Ref fi the FEDERAL SECURITY — AGENCY — 1952 AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND Office of Ft iois sy) Puy CRE any ti Vi izations. ’ issued y's constituent organ llowing reports are. “separate reprints: in i ie hal i na i i {ay consolidated available at FEDERAL | SECURITY AGENCY Md 10n Office of Edueat es * ~ fy ol 1240 \\ni_-1L QS 901 . FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY Oscar R. Ewinec, Administrator OFFICE OF EDUCATION Eart James McGratu, Commissioner Deputy Commissioner of Education, Ratu I. Griassy. Assistant Commissioner for Program Development and Coordination, Warp STEWART. Assistant Commissioner for Vocational Education, JosmpH R. STROBEL. Assistant Commissioner for Veterans’ Educational Services and Director of the Scientific Register, Jamus C. O’BrisEn. Assistant Commissioner for State and Local School Systems, WayNE OF at oh070y Assistant Commissioner for Higher Education, W. Earn ARMSTRONG, Acting. Assistant Commissioner for International Education, Oxiver J. CALDWELL. Executive Officer, Donatp W. McKone. ti Letter of Transmittal FEDERAL SEcuRITY AGENCY, OFFICE OF EDUCATION, Washington, D. C., October 30, 1952 The Honorable Oscar R. Ewina, Federal Security Administrator. Dear Mr. Ewrne: I herewith submit the annual report embracing the activities of the Office of Education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1952. Respectfully, Earu JAMES McGrath, Commissioner of Education. tii Aujssoaqup paomoy $00g 94) 04 woj;ngyysM Oquinjo'y jOpidsopy syfaqnzijy 4UIDS PUI}g 944 105 esnoy Buyyulsg UND J0MIy —_— suoljoiodio> papiy-Ajjo1ap24 et wee ee ee ee ee ee SUOIUL) J1P94>) jDIepay Jo NDoINg SO1A196 ODIs $0 NDBINg Paps HOLLVIITIGVH3Y | | WOLLVULSININGY NOLV9AGa =| | sri nten liaise YujDOH JO SONyIESU) JOUOIIDN GQUDYSISSY I1j}qNg JO NOBINg i W " 0 11v3 OA Er) fl ¥ a j 0 @2UDINSU] SIOAIAINS puD aBy-piQ Jo noaing [o10Ua5 WoaBiNs ayy 40 221450 J0 391410 ONY 000 391510 WOLLVULSININGY ALIYNIIS 1VIIOS JIUARIS HLIVIN 91180 AOPOALSIUIWIPY {UDIsIssy VOLVOLSINIWOY. AONGOV ALIUMOAS TAACd Contents THE STRENGTH OF THE Nation Is IN THE Quatity oF Its CITIZENS___ Tur Lona History or FEDERAL Support oF EDUCGATION____________-_ Sere eree (OT CCUGO nD USINg utes 2. oe oe ee a ae MeeeNClG OT MOTOteACUCT Sete Le eet er) Ps ee ct OD See A CRTT Cay S201 C16 111) COs eee ee Fh PieeenclWistinehieCGUCatiOW ua sas ge ee Children of migratory workers need education_____.______________- Exceptional children deserve equal opportunity__.________________- Pouca tons televisions. ©. oc cele a Pee eo ie ee ere Tue ROLE OF THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION IN MEETING THESE PROBLEMS_ Mere uR Eh OFTHE OPFICW tele ee ie eae Seer ee LocaLt ContTrRo.L oF EpucatTion Must Bt PRESERVED___._-__-_______-_- PUBLICATIONS IsSUED BY THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION, Fiscau YEAR 1952_ v a “ ® é ‘ \ + Pay 1 “3 Ne \ | an ae) \ 4 , arte! tae 4 % ae ; os = ae i { ‘ . *T kd y De : ; Siaee 9 % " , SY Se ee i Gea, Za0 4 Pes pyre Pe hh ’ (= « ' Py ti : 1 oti f Pe see , ret HAM YY Tees Gita yt we ately yet te ee raya, f aoe : - ye ‘ ee on _ ve | gf io 5 ee : a a i { . ¢ ey < ‘ . (ta # t ! : \ Coe “or ‘ a “ lv ' q oa } Be a A P i) s it a : ¢ Oe P 4 ue : 7 —P ‘ ; a | y : oe ‘ 7 | 3 ‘ ~~ ‘ Sy . wn! “ - a ieee Office of Education IN RECENT YEARS the reports of the Commissioner of Educa- tion have gone beyond the activities of the Office of Education to deal with Nation-wide educational trends and problems. These more ex- tensive reviews have sprung from a desire to comply more closely with the directive of the Congress to the Commissioner of Education to sub- mit at the end of each fiscal year a report of his investigations in the field of education and to place before the American people a statement from a national source about those features of our educational system which deserve their consideration. The report for the fiscal year 1952 conforms to this pattern. Though many activities of the Office of Education are described, they are placed within the broader context of more comprehensive reviews of major educational problems. It is hoped that this type of presentation will provide the Congress with an over-all view of the most important operations of the Office of Education as well as of the total American educational enterprise. Emphasis will be upon the condition of the educational system, upon American schools and the millions of Ameri- can children and youth attending them, upon the problems of school personnel and plant as they affect our educational progress, and upon new educational opportunities and practices. The Strength of the Nation Is In the Quality of Its Citizens From the viewpoint of history, the fiscal year 1952 will probably be noted as a time when Americans began to settle firmly into their role of world leadership and commit themselves, at home and abroad, to the task of guarding the far-flung frontiers of democracy. Concern for the future of the free world dominates our national life. If we are to acquit ourselves well, the years ahead will call for an even more concentrated national effort, for the expansion of our productive ca- pacity, for more rapid technological progress, and, above all, for the more intensive cultivation of the intelligence, the aptitudes, and the character of the individual citizen. The strength of this Nation is l = Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 composed of many ingredients, but the most important is the quality of its citizenry. Recognizing this fact, we become increasingly con- scious of the decisive role of the school in shaping our Nation’s future. The school is the reservoir from which must flow not only the technical skills but also the intelligence and the love of freedom needed to keep us strong in a world of conflict. The critical world situation, however, is only one of the circum- stances which compel us to deal with some of our educational prob- lems on a national level. Domestic factors, too, are responsible. ‘The growing integration of our society, the high mobility of our popula- tion, the virtual elimination of distance as a factor in communication, all of these have brought Americans more closely together. Hence, regional inequalities appear in sharper focus. Differences in educa- tional opportunity between States or communities are more keenly felt. We become more clearly conscious that it is contrary to the national interest to fail to provide adequately for the children whose educational opportunities are severely limited, and we have many such children in the United States. Proper schooling would not only help many of them to grow up as self-reliant, productive citizens, it would also develop a source for the additional manpower which our Nation so badly needs. The educational agency of the Federal Gov- ernment has a responsibility to make our people as a whole conscious of our present educational problems. The Long History of Federal Support of Education In terms of the life span of our relatively young country, Federal participation in education has a long history. In recent years, how- ever, the areas of cooperation between Federal agencies and local educational authorities have increased considerably. A pattern for such cooperation is beginning to emerge and is likely, in the future, to affect our approach to many of the educational problems facing our people. It will be useful in this report to analyze the nature of this cooperation, discuss some of the programs that have been developed, review the educational tasks with which Americans must cope, and to restate some age-old principles. . The most important of these principles, and one which public opinion has never challenged, is that education in the United States is the responsibility of the States and local communities. This tradi- tion is as old as the Republic itself and the years have proved its wisdom. Whether it reflected their recent unfortunate experience with a remote government or a deeper insight into the relationship between education and a free society, the founding fathers were, ac- cording to James Madison’s notes of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, consciously agreed that the education of youth should properly Office of Education 3 be left to local authority. The men whose ideals shaped the future destiny of the Nation were determined to keep our social and political institutions close to the people. They were fearful of any policy which would make it possible for a central government to dominate the thinking of the people, and thus undermine their individual freedom of thought and action. Local Control of Education Has Brought Rewards This fundamental policy with regard to education has been richly rewarding. Local control has stimulated popular interest in our schools. Americans have taken pride in the efforts made locally to educate their sons and daughters. They have considered it a right to have a voice in deciding what the schooling of their children should be. Generally they have proved willing to provide the means of maintaining their educational institutions. There have been excep- tions. Some citizens and some communities have been, and still are, remiss in providing the necessary minimum of education for their youth. But in this respect they certainly do not represent the general American attitude. Local responsibility has made education a vital force in American life. More than anywhere else in the world local efforts to make the educative process effective have brought a wide variety of teaching materials and methods into our schools. Out of these local variations in practice has come a body of teaching experience which has even- tually proved useful throughout the Nation. True, not all communi- ties have kept pace with educational progress. Some communities have clung to outworn educational ideas and methods. But the net effect of our national policy of local control has been the development of a vital, serviceable, and democratic school system. Contrasted with conditions in other lands where education is placed in a single gov- ernmental educational authority, the advantages of our decentralized system of control of education are easily apparent. To summarize, local control keeps the schools close to the lives of the people; it stimulates and maintains their interest ; it makes possible the expansion and growth of our school system along lines related to the needs of the local community; it keeps American schools steadily upon the road of progress; it preserves the freedom and democratic spirit of American education; it safeguards the liberty of our people. Surely there is no need to reemphasize here the soundness of the basic principle of State and community responsibility for education. The question must then be raised: What responsibility does the Federal Government have for education in the United States? And if it does have any responsibility how can this be met without under- mining the principle of local control of education? Abstract discus- 231032—53——2 4 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 cece SS sions of the problem are not likely to be fruitful. The situation must be considered in terms of the facts that exist today, the economic and social conditions which impinge upon education in the United States. The record of Federal activity in education up to now will be in- structive. In approaching this topic two questions may well be asked: How extensive has been the interest of the Federal Government in education? Has this interest proved detrimental to the preservation of local control or to the general well-being of education in this country ? The National Interest in Specific Types of Education In answering the first question it should be pointed out that when the national interest appeared to be involved the Congress of the United States has on a number of occasions taken an active part in educational matters. The record will also show that Federal activity in the field of education has slowly but steadily increased over the years. When the Nation was young the National Government came into possession of extensive lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. Eventually when arrangements were made for the sale of these lands, provision was made whereby the sixteenth section of every township was reserved from sale and used for the support of public schools. As new States were formed from the public domain, the section grants for schools were confirmed to them. The Federal Government in those early days was interested in the general education needed by all youth if they were to grow up as intelligent and productive citizens. Decades later, however, the educational activities of the Federal Government were related to more specific needs of the American people. In the middle of the nineteenth century Senator Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont became convinced that a new type of higher education was needed in this country, especially by the sons and daughters of the working classes, which would lead to employment in the agricultural and mechanical arts. Recognizing that the stimula- tion of such instruction was a national responsibility, the Congress passed, and President Lincoln signed, the Morrill Act in 1862. Sub- sequent legislation, over a period of years, has increased Federal sup- port to the land-grant colleges and the agricultural experiment stations in the several States. The institutions benefited by these laws will testify that all this was achieved without imposing Federal control or interference. More than half a century later another important Federal venture into the field of education occurred. Leaders in business, industry, and labor became aware that the United States was behind other countries in providing vocational training for its working people. » Office of Education 5 They joined with educational groups to urge the extension of oppor- tunities for this type of education in the high schools of the Nation. The Congress, recognizing that this was a national problem, en- acted the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917. This act was followed in later years by several supplementary laws, the latest of which is the Voca- tional Education Act of 1946 commonly known as the George-Barden Act. This legislation has made millions of dollars available to the States on a matching basis, and it has also provided excellent con- sultative services. Without Federal aid, vocational education in the United States would certainly not have developed as fully as it has in the past 85 years. As in the case of earlier grants, Federal aid for vocational education has involved no attempt at Federal domination or interference. | The most recent Federal legislation, providing financial aid for education in certain localities, has been in effect for only 2 years. Public Laws 815 and 874 of the Eighty-first Congress, signed by the President on September 23, 1950, and September 30, 1950, respectively, were designed to discharge the financial responsibility of the Federal Government to communities affected by Federal activities and to provide funds for a survey of school plant needs throughout the Nation. The story of this development goes back to World War I. But the problem really became acute during World War IT when various branches of the Government, especially the Army, the Navy, and the Air Corps, rapidly acquired large parcels of local property for Gov- ernment use which then became tax-exempt. In many localities large numbers of school-age children suddenly were brought into schools near military bases, compelling communities to make provision for two or three times their normal school population. The problem created by the Federal activities was clear. The first action to relieve the situation was the passage in 1940 of the Lanham Act which pro- vided for aid to defense-connected areas in order that the war effort would not be impeded. Under the Lanham Act loans and grants were made available only where it was impossible for the school district otherwise to provide facilities and where the shortage of school facilities would clearly impede the war effort. Federal aid for school construction under the Lanham Act ended shortly after the surrender of Japan. But large numbers of children were still found in the schools within war-affected areas and the problem of educating them remained critical. A temporary program providing Federal financial assistance for operating expenses of these schools was continued year by year. A number of Federal depart- ments and agencies besides the Army, Navy, and Air Corps also gave such assistance to school districts. The variety of agencies and the 6 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 pn ip eg a lack of a single Government plan for dealing with the problem on a Nation-wide basis caused the widest variation in regulations and in the amounts of the payments made to school districts. The Eighty-first Congress took steps to bring order out of this chaos. The House Committee on Education and Labor, faced with the necessity of deciding how to meet the Federal obligation to these areas, concluded that a study should be made to determine the extent and degree of continuing Government impact. The Federal Works Agency and the Office of Education supplied a staff to assist a sub- committee which held hearings in federally affected areas throughout the country. Shortly after this inestigation was completed Public Laws 815, covering schoolhouse construction, and 874, covering costs of the maintenance of schools in the federally affected areas, were passed. Experience has shown that, while these laws could be im- proved by minor amendments, they are essentially sound. Through the provisions of these laws the United States Office of Education, which is responsible for administering them, has been able to provide financial assistance to many school districts which otherwise would have been unable to provide adequate education for local children. Safeguarding Local Control in Federal Participation This, in broad outline, is the record of Federal activity in the field of education within the Office of Education. As the Federal Govern- ment has dealt with educational problems of national scope, a de- sirable pattern of relationships between the Government of the United States and the States and local communities has developed. The policies and practices developed under the existing laws show clearly that crucial national educational needs can be met with the assistance of the Federal Government without jeopardizing the principle of State and local control of education. The record justifies the conviction that other educational problems, national in scope, can be dealt with through cooperative study and effort on the part of the educational agency of the Government and the State and local authorities. Certain problems of that type now exist. Some are already receiving attention; others are not. An examination of the present American educational scene and a look into the future will show that we have now entered a period in our national history when the Office of Education must take the initiative in organ- izing cooperative attacks on these problems. Indeed, the best interests of the school system of the Nation and of our people as a whole will not be well served if such leadership is not assumed in the days imme- diately ahead. It is important that the Congress and citizens generally recognize the need for action on educational problems on a national scale. The Office of Education 7 seven topics chosen for review are intended to be illustrative, not exhaustive. There are others which might have been chosen with equal propriety, but these will serve at once to show the need for national service by the Office of Education and, at the same time, they will set forth some of the principal activities of the Office of Educa- tion for fiscal year 1952. These illustrative problems are: (1) The need for school housing. (2) The need for more teachers. (3) The three R’s. (4) Life adjustment education. (5) The education of children of migratory workers. (6) The education of exceptional children. (7) Educational television. THE NEED FOR SCHOOL HOUSING One of the most serious situations existing in the Nation today is the shortage of schools. States and municipalities vary widely in their capacity to build new schools in replacement of those which have become obsolete, or to add to their existing facilities to take care of the many additional children who are appearing at schoolhouse doors because of the recent rapid increase in the number of births in the United States. Related to the major prolem of a shortage of school buildings are others of transportation of pupils, of reorganization of school districts, and of school finance. It has, of course, been generally known that thousands of commu- nities, in addition to the federally affected areas, suffer from a lack of school facilities and are therefore seriously handicapped in provid- ing even the basic education required for citizenship. But no authori- tative and comprehensive factual information of the total require- ments on a Nation-wide basis has been established. The Eighty-first Congress wisely provided for a national survey of the need for new schoolhouse facilities in Title I of Public Law 815. Through this legislation the Office of Education, authorized to conduct such a national study in cooperation with the several States, launched this project in fiscal 1951. The first phase of the survey of schoolhouse facilities was com- pleted in fiscal 1952, and the facts established were sufficiently com- prehensive and impressive to justify the Commissioner in reporting them to the Congress in April 1952. At that time the information gathered from 25 States made it possible to estimate the situation on a national scale with reasonable accuracy. The facts revealed in the survey by the spring of 1952 are startling, if not alarming. To provide adequate classroom and auxiliary facili- ties such as gymnasiums and auditoriums for all the children expected to be enrolled in the public schools in the fall of 1952 would require 8 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 an expenditure of over 10 billion dollars. Moreover, many of the school plants now actually in use do not meet acceptable standards of fire safety; 40 percent of the school buildings are more than 30 years old and 16 percent are more than 50 years old. That this is a national problem is clear from the fact that even the States with the most satisfactory facilities are in serious difficulties. In those States, too, the building shortage is severe and will grow worse in the years ahead as a result of the continuing rise in the number of births. If it were possible to provide adequate school housing for all the Nation’s children this year 10 billion dollars would be needed. Yet a conservative estimate by those reporting for the States surveyed indicates that only about half of the necessary funds could now be provided by States and local communities through the maximum utili- zation of bonding capacities. Some form of Federal assistance is imperative if the children of the Nation, regardless of where they live, are to have the advantages even of the basic education which Ameri- cans have traditionally considered their birthright. It will be of interest to the Congress that the first phase of the study it has authorized is now substantially complete. The composite of State surveys drawn together by the United States Office of Educa- tion provides a comprehensive over-all picture of the current need for schoolhouse construction throughout the Nation. The second phase of the survey will continue through fiscal 1954, and will consist of a State-by-State development of long-range master plans for school construction. This second phase will take into con- sideration future enrollment increases and population shifts and will determine the location, size, type, and timing of school construction projects needed by 1960. Meanwhile, many State and local school authorities have been making an effort to construct the buildings necessary to meet the present and coming critical needs for new schools. During the fiscal year 1952 the Office of Education, under the Controlled Materials Plan of the Defense Production Act, issued permits and allocated controlled materials supporting educational construction valued at $1,878,000,000. This construction rate was possible during a period of material shortages because those persons in the Defense Production Adminis- tration responsible for policy decisions recognized the essentiality of education to the national defense and assigned to school construction a position second only to the direct defense agencies in the allocation of critical materials. In fulfilling its responsibilities as the claimant agency for education under the controlled materials plan, the Office of Education has been able to approve all applications for construction designed to relieve Office of Education 9 overcrowding, with postponement only of less essential types of con- struction, such as gymnasiums, auditoriums, and similar facilities. An estimated total of 49,500 elementary and secondary school classrooms were completed during the year. This number is short by 6,500 class- rooms of the number needed merely to care for the 1,691,000 pupil enrollment increase between September 1, 1951, and September 1, 1952. During the fiscal year applications were approved for the construction of college and library facilities valued at $327,000,000. THE NEED FOR MORE TEACHERS Inadequate school housing is obviously detrimental to a sound educa- tional system. But there is another national problem of equally seri- ous significance. It is the present inadequate supply of properly edu- cated teachers. ‘To get a true picture of the teacher shortage we must again look at the Nation as a whole. For, it could be shown that in certain favored communities, especially in urban areas, many children are attending classes with no more than 25 or 30 students, that the teachers in these classrooms have had a full teacher education program of studies, that they hold first-class certificates from State authorities, that school sessions run throughout the day, and that the curriculum is complete with such specialized or supplementary instruction as is needed. But for the Nation as a whole, such a picture would be false and it is just such a distorted view which may block progress. Only a complete survey of every hamlet and county of the Nation as well as of the big cities can reveal to the citizens of this country the seriousness of the present teacher shortage. More important, it will show how inevitably the present situation must become worse in the immediate years ahead. Even with the incomplete information available at present, however, the picture is disturbing. To bring this problem into sharper focus, let us look at two sets of facts placed in juxtaposition: the birth rate of the Nation, and the annual number of graduates of our teacher-training institutions. In the early forties, the sharp upward curve of the national birth rate was generally regarded as a war phenomenon from which a return to normal was expected at the war’s end. However, all of the years since the end of hostilities in 1945 have shown a consistently high birth rate. The result will be felt acutely in September 1952, when the elementary schools will be called upon to enrol] 1,691,000 more children than a year earlier. From now on, until at least 1957 or 1958, each autumn will find hundreds of thousands of additional children waiting before the school doors of the United States. These figures take into account only the children already born, and no seri- ous student of population problems envisages a sudden decrease in the number of births in the immediate future. Thus, with the lower 10 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 erades already crowded to the bursting point, the continued high birth rate will engulf an additional higher grade each year. As a parallel to the steadily increasing annual enrollments in our schools, the attention of the Congress is raimected to the situation in the colleges and universities where teachers are trained. It is esti- mated that the need for additional teachers in our schools for the year 1952-53 will be at least 160,000. This is the number required to fill the places left vacant by those who will have retired, died, left the profession because of marriage or to seek more attractive employment, and to provide for the increased enrollment. ‘To meet this need our teacher-training institutions have this year graduated only 106,000 teachers, 96,000 at the A. B. degree level, and 10,000 below degree level yet meeting certification requirements in some of the States. An estimate of the student enrollment in institutions preparing teachers indicates that the number of graduates will not increase in the years immediately ahead. Ina few years, the teacher shortage now so acute in the elementary schools will extend to our high schools. ‘The present apparent oversupply of teachers in some fields in the high schools is distinctly a temporary phenomenon which will quickly change to a shortage as the present large population in the lower age groups advances upward in the school system. The American people must face the stern reality that this dismal situation cannot, with the best will in the world, be changed much in the next 3 or 4 years. Teacher education, like other education, can- not be a makeshift affair. It involves a process of maturing for which there is no adequate substitute. Yet for the next few years emergency steps must be taken to relieve the present situation as much as possible. Already a dozen States have established programs to retrain and bring into elementary schools, teachers who had prepared to teach in high school, or who were graduated from a liberal arts college without special preparation for teaching. Several other States have set up programs for teacher reserves, designed for qualified persons who may have taught school earlier in life but allowed their certificates to expire, or for others who have met most but not all of the qualifications for teaching. Some colleges and universities have established special programs to bring these people up to the minimum standards before placing them in the classroom. These and other makeshifts, of necessity, can be used temporarily but they are no final or proper solution. We must now plan ahead 5, 6, or more years for a permanent and satisfactory solution to the teacher-shortage problem. We must begin now by securing answers to certain fundamental questions: What is behind the lack of interest of American youth in teaching as a pro- Office of Education 11 fession? How can we increase enrollment in teacher-training insti- tutions? How can we keep trained teachers in the schools? Many of the facts which account for the lack of interest of Ameri- can youth in the teaching profession are known. There is, for example, the matter of inadequate compensation. Salaries of teachers have always been low compared to other occupations requiring education beyond the high school. In recent years, however, while the educa- tional requirements for teaching have risen, the salaries of teachers as compared with those in most other professions and vocations with less exacting requirements have declined even further. In many States and communities salaries compare unfavorably with incomes in occu- pations requiring little or no formal education beyond the elementary grades. There are other factors which are probably influential in making the life of a teacher unappealing to many young people. In some communities, especially in rural areas, the personal and social lives of teachers are placed under restrictions which do not apply to other citizens. And some forms of these restraints seem to be expanding. Infringements on freedom of expression and of teaching, for example, exist to a degree which alert young professional workers find difficult to accept. The notion that members of one profession—teaching— must be singled out to make an official declaration of their loyalty to the United States seems to many to imply an atmosphere of suspicion and surveillance which Americans of independent minds and freedom- loving spirits will not tolerate. There is no more loyal group of citi- zens in this country than the educators. In short, many young people, who would have found in teaching an opportunity for service, are discouraged from entering a profession in which the reward is too often likely to be public criticism and suspicion, personal frustration and annoyance, little security, and low pay. The facts related so far are easily visible from the surface. Actually, however, the forces at work in creating the present teacher shortage are most intricate and require deep analysis. A Nation-wide study is urgently needed: To determine State by State such things as the extent of the shortage, the rates at which teachers leave the profession for various reasons, where teachers come from, what their salaries are in various types of communities and teaching positions, and why more young people are not entering the profession. Complete and reliable information of this sort will be required before the present disturbing situation can be corrected. A survey of the teacher shortage and related matters, like that for school facilities under Title I of Public Law 815, Eighty-first Con- egress, is needed before effective action can be taken on a Nation-wide basis to recruit and keep in the profession the numbers and the types 231032—53——3 12 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 of young people needed to provide a satisfactory education for all American children regardless of where they live. This study should be a cooperative enterprise, involving the Office of Education, the State departments of education, educational asso- ciations, and colleges and universities. If the survey of school facili- ties may be used as a basis of judgment, there is reason to believe that a similar survey of the teacher shortage would provide the informa- tion needed to deal with this problem which is of such determinative significance in the life of our Nation. The need for speedy action cannot be overstressed. Ever greater numbers of new students will take their places in our schools each fall far into the future. Unless action is taken soon to change present trends the ratio of qualified teachers to the number of pupils will decline still further. Emergency measures which in the long run will bring about a further deterioration in the quality of teaching will of necessity be introduced. Each year in many communities classes will become larger and larger, the number of half-day sessions will in- crease, more emergency certificates will necessarily be issued, more short courses will be offered to those who have had little earlier prep- aration. The combined effect of these expedients must inevitably be a lowering of educational standards for a large percentage of our children—the citizens who tomorrow will determine the destiny of our Nation. The duty of patriotic Americans in this situation is clear: For the security of our Nation, for the welfare of our people, we must intensify our efforts to increase the number and maintain the high quality of the young people entering the teaching profession. THE THREE R’s AND MORE From teachers to curriculum is but a short step. Some members of the American public are raising questions about certain aspects of the teaching in the schools, questions concerned with the curriculum— with the basic disciplines generally referred to as the “Three R’s.” The recent criticisms of the curriculum have often taken a dramatic form. Severe attacks have been launched in several cities with echoes reverberating throughout the Nation’s press. Such attacks, no matter how baseless, can have a seriously unsettling influence upon the public mind. Americans feel a close kinship with their schools which, they realize, play an important role in the lives of their children. Not even the slightest doubt cast upon the school’s effectiveness, therefore, can be safely disregarded. We are in the fortunate position of being able to prevent a crisis in American education growing out of such misunderstandings. The vast majority of Americans have confidence in their schools. The keen interest exhibited by hundreds of thousands of citizens in the activities of local groups organized in connection with the National Office of Education 13 Citizens Commission for the Public Schools and the National Con- gress of Parents and Teachers proves that our people have faith that whatever inadequacies exist in the schools can be corrected through the cooperation of educators and citizens generally. The problem of the teaching of the basic subjects needs definition. What is the basis for some of the dissatisfaction expressed about the quality of instruction? To some degree, at least, this stems from the very nature of the educational process. American education has made great strides in recent decades. Increasingly, our schools are becoming child-centered and community-centered ; our teaching, less a matter of drill and more of personal experience. Emphasis is upon the development of the ability to think, upon the growth of person- ality, upon the acquisition of skills. There are, quite naturally, dif- ferences of opinion among educators on educational theory and prac- tice. There is complete agreement, however, that children of today, living in an atomic age, cannot be taught the same subject matter and with the same methods and materials which served the needs of earlier generations. In an age of progress, education, too, must keep pace or decline in usefulness. Educational progress, however, is a long and complicated process, in which the citizens, parents, and others must participate step by step. Their interest must be enlisted, and the changes must meet with their approval. This places a heavy burden on the busy layman and an even greater one upon the school, but the lines of communication must be kept open if our citizens are to understand the school program and support it. Lack of understanding of changes in teaching ma- terials and methods is at the basis of most of the present criticisms of the teaching of the'subjects called the “Three R’s.” To speak of the modern curriculum solely in terms of the “Three R’s” is an anachronism. It is an emotional rather than a scientific approach. Its use is designed to appeal to nostalgia, rather than to the practical sense of the American citizen. Asa matter of fact, how- ever, most professional students of the elementary schools believe that today we teach the traditional elementary subjects—reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic—as well as, if not better than, these subjects were taught in our grandfather’s day. And the schools teach many other things besides. They give instruction and experience in fields of knowledge and areas of living totally untouched by the schools of an earlier day. The difficulty is that the evidence to support the claim that schools do a better job today than they did some years ago is scattered and not easily accessible. To shed light on the present controversy a body of authoritative information, scientific data, gathered by competent professional workers is, therefore, urgently needed. Opinions of prominent educators, however valuable, will not serve for this purpose. 14 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 A national enterprise should be undertaken, enlisting the efforts of schoolmen, scholars, and laymen, to bring together research informa- tion on the teaching of the basic disciplines and other subjects such as physical education, social studies, the sciences, music, and what these contribute to the lives of our young people. The advantages of such a project would be many. One: The facts about the curriculum of the modern school could be made available to the public in suitable form thus providing a basis for an intelligent evaluation of present practices. Two: Information on current cur- riculum changes and improvements would be more easily channeled to members of the profession in all parts of the country. Three: Fur- ther changes and improvements on a Nation-wide basis would thus be encouraged through constructive suggestions and interchange of experience rather than adversely critical attack. This project should thus be concerned not only with the gathering of reliable information, but also with its distribution among the people. A nationally representative body of educators and laymen, working with diligence and devotion, gathering and disseminating information on the effectiveness of instruction and of the total school program, would remove the doubts of many of those who now question whether our schools are adequately preparing the children of this generation - to live full lives as human beings and as effective citizens. LIFE ADJUSTMENT EDUCATION In the field of secondary education there are a number of problems which, though less dramatic, nevertheless call for long-range plan- ning if they are to be successfully dealt with. One of the most significant features of American society is the growth in the high-school population. Since 1890 it has doubled every 10 years until the high point was reached in 1940 with an enrollment of more than 7,000,000. The drop in the last decade may largely be attributed to the decline in the birth rate during the thirties. Soon, however, there will be another increase and by 1960 it is estimated that high-school enrollment will exceed 8,000,000. Thus while in 1890 only 7 percent of the eligible youth were enrolled in high school, in 1950 the percentage had risen to 77 percent and there will be further increases in the years ahead. All the more reason, therefore, why it is our obligation at this time to give a realistic accounting of the achievements of secondary edu- cation in the United States. Though secondary education is serving the needs of many young people of high-school age the complete picture is not so satisfactory as the enrollment statistics would make it appear. Studies reveal that despite great increases in the percentage of youth of high-school age who are in school, we still fall short of the Office of Education 15 goal of providing equal educational opportunity for all, for 1 youth in 5 still does not enter high school. And fewer than 63 percent of those who do enter remain to graduate. , The Office of Education began some years ago to help the high schools serve more completely the needs of American youth through the work of the Commission on Life Adjustment Education. This Commission, established by the Office following a national conference held in Chicago in 1947, took steps to develop a program of life adjustment education “designed to equip all American youth to live democratically with satisfaction to themselves and profit to society as home members, workers and citizens.” The work of the first Commission on Life Adjustment Education which completed its term in 1951 is going forward under a second Commission appointed in that year. The crucial problem with which these Commissions have been con- cerned is how to provide adequately for pupils of all intellectual levels. Before the great influx of recent decades the problem was relatively simple. In 1890, for example, nearly all high-school students in- tended to go to college and the instruction they received was designed to prepare them for advanced education. Today only one in five goes to college. Vocational training is pursued by another 20 percent of high-school students. The middle group of 60 percent embraces the young people which life adjustment education is attempting especially to serve. In behalf of this group of American youth we must come to grips with the educational goals of our modern society. If not a college education, then what? How are these young people to be encouraged to remain in school beyond the legal age hmit? How are they to be helped best to utilize the time they do spend in school in preparation to face the problems of life? For these young Americans secondary education must have new objectives designed to meet their particular needs. Young people vary greatly in their abilities and in their capacities to learn. All of them, however, are capable of development as valuable members of society. A narrow academic education, far from helping all youth to mature properly, often causes social maladjustment, thwarts the de- sire to learn, and creates attitudes of failure and resignation detri- mental both to youth and to society asa whole. The large number of young people who leave high school before graduation is an indication that for them we have failed to establish a suitable education. The life adjustment education program is fashioning a revised cur- riculum which stresses the basic objectives of good health, command 1 Vitalizing Secondary Education. U.S. Office of Education. 1951. 16 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 of fundamental processes, worthy home membership, civic competence, good use of leisure time, and the development of ethical character. There is a growing recognition that in our modern society the develop- ment of social attitudes, of occupational efficiency, of an understanding of the relationship between employer and employee, can no longer be left to chance. ‘These objectives are basic in the life adjustment program. The Commission on Life Adjustment Education is a cooperative project on a Nation-wide scale designed to find suitable types of high- school education for these youth. ‘he success of this project centered in the United States Office of Education is indicated by the fact that 22 States have established some type of formal body to take the initia- tive in the development of life adjustment education programs. ‘The work is gradually being extended to all States. Before the benefits of these efforts to revise the high-school curriculum in such a way as to serve the needs of all American youth can be fully successful, greater resources are needed in the Office of Education. ‘The cost in compari- son to the total national expenditure on secondary education would be insignificant. Yet it can bring about a vitalization of this entire unit of American education with tremendous benefit to the whole Nation. Thus far, this report has dealt with Nation-wide problems affecting American children generally. The attention of the Congress is now drawn to several problems, equally urgent, prevailing in specific edu- cational areas or in certain regions of the country. CHILDREN OF MIGRATORY WORKERS NEED EDUCATION One challenging problem grows out of a basic economic and social situation involving the children of migratory workers. The Congress has already given serious attention to certain matters related to mi- grant workers. The Subcommittee on Labor and Labor-Management Relations of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare held a number of hearings during the second session of the Eighty-second Congress on the conditions of life among the several million migratory agricultural workers in the United States. The basic facts concerning these children, insofar as we have facts, are recapitulated here to indicate the seriousness and the scope of the problem. How many children are involved? What geographical course do their migrations follow? What is their educational status ? . The number of migrant agricultural workers’ children now living in the several States cannot be accurately estimated. Those who have studied the matter most carefully, however, believe that between a quarter and a half million children are involved. Most of them travel with their parents in four identifiable streams: (1) from lower Cali- fornia, moving northwest through the State and ending in Oregon Office of Education 17 or Washington or Idaho; (2) from Arizona or New Mexico, moving up through the Mountain States to the Canadian border; (3) from Texas or New Mexico, moving northward along the Mississippi River and the adjacent States to Michigan and Minnesota; and (4) from Florida, moving through the Southeastern and Middle Atlantic States to New England, often as far as the potato fields of Maine. They remain in a given community long enough to plant or harvest a crop of fruits or vegetables. Then after a few days or a few weeks, they move on to another location. Generally, these workers and their children, though welcomed with open arms to perform the casual labor without which the community would fail economically, are rejected socially as soon as their special job is done. Usually, their living conditions are poor, and the social services available to the rest of the commu- nity—medical care, education, sanitation, fire and police protection— are meagerly provided or entirely missing. Children of from 8 to 14 years of age, who should be in school, work in the field often with the encouragement of parents and employers. Neither school attendance officers nor representatives of the Department of Labor are able to make-local school attendance laws effective among these nomads. In some communities there is little inclination on the part of the authori- ties to do so. Consequently the educational achievements of these children range from zero to 4, 5, or 6 years of schooling, usually with accomplishment below that of other children who have had the same number of years of schooling. Studies in some regions reveal that children of migrant workers actually show a lower average educational achievement than their parents. Clearly, we are losing ground. The United States Office of Education. encouraged by the Depart- ment of Labor, by State educational officials, faculty members of col- leges and universities, private philanthropic organizations, as well as by Members of Congress, has launched a small-scale study of the education of these children of migratory workers. With the limited resources available, only the merest. beginning could be made in meet- ing this sorely aggravated and highly volatile situation. Nevertheless, with the help of educators in many sections of the country, we have succeeded at least in determining the scone of the problem and outlin- ing the activities which should be carried forward to provide a work- able program for the education of the children of migratory workers. A larger Federal interest in the plight of these children and more ef- fective activity in their behalf are imperative National responsibility is appropriate because these under-age migrants, tomorrow’s citizens, reside in several different States during the course of each year. The children whose education is being neglected may move annually from Texas to Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, and Michigan, only to repeat the cycle during the next crop season. Ten years hence they may be living 18 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 as adults in St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, or New York. Their produc- tive capacity will be limited by their lack of early education; their earnings will probably be low. They are far more likely to become a community responsibility than other more adequately trained citi- zens. Since no one State or community can rightfully be charged with their education, Federal initiative is necessary to establish a joint responsibility. Ours is a Nation which subscribes to the principle that each indi- vidual is entitled to the full educational opportunities generally available. To deprive these migrant children of such opportunities because of the economic and occupational circumstances of their par- ents is inconsistent with this principle. From the point of view of national interest, we need manpower—well-trained manpower, and there can be no justification for this waste of our human resources. The Office of Education, as a Federal agency, should be charged with the responsibility of organizing a comprehensive and thorough study of the present educational opportunities, or the lack of them, for chil- dren of migrant workers. It should do so in cooperation with the educational authorities of the several States. This study ought to lead to the development of a plan by which the present situation can, be remedied. Does this mean that the Government is to take sole responsibility for the education of these migrant children? The answer obviously is in the negative. The principle of local control applies here as to all other areas of education. But the United States Office of Education is in the unique position of being able to muster the resources available in State offices of education, local school systems, colleges and uni- versities, departments of Government, and private agencies for a vigorous attack upon this problem. ‘The limited effort which has been possible with the resources available has brought a quick, sympathetic, and earnest response from many citizens in all sections of the country. They urge the energetic continuance of present efforts on an enlarged scale. | EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN DESERVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY The migratory child is a problem created by the twentieth century mobility of our people plus economic and social maladjustments. He and his fellow migrants belong to the Nation’s educationally under- privileged, but they constitute only a minority within that group. They are outnumbered by at least ten to one by 5,000,000 other children who for educational purposes are designated as “exceptional.” Though the problem of “exceptional” children is as old as history, special edu- cational efforts to meet it are of but recent origin. Today these chil- dren still constitute a challenge to our democratic community. Office of Education 19 Biss Sehr bie oe Mouton ied ace dh he hited ea leet cere re ktnn AaeaktienceaeareaieeDeIerit Who are the “exceptional” children? The term covers a wide range of physical handicaps, mental defects, social maladjustment, emotional disturbance, and, on the other side of the scale, exceptional talents and extraordinary mental gifts. In the United States it is estimated that more than 2,000,000 boys and girls have physical handi- caps of varying severity; 700,000 are slow learning. The rest of the 5,000,000 can be classified within the many categories of the mentally defective, the maladjusted, and the specially gifted. The partially handicapped present the more difficult problem. Tra- ditionally, Americans with their keen sense of responsibility toward those whom nature has rendered helpless were primarily concerned with the problem of the totally disabled. For example, some blind children were cared for in residential institutions as far back as a century ago. Not until 1911, however, were the first day-classes for partially seeing children opened. Since then, progress has been made in providing State and local programs for the education of all types of exceptional children. But considered in terms of the full needs, it is not much more than a beginning. According to the most recent reports only about 15 percent of the exceptional children who need special help by the schools are cur- rently receiving it. The same factors which have contributed to the growth of other serious problems in American education have doubt- less been responsible also for our lethargy in developing appropriate education for the exceptional child. We have suffered from a scatter- ing of effort, from the absence of a national viewpoint, the lack of a central organization which could identify the problem as being Nation-wide in scope and which could stimulate a pooling of expe- rience on a Nation-wide basis. Now, however, Americans have awak- ened to their responsibility and they are demanding action in behalf of these children. Educational authorities throughout the country are convinced that within a few years public opinion will demand that practically all such children be admitted to the public schools. But will the schools be ready for them? Will they have properly trained teachers? Proper housing? Will they be able to provide the kind of education which will serve the special needs of these children ? At present some of these questions must be answered in the negative. A number of factors retard the expansion of programs for exceptional children. Among them are the shortage of qualified teachers, the high cost of special education, inadequate school housing and facilities. Of all the factors holding back the service none is so crucial as the lack of qualified personnel. The difficulty in recruiting teachers, however, is not the whole problem. A more basic matter is the neces- sity to determine what specific qualifications should be possessed by those concerned with the education of exceptional children. If these 20 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 EE ne er te er ce SE a Mogae qualifications could be more adequately identified it would then be much easier to seek out the kind of people who have suitable char- acteristics and to plan curricula for their professional preparation. Many groups and individuals have recognized the need for this type of information on a Nation-wide scale. Many have named the Office of Education as the logical agency to initiate and carry out such a study. The main deterrent to the launching of this important national proj- ect was the lack of funds available from governmental sources. This situation was fortunately remedied in the late fall of 1951, when a erant of $25,500 was made by a private agency enabling the Office of Education to initiate such a study, which is now known as Qualifica- tions and Preparation of Teachers of Exceptional Children. This project, directed by an Office specialist, has the advice and assistance of two committees, one a National Committee of Leaders in Special Education, and the other an Office Policy Committee. This enterprise is another excellent example of the type of coopera- tive action which can be so effective in dealing with a national educa- tion problem. It involves the Office of Education, over 20 organiza- tions devoted to the problems of exceptional children, national educa- tional agencies, and the education departments of the several States. The principal purpose of the project is to study the qualifications and preparation of teachers of exceptional children. When completed, the study will make available a fund of information which will: (1) assist State departments of education and local school systems in developing and revising standards for teachers of exceptional chil- dren; (2) assist colleges and universities in developing and revising curricula for teachers of exceptional children; (3) form a basis for improving educational programs for exceptional children; (4) con- tribute to a better understanding of the needs of exceptional children by the general public; (5) assist prospective teachers in deciding whether or not they wish to become teachers of exceptional children, and in planning their professional preparation; (6) assist in the clarification of controversial issues concerning the qualifications needed by special education teachers, and thus help to form a basis for better cooperation among professional personnel; (7) serve to identify problems for further study by both public and private agen- cles as well as by individuals. The findings in this study will reflect the opinions, the experiences, and the achievements of hundreds of specialists throughout the country, and will serve as the basis for the development of educational programs for the preparation of teachers in all branches of special education. This first step in the study will be followed by an intensive informational program beamed to the educational profession and the public as well. Office of Education 21 This study represents a great step forward in American education. Though progress will necessarily be slower than the urgency of the situation demands, the establishment of certain basic principles will save years of groping, of trial and error, in the effort to remove the greatest obstacle to the education of exceptional children, the lack of qualified teachers. Exceptional children, millions in number, constitute a large reser- voir of potentially useful manpower. Their potential usefulness, however, can be realized only if proper educational services are pro- vided in the home and the community while these citizens are still children. Their welfare demands that the community provide teach- ers who are equipped by specialized knowledge, skills, and understand- ings to help these boys and girls who, otherwise, will not develop their possibilities to the fullest. To carry on with the present project and to initiate additional studies will require more resources than are at present available. And though full advantage should be taken of all available grants from private agencies, the Office should have its own resources to initiate necessary additional studies, and to follow up on ‘the findings in the present study. EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION The seventh and final item on our agenda of educational matters of national concern is the task of realizing the full potentiality of tele- vision as a medium of instruction and communication. ‘Television probably holds greater promise for education than any other single development since the invention of the printing press. The profession of education generally approaches new developments with caution. The widespread enthusiasm for television is therefore significant especially since it is based on long experience with related media and on scientific research on the learning capacities of students. Television has added another important dimension to time-tested and proven audio-visual techniques. The old-time lantern slides, the film strip, the silent and then the sound motion picture, the AM radio, and lastly the FM radio have been the proving ground for educational methods which with further experimentation can be brought to a high state of effectiveness in television broadcasting. The scientific research which produced television was virtually completed by the beginning of World War II, but its practical develop- ment had to wait. ‘The very fact of delay in an already technologically perfected medium, together with its tremendous commercial possi- bilities, has greatly speeded up the development of television broad- casting since the close of the war. Since then television has thrust its coaxial cables and relay towers over much of the country. The pace at which television developed commercially complicated the prob- lem of its utilization in education. Experience in the experimental 22 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 ips sem tome cae oon ea a stages had convinced educators of its instructional value. It became immediately apparent, however, that educational use of the new medi- um was not compatible with successful commercial operation. Time was simply too valuable in an operation which measured an hour in terms of thousands of dollars. Education became convinced that, as in the case of FM radio, a portion of the spectrum must be reserved from the public domain for the use of educational television broad- casting. The force of this view, together with engineering and tech- nical problems resulting from rapid commercial development, caused the Federal Communications Commission to issue a “freeze order” under date of September 30, 1948, withholding the further granting of television broadcasting licenses pending hearings to consider edu- cational and other needs. In the autumn of 1950 the United States Office of Education joined with the National Association of Educational Broadcasters and the Association for Education by Radio in calling a national meeting for the purpose of planning representation at the hearings scheduled to be held by the Federal Communications Commission in November of that year. An outcome of this meeting was the establishment of the Joint Committee on Educational Television. Under the auspices of the Office and of the joint committee, 87 representatives of principal educational organizations in the United States appeared before the Federal Communications Commission. In addition, a number of Members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives ap- peared in support of the request for setting aside channels for educa- tional use. In his testimony before the Commission, the Commis- sioner of Education recommended that an adequate number of both very-high-frequency and ultra-high-frequency channels be set aside for educational television broadcasting and that these channels be reserved for a sufficient length of time to enable educational institu- tions to develop plans for their use. The case for education in television was effectively presented. The “Sixth Report and Order” of the FCC, dated April 14, 1952, assigned 242 television channels for educational purposes, about 12 percent of the total 2,000 channels available. These reservations are subject to review after June 2, 1953. Evidence is at hand that educational institutions are moving rapidly to take advantage of these reserved channels. Within 60 days after the issuance of the order 14 applications were filed with the FCC and 8 channels actually assigned. Reports received by the Office of Edu- cation indicate that more than four hundred school systems and educational institutions are in various stages of planning for the utilization of television. Office of Education 23 Even the current gratifying response to the ruling of the FCC will fall short of full realization of expectations and requirements unless additional support can be given to the schools, institutions, and State and local educational organizations. Relatively large sums of money are involved in establishing and operating television broadcasting stations. School boards, boards of trustees, State legislatures, and private endowing sources require time to consider such enterprises, especially where public financing, hedged about as it is legally, is in- volved. Moreover, a great deal of experience and guidance must be made available to educational broadcasters both before and after such a station is established. A beginning has been made toward the provision of Nation-wide research and advisory services in the area of educational television broadcasting. The Joint Committee on Educational Television, oper- ating under a grant from the Fund for Adult Education of the Ford Foundation, is advising educational institutions on legal, engineering, and programing problems. The United States Navy has developed effective training programs through the use of television and these programs are open to observation and research. ‘The United States Office of Education, though severely limited in staff and funds for services, has outlined a program of research and advisory assistance. The Office has also published a monograph, “Television in Our Schools” (Bulletin 1952, No. 16, Federal Security Agency, Office of Education), which contains much information about the development and use of educational television. The services currently available, both public and private, are, however, wholly inadequate. State edu- cational agencies, local school systems, and colleges and universities require much more help in developing their television facilities if this potentially great new medium of instruction is to make its maxi- mum contribution to the formal educational programs of the schools, colleges, and universities, and to the education of adults through dis- cussions, lectures, demonstrations, and the vicarious experiences of travel and historical review. J should like to outline here some of the services which will be needed by educational agencies in television broadcasting. These are only the pressing current needs which unquestionably will grow and change from time to time. Though these services are described with special reference to the Office of Education, they are sufficiently comprehen- sive to include the activities of other agencies as well. (1) Since not enough wave lengths are available to enable each school system to have its own broadcasting station, a pattern for the cooperative establishment of educational television stations must be developed. In most communities all institutions with responsibilities for education, both public and private, will need to form a partner- 24 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 ship. In some cases State-wide networks may be practicable. In every case educational statesmanship and good will among participants will be required to insure that all groups have their rightful access to broad- casting facilities. The decentralization of educational responsibilities results in large and varied local practices. But these desirable varia- tions create the need for advice as to proper organizational patterns to serve given situations. (2) Administrative principles suitable for cooperative local opera- tion must be devised. These principles must be capable of application to widely varied situations, and they must solve problems of budget- ing, time allocation, and administrative organization and operation. (3) A programing service is urgently needed. One of the most difficult problems in educational television is the maintenance of pro- erams of continuously high standard. Among other things, such a service should include a circulating library of complete programs and it should develop related teaching guides and supplementary mate- rials. Research and experimentation must produce new types of pro- grams based on educational rather than commercial consideration, which will create new. audience interests. Much such research can be carried on in cooperation with colleges and universities where it is the practice to conduct special institutes and seminars. (4) Since much yet remains to be learned about the effectiveness of specific types of educational television programs, evaluative research needs to be fostered through the closest cooperation of educational institutions as well as government agencies. (5) Colleges and universities must be encouraged and helped to develop education programs for the professional training of persons who are to work in the television field, both educational and com- mercial. (6) Engineering and technical advisory services are needed. These services, supplemented by the results of research, should lower both capital outlay and operating costs through the more efficient use of equipment and facilities. It is imperative that the opportunities offered by the “Sixth Report and Order” of the Federal Communications Commission not be al- Jowed to lapse. Even though the launching of such a vast enterprise on a Nation-wide basis is a gigantic task, speedy action is required on the part of American education. A backward look over the last quar- ter of a century shows that though the educational significance of radio has come to be enormous, the delay in its development was inex- cusable. Neither the profession nor the lay public generally can afford a repetition of this costly time lag in the full use of television for educational purposes. American education is now teetering on a tight-rope in relation to television. It can topple over into failure or it can achieve great suc- Office of Education 25 cess. Television represents a large financial investment in terms of original capital investment and to a degree in the cost of current operations. In terms of the cost per student or general observer, how- ever, the cost will be far below that of many other types of education. And the cost must be equated to the educational benefits to our people as a whole and to the strengthening of our democratic institutions. It is in my judgment not money alone which will discourage educa- tional institutions from undertaking the establishment of television stations. More likely it will be the sense of uncertainty about how and where to get help in exploring the costs, the procedures, the resources, and the cooperative relationships involved in the establishment of an educational television station while channels are still available. The United States Office of Education has a rare opportunity of establishing a service not for remedial purposes—to deal with a prob- lem after it has been allowed to grow—but of creating a climate in which a new educational medium can flourish. The present resources of the United States Office of Education are not adequate to do the job expected of it and for which it can right- fully be held accountable. We need to add personnel of high caliber in this highly dynamic field, and we need further to be enabled to establish cooperative research programs with colleges and universities, and with State and local school systems as the basis for the further development of television for educational purposes. Together with schools and colleges and other educational organizations and agen- cies the Office of Education must share its load if all that needs to be done in behalf of educational television broadcasting is to be accomplished. The Role of the Office of Education in Meeting These Problems The problems described in the preceding sections of this report are some of the most urgent and critical problems presently facing the American educational system. As such they are of great and increas- ing concern not only to the men and women who staff our schools, but to millions of American citizens everywhere who are interested in a brighter future for their children. It is not, however, the urgent and critical character of these prob- lems as such which warrants their discussion in this report. The an- nals of State and local school systems are replete with instances in which comparable crises within a particular State or local jurisdiction have been surmounted and overcome by an aroused citizenry. The distinguishing characteristic of the problems discussed here— and the reason for their inclusion in this report—is that they are 26 Annual Repori, Federal Security Agency, 1952 a a a a a ae national problems. They are national problems in that they extend beyond the borders of any one State, or any group of States. They are national problems in that they are beyond the resources of any one State, or group of States. They are national problems in that they require national solutions. Now the recognition of these problems as national problems requir- ing national solutions by no means implies that the Federal Govern- ment should assume the sole responsibility—or even the primary re- sponsibility—in developing ways of meeting them. It is the peculiar genius of our American form of government that every public ques- tion is traditionally resolved as close to its point of origin as pos- sible. In this respect the American educational system is a shining example in which the States have traditionally acted only with re- spect to problems which are beyond the resources of individual local school districts, and the Federal Government has likewise acted only on those problems which are beyond the resources of local and State jurisdictions combined. Other countries have different patterns, but in education in the United States this is the American way. But the American way does not require the American people to stand by helpless merely because a problem in American education is national in scope and calls for a national solution. Here again the American genius for practicality in public affairs has evolved a pattern in solv- ing national problems which calls upon, first, the local school districts, then the State or States concerned, to enlist and combine their efforts in reaching a solution. It is only after the problem has been deter- mined to be beyond local and State boundaries and resources that assistance from the Nation as a whole has been sought. And it is the elory of the American educational system—and the pride of most of the American States—that such calls for help have been sounded only in dire straits; and further, that when sounded the calls have been not so much for Federal funds as for Federal leadership, the kind of leadership which can give unity and a sense of direction to a joint local-State-Federal assault upon the educational problem at hand. This, again, is the American way of doing things. In seeking this kind of leadership, the local and State jurisdictions have, as indicated previously, been turning with increasing frequency during recent years to the United States Office of Education. The reason is not hard to find. The Office of Education is the central point of contact between the Federal Government and all of the diverse and far-flung branches of the American educational system. It is in constant touch with each State department of education and, through them, with the vast metropolitan school systems, the great consolidated rural schools, and each lonely one-room schoolhouse, no matter how isolated it may be. As the principal focal point for the Office of Education 27 recommendations of such national organizations as the National Edu- cation Association, the American Council on Education, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, and the National Citizens’ Com- mission for the Public Schools, the Office is increasingly being recog- nized as the appropriate channel for the presentation of the points of view of these organizations to the Executive Branch and to the Congress. In the international field, the United States Commissioner of Education is being called upon with increasing frequency to serve as the spokesman for American education abroad. In accepting this call to service the Office of Education recognizes a profound obligation—an obligation not only to the American educa- tional system as a whole, in which the Office staff deeply believes— but an obligation to all of the American people. Actually it is a double obligation which places upon the Office a double responsibility, neither aspect of which can be ignored except at the Nation’s peril. Simply stated, it is this: In developing solutions to national educational problems of the sort described earlier in this report, the Office of Education must: (a) evolve plans for the application of Federal leadership and re- sources where and as necessary to meet these national problems. At the same time the Office must : (b) safeguard assiduously the values and benefits traditionally associated with State and local control of education. Meeting these two requirements of successful local-State-Federal relationships in solving national educational problems requires educa- tional statesmanship of the highest order. It is too much to expect that the Office will always be 100 percent successful in this task. But the problems are there and growing. The national interest cries out for solutions. Strong leadership from the Office of Education is essential. The nature of the solution will depend in any particular case upon the severity and urgency of the problem itself and the degree of effectiveness achieved by other agencies in meeting it. Only when the efforts of all other groups—local, State, and national, public and private—are found to be inadequate to meet the problem, should the Office of Education undertake direct expenditure of Federal funds for that purpose, and then only on the basis of specific statutory authorization. By conducting its operations in this manner, the Office of Education assures the American educational system, and the American people as a whole, that the traditional values and bene- fits of State and local control of education will be permanently safe- guarded, while at the same time giving leadership to the development of local-State-national solutions to major national educational prob- lems where the national interest requires. 28 Annual Repori, Federal Security Agency, 1952 The Future of the Office In this connection it is important to point out that the preponderant majority of the educational activities of the Federal Government are conducted separately and apart from the Office of Education. The most recent official survey ? reveals that the Federal Government is spending some $3,617,000,000 annually in training and educational activities in the various executive departments. Of this total only about one percent is spent through the Office of Education. Through the years, the Office of Education has had considerable experience in maintaining the traditional relationships between the Federal Govern- ment and State and local educational authorities, preserving and strengthening the American tradition of non-interference by the Fed- eral Government in local educational activities. As new programs touching education are established by the Congress, this hard-won experience could be incorporated in such programs in support of the principle of local control of education. The present staff and resources of the Office of Education are patently inadequate to provide the type of national educational serv- ices made necessary by our development as a Nation. The critical need for these services requires that the Office of Education be expanded in staff and resources with the addition of expert personnel in the various branches of education. Qualified experts are needed who will con- tinuously investigate emerging problems in elementary education, secondary education, vocational education, higher education, school administration, education of exceptional children, teaching of special subjects, educational television, testing, guidance, international educa- tion, adult education, and many other areas. As these professional workers become available the Office will be able to discharge its full responsibilities to American education. If this is done, the Congress, the educational profession, and citizens generally will be able to turn to the Office for assistance and be assured of efficient service. Local Control of Education Must Be Preserved In proposing that the Office of Education should be expanded in the scope and the character of its activities there is no suggestion that local educational autonomy should be invaded. The purpose of the proposal is rather to guarantee that there will be an effective staff and adequate resources in the Office of Education to deal with the national educational problems which this report has described. The proposal 2“Wederal Educational Activities and Educational Issues Before Congress,” a report prepared in the Legislative Reference Service of the Library of Congress by Charles A. Quattlebaum, House Document No. 423, 82d Congress, 2d Session, July 1951, v. 2, part 8, p. 181. Office of Education 29 also rests on the assumption that through the years ahead there will be other problems of national scope and national importance which will require and warrant the close attention of a competent national agency. The future of the United States will be determined in large measure by the education our children receive today. Deficiencies in this educa- tion will inevitably be reflected in the lives of our citizens of tomorrow in reduced personal and social effectiveness. Throughout the history of our great Nation the people have turned again and again to the schools to help them in dealing with their own individual problems and in sustaining and strengthening our democratic society. Our people will continue to turn to these institutions. It is in the national interest to maintain in the Federal Government a unit devoted to the study and analysis of educational problems and issues, and capable of rendering efficient service to the school systems and institutions of higher education as they attempt to serve our youth and our people generally. In this report I have tried to show how this could be done within the traditional American framework of State and local control of education. Publications Issued by the Office of Education, Fiscal Year 1952 Bulletins, Pamphlets, and Other Publications Know Your School Law. Bulletin 1952, No. 1. Statistics of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities, Year Ended June 30, 1951. Bulletin 1952, No. 2. Accredited Higher Institutions 1952. Bulletin 1952, No. 3. State Provisions for School Lunch Programs—Laws and Personnel. Bulletin 1952, No. 4. Core Curriculum Development: Problems and Practices. Bulletin 1952, No. 5. Higher Edueation in France, Bulletin 1952, No. 6. How Children Learn To Read. Bulletin 1952, No. 7. Financing Adult Education in Selected Schools and Colleges. Bulletin 1952, No. 8. The Teaching of General Biology in the Public High Schools of the United States, Bulletin 1952, No. 9. Education in Turkey. Bulletin 1952, No. 10. The Forward Look: The Severely Retarded Child Goes to School. Bulletin 1952, No. 11. Federal Funds for Education 1950-51 and 1951-52. Bulletin 1952, No. 12. Schools at Work in 48 States. Bulletin 1952, No. 18. How Children and Teacher Work Together. Bulletin 1952, No. 14. Television in Our Schools. Bulletin 1952, No. 16. Education in Sweden. Bulletin 1952, No. 17. Radio and Television Bibliography. Bulletin 1952, No. 18. Recordings for Teaching Literature and Language in the High School. Bulletin 1952, No. 19. 30 Annual Report, Federal Security Agency, 1952 Health Services in City Schools. Bulletin 1952, No. 20. Land-Grant Colleges and Universities—A Federal-State Partnership. Bulletin 1952, No. 21. Some Problems in the Education of Handicapped Children. Pamphlet No. 112. Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Supplement No. 5. Vocational Division Bulletin No. 248. With Focus on Family Living. Vocational Division Bulletin No. 249. The Financing of State Departments of Education, Misc. No. 15. The Personnel of State Departments of Education. Misc. No. 16. Science Facilities for Secondary Schools. Misc. No. 17. Financial Accounting for Public Schools, Rev. 1948. Circular No. 204. Education in Rural and City School Systems. Circular No. 829. Earned Degrees Conferred by Higher Educational Institutions, 1950-51. Cir- cular No. 333. Life Adjustment Education in American Culture. Circular No. 3385. Expenditure Per Pupil in City School Systems 1950-51. Circular No. 337. State Provisions for Financing Public School Capital Outlay Programs. Bulletin 1951, No. 6. The UN Declaration of Human Rights in Secondary Schools. Bulletin 1951, No. 12. Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1948-50 Statistics of State School Systems, 1949-50. Chapter 2. Statistics of Higher Education: Faculty, Students, and Degrees, 1949-50. Chap- ter 4, section I. Statistics of Higher Education: Receipts, Expenditures, and Property, 1949-50. Chapter 4, section IT. Education Directory, 1951-52 Federal Government and States. Part1. Counties and Cities. Part 2. Higher Education. Part 3. Education Associations. Part 4. Miscellaneous Administration of Public Laws 874 and 815. Annual Report of the Office of Education—Fiscal Year 1951. Digest of Annual Reports of State Boards for Vocational Education—Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1951. Fellowships for Study in Latin America. (folder) First Progress Report—School Facilities Survey. Supervised Practice in Counselor Preparation. (Mise. 3314-6) The 6 R’s. They Can’t Wait! Training To Meet the Shortage of Stenographers and Typists. Periodicals ScHoor Lire (9 issues—October 1951—June 1952, inclusive). HIGHER EDUCATION (18 issues—September 1, 1951—May 15, 1952, inclusive). Office of Education 31 National Scientific Register Research and Development Personnel in Industrial Laboratories 1950. Scientific Manpower Series No. 1. The Composition of the Sanitary Engineering Profession. Scientific Manpower Series No. 2. Manpower Resources in Physics 1951. Scientific Manpower Series No. 3. Indexes ScHoox Lire, Vol. 33, October 1950—June 1951. ScHoot Lire, Vol. 34, October 1951—June 1952. Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1946-48. 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