
Payne  Fund,  and  other  donors  have  contributed  to  the  work  of 
that  committee.  It  has  been  possible  to  keep  the  files  of  the  fore¬ 
going  committee  up  to  date,  to  answer  numerous  inquiries  about 
radio,  and  to  be  represented  at  institutes  on  radio  education  through 
the  courtesy  of  the  Payne  Fund  which  loaned  to  the  Office  of  Educa¬ 
tion  the  half-time  services  of  Armstrong  Perry,  and  supplied 
the  American  Council  on  Education  with  a  fund  which  has  been 
used  to  pay  Mr.  Perry’s  traveling  expenses  and  to  provide  him  with 
a  stenographer-clerk. 

The  Carnegie  Corporation  has  made  a  grant  of  $12,500  to  Stan¬ 
ford  University  to  enable  that  institution,  in  cooperation  with  the 
Commissioner  of  Education,  to  make  psychological  and  sociological 
studies  of  the  natives  of  Alaska,  particularly  the  Aleuts  and  the 
Eskimos.  A  capable  investigator  with  good  educational  experience, 
H.  D.  Anderson,  is  now  in  Alaska  operating  under  the  immediate 
direction  of  the  School  of  Education,  Stanford  University.  There 
is  reason  to  believe  that  this  grant  will  be  renewed  for  a  second  year 
if  results  are  satisfactory. 


COORDINATION 

Only  a  few  of  the  efforts  made  to  coordinate  educational  research 
can  be  mentioned  here.  These  may  be  taken,  however,  as  evidence 
of  policy. 

1.  An  advisory  committee  to  counsel  with  our  library  on  a  bibliog¬ 
raphy  of  educational  studies  made  in  partial  fulfillment  of  the  re¬ 
quirements  for  the  doctor’s  and  master’s  degrees  at  the  various  col¬ 
leges  and  universities.  This  work  was  undertaken  some  years  ago 
by  Prof.  Walter  S.  Monroe,  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  Since 
1928  our  library  has  issued  a  bibliography  of  these  studies.  Under 
12650—30 - 3 


14 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


the  new  arrangement  an  advisory  committee,  headed  by  Doctor 
Monroe,  assists  in  securing  cooperation,  and  our  bibliographers  com¬ 
plete  the  document  which  is  published  each  year  as  a  bulletin  of 
the  Office  of  Education. 

2.  An  advisory  committee  on  State  histories  of  education.  Com¬ 
missioner  Dawson  began  the  publication  of  monographs  on  State 
histories  of  education  in  1887.  The  series  was  continued  until  36 
monographs  had  been  published.  Much  educational  history  has 
been  made  since  the  last  of  these  was  published.  All  are  out  of 
print.  Most  of  them  should  be  revised.  All  should  be  brought  up 
to  date.  For  some  three  years  the  Association  of  College  Professors 
of  Education  has  had  a  committee  studying  the  situation.  Under  a 
new  arrangement,  this  committee,  headed  by  Prof.  Stuart  Noble,  of 
Tulane  University,  is  endeavoring  to  secure  carefully  prepared, 
accurate  manuscripts.  These  the  office  plans  to  publish  as  bulletins. 

3.  A  national  advisory  council  on  school-building  problems.  Nu¬ 
merous  requests  for  advice  in  the  planning  of  school  buildings,  cou¬ 
pled  with  the  death  of  Doctor  Dresslar,  who  had  served  for  many 
years  as  part-time  specialist  in  this  field,  led  the  Commissioner  of 
Education  to  call  a  conference  on  school  housing  at  Atlantic  City  in 
February,  1930.  At  this  meeting  a  plan  worked  out  by  Miss  Alice 
Barrows,  of  this  office,  and  several  interested  State  specialists  and 
architects,  was  discussed  and  tentatively  adopted.  It  calls  for  a 
national  council  of  45,  representing  the  9  regions  approved  by  the 
American  Institute  of  Architects.  In  each  region  is  a  council  of  five 
or  more.  This  nucleus  of  five  consists  of — 

1.  The  architect  representing  the  region  in  the  American  In¬ 

stitute  of  Architects ; 

2.  One  State  superintendent  or  commissioner  of  education; 

3.  One  city  superintendent  of  schools ; 

4.  One  county  superintendent  of  schools; 

5.  One  member  of  a  city  board  of  education. 

Each  of  the  last  four  is  appointed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Educa¬ 
tion.  These  five  in  each  region  are  empowered  to  add  to  their  own 
number  such  other  architects,  structural  engineers,  illuminating 
engineers,  heating  engineers,  millmen,  electricians,  etc.,  as  they  wish. 
It  is  hoped  that  this  organization  will  prove  sufficiently  decentral¬ 
ized  to  enable  it  to  meet  local  and  climatic  conditions  and  yet  na¬ 
tional  enough  to  keep  every  school  board  informed  of  all  progress 
in  this  field. 

4.  A  National  committee  on  cooperative  research.  A  considerable 
number  of  city  school  systems  have  organized  bureaus  of  educational 
research  in  recent  years.  These  bureaus  are  working  for  the  most 
part  independently,  without  reference  to  what  the  others  are  doing. 
Very  few,  so  far  as  known,  are  working  on  the  same  problems. 
With  a  view  to  securing  cooperation  in  the  study  of  large  problems 
by  such  bureaus,  a  conference  was  held  in  Atlantic  City  in  February, 
1930,  of  about  60  persons  representing  city  educational  bureaus. 
The  assembled  group  went  on  record  as  approving  plans  of  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education  for  furthering  cooperation  in  research  under¬ 
takings,  and  recommended  that  means  be  developed  for  putting  the 
plans  into  operation.  As  a  result  of  such  action  the  following  com¬ 
mittee  was  appointed  to  study  the  problems  involved  in  cooperative 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


15 


research,  especially  the  elimination  of  unnecessary  duplication,  and 
to  formulate  plans  for  action :  Miss  Bess  Goodykoontz,  Assistant 
Commissioner  of  Education;  Dr.  John  K.  Norton,  National  Educa¬ 
tion  Association;  Supt.  R.  G.  Jones,  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Dr.  J.  Cayce 
Morrison,  President  American  Educational  Research  Association; 
Dr.  J.  L.  Stenquist,  Bureau  of  Research,  Baltimore,  Md. ;  Miss  Pru¬ 
dence  Outright,  Director  of  Instructional  Research,  Minneapolis, 
Minn.;  Dr.  Philip  A.  Boyer,  Division  of  Educational  Research, 
Philadelphia,  Pa. ;  Supt.  George  Melcher,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  and 
Supt.  Carleton  Washburne,  Winnetka,  Ill. 

HOWARD  UNIVERSITY 

In  fulfillment  of  the  law,  Howard  University  was  officially  in¬ 
spected  for  the  school  year  ended  June  30,  1930,  by  the  Division  of 
Colleges  and  Professional  Schools  of  the  office. 

During  the  preceding  year  tentative  proposals  had  been  worked 
out  respecting  a  more  complete  program  of  education  and  research 
and  the  proper  basis  of  distribution  of  support  of  the  university  to 
be  divided  between  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  institution  and  Con¬ 
gress.  These  proposals  have  been  given  careful  study  by  the  Office 
of  Education  with  the  cooperation  of  the  president  and  staff  of 
Howard  University,  and  the  final  report  is  now  ready  for  presenta¬ 
tion  to  the  trustees  and  to  the  subcommittees  of  the  Appropriations 
Committees  of  the  Senate  and  the  House  of  Representatives  for  their 
consideration  and  advice. 

The  total  enrollment  of  students  for  the  fiscal  year  was  2,619.  For 
1929  the  total  enrollment  was  2,671.  The  maintenance  of  the  enroll¬ 
ment  of  the  institution  at  practically  a  stationary  figure  is  in  har¬ 
mony  with  the  plan  to  keep  the  enrollments  at  a  definite  level  for 
several  years  until  further  provision  is  made  for  teachers  and  class¬ 
room  space. 

The  number  of  graduates  for  the  year  was  325,  as  follows :  Liberal 
arts,  85 ;  education,  93 ;  applied  science,  7 ;  music,  4 ;  medicine,  64 ; 
dentistry,  16 ;  pharmacy,  13 ;  law,  21 ;  religion,  7 ;  graduate  work,  15. 

Due  to  increased  appropriations  from  the  Federal  Government, 
a  gift  from  the  General  Education  Board,  and  increased  tuition  fees, 
it  has  been  possible  to  lighten  the  loads  of  a  number  of  teachers  by 
additions  to  the  faculty.  Salaries  have  been  increased  and  younger 
teachers  have  been  sent  away  to  take  advanced  studies.  As  a  con¬ 
sequence  the  morale  of  the  faculty  has  been  very  much  strengthened. 
Helpful  in  the  improvement  of  instruction  has  been  the  number  of 
gifts  received  for  improvement  of  the  collection  of  books  in  the 
library.  The  total  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  was  50,124,  an 
increase  of  2,552  over  the  number  for  the  .year  preceding. 

The  total  income  from  all  sources  for  1930  was  $915,614.02,  and  the 
total  expenditures  were  $869,640.50.  The  total  assets  were  $2,694,- 
257.12.  There  was  received  from  private  benefactions  the  sum  of 
approximately  $535,000. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Wm.  John  Cooper,  Commissioner. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


DIVISION  OF  RESEARCH  AND  INVESTIGATION 


This  division,  under  the  direction  of  the  assistant  commissioner, 
has  supervision  and  direction  of  the  following  divisions:  Colleges 
and  professional  schools,  special  problems,  American  school  systems, 
statistics,  and  foreign  school  systems.  The  reports  of  the  chiefs  of 
these  divisions  are  made  a  part  of  the  report  of  the  Division  of 
Research  and  Investigation.  In  addition  to  the  general  direction 
of  these  divisions,  the  asisstant  commisisoner’s  immediate  office  re¬ 
ceived  57  manuscripts  submitted  for  publication  by  members  of  the 
office  staff  and  by  individuals  outside  the  office.  These  manuscripts 
dealt  with  various  phases  of  education  and  were  examined  critically 
with  a  view  to  determining  their  appropriateness  for  publication. 
Those  found  available  were  carefully  revised  and  edited. 

The  staff  of  the  immediate  office  of  the  assistant  commissioner 
consists  of  two  consultants  and  two  secretarial  clerks.  Up  to  the 
present  time  the  work  of  the  consultants  has  consisted  largely  in  re¬ 
search  in  school  hygiene  and  physical  education  and  in  industrial 
education.  The  reports  of  the  consultants  and  of  the  chiefs  of  the 
divisions  mentioned  above  follow : 

HYGIENE  AND  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION 

JAMES  F.  ROGERS.  Consultant 

Studies  completed. —  (1)  The  “organized”  recess  as  carried  on  in 
elementary  schools.  Since  their  introduction,  early  in  the  seven¬ 
teenth  century,  the  mid-morning  and  mid- afternoon  recess  periods 
have  been  important  events  in  the  life  of  the  school  child.  How¬ 
ever,  owing  to  many  social  changes  which  have  come  about,  these 
brief  periods  for  play  have  become  troublesome  in  that  the  child  has 
been  unable  to  manage  his  own  affairs  as  formerly.  To  preserve 
the  recess  period  without  having  it  degenerate  into  a  nuisance,  and 
to  make  it  of  most  benefit,  the  child  needs  some  instruction  and 
direction  in  his  playground  activities.  These  being  given,  the  recess 
period  will  largely  take  care  of  itself  as  it  did  in  earlier  days.  The 
study  made  by  this  office  considers  the  communities  in  which  this 
organization  is  being  carried  out  and  the  methods  which  have 
proved  effective. 

(2)  The  organized  summer  camp  in  higher  education:  A  sur¬ 
prisingly  large  number  of  colleges  and  universities  have  developed 
summer  camps  in  connection  with  their  courses  in  engineering,  geol¬ 
ogy,  biology,  botany,  zoology,  physical  education,  recreation,  and 
forestry.  The  forestry  camps  should  have  been  placed  first  histor¬ 
ically  and  probably  these  hastened  the  further  removal  of  classes 
to  Nature’s  laboratory.  The  publication  on  this  subject  brings  to¬ 
gether  for  the  first  time  information  on  this  interesting  development. 

(3)  State  requirements  concerning  playgrounds  and  their  uses: 
With  increasing  leisure  the  playgrounds  of  the  country,  and  especially 

16 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


17 


school  playgrounds,  are  becoming  more  and  more  important,  and 
the  use  of  the  school  playground  after  school  hours  is  attaining 
prominence.  We  have  investigated  regarding  the  laws  or  regula¬ 
tions  as  to  the  minimum  size  of  these  grounds,  their  location  and  also 
as  to  their  uses  at  other  than  school  periods  and  by  other  than  school 
agencies. 

(4)  Sanitation  in  small  schools:  Much  progress  is  being  made 
in  providing  healthful  conditions  in  schools,  but  practice  still  lags 
behind  knowledge.  In  a  great  many  schools  these  conditions  depend 
almost  entirely  upon  the  teacher,  and  she  is  not  always  informed 
as  to  what  she  can  or  should  do  along  these  lines.  The  publication 
on  this  subject  is  an  attempt  to  present  in  simple  language  such 
knowledge  as  may  be  helpful  to  the  teacher. 

(5)  State-wide  trends  in  school  hygiene  and  physical  education: 
The  teaching  of  physiology  and  hygiene  has  been  carried  on  in  this 
country  for  over  a  hundred  years.  History  is  always  illuminating 
and  a  review  of  trends  in  this  field  is  important.  These  were  studied 
as  reflected  in  laws,  regulations,  and  in  courses  of  study.  Medical 
inspection  is  a  development  of  this  century  but  is  in  all  stages  of 
progress  in  the  different  States  and  communities.  The  State  laws 
for  medical  inspection  and  for  physical  education  are  summarized  in 
this  study. 

(6)  Schools  and  classes  for  delicate  children:  “  Open-air  ”  schools 
for  tuberculous  or  delicate  children  are  a  development  of  this  cen¬ 
tury.  No  study  of  such  schools  or  classes  has  been  made  since  that 
by  Kingsley  and  Dresslar  in  1916.  Meanwhile  many  changes  af¬ 
fecting  such  schools  have  come  about.  These  changes  were  followed, 
and  present  practices  in  the  handling  of  delicate  children  have  been 
investigated  in  this  study. 

Studies  in  progress. —  (1)  What  is  done  in  public  schools  for 
children  with  speech  defects.  Speech  defects  and  especially  stam¬ 
mering  and  stuttering  are  among  the  greatest  handicaps  both  in 
school  life  and  afterward.  From  1  to  3  per  cent  of  pupils  have 
some  sort  of  speech  defect,  but  in  most  communities  nothing  is  done 
about  them.  We  are  finding  out  what  is  done  and  what  can  be 
done  along  this  line  and  how  to  go  about  it. 

(2)  Hygiene  and  physical  education  as  required  subjects  in  teacher¬ 
training  institutions :  The  teaching  of  hygiene  in  elementary  schools 
and  often  the  teaching  and  directing  of  physical  activities  is  the 
business  of  the  grade  teacher.  If  she  is  not  properly  trained  these 
subjects  will  not  be  properly  taught  or  maybe  not  taught  at  all. 
We  are  studying,  as  best  we  can  at  long  range,  what  is  being  done 
in  this  field  of  teacher-preparation. 

(3)  Legislation  for  physical  education  and  medical  inspection: 
In  connection  with  the  White  House  conference  on  child  health  and 
protection  a  specialist  of  this  office  is  investigating  the  present  status 
of  legislation  in  the  above  fields  and  is  attempting  to  find  out  what 
legislation  is  most  desirable. 

(4)  Present  status  of  school  health  work :  This  is  another  investi¬ 
gation  carried  out  by  this  office  for  the  White  House  conference. 
No  general  investigation  of  what  is  being  done  locally  regarding 
medical  and  dental  work,  health  teaching,  physical  education,  etc., 
has  been  made  since  1923,  and  the  comparison  of  the  results  of  these 
two  studies  will  prove  of  much  interest. 


18  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

(5)  The  physique  of  the  child  as  affected  by  school  life:  Many 
statements  regarding  the  influence  of  the  school  on  the  physical 
development,  structure,  and  function  of  the  school  child  have  been 
made  with  little  or  no  supporting  evidence. 

Addresses  were  made  before  the  American  Physical  Education 
Association,  the  New  England  Health  Institute,  the  State  Directors 
of  Physical  Education,  and  at  the  University  of  Maryland. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION 

M.  M.  PROFFITT,  Consultant 

Studies  completed. —  (1)  The  plans  for  the  organization  of  indus¬ 
trial  arts  and  the  vocational  industrial  programs  in  four  comparable 
cities  were  studied  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  data  necessary  for 
answering  requests  for  information  relative  to  the  administrative 
organization  of  the  industrial  education  division  in  a  city  school 
system,  the  types  of  schools  and  classes  included,  the  program  of 
courses,  and  the  plans  for  supervision. 

(2)  Numerous  requests  were  received  for  information  concerning 
school  courses  offered  in  aviation.  The  requests  came  from  two 
sources,  namely,  from  individuals  seeking  opportunities  for  training 
in  various  phases  of  aviation  and  from  schools  interested  in  organ¬ 
izing  courses  in  this  subject.  In  accordance  with  the  belief  that 
aviation  will  play  an  important  part  in  the  transportation  facilities 
to  be  developed  in  Alaska,  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
also  requested  information  relative  to  the  courses  in  aviation  now 
offered  in  schools  in  the  United  States,  with  a  view  to  using  this 
material  in  the  organization  of  aviation  courses  in  Alaska.  In  com¬ 
pliance  with  these  requests  data  were  secured  from  various  schools 
giving  instruction  along  this  line  and  a  report  was  prepared  for  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  which  included  a  list  of  schools 
offering  courses  in  aviation,  descriptive  statements  as  to  specific  types 
of  work  included  in  the  instructional  program,  plans  for  the  organi¬ 
zation  of  the  instructional  material,  a  list  of  equipment  provided  for 
the  courses,  and  a  plan  for  the  coordination  of  the  instruction  offered 
in  aviation  with  other  shop  subjects  such  as  auto  mechanics. 

(3)  Frequent  requests  are  made  for  a  list  of  schools  offering 
various  kinds  of  trade  and  industrial  courses.  To  meet  the  demand 
for  this  information  a  list  of  approximately  1,000  public  high  schools 
offering  a  total  of  more  than  60  different  kinds  of  industrial  courses 
was  compiled.  The  list  was  arranged  according  to  courses. 

(4)  Grading  the  work  done  in  industrial  classes  has  been  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  much  discussion  during  the  past  few  years.  Not  only  do 
different  schools  use  different  grading  systems,  but  standards  for 
grading  also  vary  greatly  in  different  schools.  Requests  have  been 
made  by  various  schools  that  the  Office  of  Education  compile  infor¬ 
mation  on  this  problem.  By  means  of  a  questionnaire  form,  supple¬ 
mented  by  correspondence  and  conferences,  a  study  was  made  of  the 
grading  methods  used  in  approximately  100  public  and  private 
schools  offering  trade  and  industrial  courses.  A  report  was  com¬ 
piled  giving  data  on  the  different  grading  systems  in  use,  the  grade 
standards  for  passing  work,  and  the  factors  upon  which  grades  are 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


19 


based.  An  annotated  bibliography  on  grading  was  also  included. 
This  study  was  published  as  a  20-page  industrial  circular  of  this 
office. 

(5)  On  request  of  the  American  Vocational  Association  an  outline 
of  10  conditions  as  tests  of  efficiency  for  a  general  shop  program  was 
prepared  and  mimeographed  for  distribution  at  the  New  Orleans 
meeting  of  that  association. 

Studies  in  'progress . —  (1)  List  of  reading  material  for  use  in 
industrial  schools  and  classes.  More  than  300  books  so  far  have  been 
examined  for  inclusion  in  a  descriptive  list  of  references  to  works 
comparable  to  the  interest  and  ability  levels  of  this  class  of  students. 
The  list  will  include  references  in  biography,  history,  and  social 
sciences  with  special  application  to  the  field  of  industry. 

(2)  Study  of  part-time  programs  in  industrial  education  in  several 
city  school  systems. 

(3)  Study  of  the  organization  of  industrial  education  divisions  of 
teacher-training  institutions  and  their  program  of  studies. 

(4)  The  organization  of  guidance  work  in  city  school  systems. 

Cooperative  undertakings. — Continued  cooperation  with  American 

Vocational  Association  in  a  study  of  performance  abilities  in  indus¬ 
trial  arts  for  the  junior  high-school  grades  and  in  the  preparation 
of  programs  for  annual  meetings. 

DIVISION  OF  COLLEGES  AND  PROFESSIONAL  SCHOOLS 

BEN  W.  FRAZIER.  Acting  Chief 

GENERAL  FUNCTIONS  OF  THE  DIVISION 

The  general  functions  of  the  Division  of  Colleges  and  Professional 
Schools  include  the  collection  and  dissemination  of  information  con¬ 
cerning  the  colleges,  universities  and  professional  schools  of  this 
country,  including  normal  school's,  junior  colleges,  and  all  other  insti¬ 
tutions  of  higher  learning.  The  division  functions  largely  in  an 
advisory  capacity.  Included  among  its  duties  is  the  administration 
according  to  Federal  law  of  the  funds  accruing  from  the  Morrill  land 
grant  of  1862  and  the  appropriations  under  the  Morrill-Nelson  Acts 
of  1890  and  1907  for  the  benefit  of  the  colleges  of  agriculture  and 
mechanic  arts  in  the  several  States.  The  staff  of  the  division  consists 
of  four  specialists  and  three  clerical  assistants. 

1 .  Educational  Surveys 

Studies  completed. —  (1)  Land-grant  college  survey.  This  study, 
one  of  the  most  comprehensive  ever  undertaken  in  the  field  of  higher 
education,  was  authorized  by  Congress  three  years  ago.  An  appro¬ 
priation  of  $117,000  was  made  to  defray  the  cost  of  the  survey.  The 
study  was  undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  evaluating  the  accomplish¬ 
ments,  present  status  and  future  objectives  of  the  69  land-grant  insti¬ 
tutions  of  the  United  States.  In  the  course  of  the  foregoing  study 
68  recognized  authorities  in  the  land-grant  college  staffs  were  em¬ 
ployed  in  addition  to  the  specialists  of  the  Office  of  Education.  A 
very  extensive  amount  of  original  material  was  collected  upon  the 


20 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


major  phases  of  the  activities  of  the  institutions.  Including  a  study 
of  the  graduates  and  ex-students  of  the  institutions,  the  material1  col¬ 
lected  amounted  to  approximately  500,000  pages  of  questionnaire 
returns.  Returns  totaling  37,342  were  received  from  alumni  and 
former  students.  Individual  schedules  containing  complete  data  on 
the  members  of  the  staffs  of  the  institutions  were  also  secured,  the 
number  of  returns  amounting  to  12,032. 

The  land-grant  college  survey  report  is  now  in  the  process  of 
publication.  In  order  that  the  original  material  may  be  made  avail¬ 
able  to  the  land-grant  institutions  in  the  revision  of  their  educational 
programs  and  administrative  procedures,  it  is  being  preserved  for 
further  study  by  the  institutions  themselves,  or  by  other  interested 
agencies. 

Studies  in  'progress. —  (1)  Survey  of  State-supported  higher  insti¬ 
tutions  in  Arkansas.  The  collection  of  data  and  field  work  connected 
with  a  survey  of  the  State-supported  institutions  including  four 
junior  colleges,  the  State  university,  and  two  teachers’  colleges,  were 
completed  during  the  year  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  of  the 
division  with  the  assistance  of  regular  members  of  the  divisional 
staff,  and  of  four  recognized  authorities  not  members  of  the  Office  of 
Education  staff.  The  presentation  of  the  report  and  its  publication 
will  be  made  during  the  latter  part  of  1930.  (2)  Survey  of  the 

State-supported  higher  institutions  in  Oregon.  The  final  report  of 
this  survey  will  include  a  study  of  the  University  of  Oregon,  Oregon 
State  Agricultural  College,  and  three  State  normal  schools.  The 
findings  will  he  presented  to  the  State  board  of  higher  education 
in  Oregon  during  the  fall  of  1930.  In  addition  to  the  chief  of  the 
division  and  regular  members  of  the  staff,  six  authorities  in  higher 
education,  not  members  of  the  Office  of  Education,  participated  in 
the  investigation. 

2.  Research  and  Other  Studies 

Studies  completed. — A  statement  on  the  condition  of  higher  educa¬ 
tion  in  Georgia,  with  suggestions  for  a  possible  future  policy,  was 
prepared  in  typewritten  form  in  response  to  a  request  of  a  committee 
of  the  University  of  Georgia  Alumni  Association.  (2)  A  study 
of  accredited  higher  institutions  is  now  being  printed  as  a  bulletin. 
The  publication  contains  lists  of  universities,  colleges,  and  profes¬ 
sional  schools  accredited  by  the  national,  regional,  and  State  accredit¬ 
ing  agencies,  together  with  copies,  or  digests,  of  the  requirements 
for  accrediting  employed  by  these  agencies.  (3)  A  report  of  the 
current  statistics  relating  to  enrollments,  salaries,  incomes,  and  bud¬ 
get  requests  of  State  universities  and  colleges,  was  issued  as  a  mimeo¬ 
graphed  circular  in  December,  1929.  A  similar  report  relating  to 
State  teachers’  colleges  and  normal  schools  is  issued  biennially.  The 
last  issue  of  this  report  was  in  January,  1929.  (4)  The  annual 

report  of  the  land-grant  colleges  was  compiled  and  published  in  the 
bulletin,  “Land-Grant  Colleges  and  Universities.”  (5)  A  mimeo¬ 
graphed  study  was  completed  on  the  financial  support  of  colleges 
and  universities. 

Studies  in  progress. —  (1)  A  study  of  scholarships  and  fellowships 
available  and  awarded  in  1927-28  at  institutions  of  higher  learning 
will  be  published  as  a  bulletin.  A  portion  of  the  study  concerning 


REPORT  OE  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


21 


scholarships  and  fellowships  granted  by  land-grant  colleges  in  1927- 
28  was  completed  during  the  year  and  was  incorporated  in  the  report 
of  the  survey  of  land-grant  colleges.  The  collection  of  data  for  the 
entire  study  has  been  completed.  The  report  will  probably  be 
finished  by  the  beginning  of  1931. 

3.  Conferences;  Organization  of  Group  Research 

The  chief  of  the  division  participated  in  meetings  of  various  groups 
in  connection  with  the  State  surveys  of  higher  education  in  Arkansas 
and  Oregon,  in  a  meeting  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  University 
of  Georgia,  in  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  State  of 
Kansas,  and  in  meetings  of  other  educational  groups. 

4.  Cooperative  Undertakings 

(1)  A  cooperative  study  of  military  education  in  colleges  and 
universities  was  largely  completed.  (2)  A  study  of  the  general 
program  of  engineering  education  in  150  institutions  was  virtually 
completed  in  cooperation  with  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Engineering  Education.  (3)  An  outline  of  a  cooperative  study  with 
an  outside  authority  on  the  aims  and  objectives  of  graduate  study 
was  prepared  and  approved  for  further  investigation  and  for  publica¬ 
tion  as  a  bulletin.  (4)  Further  progress  was  made  on  a  series  of 
cooperative  studies  with  local  universities  on  the  subject  of  the  re¬ 
quirements  for  the  bachelor’s  degree.  This  series  of  studies  has  ex¬ 
tended  over  a  period  of  five  years.  (5)  The  chief  of  the  division 
participated  in  the  organization  of  a  committee  representing  the  three 
regional  associations  of  university  and  college  business  officers,  the 
Association  of  American  Colleges  and  the  Council  of  Church  Boards 
of  Education,  the  American  Association  of  Collegiate  Registrars, 
and  the  American  Association  of  Teachers  Colleges.  This  committee 
was  set  up  to  formulate  principles  to  be  followed  in  the  organization 
and  arrangement  of  financial  and  statistical  reports  of  universities 
and  colleges.  The  General  Education  Board  financed  the  undertak¬ 
ing.  The  division  is  assisting  in  this  study.  (6)  A  divisional  staff 
member  assisted  in  the  work  of  a  committee  of  the  board  of  regents 
of  the  University  of  Maryland  in  the  reorganization  of  Princess  Anne 
Academy.  (7)  Conferences  were  held  with  the  officers  and  staff 
members  of  Concord  State  Normal  School  at  Athens,  W.  Va.,  on  the 
instructional  and  building  programs  of  that  institution.  (8)  A  new 
program  for  Howard  University  was  very  largely  completed  in  co¬ 
operation  with  the  officers  of  the  university.  Problems  considered 
include  the  reorganization  of  the  educational  and  fiscal  programs 
for  a  20-year  period.  The  findings  are  intended  for  the  use  of  Con¬ 
gress  and  the  board  of  trustees  of  Howard  University.  (9)  Data 
concerning  12,000  staff  members  of  land-grant  colleges  were  supplied 
to  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Efficiency  for  a  study  of  salaries. 

5.  Addresses  and  Miscellaneous 

Addresses  were  delivered  during  the  year  by  the  chief  or  by  staff 
members  of  the  division  to  members  of  the  United  Typothetse  of 
America,  meeting  at  Pittsburgh ;  to  the  faculty  and  students  of  Con- 
12650—30 - 4 


22 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


cord  State  Normal  School  at  Athens,  W.  Va. ;  classes  at  Howard 
University ;  various  groups  visited  during  the  course  of  State  surveys 
of  educational  institutions;  members  of  the  Association  of  Govern¬ 
ing  Boards  of  State  Universities  and  Allied  Institutions;  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  for  the  Improvement  of  Agricultural  Education;  the  Home 
Economics  Association;  the  Land-Grant  College  Association;  the 
Association  of  University  and  College  Business  Officers  of  the  East¬ 
ern  States;  and  other  groups. 

DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  PROBLEMS 

Mrs.  KATHERINE  M.  COOK .  Chief 

The  organization. — In  conformity  with  the  general  reorganization 
of  the  Education  Office,  changes  in  organization,  staff,  and  activities 
of  the  division  were  initiated  soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  present 
fiscal  year.  The  division  of  rural  education,  formerly  concerned  with 
rural  education  in  the  United  States,  became  under  the  reorganiza¬ 
tion  the  division  of  special  problems.  The  general  functions  now 
assigned  to  this  division  are  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of 
research,  informational,  advisory,  and  field  services  as  follows : 

(1)  Special  education;  that  is,  the  education  of  deviates  from  the 
normal  physically  and  mentally,  including  both  unfortunate  deviates, 
such  as  mentally  handicapped  or  subnormal  children;  physically 
handicapped,  as  crippled  children  and  those  otherwise  below  normal 
physically;  and  fortunate  deviates  usually  both  physically  and  men¬ 
tally  and  commonly  known  as  “  gifted  ”  children.  The  work  in  this 
field  is  expected  to  compass  also  the  place  of  mental  hygiene  in  the 
general  education  program. 

(2)  The  education  of  atypical  groups.  Developments  in  this  field 
during  the  year  were  concerned  with  contemplated  projects  in  the 
education  of  indigenous  peoples  in  Alaska,  and  with  initiating  plans 
for  a  research  and  informational  service  concerned  with  special  needs 
and  problems  in  negro  education  in  the  United  States. 

(3)  The  third  phase  of  the  work  of  the  division  is  concerned  with 
special  problems  in  rural  education  (administrative,  financial,  and 
instructional)  where  extension  of  equality  of  educational  opportu¬ 
nity  is  not  yet  consummated. 

The  staff  consists  of  three  specialists  and  three  secretarial  clerks. 

Progress  during  the  year. — The  first  step  in  effecting  the  reorgani¬ 
zation  and  carrying  out  policies  resulting  therefrom  was  an  intensive 
and  extensive  study  of  the  respective  fields  of  education  in  which 
work  was  to  be  established  with  reference  to  the  existing  situation, 
particularly  the  immediate  and  pressing  problems  and  the  types  of 
service  which  can  most  effectively  be  undertaken  by  this  office  and 
which  it  can  and  should  be  equipped  to  render.  The  second  step 
was  to  map  out  tentative  plans  for  an  organization  to  carry  on  the 
desired  services  and  for  the  gradual  recruiting  of  an  appropriate 
staff;  the  third  to  project  projects  based  on  immediate  needs  and 
particularly  to  establish  an  informational  service  in  each  of  the 
new  lines  of  work — demands  for  which  immediately  followed  the 
commissioner’s  announcement  of  the  several  new  undertakings. 

Canvass  of  the  situation  as  concerned  with  the  special  education 
of  deviates  from  normality  discloses  this  as  a  relatively  new  develop- 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


23 


ment  in  public  education  on  which  school  systems  are  seeking  infor¬ 
mation  and  guidance,  particularly  along  the  following  lines:  («) 
Appropriate  State  legislation  which  enables  or  assists  local  school 
systems  to  establish  and  finance  special  education  and  which  provides 
for  education  of  handicapped  children  in  isolated  and  other  commu¬ 
nities  unable  to  administer  fully  to  their  own  needs;  (b)  administra¬ 
tive  set-ups  best  adapted  to  establish  and  maintain  a  department  or 
section  of  special  education  in  systems  of  different  sizes  and  under 
varying  situations;  ( c )  means  of  ascertaining  the  number  of  children 
in  need  of  special  education  and  the  extent  to  which  differentiation 
is  desirable;  ( d )  classification  of  pupils  and  organization  of  special 
classes;  ( e )  adaptation  of  materials  and  techniques  of  instruction 
to  the  special  needs  of  the  several  types  of  deviates. 

During  the  latter  half  of  the  year  available  literature  has  been 
canvassed,  the  beginning  of  an  informational  service  adapted  to 
immediate  needs  set  up,  and  arrangements  made  to  secure  the  services 
of  a  specialist  in  the  education  of  mentally  handicapped  children. 

During  the  year  a  series  of  publications  has  been  projected  with 
the  cooperation  of  specialists  within  as  well  as  outside  the  office,  of 
which  three  are  published  or  in  process  of  publication,  as  follows : 

Bulletin,  1930,  No.  7,  Special  Schools  and  Classes  in  Cities  of 
•  10,000  Population  and  More  in  the  United  States. 

Bulletin,  1930,  No.  11,  Education  of  Crippled  Children. 

Bulletin,  1930,  No.  22,  Schools  and  Classes  for  Delicate 
Children. 

There  has  also  been  initiated  a  series  of  articles  describing  the  ad¬ 
ministrative  organization,  housing,  equipment,  and  instructional  pro¬ 
visions  in  representative  school  systems  for  the  education  of  the 
handicapped.  Two  of  the  articles  have  appeared  in  School  Life  dur¬ 
ing  the  year.  A  representative  from  the  division  attended  the  meet¬ 
ing  of  the  International  Society  for  the  Education  of  Crippled 
Children  at  Toronto  and  has  made  cooperative  contacts  with  other 
organizations  and  institutions.  The  division  has  cooperated  also  with 
the  work  of  the  White  House  conference,  particularly  through  mem- 
-bership  on  the  committee  for  Special  Education  and  the  sub¬ 
committee  on  the  Education  of  Handicapped  Children  in  Rural 
Communities.  A  number  of  conferences  have  been  attended  and 
considerable  material  has  been  collected  for  the  use  of  the  committees. 

In  addition  to  establishing  the  research,  informational,  and  other 
types  of  services  for  which  the  office  is  responsible  in  connection 
with  the  education  of  indigenous  peoples,  we  have  a  special  oppor¬ 
tunity  as  well  as  a  responsibility  in  that  we  now  administer  educa¬ 
tional  and  medical  service  to  the  natives  of  Alaska. 

Considerable  time  has  been  given  to  a  study  of  the  present  situation 
and  its  needs.  Plans  have  been  consummated  for  an  investigation 
of  the  native  ability  and  characteristics  of  the  natives  of  Alaska  with 
a  view  to  devising  a  series  of  tests  which  will  form  a  basis  for  more 
intelligent  procedure  in  the  organization  of  a  type  of  education  con¬ 
sonant  with  their  needs  and  abilities  and  designed  to  fit  them  more 
nearly  for  intelligent  and  productive  citizenship  in  their  native  en¬ 
vironment.  Arrangements  have  been  made  for  this  study  to  be 
carried  on  by  a  specialist  now  in  Alaska,  working  with  a  committee 
of  .professors  of  Stanford  University.  This  study  is  financed  by 


24 


REPORT  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


private  grants  with  the  cooperation  and  assistance  of  this  office. 
Plans  are  under  way  as  the  result  of  which  it  is  expected  that  reor¬ 
ganization  of  schools,  reclassification  of  pupils,  and  certain  curricu¬ 
lum  revisions  will  be  initiated  during  the  coming  school  year.  Steps 
are  contemplated  also  for  reorganization  of  the  supervisory  activities 
and  the  establishment  of  a  more  practical  type  of  in-service  training 
for  teachers. 

Problems  in  negro  education  have  been  further  varied  and  com¬ 
plicated  by  changing  social  conditions  following  the  postwar  period. 
In  spite  of  the  large  exodus  of  negroes  to  northern  cities,  the  crux 
of  the  problem  is  probably  still  in  the  Southern  States.  Recent  com¬ 
pilations  made  in  the  office  indicate  that  percentages  of  enrollment  in 
public  schools  in  13  Southern  States  are  C9.3  among  negroes  as  com¬ 
pared  with  83.8  among  whites;  that  percentages  of  the  two  races  in 
public  high  schools  are  2.6  and  11.5  respectively;  and  that  the. aver¬ 
age  annual  term  is  18  days  shorter  in  negro  than  in  white  schools. 
Data  recently  collected  in  the  office  and  inquiries  constantly  being 
received  indicate  that  availability  of  schools  is  still  a  pressing  prob¬ 
lem  with  the  negro  race. 

Tentative  plans  for  the  organization  of  an  informational  service 
in  negro  education  have  been  formed  during  the  year,  certain  re¬ 
search  projects  based  on  preliminary  findings  projected,  and  a* 
trained  specialist  in  the  field  has  been  selected  who  will  begin  work 
in  September. 

The  work  of  the  division  concerned  with  special  problems  in  rural 
education  has  consisted  in  completing  projects  under  way,  prepara¬ 
tory  to  reorganization  and  staff  changes,  and  in  organizing  and 
initiating  new  undertakings  along  lines  conforming  to  the  changed 
policy.  Three  members  of  the  staff  assigned  to  work  in  rural  educa¬ 
tion  the  first  half  of  the  fiscal  year  were  reassigned  under  the  reor¬ 
ganization.  Projects  completed  during  the  year  and  prior  to  reor¬ 
ganization  include  two  studies  of  library  conditions  and  service  to 
schools  in  rural  communities:  A  study  of  service  under  county 
auspices;  and  a  study  of  State  direction  of  such  service.  Two  studies 
showing  some  results  of  centralizing  schools  in  rural  communities, 
were  completed;  one  describing  a  decade  of  progress  in  achieving 
school  centralization,  and  one  concerned  with  pupil  progress  as 
shown  by  age  grade  and  retardation  data  collected  from  representa¬ 
tive  schools  in  24  States.  Other  projects  begun  in  the  division  look¬ 
ing  toward  curriculum  reconstruction  in  rural  schools  are  still  under 
way  in  the  office. 

The  reorganization  of  the  office  has  placed  particular  emphasis 
upon  research  as  a  function.  In  keeping  with  this  policy  the  divi¬ 
sion  of  special  problems  has  furthered  and  initiated  studies  of  re¬ 
search  projects  which  look  particularly  toward  the  equalization  of 
educational  opportunities  for  children  in  rural  communities.  Among 
such  projects  is  one  which  aims  to  obtain  a  representative  picture  of 
the  extent  to  "which  various  levels  and  types  of  education  are  avail¬ 
able  to  rural  children.  The  study  was  undertaken  in  cooperation 
with  a  committee  appointed  by  the  National  Society  for  the  Study 
of  Education,  and  a  chapter  was  prepared  for  the  1931  Yearbook  of 
the  society  which  will  be  devoted  to  rural  education.  Additional 
data  and  findings  resulting  from  studies  undertaken  in  this  connec- 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


25 


tion  are  now  being  prepared  for  a  manuscript  to  be  submitted  for 
publication  by  this  office.  A  number  of  educators  representing  State 
departments  of  education  and  professors  in  higher  institutions  in 
representative  States  cooperated  in  the  collection  of  the  information. 
Individual  records  of  approximately  60,000  rural  children,  showing 
the  distances  their  homes  are  from  schools  provided,  attendance,  age, 
school  progress,  and  other  data,  together  with  an  evaluation  of  the 
influence  of  distance  upon  their  education,  form  the  basis  of  the 
study.  The  chief  of  the  division  has  acted  throughout  the  year  as 
a  member  of  the  committee  of  five  appointed  by  the  national  society, 
responsible  for  the  planning  and  preparation  of  the  society’s  1931 
Yearbook  on  Rural  Education. 

Another  research  study  completed  during  the  year  concerned  it¬ 
self  with  the  smallness  of  the  schools  offering  secondary  education 
in  rural  communities.  The  purpose  of  this  investigation  wTas  to 
make  available  on  a  nation-wide  scale  definite  information  to  show 
the  small  enrollments  and  teaching  staffs  prevalent  in  rural  high 
schools;  where  the  schools  are  found;  the  educational  problems  in¬ 
cident  to  the  smallness  of  these  schools ;  and  ways  and  means  through 
which  rural  high  school  problems  are  being  attacked  and  solved. 

The  extension  to  sparsely  settled  areas  of  opportunities  for  edu¬ 
cation  on  a  secondary  level  entails  many  special  and  peculiar  prob¬ 
lems.  The  specialist  in  rural  school  problems  has,  at  the  invitation 
of  the  National  Survey  of  Secondary  Education,  undertaken  a 
comparative  study  of  the  status  of  secondary  education  in  schools 
of  various  sizes.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  survey  to  use  this  study 
as  a  background  against  which  to  compare  and  evaluate  progress  in 
rural  communities  of  certain  pioneer  movements  in  secondary 
education. 

There  has  long  been  a  conviction  among  students  of  rural  educa¬ 
tion  that  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  weakness  in  rural  schools  is  the 
very  low  salaries  paid  to  the  teachers  employed  in  them.  Since  there 
is  no  other  agency  interested  in  gathering  nation-wide  data  showing 
the  salary  status  of  these  teachers,  and  since  accurate  data  of  this 
type  are  needed,  the  Office  of  Education  has  periodically  investigated 
this  matter.  The  division  of  special  problems  has  such  a  study  in 
progress  at  the  present  time.  Roughly  speaking,  a  50  per  cent  return 
from  an  estimated  total  of  350,000  rural  teachers  has  been  obtained 
to  date  and  every  effort  is  being  made  to  compile  and  publish  these 
data  within  the  current  year. 

Another  project  undertaken  by  the  division  with  the  assistance 
of  a  staff  member  from  the  statistical  division  is  a  study  of  the 
financing  of  education  in  the  State  of  Vermont.  This  study  was 
undertaken  at  the  request  of  the  State  commissioner  of  education 
and  a  State  committee  appointed  by  the  governor,  which  is  making  an 
extensive  study  of  rural  life  in  Vermont.  The  study  extends  oyer 
a  period  of  years  and  is  financed  by  private  grant.  The  division 
is  working  in  cooperation  particularly  with  the  subcommittee  on 
education,  of  which  the  State  commissioner  of  education  is  secretary. 
A  preliminary  report  of  the  findings  to  date  was  presented  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Vermont  Rural  Life  Commission  held  in  Rutland, 
Vt.,  May  22  to  25.  The  complete  report  will  be  presented  in 
November. 


26  .  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

In  view  of  the  pressing  need  for  and  the  meager  provision  so 
far  made  in  the  majority  of  the  States  for  professional  supervision  of 
rural  schools,  the  division  is  called  upon  to  assist  rural  school  ad¬ 
ministrators  and  supervisors  in  improving  the  quality  of  instruction, 
particularly  through  securing  more  and  better  supervision.  A  con¬ 
ference  on  rural  school  supervision  in  the  Southern  States,  the  fifth 
in  this  section  called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  was  con¬ 
ducted  at  Peabody  College,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  December  16  and  17, 
1929,  and  was  participated  in  by  chief  State  school  officers,  State 
rural  school  supervisors,  and  county  supervisors  to  the  number  of 
approximately  200,  representing  13  States.  Preparations  are  under 
way  for  a  sixth  annual  conference  of  the  Southern  States  which 
will  be  held  in  Arkansas  in  December,  1930.  A  study  of  the  rural 
school  principalship  in  the  Southern  States,  prepared  in  the  division 
and  published  as  Pamphlet  No.  9,  Office  of  Education,  Procedures 
in  Supervision;  a  bulletin,  Contributions  of  Supervision  to  the 
Improvement  of  Rural  Schools,  prepared  in  the  division  and  re¬ 
cently  submitted  for  publication;  and  a  mimeographed  circular 
containing  addresses  and  studies  prepared  for  the  conference  of 
Midwestern  States  held  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  edited  in  the  division, 
are  other  contributions  of  the  year  to  the  improvement  of  instruction 
in  rural  schools. 

The  division  has  cooperated  with  a  number  of  organizations,  com¬ 
mittees,  and  institutions  in  the  preparation  of  material  such  as  study 
outlines,  bibliographies,  circulars,  and  the  like,  and  in  holding  or 
participating  in  conferences.  Among  these  the  following  are  of 
importance:  Information  on  rural  school  supervision  prepared  at 
the  request  of  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers; 
outlines  for  the  use  of  study  clubs  prepared  for  the  American 
Association  of  University  Women  concerning  conditions  in  rural 
schools  in  the  United  States,  and  their  improvement.  State  meet¬ 
ings  and  conferences,  or  conferences  sponsored  by  State  officials, 
have  been  attended  and  addresses  made  in  Iowa,  Virginia,  Michigan, 
Massachusetts,  North  Dakota,  Indiana,  Idaho,  Pennsylvania,  and 
New  York.  Addresses  were  made  also  at  the  meeting  of  the  Na¬ 
tional  Education  Association  at  Atlantic  City,  at  the  American 
Country  Life  Association  at  Ames,  Iowa,  and  at  teacher-preparing 
institutions  and  meetings  in  several  States. 

The  division  has  rendered  frequent  service  in  suggesting,  criticiz¬ 
ing,  evaluating,  reconstructing,  and  otherwise  furthering  the  study 
of  special  educational  problems  on  the  part  of  committees  and  indi¬ 
viduals  engaged  in  research.  Approximately  32  manuscripts  have 
been  critically  reviewed  and  in  some  cases  revised  in  the  division 
during  the  year. 

Publicity  of  problems  and  progress  in  rural  education  through 
the  agency  of  the  Rural  Schools  News  Letter  has  been  discontinued  as 
a  project  of  this  office.  In  place  of  this  activity,  established  publicity 
agencies  are  used,  such  as  School  Life,  the  United  States  Daily, 
journals  of  the  State  educational  associations,  etc.  Special  findings 
of  this  division  which  have  news  or  publicity  value  are  supplied 
to  these  agencies,  and  articles  on  special  subjects  expressly  prepared 
for  certain  publications  issue  from  the  division  from  time  to  time. 


REPORT  OE  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  27 

DIVISION  OF  AMERICAN  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS 

W.  S.  DEFFENBAUGH.  Chief 

When  the  Office  of  Education  was  reorganized  under  the  present 
administration  the  city  and  rural  schools  divisions  were  abolished 
and  a  new  division  was  organized  to  take  over  most  of  the  work 
formerly  done  in  these  two  divisions.  This  new  division  is  known 
as  the  Division  of  American  School  Systems.  Its  chief  function 
is  to  make  studies  of  the  problems  of  State  and  local  school  organiza¬ 
tion  and  administration,  school  finance,  school  legislation,  kinder¬ 
garten-elementary  and  secondary  school  organization  and  curricula, 
methods  of  instruction,  and  of  other  problems  relating  to  elementary 
and  secondary  education. 

In  order  to  make  studies  in  these  various  fields  there  were  as¬ 
signed  to  the  division  seven  specialists  and  four  secretarial  clerks  and 
stenographers. 

Studies  completed. — The  following  studies  have  been  completed, 
some  of  which  have  been  published  and  the  others  approved  for 
publication : 

1.  Nursery  schools  in  the  United  States.  This  study  contains 
not  only  a  list  of  nursery  schools  but  an  analysis  of  ( a )  the  main 
purposes  for  which  the  schools  operate,  (b)  number  of  days  a  week 
they  are  in  session,  (<?)  length  of  school  day,  (d)  enrollment,  ( e ) 
nursery  school  teachers  and  consultation  staff. 

2.  Organization  of  supervisory  units  for  kindergarten-elementary 
grades.  An  analysis  of  grade  groups  assigned  to  general  super¬ 
visors  in  kindergarten-primary  grades. 

3.  Kindergarten-primary  education — a  statistical  and  graphical 
study. 

4.  Current  practices  in  the  construction  of  State  courses  of  study. 
An  analysis  of  current  State  courses  of  study,  educational  bulletins 
issued  for  the  use  of  teachers,  State  school  reports,  and  statements  of 
State  educational  officials  has  been  made  to  discover  what  policies 
prevail  in  the  determination  of  the  elementary-school  curriculum. 

5.  A  decade  of  school  consolidation  with  detailed  information 
from  105  consolidated  schools.  Contains  data  showing  the  number 
of  one-room  schools  and  the  number  of  consolidated  schools  from 
1918  to  1928  for  each  of  the  States,  data  on  transportation  of  pupils, 
and  other  facts  relating  to  the  consolidation  of  schools. 

6.  An  age-grade  study  of  7,632  elementary-school  pupils  in  45 
consolidated  schools. 

7.  State  aid  for  consolidation  and  transportation.  Summarizes 
the  provision  for  aiding  in  the  consolidation  of  rural  schools. 

8.  Digest  of  legislation  providing  for  Federal  subsidies  for  educa¬ 
tion.  Includes  grants  for  common  schools,  higher  education,  voca¬ 
tional  education,  etc. 

9.  Legal  status  of  Bible  reading  and  religious  instruction  in  the 
public  schools.  A  summary  of  constitutional  and  statutory  provi¬ 
sions  relating  to  Bible  reading  in  the  public  schools  and  a  digest 
of  court  decisions  showing  the  interpretation  of  such  provisions. 

10.  Public-school  attendance  ages  in  the  various  States.  Shows 
age  attendance  required  in  regular,  part-time,  continuation,  and 


28 


EEPOET  OF  THE  COMMISSIONEE  OF  EDUCATION 


evening  schools,  and  age  attendance  permitted  for  kindergartens, 
and  regular  and  other  types  of  schools. 

11.  Summary  of  recommendations  contained  in  State  school  sur¬ 
vey  reports  regarding  State  and  local  school  administration.  Sum¬ 
marizes  recommendations  of  the  reports  of  12  State  surveys  made 
since  1920.  Contains  quotations  regarding  State  and  local  admin¬ 
istration  of  schools. 

Studies  in  'progress. — (1)  Digest  by  subjects  of  the  1929  education 
laws  for  each  of  the  States  enacting  school  legislation  in  that  year. 
(2)  Digest  and  summary  of  legislation  in  force  affecting  public- 
school  administration — State,  city,  county,  and  district.  (3)  Review 
of  educational  legislation  for  1929  and  1930.  (4)  State  educational 

equalization  funds.  (5)  Types  of  taxes  contributing  to  State  gen¬ 
eral  funds.  (6)  An  analysis  of  provisions  for  school  support  in  the 
various  States.  (7)  Selection  and  appointment  of  teachers.  (8) 
Outline,  with  directions,  for  making  a  self-survey  of  a  city  school 
system.  (9)  Educational  value  of  building  blocks.  (10)  An  analysis 
of  report  cards  for  use  in  the  elementary  grades.  (11)  Case  studies 
of  kindergarten-elementary  grade  supervisors’  programs.  (12)  The 
specialist  in  secondary  education  gave  the  major  part  of  his  time  to 
the  national  survey  of  secondary  education. 

Reference  materials. — In  addition  to  studies  of  various  problems 
relating  to  administration,  the  curriculum,  etc.,  the  following  refer¬ 
ence  materials  have  been  compiled:  (1)  An  annotated  bibliography 
of  studies  on  consolidation  and  transportation  in  1923-1929.  (2)  An 

annotated  bibliography  of  studies  pertaining  to  the  county  unit  of 
school  administration.  (3)  An  annotated  bibliography  on  child- 
study  material  for  parents.  (4)  An  annotated  bibliography  entitled 
“  Recent  Contributions  to  the  Literature  of  Early  Childhood  Educa¬ 
tion.”  (5)  An  annotated  bibliography  of  the  literature  relating  to 
Federal  subsidies  for  education.  (6)  List  of  courses  of  study  avail¬ 
able  for  distribution  by  city  school  systems.  (7)  Annotated  bibliog¬ 
raphy  of  studies  on  the  appreciation  of  pictures. 

The  following  reference  materials  are  in  course  of  preparation: 
(1)  Digest  of  theses  treating  of  causes  of  pupil  failures.  (2)  Digest 
of  theses  on  the  rating  of  teachers.  (3)  An  annotated  list  of  annual 
reports  published  by  city  school  systems.  (4)  An  annotated  bibliog¬ 
raphy  of  recent  studies  pertaining  to  school  finance. 

C ooperative  undertakings. — The  principal  cooperative  undertak¬ 
ings  were  as  follows:  (1)  The  White  House  Conference  on  Child 
Health  and  Protection.  Information  has  been  collected  and  com¬ 
piled  for  several  of  the  committees,  and  a  section  of  the  report  on 
the  health  curriculum  was  prepared  for  one  committee.  (2)  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Kindergarten-Primary  Education  of  the  National  Educa¬ 
tion  Association.  The  specialist  in  nursery-kindergarten-primary 
education  was  president  of  the  department  and  prepared  a  confer¬ 
ence  program  on  the  topic  “  The  Practicability  of  Activity  Curric- 
ulums,”  and  later  edited  the  reports  made  by  the  division  group 
leaders.  These  were  jmblished  by  the  National  Education  Associa¬ 
tion  under  the  title  u  Activity  Curriculums  at  Work.”  (3)  Sub¬ 
committee  of  the  National  Committee  on  Nursery  Schools.  In  coop¬ 
eration  with  this  subcommittee  a  publication  by  the  national  com¬ 
mittee  was  issued  giving  a  series  of  minimum  essentials  for  nursery 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


29 


school  education.  (4)  Conference  of  nursery  school  workers.  The 
specialist  in  nursery-kindergarten-primary  education  was  chairman 
of  the  program  committee  and  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the 
report  of  the  conference  which  was  published  by  the  national  com¬ 
mittee  on  nursery  schools.  (5)  Washington  Child  Research  Center. 
Cooperation  with  this  center  has  continued.  During  the  year  an 
article  entitled  “Housing  and  Equipping  the  Washington  Child 
Research  Center  ”  was  prepared  in  cooperation  with  the  center  and 
published  in  School  Life  in  December,  1929,  and  in  January,  1930. 
Reprints  were  made,  for  which  there  has  been  a  great  demand. 
(6)  National  Committee  on  Research  in  Secondary  Education.  Co¬ 
operation  with  this  organization  begun  in  1925  has  been  continued. 
A  member  of  the  staff  is  secretary  of  this  committee. 

School  surveys . — Several  of  the  specialists  have  either  conducted 
or  assisted  in  the  making  of  school  surveys.  Four  members  of 
the  division  have  been  assisting  in  the  survey  of  the  schools  of 
Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

In  September,  1929,  the  chief  of  the  division  made  a  survey  of  the 
school  building  needs  of  Grafton,  W.  Va.,  and  several  weeks  later 
submitted  a  report  to  the  board  of  education.  The  recommendations 
contained  in  the  report  will  be  carried  out  as  soon  as  the  city  is 
ready  to  vote  a  bond  issue. 

The  chief  of  the  division  and  the  chief  of  the  statistical  division 
in  the  fall  of  1929  made  a  survey  of  the  school  building  needs  of 
Arlington  County,  Ya.  Shortly  after  their  report  was  submitted 
the  people  voted  bonds  to  carry  out  the  recommendations  of  the 
survey  staff. 

In  May,  1929,  the  chief  of  the  division  and  the  chief  of  the  sta¬ 
tistical  division  began  a  survey  of  the  organization  and  of  the  financ¬ 
ing  of  the  schools  of  Huntington,  W.  Va.  The  report  was  completed 
in  July,  1930.  The  expenditures  for  school  purposes  were  analyzed 
and  compared  with  the  expenditures  in  other  cities  of  comparable 
size.  Several  of  the  recommendations  regarding  organization  were 
adopted  soon  after  the  report  was  submitted. 

Miscellaneous. — The  curriculum  committee  of  the  State  of  Cali¬ 
fornia  granted  the  Office  of  Education  permission  to  publish  a 
course  of  study  for  kindergarten-primary  grades,  entitled  “  Teachers’ 
Guide  to  Child  Development,”  which  the  division  specialists  adapted 
to  the  use  of  this  office.  This  course  of  study  will  replace  Bulletin 
1919,  No.  16,  “  The  Kindergarten  Curriculum.” 

Each  of  the  specialists  delivered  addresses  before  State  teachers’ 
associations,  national  educational  organizations,  local  teachers’  asso¬ 
ciations,  or  faculties  and  students  of  universities  and  teachers’  col¬ 
leges. 

The  specialist  in  nursery-kindergarten-primary  education  pre¬ 
pared  an  extensive  article  on  “  Plans  and  Equipment  for  Nursery- 
Kindergarten-Primary  Education,”  which  was  published  in  the 
1930-31  edition  of  the  American  School  and  University.  One  thou¬ 
sand  reprints  were  furnished  this  office  for  distribution. 

Hundreds  of  letters  requesting  specialized  information  were  re¬ 
ceived.  In  order  to  answer  many  of  these  letters  considerable  re¬ 
search  among  various  publications  was  necessary. 


30  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

DIVISION  OF  STATISTICS 

M.  M.  PROFFITT ,  Acting  Chief 

This  division  completed  the  following  projects: 

Statistics  of  teachers  colleges  and  normal  schools;  statistics  of 
universities,  colleges,  and  professional  schools ;  statistics  of  city 
school  systems;  statistics  of  public  high  schools;  statistics  of  State 
school  systems;  statistics  of  private  commercial  business  schools, 
1928-29 ;  statistics  of  education  of  the  Negro,  1927-28 ;  an  age-grade 
study  of  7,632  elementary  pupils  in  46  consolidated  schools;  sta¬ 
tistical  summary  of  education.  Tabulations  were  made  for  bulle¬ 
tins  on  statistics  of  land-grant  colleges  for  the  year  ending  June 
30,  1929,  and  also  for  kindergarten-primary  education,  a  statistical 
and  graphic  study.  A  statistical  study  was  made  on  expenditures  in 
publicly  controlled  institutions  of  higher  learning  for  1927-28. 

The  studies  now  in  progress  are : 

Statistics  of  public,  society,  and  school  libraries  for  year  end¬ 
ing  December,  1929;  retardation  of  elementary  pupils  in  cities; 
expenditures  of  privately  controlled  institutions  of  higher  learning 
for  1927-28 ;  and  statistics  for  the  biennial  survey  of  education,  1928- 
1930. 

The  office  cooperated  with  some  committees  and  State  departments 
of  education  in  an  effort  to  secure  more  uniformity  in  statistical 
reports  on  education  and  assisted,  in  some  instances,  school  systems 
in  revising  their  statistical  forms.  For  example,  there  was  coopera¬ 
tion  with  the  National  Council  of  State  Superintendents  and  Com¬ 
missioners  of  Education  which  met  in  Washington  and  devoted  one 
session  to  a  study  of  uniform  records  and  reports.  On  request,  sug¬ 
gestions  were  made  for  changes  in  the  reporting  systems  of  North 
Dakota,  South  Dakota,  and  South  Carolina,  two  visits  being  made 
to  Columbia,  S.  C.,  by  one  of  the  field  agents.  One  member  of  the 
staff  attended  meetings  of  the  Committee  on  Uniform  Records  and 
Reports  of  the  National  League  of  Compulsory  Education  Officials 
at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  of  the  Council  of  State  Superintendents 
and  Commissioners  of  Education  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J. 

The  field  agents  have  participated  in  the  educational  surveys  of 
the  State  of  Vermont,  the  city  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  the  land-grant 
colleges. 

DIVISION  OF  FOREIGN  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS 

JAMES  F.  ABEL.  Chief 

The  general  purpose  of  the  division  of  foreign  school  systems  is 
to  gather  data  about  education  in  foreign  countries  and  make  it 
available  to  the  people  of  the  United  States.  In  the  process  of 
gathering  data  during  the  year,  the  division  initiated  for  transmittal 
through  the  Department  of  State  requests  for  information  about  the 
municipal  universities  of  England  to  be  furnished  the  Greater 
Omaha  Corporation  at  Omaha,  Nebr. ;  six  special  schools  of  music  in 
Italy ;  the  school  system  of  Uruguay ;  the  general  educational  reform 
law  and  the  statute  of  university  education  in  Chile;  five  mission¬ 
ary  schools  in  Chosen;  various  schools  for  foreigners  in  Shanghai, 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


31 


China;  the  State  school  systems  in  Mexico;  the  social  pedagogical 
institute  at  Hamburg,  Germany;  a  report  from  each  of  the  17  con¬ 
sular  offices  in  China  on  education  in  their  respective  districts;  and 
education  in  the  Dominican  Republic.  In  addition,  letters  were  writ¬ 
ten  to  several  of  the  national  offices  of  education  abroad  and  to  vari¬ 
ous  school  officials.  Assistance  was  obtained  from  the  legations  of 
Albania,  Belgium,  Bulgaria,  China,  Egypt,  Finland,  Hungary, 
Italy,  Yugoslavia,  the  Netherlands,  Norway,  Persia,  Siam,  Spain, 
Sweden,  and  Turkey,  the  Chinese  Educational  Mission,  and  various 
departments  of  the  United  States  Government. 

The  foreign  education  periodicals  that  to  the  number*  of  about 
100  come  regularly  to  the  office  were  read,  matters  of  interest  and 
value  were  selected  and  translated  from  them,  and  steps  were  taken 
to  obtain  by  exchange  or  purchase  periodicals  that  began  publi¬ 
cation  during  the  year.  Among  the  larger  pieces  of  translation 
were :  The  programs  and  courses  of  study  for  the  secondary  schools 
of  Lithuania;  Italian  Law  No.  8  of  January  7,  1929,  regulations 
and  courses  of  study  for  a  new  kind  of  secondary  school  for  gen¬ 
eral  technical  training  in  Italy;  the  laws  relating  to  secondary  edu¬ 
cation  in  Rumania;  the  laws  relating  to  secondary  education  in 
Portugal;  the  programs  of  the  secondary  schools  for  girls  in  Hun¬ 
gary;  and  articles  from  German  on  posture  defects.  The  total 
translations  for  the  Office  of  Education  were  approximately  as  fol¬ 
lows:  Bohemian,  2,300  words;  Bulgarian,  525;  Croatian,  150;  Dan¬ 
ish,  1,375;  Dutch,  1,400;  Estonian,  350;  Finnish,  450;  Flemish,  700; 
French,  6,165 ;  German,  16,395;  Greek,  375;  Hungarian,  12,580; 
Italian,  3,400;  Latin,  475;  Latvian,  375;  Lithuanian,  8,500;  Nor¬ 
wegian,  1,751;  Polish,  4,750;  Portuguese,  15,950;  Rumanian,  11,575; 
Russian,  11,140;  Serbian,  480;  Spanish,  8,500;  Swedish,  550;  Ukrain¬ 
ian,  325 ;  and  White  Russian,  275.  Total  from  26  languages,  110,811 
words. 

The  division  arranged  and  kept  in  order  in  the  library  all  uncat¬ 
alogued  material  on  foreign  education  and  the  foreign  periodicals. 
Mrs.  F.  E.  Farrington  presented  to  the  office  a  well-selected  collec¬ 
tion  of  works  on  education  in  France. 

For  the  purpose  of  maintaining  contacts  with  persons  and  organi¬ 
zations  interested  in  foreign  and  comparative  education,  the  chief  of 
the  division  gave  six  days  to  consulting  with  various  agencies  in 
New  York,  Trenton,  Philadelphia,  and  Harrisburg;  the  assistant 
specialist  attended  the  Eighteenth  National  Convention  of  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Association  of  Collegiate  Registrars  at  Memphis,  Tenn.;  and 
members  of  the  division  visited  several  sessions  of  the  First  Inter¬ 
national  Congress  on  Mental  Hygiene.  Among  the  visitors  to  the 
division  were  educators  from  Brazil,  China,  France,  Germany,  India, 
Japan,  and  Sweden. 

With  respect  to  giving  to  citizens  of  the  United  States  information 
about  school  conditions  abroad,  the  division  prepared  for  printing  a 
bulletin  on  national  ministries  of  education  and  a  leaflet  on  the 
graphic  presentation  of  statistics  of  illiteracy  by  age  groups;  ar¬ 
ranged  a  circular  on  the  programs  and  courses  of  study  for  the  sec¬ 
ondary  schools  of  Lithuania ;  revised  a  manuscript  for  a  bulletin  on 
secondar}^  education  in  Norway ;  and  compiled  that  part  of  the  land- 
grant  college  survey  relating  to  foreign  students.  Requests  to  the 


32  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

number  of  about  10  a  week  for  teaching  positions  abroad  were 
answered.  For  School  Life  articles  were  prepared  on  the  school¬ 
leaving  age  in  Great  Britain,  education  in  Sao  Paulo,  Brazil,  and 
new  elementary  schools  in  Argentina;  and  for  the  United  States 
Daily,  articles  on  education  in  India  and  education  in  England. 
About  1,000  theses  written  by  students  in  German  universities  were 
classified  by  subject;  those  dealing  with  education,  psychology,  and 
philology  were  kept  for  the  office  library  and  the  others  were  sent 
out  to  schools  and  organizations  that  could  use  them  to  advantage. 

Besides  answering  requests  of  various  kinds  for  data  about  for¬ 
eign  schools,  the  division  maintained  what  amounts  to  somewhat 
unorganized  correspondence  instruction  in  foreign  and  comparative 
education  for  89  students,  some  of  them  working  on  graduate  levels, 
in  that  field.  This  number  represents  a  gain  of  30  above  the  59  that 
corresponded  with  the  division  in  1928-29.  The  topics  on  which 
bibliographies,  and  in  some  cases  direction,  were  furnished  included : 
Infant  schools  in  England;  school  attendance  in  England,  France, 
and  Germany;  teaching  English  in  Porto  Pico;  Italian  students  in 
American  schools;  junior  colleges  in  Montreal;  the  universities  of 
South  America;  progressive  kindergarten  and  primary  education  in 
Russia  and  France;  universities  of  Latin  America;  rural  education 
abroad;  foreign  commissions  that  have  studied  education  in  the 
United  States ;  comparative  education ;  secondary  education  in 
France;  the  social  status  of  teachers  in  England,  France,  and  Ger¬ 
many;  education  of  Spanish-speaking  children  in  the  United  States 
and  Mexico;  the  educational  influence  of  Grundtvig;  the  present 
status  of  the  education  of  women ;  secondary  education  in  New  South 
Wales;  the  great  public  schools  of  England;  teaching  geography  in 
foreign  countries;  character  formation  in  its  relation  to  moral  in¬ 
struction;  law  courses  in  the  elementary  schools  of  France;  Alexander 
Bain ;  the  history  of  education  in  the  Orient ;  agricultural  education 
in  Denmark;  the  youth  movement  in  Germany;  the  history  of  the 
universities  of  northern  Europe;  compulsory  education  in  Latin 
America;  primary  education  in  South  America,  France,  and  Pales¬ 
tine,  and  for  the  political  or  geographical  areas  of  Australia,  Aus¬ 
tria,  China,  Cuba,  Czechoslovakia,  Egypt,  England,  Germany,  Green¬ 
land,  India,  Irish  Free  State,  Italy,  Japan,  Latin  America,  Lithuania, 
Mexico,  The  Netherlands,  Norway,  Ontario,  Palestine,  Poland,  Porto 
Pico,  Scotland,  South  America,  the  Soviet  Union,  Sweden,  and 
Switzerland.  The  division  assisted  the  National  Advisory  Commit¬ 
tee  on  Education  in  securing  statements  of  those  characteristics  of 
education  in  the  United  States  that  distinguish  it  from  education  in 
other  countries,  and  in  arranging  short  accounts  of  bodies  advisory 
to  the  national  ministries  of  education  abroad.  It  furnished  consid¬ 
erable  data  for  a  study  of  secondary  education  in  England  that  is 
being  made  at  the  University  of  Penns}dvania. 

At  the  request  of  college  registrars,  committees  of  admission,  and 
State  departments  of  education,  the  division  evaluated  the  credentials 
of  foreign  students  in  cases  Nos.  1501-R  to  2075-C,  inclusive.  This 
was  a  total  of  575  cases  for  1929-30  as  against  481  in  1928-29  and  307 
in  1927-28.  The  cases  came  from  66  countries  as  follows:  Argen¬ 
tina,  2;  Armenia,  1;  Australia,  2;  Austria,  8;  Belgium,  6;  Bolivia,  4; 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


33 


Brazil,  3;  British  West  Indies,  4;  British  Honduras,  1;  Bulgaria,  12; 
Canada,  22;  China,  53;  Chosen,  4;  Colombia,  1;  Costa  Rica,  2;  Cuba, 
5 ;  Cyprus,  2 ;  Czechoslovakia,  12 ;  Denmark,  8 ;  Dominican  Republic, 
1;  Egypt,  5;  England,  14;  Estonia,  3;  France,  18;  French  West 
Africa,  1 ;  Germany,  58 ;  Greece,  12 ;  Guatemala,  3 ;  Holland,  4 ;  Hon¬ 
duras,  1;  Hungary,  15;  India,  14;  Irish  Free  State,  13;  Italy,  29; 
Japan,  19;  Jugoslavia,  3;  Latvia,  5;  Lithuania,  7;  Luxembourg,  1; 
Mexico,  13;  Nicaragua,  5;  New  Zealand,  3;  Northern  Ireland,  2; 
Norway,  8;  Palestine,  23;  Panama,  2;  Persia,  7 ;  Poland,  27 ;  Portu¬ 
gal,  2 ;  Rumania,  7 ;  San  Salvador,  1 ;  Scotland,  7 ;  Siam,  2 ;  Soviet 
Union,  36;  Spain,  2;  Sweden,  5;  Switzerland,  11;  Syria,  4;  Tripoli, 
1;  Turkey,  5;  Union  of  South  Africa,  2;  Venezuela,  1;  Hawaii,  1; 
Canal  Zone,  2 ;  Philippine  Islands,  13,  and  Porto  Rico,  4.  Sixty-one 
cases  were  reviewed  and  briefs  were  made  of  the  entire  575  cases. 

The  requests  came  from  30  State  institutions,  16  municipal  col¬ 
leges  and  universities,  3  State  departments  of  education,  2  city  school 
systems,  45  private  institutions  of  university  rank,  4  preparatory 
schools  and  junior  colleges,  7  private  foundations,  1  legation,  and 
12  from  the  persons  holding  the  credentials.  An  American  grammar 
school  in  Tientsin,  China,  raised  the  question  of  being  accredited  in 
the  United  States.  This  is  important  to  the  schools  for  Americans 
abroad.  The  request  was  referred  to  the  standardizing  agencies  for 
colleges  and  secondary  schools.  Being  accredited  is  important  also 
to  schools  in  the  outtying  parts  of  the  United  States.  For  the  first 
time  the  list  of  Philippine  schools  accredited  by  the  Philippine  De¬ 
partment  of  Education  and  the  University  of  the  Philippines  will 
be  included  in  the  bulletin  on  accredited  secondary  schools  issued  by 
this  office.  The  director  of  education  in  Palestine  sent  in  data  about 
the  Palestine  matriculation  examination  and  asked  how  the  sec¬ 
ondary  schools  of  that  country  could  be  accredited  here.  The  di¬ 
rector  was  invited  to  arrange  and  send  a  concise  statement  about 
secondary  education  in  that  country  in  order  that  the  office  could 
make  it  available  to  interested  institutions  in  the  United  States. 
Some  such  arrangement  with  Palestine  is  particularly  needed  for  a 
large  number  of  students  are  coming  from  there  to  America.  The 
Hebrew  Gymnasium  Herzlia  at  Tel-Aviv  sends  more  graduates  than 
does  any  other  foreign  secondary  school. 

Translations  for  other  offices  were  made  as  follows: 

Office  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  1,645  words;  Bureau  of 
Pensions,  14,495 ;  Bureau  of  Reclamation,  49,007 ;  General  Land  Of¬ 
fice,  775;  National  Park  Service,  482;  General  Accounting  Office, 
270;  Government  Printing  Office,  1,200;  Patent  Office,  100;  total, 
67,974  words.  This  represented  the  time  of  one  employee  for  30  days. 

The  present  staff  of  the  division  consists  of  three  specialists  and 
one  secretarial  clerk. 

The  foregoing  report  of  the  Division  of  Research  and  Investiga¬ 
tion  is  respectfully  submitted. 

Bess  Goodykoontz, 

Assistant  Commissioner. 


34  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

DIVISION  OF  ADMINISTRATION 

To  this  division  have  been  assigned  all  duties  with  respect  to 
housing  and  equipment,  personnel  matters,  budget  and  accounting, 
mails  and  files,  and  matters  relating  to  the  education  and  medical 
relief  of  the  native  races  of  Alaska. 

Housing 

The  housing  problem  has  been  a  difficult  one  for  several  years 
and  up  to  the  present  time  it  has  been  impossible  to  secure  suffi¬ 
cient  space  for  the  efficient  conduct  of  the  work  of  the  office.  The 
library  is  badly  overcrowded  and  needs  additional  space  for  book 
stacks  to  accommodate  the  necessary  additions  to  the  book  collections 
and  to  provide  working  space  for  the  additions  to  the  library  staff 
already  arranged  for.  Additional  space  is  required  also  for  desk 
room  for  use  by  the  experts  and  specialists  working  on  surveys 
authorized  by  Congress.  To  do  their  best  work  such  experts  should 
have  the  quiet  necessary  for  intensive  research  and  should  not  be 
compelled  to  work  in  overcrowded  rooms.  It  should  not  be  neces¬ 
sary  to  assign  more  than  two  research  workers  to  rooms  of  280 
square  feet. 

Personnel 

The  total  personnel  under  this  office  was  375  on  June  30,  1930,  of 
which  number  111  were  employed  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 
Changes  among  this  comparatively  small  staff  are  frequent,  especially 
in  the  field  service  in  Alaska.  It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  retain  per¬ 
sons  in  that  service  for  any  protracted  period,  due  undoubtedly  to 
the  small  salaries  paid,  to  the  isolation  of  a  large  number  of  the 
stations,  to  the  lack  of  suitable  companionship,  and  to  the  difficult 
work  involved  in  endeavoring  to  advance  the  civilization  of  aborigi¬ 
nal  races.  Eight  vacancies  in  the  staff  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  oc¬ 
curred  during  the  fiscal  year,  one  by  death  and  seven  by  resignation. 
Most  of  the  persons  resigning  did  so  to  accept  better  paying  posi¬ 
tions  in  other  branches  of  the  Government  service  or  elsewhere. 

Much  difficulty  and  delay  have  been  encountered  in  securing  prop¬ 
erly  qualified  persons  for  some  of  the  technical  positions  in  the  office 
due  very  largely  to  the  small  salaries  that  could  be  offered  for  the 
qualifications  and  types  of  service  required.  For  instance,  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  librarian  has  been  vacant  for  almost  two  years  and  that  of 
editor  has  been  vacant  one  year.  These  positions  were  reallocated  to 
higher  grades  recently  and  it  is  expected  that  appointments  to  both 
positions  will  be  made  in  the  near  future  from  lists  furnished  by 
the  Civil  Service  Commission. 


Alaska 

The  administration  at  long  range  of  affairs  in  Alaska  is  a  difficult 
problem.  During  the  year  the  responsibility  of  this  office  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  reindeer  industry  in  that  Territory  was  transferred 
to  the  governor  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Education,  so  that  this  office  retains  administrative  authority  only 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  35 

with  respect  to  the  education,  support,  and  medical  relief  of  the 
aboriginal  races  in  Alaska. 

The  amount  granted  by  Congress  for  the  education  and  support  of 
the  natives  of  Alaska  during  the  fiscal  year  1930  was  $580,400,  and 
for  their  medical  relief  $171,780. 

In  order  that  the  headquarters  of  administrative  authority  should 
be  located  as  near  as  possible  to  situations  demanding  attention,  the 
office  of  the  Chief  of  the  Alaska  Division  has  been  transferred  from 
Seattle  to  J uneau,  the  purchasing  of  supplies,  the  making  of  arrange¬ 
ments  for  the  transportation  of  appointees  and  of  supplies,  and  the 
operation  of  the  Boxer  remaining  as  duties  to  be  performed  by  the 
purchasing  agent  and  office  manager  in  Seattle. 

During  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1930,  the  Office  of  Education 
maintained  in  Alaska  93  schools  with  195  teachers,  an  enrollment  of 
3,899,  and  an  average  attendance  of  3,029,  as  is  set  forth  in  the 
following  table : 


Schools 

Popula¬ 
tion  of 
village 

Number  of 
teachers 

Total  en¬ 
rollment 

Average 
daily  at¬ 
tendance 

176 

2 

42 

19 

67 

2 

19 

16 

80 

2 

16 

12 

376 

3 

102 

83 

84 

1 

19 

15 

250 

3 

85 

80 

7.  Beaver _ 

93 

1 

27 

21 

8.  Belkofski _ _ _ _ __ 

120 

2 

27 

7 

9.  Bethel _ _ _ _ 

191 

2 

57 

53 

10.  Buckland _ _ 

113 

2 

27 

18 

11.  Chanega _ _ _ 

90 

2 

24 

13 

12.  Chitina  and  Copper  Center _ _ 

76 

1 

60 

19 

13.  Circle _ _ _ _. _ _ 

40 

1 

10 

4 

14.  Cordova _ 

140 

1 

32 

21 

15.  Deering _ _ _ 

150 

2 

37 

31 

16.  Diomede _ _ 

139 

2 

42 

36 

17.  Douglas _ 

120 

1 

25 

19 

18.  Eagle _ _ _ _ _ 

75 

1 

23 

18 

19.  Eek _ _ _ _ 

101 

2 

34 

28 

20.  Egegik _ _ 

50 

2 

21 

15 

21.  Elim _ _ 

92 

2 

45 

42 

22.  Fort  Yukon _ _ _ _ 

150 

2 

41 

29 

23.  Galena _ _ _ 

64 

1 

16 

11 

24.  Gambell _ _ _ _ _ 

222 

2 

55 

45 

25.  Goodnews  Bay _ 1. 

120 

2 

23 

21 

26.  Haines.. _ _ _ _ 

225 

3 

89 

67 

27.  Hamilton _ 

65 

1 

22 

20 

28.  Hoonah . . . . . 

513 

3 

94 

80 

29.  Hooper  Bay . . . . . 

170 

1 

40 

30 

30.  Hydaburg _ _ 

350 

4 

71 

67 

31.  Igloo _ 

155 

2 

33 

26 

32.  Iliamna _ _ 

44 

2 

15 

12 

33.  Juneau _ 

375 

3 

88 

62 

34.  Kake _ _ _ 

418 

4 

108 

93 

25.  Kaltag _ _ 

99 

1 

24 

15 

36.  Kanatak _ _ 

65 

1 

16 

12 

37.  Karluk _ _ _ _ 

166 

1 

39 

36 

38.  Kashega _ _ _ 

39 

2 

10 

8 

39.  Ketchikan _ 

350 

3 

99 

80 

40.  King  Island _ 

168 

1 

45 

40 

41.  Ea valina _ 

95 

1 

30 

22 

42.  Klawock _ _ _ _ _ 

460 

5 

112 

97 

43.  Klukwan _ _ _ _ _ 

75 

1 

25 

19 

44.  Kokrines _ 

76 

1 

23 

17 

45.  Kotlik _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

104 

1 

32 

28 

46.  Kotzebu9 _ 

300 

2 

52 

41 

47.  Koyuk.. _ _  _ 

108 

2 

36 

32 

48.  Koyukuk _  _ 

155 

1 

28 

18 

49.  Kulukak.. _  _ 

48 

2 

19 

15 

50.  Metlakatla.  _  _ 

462 

6 

125 

108 

51.  Mountain  Village  .  _ 

75 

2 

28 

24 

52.  Noatak  .  _ _ _ _ _ 

250 

2 

63 

59 

53.  Nome _  _ _ _ 

240 

2 

60 

41 

54.  Noorvik . 

249 

3 

70 

68 

36 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Schools 

Popula¬ 
tion  of 
village 

Number  of 
teachers 

Total’en- 

rollment 

Average 
daily  at¬ 
tendance 

55.  Nunivak... . 

44 

2 

16 

11 

56.  Old  Harbor . . . 

90 

2 

40 

37 

57.  Perry ville . . . 

92 

2 

32 

29 

58.  Petersburg . . . . . . . 

200 

1 

33 

19 

59.  Pilot  Station . . . . 

81 

2 

26 

20 

60.  Point  Hope . . . . . . 

200 

2 

35 

27 

61.  Quigillingok. . . . . . 

72 

2 

27 

23 

62.  Quinhagak . . . . . 

150 

2 

44 

21 

63.  Quithlook - - - - - - 

200 

2 

65 

40 

64.  Rampart . . . . . . . . . 

127 

1 

17 

14 

65.  Russian  Mission . . . . . 

50 

1 

12 

9 

66.  Saxman . . . 

97 

1 

24 

18 

67.  Selawik . . . . . . 

335 

2 

67 

48 

68.  Sevoonga . . . . . . . 

135 

2 

37 

31 

69.  Shageluk - - - 

91 

2 

18 

17 

70.  Shaktoolik . . . . . 

104 

2 

36 

32 

71.  Shishmaref.. . . . . 

210 

1 

60 

47 

72.  Shungnak - - - - 

189 

2 

46 

31 

73.  Sitka _ _ _ _ 

494 

4 

101 

83 

74.  Sleetmute . . . . . . 

60 

1 

20 

17 

75.  Stebbins . . . . 

103 

1 

19 

14 

76.  St.  Michael . . . . . . . 

123 

1 

11 

9 

77.  Tanana... . . . . . . 

72 

1 

34 

12 

78.  Tatitlek . . . . . . 

87 

1 

22 

14 

79.  Teller . . — . . . . 

71 

1 

40 

26 

80.  Tetlin . . . . . . . 

59 

1 

14 

11 

81.  Togiak . . . . . . . . 

86 

1 

23 

18 

82.  Tundra _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

93 

1 

31 

26 

83.  Tyonek . . . . . . . . 

66 

2 

16 

14 

84.  Ugashik . . . . . . . 

75 

2 

17 

13 

85.  Umnak . . . . . . . . . . 

115 

2 

28 

20 

86.  Unalakleet - - - - - - - - - - 

276 

2 

51 

44 

87.  Valdez - - - - - - 

53 

1 

18 

14 

88.  Wainwright . . . . 

175 

2 

50 

38 

89.  Wales - - - - - - 

113 

2 

54 

34 

90.  Yakutat . . . . . . 

250 

2 

56 

41 

Industrial  schools 

91.  Eklutna.. . . . . . . 

100 

11 

92 

82 

92.  Kanakanak _ _ 

10 

72 

50 

93.  White  Mountain . . . . . 

90 

8 

90 

72 

14, 106 

195 

3,899 

3,029 

Enrollment  of  pupils  by  grades:  First,  1,639;  second,  631;  third, 
467 ;  fourth,  438;  fifth,  309;  sixth,  202;  seventh,  112;  eighth,  63 ;  ninth, 
22 ;  tenth,  15 ;  eleventh,  1 ;  total,  3,899. 

The  expense  of  conducting  the  three  industrial  schools  during  the 
fiscal  year,  including  the  expenditures  for  salaries,  supplies,  and  the 
construction  and  repair  of  buildings,  was  as  follows:  For  Eklutna, 
$63,522.81;  for  Kanakanak,  $43,702.87;  and  for  White  Mountain, 
$43,132.11. 

Preliminary  steps  have  been  taken  toward  the  establishment  of  an 
industrial  boarding  school  for  the  natives  of  southeastern  Alaska. 
The  site  selected  for  this  school  is  a  tract  on  Shoemaker  Bay,  4  miles 
south  of  the  town  of  Wrangell,  including  approximately  1  y2  miles 
of  water  front  with  an  average  width  of  one-half  mile.  The  com¬ 
plete  estimate  contemplates  the  erection  of  a  group  of  eight  build¬ 
ings.  The  $71,000  available  for  expenditure  during  the  Sscal  year 
1931  will  be  used  in  preparing  plans,  surveying  the  tract,  clearing 
the  land,  and  in  erecting  the  principal  school  and  dormitory  buildings 
in  so  far  as  the  appropriation  is  sufficient  to  cover  these  projects. 

Provision  has  been  made  for  the  opening  during  the  next  school 
year  of  day  schools  at  Akiajak,  a  village  on  the  Kuskokwim  River, 
12  miles  below  Akiak,  with  a  population  of  170  and  an  available 
school  population  of  64;  at  Nondalton,  20  miles  from  Iliamna  Lake, 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  37 

with  a  population  of  89  and  20  children  of  school  age ;  and  at  Tulik- 
sak,  on  the  Kuskokwim  River,  40  miles  above  Bethel,  with  a  popula¬ 
tion  of  166  and  48  children  of  school  age. 

To  provide  a  home  for  orphans  and  other  young  children  of  pre¬ 
school  and  early  school  age,  an  orphanage,  with  a  staff  consisting  of 
a  matron,  an  assistant  matron,  and  a  cook,  has  been  established  in 
one  of  the  former  Fort  Gibbon  buildings,  at  Tanana,  which  have 
been  transferred  to  the  Office  of  Education.  To  this  institution  will 
be  taken  homeless  children  of  preschool  and  early  school  age  who 
have  hitherto  of  necessity  been  cared  for  in  the  industrial  boarding 
schools  at  Kanakanak,  Eklutna,  and  White  Mountain.  This  will 
have  the  desirable  effect  of  restricting  attendance  at  the  industrial 
schools  to  pupils  of  suitable  age. 

The  scope  of  the  medical  work  performed  by  physicians,  nurses, 
and  hospital  employees  is  indicated  by  the  following  table : 


Place 

Number 
of  em¬ 
ployees 

Visits  to 
homes 

Total 

treatments 

given 

Total 

expense 

1.  Village  nurses 

Angoon - - - - - - - - 

1 

438 

1,881 

$1, 866.  57 

Bethel. . . . . . . . — 

1 

175 

4, 528 

2, 436.  94 

Chitina . . . . . 

1 

308 

2,458 

2, 697. 94 

Eklutna - - - - - 

1 

61 

48 

2, 089. 45 

Hoonah . . . . . . . 

1 

1,056 

3, 970 

1,  715. 45 

Hydaburg . . . . . . . . 

1 

917 

4, 815 

1,  714. 13 

Kake _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

1 

788 

2,712 

1, 959.  29 

Karluk . . . . . . 

1 

233 

950 

1,  652.  60 

Klawock.. . . . . . . . . 

1 

513 

3,127 

2, 093.  39 

Metlakatla . . . . . 

1 

774 

4,  899 

1, 856. 43 

St.  Michael . . . . . . . 

1 

110 

600 

1,  653. 09 

Shishmaref . . . . 

1 

74 

479 

1,  786.  32 

Sitka . . . . . . . 

1 

189 

2,708 

1, 958. 41 

Unalakleet. . . . . . . 

1 

103 

1,730 

2, 184. 17 

White  Mountain _ - 

1 

120 

2,694 

2,  885.  57 

Yakutat . . . . . 

1 

1, 217 

3, 183 

1, 955. 48 

2.  Part-time  physicians 

Cordova . . . . . . . 

1 

49 

733 

1, 788.  70 

Nome . . . . . . . 

1 

1, 873 

910 

3, 986.  65 

Unalaska . . . . . . . 

1 

255 

2,494 

3, 740. 08 

S.  Hospitals 

Akiak _ _ _ _ 

6 

406 

845 

17,995. 73 

Juneau . . . . . . . 

8 

184 

18,  506 

18,  319. 37 

Kanakanak . . . . . 

6 

455 

992 

17,  622.  06 

Kotzebue _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

5 

76 

188 

8, 922.  83 

Noorvik . . . . 

2 

1,576 

6, 384 

2, 927. 88 

Nulato . . . . . — . . . . 

2 

768 

619 

4,  397.  73 

Tanana _ _ _ _ - . . 

7 

320 

900 

15, 912. 88 

Yukon  Medical  Boat _ _ _ _ _ 

6 

232 

4, 055 

9, 043. 73 

Total _ _ _ _ - _ _ 

61 

13,  270 

77, 408 

137, 162.  87 

The  physicians  performed  782  operations  during  the  year.  In 
addition  to  the  work  performed  by  physicians  and  nurses,  as  stated 
in  the  foregoing  table,  the  teachers  in  many  villages  where  no  phj^si- 
cian  or  nurse  is  stationed  rendered  first-aid  relief  to  the  natives. 

The  balance  of  the  appropriation  for  medical  relief  in  Alaska 
was  expended  for  medical  supplies  distributed  among  the  teachers 
in  the  outlying  villages,  for  the  traveling  expenses  of  physicians, 
nurses,  and  patients,  and  for  freight  on  supplies. 

The  staff  of  the  administration  division  in  Washington  consists 
of  11  persons. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

L.  A.  Kalbach,  Chief  Clerk. 


38 


EEPOET  OF  THE  COMMISSIONEE  OF  EDUCATION 


EDITORIAL  DIVISION 

The  whole  number  of  documents  printed  in  the  fiscal  year  ended 
June  30,  1930,  was  72,  of  which  36  were  bulletins,  12  pamphlets,  1 
leaflet,  1  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  10  numbers  of 
School  Life,  and  12  miscellaneous  publications.  Of  the  bulletins  is¬ 
sued,  7  were  chapters  for  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education. 

The  allotment  of  funds  for  printing  was  $2,000  more  than  in  1929. 
The  amount  allotted  was  insufficient  in  that  there  were  statistical 
and  research  manuscripts  on  hand,  ready  for  the  printer,  for  which 
the  cost  of  printing  was  conservatively  estimated  at  $6,000  over 
and  above  the  amount  available  for  printing. 

The  present  staff  consists  of  seven  persons,  there  being  a  vacancy 
in  the  position  of  editor  in  chief. 

Henry  R.  Evans,  Acting  Chief. 

LIBRARY  DIVISION 

The  Bibliography  of  Research  Studies  in  Education  for  1927-28 
was  issued  as  Bulletin,  1929,  No.  36,  and  the  Bibliography  for 
1928-29,  which  will  be  issued  as  Bulletin,  1930,  No.  23,  was  sent  to  the 
printer.  As  a  result  of  the  conference  on  cooperative  research  held 
at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  in  February,  1930,  preliminary  arrangements 
have  been  made  to  issue  from  time  to  time  a  list  of  research  studies 
in  education  undertaken  by  city  school  systems,  including  studies 
recently  completed,  those  still  in  progress,  and  those  contemplated. 
Changes  and  enlargements  in  the  content  of  the  bulletin,  etc.,  have 
necessitated  adding  an  assistant  to  help  with  this  work  during  the 
coming  year. 

The  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications  was  issued  more 
frequently  during  the  past  year  than  for  some  years  in  an  effort  to 
meet  the  demand  for  publishing  the  material  while  current.  Three 
numbers  were  published:  Bulletin,  1929,  No.  37,  July  to  September. 
1929;  Bulletin,  1930,  No.  4,  October  to  December,  1929;  Bulletin, 
1930,  No.  15,  January  to  March,  1930,  now  in  the  hands  of  the 
printer.  The  issue  for  April  to  June,  1930,  is  now  in  preparation. 
The  index  to  the  series  has  been  resumed  and  will  be  found  in  the 
last  issue  of  each  calendar  year. 

A  specialist  in  school  libraries  has  been  added  to  the  library  divi¬ 
sion  to  devote  full  time  to  investigations  of  school  library  conditions. 
Bulletin,  1930,  No.  6,  State  Direction  of  Rural  School  Library  Serv¬ 
ice,  has  been  published;  Bulletin,  1930,  No.  20,  County  Library 
Service  to  Rural  Schools,  and  Pamphlet  No.  11,  School  and  County 
Library  Cooperation,  are  now  in  the  hands  of  the  printer. 

Members  of  the  division  have  contributed  a  page  of  “  New  Books 
in  Education  ”  to  each  number  of  School  Life  during  the  past  year, 
as  well  as  articles  on  subjects  connected  with  libraries,  lists  of  sum¬ 
mer  meetings  of  educational  associations,  etc.  Articles  have  also 
been  contributed  to  the  United  States  Daily  and  other  periodicals. 
There  were  prepared  for  the  Educational  Directory  lists  of  library 
schools,  State  library  commissions,  educational  associations — State, 
regional,  and  national — with  names  of  new  officers  and  place  of  next 
meeting,  and  a  list  of  the  educational  periodicals  received  in  the 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  39 

office  with  address  of  publisher.  The  division  cooperated  with  the 
statistical  division  in  the  preparation  of  the  bulletin  on  Statistics 
of  Public,  Society,  and  School  Libraries  which  is  now  in  progress. 

The  division  is  cooperating  with  the  American  school  systems 
division  in  preparing  a  list  of  city  school  reports,  with  annotations  as 
to  significant  material. 

On  account  of  the  heavy  increase  in  permanent  material  received  in 
the  library,  it  has  been  necessary  to  add  another  cataloguer  to  assist 
in  cataloguing  it.  The  cataloguing  section  continues  to  cooperate 
with  the  Library  of  Congress  by  preparing  copy  for  catalogue  cards 
to  be  printed  and  supplied  to  librarians  throughout  the  country  by 
the  card  division  of  that  library. 

In  addition  to  the  type  of  work  referred  to,  the  division  has 
assisted  the  office  specialists,  and  others  outside,  with  book  loans, 
inter-library  loans,  especially  theses  for  the  use  of  the  major  educa¬ 
tional  survey  groups;  with  information  on  subjects  connected  with 
education  and  libraries  by  means  of  correspondence  and  in  person; 
with  a  bibliographical  service  which  includes  the  preparation  and 
sending  out  of  bibliographies  on  many  subjects  in  education  in 
answer  to  requests.  The  past  year  has  seen  increased  activity  in  this 
field,  hundreds  of  such  lists  having  been  distributed  in  typewritten, 
mimeographed,  and  printed  form. 

The  division  has  also  maintained  an  advisory  service  to  those  in¬ 
terested  in  organizing  school  libraries  and  public  libraries  in  new 
fields  and  furnishing  book  lists  and  other  information  for  this 
purpose. 

The  library  has  been  compelled  by  lack  of  space  to  remove  valuable 
books  and  other  material  from  its  shelves  and  box  them,  thus  ren¬ 
dering  them  inaccessible  for  reference.  Other  material  in  the  near 
future  must  be  removed  because  of  overcrowded  conditions.  This 
has  made  the  administration  of  the  library  and  its  service  more  than 
usually  difficult. 

At  the  present  time  the  library  staff  consists  of  4  persons  in  pro¬ 
fessional  grades,  4  in  subprofessional  grades,  and  2  clerical  assist¬ 
ants.  The  position  of  librarian  still  remains  vacant. 

Martha  R.  McCabe,  Acting  Chief. 

SERVICE  DIVISION 

The  staff  of  this  division  consists  of  eight  specialists  and  seven 
clerical  assistants. 

/.  Research  Completed 

Adult  education. — A  study  entitled  “  College  and  University  Ex¬ 
tension  Helps  in  Adult  Education,  1928-29,”  was  issued  as  Bulletin, 
1930,  No.  10.  This  study  has  resulted  in  making  available  informa¬ 
tion  as  to  what  help  may  be  had  through  extension  service  from  423 
institutions  of  higher  learning  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States.  Col¬ 
leges  and  universities,  during  the  past  year,  have  endeavored  to  extend 
their  services  to  a  larger  number  of  persons  beyond  their  walls.  The 
development  of  the  radio  has  carried  the  voice  of  the  college  in¬ 
structor  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  Wherever  the  mails  go  univer¬ 
sity  extension  may  be  had,  and,  where  a  sufficient  number  of  persons 


40 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


in  a  community  desire  to  study  the  same  subject,  in  most  cases  an 
instructor  of  some  college  or  university  may  be  found  to  guide  them. 
Under  certain  conditions,  work  done  by  extension  through  corre¬ 
spondence  or  class  work  may  be  credited  toward  a  degree.  The 
amount  of  credit  that  can  be  earned  through  extension  work  varies 
among  institutions.  In  general,  institutions  that  offer  services  of  this 
nature  permit  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  of  the  work  necessary  for 
a  bachelor’s  degree  to  be  earned  by  correspondence.  There  is  a 
tendency  to  be  more  liberal  in  this  regard  toward  extension-class 
work.  Many  institutions  offer  through  extension  a  great  variety  of 
work  for  which  no  credit  is  granted. 

The  following  studies  also  were  completed:  (1)  A  study  of  play 
and  play  materials  for  the  preschool  child  in  the  home.  There  is 
included  a  summary  of  what  psychologists  have  to  say  on  the  value 
of  toys;  a  list  of  suitable  toys  for  various  age  levels,  and  a  bibli¬ 
ography.  (2)  A  study  of  problems  in  adolescence  for  parents. 
This  study  has  been  printed  as  Reading  Course  No.  34.  The  course 
was  made  so  that  parents  may  be  helped  in  meeting  the  behavior 
situations  which  arise  when  their  children  reach  adolescence.  (3) 
A  study  of  literature  pertaining  to  elementary  nature  study.  This 
study  has  been  printed  as  Reading  Course  No.  35. 

Commercial  education. — Revised  circulars  on  collegiate  courses  in 
accounting,  advertising,  banking  and  finance,  foreign  trade  and 
foreign  service,  insurance,  marketing  and  merchandising,  organiza¬ 
tion  and  management,  realty,  and  transportation;  circulars  on  co¬ 
operative  part-time  and  extension  courses;  and  directories  of  the 
collegiate  schools  of  commerce  and  bureaus  of  business  research. 
This  set  of  13  circulars  reports  on  the  number  of  courses  offered, 
number  of  instructors,  number  of  students  enrolled,  number  of 
students  majoring  in  each  field,  and  the  names  of  the  curricula  of¬ 
fered  by  the  different  institutions.  The  reports  reveal  a  large  in¬ 
crease  during  the  past  five  years  in  enrollments,  facilities,  the  num¬ 
ber  of  bureaus  of  business  research,  and  the  number  of  collegiate 
schools  of  commerce. 

A  study  of  the  administrative  control  of  commercial  teacher 
training  in  the  95  colleges  and  universities  that  maintain  schools  of 
education  and  commerce.  The  report  was  prepared  for  the  Year¬ 
book  of  the  Eastern  Commercial  Teachers  Association.  This  study 
shows  that  in  38  of  the  95  institutions  there  was  no  commercial  teach¬ 
er-training  curriculum,  in  7  the  curriculum  was  primarily  under  the 
control  of  the  school  of  commerce,  in  18  under  the  school  of  edu¬ 
cation,  and  in  32  under  the  joint  control  of  the  schools  of  commerce 
and  education. 

Compiled  lists  of:  (1)  Follow-up  studies  of  drop-outs  and  gradu¬ 
ates  from  the  commercial  curricula;  (2)  Commercial  occupation 
surveys;  (3)  Commercial  education  surveys;  (4)  Analyses  of  office 
and  store  occupations;  (5)  Studies  of  standards  of  achievement  in 
schools  and  in  offices;  and  (6)  Colleges  and  universities  that  grant 
credit  for  collegiate  courses  in  shorthand  and  typewriting. 

Prepared  report  on  the  significance  of  commercial  occupation 
studies  for  the  proceedings  of  the  National  Education  Association. 

Prepared  for  the  proceedings  of  the  Conference  on  Research  in 
Commercial  Education,  State  University  of  Iowa,  Iowa  City;  (1) 


REPOET  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  41 

Review  of  researches  on  standards  of  achievement  in  shorthand  and 
typewriting;  and  (2)  A  report  on  a  State  program  for  commercial 
education. 

Prepared  an  appraisal  of  secondary  commercial  education  for  the 
proceedings  of  the  Ohio  State  Educational  Conference,  Columbus. 

Elementary  school  'projects. — Study  of  the  history  and  geography 
of  the  Oregon  Trail  and  the  living  conditions  of  the  pioneers  in  the 
covered  wagon  caravans. 

Home  economics  education. —  (1)  A  study  of  the  home  economics 
work  offered  to  boys  in  the  various  sections  of  the  United  States 
and  on  various  school  levels  and  to  college  men  was  made  and  is 
reported  in  Pamphlet  No.  4,  1930,  entitled  “  Home  Economics  for 
Boys.” 

(2)  Home  economics  instruction  in  higher  institutions,  including 
universities,  colleges,  teachers  colleges,  normal  schools,  and  junior 
colleges,  1928-29,  is  reported  in  Pamphlet  No.  3,  1930.  This  study 
reports  all  the  institutions  of  higher  learning  offering  a  4-year  cur¬ 
riculum  in  home  economics  leading  to  a  baccalaureate  degree  in  that 
subject  and  universities,  colleges,  normal  schools,  teachers  colleges, 
and  junior  colleges  offering  courses  in  home  economics  but  not  grant¬ 
ing  a  degree  in  that  subject.  It  also  gives  the  location  of  each 
institution,  the  number  of  courses  offered,  teachers  employed,  students 
enrolled,  and  the  name  of  the  head  of  the  home  economics  department. 

(3)  Basic  educational  principles  used  in  home  economics  curricu¬ 
lum  building  in  secondary  education  of  100  or  more  representative 
cities  of  the  United  States. 

Radio  education. — The  Advisory  Committee  on  Education  by 
Radio  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  made  a  national 
survey  during  the  last  half  of  1929.  The  Commissioner  of  Education 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  and  its  work  was  closely  associated 
with  that  of  the  Office  of  Education. 

The  purpose  of  the  survey  was  indicated  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  in  these  terms : 

“  The  possibilities  of  radio  as  an  educational  tool  appeal  to  educa¬ 
tors,  broadcasters,  manufacturers,  and  the  public  at  large.  This 
general  interest  led  to  a  conference  in  my  office  at  Washington  on 
May  24,  1929.  Those  present  by  unanimous  vote  requested  that  I 
should  appoint  a  committee  to  make  a  thorough  fact-finding  study  of 
the  situation.” 

The  report  of  the  committee  indicates  that  commercial  groups  are 
using  all  the  available  broadcasting  channels  and  sharing  less  than 
one-third  of  them  wfith  stations  devoted  primarily  to  educational  and 
civic  purposes.  Broadcasting  stations  owned  and  operated  by  States, 
municipalities,  schools,  colleges,  and  universities  are  disappearing 
rapidly.  Commercial  broadcasters  are  devoting  much  time  to  educa¬ 
tional  programs  but  granting  them  no  certain  tenure  of  the  air.  The 
financial  interests  of  the  commercial  stations  control  their  policies. 
Amusement  programs  are  attracting  the  largest  audiences.  The  sale 
of  time  for  advertising  is  the  main  source  of  revenue.  Educators 
have  formulated  no  national  policies  concerning  the  conservation  or 
use  of  radio  channels.  Neither  Congress  nor  the  Federal  Radio  Com¬ 
mission  knows  whether  the  educators  of  the  country  wish  a  propor¬ 
tion  of  the  limited  and  very  valuable  radio  channels  reserved  for 
educational  stations,  or  whether  they  are  content  to  leave  this  u  edu- 


42  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

cational  tool  ”  entirely  in  the  control  of  broadcasters  who  are  operat¬ 
ing  radio  stations  primarily  for  their  own  profit. 

One  of  the  recommendations  of  the  Advisory  Committee  is  that 
there  be  established  in  the  Office  of  Education^  Department  of  the 
Interior,  a  section  devoted  to  education  by  radio.  The  Payne  fund 
offered  the  services  of  its  radio  counsel  and  enough  money  to  pay 
his  travel  expenses  and  secretarial  service  for  the  period  of  15  months 
which  must  elapse  before  the  Department  of  the  Interior  could 
include  the  radio  section  in  its  budget.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and 
the  work  started  by  the  Advisory  Committee  was  continued. 

A  study  of  the  report  of  an  investigation  made  by  the  United 
States  Senate  and  statements  made  by  a  member  of  the  Federal  Radio 
Commission  brought  the  information  that  a  world  monopoly  of  radio 
was  claimed  by  a  commercial  group,  and  that  a  suit  had  been 
instituted  by  the  Attorney  General  of  the  United  States  to  test  the 
legality  of  the  activities  of  this  group.  New  legislation  was  being 
formulated  by  Members  of  Congress  who  expected  to  bring  it  up 
for  action  at  the  next  regular  session  of  that  body.  Efforts  were 
being  made  by  the  commercial  group  claiming  the  monopoly  of  radio 
to  have  this  new  legislation  relieve  commercial  broadcasters  from 
certain  responsibilities  which  must  be  assumed  by  public  utility  cor¬ 
porations  so  that  these  broadcasters  would  be  free  to  accept  or  reject 
speakers  or  programs  at  their  own  pleasure,  and  to  exercise  the  right 
of  censorship  over  information  broadcast  from  their  stations. 

The  records  of  hearings  on  applications  before  the  Federal  Radio 
Commission  show  that  commercial  broadcasting  stations,  in  many 
instances,  applied  for  time,  channels,  and  power  which  could  be 
secured  only  by  taking  them  from  existing  stations  owned  by  States 
and  institutions  of  higher  learning.  Attempts  to  restrict  commer¬ 
cial  stations  were  met  by  the  argument  that  restriction  was  equivalent 
to  confiscation  of  property,  although  the  licenses  granted  to  stations 
by  the  commission  carried  no  right  to  renewal. 

The  Office  of  Education  made  available  to  the  educators  of  the 
country,  and  to  other  interested  persons,  such  information  as  was 
gathered.  The  Commissioner  of  Education  is  planning  a  conference 
in  the  fall  of  1930,  at  which  consideration  will  be  given  to  the  place 
of  education  and  similar  interests  in  broadcasting,  and  wThat  legisla¬ 
tion,  if  any,  is  needed  to  safeguard  these  interests. 

School-building  'problems. — A  study  entitled  “  Changing  Concep¬ 
tions  of  the  School-Building  Problem  ”  was  completed  and  pub¬ 
lished  as  Bulletin,  1929,  No.  29. 

There  was  completed  an  abstract  of  the  laws  governing  activities 
of  State  departments  of  education  in  regard  to  schoolhouse  plan¬ 
ning.  A  tabulation  was  made  of  these  activities  as  given  in  the 
laws  and  various  reports,  and  a  12-page  questionnaire  prepared  on 
the  activities  of  State  departments  in  regard  to  schoolhouse  planning. 

Physical  education. — The  work  in  this  field  which  now  forms  a 
part  of  this  division  has  been  included  in  the  report  of  the  assistant 
commissioner. 

II.  Research  in  Progress 

Adult  education. —  (1)  A  study  of  types  of  educational  training 
most  effective  in  State  and  Federal  prisons.  (2)  Plans  of  organi¬ 
sation  in  States  and  cities  which  are  most  effective  in  reducing 


REPORT  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  43 

illiteracy;  the  amount  of  instruction  necessary  so  that  adults  of 
various  ages  may  learn  to  read  well  enough  so  that  they  will  read 
newspapers,'  periodicals,  and  books  as  a  part  of  their  daily  routine ; 
methods  of  instruction  best  adapted  for  adults;  what  training  is 
necessary  for  regular  day-school  teachers  so  that  they  may  become 
effective  teachers  of  elementary  subjects  to  adults;  the  best  textbook 
material  for  the  elementary  instruction  of  adults.  (3)  The  effective¬ 
ness  of  programs  designed  to  reach  the  millions  of  boys  and  girls 
who  are  of  high-school  age  and  who,  for  various  reasons,  are 
not  in  high  school.  This  involves  a  study  of  what  continuation 
and  cooperative  schools  are  doing  as  well  as  what  the  regular 
schools  are  able  to  do  by  adjusting  their  class  hours  so  that  students 
who  wish  to  have  part-time  employment  may  do  so.  (4)  A  controlled 
experiment  to  ascertain  ( a )  to  what  extent  parents  are  willing  to 
supplement  school  instruction  by  home  instruction;  ( b )  what  effect 
home  instruction  has  upon  the  progress  of  children  in  school;  ( c ) 
what  effect  instruction  by  parents  may  have  upon  the  conduct  of 
children. 

The  following  studies  also  are  in  progress:  (1)  Research  and  in¬ 
structional  programs  of  agencies  engaged  in  parental  education. 
This  involves  the  assembling,  organizing,  and  evaluating  of  courses 
given  for  credit,  noncredit,  correspondence,  and  study  groups. 
(2)  Growth  of  parent-teacher  associations.  Programs,  plans,  rec¬ 
ords,  and  other  descriptive  material  are  being  assembled,  analyzed, 
and  interpreted. 

Commercial  education. —  (1)  A  study  of  commerce  and  business 
education  in  the  junior  colleges  pertains  to  the  objectives,  organiza¬ 
tion,  present  practices,  and  extent  of  offerings  in  junior  colleges. 
(2)  The  purpose  of  another  study  is  to  reveal  the  present  state  of 
commercial  teacher-training  curricula  in  the  different  types  of  insti¬ 
tutions.  It  includes  a  study  of  the  entrance  and  graduation  require¬ 
ments,  the  organization  and  length  of  the  curricula,  provisions  for 
obtaining  supervised  business  experience,  the  extent  of  the  offerings 
in  the  principles  and  supervision  of  commercial  education,  subject 
matter  and  methods  courses,  practice  teaching,  and  other  pertinent 
factors.  (3)  Standards  of  achievement  in  shorthand  and  typewrit¬ 
ing.  The  purpose  of  the  study  is  to  gather  data  regarding  various 
practices  in  the  grading  of  test  papers,  sources  from  which  test  ma¬ 
terial  is  obtained,  length  of  tests,  nature  and  difficulty  of  test  mate¬ 
rial,  and  speed  and  accuracy  requirements.  (4)  Experiences  and 
practices  regarding  training  for  business  in  all  types  of  part-time 
education  in  the  United  States.  It  includes  a  study  of  the  needs, 
types  of  organization,  offerings,  coordination  of  school  courses  with 
employment,  programs  for  guidance  and  placement,  and  examples 
of  effective  programs. 

Elementary  school  projects. — A  study  of  material  for  projects  on 
nature  study  topics  and  on  George  Washington  and  his  times.  v 

Home  economics  education. — Cooperative  studies  with  school  sys¬ 
tems  and  institutions  of  higher  learning:  (1)  The  determination  of 
the  minimal  essentials  of  the  home  economics  curriculum  to  meet  the 
activities,  interests,  and  needs  of  the  pupils.  (2)  The  development 
of  criteria  for  judging  the  effectiveness  of  home  economics  teaching 
regarding  the  above.  (3)  A  study  of  the  extracurricular  activities 


44  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

of  students  trained  in  home  economics  as  compared  with  those  not 
trained  in  the  subject.  (4)  Development  of  criteria  to  judge  the 
effectiveness  of  a  home  economics  department.  (5)  Development  of 
criteria  to  evaluate  the  administration  of  home  economics  in  our 
public  schools. 

Radio  education. — A  continuous  study  is  made  of  the  use  of  radio 
in  schools,  colleges,  and  universities,  and  in  informal  education.  Re¬ 
ports  of  experiments,  evaluations  by  educators,  and  other  material 
are  gathered. 

School-building  'problems. — A  study  of  the  activities  of  State  de¬ 
partments  of  education  in  regard  to  schoolhouse  planning. 

III.  Educational  Surveys 

Early  in  the  year  1930,  the  Buffalo  Municipal  Research  Bureau 
(Inc.)  requested  the  United  States  Office  of  Education  to  make  a 
survey  of  the  schools  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  The  board  of  education  of 
Buffalo  joined  in  this  request.  Two  members  of  the  staff  of  the 
Office  of  Education  were  sent  to  Buffalo  to  look  over  the  situation. 
Upon  their  return  they  recommended  that  the  Office  of  Education 
undertake  the  survey  provided  the  scope  of  the  survey  should  be  lim¬ 
ited  to  the  attempt  to  answer  the  questions  asked  by  the  Buffalo 
Municipal  Research  Bureau  (Inc.)  and  the  Board  of  Education. 
Outstanding  educational  leaders  were  requested  to  aid  the  office  in 
three  distinct  fields  of  the  survey,  namely,  school  administration, 
teacher-training,  secondary  education.  Nine  members  of  the  staff  of 
the  Office  of  Education  visited  Buffalo,  some  of  them  more  than 
once,  and  they  have  gathered  considerable  information.  Members 
of  the  staff  of  the  Office  of  Education  have  collected,  by  visits  and 
by  use  of  the  mails,  information  from  the  12  or  13  cities  with  which 
Buffalo  may  be  compared.  It  is  hoped  that  this  study  may  be  com¬ 
pleted  by  December,  1930. 

A  school-building  survey  was  made  of  Warwick,  R.  I.,  schools  at 
the  request  of  the  school  committee  of  that  town.  A  school-building 
program  for  a  7-year  period  was  worked  out,  one  on  the  traditional 
plan  of  school  organization  and  one  on  the  platoon  plan.  The  prep¬ 
aration  of  the  report  on  this  survey  is  in  progress. 

At  the  request  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  District  of  Colum¬ 
bia,  a  survey  was  made  of  the  Park  View  School  building. 

IV.  Conferences 

Adult  education. — The  large  number  of  conferences  to  which  the 
specialist  in  adult  education  has  been  invited  during  the  year  gives 
evidence  of  the  increased  interest  in  adult  education.  Probably  the 
most  significant  of  these  conferences  were  those  held  with  officers  of 
the  National  Education  Association  on  many  occasions.  That  organi¬ 
zation  has  undertaken  to  awaken  the  American  people  to  the  im¬ 
portance  of  using  their  increasing  leisure  time  for  the  enrichment  of 
human  life.  In  this  program  it  is  realized  that  the  schools  can  play 
a  very  important  part,  as  there  probably  are  more  adults  who  need 
what  even  the  elementary  schools  have  to  offer  than  there  are  chil¬ 
dren  within  the  limits  provided  by  the  compulsory  school  attendance 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  45 

laws  of  the  various  States.  Many  of  the  adults  have  not  had  suffi¬ 
cient  education  to  adjust  themselves  to  the  economic  conditions  of 
our  day. 

The  great  importance  of  afternoon  and  evening  schools  for  adults 
has  been  brought  to  the  foreground  in  many  conferences.  For  this 
work  of  evening  schools,  buildings,  equipment,  and  teachers  are 
available.  Teacher  training  and  teacher  supervision  will  be  provided 
when  there  is  a  proper  demand  for  them. 

Conferences  with  organizations  other  than  the  National  Educa¬ 
tion  Association  have  made  it  evident  that  laymen  as  well  as  educa¬ 
tors  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the  education  of  parents 
probably  presents  the  greatest  educational  opportunity  in  America 
to-day.  Much  of  this  education  will  be  informal,  and  some  of  it 
will  be  self-directed.  However,  the  first  need  of  millions  of  adults 
is  that  they  may  learn  to  read  well  enough  so  that  they  will  read 
and  also  learn  what  to  read  in  order  to  profit  by  informal  education. 

The  specialist  in  adult  education  has  been  called  into  consulta¬ 
tion  by  Federal  and  State  officials  in  regard  to  the  education  of 
prisoners.  It  now  is  realized  more  than  formerly  that  men  in 
prisons  should  be  trained  in  some  skilled  trade  and  that  the  routine 
work  of  prisons  offers  an  excellent  opportunity  to  give  training  in 
30  or  40  trades  in  which  employment  most  easily  is  found.  These 
trades  motivate  a  considerable  amount  of  elementary,  academic  in¬ 
struction.  It  has  been  discovered  that  academic  instruction  thus 
motivated  appeals  to  prisoners  with  much  greater  force  than  does 
academic  work  not  related  to  the  wrnrk  for  which  they  are  training. 

Home  economics  education. — The  specialist  planned,  conducted, 
and  reported  five  national  home  economics  conferences.  Three  of 
these  were  under  the  auspices  of  the  Office  of  Education  and  two 
were  held  in  conjunction  with  the  National  Education  Association. 
These  conferences  were  held,  respectively,  at  Boston,  Mass.,  July  1, 
1929;  Washington,  D.  C.,  December  6  and  7,  1929;  Atlantic  City, 
N.  J.,  February  24  and  25,  1930;  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  March  21  and  22; 
and  Columbus,  Ohio,  June  30,  1930. 

The  Boston  conference  was  held  in  conjunction  with  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  American  Home  Economics  Association.  A  full 
report  of  this  conference  is  contained  in  Home  Economics  Letter 
No.  9. 

At  the  Washington,  D.  C.,  conference  The  Place  and  Function  of 
Home  Economics  in  American  Education  was  discussed.  The  pur¬ 
pose  of  the  conference  was  an  effort  to  see  through  some  of  the 
problems  of  this  very  important  subject. 

The  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  conference  considered  home  economics  from 
the  angle  of  the  economist,  sociologist,  psychologist,  and  home  econ¬ 
omist.  This  conference  recommended  to  the  Commissioner  of  Edu¬ 
cation  that  cooperative  homemaking  studies  be  undertaken  for  the 
purpose  of  strengthening  the  course  of  study,  the  teaching  methods 
and  supervision;  also  that  a  committee  develop  criteria  for  judging 
the  effectiveness  of  home  economics  administration  and  the  work  of 
the  home  economics  departments.  For  this  purpose  the  commis¬ 
sioner  has  appointed  committees  composed  of  home  economists,  city 
and  State  superintendents  and  principals  of  schools,  deans  of  educa¬ 
tion,  homemakers,  and  presidents  of  universities.  Also  cooperation 


46 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


has  been  established  with  some  of  the  graduate  schools  of  education  to 
assist  with  the  details  of  the  studies. 

Radio  education. — The  Advisory  Committee  on  Education  by 
Radio  has  been  represented  at  meetings  of  land-grant  institutions 
and  other  organizations  when  they  have  met  to  consider  radio  educa¬ 
tion  problems.  This  committee  has  endeavored  to  help  establish 
proper  cooperation  between  broadcasting  chains  and  educators. 
The  committee  sent  a  representative  to  assist  with  the  first  institute 
of  education  by  radio  and  with  the  first  course  in  the  administration 
of  education  by  radio,  held  at  Ohio  State  University  in  June,  1930. 
This  committee  is  represented  on  the  National  Advisory  Council  on 
Radio  in  Education,  which  was  appointed  by  the  American  Associa¬ 
tion  for  Adult  Education. 

School  building  'problems . — At  the  request  of  the  Regional  Coun¬ 
cils  of  the  New  England,  New  York,  and  Middle  Atlantic  States  of 
the  National  Advisory  Council  on  School  Building  Problems,  con¬ 
ferences  were  held  by  the  specialist  in  school  building  problems  in 
April,  1930,  with  each  of  these  councils. 

The  first  annual  conference  of  the  National  Advisory  Council  on 
School  Building  Problems  was  held  in  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  Febru¬ 
ary  26,  1930.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  conference  each  region,  in 
accordance  with  the  suggestion  of  Commissioner  Cooper,  elected  its 
own  chairman  for  the  year  1930-31.  In  some  cases  secretaries  also 
were  elected. 

In  accordance  with  the  request  of  the  officers  of  the  National  As¬ 
sociation  for  the  Study  of  the  Platoon  or  W ork-Study-Play  Plan  of 
School  Organization,  the  specialist  in  school  building  problems  as¬ 
sisted  that  organization  in  its  research  work  on  platoon  schools,  and 
also  assisted  the  national  research  committees  of  that  organization 
to  plan  their  programs  for  the  annual  conference  of  the  association. 

V .  Cooperative  Undertakings 

Adult  education. — There  has  been  cooperation  with  the  Bureau 
of  Home  Economics  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
in  sending  out  a  nation-wide  inquiry  on  parent  education  in  all  its 
aspects;  with  the  White  House  Conference  on  Child  Health  and 
Protection  in  making  a  study  of  play  and  play  materials  for  the  pre¬ 
school  child;  with  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers  in 
its  campaign  to  prepare  children  for  their  first  entrance  into  school 
free  from  remediable  physical  defects;  with  the  National  Educa¬ 
tion  Association,  the  American  Association  for  Adult  Education, 
National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers,  the  National  University 
Extension  Association,  and  the  American  Library  Association  in 
connection  with  the  National  Committee  on  Home  Education;  with 
the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers  in  the  preparation 
of  a  chapter  on  The  Federal  Government  and  Parent  Education, 
for  the  Handbook  on  Parent  Education. 

Commercial  education. — Cooperated  with  the  Motion  Picture  Divi¬ 
sion,  Department  of  Commerce,  in  a  nation-wide  study  of  the  use  of 
motion  pictures  in  the  schools.  The  purposes  of  this  study  are  to 
gather  data  regarding  the  experiences,  present  practices,  and  facilities 
in  the  use  of  motion  pictures  for  educational  purposes. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  47 

Elementary  school  'projects. —  (1)  With  the  American  School  of  the 
Air,  prepared  and  distributed  1,000  questionnaires  inquiring  of  teach¬ 
ers  and  pupils  their  reaction  to  radio  programs.  A  report  giving  the 
findings  of  this  study  has  been  completed.  (2)  With  the  Oregon 
Trail  Memorial  Association  by  serving  as  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
Oregon  Trail  Essay  Contest.  (3)  With  the  George  Washington  Bi¬ 
centennial  Commission.  This  involves  the  preparation  of  a  bulletin 
on  George  Washington  and  his  times  for  the  use  of  teachers  and 
pupils  in  celebrating  the  bicentennial. 

Home  economics  education. — Assisted  three  different  committees 
of  the  White  House  Conference  on  Child  Health  and  Protection; 
contributed  to  the  survey  on  The  American  Home  made  by  the 
General  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs;  contributed  an  article  on 
home  economics  equipment  for  the  third  annual  publication  of  The 
American  School  and  University;  contributed  an  article  to  the 
Child  Welfare  Magazine,  April,  1930,  in  conjunction  with  the  Better 
Homes  of  America  program ;  acted  as  home  economics  adviser  in  the 
revision  of  the  West  Virginia  State  home  economics  course  of  study. 

VI.  Miscellaneous 

Adult  education. — For  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  the  specialist 
in  adult  education  carried  on  correspondence  and  interviews  necessary 
for  conducting  an  experiment  to  ascertain  what  effect  the  radio  may 
have  upon  the  Avell-being  and  attitude  of  isolated  families  who  are 
illiterate  or  near  illiterate.  One  hundred  radio  sets  have  been 
donated  to  12  colleges  and  universities.  The  departments  of  sociology 
of  these  institutions  are  to  place  the  radios  and  study  the  effects.  A 
few  of  the  sets  are  to  be  placed  in  homes  of  foreign-speaking  persons 
in  a  large  city.  The  experiment  probably  will  be  continued  through 
a  period  of  several  years,  but  it  is  thought  that  some  very  interesting 
results  may  be  noted  during  1930-31. 

Fifty  of  the  radio  sets  used  in  this  experiment  were  donated  by 
the  Radio  Corporation  of  America,  at  the  request  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  the  United  States,  and  50  sets  were  donated  by  the 
Grigsby-Grunow  Co. 

Twelve  parent  education  letters  relating  to  problems  common  to 
the  home  and  reading  courses  covering  a  wide  variety  of  subjects 
were  issued  during  the  year. 

Commercial  education. — Completed  the  arrangements  for  American 
participation  in  the  International  Congress  for  Commercial  Educa¬ 
tion  at  Amsterdam,  Holland,  September  2-5,  1929.  Leaders  in 
secondary  and  collegiate  education  for  business  were  nominated  by 
the  Commissioner  of  Education  and  designated  by  the  President  of 
the  United  States  as  official1  delegates  of  the  United  States  Govern¬ 
ment  to  that  congress.  A  report  of  the  congress  was  published  in 
Vol.  XV,  No.  3,  of  School  Life  for  November,  1929. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

L.  R.  Alderman,  Chief. 


o 


UNITED  STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

RAY  LYMAN  WILBUR,  Secretary 

OFFICE  OF  EDUCATION 

WILLIAM  JOHN  COOPER.  Commissioner 


ANNUAL  REPORT 

OF  THE 

COMMISSIONER  OF 
"  EDUCATION 

FOR  THE 

YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30 

1931 


UNITED  STATES 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASHINGTON  :  1931 


For  sale  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents ,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Price  10  cents 


THE  OFFICE  OF  EDUCATION 

Created  as  a  department  March  2,  1867 
Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1 ,  1869 


COMMISSIONERS 

Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D. 

March  U,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LE.  D. 

March  16,  1870,  to  August  5,  1886 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D. 

August  6,  1886,  to  September  8,  1889 

William  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  SO,  1906 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
July  1,  1906,  to  June  80,  1911 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D. 
July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921 

John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  Ed.  D.,  LL.  D. 
June  2,  1921 ,  to  August  31,  1928 

William  John  Cooper,  Ed.  D.,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D. 
February  11,  1929 


u 


CONTENTS 


Part  I. — Organization  and  functions :  Page 

Organization  of  the  office _  1 

Administrative  division _  1 

Editorial  division _  3 

Library  division -  3 

Service  division -  3 

Research  and  investigation _  5 

Major  surveys -  8 

Cooperation  and  coordination _ _  _  .  _  10 

Foundation  assistance _  __  _  _  _ _  13 

Howard  University -  13 

Part  II. — Administrative  division _  14 

Part  III. — Activities  of  the  office  during  1930-31 : 

1.  Research,  investigation,  diffusion  of  information _  16 

Hygiene  and  health  education _  17 

Guidance  and  industrial  education _  18 

Division  of  American  school  systems _  19 

Division  of  collegiate  and  professional  education _  20 

Division  of  special  problems _  21 

Division  of  foreign  school  systems _  22 

Division  of  statistics _  23 

Service  division _ 24 

Editorial  division _  27 

2.  Coordination  of  research  activities -  29 

National  Advisory  Council  on  school-building  problems _  31 

3.  Educational  service _  33 

Library  division _  38 


hi 


- 

■ 


ANNUAL  REPORT 

OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Office  of  Education, 

Washington ,  D.  0 .,  July  31 ,  1931. 

Part  1.— ORGANIZATION  AND  FUNCTIONS 

Sir:  A  year  ago  your  commissioner  referred  to  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1930,  as  “one  of  transition,  of  reorganization,  and  of  plan¬ 
ning  to  meet  new  and  larger  issues  in  education.”  He  would  now 
characterize  the  year  which  closed  June  30,  1931,  as  a  year  of 
earnest  endeavor  on  the  part  of  the  Office  of  Education  to  find  its 
real  place  in  the  scheme  of  American  education.  The  statement  of 
general  policy  enunciated  in  the  last  annual  report  and  approved 
by  you  has  been  accepted  by  the  Congress  as  a  program  for  future 
action.  For  the  Seventy-first  Congress  provided  authority  and  the 
funds  necessary  to  do  three  things:  First,  to  relieve  the  Office  of 
Education  of  administrative  responsibilities;  second,  to  supplement 
our  small  staff  sufficiently  to  render  its  fact-finding  and  data  dissemi¬ 
nating  functions  more  effective;  and  third,  to  enable  it  to  develop  its 
research  activities  through  nation-wide  studies  running  for  limited 
periods  and  manned  by  high-grade  research  experts  employed  for 
part-time  service. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  OFFICE 

Last  year’s  report  carried  two  charts  showing  the  organization  of 
the  former  Bureau  of  Education  and  the  tentative  organization  of 
the  present  office.  The  accompanying  chart  indicates  graphically  the 
organization  as  it  now  exists.  The  work  of  these  divisions  is  ex¬ 
plained  below  with  brief  comments  on  personnel  and  additions  which 
appear  to  be  necessary  in  the  near  future. 

ADMINISTRATIVE  DIVISION 

A  year  ago  I  pointed  out  that  all  administrative  responsibilities 
of  the  commissioner  were  handled  through  the  chief  clerk.  Since 
the  last  report  we  have,  under  authority  of  Congress,  transferred  the 
educational  and  medical  services  for  the  natives  of  Alaska  to  the 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs.  This  transfer  took  from  our  office 
the  veteran  assistant  chief  of  the  Alaska  service,  Dr.  William  Ham¬ 
ilton,  and  our  assistant  chief  clerk  and  accountant,  Mr.  D.  E. 
Thomas.  This  change  in  the  chief  clerk’s  responsibilities,  however, 
has  been  offset  by  the  coming  into  full  operation  of  the  major  surveys 
program  of  the  commissioner.  It  has  extended  his  responsibility  in 
regard  to  personnel  and  budget  control.  It  also  makes  necessary  a 
larger  volume  of  supplies,  and  the  purchase  and  care  of  more  equip¬ 
ment  and  contacts  with  the  duplicating  and  machine  statistical  oper¬ 
ations  have  been  considerably  increased. 


1 


Organization  of  the  Office  of  Education,  June  30,  1931 


ORGANIZATION  AND  FUNCTIONS 


3 


EDITORIAL  DIVISION 

This  division  has  been  thoroughly  reorganized  by  its  new  editor, 
Mr.  Boutwell.  School  Life,  which  has  become  not  only  the  organ 
of  the  Office  of  Education  but  also  a  teachers’  guide  to  all  publica¬ 
tions  of  the  Government  which  may  be  useful  in  schools,  has  at¬ 
tracted  much  favorable  comment  during  the  year.  Mr.  Boutwell  is 
now  planning  some  reorganization  of  the  staff  in  light  of  the  enlarged 
responsibilities  growing  out  of  the  activity  of  the  major  survey  staffs. 
Moreover,  our  publication  service  will  increase  as  larger  appropria¬ 
tions  are  made  for  printing.  As  a  result,  some  additions  to  this 
staff  may  be  necessary  in  the  near  future. 

LIBRARY  DIVISION 

During  the  year  just  closed,  the  library,  under  the  chief  ship  of 
Miss  Sabra  W.  Vought,  has  rendered  unusual  service  to  the  various 
divisions  of  the  office  itself  and  new  services  to  the  educational 
field.  Miss  Vought ’s  report  is  on  page  38.  I  call  special  attention, 
however,  to  the  brief  comment  on  articles  in  educational  periodicals 
which  Miss  Vought  prepares  for  each  number  of  School  Life;  to 
the  reorganization  of  the  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publica¬ 
tions  appearing  quarterly  and  promptly,  and  so  prepared  under 
the  direction  of  members  of  the  staff  and  outside  experts  as  to  fill 
a  new  place  in  American  education.  Miss  Vought  also  acts  as  con¬ 
tact  agent  with  the  American  Library  Association.  The  additions 
to  our  library  staff  should  be  catalogers  and  service  clerks  chiefly. 
More  than  half  of  our  fine  collection  of  textbooks  have  not  been 
cataloged  because  there  is  insufficient  shelving  in  our  library.  Little 
progress  can  be  made  in  further  service  of  this  division  until  better 
housing  facilities  are  obtained. 

During  the  year  Miss  Edith  A.  Lathrop  was  appointed  associate 
specialist  in  school  libraries.  She  has  been  making  a  study  of  the 
library  in  the  elementary  school  and  the  relation  of  the  county 
library  to  the  rural  school.  Miss  Martha  R.  McCabe  is  the  chief 
bibliographer  of  the  library.  She  edits  the  Record  of  Current  Edu¬ 
cational  Publications,  contributing  the  section  on  “  Proceedings  and 
reports  ” ;  compiles  and  edits  bibliographies  prepared  in  the  office 
for  publication,  as  well  as  special  bibliographies  which  are  made 
in  answer  to  individual  requests.  During  the  past  two  years  there 
have  been  issued  by  the  library  several  bibliographies  of  research 
studies  in  education  covering  masters’  and  doctors’  theses  as  well  as 
studies  made  by  educational  associations  and  departments.  This 
work  is  an  important  responsibility  of  Miss  Edith  A.  Wright,  who 
also  assists  with  the  reference  work  of  the  library. 

SERVICE  DIVISION 

For  the  work  accomplished  by  the  Service  Division  during  the 
past  year,  you  are  referred  to  the  report  of  Mr.  L.  R.  Alderman,  the 
chief  (page  24).  As  now  organized  this  division  accepts  major 
responsibility  for  service  contacts  with  the  school  systems.  The 
specialists  in  this  division  meet  with  State  and  local  school  officials 
to  offer  advice  and  help  in  the  following  fields:  Adult  education, 


4 


REPORT  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


commercial  education,  elementary  school  projects,  home  economics, 
home  education,  education  by  radio,  recreation  and  physical  educa¬ 
tion,  and  school  building  problems.  The  chief  of  this  division  is 
called  upon  to  direct  State  and  district  surveys  which  are  requested 
by  school  officials.  During  this  period  of  depression  it  may  be  ex¬ 
pected  that  this  function  will  become  increasingly  important  inas¬ 
much  as  school  boards  and  their  executive  officers  are  anxious  to 
ascertain  how  they  may  secure  increased  educational  service  without 
increasing  expenditure,  or,  where  educational  expenditure  must  be 
reduced,  how  reductions  can  be  made  with  the  minimum  curtail¬ 
ment  of  educational  service. 

In  addition  to  his  duties  as  chief  of  the  service  division,  Mr. 
Alderman,  as  principal  specialist  in  adult  education,  is  contact  officer 
with  institutions,  State  departments  of  education,  and  local  school 
officers  in  regard  to  evening  and  continuation  schools  and  extension 
education. 

Mr.  J.  O.  Malott,  senior  specialist  in  commercial  education,  makes 
contact  with  groups  of  business  men,  and  by  conferences,  addresses, 
and  reports,  brings  to  commercial  teachers  advice  on  modern  busi¬ 
ness  practices. 

Miss  Florence  C.  Fox,  associate  specialist  in  elementary  education, 
is  frequently  assigned  to  assist  in  making  cooperative  studies.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  past  year  for  instance,  Miss  Fox  has  cooperated  with  the 
Oregon  Trail  Memorial  Association,  with  the  National  Safety  Coun¬ 
cil,  and  with  the  George  Washington  Bicentennial  Commission  in 
preparing  materials  for  use  in  schools. 

Miss  Emeline  S.  Whitcomb,  senior  specialist  in  home  economics, 
serves  educational  institutions  and  individuals  who  are  interested  in 
home-economics  education.  She  has  cooperated  with  educational  in¬ 
stitutions  in  holding  regional  conferences  on  the  problems  of  the  home 
in  a  changing  industrial  order. 

Miss  Ellen  C.  Lombard,  associate  specialist  in  home  education,  is 
charged  with  the  investigation  and  study  of  methods,  materials,  and 
practices  of  organizations  which  try  to  coordinate  the  work  of  home 
and  school.  Her  service  makes  her  chief  contact  officer  with  such  or¬ 
ganizations  as  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers. 

During  the  past  15  months  the  Office  of  Education  has  had  the 
services  of  a  specialist  in  education  by  radio  who  was  loaned  by  the 
Payne  Fund,  of  New  York  City.  All  arrangements  have  been  made 
for  the  selection  of  a  senior  specialist  in  education  by  radio,  a  posi¬ 
tion  which  will  be  filled  probably  before  this  report  is  in  print.  This 
specialist  will  advise  educational  institutions  and  individuals  who 
are  interested  in  education  by  radio,  and  make  contact  with  broad¬ 
casters  as  well  as  educators. 

Dr.  Marie  M.  Ready,  associate  specialist  in  recreational  activities, 
keeps  in  contact  with  the  status  of  physical  education,  recreation, 
school  playgrounds,  and  summer  camps  in  the  United  States  and  for¬ 
eign  countries;  and  cooperates  with  such  associations  as  the  National 
Recreation  Association,  the  Camp  Directors’  Association,  and  the 
American  Physical  Education  Association. 

Miss  Alice  Barrows  is  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  handling 
the  problems  arising  in  the  school-building  field.  As  secretary  of  the 
recently  organized  National  Advisory  Council  on  School  Building 
Problems,  which  cooperates  with  this  office,  her  field  contacts  are 


ORGANIZATION  AND  FUNCTIONS 


5 


chiefly  with  school  architects  and  with  school  administrators  who 
may  be  engaged  in  building  schools.  She  also  makes  some  school¬ 
building  surveys  for  local  boards  of  education,  and  carries  on  research 
studies  on  school-building  problems. 

RESEARCH  AND  INVESTIGATION 

This  is  the  heart  of  the  Office  of  Education.  Here  the  major  part 
of  its  recurring  work  of  gathering  facts,  digesting  them,  and  pre¬ 
paring  and  publishing  bulletins  takas  place.  The  division  is  under  the 
immediate  and  personal  direction  of  the  Assistant  Commissioner  of 
Education  who  is  aided  by  individuals  possessing  both  a  broad  out¬ 
look  and  highly  specialized  training.  At  the  present  time  these  con¬ 
sultants  are :  Dr.  James  F.  Rogers,  who  has  familiarity  with  the  field 
of  the  natural  sciences  and  specialized  preparation  in  health  educa¬ 
tion,  and  Mr.  M.  M.  Proffitt,  who  is  well  prepared  in  the  fields  of 
psychology  and  guidance  and  highly  specialized  in  the  vocational 
aspects  of  education.  A  third  assistant  to  the  assistant  commissioner 
was  authorized  by  the  Seventy-first  Congress  and  is  to  be  an  indi¬ 
vidual  well  trained  in  psychology  and  the  theory  of  education,  and 
specialized  in  the  field  of  tests  and  measurements.  The  members  of 
this  division  are  frequently  called  by  the  chief  of  the  Service  Division 
to  aid  in  making  State  and  local  school  surveys.  As  at  present  or¬ 
ganized,  the  work  of  this  division  is  handled  largely  through  five 
minor  divisions  (see  Chart).  They  are: 

/.  American  school  systems 

Mr.  W.  S.  Deffenbaugh,  chief  of  the  division,  is  responsible  for 
studies  in  the  administration  of  American  school  systems,  local  and 
State.  At  the  present  time  he  also  gives  attention  to  developing  the 
field  of  school  supervision. 

Mr.  Timon  Covert  is  specialist  in  the  field  of  school  finance.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  period  of  the  nation-wide  survey  of  finance,  Mr.  Covert  will 
be  associated  with  its  staff. 

Dr.  W.  W.  Keesecker  specializes  in  the  problems  of  school  law  and 
school  legislation.  It  falls  to  his  lot  to  advise  and  assist  the  special¬ 
ists  in  so  far  as  their  problems  bring  them  in  contact  with  legislation. 

The  study  of  such  problems  of  the  schools  as  pupil  personnel,  cur¬ 
riculum,  extracurriculum  activities,  etc.,  ave  handled  in  four  sections 
as  follows: 

(a)  Early  elementary  (including  nursery  schools,  kindergartens, 
and  the  primary  grades)  studied  and  interpreted  by  Dr.  Mar}^  Dab¬ 
ney  Davis  and  Miss  Rowna  Hansen. 

(b)  Later  elementary  (in  general,  grades  3  to  6  in  the  usual  city 
school  system)  and  post  elementary  (grades  7  and  8  in  rural  and  vil¬ 
lage  schools).  The  specialist  is  Miss  Mina  Langvick. 

( c )  Early  secondary.  This  unit  will  ultimately  embrace  the  work 
of  grades  7  to  10,  inclusive,  as  these  will  exist  in  a  completely  reorgan¬ 
ized  school  system.  During  the  period  of  school  reorganization  the 
specialist  in  charge  of  this  section  will  give  major  attention  to  junior 
high  schools  and  considerable  attention  to  senior  high-school  units  in 
cities.  After  the  conclusion  of  the  national  survey  of  secondary  edu¬ 
cation  it  is  expected  that  Mr.  Jessen  will  devote  full  time  to  this 
section. 


81557°— 31 - 2 


6 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


(d)  Later  secondary.  This  section  is  concerned  with  the  work  of 
grades  11,  12,  13,  and  14  in  the  completely  reorganized  school  systems 
and  with  all  junior  colleges.  During  the  progress  of  reorganization 
this  specialist  will  also  be  concerned  with  4-year  senior  high  schools 
in  village  and  rural  areas.  During  the  progress  of  the  national  sur¬ 
vey  of  secondary  education  major  studies  in  the  work  of  the  smaller 
high  schools  have  been  undertaken  by  Mr.  Walter  H.  Gaumnitz. 
After  the  survey  has  been  completed  either  Mr.  Gaumnitz  or  some 
other  competent  specialist  should  maintain  the  work  of  this  section. 

Future  additions  to  this  division  should  include  a  specialist  in 
school  supervision. 


2.  Division  oj  special  problems 

This  division  is  concerned  with  the  problems  growing  out  of  the 
education  of  children  who  do  not  fit  well  into  the  normal  class  organ¬ 
ization  of  the  usual  American  school,  with  types  of  children  who 
have  not  heretofore  received  adequate  consideration,  and  with  types 
whose  special  needs  and  abilities  have  not  been  sufficiently  studied. 
The  sections  as  at  present  organized  or  in  process  of  reorganization 
are: 

(a)  A  section  in  Negro  education.  The  Negro  has  made  America’s 
great  contribution  to  music.  The  phenomenal  success  of  the  play, 
“  The  Green  Pastures,”  indicates  that  there  is  real  dramatic  talent  in 
members  of  this  race.  It  is  believed  that  psychological  studies  of 
Negro  children  will  be  profitable  in  ascertaining  their  capacities  and 
capitalizing  these  for  the  benefit  of  the  Republic.  In  many  States  of 
the  Union  dual  school  systems  are  maintained.  In  such  States  our 
specialist  in  Negro  education  will  assist  in  working  out  the  problems 
resulting  from  this  dual  administration.  The  specialist  in  charge  is 
Dr.  Ambrose  Ca liver,  who  is  at  present  assisted  by  one  professional 
and  one  clerical  worker. 

(b)  A  second  section  is  devoted  to  the  education  of  exceptional 
children.  For  the  past  year  one  specialist  has  been  at  work  on  these 
problems,  Dr.  Elise  Martens,  who  is  especially  prepared  to  handle  the 
problems  arising  in  the  education  of  children  mentally  subnormal 
and  mentally  supernormal.  Ultimately  this  field  should  have  Miss 
Martens’s  entire  time.  The  last  Congress  authorized  the  appoint¬ 
ment  of  a  specialist  in  the  education  of  the  physically  handicapped. 
This  is  another  large  field  involving  work  with  the  blind  and  near¬ 
blind,  the  deaf  and  hard  of  hearing,  the  anemic  and  undernourished, 
the  tubercular  and  those  predisposed  to  tuberculosis,  the  cripples,  and 
some  with  speech  defects.  It  may  be  that  a  third  specialist  to  deal 
with  the  social  delinquent  will  be  needed  in  this  section. 

( o )  A  section  having  to  do  with  the  education  of  indigenous 
peoples.  Through  a  subsidy  from  the  Carnegie  Corporation  and 
administered  by  Stanford  University,  Mr.  H.  D.  Anderson  has 
spent  one  year  in  Alaska  studying  sociological  and  psychological 
problems  of  the  Eskimo.  He  is  now  at  work  in  Alaska  on  similar 
problems  concerned  with  the  Aleuts.  We  should  ask  Congress  to 
authorize  the  appointment  of  a  full-time  specialist  in  this  field  to 
continue  work  of  this  sort  with  continental  Indians,  the  Porto 
Ricans,  the  Hawaiians,  the  Filipinos,  and  the  native  populations 
of  our  other  possessions. 


ORGANIZATION  AND  FUNCTIONS 


7 


(i d )  A  section  on  problems  of  education  in  sparsely  settled  areas. 
The  possible  consolidation  of  school  districts,  the  transportation  of 
pupils,  problems  of  housing  and  similar  issues  result  from  sparse¬ 
ness  of  population.  At  the  present  time  these  problems  are  studied 
by  Miss  Annie  Reynolds  and  Mr.  Walter  Gaumnitz. 

Matters  of  administration  and  supervision  concerned  with  groups 
of  children  of  these  types  fall  to  the  chief  of  the  division,  Mrs. 
Katherine  M.  Cook,  who  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  problems 
arising  in  the  country  schools  and  who  has,  during  the  past  year, 
familiarized  herself  by  study  and  personal  visits  with  the  situation 
in  Alaska  and  the  movements  under  way  in  Mexico  for  the  better 
education  of  indigenous  peoples.  She  has  also  kept  in  very  close 
touch  with  the  movements  designed  to  improve  the  educational 
opportunities  of  our  Negro  people. 

3.  Division  of  foreign  school  systems 

Keeping  Americans  informed  on  movements  in  European  school 
systems  was  an  important  feature  of  the  work  of  this  office  during 
the  administration  of  Commissioner  Harris.  Due  to  shortage  of 
funds  this  work  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  other  types  of  service 
after  Doctor  Harris’s  retirement.  The  Great  War  in  Europe,  the 
overturning  of  monarchical  institutions,  and  the  general  reconstruc¬ 
tion  of  European  society  are  bringing  many  countries  face  to  face 
with  some  of  the  problems  of  democracy  with  which  our  own  educa¬ 
tors  have  been  struggling.  It  would  seem  that  American  educators 
should  be  informed  on  what  is  going  on.  Moreover,  there  is  an 
educational  awakening  all  over  the  world.  I  reported  last  year  that 
increasing  importance  of  this  work  justified  a  division  to  be  concerned 
with  it.  We  propose  to  add  to  the  three  persons  who  have  been 
giving  their  attention  to  translation  and  evaluation  of  credentials 
and  endeavoring  to  cover  parts  of  this  research  work,  three  more 
specialists:  First,  one  in  comparative  education — Western  European, 
with  emphasis  upon  the  Germanic  and  Scandinavian  countries. 
Doctor  Abel,  the  chief  of  the  division  will  himself  be  responsible 
for  movements  in  France  and  Belgium,  and  Mr.  Turosienski  for 
movements  in  the  Slavic  countries.  The  new  specialist,  whose  em¬ 
ployment  was  authorized  by  the  Seventy-first  Congress,  should  keep 
track  of  the  movements  in  the  Germanic  and  Scandinavian  coun¬ 
tries.  Second,  a  specialist  in  comparative  education — Oriental.  The 
remarkable  progress  made  by  J apan  and  the  educational  awakening 
in  China  appear  to  demand  the  addition  of  some  one  who  is  versed 
in  the  languages  and  school  systems  of  these  countries.  It  is  pro¬ 
posed  to  ask  the  next  Congress  for  authority  to  employ  a  specialist 
in  this  field.  Third,  a  specialist  in  comparative  education — Latin 
American.  This  specialist  should  be  well  versed  in  Spanish  and 
have  a  working  knowledge  of  Portuguese  in  order  that  he  may  follow 
the  educational  advances  of  our  American  neighbors.  Incidentally 
he  will  watch  educational  movements  in  Spain  and  Portugal. 

4.  Division  of  collegiate  and  professional  education 

Dr.  Frederick  J.  Kelly  has  but  recently  assumed  the  chiefship  of 
this  division  and  must  be  allowed  some  time  to  work  out  the  details 
of  organization.  His  dominant  interest  is  in  the  critical  and  experi- 


8 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


mental  study  of  problems  of  college  and  university  instruction  and 
organization.  It  is  expected  that  the  investigative  point  of  view 
will  play  an  increasingly  important  part  in  all  the  work  of  the 
division. 

At  the  present  time  Mr.  Frazier  gives  his  attention  to  the  pro¬ 
fessional  education  of  teachers,  and  for  the  next  two  years  will  be 
closely  identified  with  the  national  survey  of  this  field.  Doctor 
Greenleaf  maintains  a  close  relationship  with  the  land-grant  col¬ 
leges  and  is  responsible  for  land-grant  college  statistics.  He  has 
also  given  some  attention  to  the  guidance  field  and  is  issuing  a 
series  of  short  pamphlets  entitled  “  Careers,”  selecting  for  study 
those  which  require  a  college  education.  Doctor  John  has  been  at¬ 
tempting  to  cover  the  entire  field  of  graduate  education  and  educa¬ 
tion  for  the  professions  other  than  teaching.  This  is  too  big  a 
field  for  one  man.  Rather  heavy  burdens  also  have  been  thrown 
upon  this  division  recently  by  its  responsibility  for  the  Interior 
Department’s  supervision  of  and  cooperation  in  the  development  of 
Howard  University.  It  would  appear,  then,  that  more  specialists 
will  be  needed  in  this  division  within  the  next  two  or  three  years. 


5.  Statistical  division 

This  division  is  in  a  sense  the  handmaid  of  all  the  other  divisions. 
It  serves  not  only  to  gather  the  figures  on  enrollments,  costs,  etc. — 
data  essential  to  the  work  of  ail  the  other  specialists — but  it  also 
operates  as  a  pool  for  the  personnel  and  equipment  necessary  for 
statistical  work  of  other  specialists.  In  the  near  future  attention 
must  be  given  to  strengthening  this  division,  especially  in  these 
respects :  First,  the  work  now  done  by  four  assistant  statisticians  who 
are  charged  with  gathering  data  in  the  field  every  other  year  should 
be  reorganized  in  such  a  way  that  six  persons  may  gather  this  infor¬ 
mation  in  a  4^month  period,  thereby  shortening  the  time  which 
elapses  between  the  close  of  a  given  school  year  and  the  issuance 
of  findings.  The  two  additional  helpers  have  not  been  requested 
as  yet  because  we  have  been  unable  so  far  to  work  out  a  plan  for 
full  utilization  of  the  time  of  six  men  when  they  are  in  the  office. 
As  the  Office  of  Education  learns  more  about  the  services  which 
the  profession  wishes  it  to  perform,  doubtless  every  minute  of  such 
time  can  be  used  to  advantage.  Second,  there  should  be  a  section 
in  the  statistical  division  having  personnel  and  machines  adequate 
to  the  making  of  graphs  and  tables  needed  for  all  our  publications 
and  survey  reports.  At  the  present  time  there  is  one  artist  and  one 
clerk  part  time  rendering  this  sendee.  One  more  draftsman  and 
one  more  operator  of  wide-carriage  typewriters  could  be  used  to 
advantage.  Third,  one  specialist,  trained  as  a  certified  public  ac¬ 
countant,  is  needed  to  assist  State  departments  of  education  and 
some  institutions  to  reform  their  records  and  reports. 

MAJOR  SURVEYS 

As  explained  in  our  last  annual  report,  this  division  has  been  cre¬ 
ated  in  response  to  demands  for  more  data  on  educational  problems 
than  this  office  has  been  able  to  gather  in  the  past.  Many  believe 
that  the  proper  reply  to  this  demand  is  the  creation  of  a  national 


ORGANIZATION  AND  FUNCTIONS 


9 


executive  department  of  education  with  ample  funds  for  research. 
It  has  been  proposed  in  the  Congress  that  $1,000,000  annually  be 
expended  for  such  research.  Our  program  for  this  new  division 
calls  for : 

1.  An  approximate  annual  expenditure  of  $200,000  to  $250,000. 

2.  Intensive  study  of  about  three  major  educational  problems 
simultaneously. 

3.  The  use  of  temporary  staffs  of  experts,  who  will  not  remain  in 
the  Government  service  past  the  period  for  which  the  survey  runs. 

To  illustrate  the  first  point,  I  repeat  and  complete  a  form  to  be 
found  in  our  1930  report : 


Survey  of— 

1930 

1931 

1932 

1933 

1934 

1935 

1936 

Secondary  education _ 

$50,000 

$100, 000 
50,000 

$75,000 

80,000 

50,000 

Teacher  education _ 

$70,000 

100,000 

50,000 

School  finance  _ _ 

$100,000 

100,000 

(?) 

$100, 000 
100,000 

$ 

Special  education _ 

X 

(?) 

(?) 

Y.„. 

Total . . . . . 

50, 000 

150,  000 

205, 000 

220,000 

(?) 

(?) 

(?) 

No  survey  of  special  education  (a  study  of  those  children  who 
show  marked  deviation,  physical,  mental,  and  moral,  from  the  nor¬ 
mal)  has  been  authorized,  but  in  response  to  many  demands  from 
interested  associations,  careful  estimates  of  its  cost  have  been  pre¬ 
pared.  It  is  entered  here  merely  to  show  that  we  believe  the 
amount  of  money  stated  above  is  ample  for  the  present  and  that  a 
million  dollars  can  not  be  expended  wisely  by  the  United  States 
Government  for  educational  research.  Without  drawing  heavily 
from  the  university  research  centers,  it  is  our  policy  to  strengthen, 
not  weaken,  institutional  research  in  education. 

The  table  indicates  that  three  studies  are  in  progress  simultane¬ 
ously.  In  selecting  topics  these  principles  should  prevail:  (a)  The 
studies  so  far  as  possible  should  supplement  and  complement  one 
another,  i.  e.,  the  secondary  survey  omits  consideration  of  the  high- 
school  teacher  which  is  covered  in  the  teacher  education  study.  Both 
the  first  two  studies  omit  consideration  of  financing  the  institutions 
required,  for  this  item  is  covered  in  the  third  survey.  (5)  The 
studies  should  not  overburden  the  school  executives  in  the  field  who 
are  called  on  for  data.  For  instance,  if  one  study  involves  check  lists 
for  high-school  principals,  the  next  study  should  involve  this 
group  as  little  as  possible.  ( c )  The  studies  should  be  requested  by 
representative  groups  of  professional  educators  including  usually 
the  National  Council  of  State  Superintendents  and  Commissioners 
of  Education.  ( d )  The  studies  should  be  of  such  character  that 
they  are  beyond  the  scope  of  any  State  office  and  too  extensive  for 
the  usual  university  school  of  education — i.  e.,  it  should  be  clear  that 
the  Federal  Government  is  the  logical  agency  to  carry  on  the  study. 

The  reasons  for  the  use  of  temporary  staffs  perhaps  call  for  brief 
comment.  Although  some  of  the  reasons  below  are  matters  of  policy 
which  may  not  prevail  under  other  national  administrations,  all 
our  guiding  principles  are  included.  They  are: 


10 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


(a)  That  the  Office  of  Education  staff  may  be  kept  small  enough 
to  prevent  the  development  of  a  bureaucratic  spirit.  The  chief  func¬ 
tion  of  the  Office  of  Education  is  to  keep  the  public,  both  professional 
and  lay,  informed  on  the  progress  of  American  education.  We  need 
a  staff  large  enough  to  gather  the  data,  tabulate,  edit,  and  publish 
them;  to  make  studies  indicating  trends;  and  to  utilize  what  we 
gather  in  answering  inquiries  from  the  field  and  to  assist  local 
schools  and  institutions  in  improving  their  work.  Such  a  staff  this 
next  year  costs  $280,000  in  salaries,  $25,000  for  general  operation, 
and  $62,000  for  printing,  or  in  the  neighborhood  of  $360,000;  and 
so  far  as  I  can  see  additions  to  the  staff  which  I  have  already  noted 
ought  not  to  increase  that  annual  budget  by  more  than  $50,000  to 
$100,000  within  the  next  10  years. 

(b)  That  the  major  work  may  be  done  by  recently  trained  research 
workers — preferably  those  who  have  just  secured  their  Ph.  D.  de¬ 
grees.  I  have  said  we  do  not  wish  to  weaken  but  to  build  institu¬ 
tional  bureaus  of  research.  This  use  of  younger  men  and  women 
enables  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to  take  from  the  graduate 
schools  the  ablest  and  most  promising  persons  and  give  them  a  3- 
year  post-doctorate  period  of  preparation  for  their  life  work.  It 
should  also  provide  them  a  national  rather  than  a  local  or  provincial 
view  of  the  problem  involved.  These  folk  are  paid  about  what  they 
would  secure  as  assistant  professors  in  standard  universities. 

(c)  A  staff  of  part-time  established  experts  in  various  aspects  of 
the  field.  These  men  are  without  exception  employed  at  salaries  and 
under  conditions  of  work  which  would  not  induce  them  to  qualify 
under  civil-service  regulations  and  accept  salaries  in  the  Government 
classifications.  They  may  be  had,  however,  for  temporary  periods 
(quarters  off)  and  for  part-time  service  at  less  than  their  regular 
salary  scale  due  to  their  eagerness  to  serve  their  Government,  the 
chance  afforded  to  get  an  up-to-date  national  outlook  on  their  field, 
etc.  These  men  actually  direct  the  younger  workers  and  assist  them 
in  organizing  their  materials. 

This  program  of  combining  young  full-time  workers  and  part-time 
experts  gives  us  higher-grade  service  than  we  could  secure  in  the 
regular  staff  through  civil  service,  furnishes  American  education 
something  heretofore  lacking — namely,  a  3-year  post-doctorate  period 
of  training  for  its  most  promising  research  recruits,  and  successfully 
defeats  any  attempt  to  build  a  Federal  bureaucracy  in  education. 

Since  the  plan  is  to  make  these  studies  purely  objective  and  to 
avoid  positive  recommendations  on  the  part  of  the  experts,  it  is 
hoped  that  at  the  conclusion  of  each  survey  a  series  of  regional  con¬ 
ferences  will  be  held  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  each  conference 
to  be  held  in  cooperation  with  some  well-established  institution  inter¬ 
ested  in  the  aspect  of  education  with  which  the  survey  is  concerned, 
and  at  the  invitation  of  the  superintendent  or  commissioner  of  the 
State  in  which  it  is  held. 

COOPERATION  AND  COORDINATION 

I  noted  last  year  several  efforts  to  coordinate  work  of  existing 
associations  and  to  prevent  duplication  and  waste  of  effort.  I  can 
report  a  most  encouraging  reception  of  this  program  and  much 
progress  in  its  realization. 


ORGANIZATION  AND  FUNCTIONS 


11 


The  national  committee  on  State  histories  of  education,  of  which 
Prof.  Stuart  Noble  is  chairman,  is  collaborating  with  the  Office  of 
Education  in  the  preparation  of  a  new  series  of  State  histories  of 
education.  At  the  present  time  work  on  manuscripts  for  the  follow¬ 
ing  States  is  reported  under  way :  California,  Connecticut,  Georgia, 
Kansas,  Kentucky,  Maine,  Maryland.  Massachusetts,  Nebraska,  New 
Jersey,  Oklahoma,  Oregon,  Utah,  and  Washington. 

The  committee  on  cooperation  in  research  studies,  of  which  Prof. 
W.  S.  Monroe  is  chairman,  has  continued  its  assistance.  We  have 
published  the  Bibliography  of  Research  Studies  in  Education  for 
1928-29  as  Bulletin  1930,  No.  23,  and  the  Bibliography  for  1929-30, 
which  will  be  issued  as  Bulletin  1931,  No.  13,  is  in  press  at  this 
writing. 

As  an  outcome  of  the  conference  on  cooperative  research  held  at 
Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  in  February,  1930,  a  list  of  research  studies  in 
education  undertaken  by  city  school  systems  was  issued  in  mimeo- 
graped  form  as  Circular  No.  18.  This  included  studies  recently  com¬ 
pleted,  those  in  progress,  and  studies  contemplated  for  the  school 
year  1930-31.  A  similar  list  of  studies  undertaken  by  State  depart¬ 
ments  of  education  and  State  education  associations  was  issued  as 
Circular  No.  31.  There  was  prepared  for  the  Educational  Directory 
a  list  of  directors  of  educational  research  in  State  departments  of 
education,  State  education  associations,  city  school  systems,  univer¬ 
sities,  colleges,  normal  schools,  and  independent  organizations.  There 
was  also  issued  as  Leaflet  No.  2  a  pamphlet  on  the  Organization  and 
Functions  of  Research  Bureaus  in  City  School  Systems. 

A  new  editorial  committee  consisting  of  some  of  America’s  leading 
specialists  in  education  now  selects  the  most  important  articles  pub¬ 
lished  in  their  respective  fields  for  the  Office  of  Education’s  Record 
of  Current  Educational  Publications. 

For  18  years  the  “Record  ”  of  the  most  important  articles  in  79 
different  phases  of  education  has  been  prepared  in  entirety  every 
three  months  by  the  library  division  of  the  Office  of  Education. 
Now  the  79  phases  of  education  covered  have  been  divided  into  14 
major  groups.  An  outstanding  specialist  in  each  of  the  14  fields  was 
invited  to  submit  quarterly  a  list  of  the  notable  articles  in  his  par¬ 
ticular  field  appearing  in  educational  magazines,  important  books, 
reports,  proceedings,  and  other  publications.  Their  first  selection 
covering  the  period  from  July  to  December  came  from  the  press  in 
March  as  Bulletin  1931,  No.  3. 

The  educators  who  are  assisting  the  Office  of  Education  to  make 
the  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publications  a  highly  selected 
list  of  best  thought  in  the  educational  press,  and  the  sections  on 
which  they  report  are :  Dr.  Arthur  J.  Klein,  professor  of  school  ad¬ 
ministration,  Ohio  State  University  (collegiate  and  professional  edu¬ 
cation)  ;  Dr.  W.  C.  Eells,  associate  professor  of  education,  Stanford 
University  (junior  college)  ;  Dr.  L.  V.  Koos,  professor  of  secondary 
education,  University  of  Chicago  (secondary  education) ;  Dr.  Ernest 
Horn,  professor  of  elementary  education,  State  University  of  Iowa 
(elementary  education)  ;  Miss  Edna  Dean  Baker,  president,  Na¬ 
tional  College  of  Education,  Evanston,  Ill.  (nursery-kindergarten¬ 
primary  education) ;  Dr.  Carter  Alexander,  professor  of  education, 
Teachers  College,  Columbia  University  (public-school  administra- 


12 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


tion)  ;  Dean  M.  E.  Haggerty,  School  of  Education,  University  of 
Minnesota  (educational  psychology)  ;  Dr.  E.  S.  Evenden,  Teachers 
College,  Columbia  University  (teacher-education)  ;  Edwin  Lee,  di¬ 
rector  division  of  vocational  education,  University  of  California  at 
Berkeley  (vocational  education) ;  and  Alonzo  G.  Grace,  assistant 
director  division  of  extension  teaching,  University  of  Kochester 
(adult  education).  The  following  specialists  from  the  Office  of  Edu¬ 
cation  complete  the  list  of  contributors:  Dr.  Elise  Martens  (educa¬ 
tion  of  exceptional  children);  Dr.  James  F.  Abel  (foreign  educa¬ 
tion)  ;  Dr.  Ambrose  Caliver  (education  of  Negroes) ;  and  Miss 
Martha  It.  McCabe,  assistant  librarian  (proceedings,  summaries, 
courses,  etc.). 

The  national  advisory  council  on  school-building  problems  held 
enthusiastic  sessions  in  Detroit  in  February.  All  its  members  have 
cooperated  wonderfully  well.  The  work  of  the  past  year  has  been 
centered  on  the  elementary  school.  This  study  will  be  continued 
during  1932.  Next  will  follow  a  study  of  the  problems  involved  in 
junior  high-school  buildings,  and  1934  and  1935  will  be  given  to  con¬ 
sideration  of  buildings  for  senior  high  schools  and  4-year  high 
schools.  For  details  you  are  referred  to  the  special  reports  of  this 
council  written  by  Miss  Alice  Barrows,  who  serves  as  its  executive 
secretary. 

I  am  glad  to  report  that  we  have  been  able  to  assist  State  depart¬ 
ments  of  education  in  many  ways  and  to  make  special  note  of  the 
following:  Members  of  our  statistical  division  helped  South  Caro¬ 
lina  revise  its  office  records  and  reports;  members  of  the  special 
problems  division  assisted  the  State  departments  of  Arkansas  and 
adjoining  States  in  a  conference  on  rural-school  problems  and  per¬ 
formed  a  similar  service  for  a  group  of  States  which  sent  repre¬ 
sentatives  to  a  similar  conference  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  under  leader¬ 
ship  of  the  Michigan  State  Teachers  College,  and  also  in  launching 
a  study  of  such  problems  in  Vermont. 

Our  office  has  interested  itself  in  guidance  and  through  Mr.  Prof¬ 
fitt  as  a  member  of  the  National  Vocational  Guidance  Association 
committee  is  fostering  this  work  in  many  States.  We  have  had 
valued  cooperation  from  the  National  Safety  Council  in  the  prepara¬ 
tion  by  Miss  Fox  of  a  guide  to  course  of  study  making  in  safety  to 
promote  interest  in  this  field.  Miss  Fox  also  has  contributed  to  the 
work  of  the  George  Washington  Bicentennial  Commission  and  the 
Oregon  Trail  Association. 

We  have  continued  our  efforts  to  secure  new  interest  in  proper 
education  for  home  making.  Two  conferences  were  held  within  the 
year,  one  in  cooperation  with  the  State  College  of  Iowa  at  Ames  in 
November,  and  one  in  cooperation  with  the  University  of  Idaho  and 
the  State  College  of  Washington  at  Spokane  during  the  Inland 
Empire  Association  meeting  in  April.  In  both  conferences  Miss 
Whitcomb  and  the  commissioner  participated. 

Parent  education  was  the  general  theme  of  this  year’s  meeting 
of  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers,  and  a  two  days’ 
conference  preceded  the  general  session.  This  office  participated 
actively  through  assistant  commissioner,  Miss  Bess  Goodykoontz, 
Miss  Lombard,  Mr.  Alderman,  and  Miss  Martens. 


ORGANIZATION  AND  FUNCTIONS 


13 


Mr.  Deffenbaugh  is  actively  assisting  State  Superintendent  Rule 
in  a  thoroughgoing  State  study  of  education  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
Doctor  John  has  been  assisting  a  commission  of  the  State  of  Virginia 
in  its  efforts  to  set  up  a  State  college  for  women. 

In  addition,  much  time  of  staff  members  has  been  given  to  collect¬ 
ing  data  for  the  White  House  Conference  on  Child  Health  and  Pro¬ 
tection.  Assistance  has  also  been  rendered  the  President’s  Emer¬ 
gency  Committee  for  Employment.1 

Our  service  division,  through  Mr.  Alderman,  has  been  in  confer¬ 
ence  with  the  Department  of  Justice  regarding  adult  education  in 
Federal  prisons  and  has  held,  in  cooperation  with  the  Ohio  State 
Department  of  Education,  a  conference  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  on  this 
subject.  In  collecting  data  prisons  in  many  States  have  been  visited. 
The  matter  also  received  consideration  of  the  National  Council  of 
State  Superintendents  and  Commissioners  of  Education  in  December, 
1930. 

Regional  conferences  have  been  held  in  two  new  fields  during  the 
year,  in  both  of  which  your  commissioner  participated  actively — one 
in  higher  education  at  Eugene,  Oreg.,  in  April  (called  in  coopera¬ 
tion  with  the  University  of  Oregon),  and  one  in  secondary  educa¬ 
tion  at  Greeley,  Colo.,  in  June  (in  cooperation  with  the  Colorado 
State  Teachers  College). 

FOUNDATION  ASSISTANCE 

Continued  interest  in  our  work  on  the  part  of  foundations  and 
philanthropists  is  also  noted.  The  Carnegie  Corporation  has  con¬ 
tinued  its  grant  to  Stanford  University  which  makes  possible  the 
continuation  of  Mr.  H.  D.  Anderson’s  work  in  the  study  of  the  na¬ 
tives  of  Alaska.  We  expect  to  report  fully  on  this  experiment  next 
year.  This  foundation  has  also  made  a  grant-in-aide  to  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Library  Association  which  makes  it  possible  for  Miss  Lathrop 
of  our  library  staff  to  study  the  relationships  between  libraries  and 
schools.  This  work  will  be  undertaken  in  the  autumn  of  1931. 

The  grant  of  the  Payne  Fund,  noted  last  year,  made  possible  keep¬ 
ing  our  radio  files  up  to  date  during  the  year.  We  acknowledge 
especial  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Armstrong  Perry  who  devoted  half  time 
to  the  work  and  rendered  us  splendid  service. 

HOWARD  UNIVERSITY 

Howard  University  was  officially  inspected  for  the  school  year 
ended  June  30,  1931,  by  a  committee  of  specialists  of  the  Office  of 
Education  appointed  for  this  duty  by  the  Commissioner  of  Educa¬ 
tion.  Doctor  John  served  as  chairman  and  coordinator. 

Lack  of  space  does  not  permit  the  inclusion  in  these  pages  of  a  full 
exhibit  of  the  affairs  of  the  university.  Consequently  the  full  report 
of  the  activities  of  Howard  University  is  to  be  published  as  a  separate 
document. 

In  the  fall  of  1930  the  Office  of  Education  with  the  cooperation  of 
the  president,  deans,  and  other  officers  of  Howard  University,  com- 


1  Now  known  as  the  President’s  Organization1  on  Unemployment  Relief. 
81557°— 31 - 3  a 


14 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


pleted  a  program  of  development  for  the  university  covering  a  period 
of  10  to  20  years.  This  program  has  for  its  purpose  the  setting  up 
of  a  cooperative  plan  of  financial  support  of  Howard  University  by 
the  Federal  Government  and  other  agencies. 

Under  the  development  plan,  the  Federal  Government,  in  addition 
to  giving  a  definite  amount  for  the  annual  maintenance  expenses  of 
the  school,  will  appropriate  funds  for  a  major  building  program 
covering  a  period  of  10  years.  Already  considerable  progress  has 
been  made  in  the  designing  and  erection  of  a  modern  university 
plant.  These  buildings  have  been  greatly  needed,  and  when  the  pres¬ 
ent  program  of  building  is  completed  the  university  will  have  a 
high-grade  plant  harmoniously  designed  as  a  single  project  which 
will  adequately  meet  the  needs  of  the  institution. 

The  program  of  development  was  accepted  by  the  trustees  of  the 
university,  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  and  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior,  and  Congress  made  the  appropriation  to  Howard  Uni¬ 
versity  for  1931-32  in  accordance  with  the  first  step  set  forth  in  the 
program. 

The  grand  total  enrollment  of  students  for  the  year  1930-31  was 
2,737,  with  a  net  total  of  2,437.  This  represents  a  slight  decline  in 
numbers  over  the  year  1929-30,  the  grand  total  for  that  year  being 
2,872  and  the  net  total  2,619. 

The  total  number  graduating  for  the  year  1930-3 L  was  321,  or  five 
less  than  the  number  graduating  in  1929-30.  The  number  of  grad¬ 
uates  in  the  several  schools  are  as  follows :  Liberal  arts,  83 ;  educa¬ 
tion,  118;  applied  science,  6;  music,  6;  medicine,  54;  dentistry,  12; 
pharmacy  ?  13 ;  law,  12 ;  religion,  9 ;  and  graduate  work,  8. 

The  university  received  a  total  income  of  $2,147,174,  of  which 
$1,079,700  was  for  lands  and  buildings.  Of  the  total  income, 
$1,249,000  was  received  from  the  Federal  Government  and  $898,174 
from  all  private  and  institutional  sources. 

On  May  4,  1931,  the  section  of  legal  education  and  admissions  to 
the  bar  of  the  American  Bar  Association  placed  the  school  of  law 
on  its  approved  list,  effective  as  to  all  students  matriculating  after 
April  14,  1931. 


]  'art  II  of  this  report,  covering  the  administrative  division,  rep¬ 
resents  the  responsibilities  of  the  chief  clerk,  Mr.  Kalbach ;  Part  III, 
covering  the  work  of  the  divisions  other  than  administrative,  is 
rey  orted  by  the  assistant  commissioner,  Miss  Goodykoontz. 

Part  II.—. ADMINISTRATIVE  DIVISION 

L.  A.  KALBACH,  Chief  Clerk 

On  March  16.  1931,  in  accordance  with  action  taken  by  Congress, 
the  administration  of  matters  relating  to  the  education  and  medical 
relief  of  the  natives  of  Alaska,  which  had  been  under  this  office  since 
1885,  was  transferred  to  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs.  This 
transfer  caused  the  assignment  of  two  of  the  principal  employees  of 
this  division  to  the  Indian  Service,  leaving  the  Office  of  Education 
without  an  assistant  chief  clerk. 


ADMINISTRATIVE  DIVISION 


15 


Housing. — The  lack  of  adequate  space  properly  to  house  the  enlarg¬ 
ing  staff  of  the  office  and  the  staffs  of  new  surveys  continues  to  be  the 
most  serious  hindrance  to  efficient  work  on  the  part  of  the  staff. 
Also,  in  order  to  provide  space  for  employees  of  other  offices  of  the 
department,  it  has  been  necessary  to  pack  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  library  books  in  boxes  and  store  them  in  the  basement,  where  they 
are  inaccessible.  Another  considerable  portion  of  the  books  has 
been  placed  on  stacks  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  building,  while  the 
main  library  and  most  of  the  library  staff  are  on  the  sixth  floor. 
This  separation  causes  considerable  waste  of  time  and  effort  on  the 
part  of  the  library  staff  as  well  as  inconvenience  to  the  research 
workers.  At  the  earliest  practicable  date  additional  space  should 
be  assigned  to  this  office,  and  there  should  be  a  reassignment  of  the 
space  so  that  the  staff  may  be  brought  closer  together. 

Personnel. — The  total  personnel  was  212  on  June  30,  1931,  of 
which  number  155  were  employed  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  Of 
the  total  number,  97  belong  to  the  permanent  staff  while  the  remain¬ 
der  were  employed  on  the  surveys  of  secondary  education  and  the 
education  of  teachers.  The  position  of  specialist  in  higher  education 
was  vacant  for  11  months  of  the  year,  but  it  was  finally  reallocated 
to  a  higher  grade  thus  making  it  possible  to  secure  a  well -qualified 
person  for  the  position.  In  all,  19  of  the  permanent  positions  were 
reallocated  during  the  year  by  the  Personnel  Classification  Board  to 
higher  grades,  either  on  appeal  by  the  employees  concerned  or  on  a 
change  of  duties,  which  reallocations  caused  increases  in  salaries 
amounting  to  $6,860  per  annum.  Also,  owing  to  vacancies  and  to 
filling  several  positions  at  lower  salaries,  it  was  possible  to  give  small 
increases  in  salaries  to  42  employees  amounting  to  $4,090  per  annum. 
Notwithstanding  the  small  increases  that  it  was  possible  to  give  to 
these  employees,  the  salary  status  is  still  unsatisfactory.  Of  101 
regular  employees  provided  for  the  fiscal  year  1932,  73  are  at  salaries 
below  the  average  salary  of  their  grades,  and  of  this  latter  number 
47  are  at  the  minimum  salaries  of  their  grades ;  14  employees  receive 
the  average  salary  of  their  grades,  and  14  receive  more  than  the 
average  salary;  only  two  members  of  the  staff  receive  the  maximum 
salary  of  their  grades. 

For  some  years  the  office  has  been  handicapped  by  a  lack  of  sufficient 
clerical  staff  to  assist  the  research  workers  and  administrative  officers. 
This  makes  it  necessary  for  the  higher-salaried  members  of  the  staff 
to  give  much  time  to  work  that  could  be  done  by  lower-salaried  clerks 
and  stenographers.  Five  additional  clerical  positions  are  requested 
for  the  year  1933  to  relieve  this  situation. 

Miscellaneous. — A  very  considerable  part  of  the  chief  clerk’s  time 
was  given  to  the  critical  examination  of  manuscripts  submitted  for 
printing  by  specialists  in  the  office  as  well  as  by  persons  outside  the 
office  engaged  in  educational  research. 

Part  III. -ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  OFFICE  DURING  1930-31 


BESS  GOODYKOONTZ,  Assistant  Commissioner 

The  activities  of  members  of  the  staff  of  the  Office  of  Education 
are  implied  in  three  of  the  major  functions  of  the  office  as  outlined  in 
the  commissioner’s  annual  report  for  the  year  1929-30.  These  major 
functions  may  be  stated  as  follows : 


16 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


1.  Fundamental  research  in  education;  the  investigation  of  particu¬ 
lar  projects  requested  by  organized  professional  groups ;  the  collection 
of  school  statistics;  and  the  diffusion  of  information  on  specific 
phases  of  education. 

2.  The  location  of  researches  now  under  way  in  education;  coop¬ 
eration  with  local  governments,  universities,  and  volunteer  agencies 
which  are  making  such  studies ;  and,  in  so  far  as  possible,  the  coordi¬ 
nation  of  the  efforts  of  all  such  groups. 

3.  The  rendering  of  certain  service  fimctions  for  the  reasons  that 
(a)  they  furnish  the  best  means  of  disseminating  information,  (b) 
they  provide  the  only  means  of  keeping  members  of  our  staff  in 
direct  contact  with  actual  school  problems,  and  (c)  situations  arise  in 
local  and  State  governments  where  an  agent  of  the  Federal  Govern¬ 
ment  is  desired  to  serve  as  a  referee. 

The  activities  of  the  staff  of  the  Office  of  Education  for  the  year 
1930-31  are  reported  in  accordance  with  the  above  classification  of 
functions. 

/.  RESEARCH,  INVESTIGATION,  DIFFUSION  OF  INFORMATION 

Under  this  heading  may  be  listed  the  collection,  compilation,  and 
distribution  of  statistics  on  education,  which  was  a  major  reason 
for  the  establishment  of  this  office  by  Congress;  the  description  and 
anatytical  study  of  current  educational  practices;  the  collection  and 
evaluation  of  material  which  is  basic  to  school  curricula ;  certain  sur¬ 
vey  studies,  which  have  the  development  of  a  technique  as  their 
primary  purpose  and  service  to  specific  communities  as  their  second¬ 
ary  purpose.  Examples  of  the  above  are  found  in  the  detailed 
lists  of  studies  completed  and  in  progress  which  follow.  Due  to 
the  lack  of  laboratory  facilities  and  the  expense  of  field  work,  it  is 
probable  that  experimental  studies  of  educational  materials  and 
techniques  will  be  relatively  few.  However,  some  are  reported, 
as  the  experimental  use  of  the  height-weight  record,  and  the  dis¬ 
covery  of  children’s  out-of -school  activities  as  a  factor  in  curriculum 
development. 

Approximately  80  manuscripts  which  were  submitted  for  publica¬ 
tion  by  the  Office  of  Education  were  handled  by  the  staff  during  the 
past  year.  Some  of  these  were  forwarded  for  review  by  individuals 
outside  the  office.  These  dealt  with  a  variety  of  phases  and  specific 
examples  of  educational  work.  They  included  such  topics  as  the 
county  superintendency,  the  municipal  university,  the  constitutional 
basis  of  public-school  education,  education  in  the  Virgin  Islands, 
and  the  education  of  Mexican  children  in  American  schools.  These 
manuscripts  were  critically  reviewed  as  to  their  suitableness  for  pub¬ 
lication  by  this  office.  Some  of  these  dealing  with  educational  prob¬ 
lems  of  national  interest  or  local  or  sectional  problems  that  have  an 
implication  for  many  other  sections  of  the  country  have  been 
accepted  for  publication. 

Besides  that  phase  of  the  work  of  collecting  and  disseminating 
information  on  education  as  represented  in  the  printed  publications 
of  the  office,  there  are  issued  from  time  to  time  circulars  of  informa¬ 
tion,  mimeographed  summaries,  and  bibliographies  or  reviews  of 
new  materials  on  important  phases  of  education  resulting  from  some- 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  19  3  0-31 


17 


what  less  extensive  investigations  than  those  usually  reported  in 
printed  documents.  Examples  of  this  phase  of  the  division’s  work 
are  the  following:  Bibliography  on  Nursery  Education,  Circular  No. 
32;  Electrical  Engineering  as  a  Career,  Circular  No.  25;  State  Su¬ 
preme  Court  Decisions  Relating  to  Excusing  Pupils  to  Receive 
Religious  Instruction,  Summary;  What  the  States  are  Doing  for 
Exceptional  Children,  Circular  No.  29. 

The  following  studies  have  been  reported  by  the  several  divisions 
for  the  past  year : 


HYGIENE  AND  HEALTH  EDUCATION 

JAMES  FREDERICK  ROGERS,  M.  D..  Consultant 

In  addition  to  the  consultative  service  rendered  to  specialists  in 
the  other  divisions  in  the  pursuance  of  studies  involving  child-health 
problems  and  to  individuals  and  organizations  in  the  field  who  ask 
for  advice  or  information,  the  specialist  in  this  field  conducts  studies 
in  the  field  of  hygiene  of  the  school  child,  health  education,  remedial 
measures  for  physically  handicapped  children,  covering  a  wide  range 
of  subjects. 

/ Studies  completed. —  (1)  Speech  defects  in  school  children.  The 
nature,  causes,  and  frequency  of  speech  defects  were  studied,  to¬ 
gether  with  what  is  now  done  for  the  speech-defective  school  child 
by  local  schools  and  by  State  departments  of  education.  First-hand 
observation  of  the  training  of  speech  defectives  was  also  made.  The  - 
results  of  the  study  appeared  in  Bulletin,  1931,  No.  7,  “  The  Speech- 
Defective  School  Child :  What  Our  Schools  are  Doing  for  Him.” 

(2)  Speech  defects  and  their  correction.  This  study  is  a  sequel  to 
the  above,  being  a  detailed  investigation  as  to  the  nature,  origin,  de¬ 
tection,  and  treatment  of  speech  defects.  The  material  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  was  prepared  specifically  to  fill  the  unsupplied  need  of  teachers 
without  special  training  in  the  correction  of  speech  defects,  parents, 
and  the  speech-defective  child  himself. 

(3)  Biennial  survey  of  health  education.  The  results  of  the  more 
notable  studies  bearing  on  the  health  of  the  school  child  which  were 
completed  during  the  past  two  years  were  summarized. 

(4)  An  individual  height- weight  chart.  A  chart  was  devised  on 
which  a  graphic  record  may  be  kept,  throughout  his  school  career,  of 
the  growth  of  the  invidual  child  as  represented  by  triennial  measure¬ 
ments  of  height  and  weight.  In  addition  to  being  of  service  to  school 
officials,  it  is  hoped  that  the  experimental  use  of  this  card  in  a  few 
cooperating  centers  will  yield  fundamental  data  on  the  much-dis¬ 
cussed  problem  of  height-weight  standards. 

(5)  A  chapter  on  Conservation  of  the  Child  was  prepared  for  the 
publication  on  Conservation  in  the  Department  of  the  Interior  to  be 
issued  by  the  department. 

(6)  Revisions  were  made  of  our  publications  on  Child  Health  Pro¬ 
grams  for  Parent-Teacher  Associations  and  on  Athletic  Badge  Tests 
for  Boys  and  Girls. 

Studies  in  progress. —  (1)  The  physique  and  carriage  of  the  school 
child.  Investigations  concerning  the  effect  or  noneffect  of  school 
conditions,  passive  and  active,  on  the  physical  development  and  on 
the  habitual  postures  of  the  child,  and  a  study  of  the  essential  factors 
in  body  carriage. 


18  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

(2)  Mind-body  relations.  A  study  of  the  relation  of  physical 
development  as  usually  measured,  physical  defects  and  diseases,  and 
of  physical  activities  to  mental  ability  as  measured  by  school  marks, 
school  progress,  and  by  intelligence  and  other  mental  tests. 

(3)  A  self -survey  for  schools.  Forms  are  being  prepared  which 
should  be  helpful  to  school  authorities  in  studying  the  conditions  in 
their  schools  affecting  the  health  and  safety  of  the  children.  This 
will  cover  fire  protection,  ventilation,  lighting,  washing  facilities, 
health  examinations,  health  education,  etc. 

GUIDANCE  AND  INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION 

MARIS  M.  PROFFITT,  Consultant 

To  the  specialist  in  guidance  and  industrial  education  is  assigned 
the  responsibility  of  conducting  studies  and  investigations  and  of 
giving  informational  and  advisory  services  in  all  phases  of  indus¬ 
trial  education  and  of  guidance  to  schools,  organizations,  and  indi¬ 
viduals  interested  in  the  promotion  and  development  of  guidance 
programs. 

Studies  completed. —  (1)  Industrial  education  in  Buffalo.  This 
manuscript  on  the  industrial  education  program  of  the  Buffalo  public 
schools  was  prepared  from  materials  collected  for  the  survey  of  the 
schools  of  that  city  and  was  published  as  a  pamphlet  of  the  Office 
of  Education. 

(2)  Biennial  survey  of  industrial  education.  This  study  included 
the  collection  and  compilation  of  information  on  various  phases 
of  industrial  education  and  vocational  guidance  throughout  the 
United  States. 

(3)  Study  of  school  systems  for  comparative  data.  By  means  of 
field  trips  information  was  collected  from  three  cities  of  comparable 
size.  The  items  included  industrial  programs,  special  classes,  en¬ 
rollments  by  curricula,  school  census,  methods  of  financing  school 
costs,  methods  of  keeping  financial  accounts,  and  the  proportion  of 
local  revenue  used  for  school  purposes.  A  report  of  this  material 
is  available  for  use  in  the  Office  of  Education. 

(4)  List  of  colleges  offering  courses  in  guidance.  In  order  to  meet 
the  numerous  requests  coming  to  the  Office  of  Education  for  informa¬ 
tion  as  to  colleges  offering  courses  in  the  general  field  of  guidance,  a 
list  of  30  colleges  and  universities  offering  courses  in  educational 
and  vocational  guidance  was  compiled  by  geographic  regions  and 
issued  in  mimeographed  form. 

(5)  Bibliography  on  guidance.  In  cooperation  with  the  library 
division  a  highly  selected,  annotated  bibliography  of  approximately 
75  references  was  compiled  on  educational  and  vocational  guidance 
for  issuance  in  printed  form. 

Studies  in  progress. —  (1)  Information  on  the  guidance  work  car¬ 
ried  on  in  a  large  number  of  public-school  systems  is  in  process  of 
collection,  to  be  compiled  as  a  report  showing  present  practice. 

(2)  Bibliography  of  books  and  materials  suitable  for  use  in  occu¬ 
pational  information  courses  and  for  general  reading  in  industrial 
schools  and  classes. 

(3)  Case  studies  of  intermediate-grade  pupils.  This  is  a  part  of 
a  larger  study  of  intermediate-grade  pupils.  An  outline  is  in  prepa- 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  19  3  0-31  19 

ration  for  the  collection  of  information  relative  to  school  success 
and  physical,  mental,  and  social_  characteristics. 

(4)  A  seli-survey  for  schools  of  their  guidance  programs.  This 
is  one  of  the  series  of  survey-forms  which  it  is  hoped  will  be  of 
service  to  school  officials  in  studying  their  own  school  systems. 

DIVISION  OF  AMERICAN  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS 

W.  S.  DEFFENBAUGH,  Chief 

The  general  function  of  the  division  of  American  school  systems 
is  to  collect  and  compile  information  and  prepare  publications  re¬ 
garding  elementary  and  secondary  education  in  the  United  States. 
Studies  are  made  of  State  and  local  school  administration  and  super¬ 
vision*  school  finance;  school  legislation;  nursery  schools;  kinder¬ 
garten-elementary  and  secondary-school  organization,  curricula, 
methods  of  instruction;  and  other  phases  of  American  elementary 
and  secondary  education. 

Studies  completed. — Within  the  year  three  chapters  for  the  Com¬ 
missioner’s  Biennial  Survey  were  prepared  by  members  of  the  divi¬ 
sion,  and  one  on  elementary  education  was  prepared  in  collaboration 
with  the  assistant  commissioner.  The  chapters  are : 

(1)  Administration  and  Finance.  This  chapter  shows  in  Sec¬ 
tion  I  trends  in  the  administrative  organization  of  State  and  local 
school  systems;  and  in  Section  II  the  trends  in  methods  of  raising 
State  and  local  revenue  for  the  public  schools  and  of  distributing 
revenue  from  State  sources. 

(2)  Educational  Legislation,  1928-1930.  This  is  a  summary  of 
outstanding  legislation  within  the  biennium  on  school  support,  the 
county  unit,  teacher  training,  and  other  important  subjects  receiv¬ 
ing  legislative  action. 

(3)  Elementary  Education.  Treats  of  movements  relating  to 
organization,  the  curriculum,  progress  of  pupils,  supervision  of 
instruction,  instructional  materials,  and  research  and  investigation. 

(4)  Secondary  Education.  This  chapter  deals  with  the  extent  of 
and  trends  in  the  reorganization  of  secondary  schools;  junior  col¬ 
leges  ;  private  secondary  education ;  the  curriculum ;  articulation ;  the 
projects  of  the  national  survey  of  secondary  education. 

The  other  studies  completed  during  the  year  were : 

(5)  Kindergarten-Elementary  Grade  Report  Cards.  An  analysis 
of  628  report  cards  was  made  to  show  correlation  of  subject  matter, 
recognition  of  individual  differences,  behavior  development,  achieve¬ 
ment  tests,  extra-curricular  activities,  cooperation  of  school  and 
home. 

(6)  How  Boys  and  Girls  Can  Help  in  the  Drought  Emergency. 
This  pamphlet,  for  the  use  of  children  in  the  elementary  schools, 
was  prepared  in  cooperation  with  the  Americafi  Red  Cross  at  the 
request  of  the  National  Drought  Relief  Committee. 

Studies  in  progress. —  (1)  Digest  of  1931  educational  legislation 
in  each  of  the  States  in  which  such  legislation  was  enacted  at  the 
1931  session  of  the  State  legislatures. 

(2)  An  analysis  of  legal  and  other  regulatory  provisions  affect¬ 
ing  secondary  schools  in  each  of  the  States  is  being  made  as  a  part 
of  the  secondary-school  survey. 


20 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


(3)  A  study  to  discover  the  interests  and  activities  of  children 
that  are  basic  to  the  development  of  the  elementary-school  curricu¬ 
lum.  Children  of  normal  and  superior  intelligence  living  in  con¬ 
trasting  types  of  environment  are  being  interviewed  and  given 
specific  tests  to  obtain  data  relative  to  their  interests.  These  data 
will  be  analyzed  with  reference  to  difference  in  environmental  fac¬ 
tors,  levels  of  intelligence,  and  any  individual  difference  that  may 
be  evident. 

(4)  How  to  make  a  course  of  study  in  nature  study  and  general 
science.  This  study  includes  (a)  brief  summaries  of  research  studies 
that  may  contribute  to  the  determination  of  objectives,  principles  of 
procedure,  as  criteria  for  the  selection  and  organization  of  subject 
matter  in  general  science;  (b)  sample  units  of  content  or  of  educa¬ 
tional  activities  and  related  techniques  of  teaching;  and  (<?)  source 
material  useful  to  curriculum  committees  and  teachers. 

(5)  How  teachers  are  selected.  This  study  has  two  major  pur¬ 
poses:  (a)  To  determine  the  status  of  current  practices  in  the  selec¬ 
tion  and  appointment  of  teachers;  (b)  to  identify  and  study  inten¬ 
sively  those  public  schools  where  the  procedures  followed  in  selecting 
and  appointing  teachers  are  unusual  and  innovating.  A  summary  of 
preliminary  findings  was  published  in  the  February  issue  of  School 
Life,  1931. 

(6)  Out-of-school  activities  of  pupils  in  grades  4,  5,  and  6.  This 
study  is  being  made  in  cooperation  with  several  of  the  city  school 
research  bureaus  and  will  endeavor  to  show  in  what  activities  inter¬ 
mediate-grade  pupils  engage  outside  of  school,  such  as  games  played, 
work  done,  books  and  papers  read. 

(T)  Outline  for  self -survey.  This  is  a  section  on  school  adminis¬ 
tration  of  an  outline  being  prepared  for  the  use  of  school  superin¬ 
tendents  who  may  want  suggestions  regarding  school  administration 
when  surveying  their  respective  school  systems. 

(8)  School  administrative  units  with  special  reference  to  the 
county  unit.  Classifies  and  briefty  describes  school  districts  in  the 
United  States.  Contains  information  regarding  powers  and  duties 
of  county  boards  of  education  and  local  school  trustees. 

DIVISION  OF  COLLEGIATE  AND  PROFESSIONAL  EDUCATION 

FREDERICK  J.  KELLY,  Chief 

Two  duties  which  are  placed  by  statute  upon  the  Office  of  Educa¬ 
tion  are  assigned  to  this  division:  (1)  The  administration  of  the 
funds  accruing  from  the  land  grants  under  the  Morrill  Act  of  1862 ; 
(2)  on  the  basis  of  an  inspection,  the  making  of  an  annual  report  to 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and  to  Congress  of  the  work  of  Howard 
University.  In  addition  to  these  two  legally  defined  functions,  the 
work  of  the  division  conforms  from  year  to  year  to  the  types  of 
studies  which  hold  most  promise  of  serving  the  needs  of  universities, 
colleges,  and  professional  schools,  including  normal  schools  and 
junior  colleges. 

Studies  completed. —  (1)  Study  of  scholarships  and  fellowships 
available  at  institutions  of  higher  learning  in  the  United  States. 
This  is  the  most  comprehensive  study  that  has  ever  been  undertaken 
by  any  agency  on  this  subject  and  is  of  manifest  interest  to  both 
educators  and  college  students.  The  study  is  now  being  published. 


ACTIVITIES  DURIXG  19  30-31 


21 


(2)  A  supplement  to  the  1930  bulletin  on  “Accredited  Higher 
Institutions  ”  was  issued  in  order  that  information  on  accredited 
higher  institutions  might  be  brought  up  to  date. 

(3)  A  report  to  the  board  of  trustees  of  Howard  University  and 
to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  on  “A  Program  of  Development 
of  Howard  University  from  1931-32  to  1940-41  ”  was  prepared  and 
made  available  to  those  interested. 

(4)  Three  chapters  for  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  were 
prepared  by  this  division,  one  on  The  Professional  Education  of 
Teachers,  one  on  College  and  University  Education,  and  one  on 
National  Surveys  of  the  Office  of  Education. 

(5)  Career  leaflets  offering  vocational  and  educational  guidance 
material  on  the  following  subjects  have  been  prepared,  some  of  which 
are  already  in  print:  Law,  medicine,  dentistry,  journalism,  librarian- 
ship,  architecture,  civil  engineering,  electrical  engineering,  mechan¬ 
ical  engineering,  pharmacy,  nursing,  and  forestry.  These  leaflets 
answer  specific  questions  which  high-school  graduates  and  college 
students  ask  concerning  vocations. 

(6)  Leaflet  on  Federal  Laws  and  Rulings  Affecting  Land-Grant 
Colleges.  This  is  a  summary  of  material  in  great  demand. 

(7)  The  annual  report  of  statistics  of  land-grant  colleges  and 
universities.  This  is  a  section  of  the  Biennial  Survey  chapter  on 
Statistics  of  Universities,  Colleges,  and  Professional  Schools. 

(8)  Report  of  the  annual  inspection  of  the  work  in  the  several 
divisions  of  Howard  University.  This  is  a  full  and  detailed  report 
of  various  phases  of  the  institution’s  progress. 

Studies  in  'progress. — It  is  the  intention  of  the  office  to  make  use 
of  much  valuable  information  collected  through  the  national  surveys 
but  not  reported  in  full  by  them.  Two  studies  now  in  progress  will 
report  data  secured  in  the  survey  of  land-grant  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities  : 

(1)  Faculty  inbreeding  in  land-grant  universities  and  colleges. 

(2)  Salaries  of  staff  members  of  land-grant  universities. 

Other  studies  in  progress  in  this  division  follow : 

(3)  Career  leaflets  on  the  following  subjects:  Art,  accountancy, 
advertising,  Army  and  Navy,  aeronautics,  agriculture,  banking,  com¬ 
merce,  drama,  chemical  and  general  engineering,  foreign  service, 
geology,  Government  service,  home  economics,  insurance,  manufac¬ 
turing,  optometry,  real  estate,  social  work,  teaching,  theology,  veter¬ 
inary  medicine,  and  music. 

(4)  Loan  funds  for  college  students.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this 
study  to  make  known  the  various  loan  agencies  and  funds  which  are 
available  to  boys  and  girls  for  the  purpose  of  borrowing  money 
with  which  to  go  to  college. 

(5)  Novel  features  of  college  and  university  summer  sessions. 
Those  unusual  summer-session  opportunities  will  be  reported  which 
may  be  of  service  to  deans  and  directors  interested  in  similar  service. 

DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  PROBLEMS 

MRS.  KATHERINE  M.  COOK.  Chief 

The  division  of  special  problems  was  organized  in  recognition 
of  the  fact  that  the  effort  of  our  schools  to  provide  equality  oi 
educational  opportunity  “  to  all  the  children  of  all  the  people  ”  neces- 


22  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

sarily  brings  into  being  special  problems  in  dealing  with  certain 
groups  which  have  not  readily  fitted  into  our  regular  educational 
scheme  of  things,  and  which  are  of  such  urgent  importance  as  to 
deserve  special  attention.  A  good  beginning  has  been  made  during 
the  year  in  recruiting  a  staff  capable  of  investigating  these  special 
problems  and  in  lending  assistance  to  agencies  working  or  interested 
in  these  special  fields. 

Studies  completed. —  (1)  Supervision  and  Rural  School  Improve¬ 
ment.  This  study  gives  information  on  the  present  status  of  super¬ 
vision  in  rural  schools,  the  work  of  rural  supervisors,  and  the  results 
obtained  from  supervision. 

(2)  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  of  Exceptional  Children.  This 
publication  presents  a  general  survey  of  the  progress  schools  have 
made  in  the  education  of  exceptional  children,  both  mentally  and 
physically.  It  includes  information  on  State,  city,  and  county  pro¬ 
visions  for  exceptional  children  and  on  the  training  of  teachers  in 
the  instruction  of  this  class  of  pupils. 

(3)  Biennial  Survey  of  the  Education  of  Indigenous  Peoples  and 
Minority  Groups.  This  study  includes  sections  on  the  education 
of  Negroes,  the  education  of  Alaskan  natives,  and  on  education  in 
Hawaii,  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  in  Porto  Rico,  and  in  other 
Territories  of  the  United  States. 

(4)  Plans  of  four  States  for  the  development  of  rural  school 
instruction.  The  States  included  in  this  study  are  Minnesota,  Mis¬ 
souri,  North  Dakota,  and  Idaho.  For  each  State  a  considerable 
amount  of  detailed  information  is  given  relative  to  the  historical 
development  of  educational  programs  in  the  rural  schools,  present 
practice  in  regard  to  administration  and  instruction,  and  daily 
programs. 

(5)  Three  bibliographies  on  specific  subjects  have  been  issued: 
Status  and  Professional  Preparation  of  Teachers  in  Rural  Schools, 
Supervision  of  Instruction  in  Rural  Schools,  and  Education  and 
Psychology  of  Exceptional  Children. 

Studies  in  progress. — Members  of  the  division  of  special  problems 
are  cooperating  with  the  national  surveys  in  making  the  following 
studies:  Characteristics  of  secondary  education  in  high  schools  of 
various  sizes;  preparation  of  teachers  for  the  education  of  excep¬ 
tional  children;  secondary  education  among  Negroes;  teacher  edu¬ 
cation  among  Negroes. 

Other  studies  now  in  progress  in  the  division  include  the  follow¬ 
ing:  Professional  and  salary  status  of  teachers  of  rural  schools; 
educational  facilities  available  for  the  preparation  of  teachers  of 
exceptional  children;  problems  which  parents  of  exceptional  chil¬ 
dren  have  to  meet;  a  survey  of  the  background  factors  of  Negro 
college  students;  the  status  of  elementary  education  in  selected 
counties  which  enjoy  the  benefits  of  Jeanes  supervisors;  a  bibliogra¬ 
phy  of  publications  appearing  in  1928-1930  on  Negro  education. 

DIVISION  OF  FOREIGN  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS 

DR.  J.  F.  ABEL.  Chief 

The  general  purpose  of  this  division  is  to  gather  data  about  edu¬ 
cation  in  foreign  countries  and  to  make  it  available  to  the  people 
in  the  United  States.  Its  study  of  educational  practices  in  other 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  1930-31 


23 


countries,  especially  as  these  countries  attack  new  problems  which 
have  very  great  significance  for  education  in  this  country,  results 
in  various  sorts  of  publications  and  in  service  to  many  educational 
agencies. 

During  the  year  four  circulars  were  prepared  to  help  college  and 
university  registrars  evaluate  foreign  school  credentials:  A  bibli¬ 
ography  of  material  for  evaluating  foreign  credentials;  Secondary 
schools  in  Poland;  Information  about  the  certificates  issued  by  the 
Scottish  Education  Department;  and  Education  in  France,  including 
a  chart  showing  the  organization  of  instruction. 

A  comprehensive  study  of  the  national  administration  of  educa¬ 
tion,  primary  and  secondary  education,  higher  education,  and  techni¬ 
cal  and  agricultural  education  in  Belgium  has  been  made  by  the 
chief  of  the  division  following  his  field  study  of  educational  condi¬ 
tions  in  that  country  during  the  past  year. 

Three  publications,  the  manuscripts  of  which  were  arranged  in 
1929-30,  were  brought  from  the  press:  National  Ministries  of  Edu¬ 
cation;  Secondary  Education  in  Norway;  and  A  Graphic  Presenta¬ 
tion  of  Statistics  on  Illiteracy  by  Age  Groups. 

DIVISION  OF  STATISTICS 

E.  M.  FOSTER.  Chief 

The  statistical  division  has  responsibility  for  collecting  and  com¬ 
piling  for  publication  statistical  data  for  both  public  and  private 
education  in  the  United  States.  Data  which  are  collected  periodi¬ 
cally  are  included  in  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education.  Special 
statistical  studies  are  published  as  separate  bulletins  only.  On 
request  the  division  criticises  statistical  forms  and  supplies  informa¬ 
tion  to  individuals  by  mail  or  through  personal  conferences. 

Studies  completed. — (1)  Statistics  of  Public,  Society,  and  School 
Libraries,  1929.  Data  cover  10,937  libraries  of  1,000  volumes  or 
more.  (2)  Expenditures  in  Publicly  Controlled  Universities,  Col¬ 
leges,  and  Professional  Schools,  1927-28.  (3)  Per  Capita  Costs  in 

City  Schools,  1929-30.  This  gives  data  per  pupil  in  average  daily 
attendance  for  a  selected  group  of  cities.  (4)  Statistics  of  the  Negro 
Pace,  1927-28.  This  study  gathers  together  all  the  statistics  of 
negro  education  from  the  various  publications  of  the  office.  (5)  Edu¬ 
cational  Directory,  1931,  Parts  I  and  II.  This  includes  State, 
county;  and  city  superintendents  and  heads  of  institutions  for  higher 
education. 

Studies  in  progress. —  (1)  Statistical  chapters  of  the  Biennial  Sur¬ 
vey  of  Education,  1928-1930:  State  school  systems;  city  school  sys¬ 
tems;  universities, colleges,  and  professional  schools;  teachers  colleges 
and  normal  schools;  public  high  schools;  private  high  schools.  (2) 
Statistical  chapters  of  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  for  1930- 
1932 :  Schools  for  the  deaf ;  schools  for  the  blind ;  schools  for  feeble¬ 
minded  and  backward  children;  schools  for  delinquents;  nurse-train¬ 
ing  schools.  (3)  Statistics  for  teachers  colleges  and  normal  schools 
for  1930-31  are  being  collected  to  supply  current  data  for  the 
National  Survey  of  the  Training  of  Teachers.  (4)  Statistics  are 
being  collected  from  approximately  10,000  private  elementary  schools. 
This  has  not  been  done  heretofore.  (5)  Expenditures  are  being  tabu¬ 
lated  for  about  1,000  colleges,  universities,  and  professional  schools 


24 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


for  1929-30.  (6)  A  study  is  nearing  completion  on  the  age-grade 

progress  distributions  of  about  128,000  pupils  in  56  elementary 
schools  in  35  States. 


SERVICE  DIVISION 

L.  R.  ALDERMAN,  Chief 

In  addition  to  their  many  responsibilities  in  various  phases  of 
service  to  educational  organizations  and  institutions,  the  members  of 
this  division  engage  in  research  in  their  respective  fields. 

Studies  completed 

Adult  education. —  (1)  A  study  entitled  “  Biennial  Survey  of  Edu¬ 
cation  in  the  United  States,  1928-1930,  Adult  Education.”  The  study 
has  to  do  with  evening-school  attendance,  the  importance  of  evening 
schools  for  adults  who  need  adjustment  to  new  conditions  of  employ¬ 
ment  and  for  young  people  who  are  employed  during  the  daytime.. 
The  study  shows  tendencies  in  adult  education  and  attempts  to  show 
the  importance  of  evening  schools  as  a  necessary  part  of  the  Amer¬ 
ican  public-school  system. 

Home  education. —  (1)  A  study  of  the  progress  of  parent  education 
during  the  years  1928  to  1930.  The  bulletin  resulting  from  this  study 
contains  a  brief  discussion  of  the  growth  and  significance  of  the 
parent  education  movement;  how  growth  has  depended  upon  finan¬ 
cial  support  of  a  foundation;  the  organization  of  a  National  Council 
of  Parent  Education  and  the  nature  of  its  membership;  the  White 
House  Conference  on  Child  Health  and  Protection  and  its  commit¬ 
tees;  parent  education  in  colleges  and  universities,  public  schools- 
and  State  departments  of  education.  A  survey  of  the  progress  of 
organizations  in  which  parent  education  projects  are  conducted  is 
also  included. 

Commercial  education. —  (1)  A  study  of  commercial  education  for 
the  biennium  1928-1930.  This  presents  an  analysis  of  present  trends 
and  problems  in  commercial  education,  including  enrollments,  re¬ 
search  in  curriculum,  and  a  statement  of  the  chief  problems  now 
pertaining  to  business  education. 

Many  minor  investigations  were  engaged  in  for  the  preparation 
of  material  of  service  to  people  in  this  field.  In  certain  cases  these 
investigations  resulted  in  bibliographies  or  circulars  of  material,, 
such  as  material  for  libraries  of  commercial  teacher-training  in¬ 
stitutions,  junior  colleges  that  offer  courses  in  business  subjects,,, 
state-wide  surveys  of  commercial  education,  etc. 

Elementary -school  projects. —  (1)  A  study  of  material  for  the 
preparation  of  a  circular  on  Children’s  Preferences  in  Radio- 
Programs. 

(2)  An  exercise  in  pageant  form  for  elementary  teachers  and 
pupils  on  Childhood  Days  in  Washington’s  Time. 

Home-economics  education. —  (1)  In  cooperation  with  the  White- 
House  Conference  on  Child  Health  and  Protection,,  studies  con¬ 
cerning:  (a)  The  contribution  of  home  economies  to  the  health  of 
the  school  child;  (b)  home  management  and  equipment;  ( c )  educa¬ 
tion  for  home  and  family  life  at  the  elementary  and  secondary* 
school  levels. 


/ 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  1930-31 


25 


(2)  A  chapter  on  homemaking  education  for  the  Biennial  Survey 
of  Education,  1928-1930.  This  study  was  concerned  with  the  newer 
interpretations  of  home  economics,  child  care  and  training  courses, 
expansion  of  home  economics  in  our  public  schools,  present  practices, 
family  relationships  and  social  adjustments,  and  home  economics 
in  parent  education. 

Physical  education. —  (1)  Professional  courses  in  physical  educa¬ 
tion  for  teachers.  This  was  a  study  of  the  professional  courses  in 
physical  education  for  teachers,  offered  in  practically  all  of  the 
institutions  of  higher  education  in  the  United  States. 

(2)  Requirements  by  State  departments  of  education  for  teachers 
and  supervisors  of  physical  education  in  the  grade  and  high  schools. 
Recently  there  has  been  considerable  interest  regarding  not  only 
the  qualifications  of  teachers  of  physical  education  out  also  of  teach¬ 
ers  of  health  education.  This  study  summarizes  the  progress  made 
in  strengthening  the  requirements  for  teachers  of  physical  education. 

(3)  A  special  chapter,  Health  and  the  Rural  School,  which  was 
a  review  of  recent  research  and  present  conditions  regarding  the 
need  and  value  of  a  program  of  health  (including  recreation)  for 
rural  schools,  was  printed  in  Special  Problems  in  Education  of 
Rural  Children,  a  bulletin  published  by  the  department  of  rural 
education  of  the  National  Education  Association. 

(4)  A  report  regarding  recreation  and  physical  education  was 
prepared  for  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1928-1930. 

Radio  education. —  (1)  A  study  of  education  by  radio  during  the 
biennium  1928-1930.  This  was  entitled  “  Radio  and  Education  ” 
and  was  published  as  a  chapter  of  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education. 

School  building  problems. —  (See  Report  on  National  Advisory 
Council  on  School  Building  Problems  in  Section  II,  Coordination 
of  Research  Activities.) 

Studies  in  progress 

Adult  education. —  (1)  A  study  of  how  inmates  of  Federal  and 
State  prisons  may  best  be  trained  for  specific  jobs. 

(2)  A  study  to  determine  the  most  effective  State  and  district 
organizations  for  promoting  functional  literacy. 

(3)  A  study  of  what  State  and  community  programs  are  the  most 
effective  in  interesting  boys  and  girls  who,  for  any  reason,  have  dis¬ 
continued  attendance  at  the  day  schools. 

Home  education. —  (1)  Continued  appraisal  of  the  various  aspects 
of  the  parent-education  movement  and  of  the  progress  of  the  parent- 
teacher  movement. 

(2)  A  study  of  literature  on  social  and  economic  changes  affecting 
home  and  family,  in  preparation  of  a  reading  course;  a  study  of 
books  of  fiction  which  interpret  child  life,  in  preparation  of  reading 
course. 

(3)  A  study  of  data  on  the  place  of  the  elementary  school  prin¬ 
cipal  in  the  parent-teacher  movement,  for  use  in  a  section  for  the 
Eleventh  Yearbook  of  tire  Department  of  Elementary  School  Prin¬ 
cipals,  National  Education  Association. 

(4)  A  circular  showing  the  courses  offered  on  parent  education  in 
summer  schools  of  colleges  and  universities. 


26 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Commercial  education. —  (1)  A  study  of  commercial-teacher -train¬ 
ing  curricula  in  the  different  types  of  institutions.  This  study  per¬ 
tains  to  entrance  and  graduation  requirements,  the  organization  and 
length  of  the  curricula,  provisions  for  obtaining  supervised  business 
experience,  the  extent  of  the  offerings  in  the  principles  and  supervi¬ 
sion  of  commercial  education,  subject  matter  and  methods  courses, 
directed  teaching,  and  other  pertinent  factors. 

(2)  A  study  of  business  education  in  the  junior  colleges  listed  in 
Office  of  Education  Bulletin  1931,  No.  1.  This  study  pertains  to  the 
objectives,  organization,  present  practices  and  extefft  of  offerings  in 
business  subjects  in  the  junior  colleges. 

•  (3)  A  study  of  the  standards  of  achievement  in  shorthand  and 
typewriting.  The  purpose  of  this  study  is  to  gather  data  regarding 
various  practices  in  the  grading  of  test  papers,  sources  from  which 
test  material  is  obtained,  length  of  tests,  nature  and  difficulty  of  test 
material,  and  speed  and  accuracy  requirements. 

Elementary  school  projects. —  (1)  A  study  of  material  for  the  prep¬ 
aration  of  two  bulletins  on  curriculum  building;  (a)  As  a  guide  to 
the  construction  of  curricula  on  character  education;  (b)  as  a  guide 
to  the  construction  of  curricula  on  narcotic  education. 

(2)  A  study  of  material  in  the  preparation  of  a  bulletin  on  con¬ 
servation  of  animal  life  in  Alaska. 

(3)  A  bulletin  on  curriculum  building  as  a  guide  to  the  construc¬ 
tion  of  curricula  in  safety  education  for  the  use  of  school  adminis¬ 
trators. 

(4)  A  bibliography  of  helps  for  schools  in  celebrating  the  George 
Washington  Bicentennial. 

Home-economics  education. — In  cooperation  with  committees  ap¬ 
pointed  during  the  conferences  on  home-making,  the  following  studies 
are  in  progress:  (1)  The  criteria  for  evaluating  home-economics  ad¬ 
ministration  regarding  the  following  relationships:  Professional, 
teachers,  curriculum,  equipment  and  supplies,  school  patrons,  and 
vocational  guidance;  (2)  the  minimum  essentials  of  the  home-eco¬ 
nomics  curriculum  to  meet  present-day  needs;  (3)  criteria  by  which 
the  accomplishments  of  home-economics  teaching  can  be  measured 
by  standardized  tests  and  rating  scales;  (4)  outside  activities  of 
students  of  home  economics  as  compared  with  those  who  have  had 
no  home-economics  training;  (5)  criteria  by  which  a  superintendent 
or  principal  of  schools  may  judge  the  educational  effectiveness  of  the 
home-economics  department;  (6)  available  curriculum  materials  con¬ 
cerned  with  attitudes  and  responsibilities  of  home  makers  under  pres¬ 
ent  conditions  of  living;  (7)  major  differences  between  home-eco¬ 
nomics  practices  and  the  needs  of  home  makers  as  shown  by  these 
research  studies;  (8)  changes  in  the  present  home-economics  prac¬ 
tices  on  the  elementary  and  secondary  school  levels  which  might  be 
made  to  the  advantage  of  school  boys  and  girls;  (9)  the  organiza¬ 
tion  of  home-economics  content  into  large  units  of  closely  related 
functioning  materials;  (10)  the  effectiveness  of  home-economics  ma¬ 
terials  in  meeting  the  changing  interests  of  adolescent  girls;  (11) 
progressively  difficult  levels  for  the  home-economics  curriculum;  (12) 
the  history  of  home  economics  in  the  United  States;  (13)  newer  in¬ 
terpretations  of  home  economics;  (14)  next  steps  in  home-making 
education;  (15)  goals  for  the  American  home;  (16)  curriculum  ma- 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  1930-81  27 

terials  for  home  and  family  life  based  on  scientific  knowledges  in 
the  field  of  biology. 

Physical  education. —  (1)  A  study  of  the  status  of  physical  educa¬ 
tion,  health  education,  and  hygiene  as  required  subjects  of  all  teacher¬ 
training  curricula  given  by  normal  schools,  teachers  colleges,  and 
departments  of  education  in  colleges  and  universities. 

(2)  A  detailed  analysis  of  the  requirements  regarding  physical 
education,  as  set  forth  in  the  catalogues  of  about  900  institutions 
offering  teacher-training  curricula,  was  supplemented  by  question¬ 
naires  and  letters  regarding  various  phases  of  the  work. 

Radio  education. — (1)  A  study  of  the  activities  of  educational 
broadcasting  stations. 

(2)  A  compilation  of  data  pertaining  to  the  use  of  radio  in  the 
schools,  colleges,  and  universities,  and  in  informal  education. 

(3)  A  study  of  the  use  of  radio  in  education  in  foreign  countries, 
which  will  bring  up  to  date  similar  information  gathered  by  the 
advisory  committee  on  education  by  radio  in  1929,  The  United 
States  Department  of  State  is  assisting  the  Office  of  Education  as 
it  did  the  advisory  committee  by  gathering  information  through  the 
offices  of  the  United  States  consuls. 

(4)  A  study  of  experiments,  researches,  evaluations  by  educators, 
programs,  and  other  material  on  education  by  radio. 

School  building  'problems. —  (See  Report  ox  the  National  Advisory 
Council  on  School  Building  Problems  in  Section  2,  Coordination  of 
Research  Activities.) 

EDITORIAL  DIVISION 

W.  D.  BOUTWELL,  Chief 

Responsibility  for  diffusion  of  “  statistics  and  facts  as  shall  show 
the  condition  and  progress  of  education  ”  is  a  function  of  the  Office 
of  Education  which  falls  directly  on  the  editorial  division. 

In  the  past  year  “  statistics  and  facts  ”  have  been  diffused  through 
the  distribution  of  562,100  free  copies  of  90  publications  and  through 
the  distribution  of  600,000  copies  through  the  Superintendent  of 
Documents,  Government  Printing  Office. 

Following  is  a  record  of  the  number  of  publications  edited,  proof¬ 
read,  and  distributed  by  the  editorial  division : 


Type  of  publication 

Pages  of 
manuscript 

Pages  of 
proof  read 

Free  copies 
distributed 

Bulletins  (44) _ _ _ 

11, 154 

3,632 

162 

205, 250 

36,  500 
16,000 

37,  500 
266, 850 

Pamphlets  (8) _ _ _  _ _ 

222 

Leaflets  (5) . . . 

65 

73 

Reading  courses  (7) _ _ 

44 

43 

Others:  (25)  catalogues,  handbooks,  etc . 

1,573 

521 

Total . . . . . 

13,058 

4, 431 

562, 100 

1 

The  question  arises:  To  whom  shall  the  Office  of  Education  “dif¬ 
fuse  ”  information  collected  ?  If  education  is  accepted  as  beginning 
with  the  cradle  and  ending  with  the  grave  then  some  part  of  this 
information  may  be  important  to  every  citizen  of  the  United  States. 
The  program  ox  diffusion  does  embrace  all  American  citizens.  All 
the  bulletins  of  statistics  and  facts  go  to  universities,  colleges,  teach¬ 
ers  colleges,  State  departments  of  education,  and  major  libraries 


28 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


creating  an  ample  reservoir  for  leaders  and  students  of  education. 
Short  abstracts  and  summaries  go  to  600  local,  State,  and  national 
educational  periodicals  for  dissemination  to  the  800,000  teachers 
and  25,000,000  students.  These  abstracts  for  educational  periodicals 
are  used  by  the  National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers,  maga¬ 
zines,  and  newspapers  so  that  outstanding  facts  and  statistics  are, 
indeed,  diffused  to  the  entire  reading  public  of  the  United  States. 

Office  of  Education  publications  are  sent  free  to  selected  agencies 
and  officials  sych  as  libraries,  State  departments  of  education,  educa¬ 
tional  research  divisions,  superintendents  of  schools,  college  presi¬ 
dents,  and  others.  Keeping  up-to-date  mailing  lists  which  total 
more  than  50,000  addresses  is  one  of  the  duties  of  this  division.  In 
addition  to  sending  publications  on  mailing  lists  this  office  answers 
thousands  of  inquiries  from  teachers,  parents,  and  school  admin¬ 
istrators.  During  the  past  year  40,566  letters  were  received  and 
answered.  Hundreds  of  these  requests  were  forwarded  to  us  by 
members  of  Congress. 

Following  are  improvements  inaugurated  in  diffusing  educational 
data  during  the  past  year: 

(1)  Speeding  up  the  Educational  Directory. — No  publication  of 
the  Office  of  Education  is  more  eagerly  sought  than  the  annual 
Educational  Directory  which  lists  15,000  names  and  addresses  of 
American  school  officials.  Two  parts  of  the  directory  containing 
the  majority  of  names  reached  the  public  this  year  on  February  7, 
more  than  three  months  earlier  than  last  year.  The  15,000  names 
were  ehecked  as  of  January  1,  1931. 

(2)  New  catalogue  of  publications. — The  Office  of  Education  has 
annually  published  a  List  of  Publications  Available.  Items  in  it 
were  classified  by  number  and  year.  An  individual  desiring  to  know 
what  publications  the  office  had  on  home  economics,  for  example,  had 
to  search  the  entire  list.  This  year  the  Superintendent  of  Documents 
list  of  Government  publications  on  education,  which  is  classified  by 
subjects,  was  incorporated  in  a  new  and  more  useful  catalogue. 

(3)  Improving  appearance  of  bulletins. — Attention  has  been  given 
during  the  past  year  to  improving  the  appearance  of  Office  of  Edu¬ 
cation  publications.  Attractive  typography  was  a  determining  fac¬ 
tor  in  the  decision  by  one  American  professional  association  to  order 
50,000  copies  of  one  publication. 

(4)  New  handbook  issued. — To  satisfy  the  many  requests  for  in¬ 
formation  on  the  work  of  the  Office  of  Education  a  brief,  concise 
handbook  of  the  duties,  history,  and  recent  publications  of  the  Office 
of  Education  was  written  and  printed.  Summer  sessions  of  teachers 
colleges  requested  3,000  copies  for  distribution  to  student  teachers. 

(5)  Dollar  packets. — The  difficulty  of  sending  small  amounts  of 
money  to  the  Superintendent  of  Documents  has  acted  as  a  barrier  to 
the  distribution  of  Government  publications.  To  circumvent  this 
obstacle  the  Office  of  Education  prepared  and  distributed  nine  dollar 
packet  lists  tabulating  groups  of  bulletins  on  specific  subjects,  such  as 
kindergarten,  primary,  rural  schools,  health,  etc.,  which  could  be 
obtained  by  sending  a  personal  check  for  $1.  The  Superintendent  of 
Documents  reports  that  these  and  other  announcements  of  publica¬ 
tions  have  materially  increased  the  distribution  of  Office  of  Education 
publications. 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  19  3  0-31 


29 


(6)  Service  at  educational  meetings. — Publications  of  the  Mice  of 
Education  were  displayed  at  14  educational  meetings  during  the  past 
year.  At  the  Los  Angeles  meeting  of  the  National  Education  Associ¬ 
ation  alone  more  than  1,000  requests  for  Office  of  Education  publica¬ 
tions  were  received. 

(7)  School  Life. — Information  on  education  collected  by  the  Office 
of  Education  is  given  to  the  educational  world  most  quickly  through 
School  Life,  the  official  monthly  journal  of  the  office,  which  is  dis¬ 
tributed  for  a  fee  of  50  cents  per  annual  subscription.  Requests  for 
School  Life  increased  more  than  1,345  between  January  and  June. 

2.  COORDINATION  OF  RESEARCH  ACTIVITIES 

The  increase  in  number  of  entries  reported  to  this  office  for  inclu¬ 
sion  in  the  annual  bibliography  of  educational  research  (1,540  in 
1926-27 ;  4,475  in  1929-30)  testifies  to  the  enormous  interest  and 
activity  in  the  study  of  educational  problems.  To  encourage  such 
study  and  yet  to  assist  in  avoiding  useless  duplication  of  effort,  the 
staff  of  the  office  has  engaged  in  several  coordinating  activities :  First, 
making  information  available  concerning  studies  on  specific  prob¬ 
lems,  either  completed  or  in  progress;  second,  suggesting  and,  in 
some  cases,  outlining  certain  important  studies  which  it  was  thought 
would  be  of  interest  to  investigators;  third,  working  in  committee, 
either  in  an  advisory  or  participating  capacity,  with  individuals  or 
organizations  interested  in  conducting  a  particular  investigation.  A 
statement  is  presented  to  show  the  cooperative  enterprises  in  which 
members  of  the  staff  have  engaged  during  the  past  year.  They  rep¬ 
resent  varied  amounts  of  responsibility  for  the  direction  of  projects 
or  consultation  with  those  in  charge. 

(1)  With  the  approval  and  very  generous  cooperation  of  the  Re¬ 
ligious  Education  Association,  the  Federal  Council  of  Churches  of 
Christ  in  America,  the  Jewish  Welfare  Board,  and  the  National 
Catholic  Welfare  Conference,  this  office  has  instituted  a  plan  for  the 
issuance  of  an  annual  bibliography  on  religious  education,  including 
reports  representative  of  the  work  done  by  the  various  denomina¬ 
tional  religious  education  agencies.  The  first  of  these  publications 
will  be  issued  early  in  1932. 

(2)  With  the  cooperation  of  the  Office  of  Education  the  Society  of 
Curriculum  Specialists  has  selected  a  committee  of  its  members  to 
secure  and  prepare  for  publication  a  series  of  curriculum  units  in  the 
elementary  field  evaluated  by  members  of  the  society.  This  study 
will  serve  partially  to  summarize  the  deliberations  of  the  last  meeting 
of  the  society. 

(3)  The  Office  of  Education  has  from  time  to  time  been  urged  to 
coordinate  the  reports  of  research  in  education  done  in  graduate 
schools.  The  Bibliography  of  Educational  Research  has  assisted  by 
listing  masters’  and  doctors’  theses  each  year.  Following  out  the 
service  of  listing  the  research  studies,  the  office  has,  with  the  approval 
of  the  deans  of  the  schools  of  education,  requested  the  various  schools 
to  submit  copies  of  the  theses  done  in  completion  of  the  requirement 
for  the  doctorate  for  deposit  in  the  library  of  the  Office  of  Education. 
The  response  has  been  most  generous;  more  than  a  hundred  theses 


30  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

and  abstracts  have  so  far  been  received.  These  are  subject  to  inter- 
library  loan.  A  further  extension  of  this  program  should  result  in 
published  abstracts  of  theses  not  already  available  in  published  form. 

(4)  Continuing  the  program  instituted  by  the  committee  on  coop¬ 
erative  research,  a  series  of  studies  dealing  with  the  educational 
problems  of  intermediate-grade  children  has  been  begun  with  the 
assistance  and  advice  of  various  members  of  the  group. 

(5)  An  economic  and  social  study  of  the  southern  Appalachian 
Highlands  is  in  progress.  The  division  of  special  problems  has 
assumed  responsibility  for  a  general  survey  of  the  educational  oppor¬ 
tunities  obtaining  in  204  counties  within  this  region.  The  findings 
are  to  be  interpreted  in  the  light  of  other  social  and  economic  facts 
investigated  by  various  agencies  of  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture  and  by  representatives  from  the  several  States  in  which 
these  counties  are  located. 

(6)  The  curriculum  commission  of  the  National  Council  of  Teach¬ 
ers  of  English,  which  is  now  engaged  in  a  3-year  program  in  develop¬ 
ing  an  English  curriculum  which  shall  extend  through  the  ele¬ 
mentary,  secondary,  and  higher  education  levels,  has  invited  the 
assistance  of  the  division  of  research  in  the  coordination  of  the 
program  at  the  various  levels. 

(7)  In  connection  with  the  White  House  Conference  on  Child 
Health  and  Protection  a  number  of  the  members  of  the  staff  assisted 
in  the  collection  and  appraisal  of  information,  served  as  members  of 
various  committees,  and  rendered  informational  and  advisory  services 
relative  to  several  phases  of  the  work  of  the  conference. 

(8)  Through  the  engineering  foundation  and  the  American  Tele¬ 
phone  &  Telegraph  Co.  analysis  is  being  undertaken  of  approximately 
25,000  questionnaires  filled  in  by  alumni  and  former  students  during 
the  survey  of  land-grant  colleges  and  universities.  Occupations  and 
earnings  "for  the  former  students  in  relation  to  courses  of  study 
pursued  at  college  are  being  carefully  studied. 

(9)  A  study  of  military  education,  in  cooperation  with  the  research 
organization  on  military  education  established  through  the  New  York 
Community  Trust,  is  under  way. 

(10)  A  study  of  the  aims  and  objectives  of  graduate  education  is 
being  conducted  in  cooperation  with  members  of  the  staff  of  Howard 
University. 

(11)  At  the  request  of  the  State  Department  of  Public  Instruction 
of  Pennsylvania  the  chief  of  the  division  of  American  school  systems 
is  serving  as  the  associate  director  of  a  comprehensive  study  of  the 
schools  of  that  State  undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  planning  a 
10-year  program.  Other  members  of  the  staff  are  acting  as  con¬ 
sultants  in  various  phases  of  the  study. 

(12)  Cooperation  was  continued  with  the  American  Vocational 
Association  in  a  study  of  standards  and  of  pupil  abilities  in  industrial 
arts  courses  in  the  junior  high  school  grades. 

(13)  A  member  of  the  staff  of  Ohio  State  University  was  assisted 
by  the  division  of  special  problems  in  a  study  of  provisions  for  the 
education  of  crippled  children.  The  study  was  published  by  the 
Office  of  Education. 

(14)  A  study  of  the  availability  of  schools  in  rural  communities 
was  made  by  a  committee  of  the  National  Society  for  the  Study  of 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  19  30-31 


31 


Education  and  published  by  that  society  in  its  Thirteenth  Yearbook, 
Part  I,  Chapter  III.  The  chief  of  the  division  of  special  problems 
was  chairman  of  the  committee,  and  other  members  of  the  division 
assisted  in  the  work. 

In  addition  to  these  cooperative  undertakings,  three  members  of 
the  staff  are  now  assigned  to  full-time  service  and  six  ethers  to  part- 
time  service  in  connection  with  the  work  of  the  national  surveys. 

NATIONAL  ADVISORY  COUNCIL  ON  SCHOOL  BUILDING  PROBLEMS 

The  National  Advisory  Council  on  School  Building  Problems  is  an 
example  of  a  type  of  cooperative  undertaking  by  the  Office  of 
Education.  As  is  explained  in  the  following  outline  it  is  made  up 
of  school  building  experts  in  different  regions  of  the  country  with 
whom  the  specialist  through  yearly  local  conferences  organizes  and 
carries  on  research  studies  in  school-building  problems. 

Organization  and  purposes  of  the  council. — The  National  Advisory 
Council  on  School  Building  Problems  was  organized  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Office  of  Education  at  the  request  of  the  State  com¬ 
missioners  of  education  and  State  superintendents  of  public  instruc¬ 
tion,  in  order  to  secure  (1)  comprehensive  data  on  methods  of  solv¬ 
ing  school-building  problems  in  different  parts  of  the  country  and 
other  different  types  of  school  organization;  (2)  expert  analysis  of 
the  data  collected;  and  (3)  constructive  suggestions  in  regard  to 
methods  of  solving  school-building  problems. 

The  council  was  organized  because  the  school-building  problem  has 
become  a  highly  technical  one  which  requires  for  its  solution  the  co¬ 
operative  efforts  of  many  different  types  of  experts — educators, 
school-building  architects,  landscape  architects,  health  specialists,  and 
heating,  ventilating,  lighting,  and  sanitation  experts.  Furthermore, 
school-building  problems  can  not  be  studied  at  long  range.  They 
must  be  studied  in  terms  of  actual  school-building  situations.  In 
other  words,  if  the  Office  of  Education  is  to  serve  as  a  national  clear¬ 
ing  house  on  school-building  problems,  it  is  necessary  to  secure  in¬ 
formation  through  decentralized  geographical  units,  to  mobilize  in 
those  units  the  expert  knowledge  of  those  actually  engaged  in  solving 
school-building  problems?  and  to  carry  on  through  direct  contact  with 
these  regional  units  continuous  research  and  service  on  school-build- 
ing  problems.  The  National  Advisory  Council  on  School  Building 
Problems  is  the  means  by  which  the  Office  of  Education  carries  on 
these  research  studies,  secures  expert  interpretation  of  the  data  col¬ 
lected,  and,  in  turn,  makes  available  through  the  clearing-house 
facilities  of  the  office  the  results  of  these  studies  and  interpretations. 

The  advisory  council  as  now  constituted,  consists  of  11  regional 
councils — the  New  England,  New  York,  Middle  Atlantic,  Great 
Lakes,  North  Central.  Central  States,  Rocky  Mountain,  Northwest¬ 
ern,  Sierra  Nevada,  Gulf  States,  and  South  Atlantic.  There  are 
seven  members  of  each  regional  council,  as  follows :  1  State  super¬ 
intendent,  3  city  superintendents,  1  county  superintendent,  1  school- 
board  member,  and  1  architect  who  is  always  the  regional  director 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Architects,  appointed  by  the  presi¬ 
dent  of  the  American  Institute  of  Architects  as  that  organization’s 
representative  for  each  region.  In  addition,  all  directors  of  divi- 


32  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

sions  of  schoolhouse  planning  of  State  departments  of  education 
serve  as  ex-officio  members.  In  order  that  each  regional  group  may 
secure  the  expert  advice  of  school-building  architects  in  its  region, 
the  American  Institute  of  Architects  representative  of  each  regional 
council  recommends  the  appointment  of  school-building  architects 
in  his  region  as  advisory  architects. 

~Wor~k  accomplished ,  1930-31. — The  advisory  council  voted  at  its 
first  meeting  in  the  spring  of  1930  to  undertake  as  its  first  piece 
of  research  work  a  study  of  “  The  F unctional  Planning  of  School 
Buildings.”  This  study  was  undertaken  because  it  was  recognized 
that  studies  of  school  buildings  are  significant  only  when  they  are 
considered  in  relation  to  the  educational  uses  to  which  the  build¬ 
ings  are  to  be  put.  It  was  decided  to  devote  the  study  during 
the  first  year  to  elementary  school  buildings,  and  to  follow  this  in  the 
second  and  third  years  by  studies  of  junior  and  senior  high-school 
buildings.  Seventy-five  cities  in  39  States  cooperated  with  the 
advisory  council  and  the  Office  of  Education  by  preparing  exhibits, 
each  one  of  which  included  a  plot  plan  of  the  site  lay-out,  photo¬ 
graph  of  the  exterior  of  the  building,  floor  plans  of  the  building, 
statistical  data  covering  some  200  points  as  to  school-building  sur¬ 
veys,  size  of  site  and  playgrounds,  type  of  building,  kinds  of  rooms 
and  their  dimensions,  costs,  and  educational  programs. 

Second  annual  conference. — The  second  annual  conference  of  the 
advisory  council  was  held  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  February  24,  1931,  with 
the  chairman,  Commissioner  Cooper,  presiding.  In  describing  the 
work  of  the  council,  Commissioner  Cooper  said,  “We  believe  that 
this  volunteer  council  furnishes  an  excellent  device  to  perpetuate 
American  educational  traditions.  It  is  consistent  with  State  and 
local  control  of  school  matters.  It  avoids  the  tendency  to  uniformity 
and  rigidity  that  is  likely  to  develop  from  control  by  a  central 
governmental  agency,  and  its  connection  with  the  office  makes  avail¬ 
able  the  clearing-house  facilities  and  the  fact-collecting  machinery  of 
the  Federal  Government. 

“At  the  present  time,  the  total  value  of  the  public-school  plant 
in  the  United  States,  including  sites,  buildings,  and  equipment,  is 
$5,486,938,599.  We  know  that  from  1924  to  1928  approximately 
$400,000,000  was  spent  on  the  public-school  plant  yearly.  In  view 
of  this  investment,  it  is  clear  that  such  an  expert  body  as  the  Na¬ 
tional  Advisory  Council  on  School  Building  Problems  cooperating 
with  this  office  should  not  only  be  of  great  value  in  assisting  in  the 
better  functional  planning  of  school  buildings  but  it  should,  also, 
through  its  research  studies,  contribute  greatly  to  wise  and  far¬ 
sighted  economy  in  the  expenditure  of  school-building  funds,  so 
that  each  community  may  secure  the  full  educational  value  of  the 
money  invested.” 

Exhibits  from  the  75  cooperating  cities  were  displayed  at  the  con¬ 
ference,  and  the  secretary  submitted  a  preliminary  report  upon  The 
Functional  Planning  of  School  Buildings.  There  were  about  100 
delegates  in  attendance  at  this  meeting.  The  following  resolution 
was  passed  unanimously : 

Inasmuch  as  there  is  available  in  the  wealth  of  the  material  that  has  been 
gathered  in  the  research  study  undertaken  by  the  council,  much  excellent  guid¬ 
ance  material  and  vital  information  in  the  field  of  special  interest  to  this 
council, 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  193  0-31 


33 


Therefore,  your  committee  recommends  that  we  request  a  continuance  of 
the  National  Advisory  Council  on  School  Building  Problems  as  a  permanent 
organization. 

The  officers  for  the  year  1931-32  elected  at  this  meeting  were: 
Chairman,  Dr.  William  John  Cooper,  United  States  Commissioner 
of  Education ;  vice  chairman,  Dr.  Charles  L.  Spain,  deputy  superin¬ 
tendent  of  schools,  Detroit,  Mich. ;  secretary,  Alice  Barrows,  special¬ 
ist  in  school  building  problems,  Office  of  Education.  The  chairman 
of  each  regional  council  is:  New  England  region,  A.  J.  Stoddard, 
superintendent  of  schools,  Providence,  R.  I. ;  New  York  region,  Hon. 
Frank  P.  Graves,  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  represented  by  Joseph  H.  Hixson,  director  of  school  buildings, 
New  York  State  Department  of  Education;  Middle  Atlantic  region, 
Ben  G.  Graham,  superintendent  of  schools,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.;  South 
Atlantic  region,  Hon.  A.  T.  Allen,  State  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  Raleigh,  N.  C. ;  Great  Lakes  region,  Charles  L.  Spain, 
deputy  superintendent  of  schools,  Detroit,  Mich.;  Central  States 
region,  Millard  Lefler,  superintendent  of  schools,  Lincoln,  Nebr. ; 
North  Central  region,  Carroll  R.  Reed,  superintendent  of  schools, 
Minneapolis,  Minn. ;  Gulf  States  region,  Hon.  S.  M.  N.  Marrs,  State 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Austin,  Tex.;  Northwestern 
region,  Charles  A.  Rice,  superintendent  of  schools,  Portland,  Oreg. ; 
Rocky  Mountain  region,  Homer  W.  Anderson,  deputy  superintendent 
of  schools,  Denver,  Colo.;  Sierra  Nevada  region,  Hon.  Yierling  Ker¬ 
sey,  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Sacramento,  Calif. 

3.  EDUCATIONAL  SERVICE 

One  of  the  important  functions  of  this  office  is  the  personal  service 
rendered  to  educational  agencies  in  need  of  professional  assistance 
in  carrying  on  their  regular  work  or  in  the  solution  of  their  particular 
problems.  Sometimes  this  involves  only  temporary  help;  sometimes 
it  involves  a  continuous  advisory  or  service  relationship.  During 
the  past  year  considerable  time  was  devoted  by  members  of  the  staff 
to  this  type  of  work.  A  statement  of  some  of  the  more  important 
services  follows: 

Surveys. — In  December,  1930,  the  Office  of  Education’s  part  of  the 
Buffalo  (New  York)  public-school  survey  was  completed.  The  re¬ 
port,  printed  in  two  volumes,  was  distributed  by  the  Buffalo  Munici¬ 
pal  Research  Bureau  (Inc.),  White  Building,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

During  the  early  spring  of  1931,  the  Board  of  Education  and  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Youngstown,  Ohio,  invited  the  Office  of 
Education  to  make  a  survey  of  the  public  schools  of  that  city.  Con¬ 
siderable  information  already  has  been  collected.  Members  of  the 
staff  of  the  Office  of  Education  will  visit  Youngstown  and  begin 
the  actual  survey  in  September,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  report  will 
be  ready  for  printing  by  December  1,  1931. 

Brookings  Institution,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  has  invited  the 
Office  of  Education  to  make  a  survey  of  the  publicly  controlled 
schools  of  the  State  of  Mississippi.  Preliminary  work  already  has 
been  done,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  report  will  be  ready  for  printing 
by  November  15,  1931. 

Early  in  1931,  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  asked 
the  Office  of  Education  to  cooperate  in  a  social  and  economic  survey 


34 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


of  the  southern  Appalachian  Mountain  region,  the  Office  of  Educa¬ 
tion  to  be  responsible  for  that  part  of  the  survey  relating  to  educa¬ 
tion.  The  most  of  the  work  of  the  year  1931  will  be  devoted  to 
compiling  information  now  available  in  the  various  States  located  in 
the  region  and  in  the  offices  of  the  United  States  Government  depart¬ 
ments.  It  is  contemplated  that  about  three  years  will  be  required 
for  the  completion  of  the  survey. 

During  April,  1931,  a  survey  was  made  of  home-economic  educa¬ 
tion  in  the  junior  and  senior  high  schools  of  Montclair,  N.  J.,  with 
recommendations  for  curriculum  revision. 

The  survey  of  the  school-building  situation  in  Warwick,  E.  I., 
was  completed  and  issued  as  Office  of  Education  Bulletin  1930, 
No.  33. 

A  survey  of  the  Park  View  School,  Washington,  D.  C.,  was  made 
in  May,  1930,  at  the  request  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  Dis¬ 
trict  of  Columbia,  and  the  report  was  submitted  in  September  of 
that  year. 

Eeports  on  the  surveys  of  the  State-supported  institutions  in  both 
Oregon  and  Arkansas  were  completed  by  the  division  of  colleges  and 
professional  schools  and  published  by  the  Office  of  Education. 

The  division  of  special  problems  and  the  division  of  statistics 
assisted  a  committee  of  the  Vermont  Commission  on  Country  Life 
to  make  a  survey  of  rural  education  in  that  State.  A  report  of  the 
study  has  been  made  to  the  commission. 

Professional  assistance  to  educational  agencies. — The  research  divi¬ 
sion,  in  so  far  as  it  is  possible,  regularly  renders  assistance  to  edu¬ 
cational  institutions  and  other  educational  agencies  asking  for  pro¬ 
fessional  advice  and  service  in  the  solution  of  problems  arising  in 
connection  with  the  work  they  are  doing.  Members  of  the  staff 
are  frequently  asked  to  prepare  or  review  curriculum  material:  A 
course  of  study  in  hygiene  was  outlined  for  the  committee  on  edu¬ 
cation  in  hygiene  in  secondary  schools,  of  the  American  Physicians 
Association;  a  report  of  the  development  of  nursery  schools  and 
kindergartens  was  prepared  for  the  American  Association  of  Uni¬ 
versity  Women;  the  specialist  in  elementary  curriculum  has  assisted 
the  State  Department  of  Education  of  Michigan  and  Loudoun 
County,  Va.,  in  curriculum  construction;  assistance  was  given  by 
the  specialist  in  school  hygiene  to  the  nutrition  division  of  the  Na¬ 
tional  American  Eed  Cross  in  the  preparation  of  study  materials  on 
child  development  and  parent  education ;  advice  was  given  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Child  Health  Association,  the  State  Department  of  Public 
Instruction  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  health  director  of  the  Detroit 
city  schools  in  preparing  courses  of  study  and  classroom  materials. 
At  the  request  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Wheeling,  W.  Va., 
through  its  superintendent,  a  study  was  made  of  the  programs  in  in¬ 
dustrial  arts  and  vocational-industrial  education  and  recommenda¬ 
tions  were  made  relative  to  these  to  the  Board  of  Education.  The 
chief  of  the  division  of  statistics  assisted  the  State  Department  of 
Education  of  South  Carolina  in  the  revision  of  its  system  of  records 
and  accounts. 

Members  of  the  office  served  as  members  of  various  committees : 
The  associate  specialist  in  higher  education  assisted  as  a  member  of 
the  advisory  committee  on  a  Liberal  Arts  College  for  Women  of  the 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  19  30-31 


35 


University  of  Virginia  in  planning  for  the  future  development  of 
this  phase  of  the  educational  program  of  the  university,  and  as 
chairman  of  the  commission  on  education  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Col¬ 
lege;  assistance  was  rendered  the  committee  on  State  programs  of 
the  National  Vocational  Guidance  Association  and  the  Vocational 
Bureau  of  New  York  City;  the  Vocational  Research  Bureau  was 
assisted  in  the  study  and  development  of  plans  to  promote  the  organi¬ 
zation  of  school  clubs  as  a  means  of  discovering  life  interests;  a 
member  of  this  division  serves  on  request  as  a  member  of  a  subcom¬ 
mittee  of  the  President’s  Emergency  Committee  on  Employment; 
the  National  Committee  on  Research  in  Education  has  had  the  serv¬ 
ices  of  the  specialist  in  secondary  education  as  its  secretary;  the 
Director  of  the  Census  had  the  service  of  the  chief  of  the  division  of 
statistics  in  the  work  of  the  committee  on  statistics  of  institutions  for 
mental  diseases;  assistance  was  given  the  National  Vocational  Guid¬ 
ance  Association  in  plans  for  the  work  of  the  committee  on  State 
guidance  programs.  Services  as  a  committee  member  were  rendered 
by  the  specialist  in  nursery-kindergarten-primary  education  to  the 
following  educational  committees :  Executive  committee  of  the 
Washington  Child  Research  Center,  advisory  board  of  the  Progres¬ 
sive  Education  Association,  editorial  committee  of  the  Association 
for  Childhood  Education,  teacher-training  committee  of  the  Na¬ 
tional  Association  for  Nursery  Education.  The  specialist  in  home- 
economics  education  is  a  member  of  the  advisory  committee  of  the 
Journal  of  Home  Economics  and  an  adviser  to  the  department  of 
supervisors  and  teachers  of  home  economics. 

One  of  the  most  important  committee  assignments  was  that  of  the 
chief  of  the  division  of  statistics  and  a  member  of  the  division  of 
colleges  and  professional  schools  to  cooperate  with  the  national  com¬ 
mittee  on  standard  reports  for  institutions  of  higher  education.  This 
study  of  the  financial  reports  of  colleges  and  universities  is  made  in 
an  effort  to  bring  about  a  more  uniform  method  of  making  reports. 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  specialist  in  Negro  education,  a  national 
advisory  committee  on  the  education  of  Negroes,  of  which  the  special¬ 
ist  serves  as  executive  secretary,  was  appointed.  In  cooperation  with 
the  National  Education  Association  the  committee  planned  a  nation¬ 
wide  Negro-education  program  in  connection  with  American  Educa¬ 
tion  Week. 

The  division  of  foreign  school  systems,  at  the  request  of  the  De¬ 
partment  of  State,  made  a  statement  of  the  kinds  of  data  the  foreign 
offices  should  furnish;  and  at  its  own  initiative  asked  for  specific 
information  about  higher  education  in  Austria,  Holland,  Poland, 
Estonia,  Chile,  the  Dominican  Republic,  Panama,  Turkey,  and 
Brazil;  annual  education  reports  from  those  parts  of  the  British 
Empire  not  having  responsible  self-government;  the  application  in 
foreign  countries  ox  radio  to  education ;  the  Scuola  Centrola  in  Bucha¬ 
rest;  a  pedagogic  degree  issued  by  the  University  of  Florence;  pri¬ 
vate  commercial  and  industrial  schools  in  Cuba ;  technical  gymnasia 
in  Sweden;  veterinary  colleges  in  India;  and  education  in  Siam  and 
in  the  Dominican  Republic.  This  material  is  essential  to  the  division 
in  maintaining  its  information  and  advisory  service. 

This  division  also  evaluated  for  college  and  university  registrars 
and  State  departments  of  education  the  credentials  for  590  students 


36 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


coming  from  67  different  countries.  Forty-four  of  these  cases  came 
from  15  Latin  American  countries;  134  from  15  divisions  of  the 
British  Empire;  117  from  9  Germanic  language  countries  and  their 
colonies;  81  from  5  Slavonic  language  countries;  30  from  Ugro- 
Finnish  nations;  79  from  6  European  Latin  language  countries  and 
their  colonies;  23  from  5  nations  in  the  Near  East;  71  from  4  in  the 
Far  East;  and  11  from  3  of  the  outlying  parts  of  the  United  States. 
Seventy-two  cases  were  reviewed. 

In  the  process  of  gathering  material  with  which  to  carry  on  its 
regular  service  work,  the  division  made  translations  from  8  Slavonic 
tongues,  7  Germanic,  6  Latin,  5  Ugro-Finnish,  and  Greek.  The  total 
number  of  words  translated  from  27  different  languages  was  123,770. 
Also  purely  formal  translations  were  made  for  the  following  offices 
of  the  Department  of  the  Interior :  Secretary’s  office,  Bureau  of  Pen¬ 
sions,  Bureau  of  Reclamation,  General  Land  Office,  Mails  and  Files, 
National  Park  Service,  Gallinger  Hospital,  Geological  Survey,  and 
National  Advisory  Committee  on  Illiteracy. 

The  chief  of  the  service  division  has  worked  with  several  of  the 
Federal  departments  and  bureaus.  Lie  has  cooperated  with  the 
President’s  Conference  on  Llome  Building  and  Home  Ownership  by 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  home-information  centers, 
specific  service  being  rendered  in  connection  with  the  section  on 
information  services  of  libraries,  museums,  colleges,  public  schools, 
and  other  civic  agencies.  He  has  also  worked  with  the  Bureau  of 
Prisons  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Justice  in  devising  an 
educational  program  for  Federal  prisons  and  correctional  institu¬ 
tions.  Several  visits  were  made  to  the  institutions  and  a  number  of 
conferences  were  held  during  the  year. 

Field  studies. — Most  of  the  periodic  studies  for  which  this  office 
is  responsible  depend  upon  the  questionnaire  for  the  collection  of 
data.  As  this  list  of  periodic  studies  increases  it  becomes  increas¬ 
ingly  important  that  the  reliability  or  completeness  of  these  ques¬ 
tionnaire  studies  be  increased  through  field  studies  made  by  members 
of  the  staff.  For  this  reason,  during  the  past  year  four  members  of 
the  division  of  statistics  spent  approximately  five  months  each  in  the 
field  covering  the  entire  United  States,  assisting  in  the  collection  of 
information  to  be  included  in  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  for 
1928-1930.  It  is  probable  that  other  types  of  studies,  such  as  de¬ 
scriptive  accounts  of  good  practices  and  cooperative  experimentation, 
will  necessitate  an  increasing  amount  of  field  study  as  a  means  of 
collecting  necessary  data. 

Examples  follow  of  field  studies  carried  on  during  the  past  year : 

(1)  The  chief  of  the  division  of  foreign  school  systems  traveled 
for  eight  weeks  in  England,  France,  and  Belgium,  establishing  ways 
of  exchanging  educational  data  with  those  countries  and  also  study¬ 
ing  their  educational  systems  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  useful  in¬ 
formation  in  this  country.  As  a  result  of  the  latter  objective  a  com¬ 
prehensive  manuscript  on  education  in  Belgium  has  been  prepared 
for  publication  by  the  Office  of  Education. 

(2)  During  August  and  September  the  specialist  in  school  legis¬ 
lation  visited  and  studied  the  organization  and  work  of  each  of  the 
following  international  institutions  engaged  in  educational  coopera¬ 
tion  among  different  countries:  International  Institute  on  Intellec- 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  19  3  0-31 


37 


tual  Cooperation  at  Paris,  International  Bureau  of  Education  at 
Geneva,  and  the  International  Educational  Cinematographic  Insti¬ 
tute  at  Rome. 

(3)  The  chief  of  the  division  of  special  problems  spent  six  weeks 
in  Alaska  during  May  and  June  studying  the  administration,  super¬ 
vision,  curriculum,  and  personnel  of  the  schools  for  native  people, 
and  in  gathering  such  other  information  as  is  valuable  for  a  report 
on  educational  conditions  and  progress  in  that  Territory.  Schools 
and  officials  throughout  the  interior  as  well  as  in  the  southeastern 
section  were  reached  during  the  visit. 

(4)  In  connection  with  the  Survey  of  Secondary  Education  and 
also  in  connection  with  a  study  of  elementary  rural  schools  under  the 
direction  of  Jeanes  supervisors,  the  specialist  in  Negro  education  vis¬ 
ited  97  rural  and  city  schools  in  12  States.  The  purpose  of  these 
visits  was  to  obtain  first-hand  information  concerning  the  schools 
and  educational  conditions  in  order  to  supplement  the  data  collected 
by  correspondence. 

(5)  For  the  purpose  of  securing  information  on  school  practice 
in  the  education  of  speech  defectives,  the  consultant  in  hygiene  and 
health  education  made  a  number  of  visits  to  progressive  school 
systems. 

Writings  and  addresses. — During  the  year  members  of  the  sto.fi 
contributed  to  educational  publications  and  delivered  addresses 
before  educational  organizations.  An  article  entitled  “  Ten  Points 
to  be  Considered  in  Planning  Shop  Layouts  and  Equipment  ”  was 
prepared  by  the  specialist  in  industrial  education  and  published  in 
the  American  School  and  University.  Under  the  caption  “  Special 
Problems  in  the  Education  of  Rural  Children,”  a  publication  was 
prepared  in  cooperation  with  the  Department  of  Rural  Education 
of  the  National  Education  Association.  A  series  of  articles  on  city 
school  programs  for  the  education  of  exceptional  children  has  been 
prepared  by  the  division  of  special  problems  and  published  in 
School  Life.  Articles  by  members  of  the  staff  appeared  also  in 
Hygeia,  American  School  Board  Journal,  School  Executives  Maga¬ 
zine,  School  and  Society,  Nation’s  Schools,  American  Physical  Edu¬ 
cation  Association  Research  Quarterly,  Elementary  English  Review, 
Yearbook  of  the  Department  of  Classroom  Teachers,  and  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  American  Physical  Education  Association,  the 
National  Tuberculosis  Association,  and  the  American  Student 
Health  Association. 

Numerous  addresses  were  made  by  staff  members  of  the  division 
at  meetings  of  international,  national.  State,  and  local  educational 
organizations,  as,  for  example,  the  National  Education  Associa¬ 
tion,  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering  Education,  Ameri¬ 
can  Chemical  Society,  county  school  superintendents’  associations 
of  Idaho  and  North  Dakota,  "State  Vocational  Association  of  Penn¬ 
sylvania,  Childhood  Education  Association,  Pan-American  Child 
Cong  ress,  Pan-Pacific  Women’s  Conference,  New  York  Principals’ 
Conference,  National  Council  of  Teachers  of  English,  National  Con¬ 
gress  of  Parents  and  Teachers,  National  Association  of  Platoon 
Schools,  Norfolk  Elementary  School  Teachers,  Johns  Hopkins  Uni¬ 
versity  graduate  students  in  education,  Geography  Club  of  Western 
Pennsylvania,  Michigan  Schoolmasters’  Club,  National  Commercial 


38 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Teachers’  Federation,  Department  of  Adult  Education,  the  Institute 
for  Education  by  Radio,  and  the  American  Library  Association. 

Conferences. — Members  of  the  office  assisted  in  organizing  and 
conducting  the  National  Conference  on  Parent  Education  held  in 
Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  in  May,  1931.  The  conference  was  called  by 
the  Commissioner  of  Education  at  the  request  of  the  National 
Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers.  About  500  leaders  in  various 
phases  of  education  were  assembled  from  all  parts  of  the  United 
States,  two  delegates  coming  from  Hawaii.  Specialists  discussed 
the  changing  social  and  economic  conditions  affecting  home  and  fam¬ 
ily  life;  the  training  of  lay  and  professional  leaders  in  parent  edu¬ 
cation;  parents’  problems  at  different  age  levels  of  their  children; 
and  the  utilization  of  existing  facilities  for  parent  education. 

The  National  Committee  on  Home  Education  met  in  Washing¬ 
ton,  D.  C.,  November  22-24,  1930,  at  the  call  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Education  to  review  progress  in  this  field  and  to  discuss  the  prob¬ 
lems  of  discovering  facilities  for  education  in  the  home. 

On  November  10-11,  1930,  the  Office  of  Education  held,  at  the 
request  of  the  Iowa  State  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts 
and  the  State  University  of  Iowa,  at  Ames,  Iowa,  a  conference  on 
home-economics  education  for  the  West  North  Central  States 
(Minnesota,  Iowa,  Missouri,  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  Nebraska, 
and  Kansas)  to  discuss  “home  and  family  life  in  a  changing 
civilization.” 

On  April  8-9,  1931,  a  similar  conference  of  the  Northwest  States 
was  held  in  cooperation  with  the  State  University  of  Idaho  and  the 
State  College  of  Washington,  at  Spokane,  Wash.,  at  the  time  of  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  Inland  Empire  Education  Association.  The 
theme  of  this  conference  was  “  Education  for  the  Changing 
American  Home.”  As  a  result  of  these  two  conferences  several  very 
important  studies  pertaining  to  an  enlarged  home-economics  program 
are  under  way. 

A  conference  on  radio  educational  problems,  called  at  the  request 
of  several  land-grant  institutions  having  broadcasting  stations,  was 
participated  in  by  this  office  on  October  13,  1930.  Many  groups  of 
educators  and  several  groups  within  the  radio  industry  were  repre¬ 
sented.  In  accordance  with  the  request  of  this  conference  the 
national  committee  on  education  by  radio  was  organized. 

One  type  of  educational  service  of  value  both  to  members  of  the 
staff  and  to  students  of  education  outside  the  office  is  that  for  which 
the  library  division  is  responsible.  The  report  of  this  division 
follows : 


LIBRARY  DIVISION 


SABRA  W.  VOUGHT,  Chief 


The  work  of  the  library  has  been  considerably  handicapped  during 
the  year  by  the  fact  that  three  of  the  rooms  had  to  be  given  up  for 
another  department.  These  rooms  contained  the  bound  file  of  college 
catalogs  and  the  unbound  foreign  periodicals.  This  necessitated  the 
removal  of  about  10,000  volumes  to  the  ground  floor.  The  office 
of  the  library  and  the  reading  room  were  also  moved  to  other  rooms 
on  the  sixth  floor.  The  reading  room  is  now  housed  in  a  room  some¬ 
what  larger  than  the  one  previously  occupied,  while  the  office  went 


ACTIVITIES  DURING  193  0-31 


39 


into  a  smaller  room.  The  circulation  desk  and  the  desk  of  the 
assistant  who  checks  in  the  current  periodicals  are  now  both  in  the 
reading  room,  which  reduces  the  space  available  for  readers.  In 
spite  of  this  difficulty  3,624  people  have  used  the  room  as  readers 
and  4,854  books  have  been  charged  out  at  the  loan  desk. 

The  Bibliography  of  Research  Studies  in  Education  for  1928-29 
was  issued  as  Bulletin,  1930,  No.  23,  and  the  Bibliography  for  1929- 
30,  which  will  be  issued  as  Bulletin,  1931,  No.  13,  is  in  press.  As 
an  outcome  of  the  conference  on  cooperative  research  held  at 
Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  in  February,  1930,  a  list  of  research  studies  in 
education  undertaken  by  city  school  systems  was  issued  in  mimeo¬ 
graphed  form  as  Circular  No.  18.  This  included  studies  recently 
completed,  those  in  progress,  and  studies  contemplated  for  the  school 
year  1930-31.  A  similar  list  of  studies  undertaken  by  State  depart¬ 
ments  of  education  and  State  education  associations  was  issued  as 
Circular  No.  31.  There  was  prepared  for  the  Educational  Directory 
a  list  of  directors  of  educational  research  in  State  departments  of 
education,  State  education  associations,  city  school  systems,  univer¬ 
sities,  colleges,  normal  schools,  and  independent  organizations. 
There  was  also  issued  as  Leaflet  No.  2  a  pamphlet  on  the  Organiza¬ 
tion  and  Functions  of  Research  Bureaus  in  City  School  Systems. 

The  record  of  current  educational  publications  is  now  issued  on  a 
quarterly  basis.  The  selection  of  books  and  articles  to  be  included 
is  made  by  13  specialists  under  the  general  editorship  of  Martha 
R.  McCabe,  assistant  librarian. 

The  library  has  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the  Educational 
Directory  and  the  bulletin  on  Statistics  of  Public,  Society,  and 
School  Libraries.  It  has  also  continued  the  work  of  preparation  of 
bibliographies  to  be  sent  in  answer  to  the  many  inquiries  which  are 
received  from  teachers  and  students.  These  bibliographies  now  take 
the  form  of  short  annotated  and  selected  lists  which  are  to  be  issued 
frequently  in  response  to  the  demand,  and  long  complete  bibli¬ 
ographies  to  be  prepared  in  general  by  specialists  within  or  outside 
the  Office  of  Education. 

An  attempt  is  made  to  supply  the  demands  for  books  which  are 
needed  by  the  specialists  in  the  office.  In  addition  to  the  books  which 
belong  to  the  library  many  are  borrowed  from  other  libraries  as 
interlibrary  loans.  During  the  year  219  books  were  borrowed  from 
the  Library  of  Congress  and  198  from  other  libraries  in  various 
parts  of  the  country.  The  cataloging  section  continues  to  cooperate 
with  the  Library  of  Congress  by  preparing  copy  for  catalog  cards 
for  educational  publications. 

A  large  part  of  the  work  of  the  division  besides  furnishing  books 
and  information  for  the  use  of  the  specialists  in  the  office,  is  devoted 
to  answering  the  many  inquiries  that  come  by  correspondence. 
These  inquiries  relate  to  the  whole  field  of  education  and  library 
service.  Many  students  from  the  educational  institutions  of  the 
District  also  use  the  library  for  their  supplementary  reading,  which 
increases  very  greatly  the  work  of  the  assistants  in  charge  of  the 
reading  room. 

A  chapter  for  the  biennial  survey  was  prepared  by  the  librarian 
and  the  associate  specialist  in  school  libraries.  This  chapter  covered 
general  library  progress  and  school  library  development  for  the  past 


40  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

decade.  The  associate  specialist  in  school  libraries  has  contributed 
articles  to  the  United  States  Daily  and  other  periodicals.  The 
librarian  has  prepared  a  column  for  each  issue  of  School  Life  on 
outstanding  articles  in  curent  periodicals. 

Two  bibliographies  in  which  the  library  cooperated  have  been 
printed  during  the  year:  Bibliography  of  junior  colleges,  Bulletin, 
1930,  No.  2 ;  Bibliography  on  the  honor  system  and  academic  honesty 
in  American  schools  and  colleges,  Education  Pamphlet  No.  16. 
Respectfully  submitted. 

Wm.  John  Cooper,  Commissioner. 
The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


o 


UNITED  STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

RAY  LYMAN  WILBUR,  Secretary 

OFFICE  OF  EDUCATION 

WILLIAM  JOHN  COOPER,  Commissioner 


ANNUAL  REPORT 

OF  THE 

COMMISSIONER  OF 
EDUCATION 

FOR  THE 

FISCAL  YEAR  ENDED  JUNE  30,  1932 


UNITED  STATES 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
WASHINGTON :  1932 


THE  OFFICE  OF  EDUCATION 


Created  as  a  department  March  2,  1867 
Made  an  office  of  the  Interior  Department  July  1 ,  1860 


COMMISSIONERS 

Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D. 

March  lJf,  1867,  to  March  15,  1870 

John  Eaton,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

March  16, 1870,  to  August  5, 1886 

Nathaniel  H.  R.  Dawson,  L.  H.  D. 

August  6,  1886,  to  September  3,  1889 

Willlim  T.  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
September  12,  1889,  to  June  30,  1906 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
July  1,  1906,  to  June  30,  1911 

Philander  Priestley  Claxton,  Litt.  D..  LL.  D. 
July  8,  1911,  to  June  1,  1921 

John  James  Tigert,  M.  A.  (Oxon),  Ed.  D.,  LL.  D. 
June  2,  1921,  to  August  31,  1928 

William  John  Cooper,  Ed.  D.,  Litt.  D.,  LL.  D. 
February  11,  1929 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Appropriations _  1 

Staff _  3 

Quarters _ + _  3 

Surveys - - t _  4 

Howard  University _  4 

Activities  of  the  office  during  the  year  1931-32 : 

I.  Research  and  investigation _  5 

Public  school  administration _  6 

Educational  legislation _  7 

Curriculum, _ * _ _  7 

Statistics  of  education _ : _  8 

Nursery  education _  9  ^ 

Secondary  education _  9 

School  hygiene,  physical  education,  and  recreation _  10 

Guidance  and  industrial  education _  11 

Educational  measurement _  12 

Collegiate  and  professional  education _  12 

Education  of  exceptional  children _  14 

Education  of  Negroes _  15 

Education  of  special  groups _  16 

School-building  problems _  17 

II.  Stimulation  and  coordination  of  research  in  education _  18 

Research  materials -  18 

Histories  of  education -  20 

Home-making  education _  20 

III.  Educational  service -  21 

Groups  served  and  types  of  educational  service  for  the  year 

1931-32 _  21 

School  surveys -  22 

Library  service - . -  23 

Foreign  education  problems -  24 

Conferences _  27 

Adult  education  problems - 27 

Education  in  the  home _  27 

Commercial  education _  28 

Education  by  radio _  29 

Service  to  various  groups _ ^ -  30 

IV.  Information  service -  30 

Visual  education  materials -  32 

List  of  publications  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1932 -  33 

Needs _  34 

in 


IT 


Organization  of  the  Office  of  Education,  June  30,  1932 


ANNUAL  REPORT  OF  THE  COM¬ 
MISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Office  of  Education, 
Washington,  1).  6'.,  July  31,  1932. 

Sir  :  A  year  ago  your  commissioner  referred  to  the  year  ended  in 
June,  1931,  as  the  year  in  which  the  Office  of  Education  had  been 
endeavoring  to  find  its  real  place  in  American  education  and  to 
divest  itself  of  all  functions  not  belonging  to  it.  The  real  purpose 
of  the  office  is,  in  my  opinion,  to  find  out  facts  about  education  in 
all  its  various  phases  throughout  the  several  States  and  in  foreign 
countries  and  to  disseminate  such  facts  in  order  to  assist  the  people 
in  the  several  States  to  establish  more  efficient  systems  of  schools. 
We  had  accomplished  the  transfer  to  the  Indian  Service  of  our  work 
in  connection  with  the  native  races  of  Alaska,  with  the  exception  of 
a  piece  of  research  which  was  conducted  under  the  direction  of 
Stanford  University  with  the  aid  of  the  Carnegie  Corporation.  That 
relieved  the  office  of  all  administrative  responsibilities  save  the 
administration  annually  of  $2,550,000  granted  by  Congress  for  the 
land-grant  colleges,  which  duty  was  assigned  to  the  office  in  1890 
by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  This  work  now  takes  a  compara¬ 
tively  small  part  of  the  time  of  one  specialist  since  it  has  not  been 
necessary  up  to  the  present  time  to  spend  any  time  in  the  field  to 
investigate  the  expenditure  of  this  fund. 

APPROPRIATIONS 

During  the  year  ending  June  30, 1932,  this  office  has  been  operating 
on  a  budget  of  $572,000,  allotted  as  follows:  $280,000,  salaries; 
$25,000,  general  expenses;  $75,000,  national  survey  of  secondary  edu¬ 
cation  ;  $80,000,  national  survey  of  teacher  education ;  $50,000, 
national  survey  of  school  finance ;  $62,000,  printing  and  binding. 

In  two  items  particularly  the  appropriation  has  fallen  short  of 
the  office’s  needs.  Those  items  are  salaries  and  printing  and  binding. 
For  the  year  ending  June  30,  1932,  the  regular  pay  roll  amounted 
to  $287,060,  or  $7,060  more  than  the  amount  appropriated.  Addi¬ 
tions  to  the  staff  are  urgently  needed.  In  view  of  the  work  which 
this  office  should  do  regularly  in  order  to  provide  the  information 
called  for  by  school  officials  and  research  workers  it  should  have  a 
regular  pay  roll  of  not  less  than  $350,000. 

The  second  inadequate  item  was  for  printing.  As  a  research  office 
the  chief  way  in  which  the  work  of  its  entire  staff  can  be  made  avail¬ 
able  is  through  the  printed  page.  This  year  13  manuscripts  report¬ 
ing  findings  of  long  and  sometimes  expensive  investigations  had  to 

1 


2 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


be  held  over  for  printing  on  next  year’s  funds.  The  office  should 
have  not  less  than  $80,000  annually  for  this  purpose. 

But  this  year  has  witnessed  the  serious  blow  of  the  depression. 
Federal  appropriations  for  1933  were  reduced  drastically.  Along 
with  other  bureaus  we  also  suffered;  but  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
nature  and  practical  value  of  research  are  not  always  understood, 
this  office  suffered  more  heavily  than  some  others.  As  we  begin 
another  year  we  must  face  the  fact  that  the  present  emergency  bids 
fair  to  affect  the  Office  of  Education  adversely  and  seriously  in  its 
present  efficiency,  prestige,  and  future  development.  The  present 
emergency  for  education  generally  is  one  not  only  of  reduced  appro¬ 
priations  but  of  lack  of  confidence  on  the  part  of  governing  bodies 
and  the  general  public  in  the  powers  claimed  for  education  in  gen¬ 
eral  and  the  need  for  governmental  participation  in  education  or  any 
social  regulation  in  particular.  The  duration  and  uncertainty  have 
been  not  the  least  troubling  features  of  the  emergency.  In  August 
of  last  year  the  Office  of  Education  was  asked  to  prepare  its  esti¬ 
mates  for  expenditures  for  the  next  fiscal  year  beginning  July  1, 
1932.  This  it  did  very  carefully,  bearing  in  mind  the  admonitions 
to  keep  all  requests  for  appropriations  to  a  minimum.  In  September 
the  Bureau  of  the  Budget  acted,  making  an  allowance  somewhat 
under  the  original  request.  In  March  the  Department  of  Interior’s 
appropriation  bill  was  passed  by  the  House  of  Representatives, 
cutting  the  Office  of  Education’s  budget  11  per  cent  further.  In 
April  the  Senate  accepted  its  Appropriations  Committee’s  report  and 
passed  the  Department  of  Interior’s  appropriation  bill,  giving  the 
office  a  further  cut  of  26  per  cent.  This  bill,  which  is  a  reduction  of 
34  per  cent  under  the  Bureau  of  the  Budget’s  estimate,  was  accepted 
by  the  House  and  signed  by  the  President.  Since  that  time  the 
printing  appropriation  has  been  reduced  15  per  cent  further. 

A  brief  explanation  may  be  made  of  what  this  means  in  terms  of 
operating  efficiency.  As  it  stands  at  the  present  time,  unless  further 
legislation  is  passed  affecting  appropriations,  to  operate  on  our  pres¬ 
ent  reduced  salary  budget  would  require  either  the  furlough  of  every 
employee  in  the  office,  including  the  commissioner,  for  at  least  a 
half  month  in  addition  to  the  compulsory  furlough  of  a  month,  or  the 
discharge  of  from  10  to  15  employees.  This  is  a  serious  matter  in 
an  office  as  meagerly  staffed  as  is  this  one,  where  the  discharge  of  one 
specialist  means  also  the  closing  out  of  service  and  research  in  a 
whole  field  of  education.  For  example,  there  is  in  the  office  only 
one  person  to  keep  an  up-to-date  record  of  educational  legislation,  to 
issue  summaries  of  legislation  on  particular  topics,  to  answer  in¬ 
quiries  from  legislators,  State  superintendents,  and  other  officials. 
Still  another  individual  represents  the  office  in  the  field  of  industrial 
education  and  guidance;  another  must  be  responsible  for  whatever 
follow-up  there  is  of  the  national  survey  of  secondary  education; 
and  still  another  for  assistance  to  school  officials  and  to  others  in 
school  finance.  When  one  of  these  individuals  goes,  the  work  in  his 
field  is  dropped.  To  choose  between  eliminating  health  education, 
kindergarten-primary  education,  school  building  service,  or  profes¬ 
sional  education,  is  a  task  for  a  Solomon. 


APPROPRIATIONS 


3 


A  second  serious  result  of  the  reduced  appropriation  lies  in  the 
restriction  in  types  of  research  which  may  be  carried  on.  Research 
by  questionnaire  only  sets  definite  limits  in  the  types  of  problems 
which  may  be  undertaken  and  in  the  character,  accuracy,  and  com¬ 
pleteness  of  the  data  which  may  be  secured.  For  several  years  the 
research  staff  in  the  office  has  worked  conscientiously  to  further  in¬ 
vestigation  through  field  studies,  which,  though  local  or  sectional, 
are  of  universal  interest  to  educators.  This  past  year  has  seen  the 
development  of  several  such  field  studies.  However,  the  present  de¬ 
creased  appropriations  for  travel  offer  a  considerable  set-back  to  the 
continuance  of  this  type  of  investigation. 

Finally,  the  reduction  in  appropriation  has  two  other  serious  con¬ 
sequences  :  One,  reductions  in  the  number  of  publications  and  in  the 
number  of  copies  of  publications  available  for  distribution,  which  is 
a  research  agency’s  principal  means  of  making  itself  heard,  and  the 
other,  the  suspension  of  the  program  of  national  surveys,  both  of 
which  are  discussed  later.  Whether  these  reductions  shall  be  tempo¬ 
rary  or  permanent,  and  whether  there  shall  be  retrenchments  in  the 
Federal  office’s  fundamental  program  or  only  suspension  of  certain 
activities  is  the  problem  to  be  faced. 

STAFF 

During  the  fiscal  year  1932  five  new  members  were  added  to  the 
staff,  as  follows :  Senior  specialist  in  education  by  radio,  senior  spe¬ 
cialist  in  education  of  physically  handicapped  children,  specialist  in 
tests  and  measurements,  specialist  in  western  European  education, 
and  assistant  clerk-stenographer.  In  addition,  the  senior  specialist 
in  secondary  education  who  had  been  assigned  to  the  survey  of 
secondary  education  and  the  specialist  in  school  finance  who  had 
been  assigned  to  the  survey  of  school  finance  were  transferred  to  the 
regular  staff  of  the  office.  Two  members  of  the  staff  were  placed 
on  the  retired  list  and  the  positions  formerly  held  by  them  were 
abolished  due  to  the  lack  of  funds.  The  regular  staff  now  numbers 
100.  For  the  fiscal  year  1934  provision  should  be  made  on  the 
regular  roll  for  the  senior  specialist  in  teacher  training  now  assigned 
to  the  survey  of  teacher  education,  for  a  specialist  in  the  education 
of  oriental  peoples,  and  for  two  assistant  clerk-stenographers.  There 
is  great  need  for  additional  clerical  assistance  for  the  various 
specialists. 

Reallocation  of  four  positions  to  higher  grades  caused  an  increase 
in  the  salary  roll  of  $3,500  per  annum. 

QUARTERS 

During  the  year  the  office  was  again  moved,  and  the  staff,  with  the 
exception  of  the  library,  has  been  brought  together  on  the  first  and 
second  floors  of  the  building.  The  library  remains  on  the  sixth 
floor,  where  considerable  additional  space  has  been  assigned  to  it. 
Additional  metal  shelving  has  been  provided  and  other  library  facil¬ 
ities  have  been  added  which  materially  improve  its  service.  It  is 
hoped  that  in  the  near  future  space  located  nearer  to  the  research 
staff  may  be  found  for  the  library. 


4 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


SURVEYS 

In  addition  to  the  ordinary  and  regular  work,  the  office  should  be 
doing  more  major  pieces  of  research  which  can  not  be  accomplished 
by  the  regular  staff.  These  should  be  started  at  least  one  each  year 
at  the  present  time.  After  about  10  years  of  special  surveys  the 
number  in  progress  might  be  reduced  and  one  new  survey  started 
every  2  years.  At  the  present  time,  however,  it  is  important  that 
studies  which  should  have  been  made  some  years  ago  be  undertaken 
now.  In  addition  to  the  survey  of  land-grant  colleges,  the  office  has 
undertaken,  with  the  approval  of  Congress,  three  nation-wide  studies. 

The  first  of  these  three  studies,  begun  three  years  ago,  is  the  survey 
of  secondary  education.  The  report  has  now  been  completed  and  is 
in  the  hands  of  the  printer.  It  will  be  approximately  3,000  pages  in 
length  appearing  as  28  separate  monographs.  Too  much  praise 
can  not  be  given  Dr.  L.  V.  Koos  for  the  faithful  attention  he  has 
given  to  this  work  as  associate  director. 

The  survey  of  teacher  education,  begun  in  1930,  under  the  imme¬ 
diate  direction  of  Dr.  E.  S.  Evenden,  will  be  completed  by  June  30, 
1933.  Unfortunately  the  appropriation  for  this  work  was  reduced 
by  $20,000,  leaving  $50,000  instead  of  $70,000  for  the  last  year’s  work. 
This  has  made  necessary  the  discontinuance  of  the  services  of  some 
of  the  staff  members  and  a  curtailment  of  the  amount  of  material 
that  may  be  included  in  the  published  report. 

The  survey  of  school  finance  was  authorized  in  1931  at  a  total 
cost  not  to  exceed  $350,000,  and  $50,000  was  appropriated  for  the 
fiscal  year  1932.  The  work  was  started  in  1931  and  one  year  has 
been  devoted  to  it  under  the  immediate  direction  of  Dr.  Paul  R. 
Mort  and  a  board  of  17  consultants.  A  considerable  amount  of  data 
has  been  collected  and  a  bibliography  of  school  finance  has  been 
compiled  and  is  being  printed.  Owing  to  the  necessity  for  retrench¬ 
ment  of  governmental  expenses,  Congress  failed  to  provide  funds 
for  the  continuance  of  this  study  during  the  fiscal  year  1933,  and  all 
work  on  it  has  been  stopped  excepting  one  part  which  has  been 
financed  by  an  appropriation  of  $25,000  made  by  the  General  Edu¬ 
cation  Board  through  the  American  Council  on  Education.  The 
subject  of  school  finance,  considering  that  expenditures  for  educa¬ 
tion  in  the  United  States  amount  to  more  than  $3,000,000,000  an¬ 
nually,  is  one  of  the  most  important  subjects  now  before  the  Ameri¬ 
can  people.  For  the  year  1934  I  am  asking  an  appropriation  of 
$75,000  for  the  continuance  of  this  work.  Unless  an  appropriation 
is  made,  much  of  the  work  done  during  the  past  year  will  be  lost. 

HOWARD  UNIVERSITY 

In  accordance  with  the  law,  Howard  University  was  officially  in¬ 
spected  for  the  school  year  ended  June  30,  1932.  The  visiting  com¬ 
mittee  included  a  number  of  specialists  of  the  Office  of  Education 
who  were  appointed  for  this  duty  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education. 

In  spite  of  the  effects  of  the  depression  the  enrollments  at  Howard 
University  have  held  their  own  during  the  past  year.  The  grand 
total  enrollment  of  students  for  1931-32  was  2,464,  which  is  only 
9  less  than  the  enrollment  for  the  year  1930-31.  But  this  loss  re¬ 
lates  only  to  special  and  foreign  students.  The  enrollment  of  regu- 


HOWARD  UNIVERSITY 


5 


]ar  students  actually  shows  an  increase  of  eight  for  continental 
United  States.  A  slight  gain  in  the  enrollments  in  the  academic 
colleges  is  shown,  while  a  slight  loss  is  registered  for  the  professional 
schools. 

The  total  number  of  graduates  for  1931-32  was  361.  This  is  an 
increase  of  36  over  the  number  that  graduated  in  1930-31.  The 
number  of  graduates  of  the  several  schools  is  as  follows:  Liberal 
arts,  96;  education,  131;  applied  science,  6;  music,  3;  graduate,  18; 
theological,  8 ;  law,  18 ;  medicine,  55 ;  dentistry,  17 ;  and  pharmacy,  9. 

In  1931-32  the  university  received  a  total  income  of  $1,719,201.44. 

Of  the  total  income,  $1,277,380.56  was  received  from  the  Federal 
Government  and  $441,820.88  from  all  private  and  institutional 
sources.  Of  the  $1,277,380.56  received  from  the  Government, 
$602,380.56  was  for  buildings  and  construction. 

The  new  dormitories  for  young  women,  having  been  completed 
in  the  summer  of  1931,  were  occupied  by  students  during  the  past 
school  year.  These  well-equipped  dormitories  have  added  greatly 
to  the  comfort  of  the  students  in  residence,  and  at  the  same  time 
there  has  been  released  space  in  the  old  buildings  which  have  been 
remodeled  for  the  use  of  the  deans,  the  secretary-treasurer,  and  the 
comptroller. 

On  December  31,  1931,  the  school  of  law  was  elected  to  member¬ 
ship  in  the  Association  of  American  Law  Schools.  The  school  now 
stands  on  the  approved  list  of  all  the  rating  agencies  in  its  pro¬ 
fessional  field.  At  the  April  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees,  Dr. 
Abraham  Flexner,  of  the  Institute  of  Advanced  Study,  was  elected 
to  the  presidency  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Howard  University, 
succeeding  Gen.  John  H.  Sherborne,  who  remains  a  member  of  the 
board. 

The  sixty-third  annual  commencement,  held  on  June  10,  1932,  was 
honored  by  the  presence  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  and 
Secretary  Wilbur,  of  the  Interior  Department.  President  Hoover 
addressed  the  graduating  classes. 

ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  OFFICE  DURING  THE 
YEAR  1931-32 

Collecting  such  statistics  and  facts  as  shall  show  the  condition  and  progress 
of  education  in  the  several  States  and  Territories,  and  of  diffusing  such  in¬ 
formation  respecting  the  organization  and  management  of  schools  and  school 
systems  and  methods  of  teaching  as  shall  aid  the  people  of  the  United  States 
in  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  efficient  school  systems  and  otherwise 
promote  the  cause  of  education  throughout  the  country. 

— Organic  act  of  March  2,  1867. 

/.  RESEARCH  AND  INVESTIGATION 

During  the  past  year  the  problems  investigated  by  the  staff  of  the 
office  have  been  of  three  major  types:  (1)  Those  arising  out  of  the 
present  economic  situation  as  it  affects  education,  such  as  the  study 
of  the  county  unit  as  a  basis  for  school  administration;  (2)  those 
which  may  be  termed  status  or  descriptive  studies  of  new  and  promis¬ 
ing  movements  in  education  or  of  conditions  for  which  there  are 
frequent  and  urgent  requests  for  information,  such  as  the  report  on 
State  programs  of  vocational  guidance;  and  (3)  those  periodic 
140536—32 - 2 


6 


REPORT  OE  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


studies  of  various  phases  of  education  for  which  this  office  has  long 
been  considered  authority,  such  as  the  biennial  report  of  statistics 
of  State  school  systems.  Many  other  examples  of  these  three  types 
appear  in  the  following  pages. 

PUBLIC  SCHOOL  ADMINISTRATION 

The  studies  which  might  be  made  in  this  field  are  innumerable. 
New  problems  are  continually  arising  and  old  ones  assume  new  as¬ 
pects  as  conditions  change.  For  example,  the  unit  of  administra¬ 
tion  and  support  is  a  problem  now  occupying  the  attention  of  students 
of  school  administration  and  of  several  of  the  State  departments 
of  public  instruction.  In  the  early  days  of  the  American  public 
school  system  the  small  school  district  met  all  the  needs.  Now  many 
authorities  on  school  administration  think  that  the  small  school  dis¬ 
trict  should  be  abandoned  and  legislation  enacted  to  provide  for  a 
larger  unit. 

In  order  to  furnish  information  regarding  the  various  types  of 
units  of  administration,  a  bulletin  has  been  prepared  showing  the 
number  of  administrative  units,  number  of  school-board  members 
in  each  State,  and  the  principal  features  of  each  type  of  unit.  The 
county  unit  has  been  especially  treated  in  this  bulletin,  since  most  of 
the  inquiries  received  concerning  the  unit  of  administration  relate  to 
the  county  unit. 

An  important  problem  facing  local  school  superintendents  is  the 
basis  of  another  study  which  describes  the  methods  used  by  school 
superintendents  and  boards  of  education  in  the  selection  and  appoint¬ 
ment  of  teachers.  Among  the  various  phases  of  the  subject  treated 
are :  Methods  used  in  locating  prospective  teachers ;  methods  used  in 
collecting  information  about  the  applicants;  and  procedures  fol¬ 
lowed  by  boards  of  education  in  appointing  or  electing  teachers,  such 
as  on  recommendation  of  superintendent,  or  of  committees  of  the 
board. 

Another  study  contains  data  showing  the  status  of  the  elementary 
school  principaiship  in  terms  of  education,  experience,  salaries,  etc., 
which  will  afford  superintendents  data  for  comparative  purposes. 

In  the  field  of  school  finance  numerous  questions  are  asked  about 
practices  relating  to  taxation  for  school  purposes,  distribution  of 
the  State  school  funds,  and  the  part  the  county  plays  in  financing 
the  schools.  These  are  a  few  of  the  problems  in  school  finance  that 
need  continuous  study  in  order  to  keep  State  superintendents  of 
public  instruction  and  others  informed  regarding  movements  in 
financing  the  schools. 

A  study  of  the  status  of  teachers  and  principals  employed  in  the 
rural  schools  of  the  United  States  was  undertaken  because  of  the 
peculiar  dependence  of  the  educational  welfare  of  rural  children 
upon  the  character  and  fitness  of  those  in  charge  of  their  schools 
and  because  no  other  organization  gathers  and  publishes  information 
on  this  important  group  of  public  servants.  Improvement  and 
progress  in  the  education  of  rural  children  comes  slowly  unless  we 
have  sufficient  facts  upon  which  educators  may  build  and  which 
enable  the  public  to  understand  the  true  situation.  This  study  col¬ 
lected  and  presented  facts  concerning  training,  experience,  term  of 
employment,  and  salary  status  of  five  classes  of  teachers  and  three 


RESEARCH  AND  INVESTIGATION 


7 


classes  of  principals  working  in  the  rural  schools  in  the  various 
States.  Practically  2,000  units  of  rural  school  administration  are 
represented,  employing  a  total  of  214,269  teachers  and  8,275  school 
principals.  The  bulletin,  which  was  recently  completed  and  pub¬ 
lished,  presents  the  data  separately  for  whites  and  Negroes  for  each 
of  the  48  States. 


EDUCATIONAL  LEGISLATION 

One  of  the  important  responsibilities  of  the  office  is  to  maintain 
an  up-to-date  record  of  legislation  affecting  education  in  the  various 
States.  Compilations  of  legislative  provisions  in  various  fields  of 
school  regulation  are  issued  from  time  to  time,  both  for  their  cur¬ 
rent  informational  value  and  for  whatever  use  State  superintendents 
and  legislative  committees  wish  to  make  of  them.  Three  such  com¬ 
pilations  have  been  made  this  past  year. 

The  study  of  the  legal  and  regulatory  provisions  affecting  sec¬ 
ondary  education  was  made  as  a  part  of  the  national  survey  of 
secondary  education.  Among  the  principal  subjects  considered  in 
this  study  are:  'Units  authorized  to  provide  high  schools;  nature, 
powers,  and  duties  of  local  administrative  boards  for  high  schools; 
funds  for  secondary  education;  and  State  administrative  and  super¬ 
visory  control  of  schools. 

Because  of  frequent  requests  for  information  regarding  free  text¬ 
books  for  public  school  children,  a  circular  has  been  prepared  which 
gives  the  principal  provisions  of  the  State  laws  on  the  subject.  It 
also  contains  some  data  on  the  cost  of  textbooks,  the  principal  argu¬ 
ments  for  and  against  free  textbooks,  and  a  selected  bibliography. 

Another  study  reports  State  legislation  relating  to  kindergartens. 
The  current  law  relative  to  the  establishment  of  kindergartens  in 
each  State  is  quoted,  and  the  essential  characteristics  of  adequate 
legislation  are  discussed. 


CURRICULUM 

Since  curricula  and  courses  of  study  in  the  schools  of  the  coun¬ 
try  are  being  continuously  revised,  the  Office  of  Education  is  at¬ 
tempting  to  prepare  a  series  of  guidebooks  that  may  be  helpful  to 
superintendents  and  curriculum  committees.  Such  guidebooks  are 
intended  to  offer  in  condensed  form  manuals  of  procedures  in  cur¬ 
riculum  building.  One  such  is  entitled  “  Safety  Education.”  This 
bulletin  includes  discussions  of  the  organization  of  a  curriculum 
committee,  objectives  in  safety  education,  classroom  materials,  and 
ways  and  means  of  administering  a  school  safety  program- 

Another  study,  “  The  Construction  of  the  Curriculum  in  Science 
for  the  Elementary  School,”  outlines  methods  and  materials  that  will 
be  of  assistance  to  committees  preparing  courses  in  elementary  school 
science.  Source  materials  and  directions  for  the  construction  of  cur¬ 
riculum  units  are  presented.  As  a  further  aid  to  curriculum  com¬ 
mittees  and  teachers  of  science,  an  annotated  list  of  Government 
publications  useful  to  teachers  of  science  has  been  compiled. 

Helps  for  schools  in  teaching  citizenship  and  patriotism  were  also 
prepared.  One  of  these,  entitled  “  Childhood  Days  in  Washington’s 
Time,”  was  prepared  for  and  published  by  the  George  Washington 


8 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Bicentennial  Commission.  Another,  entitled  “Helps  for  Schools  in 
Celebrating  the  George  Washington  Bicentennial,”  contains  lists  of 
materials  for  the  use  of  schools. 

STATISTICS  OF  EDUCATION 

The  collection  of  statistics  of  education  on  a  national  scale  was 
specifically  mentioned  in  the  act  establishing  the  Office  of  Education, 
and  the  distribution  of  such  information  was  considered  one  of  the 
means  of  aiding  “  in  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  efficient 
school  systems  ”  throughout  the  country.  The  statistical  studies  car¬ 
ried  on  by  this  office  are  of  three  general  kinds:  (1)  Biennial  reports 
of  personnel  and  finances  of  city  schools,  of  each  State,  of  private 
schools,  of  colleges  and  universities ;  (2)  periodic  or  recurring  studies 
of  certain  educational  problems  made  less  frequently  than  every  two 
years;  (3)  special  or  occasional  studies  of  some  current  situation. 
The  labor  involved  in  the  preparation  of  inquiry  forms,  tabulation 
of  returns,  and  preparation  of  final  reports  is  partially  shown  in  the 
following  summary  of  work  during  1931-32: 


Number 

Forms 

tabulated 

Pages  in 
report 

Biennial  studies  __ _ _ _ _  _  -  -  -  - _ 

6 

29. 318 

803 

Periodic  studies  _ _ _ _ _  . 

6 

9,311 

160 

Special  studies  _ _ _  _  _  _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ 

13 

25, 994 

(0 

Total  _  _  _  _  _  _  _ _ _ _ _  _ 

25 

64,  623 

1  Not  completed. 


A  number  of  improvements  in  the  statistical  service  have  been 
made  this  past  year : 

1.  The  chapters  of  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  published 
this  year  have  been  marked  by  the  completeness  of  the  returns  made 
by  the  schools  involved.  For  example,  300  more  schools  reported 
statistics  of  private  high  schools  and  academies  than  for  the  pre¬ 
vious  biennium.  Furthermore,  statistics  of  private  elementary 
schools  have  been  collected  for  the  first  time.  This  is  important, 
since  in  order  to  present  the  complete  picture  of  education  in  the 
United  States  it  is  necessary  to  record  both  private  and  public 
institutions.  Again,  all  but  two  of  the  institutions  existing  pri¬ 
marily  for  the  training  of  teachers  reported  for  this  biennial  survey. 

2.  Since  1929-30  closed  the  decade  of  rapid  expansion  in  school 
facilities  following  the  war,  comparisons  are  shown  by  decades  since 
1870  in  the  biennial  chapters. 

3.  This  year  for  the  first  time  a  section  of  the  biennial  statistics 
has  been  tabulated  by  machine.  Data  from  22,237  public  high 
schools  were  transferred  to  cards  for  the  Hollerith  tabulating  ma¬ 
chine,  making  data  available  in  detail  for  many  classifications. 

4.  The  statistical  program  has  been  revised  to  distribute  the  load 
more  evenly.  Heretofore  an  almost  impossible  tabulation  load  has 
fallen  on  the  year  following  the  closing  of  a  biennium.  A  10-year 
program  of  biennial  and  periodic  studies  distributes  the  tabulating 
and  printing  more  evenly,  thus  making  it  possible  to  report  more 
promptly  and  permitting  more  special,  timely  statistical  studies. 


RESEARCH  AND  INVESTIGATION 


9 


The  10-year  program  of  studies,  exclusive  of  special  studies, 
follows : 


1  Others  to  be  suggested  as  need  dictates  and  time  permits. 

2  Elementary. 

3  Per  capita  costs. 

4  For  this  report  the  complete  forms  will  be  sent  out,  but  only  certain  of  the  most  important  data  will  be 
tabulated. 

3  Abridged. 

6  Elementary-secondary. 


5.  As  an  early  step  in  carrying  out  the  new  statistical  program, 
the  inquiry  forms  have  been  thoroughly  revised  and  an  entirely  new 
set  of  forms  has  been  developed  for  institutions  of  higher  education, 
following  as  closely  as  possible  the  report  of  the  National  Committee 
on  Standard  Reports  for  Institutions  of  Higher  Education. 

NURSERY  EDUCATION 

Among  the  newer  movements  in  education  is  the  organization  of 
nursery  schools.  In  1920  there  were  about  three  such  schools  in  the 
United  States;  now  there  are  more  than  300.  In  order  to  furnish 
information  regarding  this  field  of  education  which  seems  to  have  so 
much  of  promise,  not  only  for  the  education  of  very  young  children 
but  for  the  education  of  parents  in  child  care,  a  bulletin  has  been 
prepared  on  nursery  schools.  It  presents  a  picture  of  what  now 
characterizes  a  nursery  school  program,  describes  current  practices 
in  the  organization  and  operation  of  nursery  schools  in  public  school 
systems  and  in  connection  with  colleges,  private  schools,  philanthropi- 
cally  supported  institutions,  and  welfare  agencies.  There  has  also 
been  prepared  a  bibliography  on  nursery  education  and  a  directory 
of  nursery  schools  in  the  United  States  in  1931. 

SECONDARY  EDUCATION 

During  the  year  the  most  significant  accomplishment  in  the  field 
of  secondary  education  was  the  completion  of  the  national  survey 
of  secondary  education,  which  was  brought  to  a  close  at  the  end  of 
the  fiscal  year.  Now  that  the  survey  has  been  completed,  members  of 
the  staff  will  continue  the  study  of  some  of  the  major  problems  in 
secondary  education  that  need  further  study,  making  extended  use 


10  REPORT  OP  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

of  the  survey  findings.  The  office  will  also  cooperate  with  educa¬ 
tional  associations  and  institutions  in  arranging  and  conducting  con¬ 
ferences  to  discuss  the  findings  of  the  survey. 

The  educational  welfare  of  children  in  rural  and  sparsely  settled 
communities  continues  to  involve  special  problems  in  the  majority 
of  our  States.  Although  56  per  cent  of  our  total  population  now 
lives  in  cities,  nearly  half  the  children  of  educable  age  and  slightly 
more  than  half  (50.6  per  cent)  of  the  children  of  elementary  school 
age  still  live  in  these  low  density  areas.  While  the  number  of  chil¬ 
dren  to  be  educated  in  these  areas  is  nearly  as  large  as  in  cities, 
adults  of  wage-earning  age  are  fewer.  This  population  situation 
combined  with  continuing  economic  depression  has  aggravated  long¬ 
standing  problems  concerned  with  financial  and  administrative  prob¬ 
lems,  such  as  term  length,  salaries,  extension  of  secondary  facilities 
to  children  in  backward  communities,  and  the  like. 

Information  gathered  through  a  study  of  the  characteristics  of 
secondary  education  in  rural  and  other  small  population  centers 
shows  that  45  per  cent  of  the  high  schools  of  the  United  States  enroll 
50  pupils  or  fewer  and  more  than  80  per  cent  have  an  enrollment  not 
exceeding  100  pupils.  These  data  indicate  the  importance  of  the 
small  high  school  in  education  in  the  United  States.  The  study  aims 
to  show  the  outstanding  characteristics  of  these  numerous  small  high 
schools  and  to  disclose  successful  practices  for  their  future  guidance 
in  reorganization. 

SCHOOL  HYGIENE,  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION,  AND  RECREATION 

As  a  basis  for  informational  and  advisory  service  in  these  fields, 
there  must  be  continuous  collection  of  statistical  information  regard¬ 
ing  the  health  of  students,  studies  of  conditions  in  the  school  plant 
affecting  the  hygiene  of  the  school  child,  investigations  of  conditions 
in  school  children  affecting  their  own  and  their  fellows5  health  and 
school  progress,  and  studies  of  materials,  facilities,  and  methods  of 
instruction. 

The  most  important  study  of  the  year  has  been  that  of  the  rela¬ 
tion  of  physique  and  physical  condition  to  intelligence  and  scholar¬ 
ship.  During  the  past  40  years  some  200  students  have  applied  the 
statistical  method  to  various  phases  of  this  subject  and  it  has  been 
the  purpose  of  the  present  investigation  to  piece  all  of  these  separate 
patches  of  science  together  so  that  they  can  be  viewed  as  a  whole  and 
the  general  relationship  of  “  mind  ”  and  “  body  ”  more  clearly  de¬ 
fined.  The  various  investigations  have  included  on  the  physical  side 
such  items  as  height,  weight,  measurements  of  girth,  of  lung  capac¬ 
ity,  and  of  strength ;  maturity  for  age ;  conditions  of  eyes,  ears,  nose, 
teeth,  glands,  and  limbs;  general  appraisement  of  health;  acute  and 
chronic  illness,  etc.  On  the  mental  side  comparison  of  such  items  as 
those  above  have  been  made  with  school  marks,  school  grade  for  age, 
and  with  intelligence  quotients  as  obtained  by  the  use  of  the  various 
tests  which  have  appeared. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Miss  Anita  J.  Turner,  director  of  physi¬ 
cal  education  in  the  schools  for  colored  children  of  Washington,  a 
classification  of  9,000  pupils  posture-wise  was  made  in  the  elemen¬ 
tary  schools  and  of  the  freshmen  of  the  Miner  Normal  School.  The 
statistics  thus  obtained  confirm  the  conclusions  reached  from  pre- 


RESEARCH  AND  INVESTIGATION 


11 


vious  studies  by  this  office  that  the  carriage  of  the  body  is  as  much 
an  hereditary  trait  as  our  facial  features,  and  that  it  can  not  be  es¬ 
sentially  modified  by  any  ordinary  means. 

Widespread  interest  and  practical  development  in  the  field  of 
physical  education  in  its  relationship  to  education  are  reflected  in 
other  research  studies  made  during  the  past  year. 

1.  An  extensive  investigation  of  895  institutions  of  higher  educa¬ 
tion  includes  a  summary  of  the  present  practices  of  educational  in¬ 
stitutions  regarding  health  education  and  physical  education  as  re¬ 
quired  subjects  in  all  general  teacher-training  curricula. 

2.  A  study  of  athletic  coaches  in  junior  and  senior  high  schools 
presents  detailed  information  regarding  92  junior  high  school 
coaches  employed  in  30  States  and  682  senior  high  school  coaches 
employed  in  46  States,  showing  the  extent  of  their  training  and  the 
amount  of  teaching  they  do. 

3.  So  widespread  is  the  interest  in  educational  camps  that  a  series 
of  reports  in  this  field  is  under  way,  including  a  directory  of  the 
various  types  of  camps  for  children  of  different  ages,  showing  their 
educational  provisions;  a  bibliography  designed  particularly  for 
directors  of  camps ;  and  accounts  of  the  successful  administration  of 
educational  camps. 

GUIDANCE  AND  INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION 

Guidance  and  industrial  education  occupy  a  prominent  place  in 
educational  thought  at  the  present  time.  Guidance  is  now  quite 
generally  accepted,  in  theory  at  least,  as  a  function  of  public  school 
education.  Also,  some  form  of  industrial  education  is  now  com¬ 
monly  included  in  the  work  of  the  public  schools.  In  both  guidance 
and  industrial  education  there  are  many  problems  that  need  further 
study.  Investigations  and  service  materials  are  needed  by  those  en¬ 
gaged  in  this  field. 

Continuing  studies  in  these  fields  include  those  of  industrial  train¬ 
ing  programs  in  industrial  plants,  the  organization  and  programs 
for  guidance  in  public  schools  and  through  State  departments, 
courses  of  study  in  industrial  arts,  and  vocational-industrial  training 
in  public  schools. 

A  study  was  made  of  persons  16  and  17  years  of  age,  in  the  years 
1920  and  1930,  to  determine  changes  which  took  place  in  school  at¬ 
tendance  during  the  decade.  For  that  age-grade  group  data  were 
determined  for  urban  and  rural  populations  by  States  showing  pop¬ 
ulation,  school  attendance,  and  the  ratio  of  school  attendance  to 
population.  The  study  indicated  that  if  the  ratio  of  school  attend¬ 
ance  had  remained  the  same  in  1930  as  it  was  in  1920  there  would 
have  been  two-thirds  of  a  million  fewer  16  and  17  year  old  pupils 
in  school  in  1930.  The  results  of  the  study  were  published  in  School 
Life. 

On  request  of  the  national  committee  on  State  guidance  programs 
of  the  National  Vocational  Guidance  Association,  the  Office  of  Edu¬ 
cation  entered  upon  a  cooperative  study,  with  that  committee,  of 
the  guidance  activities  of  State  departments  of  education.  The 
study  also  includes  suggestions  as  to  methods  of  organizing  State 
guidance  services. 


12 


REPORT  OE  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


The  need  for  lists  of  books  and  other  reading  materials  suitable 
for  inclusion  in  industrial  school  libraries  constitutes  a  pressing 
problem.  In  an  effort  to  help  in  supplying  material  to  meet  this 
need  a  list  of  about  three  hundred  references  was  compiled  and 
classified  according  to  trade-related  and  industrial  subjects,  inven¬ 
tions,  construction  projects,  occupations,  etc. 

“  Why  children  fail  ”  is  a  problem  of  great  social  and  financial 
importance.  After  consultation  with  a  number  of  research  workers 
in  city  school  systems,  a  case  study  form  was  developed  to  investi¬ 
gate  pupil  failure  with  special  reference  to  the  relation  of  environ¬ 
mental  conditions,  individual  interests,  and  personality  traits  of 
pupils  to  their  school  success.  The  case  study  form  includes  de¬ 
tailed  questions  on  the  results  of  educational  tests,  health  and  physi¬ 
cal  development,  school  history,  traits  of  personality,  home  and 
environmental  situations,  and  other  factors  considered  relevant. 

EDUCATIONAL  MEASUREMENT 

In  recognition  of  the  growing  demand  for  research  and  service 
in  the  field  of  educational  tests  and  measurements,  the  office  has  this 
year  added  to  its  staff  a  specialist  in  this  field.  Much  of  this  first 
year  has  been  spent  in  building  up  reference  files  of  measurement 
materials  and  in  developing  working  relations  with  research  bureaus 
and  with  individuals  in  testing  work  in  city  schools.  Several  studies 
have  been  completed  and  others  are  under  way. 

An  intensive  study  of  the  techniques  of  the  diagnosis  of  an  in¬ 
dividual’s  strengths  and  weaknesses  through  the  use  of  tests  is  being 
made.  This  study  is  very  important  at  this  particular  time  because 
of  the  great  increase  in  the  construction  and  use  of  tests  designed 
for  diagnostic  purposes.  An  important  outcome  of  this  study  is  the 
standards  which  are  set  up  for  the  evaluation  of  diagnostic  tests. 

A  survey  of  the  best  practices  in  testing  work  in  city  school  sys¬ 
tems  is  completed.  The  results  of  this  survey  should  be  valuable  to 
cities  desiring  to  establish  testing  programs  in  their  school  systems. 
The  methods  of  reporting  and  recording  test  results  are  being  studied 
in  this  connection.  Forms  used  by  various  cities  will  be  made  avail¬ 
able  for  study  by  interested  school  systems.  In  order  to  answer  the 
demands  for  information  relative  to  special  testing  fields  mimeo¬ 
graphed  lists  are  being  made  available. 

The  use  of  tests  in  prognosis  is  the  subject  of  another  study  which 
attempts  to  show  how  marks  and  achievement  tests  in  subjects  may 
be  used  to  supplement  intelligence  tests  in  the  guidance  of  pipils. 

COLLEGIATE  AND  PROFESSIONAL  EDUCATION 

Higher  education  is  just  now  entering  upon  a  period  of  applying 
the  scientific  method  to  the  solution  of  its  educational  problems. 
Criticism  of  higher  education  is  widespread  to-day.  Changes  are 
being  made  in  both  methods  of  teaching  and  in  curricula  of  colleges 
to  an  unprecedented  extent.  That  these  changes  should  be  made 
wisely  is  the  most  important  interest  of  higher  education  to-day. 
This  calls  for  a  program  of  research. 

The  study  of  questions  in  higher  education  which  arise  'primarily 
from  the  economic  depression. — While  the  movement  originated 


RESEARCH  AND  INVESTIGATION 


J3 


earlier,  the  economic  depression  has  hastened  the  urge  to  coordinate 
or  consolidate  the  public  institutions  of  higher  education  within  a 
given  State  so  as  to  avoid  duplication  and  competition.  To  be  in  posi¬ 
tion  to  respond  to  the  States  calling  upon  the  Office  of  Education  for 
assistance,  a  series  of  three  studies  was  planned  and  carried  half  way 
to  completion:  First,  the  assembling  of  data  which  reveal  variations 
among  the  States  in  their  financing  of  higher  education  and  in  the 
percentages  of  their  young  people  who  attend  college ;  second,  a  study 
of  the  governing  authority  and  curriculum  offerings  in  institutions 
of  higher  education  State  by  State,  choosing  those  States  first  which 
maintain  separate  State  universities  and  land-grant  colleges;  third, 
the  investigation  of  the  historical  development  of  higher  education 
in  a  few  typical  States  where  the  movement  for  consolidation  has 
made  the  greatest  headway.  It  is  believed  that  such  a  study  would 
shed  light  upon  the  problems  confronting  the  various  States  which 
are  contemplating  steps  in  coordination  or  consolidation. 

Two  other  studies  were  prompted  largely  by  the  economic  difficul¬ 
ties  of  higher  education:  First,  a  study  of  the  salaries  in  land-grant 
colleges  and  universities  seems  to  be  particularly  timely  in  view  of 
the  lack  of  reliable  data  as  to  the  variations  in  salaries  paid  in  dif¬ 
ferent  academic  divisions  and  academic  ranks ;  second,  a  study  of  14T 
small  colleges,  including  accredited  and  nonaccredited  types  which 
have  enrollments  of  500  students  or  less,  shows  the  changes  in  growth 
and  support  during  the  past  10  years.  This  study  will  shed  light  on 
the  financial  problems  which  confront  so  many  small  colleges  to-day. 

Studies  that  are  required  by  law  or  administrative  necessity  and 
studies  that  are  more  or  less  'periodic  in  character. — Of  this  type  the 
following  may  be  mentioned : 

1.  The  annual  report  on  land-grant  college  statistics  recording  the 
financial  and  educational  progress  of  the  land-grant  colleges,  includ¬ 
ing  also  the  report  of  expenditures  by  these  institutions.  This  office 
is  entrusted  with  the  supervision  of  the  expenditures  of  the  Federal 
funds  for  the  land-grant  colleges  under  the  land-grant  act  of  1862r 
the  Morrill  Act  of  1890,  and  the  Nelson  amendment  of  1907.  Each 
year  such  reports  are  submitted  by  the  land-grant  institutions  as  are 
necessary  to  assure  the  Office  of  Education  that  the  above  Federal 
funds  are  being  used  as  required  by  law. 

2.  The  annual  report  of  the  inspection  of  Howard  University 
required  by  Congress  showing  the  status  of  the  educational  and  finan¬ 
cial  programs  set  up. 

3.  The  supplementary  section  on  accredited  colleges  and  universi¬ 
ties  which  brings  up  to  date  the  list  of  accredited  higher  educational 
institutions  in  this  country. 

4.  The  annual  report  of  current  statistics  of  State  universities  and 
colleges  which  gives  significant  data  showing  the  enrollments,  facul¬ 
ties,  and  financial  resources  of  State-controlled  colleges  and 
universities. 

Studies  and  services  which  are  largely  special  in  their  nature. — 
Of  this  type  the  following  may  be  mentioned : 

As  a  part  of  the  contribution  of  the  Office  of  Education  to  the  cele¬ 
bration  of  the  bicentennial  of  George  Washington’s  birth,  the  division 
has  completed  a  work  entitled  “The  Educational  Views  of  George 
Washington.”  A  considerable  portion  of  this  study  shows  the  deep 
140536—32 - 3 


14 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


interest  of  Washington  in  the  development  of  college  and  university 
education  in  this  country. 

The  office  cooperated  in  the  study  of  the  Value  of  Military  Edu¬ 
cation  in  Universities  and  Colleges.  This  was  based  on  the  investi¬ 
gation  of  the  views  of  more  than  10,000  graduates  of  the  R.  O.  T.  C. 
course  in  54  universities  and  colleges. 

Because  of  the  increasing  demand  on  the  part  of  the  public,  several 
numbers  have  been  added  to  the  series  of  Guidance  Leaflets  for 
those  who  are  planning  to  enter  college.  These  new  leaflets  include 
data  on  careers  in  chemistry  and  chemical  engineerig,  art,  music, 
veterinary  medicine,  and  home  economics. 

A  study  of  the  aims  and  objectives  of  graduate  education  with 
particular  relation  to  teaching  and  research  has  been  completed. 
This  study  gives  the  views  of  selected  groups  of  college  presidents, 
heads  of  graduate  departments,  and  graduates  with  the  Ph.  D.  degree 
on  the  theoretical  as  well  as  attained  objectives  of  graduate  education. 

Summer  sessions  in  colleges  and  universities  partake  of  the  nature 
of  adult  education  as  well  as  that  of  college  education.  On  this 
account  their  activities  are  very  suggestive  to  college  officials.  There¬ 
fore,  a  study  has  been  completed  of  the  unusual  features  of  the  sum¬ 
mer  session  programs  offered  by  universities  and  colleges  in  this 
country. 

In  order  to  further  the  efficiency  of  collegiate  instruction  a  study 
was  made  of  faculty  inbreeding  in  land-grant  colleges  and 
universities. 


EDUCATION  OF  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN 

Education  in  a  democracy  involves  adequate  provision,  according 
to  accepted  standards,  for  100  per  cent  of  the  children.  It  is  gen¬ 
erally  recognized  that,  conventionally,  school  systems,  especially  in 
their  early  stages  of  progress,  are  organized  with  a  view  to  the  edu¬ 
cational  welfare  of  that  high  percentage  of  the  total  which  con¬ 
stitutes  the  normal  majority.  As  the  democratic  idea  in  education 
grows,  both  from  the  point  of  view  of  numbers  to  be  served  and 
quality  of  education  adapted  to  achieve  the  desired  objectives,  differ¬ 
entiated  and  increased  facilities  become  equally  imperative. 

The  Office  of  Education  offers  research,  advisory,  and  informa¬ 
tional  services  to  those  schools  attempting  to  provide  educational 
facilities  for  children  who  deviate  from  the  normal.  These  devia¬ 
tions  may  arise  from  environmental  limitations,  from  racial  differ¬ 
ences,  or  because  individuals  concerned  are  physically,  mentally, 
or  socially  different  from  the  average. 

Because  of  the  relative  newness  of  the  field  of  special  education 
in  State  and  city  school  systems,  there  is  a  wide  demand  for  prac¬ 
tical  service  to  teachers  and  parents  of  children  who,  because  they 
are  different,  need  special  educational  consideration.  During  the 
year  we  have  planned  publications  to  emphasize  this  type  of  service. 
The  first  of  this  particular  series  is  a  bulletin  on  parents’  problems 
with  exceptional  children  designed  primarily  for  the  use  of  parents 
and  parents’  study  groups.  A  similar  bulletin  on  teaching  prob¬ 
lems  with  exceptional  children,  somewhat  more  extensive  in  scope 
and  designed  to  give  practical  help  to  teachers  with  their  most  press- 


RESEARCH  AND  INVESTIGATION 


15 


ing  problems,  is  in  preparation.  Another  bulletin  of  assistance  to 
teachers  seeking  further  preparation  in  this  special  field,  Oppor¬ 
tunities  for  the  Preparation  of  Teachers  of  Exceptional  Children, 
has  just  come  from  the  press.  Further  extension  of  this  program  of 
practical  service  includes  completion  of  bulletins  now  in  progress 
presenting  curriculum  construction  and  teaching  units  suitable  for 
mentally  retarded  children  and  for  gifted  children.  These  will  give 
teachers  concrete  help  in  organizing  instructional  material  in  their 
classes. 

In  the  field  of  behavior  problems  one  of  the  greatest  needs  is  to 
provide  some  service  whereby  the  incipient  behavior  difficulties  of 
children  may  be  detected,  diagnosed,  and  checked.  An  experimental 
study  has  been  made  of  a  clinical  program  carried  on  in  a  typical 
city  and  of  the  results  accruing  from  it.  This  will  be  published  for 
its  suggestive  value  to  other  communities  in  the  organization  of  child 
guidance  work. 

Similarly,  in  connection  with  the  education  of  physically  handi¬ 
capped  children,  more  research  is  necessary  to  enable  us  better  to 
understand  the  physical  care,  education,  vocational  training,  and 
social  needs  of  each  group.  Special  studies  of  the  education  of  the 
deaf  and  hard-of-hearing  and  of  the  blind  and  partially  seeing 
children  in  public  schools  are  now  well  under  way.  These  studies, 
following  those  primarily  designed  for  teachers  and  parents  indi¬ 
cated  above,  should  extend  our  service  to  superintendents  and  others 
in  charge  of  schools  where  classes  for  these  children  have  not  yet  been 
established.  They  should  familiarize  administrators  and  others  with 
the  seriousness  of  the  problems  involved  and  make  available  scientific 
knowledge  concerning  such  children  and  successful  practices  followed 
in  their  education. 

Considerable  attention  has  been  given  during  the  year  to  the 
promotion  of  a  more  widespread  recognition  of  the  special  needs 
of  exceptional  children  and  to  the  dissemination  of  information  con¬ 
cerning  their  care  in  States  and  communities  where  it  has  not  yet 
received  sufficient  consideration. 

EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES 

Service  to  the  education  of  the  Negro  population,  which  includes 
nearly  4,000,000  educables,  has  been  carried  on  this  year  through 
three  major  research  projects : 

They  are  as  follows : 

(1)  A  survey  of  secondary  education  for  Negroes  designed  to 
gather  and  interpret  information  not  hitherto  available,  which  will 
show  the  availability,  status,  and  trends  in  secondary  education  for 
Negroes  throughout  the  United  States.  The  survey  is  expected  to 
serve  as  a  guide  to  school  officials  and  administrators  in  inaugurating 
or  changing  policies  or  practices  in  this  field  of  education. 

(2)  A  study  of  elementary  rural  education  among  Negro  schools 
working  under  the  direction  of  the  Jeanes  supervising  teachers.  It  is 
the  purpose  of  this  study  to  present  rather  detailed  facts  concerning 
important  phases  of  elementary  education  for  Negroes  in  rural  com¬ 
munities  in  a  representative  number  of  counties  in  the  Southern 
States  where  Jeanes  supervising  teachers  are  employed.  It  will  offer 


16 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


data  which  will  facilitate  comparisons  among  supervised  and  un- 
siipervised  rural  elementary  schools  and  will  help  to  reveal  successful 
practices  as  well  as  imperative  needs  among  Negro  elementary 
schools. 

(3)  A  survey  of  2,000  Negro  college  students  through  a  personnel 
study  of  their  social,  cultural,  scholastic,  and  intellectual  background 
factors.  This  is  the  first  extensive  personnel  study  which  has  been 
made  of  Negro  students  on  a  national  scale.  It  will  furnish  sig¬ 
nificant  information  concerning  the  outstanding  strengths  and  weak¬ 
nesses  in  different  types  of  elementary  and  high  schools. 

Another  study  of  interest  in  this  field  is  the  section  of  the  national 
survey  of  the  education  of  teachers  concerned  with  the  education  of 
Negro  teachers.  The  study,  still  in  progress,  is  expected  to  do  for 
Negro  education  what  the  national  survey  as  a  whole  aims  to  do  for 
teacher  education  throughout  the  United  States. 

EDUCATION  OF  SPECIAL  GROUPS 

There  are  approximately  15,000,000  people  constituting  the  native 
and  minority  groups  in  continental  United  States  and  its  outlying 
parts,  living  in  widely  dispersed  areas,  for  whose  social  and  economic 
rehabilitation  the  people  of  the  United  States  have  assumed  large 
responsibilities.  Education  is  conceded  to  be  the  chief  instrument 
through  which  rehabilitation  can  and  should  be  achieved.  There  has 
as  yet  been  relatively  little  research  carried  on  by  students  of  educa¬ 
tion  directed  toward  a  solution  of  the  numerous  problems  involved 
in  educating  masses  of  primitive  and  semiprimitive  peoples.  Infor¬ 
mation  concerning  education  and  educational  conditions  and  progress 
has  not  been  widely  disseminated  and  is  not  readily  available.  So 
far  as  information  is  available,  the  Office  of  Education  offers  the  only 
organized  service  in  this  important  field  of  education. 

During  the  year  a  personal  investigation  of  education  facilities 
provided  for  the  natives  of  Alaska  made  during  the  last  month  of  the 
preceding  year  was  followed  at  the  beginning  of  this  year  by  a  similar 
study  concerned  with  the  education  of  indigenous  peoples  in  Mexico. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  the  Federal  education  officials  of  that 
country  a  member  of  the  staff  visited  schools  in  9  of  the  28  States, 
observing  at  first  hand  the  extensive  nation-wide  experiment  under 
way  in  applying  the  principles  undertying  progressive  education  as 
practiced  in  the  United  States  to  the  Mexican  situation.  As  a  result 
of  the  visit  a  bulletin  describing  the  experiment,  a  3-reel  moving 
picture,  and  a  set  of  slides  showing  schools  in  action  were  prepared 
for  the  information  of  educators  in  the  United  States. 

Of  the  publications  planned  and  in  preparation  designed  eventu¬ 
ally  to  furnish  information  on  major  problems  in  this  field  of  educa¬ 
tion  as  a  whole  and  to  give  reasonably  complete  information  concern¬ 
ing  educational  conditions  and  progress  in  each  of  our  outlying 
parts,  five  bulletins  or  pamphlets  have  been  completed  and  are  either 
published  or  awaiting  early  publication.  Two  others  are  well  under 
way.  Among  the  former  is  an  extensive  study  of  the  intelligence, 
social  traits,  and  environment  of  the  natives  of  Alaska.  This  study 
is  the  result  of  two  years’  field  work  in  Alaska  and  is  expected  to 
offer  a  scientific  basis  for  such  reorganization  of  the  educational  pro¬ 
gram  as  may  eventually  prove  desirable.  Articles  have  been  written 


RESEARCH  AND  INVESTIGATION 


17 


and  an  extensive  bibliography  on  the  education  of  indigenous  and 
native  groups  throughout  the  world  as  well  as  under  our  own  flag 
is  available  in  the  office. 

To  secure  information  about  the  educational  provisions  available 
and  needed,  a  social  and  economic  survey  of  the  Southern  Appa¬ 
lachian  Mountains  is  now  nearing  completion.  It  was  made  in 
cooperation  with  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  and 
officials  of  six  Southern  States.  It  involves  205  counties  lying  along 
the  ridge  of  the  Southern  Appalachians  and  will  gather  all  available 
facts  concerning  the  educational  welfare  of  children  living  in  the 
southern  mountain  districts.  When  completed  the  study  should  offer 
a  basis  for  more  intelligent  understanding  of  educational  conditions 
in  the  backward  communities  involved. 

In  many  communities  the  education  of  foreign-speaking  children 
introduces  difficult  and  specialized  problems.  A  study  has  been  made 
this  year  of  the  education  of  Spanish-speaking  children  in  certain 
Southwestern  States.  Five  States  (Arizona,  California,  Colorado, 
New  Mexico,  and  Texas),  in  each  of  which  a  high  percentage  of 
Mexican  children  are  being  educated  in  the  public  schools,  are  in¬ 
cluded  in  this  study.  In  general,  in  the  States  affected  there  is  con¬ 
siderable  concentration  of  Mexican  population  in  certain  counties  and 
cities,  and  these  have  been  selected  for  special  study.  For  example, 
78  per  cent  of  the  Mexican  population  in  Arizona  is  found  in  6  coun¬ 
ties;  84  per  cent  of  that  in  California  is  in  12  counties.  Among 
the  factors  of  special  importance  are  language  difficulties;  the 
mobility  of  Mexican  families  and  consequent  irregularity  in  attend¬ 
ance  and  short  school  life  of  the  pupils  involved ;  questions  concern¬ 
ing  school  organization;  segregation  in  lower  grades;  and  other 
policies.  This  study  should  throw  light  on  the  problem  of  bilingual 
education  elsewhere. 

SCHOOL-BUILDING  PROBLEMS 

The  purpose  of  the  office  in  its  work  on  school  buildings  is  to 
assist  States  and  cities  in  solving  their  school-building  problems  by 
(1)  making  school-building  surveys  at  the  request  of  State  and  city 
educational  authorities;  (2)  conducting  research  on  fundamental 
school-building  problems  which  are  common  to  all  communities. 

For  example,  the  study  just  completed  is  on  a  subject  which  has 
hitherto  been  little  developed  and  yet  which  is  basic  to  efficient  plan¬ 
ning  of  school  buildings  in  any  section  of  the  country,  i.  e.,  the 
Functional  Planning  of  Elementary  School  Buildings.  The  study 
was  made  of  74  elementary  school  buildings  in  40  States.  It  shows 
how  the  function  of  the  school,  that  is,  its  educational  program, 
conditions  not  only  the  general  design  of  the  building  but  every 
detail  of  the  construction — number,  kind,  and  size  of  rooms,  equip¬ 
ment,  provision  for  play  space,  auditorium  activities,  community 
activities,  etc.  Furthermore,  it  shows  that  the  educational  program 
in  elementary  schools  is  no  longer  a  rigid,  unchangeable  formula,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  is  changing  dynamically  to  meet  the  needs  of  chil¬ 
dren  in  a  changing  civilization.  These  changes  in  the  schools’  aims 
and  program  are  in  turn  reflected  in  the  whole  science  and  art  of 
school  building. 


18 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


But  this  study  is  important  not  only  because  of  the  technical  data 
on  the  planning  of  school  buildings  which  have  been  collected;  the 
method  of  conducting  it  is  equally  important.  This  was  referred 
to  in  last  year’s  report,  but  emphasis  is  placed  on  it  again  this  year 
because  it  has  now  been  carried  on  long  enough  to  show  that  it  is 
a  real  contribution  to  the  problem  of  conducting  cooperative  re¬ 
search.  The  idea  behind  the  method  is,  that  if  research  on  such  a 
subject  as  school  building  is  to  be  sound  and  if  practical  results  are 
to  follow  from  it,  then  it  should  be  carried  on  in  close  cooperation 
with  the  leading  experts  on  school-building  problems  from  all  parts 
of  the  country — experts  in  both  the  educational  planning  and  the 
architectural  planning  of  school  buildings. 

Therefore,  at  the  request  of  the  State  superintendents  of  instruc¬ 
tion,  a  national  advisory  council  on  school-building  problems  was 
appointed,  which  now  has  a  total  of  77  members  and  75  advisory 
architects,  a  total  of  152  on  the  national  advisory  council.  This 
advisory  council  has  worked  with  a  member  of  the  staff  of  this  office 
on  the  initial  plan  of  the  survey  and  on  its  evaluation,  through 
regional  councils  in  which  every  item  in  the  study  was  examined. 

This  method  of  carrying  on  the  work  through  a  central  office  but 
planning  it  and  interpreting  it  by  means  of  decentralized  groups  all 
at  work  on  a  common  task  has  resulted,  before  the  report  is  ready 
to  be  sent  out,  in  a  widespread  interest  in  and  understanding  of  the 
study. 

//.  STIMULATION  AND  COORDINATION  OF  RESEARCH 
IN  EDUCATION 

The  ideal  of  critical,  objective,  scientific  study  of  educational 
problems  as  a  basis  for  administrative  action  is  widely  accepted  by 
schools  of  to-day,  and  records  of  investigations  evidence  consider¬ 
able  progress  toward  that  ideal.  About  4,000  reports  of  educational 
research  were  received  by  the  Office  of  Education  in  1930-31.  Our 
records  show  that  the  number  of  bureaus  of  research  in  city  school 
systems  has  increased  very  rapidly  since  1925.  The  Office  of  Educa¬ 
tion  attempts  to  stimulate  research  along  worth-while  lines  and  to 
assist  in  coordinating  the  work  of  these  many  research  agencies  inter¬ 
ested  in  similar  problems. 

RESEARCH  MATERIALS 

Bibliographies. — Since  1927  the  office  has  published  annual  bibliog¬ 
raphies  of  investigations  of  educational  problems,  combining  re¬ 
ports  from  State,  city,  and  university  research  bureaus,  as  well  as 
from  many  other  agencies  and  individuals.  That  it  serves  an  im¬ 
portant  use  is  indicated  by  the  hearty  cooperation  offered  this  past 
year  by  more  than  300  reporters,  by  the  increasing  calls  for  the 
reports,  and  by  many  letters  of  commendation. 

Thesis  collection. — Some  of  the  most  extensive  and  valuable  re¬ 
search  in  educational  problems  is  carried  on  in  the  graduate  schools 
of  our  universities.  This  past  year,  with  the  indorsement  of  deans 
of  schools  of  education,  the  office  invited  graduate  schools,  schools  of 
education,  and  graduate  students  in  education  to  join  with  the  office 
in  making  a  collection  of  graduate  theses  in  education  available  for 


STIMULATION  AND  COORDINATION  OF  RESEARCH  IN  EDUCATION  19 

reference  both  in  the  library  of  the  Office  of  Education  and  through 
interlibrary  loan.  The  reply  to  the  invitation  was  exceedingly  gen¬ 
erous.  About  400  theses  were  received  for  deposit  in  the  library  be¬ 
fore  July  1.  Pamphlet  No.  26  lists  the  theses  received  before  De¬ 
cember,  1931.  Requests  for  loans  from  all  parts  of  the  country  are 
received  in  increasing  numbers,  indicating  widespread  use  of  this 
service. 

Survey  data. — Each  national  survey  collects  and  reports  a  vast 
amount  of  material,  but  in  the  original  records  for  each  report  are 
the  necessary  data  for  many  other  tabulations  and  studies  of  spe¬ 
cific  problems,  such  as  segregation  of  a  single  State’s  report  from 
national  totals.  The  past  year  data  from  the  surveys  have  been  fur¬ 
nished  to  State  teachers  associations,  State  departments  of  educa¬ 
tion,  universities  and  colleges,  national  professional  organizations, 
and  graduate  students. 

Research  in  higher  education. — The  professional  schools  have  en¬ 
gaged  in  recent  years  in  studies  of  their  curricula  and  organizations 
on  a  nation-wide  basis.  Relatively  little  use  of  objective  measure¬ 
ments  has  been  made,  although  important  changes  have  been  intro¬ 
duced  in  these  professional  schools  as  a  result  of  these  surveys. 
Colleges  of  liberal  arts  seem  to  be  more  insistent  upon  objective 
evidence  as  a  basis  for  the  changes  which  educational  reformers  are 
advocating. 

One  of  the  most  significant  services  which  the  Office  of  Education 
can  render  higher  education  is  to  stimulate  as  far  as  possible  both 
the  extent  of  this  research  in  the  field  of  higher  education  and  the 
demand  for  a  careful  scientific  procedure  in  it.  Accordingly,  the 
office  has  entered  upon  a  program  of  stimulating  this  research.  This 
program  involves  three  steps : 

First,  the  assembling  of  a  list  of  educational  research  projects  in 
progress  in  the  colleges,  and  distributing  the  list  in  multigraphed 
form  to  all  those  actively  engaged  in  research.  In  carrying  out  this 
step,  the  cooperation  of  one  or  more  individuals  in  each  State  has 
been  sought  through  whose  good  offices  a  list  of  projects  under  way 
in  the  institutions  in  the  State  might  be  assembled.  Wherever  possi¬ 
ble,  a  committee  on  research  in  the  college  association  of  the  State 
was  used  or  was  brought  into  existence  in  order  that  the  machinery 
for  fostering  research  in  that  State  might  be  as  permanent  as 
possible.  With  the  aid  of  these  cooperating  persons,  a  list  of  487 
such  projects  was  compiled  and  distributed  during  the  spring 
of  1932. 

Second,  cooperating  with  certain  universities  in  calling  regional 
conferences  of  those  who  are  most  actively  engaged  in  research  in 
the  field  of  higher  education.  The  first  regional  conference  was 
held  in  cooperation  with  the  University  of  Oregon  in  April,  1931. 
Similar  conferences  were  held  during  the  spring  of  1932  at  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Pittsburgh  and  at  the  University  of  Kentucky.  Several 
others  are  planned  for  the  fall  of  1932. 

Third,  the  publication  of  the  outstanding  research  studies  in  a 
series  of  bulletins.  The  report  of  the  Oregon  conference  incorporat¬ 
ing  the  important  papers  read  has  been  published  as  a  bulletin  of 
the  Office  of  Education  entitled  “Research  in  Higher  Education.” 
Other  bulletins  are  in  preparation. 


20 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


HISTORIES  OF  EDUCATION 

Following  a  report  that  only  8  of  the  62  extant  State  histories 
of  education  are  reliable  and  up-to-date  and  that  9  States  have  no 
published  account  whatever  of  the  development  of  their  school  sys¬ 
tems,  the  office  is  cooperating  with  a  committee  on  State  histories  of 
the  National  Society  of  College  Teachers  of  Education  and  with 
the  National  Committee  on  Research  in  Secondary  Education  in  stim¬ 
ulating  the  preparation  of  readable,  authoritative  records  of  educa¬ 
tional  developments  in  the  several  States  and  of  educational  move¬ 
ments  of  national  significance.  Two  manuscripts  have  been  approved 
by  the  committee  on  State  histories  and  accepted  for  publication  by 
this  office.  They  are  the  History  of  the  Municipal  University  in  the 
United  States  and  the  American  Lyceum.  The  committees  report 
that  progress  has  been  made  this  past  year  on  15  State  histories,  and 
that  one  manuscript  is  now  completed. 

HOME-MAKING  EDUCATION 

Rapidly  changing  economic  and  social  conditions  and  their  effect 
upon  the  home  have  put  new  and  stupendous  responsibilities  upon 
education.  This  has  been  felt  both  in  the  demand  that  education 
for  home  making  be  made  available  to  all  students,  both  men  and 
women,  and  that  the  curriculum  be  expanded  to  include  more  than 
heretofore  of  sociology,  economics,  science,  and  child  development. 
With  the  hope  of  being  of  service  to  schools  interested  in  improving 
their  home-economics  programs  the  office  has  continued  its  series  of 
conferences,  holding  one  on  May  2-3,  1932,  at  Amherst,  Mass.,  and 
another  on  May  16  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.  The  first  one,  held  in 
cooperation  with  the  six  New  England  State  commissioners  of  edu¬ 
cation  and  the  Massachusetts  State  College,  featured  the  Place  of 
Home  Making  in  a  Program  of  Education.  The  second  conference 
aimed  to  present  a  comprehensive  picture  of  home-making  education 
as  it  obtains  in  our  public  schools,  colleges,  and  adult  education 
agencies,  and  was  held  in  conjunction  with  the  National  Congress 
of  Parents  and  Teachers  with  10  national,  State,  and  local  organiza¬ 
tions  assisting. 

In  addition  to  the  conferences  the  office  has  tried  to  further  the 
cause  of  home-making  education  by  stimulating  needed  research  in 
the  field.  Last  year’s  report  described  some  of  the  studies  carried  on 
cooperatively  by  this  office  and  committees  appointed  by  the  com¬ 
missioner  following  the  home-making  conferences.  This  year  has 
seen  the  completion  of  four  of  the  studies : 

1.  Criteria  for  evaluating  various  administrative  aspects  of  home 
economics.  Ohio  committee,  directed  by  Adelaide  Laura  Van  Duzer, 
supervisor  of  home  economics  in  Cleveland. 

2.  An  evaluation  of  home  economics  by  246  Ohio  high-school 
girls.  Ohio  committee,  directed  by  Dr.  Velma  Phillips,  director  of 
household  administration,  Ohio  University,  Athens. 

3.  Home-economics  content  on  the  high-school  level.  West  North 
Central  States  committee,  directed  by  Mrs.  Lucile  Rust,  professor  of 
home-making  education  of  the  Kansas  State  College  of  Agriculture 
and  Applied  Science,  Manhattan. 


STIMULATION  AND  COORDINATION  OF  RESEARCH  IN  EDUCATION  21 

4.  The  organization  of  the  home-economics  content  for  high 
schools.  West  North  Central  States  committee,  directed  by  Gene¬ 
vieve  Fisher,  dean  of  the  division  of  home  economics  of  the  Iowa 
State  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts,  Ames,  Iowa. 

Materials  distributed  by  the  office  to  be  of  practical  aid  to  those 
engaged  in  home-economics  education  include  a  list  of  Government 
publications  useful  to  teachers  in  this  field,  a  bibliography  on  the 
home-economics  curriculum,  and  a  number  of  reference  lists  on 
special  subjects. 


III.  EDUCATIONAL  SERVICE 

In  a  sense  the  entire  program  of  the  Office  of  Education  is  a  serv¬ 
ice  program.  The  problems  for  investigation  are  selected  with  an 
eye  to  their  practical  use  to  schools  generally.  In  a  similar  way  the 
other  activities  of  staff  members  are  designed  to  be  of  service  to 
schools  and  the  cause  of  education  throughout  the  country.  Illus¬ 
trations  of  service  rendered  in  specific  fields  during  the  past  year 
are  as  follows : 

GROUPS  SERVED  AND  TYPES  OF  EDUCATIONAL  SERVICE  FOR 
THE  YEAR  1931-32 

State  departments  of  education  : 

Assistance  in  reorganizing  accounting  systems. 

Comparative  statistics  of  State  school  systems. 

Surveys  of  State  school  systems. 

Reports  of  educational  legislation. 

Drafting  State  school  laws. 

Conferences  of  State  superintendents. 

Speakers  for  State  meetings. 

State  conferences  for  county  superintendents. 

Local  school  administrators: 

School  surveys. 

Comparative  statistics  of  local  school  systems. 

Consultative  service  on  school  administration. 

Reports  of  work  of  county  superintendents. 

Series  of  helps  in  making  courses  of  study. 

Consultative  service  on  school  buildings  and  equipment. 

Compilations  of  school  laws  on  particular  subjects. 

Administrators  in  colleges  and  universities : 

Comparative  statistics  of  higher  education. 

Consultative  service  in  consolidation  of  higher  education  facilities. 

Reports  on  universities  abroad. 

Evaluation  of  foreign  student  credentials. 

Surveys. 

Summer  school  conferences. 

Conferences  on  research  in  higher  education  problems. 

Research  workers : 

Directory  of  research  agencies. 

Annual  bibliographies  of  research. 

Loan  service  of  research  reports  and  other  publications. 

Comparative  statistics  of  education. 

Evaluation  of  studies. 

Files  of  studies  in  progress. 

Loan  service  of  research  materials  (as  national  survey  data). 

Teachers : 

Reports  of  Government  publications  of  help  in  classrooms. 

Reading  lists  of  new  books  in  special  fields. 

Reports  of  classroom  projects. 


22 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Teachers — Continued. 

Aid  at  teachers’  institutes. 

Programs  and  lists  of  courses  of  study. 

Studies  of  status  and  salaries. 

Classroom  materials  (such  as  health  charts). 

Exhibit  books  (as  of  report  cards). 

Directories  of  school  officials. 

Parents : 

Lists  of  materials  for  study  groups. 

Studies  of  child  life. 

Selected  readings  for  home  study. 

Speakers  at  meetings. 

Directory  of  summer  courses  for  parents. 

Locating  schools  of  special  types  (as  for  blind). 

Students : 

Direction  in  selecting  subjects  and  writing  theses. 

Guidance  in  choice  of  vocation. 

Locating  schools  of  special  types  (as  for  radio  training). 

Laymen : 

Information  on  school  taxes. 

School  building  reports. 

Information  service  on  school  law. 

Directories  of  different  types  of  schools. 

Comparative  statistics  of  education. 

Addresses. 

Journals  and  newspapers  (hence,  the  general  public)  : 

News  releases  on  educational  events. 

Brief  reports  of  investigations. 

Information  service. 

Reports  of  Government  activities  for  education. 

State  teachers  associations : 

Speakers  for  meetings. 

Suggestions  for  programs. 

In  addition,  publications  serve  all  of  the  above  groups,  and  library 
reference  and  loan  service  are  available  to  them. 

SCHOOL  SURVEYS 

The  office  regularly  receives  many  more  requests  for  assistance 
in  making  school  surveys  than  its  limited  staff  permits  it  to  grant. 
In  the  field  of  school  buildings  alone,  during  the  past  12  years  the 
office  has  made  surveys  in  20  cities  in  14  States.  Seventeen  of  the 
20  cities  adopted  the  recommendations  of  the  office  for  school  build¬ 
ing  programs,  and  in  12  cases  bond  issues  resulted  from  the  surveys. 
In  every  case  the  building  programs  recommended  by  the  surveys 
resulted  in  greater  economies  and  greater  value  for  the  money  in¬ 
vested  than  had  been  contemplated  before  the  surveys.  For  ex¬ 
ample,  in  the  case  of  seven  cities  in  which  the  results  were  checked 
with  particular  care,  the  savings  effected  by  the  surveys  amounted 
to  more  than  $15,000,000. 

During  the  early  spring  of  1931  the  board  of  education  and  the 
chamber  of  commerce  of  Youngstown,  Ohio,  invited  the  Office  of 
Education  to  make  a  survey  of  the  public  schools  of  that  city.  A 
joint  committee  presented  a  series  of  questions  upon  which  it  was 
desired  that  the  survey  should  focus.  These  questions  involved  the 
organization  of  the  school  board,  the  administration  of  the  schools, 
financing  and  housing  the  schools,  and  instruction.  The  field  work 
was  done  during  the  months  of  September,  October,  and  November, 
1931,  by  members  of  the  staff  and  invited  specialists.  The  report  on 
the  survey  was  completed  in  December  and  presented  to  the  Youngs¬ 
town  Chamber  of  Commerce,  by  whom  it  was  printed. 


EDUCATIONAL  SERVICE 


23 


The  office  has  cooperated  with  States  engaged  in  the  various  steps 
of  consolidation.  Members  of  the  staff  served  as  counsel  for  the 
Commission  on  Consolidation  of  the  State  Institutions  of  Higher 
Education  in  North  Carolina,  and  for  the  Commission  on  Consolida¬ 
tion  of  Higher  Educational  Institutions  in  South  Carolina,  assisted 
in  the  survey  of  higher  education  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  and 
was  represented  on  the  advisory  committee  of  the  State  Commission 
of  Virginia  for  the  Establishment  of  a  State  College  for  Women  as 
a  part  of  the  University  of  Virginia.  It  is  the  policy  of  the  office, 
however,  to  serve  primarily  as  counsel  for  the  various  State  com¬ 
missions  rather  than  to  engage  in  the  active  field  work  necessary 
for  these  State  surveys.  For  example,  in  North  Carolina,  in  this 
capacity,  our  consultant  helped  map  out  the  procedures  which  the 
commission  might  best  use,  assisted  in  the  selection  of  the  survey 
staff  and  sat  with  the  commission  through  its  several  meetings. 
After  the  survey  staff  formulated  its  report  the  consultant  examined 
the  report  before  it  was  submitted  to  the  consolidation  commission, 
and  finally,  when  the  consolidation  commission  presented  its  report 
to  the  newly  created  board  of  trustees  of  the  combined  University 
of  North  Carolina,  assisted  in  the  interpretation  of  the  report  to 
the  board  of  trustees.  The  above  procedure  illustrates  the  way  in 
which  the  office  hopes  to  serve  the  several  States  which  request  as¬ 
sistance  in  surveys  of  higher  education. 

Another  member  of  the  staff  was  invited  to  evaluate  the  program 
of  the  Georgetown,  Del.,  demonstration  school  in  the  light  of 
observations  made  two  years  ago  when  the  school  was  opened  and 
to  discover  whether  the  school  can  render  greater  service  to  the 
State  than  it  is  now  rendering.  The  school,  organized  to  demonstrate 
an  enriched  type  of  program  in  a  rural  school  district  and  to  offer 
observation  facilities  for  teachers  in  other  schools,  is  a  unique  State 
project. 

LIBRARY  SERVICE 

The  office  is  in  a  very  real  sense  built  around  the  library,  depend¬ 
ent  upon  its  collection  of  more  than  150,000  volumes  and  the  effi¬ 
ciency  of  its  organization  in  maintaining  prompt  and  valuable 
information  service  and  carrying  on  its  investigations.  Through  the 
generosity  of  publishers,  the  Library  of  Congress,  and  individual 
donors,  the  office’s  small  purchase  fund  of  $1,800  for  books  and 
periodicals  was  supplemented  this  year  to  the  extent  of  accessioning 
approximately  12,000  publications.  Although  the  staff  is  entirely 
too  small  to  provide  general  reference  library  service  to  the  public, 
an  average  of  200  persons  from  outside  the  office  ask  for  service 
at  the  loan  desk  each  month  and  150  others  ask  for  documents 
through  outside  and  interlibrary  loan. 

The  principal  activities  of  the  library  during  the  past  year  are 
of  three  types: 

1.  Building  adequate  'booh  collections  in  specific  fields. — A  check 
list  of  college  catalogues  has  been  begun  and  will  progress  with 
greater  rapidity  during  the  coming  year.  These  catalogues  are 
much  used  and  an  accurate  and  complete  check  list  will  greatly 
facilitate  the  process.  We  are  trying  to  complete  the  files  and  bind 
the  catalogues  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  entire  collection  of  for- 


24  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

eign  periodicals,  catalogued  and  uncatalogued,  has  been  brought 
together.  As  rapidty  as  possible,  the  cataloguing  of  this  collection 
will  be  completed  so  that  it  may  be  more  readily  available  for  use. 

An  especial  effort  has  been  made  to  collect  courses  of  study  issued 
by  States  and  cities.  To  facilitate  their  use  the  current  courses  have 
been  placed  in  pamphlet  boxes  and  shelved  together  in  the  catalogue 
room.  They  have  been  extensively  used  both  by  specialists  in  the 
office  and  by  readers  from  the  outside. 

Limitations  of  space  and  shelving  regulations  have  heretofore  pre¬ 
vented  the  assembling  of  all  those  documents  which  make  up  our 
foreign  education  collection.  During  the  past  year  all  catalogued 
and  uncatalogued  materials,  foreign  periodicals,  foreign  university 
catalogues,  and  official  education  reports  have  been  brought  together, 
so  that  for  the  first  time  the  library  division  of  materials  on  educa¬ 
tion  in  other  countries  is  in  presentable  and  readily  usable  forms. 

2.  Bibliographic  service. — The  bibliographic  work  of  the  office 
has  increased  greatly  in  the  past  year.  Certain  periodic  bibliog¬ 
raphies  such  as  the  annual  Bibliography  of  Research  Studies  in 
Education  and  the  quarterly  Record  of  Current  Educational  Publi¬ 
cations  have  continued.  The  first  issue  of  the  annual  Bibliography 
of  Religious  Education  has  been  completed.  Others  issued  during 
the  year  are  The  Education  of  the  Negro,  The  Education  of  Teach¬ 
ers,  Education  and  Psychology  of  Exceptional  Children,  Vocational 
Guidance,  Supervisors  of  Instruction  in  Rural  Schools,  Education 
of  Women,  Nursery  Education,  Education  by  Radio,  Home  Eco¬ 
nomics  Curriculum.  Besides  these  published  bibliographies,  many 
others  have  been  prepared  in  special  fields  on  request. 

3.  School  library  service. — One  important  function  of  the  library 
is  service  to  elementary  and  secondary  school  and  college  libraries, 
including  advisory  service  on  progressive  practices  and  equipment, 
as  well  as  investigations  of  library  problems  and  their  interpretation 
in  practical  form.  Under  a  grant-in-aid  from  the  Carnegie  Cor¬ 
poration  a  study  was  made  this  year  of  rural  school  library  services 
and  practices.  Altogether  318  rural  schools  and  50  county  libraries 
in  36  States  were  visited  and  personal  interviews  were  held  with  staff 
members  of  State  educational  and  library  agencies.  School  library 
activities  in  State  teachers  associations  was  the  subject  of  another 
and  briefer  study. 

FOREIGN  EDUCATION  PROBLEMS 

The  service  activities  of  the  office  in  the  field  of  foreign  school 
systems  are  chiefly  in  three  categories:  (1)  Gathering,  interpreting, 
classifying,  and  keeping  in  order  data  about  education  in  foreign 
countries;  (2)  using  that  material  to  aid  any  persons  to  whom  such 
information  may  be  valuable;  and  (3)  helping  to  interpret  to  for¬ 
eigners  education  in  the  United  States.  The  balance  between  incom¬ 
ing  and  outgoing  data  is  not  well  maintained ;  the  office  receives  more 
than  its  staff  is  able  to  use  and  send  out  promptly. 

Gathering  and  keeping  in  order  data  about  education  in  other 
countries. — The  sources  of  information  are  requested  and  voluntary 
reports  from  the  diplomatic  and  consular  offices  of  the  State  De¬ 
partment;  official  publications  of  all  kinds  such  as  laws,  decrees, 


EDUCATIONAL  SERVICE 


25 


arretes,  and  bulletins  issued  by  school  authorities  abroad;  and  non¬ 
official  periodicals,  books,  brochures,  etc.,  on  education  in  other 
countries. 

Through  the  Department  of  State  the  division  asks  about  many 
institutions  and  receives  excellent  reports.  In  February,  1931,  the 
Department  of  State  asked  the  Department  of  the  Interior  for  a 
statement  of  the  kind  of  information  it  desires  from  other  countries. 
In  its  part  of  the  reply  this  office  told  its  needs  rather  fully.  Mainly 
because  of  that  request  for  direction  and  the  answer,  the  voluntary 
reports  through  the  State  Department  are  now  more  valuable. 
Illustrations  are: 

Great  Britain :  Intelligence  experiment  in  Scottish  schools. 

Palestine:  Education  in  Palestine. 

Quebec :  Synopsis  of  the  educational  system  in  the  Province  of  Quebec. 

Colombia :  Reorganization  of  the  ministry  of  education. 

Chosen:  Education  in  Chosen. 

Mexico :  Cost  of  public  education. 

Spain :  Outline  of  Spanish  primary  and  secondary  school  systems. 

The  office  is  indebted  to  the  diplomatic  offices  in  Washington,  of 
Bulgaria,  Cuba,  Czechoslovakia,  Egypt,  France,  Germany,  Hungary, 
Irish  Free  State,  Japan,  Norway,  Rumania,  Sweden,  and  Turkey  for 
assistance  in  obtaining  data  and  making  translations.  Much  help 
has  come  to  it  also  from  the  Library  of  Congress,  the  Departments  of 
Commerce  and  Labor,  and  the  Pan  American  Union. 

The  100  or  more  foreign  education  periodicals  and  the  many  official 
reports  and  bulletins  that  come  to  the  office  as  well  as  the  new  books 
that  were  acquired  by  it  are  read  regularly  for  important  items. 

Informing  the  people  of  the  United  States  about  education  in  other 
countries. — The  office  does  not  intend  to  serve  any  special  groups  of 
people  in  the  United  States  but  to  aid  any  citizens  either  at  their 
request  or  on  its  own  initiative.  Neither  does  it  purpose  to  make  its 
work  essentially  practical  and  applied  as  distinguished  from  pure 
investigation  and  general  culture.  But  in  the  process  of  developing 
its  activities,  chiefly  two  groups,  (a)  college  and  university  registrars 
and  committees  of  admission  and  (b)  departments  of  comparative 
education,  have  called  on  it  for  aid  and  by  so  doing  have  become  its 
main  clientage. 

The  aid  called  for  by  the  first  of  these  groups  is  severely  practical 
in  its  nature  and  requires  information  that  can  be  applied  imme¬ 
diately  to  specific  needs.  This  is  the  evaluation  of  credentials  of 
persons  who  have  received  all  or  part  of  their  training  in  other 
countries  and  who,  for  some  reason  or  other,  usually  because  they 
wish  to  continue  their  studies  in  the  United  States,  need  to  know  on 
what  levels  their  studies  abroad  place  them  in  American  terms. 

During  the  year  the  office  handled  819  requests  for  credential 
evaluation  with  documents  from  TO  different  political  divisions. 
This  was  an  increase  of  229  cases  over  the  previous  year. 

The  division  has  undertaken  another  and  extended  service  mainly 
for  college  and  university  registrars  which  should  be  valuable  also 
for  the  general  field  of  higher  education  in  the  United  States.  In 
May  of  1931  the  American  Association  of  Collegiate  Registrars  sent 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  a  request  that  the  “  Office  of  Educa¬ 
tion  prepare  an  annual  report  on  the  proper  accrediting  of  educa- 


26 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


tional  institutions  in  foreign  countries  for  the  guidance  of  regis¬ 
trars  in  American  colleges  and  universities.”  In  his  reply  of  June 
12,  1931,  the  Secretary  stated,  in  effect,  that  the  Office  of  Education 
could  not  undertake  to  make  for  institutions  in  other  countries  a 
classification  so  refined  as  that  set  up  by  the  collegiate  registrars  for 
colleges  and  universities  in  the  United  States;  that  it  could  try  to 
secure  from  education  officials  abroad  their  lists  of  higher  institutions 
and  transmit  those  lists  with  brief  statements  of  the  requirements  for 
admission  to  and  graduation  from  each  institution;  and  that  in 
principle  he  thought  it  the  function  of  the  Office  of  Education  to 
furnish  the  data  by  which  officials  in  the  United  States  can  do  their 
own  rating,  rather  than  for  the  office  to  do  it. 

In  September  of  1931  the  office  began  arranging  to  work  with  the 
committee  in  carrying  out  the  project.  A  manuscript  on  institutions 
of  higher  education  in  Sweden  has  been  written,  sent  to  the  com¬ 
mittee  for  its  approval,  and,  having  been  approved,  is  now  in  the 
Government  Printing  Office.  A  second  study,  Institutions  of  Higher 
Education  in  Norway,  is  in  preparation,  and  Office  of  Education 
Circular  No.  38,  Information  About  the  Certificates  Issued  by  the 
Scottish  Education  Department,  was  mailed  to  about  250  colleges. 

More  than  a  hundred  requests  for  aid  were  received  from  students 
of  comparative  education.  Most  of  the  requests  were  couched  in  the 
general  terms  of  asking  for  data  on  “  education  in  ”  one  or  another 
country.  Inquiries  were  received  from  about  23  countries.  Those 
inquiries  that  were  more  specific  in  their  nature  and  indicated  a 
better  understanding  of  the  amount  and  kind  of  work  involved  in 
making  the  studies  included  many  separate  investigations. 

The  office  saw  to  completion  Bulletin  No.  5,  1932,  Education  in 
Belgium,  and  Pamphlet  No.  29,  Official  Certificates,  Diplomas,  and 
Degrees  Granted  in  France,  as  well  as  a  variety  of  articles  concerning 
education  in  other  countries  to  be  published  in  periodicals. 

Helping  to  interpret  to  foreigners  education  in  the  United  States. — 
Naturally  the  office  neither  expects  nor  wishes  to  receive  from  other 
countries  such  courtesies  as  those  told  of  in  this  report  without  mak¬ 
ing  a  substantial  return  in  the  way  of  publications,  data,  and  other 
things  pertaining  to  education  in  the  United  States.  The  work  con¬ 
nected  with  keeping  up  our  part  of  the  exchange  was  materially 
heavier  this  year  than  during  any  previous  equal  period.  Briefly 
we  replied  to  a  group  of  doctors  and  surgeons  from  Czechoslovakia 
who  were  willing  to  come  to  the  United  States  to  lecture  if  a  similar 
group  would  go  from  this  country  to  that  for  a  like  purpose;  col¬ 
lected  for  and  forwarded  to  the  National  School  Museum  of  Belgium 
at  Brussels  examples  of  educational  measurement  materials;  ar¬ 
ranged  a  collection  of  publications  and  graphs  for  the  Institut  fur 
Volkerpadagogik  at  Mainz,  Germany;  asked  the  State  departments 
of  education  in  the  United  States  to  furnish  copies  of  their  State 
school  laws  to  the  International  Bureau  of  Education  at  Geneva, 
Switzerland. 

Visitors  from  Australia,  Austria,  Bulgaria,  China,  Chosen,  Eng¬ 
land,  Germany,  Persia,  Rumania,  and  South  Africa  were  aided  in 
various  ways  and  several  groups  of  foreign  students  were  shown  the 
office. 


EDUCATIONAL  SERVICE 


27 


CONFERENCES 

The  Office  of  Education  is  committed  to  a  program  of  research  as  its 
chief  means  of  promoting  the  cause  of  education.  Since  investigation 
of  problems,  local  and  general,  as  well  as  desirable  activities  of  other 
sorts,  may  often  be  stimulated  through  conferences,  several  have 
been  held  during  the  past  year  at  the  request  of  and  in  active  coopera¬ 
tion  with  various  local  sponsoring  organizations.  Besides  the  two 
conferences  in  home-making  education  and  the  one  in  higher  educa¬ 
tion,  which  are  reported  in  another  connection,  two  others  were  held. 
In  cooperation  with  the  State  department  of  education  of  Alabama, 
the  sixth  of  a  series  of  regional  supervisory  conferences  in  the  South¬ 
ern  States  called  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education  was  held  in 
Montgomery,  Ala.  This  was  attended  by  representatives  from  the 
group  of  States  indicated  for  the  discussion  of  progressive  educa¬ 
tional  practices  in  rural  school  systems. 

At  the  invitation  of  the  American  Peace  Society,  the  Office  of  Edu¬ 
cation  arranged  the  program,  conducted  the  meetings,  and  made  the 
report  of  the  Commission  on  Education  of  the  American  Conference 
on  Institutions  for  the  Establishment  of  International  Justice,  held 
at  Washington,  May  2  to  5,  1932. 

ADULT  EDUCATION  PROBLEMS 

During  the  past  year  the  education  of  adults  both  through  schools 
and  through  informal  agencies  has  assumed  new  importance  because 
of  the  large  number  of  unemployed  adults  who  sought  more  train¬ 
ing  or  retraining  for  specific  economic  use.  With  the  cooperation  of 
the  President’s  organization  on  unemployment  relief,  the  Office  of 
Education  collected  information  as  to  what  educational  opportuni¬ 
ties  for  the  unemployed  are  offered  by  public  school  systems  in  this 
country.  Reports  were  received  from  a  large  number  of  cities,  and  a 
summary  of  these  reports  was  published  in  mimeographed  form  by 
the  President’s  organization. 

In  further  cooperation  with  the  organization  mentioned  above,  sug¬ 
gestions  were  made  to  deans  of  summer  sessions  in  colleges  and  uni¬ 
versities  that  they  hold  conferences  during  the  summer  of  1932  on  the 
subject  of  what  schools  can  do  to  prevent  an  undue  loss  of  morale  on 
the  part  of  the  unemployed,  inviting  to  these  conferences  officials  of 
schools  and  business  organizations.  Suggested  programs  were  pre¬ 
pared  for  such  conferences. 

Cooperation  was  continued  with  the  United  States  Department  of 
Justice  in  devising  an  educational  program  for  Federal  prisons  and 
correctional  institutions.  Visits  were  made  to  California  State 
Prison,  at  San  Quentin,  Calif. ;  Oregon  State  Prison,  at  Salem,  Oreg. ; 
Maine  State  Prison,  at  Thomaston,  Me.;  and  suggestions  given  in 
regard  to  the  education  of  the  prisoners. 

EDUCATION  IN  THE  HOME 

The  service  of  the  Office  of  Education  to  education  in  the  home 
was  instituted  in  view  of  the  well-recognized  fact  that  the  education 
of  children  is  a  24-hour  task  for  which  the  home  and  the  school  are 


28  REPORT  OE  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

jointly  responsible.  Parents  in  increasing  numbers  ask  for  help  in 
understanding  their  children  and  in  dealing  with  problems  of  cnild 
training.  Every  year  hundreds  of  parents  apply  to  the  Office  of 
Education  for  assistance  of  one  kind  or  another.  In  addition  to  indi¬ 
vidual  parents  who  have  demanded  service,  educational  institutions, 
leaders  of  parents’  groups,  study  and  reading  groups,  and  leaders  in 
national,  State,  and  local  parent-teacher  associations  have  called  upon 
this  office  for  various  kinds  of  help.  Service  has  been  rendered 
during  the  past  year  as  follows : 

Locating  and  interpreting  available  scientific  information  regard¬ 
ing  the  physical  and  mental  development  of  children,  behawior 
problems,  problems  of  family  relationships,  etc. — Circular  No.  54, 
1932,  contains  a  list  of  publications  of  the  Government  useful  for 
study  or  discussion  groups,  or  for  program  material  for  parent- 
teacher  associations.  More  than  45  colleges,  universities,  or  State 
teachers  colleges  included  in  their  1932  summer  sessions  either  courses 
or  conferences,  or  both,  in  this  field ;  Circular  No.  45,  1932,  contains 
descriptions  of  typical  opportunities  offered  in  1931  summer  sessions. 
Another  circular  distributed  widely  this  year  shows  where  parents 
and  leaders  in  parent  education  may  find  authoritative  material  on 
the  organization  and  methods  of  parents’  study  groups,  problems  of 
parents,  the  play  of  children  in  the  home,  and  courses  for  reading  or 
study  on  parents’  problems.  Reading  courses  for  parents  of  pre¬ 
school,  elementary  school,  and  high-school  children  have  been  issued 
and  distributed.  A  new  course  entitled  “This  Changing  World” 
was  issued  this  year,  dealing  with  social  and  economic  conditions 
to-day  and  their  effect  upon  the  home  and  family. 

Stimulating  the  development  of  parent  education  through  con¬ 
ferences  and  meetings. — This  office  took  an  active  part  in  12  States 
and  the  District  of  Columbia  during  the  past  year  in  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  parent  education  programs.  Information  regarding  meth¬ 
ods,  content  of  courses,  current  practices,  problems,  and  extent  of 
programs  was  obtained  in  some  of  these  States ;  in  others,  the  inter¬ 
est  of  parents  in  furthering  their  own  education  was  stimulated  and 
State  and  local  institutions  and  organizations  were  encouraged  to 
sponsor  projects  looking  toward  the  development  of  state-wide  pro¬ 
grams  in  parent  education  in  State  departments  of  education  or  in 
colleges  and  universities. 

A  study  is  now  under  way  of  the  parent  education  movement  in 
State  departments  of  education  and  in  public  schools,  in  which  varia¬ 
tions  in  organization  will  be  pointed  out. 

COMMERCIAL  EDUCATION 

In  order  to  be  of  help  to  school  administrators,  teachers,  and 
curriculum  workers  in  this  rapidly  developing  field,  the  office  pro¬ 
vides  a  variety  of  service  files,  exhibits,  and  circulars  in  important 
aspects  of  commercial  education.  The  past  year  has  seen  the  com¬ 
pletion  of  the  following  aids : 

1.  A  bibliography  on  junior  business  education.  This  aims  to 
provide  a  summary  of  the  progress,  problems,  and  trends  of  com¬ 
mercial  education  on  the  junior  high  school  level.  The  report  shows 
a  change  in  the  objectives  and  content  from  an  emphasis  on  special- 


EDUCATIONAL  SERVICE 


29 


ized  job  training  for  drop-outs  to  a  new  emphasis  on  general  eco¬ 
nomic  and  business  information  that  should  be  the  heritage  of  all 
eighth  and  ninth  grade  pupils. 

2.  A  report  of  tests  for  commercial  education.  Information  is 
given  on  76  commercially  available  tests  in  this  field. 

3.  Guidance  materials  in  business  subjects.  Several  short  circu¬ 
lars  are  being  prepared  on  collegiate  courses  and  curricula  in  account¬ 
ing,  advertising,  banking,  commercial  teacher-training,  foreign 
trade,  insurance,  marketing,  real  estate,  secretarial  training,  and 
other  subject-matter  fields,  to  assist  school  administrators  in  the  guid¬ 
ance  of  students  interested  in  education  for  business. 

EDUCATION  BY  RADIO 

The  Office  of  Education  is  called  upon  to  answer  a  constant  stream 
of  inquiries  on  the  vital  subject  of  radio,  which  touches  so  many 
phases  of  life.  From  the  remote  regions  and  from  the  cosmopolitan 
areas,  from  amateurs,  from  professors,  from  students,  from  adver¬ 
tisers,  from  editors,  from  those  who  serve  and  those  who  are  being 
served,  from  reformers  and  from  those  who  need  reforming,  ques¬ 
tions  pour  into  the  Office  of  Education.  The  radio  has  captivated 
the  imagination  of  the  entire  civilized  world.  It  is  stimulating  a 
new  revival  of  learning. 

In  answer  to  these  inquiries,  the  Office  of  Education  has  sought 
to  assist  all  who  asked  for  aid  in  the  field  of  education  by  radio. 
The  office  has  gone  farther  than  this.  It  has  attempted  to  keep 
the  educational  and  governmental  interests  of  the  country  posted 
and  alive  to  the  importance  of  this  new  educational  device. 

In  response  to  the  requests  of  various  educational  and  broad¬ 
casting  groups  who  are  interested  in  extending  and  improving  their 
educational  broadcasting  service,  the  Office  of  Education  has  been 
assisting  in  setting  up  and  evaluating  broadcast  programs  of  educa¬ 
tional  material.  The  office  has  also  initiated  and  assisted  with  cer¬ 
tain  research  needed  to  make  better  use  of  radio  as  an  educational 
agency. 

Good  References  on  Education  by  Radio. — A  leaflet  intended  to 
make  the  reader  acquainted  with  the  principal  sources  of  informa¬ 
tion  on  the  subject. 

Suitable  Radio-Sound  Equipment  for  Schools. — A  manuscript  pre¬ 
pared  in  cooperation  with  the  Radio  Manufacturers’  Association 
to  assist  school  officials  in  securing  and  utilizing  suitable  equipment. 

How  to  Broadcast — The  Art  of  Teaching  by  Radio. — A  manu¬ 
script  designed  to  assist  educators  in  mastering  the  technique  of 
broadcasting. 

Education  in  the  German  Broadcasting  System. — A  study  now 
in  progress  designed  to  make  available  information  regarding  Ger¬ 
many’s  use  of  radio  for  educational  purposes. 

In  addition  to  these  studies,  the  Office  of  Education  is  cooperating 
with  the  National  Advisory  Council  on  Radio  in  Education  in  mak¬ 
ing  a  survey  of  national  voluntary  organizations’  use  of  radio,  and 
with  the  National  Committee  on  Education  by  Radio  and  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture  in  making  a  survey  of  radio  ac¬ 
tivities  in  land-grant  colleges  and  independent  State  universities. 


30  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 

SERVICE  TO  VARIOUS  GROUPS 

Members  of  the  staff  have  worked  on  committees  in  the  study  of 
a  number  of  problems  of  national  scope.  Organizations  with  which 
staff  members  have  cooperated  include  the  National  Probation  Asso¬ 
ciation,  the  National  Council  of  Teachers  of  English,  the  National 
Vocational  Guidance  Association,  the  National  Congress  of  Parents 
and  Teachers,  the  American  Association  of  University  Women,  the 
President’s  Conference  on  Home  Planning  and  Home  Ownership, 
the  Yearbook  Commission  of  the  Department  of  Superintendence, 
the  International  Society  for  Crippled  Children,  National  Associa¬ 
tion  of  Commercial  Teacher-Training  Institutions,  National  Ad¬ 
visory  Council  on  Radio  in  Education,  National  Committee  on  Edu¬ 
cation  by  Radio,  American  Library  Association,  the  National  Con¬ 
gress  of  Colored  Parents  and  Teachers,  the  National  Association  of 
Teachers  in  Colored  Schools. 

Professional  assistance  was  given  to  many  groups.  For  more  than 
a  year  the  Office  of  Education  has  been  cooperating  with  the  State 
Department  of  Public  Instruction  of  Pennsylvania  in  making  a 
comprehensive  study  of  education  in  that  State  undertaken  for  the 
purpose  of  planning  a  10-year  program.  The  United  States  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Education  is  a  member  of  the  commission  in  general 
charge  of  the  study;  the  Chief  of  the  Division  of  American  School 
Systems  has  been  acting  as  associate  director,  and  several  specialists 
of  the  office  have  acted  in  an  advisory  capacity  to  some  of  the  com¬ 
mittees.  The  State  superintendent  in  a  report  entitled  “  Pennsyl¬ 
vania  Studies  Itself  ”  says  that  the  collaboration  of  the  United  States 
Office  of  Education  “  will  be  of  inestimable  value  in  the  prosecution 
and  evaluation  of  the  various  studies.” 

The  General  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs  Education  Committee 
was  assisted  in  the  development  of  a  study  pamphlet  on  preschool 
and  kindergarten  education.  Advice  was  given  members  of  State 
Departments  of  Education  of  Michigan,  Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia 
regarding  courses  of  study  and  programs,  to  the  school  health  service 
division  of  the  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance  Co.,  the  National  Tuber¬ 
culosis  Association,  and  the  summer  round-up  committee  of  the 
National  Congress  of  Parents  and  Teachers. 

For  a  number  of  years  this  office  has  worked  closely  with  the 
National  Committee  on  Standard  Reports  for  Institutions  of  Higher 
Education.  This  year,  at  the  request  of  the  State  superintendent  of 
public  schools  of  Missouri,  members  of  the  staff  worked  several  weeks 
in  setting  up  a  new  system  of  records  and  accounts. 

IV.  INFORMATION  SERVICE 

The  information  service  of  the  Office  of  Education  is  a  conduit ;  it 
connects  demand  with  supply.  Demand,  in  this  case,  consists  of 
requests  for  help  from  thousands  of  teachers,  superintendents, 
parents,  professors,  associations,  etc.  They  want  authoritative  facts 
to  help  them  in  solving  difficult  problems  in  the  preparing  of 
children,  and  also  adults,  to  live  successfully  in  modern  America. 
They  want  adequate  facts  based  on  the  experience  of  the  entire 


INFORMATION  SERVICE  31 

United  States.  Supply,  in  this  case,  consists  of  the  facts  gathered  by 
the  investigators  of  this  office. 

A  number  of  channels  are  used:  Correspondence,  office  publica¬ 
tions,  exhibits,  writings  and  addresses,  and  visual  education 
materials. 

C orrespondence. — Incoming  mail  during  the  past  year  totaled 
approximately  250,000  pieces,  150,000  of  the  number  being  first-class 
mail,  most  of  which  required  individual  answers.  This  is  an  in¬ 
crease  of  50  per  cent  over  that  of  five  years  ago.  During  the  peak 
month  of  October,  when  the  school  year  is  well  under  way,  incoming 
letter  mail  totaled  15,000. 

Publications. — The  office  issued  114  publications  distributed  as 
follows:  Forty-one  bulletins,  11  pamphlets,  16  leaflets,  6  bibliogra¬ 
phies,  23  miscellaneous,  including  handbooks,  price  lists,  directories, 
etc.,  and  17  circulars.  More  than  455,000  free  copies  were  distributed 
to  libraries,  to  individuals  who  supplied  data,  and  to  persons  par¬ 
ticularly  interested  in  the  specific  fields  of  the  studies. 

Serious  attention  has  been  given  to  improving  the  appearance  of 
office  publications,  with  the  aim  o,f  increasing  their  use.  The  cooper¬ 
ation  of  four  leading  art  schools  and  of  the  layout  division  of  the 
Government  Printing  Office  has  brought  about  improvements  in 
illustration,  typography,  and  paper  which  has  brought  general 
commendation  and  increased  sales.  There  has  been  phenomenal  in¬ 
crease  in  School  Life  circulation.  In  June,  1931,  the  free  distribu¬ 
tion  of  School  Life  was  5,000,  the  subscriptions  at  the  Government 
Printing  Office,  4,794.  In  June,  1932,  the  free  distribution  was  1,500, 
the  subscriptions,  9,817.  This  is  the  largest  subscription  list  ever 
enjoyed  by  School  Life  at  its  present  subscription  rate  and  one  of 
the  largest  distributions  by  fee  enjoyed  by  any  United  States  Govern¬ 
ment  periodical  information  service.  The  annual  income  to  the 
Government  in  subscriptions  is  now  equal  to  the  expenditure  for 
composition  and  printing  plus  1,500  copies  for  free  distribution  by 
the  Office  of  Education. 

School  Life  has  aided  materially  in  carrying  important  United 
States  Government  information  to  the  schools.  Promotion  of  the 
work  of  the  George  Washington  Bicentennial  Commission,  the  White 
House  conference  on  child  health  and  protection,  the  President’s  or¬ 
ganization  on  unemployment  relief,  the  President’s  conference  on 
home  building  and  home  ownership,  and  the  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse 
centennial  celebration  in  honor  of  the  invention  of  the  telegraph,  and 
the  publications  and  services  of  other  Federal  agencies  important  to 
education,  has  been  carried  on  through  its  pages. 

Exhibits. — The  office  has  prepared  informational  exhibits  of  its 
work  and  of  educational  activities  for  a  variety  of  occasions.  The 
meeting  of  the  department  of  superintendence  of  the  National  Edu¬ 
cation  Association  brought  more  than  10,000  leaders  in  education  to 
Washington  in  February.  An  exhibit  of  Government  services  useful 
to  schools  was  established  in  the  lower  corridor  of  the  Interior 
Department.  Fifteen  Federal  bureaus  and  the  Office  of  Education 
displayed  publications,  maps,  and  other  services  to  thousands  of 
school  officials.  Exhibits  of  Office  of  Education  publications  and 
services  were  prepared  for  15  other  educational  associations  holding 
conventions. 


32 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


Writings  and  addresses. — This  office  by  no  means  depends  entirely 
upon  Government  publications  as  an  outlet  for  the  findings  of  its 
staff.  Keports  which  have  immediate  news  interest,  those  which  are 
of  interest  to  special' groups,  those  which  summarize  the  results  of 
long,  technical  accounts  are  often  published  in  newspapers  and  peri¬ 
odicals.  Following  is  a  partial  list  of  the  periodicals  which  have 
carried  Office  of  Education  contributions  the  past  year : 


American  Shorthand  Teacher. 

Ball  State  Commerce  Journal. 
Broadcasting. 

Broadcasting  News  Bulletin. 

Bulletin  of  American  Library  Associa¬ 
tion. 

Bulletin  of  the  Pan  American  Union. 
Child  Welfare  Magazine. 

Current  History. 

Educational  Method. 

Elementary  School  Principals’  Year¬ 
book. 

Grade  Teacher. 

Junior  College  Journal. 

Journal  of  Engineering  Education. 
Journal  of  Education. 

Journal  of  Educational  Research. 
Journal  of  Higher  Education. 

Journal  of  Home  Economics. 

Michigan  State  Journal. 

Mid-Pacific  Magazine. 


Nation’s  Schools. 

Normal  Instructor. 

North  Central  Association  Quarterly. 
Pathfinder. 

Practical  Home  Economics. 
Proceedings  of  American  Home  Eco¬ 
nomics  Association. 

Proceedings  of  the  Association  of  Col¬ 
legiate  Registrars. 

Proceedings  of  the  N.E.A. 

Proceedings  of  Pennsylvania  School¬ 
men’s  Week. 

Progressive  Education. 

Rural  America. 

School  Board  Journal. 

School  and  Society. 

Southern  Workman. 

State  Bulletins  of  Congress  of  Parents 
and  Teachers. 

The  Bulletin  (N.A.T.C.S.). 

United  States  Daily. 


As  another  means  of  reporting  the  findings  of  investigations, 
members  of  the  staff  accept  invitations  to  address  professional  groups. 
A  total  of  288  addresses  has  been  reported  during  the  past  year 
before  National,  State,  regional,  and  local  groups. 


VISUAL  EDUCATION  MATERIALS 

Sources  of  materials  of  value  in  the  field  of  visual  education  have 
been  listed  and  circulated  widely  in  response  to  inquiries.  Our 
circular  No.  46,  Motion  Pictures  in  the  Public  Elementary  and  Sec¬ 
ondary  Schools,  reports  curriculum  and  extracurriculum  uses  of 
motion  pictures  and  other  items  of  significance  to  school  adminis¬ 
trators.  Fifteen  hundred  copies  have  been  distributed. 

We  have  distributed  during  the  year  a  total  of  500  copies  of  the 
following  lists :  Commercial  and  Government  sources  of  educational 
motion  pictures,  slides,  maps,  and  pictures,  and  sources  of  lending 
collections;  lists  of  manufacturers  of  still  and  motion  picture  pro¬ 
jection  equipment  suitable  for  educational  purposes;  a  bibliography 
on  sound  pictures  in  education;  lists  of  associations  and  of  maga¬ 
zines  in  the  visual  field ;  lists  of  universities  and  colleges  distributing 
various  visual  aids;  and  a  bibliography  on  the  effect  of  motion  pic¬ 
tures  on  the  educational  and  social  tendencies  of  children.  Inquiries 
requiring  special  attention  and  requests  for  our  lists  averaged  about 
two  a  day. 

A  limited  number  of  slides  and  motion  picture  films  are  available 
on  request.  Exhibit  books  of  school  materials  have  had  widespread 
use. 


INFORMATION  SERVICE  33 

LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS  FOR  THE  YEAR  ENDING  JUNE  30,  1932 


BULLETINS,  1931 

No.  12.  Research  in  higher  education. 

No.  15.  Scholarships  and  fellowships. 

No.  16.  Record  of  current  educational  publications,  April-June. 

No.  17.  Bibliography  on  the  education  of  the  Negro. 

No.  18.  Certain  State  programs  for  improvement  of  rural  school  instruction. 
No.  19.  Circular  letters  as  a  supervisory  agency. 

No.  20.  Volume  I  (bound)  Biennial  Survey  of  Education,  1928-30. 

No.  20.  Chapter  2,  Elementary  education. 

No.  20.  Chapter  3,  Secondary  education. 

No.  20.  Chapter  4,  Industrial  education. 

No.  20.  Chapter  5,  Commercial  education. 

No.  20.  Chapter  6,  Home-making  education. 

No.  20.  Chapter  18,  Radio  and  education. 

No.  20.  Chapter  20,  National  surveys  of  the  Office  of  Education. 

No.  20.  Chapter  22,  Recent  progress  and  conditions  of  museums. 

No.  20.  Volume  II,  Chapter  1,  Statistical  summary  of  education. 

No.  20.  Chapter  2,  Statistics  of  State  school  systems. 

No.  20.  Chapter  3,  Statistics  of  city  school  systems. 

No.  20.  Chap.  4,  Statistics  of  universities,  colleges  and  professional  schools. 

No.  20.  Chapter  5,  Statistics  of  teachers  colleges  and  normal  schools. 

No.  20.  Chapter  6,  Statistics  of  public  high  schools. 

No.  20.  Chapter  7,  Statistics  of  private  high  schools  and  academies. 

No.  21.  Opportunities  for  the  preparation  of  teachers  of  exceptional  children. 
No.  22.  Record  of  current  educational  publications,  July-September,  1931. 

BULLETINS,  1932 

No.  1.  Educational  directory  (complete). 

Part  I,  Elementary  and  secondary  school  systems. 

Part  II,  Institutions  of  higher  education. 

Part  III,  Educational  associations,  boards  and  foundations,  etc. 

No.  2.  History  of  the  municipal  university  in  the  United  States. 

No.  3.  Status  of  teachers  and  principals  in  rural  schools  of  the  United  States. 
No.  4.  Record  of  current  educational  publications,  October-December,  1931. 
No.  5.  Education  in  Belgium. 

No.  6.  The  county  superintendent  in  the  United  States. 

No.  7.  The  legal  status  of  the  county  superintendent. 

No.  8.  Safety  education:  Helps  for  schools  in  constructing  a  course  of  study. 
No.  10.  Physical  education  and  health  education  as  a  part  of  all  teacher¬ 
training  curricula. 

No.  12.  The  American  Lyceum. 

No.  13.  Record  of  current  educational  publications,  January-March,  1932. 

No.  14.  Parents’  problems  with  exceptional  children. 

No.  16.  Bibliography  of  research  in  education. 

No.  18.  Selected  bibliography  on  the  education  of  teachers. 

PAMPHLETS 

No.  20.  Status  of  the  junior  college  instructor. 

No.  22.  Speech  defects  and  their  correction. 

No.  23.  Bibliography  on  education  and  psychology  of  exceptional  children. 

No.  24.  Salaries  in  land-grant  universities  and  colleges. 

No.  25.  Helps  for  schools  in  celebrating  the  George  Washington  Bicentennial. 
No.  26.  Recent  theses  in  education. 

No.  27.  Summer  educational  opportunities. 

No.  28.  Study  of  the  educational  value  of  military  instruction  in  colleges  and 
universities. 

No.  29.  Official  certificates,  diplomas,  and  degrees  granted  in  France. 

No.  30.  State  legislation  relating  to  kindergartens  in  effect,  1931. 

No.  31.  Faculty  inbreeding  in  land-grant  colleges  and  universities. 


34 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 


LEAFLETS 

No.  7.  Dentistry. 

No.  8.  Journalism. 

No.  9.  Librarianship. 

No.  10.  Architecture. 

No.  11.  Civil  engineering. 

No.  12.  Electrical  engineering. 

No.  13.  Mechanical  engineering. 

No.  14.  Pharmacy. 

No.  15.  Nursing. 

No.  16.  Forestry. 

No.  17.  Music. 

No.  18.  Veterinary  medicine. 

No.  19.  Chemistry  and  chemical  engineering. 

No.  20.  Art. 

No.  41.  Report  cards  for  kindergarten  and  elementary  grades. 
No.  42.  Education  in  the  Virgin  Islands. 

GOOD  EEFEEENCES 


No.  2.  Vocational  guidance. 

No.  3.  Supervision  of  instruction  in  rural  schools. 

No.  4.  Education  of  women. 

No.  5.  Nursery  education. 

No.  6.  Education  by  radio. 

No.  7.  The  home  economics  curriculum. 

MIMEOGRAPHED  CIRCULARS 

No.  39.  An  indexed  list  of  city  school  reports,  1929-30. 

No.  40.  Expenditures  in  publicly  controlled  junior  colleges,  1928. 

No.  41.  School  library  activities  in  State  teachers  associations  for  1930. 

No.  42.  List  of  educational  research  studies  in  city  school  systems. 

No.  43.  Negro  schools  and  American  education  week. 

No.  44.  List  of  educational  research  studies  of  State  departments  of  education 
and  State  education  associations,  1930-31. 

No.  45.  Summer  session  opportunities  for  parent  education. 

No.  46.  Motion  pictures  in  the  elementary  and  secondary  schools. 

No.  47.  A  directory  of  nursery  schools  in  the  United  States. 

No.  48.  United  States  Government  publications  useful  to  teachers  of  science. 

No.  50.  United  States  Government  publications  useful  to  teachers  of  home 
economics. 

No.  51.  Thirty-four  United  States  Government  publications  useful  in  health 
education. 

No.  52.  Selected  list  of  tests  and  ratings  for  social  adaptation. 

No.  54.  United  States  Government  publications  of  interest  to  parents  and 
leaders  in  parent  education. 

No.  55.  Athletic  coaches  in  junior  and  senior  high  schools. 

No.  56.  Tests  in  commercial  education — An  annotated  list. 

No.  57.  Camping  and  education. 


MISCELLANEOUS 

Supplement  to  1930,  No.  24,  Accredited  secondary  schools. 

Offprint  No.  1,  Bibliography  of  research  studies  in  the  training  and  professional 
status  of  teachers  (1931,  No.  13). 

Letterheads,  duplex  and  penalty  labels,  blanks,  listing  sheets. 

Reprints,  School  Life  order  blanks  and  letters. 

Revision  of  title  of  career  leaflets,  etc.,  holding  type,  wall  calendars,  Con¬ 
gressional  Record,  etc. 

NEEDS 

Some  of  the  needs  of  the  Office  of  Education  are  immediate  and 
urgent.  Of  these,  two  may  be  mentioned : 

1.  Provision  should  be  made  that  no  important  phase  of  educa¬ 
tional  investigation  be  discontinued.  The  salary  appropriation  for 
the  present  year  does  not  do  this. 


INFORMATION  SERVICE 


35 


2.  Provision  is  needed  for  the  publication  of  the  results  of  the 
investigations  carried  on  by  the  office.  Indications  are  that  more 
than  50  reports  will  not  be  cared  for  with  present  printing  funds. 

Other  needs  of  the  office  are  those  which  are  anticipated  if  the 
program  is  to  develop  normally  for  continued  service.  The  follow¬ 
ing  are  of  this  type : 

1.  Newly  developing  fields  of  education  call  for  additions  to  the 
staff.  A  specialist  in  oriental  education  and  one  in  education  of 
native  peoples  should  be  added,  and  both  the  editorial  division  and 
the  library  need  help  badly. 

2.  Conditions  which  brought  about  the  demand  for  a  study  of 
school  financing  are  still  with  us,  as  are  the  demands  from  the  field. 
The  survey  of  school  finance  should  be  continued  as  an  emergency 
measure. 

3.  Federal  recognition  of  the  problems  involved  in  educating 
handicapped  children  is  widely  urged,  and  Federal  aid  to  schools 
for  their  education  has  been  sought.  A  survey  of  the  status  of  edu¬ 
cation  of  the  handicapped  and  a  study  of  the  need  for  Federal 
support  should  be  made  as  soon  as  possible. 

4.  An  outlet  should  be  provided  in  the  form  of  a  periodical  for 
the  quantities  of  very  valuable  material  on  education  in  foreign 
countries,  much  of  which  is  supplied  through  the  Department  of 
State.  The  Office  of  Education  appears  to  be  the  agency  to  make 
this  material  available  to  schools. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Bess  Goodykoontz, 
Acting  Commissioner. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

o 


sti 


GAYLORD 

PWNTED  IN  USA