fei ry ) Fri | a id MN EEPIONAL ELEMENTARY RINCIPAL BULLETIN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION |, 1938 XVII, No. 5 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL BULLETIN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS Published in October, November, December, February, April, June, and July by the Department of Elementary School Principals of the National Education Association of the United States. All elementary principals—administrative, supervisory, and teaching—are eligible to active mem- bership in this department. The payment of $3 dues entitles active members to attend all meetings of the department, to hold office, to vote, and to receive the Bulletins. Associate membership may be had by all members of the National Education Association who are actively engaged in any phase of school work by paying the regular membership fee of $3. They are entitled to all privileges except the right to vote and hold office. Subscription to non-members is $3 per year; single copies of the Yearbook, $2; single copies of the Bulletin, 25 cents (except the Official Reports). Entered as second-class matter November 20, 1922, at the postoffice at Washington, D. C., under Act of August 24, 1912. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized December 18, 1922. Executive and Editorial Offices, 1201 Sixteenth Street, Northwest, Washington, D. C., Eva G. Pinkston, Editor. OFFICERS OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1937-38 President, Mason A. Stratton, Brighton Avenue School, Atlantic City, N. J. First Vicepresident, Edythe J. Brown, Kaley- Marquette Schools, South Bend, Ind. Second Vicepresident, Isabel Tucker, Festus Wade School, St. Louis, Mo. Third Vicepresident, H. B. Norton, Robin- son School, Birmingham, Ala. Fourth Vicepresident, Arnold Gregory, Raupp School, Lincoln Park, Mich. Fifth Vicepresident, Harry H. Haw, Alice Birney School, San Diego, Calif. Executive Secretary, Eva G. Pinkston, 1201 Sixteenth St., N. W., Washington, D. C. Executive Committee Maude A. Rhodes, Whitefoord School, Atlanta, Ga. Mrs. Edith B. Joynes, Washington-Gate- wood Schools, Norfolk, Va. Ira M. Kline, 177 Gibson Avenue, White Plains, N. Y. Irvin A. Wilson, 437 S. Stone Avenue, LaGrange, IIl. Certification Division, Cassie F. Roys, Di- rector, 2609 Bristol St., Omaha, Nebr. Life Membership Division, Herbert C. Han- sen, Director, 1045 N. Lockwood Ave, Chicago, IIl. Retirement Division, M. Emma Brookes, Di- rector, Miles-Cranwood Schools, Cleve- land, Ohio. See space below for Committees as they are appointed thruout the year Resolutions Committee Harry H. Haw, Chairman Alice Birney School San Diego, California. Lester J. Nielson 724 Windsor Street Salt Lake City, Utah Alice Goodspeed Principal, Capen School Dedham, Massachusetts The contents of this Bulletin are listed in the Education Index. The picture appearing on the cover is the beautiful and artistic fountain which is located in th nation’s capital where Massachusetts and Connecticut Avenues intersect. 130 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY) TI meet Princ the 4 Atlar 1938. Front Educ. Teacl A Re Emot Elem: chi Come McG Progr The Our ¢ cati Face Repor What Repor Secret New PRIN ings ool, ate- hite nue, Di- iT. lan- Lve,, RY The National Elementary Principal Volume XVII, No. 5 —_— April, 1938 An Official Report This issue of the bulletin is an official report of the meetings of the Department of Elementary School Principals which were held during the convention of the American Association of School Administrators, Atlantic City, New Jersey, February 28—March 3, 1938. Contents Ie ee ee Education With A Purpose—Doudna_________ 133 Teacher Participation in Curriculum Making— ~Hanna____. sateen cdcclhoncs A Report of the Spelling Bee___..__-______-—«1147 Emotions and the Educative Process—Prescott 148 Elementary Principals’ Study Groups in Massa- chusetts—Eldridge ___. es eee 157 Come with Us To New York City___________ 160 OO eee Progressive Education—Weingarten__________ _ 167 The Alaska Public Schools—Karnes___.______ 169 Our Community Conference On Elementary Edu- RRR GIN io dicate nine nie rninieeneelodcsnesinens 171 7 eee. ot .. TS Reporting Progress—Pinkston__.____________ 175 Ry RN a tesiinncignectaveemennseetlaenmsancliad 177 Reports of Committees__._.__/______»___- 179 Secretary’s Report_______. _____ 5 Ae 184 New Books__- PE AE CONCERNING THE 76TH ANNUAL convention of the N.E.A. will be held in New York City, June 25-30, 1938. At this convention the D.E. S.P. will hold two general sessions, Monday and Tuesday afternoon re- spectfully. The Depart- ment breakfast will be held on Monday and the banquet will take place on Tuesday. COMING AMERICAN EDUCA- TION WEEK will be ob- served November 6-12, 1938. “Education for To- morrow’s America” will be the general theme. The following daily subjects have been announced: “Achieving the Golden Rule,” “Developing Strong Bodies and Able Minds,” “Mastering Skills and Knowledge,” “Attain- ing Values and Stand- ards,” “Accepting New Civic Responsibilities,” “Holding Fast to Our Ideals of Freedom,” and “Gaining Security for All.” EVENTS RESERVATIONS are coming in fast for the Second Annual Confer- ence on Elementary Edu- cation, New York Univer- sity, July 1-15, 1938. Send in your application now, so that you can be included in the 250 members of the conference. * * * SCENES from McGuffey Night, the banquet of the D.E.S.P., can be found on different pages thruout this issue of the bulletin. PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 131 Gumigd “uvjiq “upoisamyp * sPJuaumaly fo Juamjzunda 94? fo Spuatsf puD si9dquap R emp PMLAOD SBeE/ az f4y- Py + 2 Nb T9L0fy Phoblbdey 9 Wad (IN they “T0HIP Mth NIhITS 704 woh kbar TH L £0 Leng ogy Avwagafy a oS = = Z, <2 _— SS hen] mr) rm] = Zz. ~ ™~ = am, |key ~ — NN s*nua ’ 5% ate 8 TS oe) teen . ( ‘ ) oe de of Oe eS Jersey. i it~ leet: Ne ce . ee. ~ 4-9: Convention June 25-30, 1938 Headquarters — Pennsylvania Hotel Hotel, 7th Ave- nue and 32nd DR. J’ Street, New York City. a Department —Monday, June 28 7 Breakfast (Place being se- as lected by the New York Principals). , Department —Tuesday, June 29. Complete arrangements as to place, time | las Banquet and entertainment will be made by the New York City Prin- re cipals’ Club of which Dr. Frank D. Whalen is president. eee Programs —The Monday afternoon program, June 28—President Mason wy A. Stratton is planning this. The Tuesday afternoon program, June 29—The Department _ | = has invited the New York City and State Principals to make : arrangements for this program. Committee = —The local committee on arrangements is in charge of Dr. Frank reg D. Whalen, president, New York City Elementary School bro Principals’ Club; and Mr. Charles Joyce, president, New -? York State Elementary Principals’ Club. , N. E. A. —The theme of President Woodruff’s program is “Respoa- ith Highlights sibility of Education in Promoting World Citizenship.” on ) | Among the speakers will be Pearl Buck, author of ““The Good cus: Earth”; and Leo Woolman, who will speak on “Labor and clul Industry.” chu Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt will preside at the Thursday ~~ afternoon meeting at the World Fairground. | 9 There will be a program on Educational Broadcasting in co- | the operation with the N.B.C. and C.B.C. | acti The New York City school people are arranging a pageant | for Tuesday afternoon and a concert for Sunday night. Ha, Thursday and Friday nights will be given over to sightseeing. Ney Hp)NEW YORK CITY = a ‘ ~~ oe Professional Development— And A Vacation In New York City July 1-15, 1938 Announcement was made in the last two issues of the National Elementary Principal of the Second Annual Con- ference on Elementary Education to be held in New York from July 1-15, under the joint auspices of the Department of Elementary School Principals and the School of Education of New York University. The February issue carried the first program outline and emphasized the discussion conference aspects of that program. In addition to their participation in the daily general and pR.JULIUS YOURMAN sectional conferences, those attending will be assisted in sam- pling any of the professional, cultural and recreational re- sources of New York City that appeal to them. They will have many opportuni- ties to make and develop friendships in informal socials in the lounge at the Uni- versity and at the Conference Hotel—the Prince George. Dr. Julius Yourman, of the Department of Educational Sociology, and for the last six years Executive Secretary of Student Activities and Director of the Sum- mer Session Student Activity programs at New York University School of Educa- tion, will devote all of his time during the Conference to the planning of varied activities. In presenting the skeleton plan, Dr. Yourman emphasizes the importance of adapting the program to the time and interests of those attending the Conference. He will send a questionnaire to all who have registered before May first. The tentative program includes: a visit to a radio broadcast on the evening of registration, informal tea, a get-together on Monday. It is expected that radio broadcast passes and special-rate theatre tickets will be available during the Con- ference. Other possible activities include: a trip to the World’s Fair model exhibit and grounds; a frolic at Jones Beach; a theatre party; trips to courts, clinics, cultural areas, housing projects; a moonlight sail; visits to unusual schools, clubs and other institutions, including Father Divine’s services; occasional evening dis- cussions and moving pictures on social and education problems, a tour of night clubs. The School of Education 1938 Student Guide, a directory of museums, churches, points of historic interest, unusual restaurants, parks, beaches, sport events, concerts, opera, etc., will be distributed without cost at the time of regis- tration. The School of Education conducts an annual exhibit of school work during the first three weeks of the summer session. Pupils’ work, photographs of unusual activities, courses of study, record cards, etc., are exhibited. Undoubtedly every principal who attends the Conference has some unusual contribution. Arrange- ments for display should be made by writing as soon as possible to Mr. Maurice Hammond at New York University, School of Education, Washington Square, New York City. we % ae 7 4 . ae TEE A scene of the schoolroom at McGuffey Night Program. Schoolmistress Hamilton is directing Scholar W. W. Trent as he recites his lesson. McGuffey Night February 28, 1938 The Department of Elementary School Principals at its banquet in the Amer- ican Plan Dining Room, Traymore Hotel, Atlantic City, February 28, 1938, celebrated the 100th Anniversary of those famous Eclectic Readers written by William Holmes McGuffey and his brother Alexander. So that those who at- tended could have some idea of the exact size of the book and type of pictures car- ried therein, the size and cover of the program were exact reproductions of a First Eclectic Reader and the pictures were authentic reproductions from those famous books. An interesting fact developed in the selection of “the scholars” for the demonstration. When a person was approached with the question, “Did you study McGuffey Readers?” The answer was never “yes” nor ‘“‘no.”’ Instead, if the person asked had been fortunate in having studied these books he or she im- mediately began to repeat some selection from them In listing the names of “our scholars” you will note that each is an iminent educator and has done much in forwarding education to where it stands today. Not only have they had such great influence but they continue to be our guideposts to the future, for they are still pointing the way. Below are listed the names of those who took part and made the evening such a marvelous success: Schoolmistress, Miss Ella J. Hamilton, former Supervisor of Elementary Education, Atlantic City, N. J.; Choral Leader, Dr. Walte Evans, principal, Hunter-Farragut Public School, Philadelphia, Pa.; Speaker in the person of Mr. McGuffey, Dr. Ernest Horn; Professor of Education, Uni either prose or poetry. 162 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTAR) or pe et m of ir ne to m; so ea th tic fe tri Wi he ent lay. osts uch isor lter y in Jni- RY yersity of lowa, Iowa City, lowa; Scholars, Dr. James W. Crabtree, Secretary- Emeritus, National Education Association; Mr. Aaron Kline, Principal, Pullman School, Chicago, Ill.; Dr. Willis A. Sutton, Superintendent of Schools, Atlanta, Ga.; Dr. Joseph Rosier, President, Fairmont State Teachers College, Fairmont, W. Va.; Dr. William W. Trent, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Charleston, W. Va.; Mrs. A. Virginia Adams, Principal, Cunningham School, Vineland, N. J.; Dr. Agnes Samuelson, State Superintendent of Public Instruc- tion, Des Moines, lowa; Miss Katherine D. Blake, formerly Principal, School No. 6, New York, N. Y.; Dr. Florence Hale, Editor,Grade Teacher, Darien, Conn.; Dr. Cornelia $. Adair, Principal, Franklin School, Richmond, Va. Dr. Harvey C. Minnich, Curator of the McGuffey Museum, Miami Univer- sity, Oxford, Ohio, presented to President Stratton a gavel which had been made from the wood of a tree planted at Miami University by William Holmes Mce- Guffey. This gavel is being properly inscribed and will be on display at the D.E.S.P. headquarters (loaned by Mr. Stratton). President Stratton’s appropriate remarks and his pleasing personality, caused all to listen most attentively to the following prologue. PROLOGUE - - - Presipent Mason A. STRATTON. Friends: To those of you who had the rare privilege of studying and learning from those famous McGuffey Readers this evening’s program will bring many fond memories. Those of you who had brothers and sisters who studied these books will recall many incidents. And you who have never heard the name Mc- Guffey have a real treat in store. McGuffey Night is designed to portray as faithfully as possible, a day in a one-room school of the middle-west between 1837 and 1875, in which the famous McGuffey Readers supplied the entire secular literature of the community. The performance this evening gives a cross-section of the poetry and prose of this highly ethical and patriotic literature. ‘These peerless readers so influenced the lives of men in the great Mississippi country that they are often referred to as ‘“Moulders of Men, Builders of Character.” Only the eldest in this audience can realize the struggle of the pioneer children, immigrants and children of immigrants to come into any intelligent use of this new language in a few months of “schoolin” per year. Stiff voices, ears unused to the new combination of sounds, monotones, neighborhood provincialisms—all made teaching school almost wholly a language training. Exercises in correct sounding of the consonants and modulation of the voice, constituted much of the early lessons of McGuffey books. Oral reading was the only objective. To speak the words distinctly, to slide the voice up and down smoothly, to express the emo- tions of the piece faithfully, were cardinal points in reading McGuffey. Patriotic fervor, heart-breaking pathos, grief, sorrow, anger, must all be correctly por- trayed by the good reader. McGuffey’s new method of teaching is to be illustrated. To train the memory was the aim and to that end were used many of these exercises which you will hear. Character training was fundamental as you will note in the “moral” found PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 163 at the end of certain pieces. Scholars were assigned pieces to read—often a piece was portioned out to many scholars—each reading his share. We thus proceed from the 1837 variety of “Phonics” to spelling the reading, thence to inflections and moral indoctrination. The pupils in this school tonight are above average intelligence as you will notice by the names on the register and on your program, and you may expect some unusual, if not startling, performances. There are fewer morons, monotones and drones, than were to be found in the average school at that time. Yet, they are still just boys and girls, and you may judge their reactions accordingly. We realize the attention spans are brief and because extracurricular activities call our attention elsewhere, let us assure you that we plan to close our program in time to be able to attend the evening session at the Convention Hall. I now turn the meeting over to Schoolmistress Hamilton. »*MR. McGUFFEY” - - - Dr. Ernest Horn, Professor of Education, University of lowa, Iowa City, Iowa. “Miss Hamilton’s exuberant pupils have been so highly entertained and en- tertaining that I am sure I can use them as background and atmosphere while | try to explain to you something of the way in which my readers were prepared. Scholar J. W. Crabtree as he prepares his lesson for the McGuffey Night School. 164 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY sc] thi ces ha P} ng, vill me the nay ties lOW ion, le | RY “T have had the advantage that comes to all of us in residing in that place where all good authors go. Consequently I have been able to watch the developments in reading during all the years since I left off my active work among you. I have been strongly impressed by the changes which have taken place. Some of these seem to me to move toward desirable goals, others in quite the opposite direction. | believe that most of the desirable trends were anticipated in some degree in my own readers. “In order to make perfectly clear what I mean, I shall give you something of the background which explains why my readers were made as they were. Some of you may know that for nearly fifty years I was professor of moral philosophy. However, very little record of my work in this field seems to have come down to the present time. I am sure, that the influence of my college teaching in moral philosophy was nothing like as great as that of my readers. “During the 1830’s a group of men and women met, at frequent intervals, at various places around Cincinnati to talk about the future of American culture and democracy. We became convinced that it was only thru the education of all the people that we should ever produce either a national or a local culture. “It was to contribute to this great purpose that my readers were planned. In the selection of lessons and in the pedagogical treatment of materials, I was guided by four principles. First, the lessons should be based upon typical and universal experiences of children; second, they should aid pupils in the solution of their moral problems; third, they should introduce pupils to the world’s great literature ; and fourth, they should teach pupils to speak correctly and effectually. All of these principles, and particularly the first three, are closely interrelated. I shall say nothing about the improvement of speech except to call your attention to the low level of diction which prevailed at the time these readers were published. It was to raise the level of common speech that the emphasis was put upon oral reading, as well as upon the articulation exercises which were interspersed thruout the series. “I think that I should explain that my readers were originally not first, second, and third readers in the way in which you now designate readers. As a matter of fact, the third reader was much too hard for most children in the third year in school and the higher books, such as the fifth reader, were really for junior or senior high school. “The books were predominantly moral. For each moral principle and for each type of unethical conduct, a poem or story was included in the book. Sometimes I could find a suitable story. In other cases the story had to be written or adapted. In the early books these principles were embodied in concrete instances. You just heard, for example, Miss Hamilton’s pupils read the story of the boy who cried ‘wolf’ too often. In the later books, designed for more mature pupils, these prin- ciples were then dealt with more systematically, usually in the form of the oration or the essay. “The poems and stories in my readers did not teach that you could get some- thing for nothing. They taught that rewards, either in the form of outward suc- cess or in the form of inward satisfaction, came from sound, ethical choices and hard work. They contained an amount of tragedy that may be strange to those PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 165 of you who are accustomed to the use of modern readers. Yet life has its tragedies even in childhood, and children must be prepared to meet them. To this prepara- tion, literature makes one of its greatest contributions. “I included a great deal of poetry. May I say that it has been a great surprise as well as a matter of great regret, to see the neglect of poetry in your modern readers? There are readers now on the market, presumably meant to introduce the students to literature, that have not a single poem. Even worse, many pro- fessional books on children’s literature repeatedly state that children do not like poetry. Yet I have been much interested to see that research in this field has pro duced evidence which must convince anybody that children do like poetry. “T have been very much pleased to see that some of the old favorites in my books are well liked by children today. Recently a graduate student in one of your universities set out to investigate children’s choices in poetry in grade one. In pre- paring the list for experimental purposes, the student used modern courses of study and children’s anthologies. When she brought the list to the professor who directed her work, he said, ‘But you have left out some of the best poems.’ The student denied this indignantly, saying, ‘I used all the best anthologies and courses of study.’ The professor said, ‘But you didn’t include the poem about Mary and the Lamb or “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” ’ ‘Oh,’ said the student, ‘mod- ern children will not be interested in those old poems.’ The professor replied, ‘] dare you to try them.’ The student agreed to include these poems in the lists most highly recommended in anthologies. Strange to say, these poems ranked near the top of all the poems chosen as favorites by first grade children. “It has been a great satisfaction to me to see how permanent were the impres- sions made by my readers. If there are any persons in this audience who studied these books, | am sure that you can repeat at least a part of many of the poems and that you remember very vividly the moral lessons which the books contained. I wonder if modern books are making as deep an impression ? “In closing, I should like to return to the great emphasis put upon moral ques- tions in my readers. The problem of peace will serve as an illustration, in order to bring home to you the way in which fundamental ethical principles were made clear to pupils. I shall ask Dr. Evans to have you read with him the poem which most deeply impressed the injustices wrought by war. May we read, Dr. Evans, “The Child’s Inquiry.’ ” FIT TO TEACH A book that should be of interest to everyone in the educational field is the Ninth Yearbook of the Department of Classroom Teachers of the N.E.A. (1938) and is entitled Fit to Teach. It deals with the teacher’s personal, mental, and spiritual health. Much of the material is based on a study in which more thao 5,000 teachers participated. This signpost on the highway to sound health can be secured from the Department of Classroom Teachers, National Education Association, 1201 Sixteenth St., N. W., Washington, D.C. Order now. 166 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY lies, ara rise, lern luce Dro- like DTo- 0ks ‘our pre- udy cted lent s of and 10d- 1, ‘I nost the res- died ems ned, ues- rder ade hich ans, the 138) and +han tion RY Progressive Education Jeanora Don Weingarten, Daniel Webster School, New Rochelle, New York One of the most significant facts in the march of time is the need of progress thru cooperation. In the home, politics or business, we are confronted with the need to carry on enterprises and work out solutions to problems with others. This fact breeds an insistent demand for the abilities involved in real cooperation. Suc- cess in such cooperative progressive enterprises involves the practise of habits of willingly sharing responsibility, intelligent tolerance of the ideas of others, ap- preciation of others’ abilities, contributions and helpfulness. ‘Thus wholehearted effort expended by a number of children working together upon the same activity builds gradually attitudes and habits which make for genuine citizenship. The teacher, thru hints, should help to realize the need for progress and develop the cooperative group spirit. The progressive school of the present includes and involves the good school of the future. That is, no poor school of today is in the process of becoming a good school of tomorrow. In order to see the good school of the future, an estimate must be ventured as to the future. Some trends are unmistakable: 1. Industry is increasingly dispensing with workers while multiplying its product. 2. Worker and consumer demand consideration with increasing emphasis and effectiveness thru planned economic life. 3. The tendency to widen and increase socialized services is growing and the per- centage employed in service occupations is increasing and will continue to in- crease. Both growing supply of workers and growing demand for services point un- mistakably toward greatly enriched socialized services. Service occupations must absorb those prevented from entering industrial work, as well as an increasing number of women workers. An increasing share of purchasing power must be circulated by means of service occupations. In other words, there exists an oversupply of both workers and capital for industry. At the same time, there is an increasing demand for such services as health, recreation, socialization of existing services, such as milk, fuel and other basic necessities, expansion of existing services, such as education, adult education, nursery education, occupational retraining, cultural occupation for old age. In the American society of the future, severe deprivation of basic necessities— such as simple foods and clothing, fuel, medicines and medical attention, hospital facilities, education, libraries, recreation, as well as existing utilities—will be rela- tively unknown. At least, our social intention is that there will be no such dep- rivation. Our future problem is not to expand our ability to supply conditions, for we know how to increase this supply with less increase in man power. We have the economic necessity of rapidly increasing the supply of services in order to circulate the purchasing power needed to distribute the industrial product we are able to produce. Future society will deal intelligently with these needs and consider our present PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 167 educational facilities as primitive as we now consider the pioneer’s log school house, Looking at the present school in terms of such expectations serves to accentuate not only the shortcomings of the school but the shortages of the child’s physical and social environment which largely nullify the efforts of the school. For this reason, I consider a school good only to the degree that each member, from prin- cipal to youngest child, is engaged in working toward this better environment. This does not mean that every sixteen-year-old will be lecturing at the dinner table on economics, altho a certain amount of this very thing would happen. It would mean that every sixteen-year-old, and every six-year-old for that matter, would be acquiring a realistic understanding of the economic and social processes in which he is growing up. And teachers will continue their education on broad lines, neglecting technical tricks of the teaching trade in favor of clear understanding of fundamental eco- nomics, social and political relationships. To accomplish this we must stir the entire teaching profession into a full realiza- tion of their helplessness in moving toward a better system, unless they recognize their underprivileged status, become conscious of themselves as an underprivileged working and consuming group, and ally themselves with progressive groups at- tempting to improve conditions. Supervisors and administrators must awake to the fact that they are not serving the dominant minority in the community but the entire community, and they cannot effectively serve the entire community unless they consider their kinship with teachers and other underprivileged groups of greater importance than their posi- tions as overseers hired by dominant minorities to keep underprivileged majorities disciplined and in order. In short, the first and foremost requirement of a good progressive school is that its principal be disposed to improve existing conditions, in the interests of his children, their parents, his teachers, and himself. The schoolmaster who accepts present conditions (and by accepting, I mean does nothing effective about them) is not progressive, and his school is not progressive, no matter the pupil load, the decorations, orientation and fire proofness of the classrooms, the mellowness of the supervision, the decorum of the personnel, or any other superficial and ameliorative characteristic of the school. Places to Worship in New York City at Convention Time CHURCH LocaTION Hours oF SERVICES I iiccsssicasinenas-ciceteianmnitonbicantiigts 57th St., bet. 6th and 7th Aves._11-3-7 :30 Christian Science ______________-------.10th—171 MacDougal St.___-11 a.m.—8 p.m. I i ia cigcissipino eens aanecinnavel oe: oe OS.......__....-_ am. (Little Church Around the Corner) Congregational Emmanuel Temple__---- 5th Ave. and 65th St.________10 a.m. St. Andrews Methodist Episcopal___-___. Bt ls 11 a.m. Fifth Avenue Presbyterian ~__..------- 5th Ave. and 55th St.________11 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Roman Catholic—St. Patricks Cathedral. 5th Ave. and 50th St.____- __-11 a.m. (Special High Mass for Convention visitors: Sunday, June 26, 11 a.m., Monsignor Michael J. Lavelle, Rector.) 168 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY ae late ical this rin- ner It ter, sses ical CO- iZa- ize ped ing not rith 0sI- ties his pts the the Ive CES | The Alaska Public Schools Anthony E. Karnes, Commissioner of Education, Territory of Alaska, Juneau, Alaska - There are two separate and distinct school systems, aside from private and denominational schools, which serve Alaska: the schools serving the Indians and Eskimos maintained by the Office of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior, and the territorial public schools which are maintained by the Territory of Alaska and serve the white pupils as well as some of those with mixed blood. This article has to do with the latter. The Department of Education of the Territory of Alaska ANTHONY S. KARNES Was established by law in the year 1917, and provided as an administrative set-up for a territorial board of education con- sisting of the Governor as ex officio superintendent of public instruction and the senior Senator from each of the four judicial divisions. This board was authorized to appoint a Commissioner of Education for two-year terms who was the execu- tive officer of the board. The first Commissioner of Education served six terms and was instrumental in establishing the system which has been changed but little since its establishment. In 1929, thru political maneuvering on the part of certain board members, the first Commissioner of Education was not reappointed for his seventh term. The Legislature then in session did not approve the action of the board and took the power of selecting the Commissioner of Education from the board by making the office elective beginning with the election of 1930, the first elective term being for two years and the following terms for four years. The people generally over the Territory did not approve of the election of the chief school officer on a political ticket and desired that he be appointed by a board. They also wanted an appointed board of lay members which was not changed with every election. Accordingly, in 1933 a law was enacted creating a five-member board appointed by the Governor and approved by the Legislature, the members of which hold office for six years and the terms of not more than two expire at the same time. Under this law the Commissioner of Education is appointed by the board for terms of four years each. The board is required to hold regular meetings, one each year, and may hold one special meeting each year. Since the law was enacted, the board has established certain definite policies, and in accordance with the law, has made many rules and regulations for the governing of rural schools, trans- portation of pupils, certification of teachers and administrators, etc. Under the old law the board usually met only once in each two years, and about all it did was to reappoint the Commissioner of Education. No definite educational policies were established. The laws of the Territory provide for four kinds of school districts: incor- porated city districts, incorporated school districts, independent school districts, PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 169 and rural school districts. At the present time there are only city school districts and rural school districts. In the cities the city councils provide for the erection and maintenance of the school buildings and the necessary funds for the operation of the schools. ‘Three. member boards have complete charge of the operation of the schools. There are two types of rural school districts: those which secure their funds from the Alaska Fund (25 percent of the Federal funds collected from licenses, etc,, within the Territory), commonly called Nelson schools; and those which receive their funds directly from the Territory. A Federal act governs the operation of the Nelson schools and provides for three-member boards with full authority, The other schools receiving funds directly from the Territory have no school boards, the schools being administered by the office of the Commissioner of Edv- cation under regulations of the Territorial Board of Education. The Territory is generous in the support of its schools. It refunds to cities with less than 150 pupils 80 percent of the office clerks’, jaintors’, teachers’, prin- cipals’, and superintendents’ salaries; fuel light, and administrative supplies; 75 percent of the same expenses to schools with from 150 to 299 pupils; and 70 per- cent to schools with over 300 pupils. This amounts to from 60 to 75 percent of the total operating costs to the cities, depending on the enrolments. In the rural schools the Territory constructs and equips the school buildings and pays all costs in connection with their operation and maintenance, even to the purchase of textbooks, pencils, paper, and other supplies used by the pupils. Approximately 69 percent of the funds of the Territory for the support of schools are appropriated directly from the General Fund, while 13 percent comes from the Alaska Fund, 14 percent from a $5 school tax levied on all males between the ages of 21 and 49 inclusive, and 4 percent from the Alaska Game Commission, the Forest Reserve Fund, and other miscellaneous sources. Of the 17 incorporated city schools, 14 offer regular high school courses as do 4 of the rural schools. Of the 18 schools giving regular high school instruction, 13 of them are regularly accredited by the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools. The type of work done in the Alaska schools is the same as that done in the schools in the States. Visitors from the States often express surprise that the pupils and the classrooms look just like pupils and classrooms in the States—but why not? Aren’t we a part of the United States? Record Cards Wanted!! Headquarters for the Department of Elementary School Principals will appre- ciate receiving two copies of the report cards and permanent record cards, which are used in your school system. ‘These will be used in an exhibit at the Second Annual Conference on Elementary Education, which is to be sponsored by the Department of Elementary School Principals at New York University, New York City, July 1-15, 1938. This exhibit is being prepared by Mrs. Vivian S. Rankin of Indianapolis, Indiana. If you have a postcard picture of your school, send it along too. 170 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY int an col dr pri de! fiv lev oft the re: rich ond the lew a ol, RY Our Community Conference on Elementary Education Elsie E. Green, Administrative Principal Whittier School, Washington, D. C. Believing that the public school is not only obligated to, but benefited by, an interpretation of its educational program to the school community, we have had annually at Whittier School for the last five years, a planned series of community conferences on elementary education. Our purpose has been fourfold: 1. To acquaint the community with the educational program of the school and the methods being used to achieve this program. 2. To inform the faculty where there may exist community misunderstandings or problems of educational matters. 3. To confirm the educational philosophy of the teachers. 4. To insure harmony between home and school on educational matters. Participants in these conferences include members of the faculty of our school, parents of the pupils, interested members of our community other than parents, some leaders in elementary education and related special fields in Washington and Whittier pupils themselves. Since many new pupils enter kindergarten and first grade in September, with parents full of interested questions about the procedures and work of the school, our initial meeting on the first Tuesday of October has invariably been devoted to a discussion of “Beginning Reading.” Invitations are sent out thru the chil- dren to an afternoon meeting at the school. The topic is announced and parents and interested friends are invited to bring questions. The principal opens the meeting at 1:30 p. m. with a brief explanation of some fundamental pedagogical principles involved and the teaching technics used. ‘Then follows usually a short demonstration lesson by a small group of pupils with their teacher, or a group of five-minute talks by several teachers about some subject as it develops on various levels, after which general discussion follows. Many are the questions asked, often eagerly answered by informed parents themselves. ‘‘O, didn’t you see how the teacher went back to the little boy who failed at first and helped him get the new word?” ‘There is very frank and entirely friendly discussion of many prob- lems of the home or school. Lovely new books, types of seatwork and plans of work are often exhibited at the conferences. Every two weeks thereafter, follow similar conferences. A glance at some of our old programs reveal a wide range of topics for these discussion, including the following: Beginning Reading, First Steps in Number; The Activity Cur- riculum; Use of Reading in Intermediate Grades (4 to 6) ; Number Difficulties in Intermediate Grades; Home Work; Teaching the Tables; Teaching Sub- traction with Changes; The Formal Subjects: Spelling, Grammar, Handwrit- ing, Integration of School Subjects, Long Division; How it is Taught and Ap- plied; Fraction Difficulties; Character Education Thru the School Routine; Teaching the Natural Sciences; The Social Science Program; Building Appre- ciation and Creativity in Fine Arts; Decimal Difficulties and Work Habits of Pupils. Programs are usually dittoed and sent home to parents in order that PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 171 they may select conferences in which they are interested. Once an interested parent had them mimeographed at her husband’s office. November 15 and March 15 are always Open House Days at Whittier. The community is invited to visit the school to see the regular work of the classe from nine o'clock until eleven in the morning. They are quiet, interested guests who enter the rear of the room unobtrusively and listen attentively to the work, They often rise softly to pass from one room to another to watch a different type of work. Usually several hundred persons attend school on these days, most of whom have participated in a number of conferences. At eleven o’clock on Open House Days, the visitors meet in conference with the principal to discuss the work of the morning. Evaluations of technics and class progress are made, and enthusiasm abounds as the visitors seek to display their intelligent comprehension of the pedagogical procedures. Some parents who have attended all of the con- ferences rejoice in enlightening parents who are newcomers to our community, In November and March, also, preceding the night‘ meeting of the Parent. Teacher Association, our classrooms are open for visiting. Teachers are present at 7:15 p. m. in their rooms; pupil work is on display; types of assignment, unit plans and much explanatory material are posted. Parents hold informal discus- sion on all these phases of school work and life with the teachers. Thruout the year, individual parents are encouraged to visit their child’s class with the principal, who explains the values in the work seen. Results have been well worth the effort. We have built up an understanding group of citizens in our community, who believe in the type of work we are doing and have faith in our school. The pupils coming to us from such homes also have a fine attitude towards their school work and learn more readily. There is no antagonistic spirit of conflict between the home and the school to divide the allegiance and shake the faith of the learner. Teachers and principal have gained a truer insight into home misunderstand- ings which might handicap the learning process, and have thereby been able to handle such problems more intelligently and tactfully. And, “As the song is to the singer, and comes back most to him,” we teachers have become more con- firmed in our own personal philosophy of education, because we have had to think it carefully thru in order to explain it simply to the lay citizenry. We, thus, “know better in what we believe. ” A highly impersonal and professional attitude maintained thruout all of these conferences has served to increase mutual respect and fine relationships between the faculty of the school and their com- munity patrons. Needed At Headquarters!! We are now preparing the Official Records of the Department which are to be published in the new yearbook entitled Newer Practises of Reading in the Elementary School. We are making a strenuous effort to list a// the Principals Clubs; therefore we need your help and cooperation. Please send to us im- mediately the (1) Name of your Club or Association; (2) Names of the officers and their addresses; and (3) Date of election. 172 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY mil eac ord hea the par the of ren we con the acct he | wrl of | par tior har and pur reas wit this thet env wisi tior PR sted The ests ork, ype t of pen the and sion ‘on- ity, nt: ent nit lass ing are nes ere the nd- to on- to Ve, nal ual to the als ers RY Face to Face C. O. Callahan, Principal, Siebert Street School, Columbus, Ohio Changing philosophies of education, place an added responsibility on the ad- ministrator, who is anxious to press into activity some of the workable phases of each, but realizes the importance of “carrying his constituency with him” in order that the whole child may be stimulated and guided. With a realization of such a challenge, the material submitted under this heading is the result of a desire on the part of the writer to conduct a forum for the parents of 1B pupils for the purpose of discussing questions that, for many parents, arise for the first time, at this particular point in their relationship to the public school system. Logically, we conferred with Miss Christine Zollinger, the present instructor of our 1B work, and, finding her very responsive to any idea that might help remove the barriers that are, all too often, built up between the home and school, we were encouraged to try out this plan. The idea of asking a specialist in parental education to talk to the parents was considered, but abandoned and this responsibility was assumed by ourselves in the hope that informality in our discussion might prevail, hence, more might be accomplished from the effort. A mimeographed copy of the following outline was given to each parent as he entered the primary room, which was the scene of our gathering. With the writer leading the discussion, using this outline as a guide, a friendly exchange of ideas was carried on. Discussion and Demonstration for Parents of Siebert 1B Pupils—Today parents have advanced from the role of patrons to that of partners in the educa- tional adventure. Since children grow and develop best in an atmosphere of harmony and security, how important it is that the two institutions—the home and the school— which touch him most intimately, should have the same general purposes and objectives. It is our desire, here at Siebert, to foster this close relationship. This is the reason for inviting you parents of our present 1B pupils in to discuss informally with us some of our mutual problems. Our educational experience has established with us the fact that the closer this relationship, the more understanding, the more gracious, the more sympa- thetic to each others responsibilities we are. Hence, the child is surrounded by an environment that is more conducive to proper development than would other- wise be possible. Let us submit ourselves to close scrutiny by attempting to answer these ques- tions. I. What is expected of the parents? . Establishment of foundation for desirable qualities of conduct. . See that the child is regular in attendance. . See that cleanliness habits are emphasized daily. . See that the child has adequate rest and nourishment. . Constantly teach simple amenities. Exhibit confidence in both child and school. moa o # PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 173 g. Have an open mind in evaluating your child’s abilities and results. h. Visit the school with an attitude of helpfulness. i. Visit frequently to understand school objectives and so the child will knoy that you are informed as to what is expected of him. j. Know the teacher sufficiently to be able to “read between the lines” of pupil statements. k. Give school officials opportunity to explain points in questions before criticis. ing. l. Never criticise the school to the child even tho you know the school to be wrong. m. Cooperation in efforts to correct errors of study and conduct. II. What is expected of the child? a. Attention. b. Willingness to try at both work and play. c. Respectfulness. d. Obedience. III. What is expected of the school ?* a. A marked degree of courtesy and respect shown parents and friends when they visit. b. A sufficient interest in knowing parents to take advantage of opportunities to meet them and to talk about their children. . Appreciation of virtues of children as well as their faults. d. Dignified and respectful treatment of children. e. Information concerning any impending crisis in a pupil’s school relations before the situation becomes very serious. f. Constant attention to the protection of the health of the children. g. Emphasis of the mastery of certain fundamental skills in reading, writing and other tool subjects and to stress the training of children in certain effective habits of study appropriate to various levels of learning. h. Special attention given to matters of honesty, cooperation, respect for the rights of others, purity of speech, and other desirable qualities of conduct i. Training of children in such a way as to enable them to make reasonable prog- ress in school subjects and if pupils are not successful to be able to diagnose their difficulties. j. Development of a spirit of good will and success in the school groups so that children will like to go to school. k. Expression of a greater degree of confidence in the children than parents may seem to possess. 1. Complete explanation in situations where money is requested for unscheduled activities or supplies. , m. Evidences of appreciation for contributions made in time and effort in re- sponse to needs of the school. 7) With this analysis of our constant problem, we believe that the extent to which the home and the school cooperate, determines the adequacy and stability of the foundation for the superstructure of the child’s useful citizenship. Following the panel, Miss Zollinger explained several phases of her work in a very interesting as well as helpful manner. Appreciative remarks are still coming from parents who “sat in” on this round table. Surely such a method of meeting our mutual problems face to face is worthy of some consideration. *Credit and recognition is given Dr. J. B. Edmonson, Dean of College of Education, University of Michigan, for many of the ideas and phrases under this section. 174 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY of off ber we aft me are Ph know Pupil iticis- to be when & nities tions iting rtain ~ the duct. Tog: nose that rents luled ) Bee t to ility this “e is Ly of RY Reporting Progress Eva G. Pinkston How nice it is to be the one to report the great progress which the Department of Elementary School Principals has made in membership so far this year. The oficers and headquarters office realize that this has been due to the cooperation and splendid teamwork of the Enrolment Chairmen and many of our individual mem- bers. Our membership reached a new high for the year 1936-37 (5153). To date we are again reaching upward toward our goal (6000). Please help us get it. Go after one member! Today we have 5455, (March 15, 1938). Feeling sure that you will appreciate the facts, I am listing below the achieve- ments accomplished to date: The States which have already reached their quotas are: Arkansas (1 above) Delaware Florida (2 above) Georgia (24 above) Idaho (2 above) lowa Maine (2 above) New Hampshire (2 above) New Mexico North Carolina (16 above) Oklahoma (5 above) Oregon (1 above) Rhode Island (3 above) Virginia (4 above) The States which lack less than ten of reaching their quotas are: Connecticut 1 Montana _— 6 Vermest _....... 3 Kansas 6 Nevada 3 West Virginia ____ 5 Kentucky __. 9 North Dakota 3 Wyoming ______- 4 Maryland _ 6 South Carolina 3 Pecan 3 Mississippi 6 ‘Tennessee am The ten States which have made the /argest increase over March 1 last year are: New York 105 Illinois — * eee 28 Pennsylvania __ 64 Florida _ 38 Connecticut _____ 27 New Jersey - _ 62 North Carolina __ 37 Virginia ________ 27 Georgia sul 51 Oklahoma _ 35 Oregon ee The ten States having the largest number of members are: New York 511 New Jersey _______-_ 270 California 473 NE ek echoes Michigan 362 (ee Pennsylvania _ 291 Missouri _~ ae Illinois 270 Indiana _......._... 170 The ten States having the largest percentage of increase over this time last year are: Canada 250% | eee en 60% Nevada 100% North Carolina _____ 56% Maine _. 75% 8 aaa 56% Georgia - 65% Penet —......_.-... 3% New Hampshire 63% New Mexico _____ 50% PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 175 The following places have recently become 100 percent in membership: Port Jervis, N. Y. Muskogee, Okla. by District 75 of Evanston, III. of Roane County, Va. rec Evansville, Ind. gro Indianapolis, Ind. De Tampa, Fla. A The following people have been chosen as enrolment chairmen for the Depart. ment: Miss Nellie A. Rimich, Colorado Springs and El] Paso County, Colo.) ““ Mrs. Edith E. Newell, City and County Chairman of Englewood and Arapaho - County, Colo.; Mr. H. V. Childerston, City and County Chairman of Cheyenne “a Wells and Cheyenne County, Colo.; and Miss Ellen Johnson, County Chairman | of Jefferson County, Colo. R This report will show you that the Department is growing and we hope yoy Be will help it to continue to go forward. Since we need only 545 more members ty Fle attain our goal of 6000, won’t you please send us a new member and help us to _ reach this quota? We are going to press with the directory in the new yearbook and “i we want to include as many names as possible. = Pot W: tha sple ’ cast gan elec den den Sec tog: cast Ass Bu ing 1 Par tio? lect Sur We try ; : We Schoolmistress Ella J. Hamilton directing the class as it learns its lesson at the McGuffey Night Program. . es ~ — PR 176 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTAR) part. olo,: ahoe enne rman you Ts to us to : and {RY * The Elementary School Principals of the State of Washington have ef- fected a permanent organization. The group is organized as a division of the Department of Administration and Su- pervision of the Washington Educa- tion Association. The following officers were elected: President, Don Patter- son, Ellensburg; Vice President, Leo Breuer, Snoqualmie; Secretary-Treas- urer, W. O. E. Radcliffe, Bellingham ; Regional Directors, Paul W. Pinckney, Bellingham; Frank M. Brock, Seattle; Florence E. ‘Townsend, Wenatachee; Susan Lacy, Spokane; Alan Ross, Long- view; I. A. Fowler, Aberdeen; Julia Hemmingway, Yakima; Lorraine Sharnbroich, Port Angeles; Harold M. Potts, Tacoma; Bonner K. Hardesty, Walla-Walla. Headquarters wishes to thank Mr. W. O. E. Radcliffe for this splendid news. * The Elementary Principals of Lan- caster County, Pennsylvania, have or- ganized and the following persons were elected to carry on the fine work: Presi- dent, B. F. Funk, Florin; Vice Presi- dent, Caleb W. Bucher, Lancaster ; and Secretary, Luella Mellinger, Cones- toga. The name of the club is the Lan- caster County Elementary Principals’ Association. Thanks are given to Mr. Bucher, the Vice President, for send- ing this information to headquarters. * The American Citizen — What Part Can He Play in the World Situa- tion? will be the theme underlying the lectures, discussions and forums at the Summer Institute for Social Progress at Wellesley, July 9-23, 1938 on the coun- try campus of Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts. The confer- What’s Going On? ence is open to both men and women in business, industry and the professions. Dr. John Stewart Burgess, formerly of the University of North China and now professor of Sociology at Temple Uni- versity, will be leader of the faculty of social economic experts. Full particulars of the Institute may be obtained from its director, Miss Dorothy P. Hill, 420 Jackson Bldg., Buffalo, New York. * Secretary of the Interior, Harold L. Ickes announced the appointment of Dr. Helen K. Mackintosh, Oxford, Ohio, to the position of Senior Special- ist in Elementary Education in the Of- fice of Education, United States De- partment of the Interior. As Senior Specialist of Elementary Education, Dr. Mackintosh will initiate and conduct studies on problems dealing with or- ganization and supervision of elemen- tary schools, elementary school curric- ulum, methods of instruction in urban and rural schools. It is expected that Dr. Mackintosh will enter on duty this spring. * Wm. Buford Schnebly, Superin- tendent of Schools, St. Helens, Oregon, has sent to headquarters a report of the Second Annual Conference of Elemen- tary Principals, which met at Hillsboro, Oregon, February 5, at which President W. H. Arstill of Forest Grove presided. Such important subjects as ““The Place of the Elementory School in our Educa- tional Program,” “The Elementary School Principal and the Curriculum,” “The Elementary School Principals and Public Relations,” were discussed. During the business meeting which fol- lowed, the officers for the year were elected: President, William E. Oliver ; PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 177 Vice President, F. D. Braley; and Sec- retary, Wm. Buford Schnebly. * Miss Lillian M. Johnson, State Enrolment Chairman for Virginia, has kindly sent to headquarters the names of the newly-elected officers of the Nor- folk Principals’ Association, which are as follows: President, Lillian M. John- son; Vice President, Charlotte Dad- mun; Secretary, S. R. Butler; and Treasurer, C. L. Robinson. The pro- posed program for this association is perfectly splendid. Such subjects as Guidance, Planning Clinic, Materials and Libraries, Arithmetic, and Science will be considered. A committee was appointed to work on each one of these topics. * The publication of the Keyhole, the newspaper of College Heights School, Abilene, Texas, is one of the class projects of the English teacher of the sixth and seventh grades. She lists on the blackboard a number of possible topics and items to be covered, then the pupils all take part in writing up the stories of their choice. The best are se- lected for improvement and correction, then left in the school office for publi- cation. The printing of the paper falls upon the principal, $. E. Pass, who be- lieves that this paper is a means of mold- ing school morale and community in- terest and spirit. * Other splendid newspapers which have been received at headquarters, are The City Press, published by the Frank- lin School, Stratford, Connecticut ; and the Bryant News Flashes, published by of which Lillian C. Hanson is principal ; News of the Year published by the Thoreau Park School, Parma, Ohio, of which Susie McCreery is principal ; and The Laurel Crown published by the Fifth Grade of the Laurel School, Santa Cruz, California of which Viola Meints is principal. * The Forty-fifth Annual Study Conference of the Association for Childhood Education will be held at Cincinnati, April 19-23, 1938. This Conference will be organized in small groups—study classes, studio groups, and informal discussion groups—with general sessions at which William H, Kilpatrick and other leaders will speak, This plan is followed so that everyone may participate in the discussions which will center around the convention theme, “Current Opportunities and Difficulties in Childhood Education,” and so that final thinking may be di- rected toward the next steps in child- hood education. A cordial invitation is extended to you to attend this An- nual Study Conference. * “Social Education” will be the theme of the 1938 Stanford Education Conference, to be held at Stanford Uni- versity, California, July 6-10. Among the leaders in American education who will take part in the program are Wil- liam Heard Kilpatrick, Emeritus Pro- fessor of Education, Columbia Univer- sity; Lewis Mumford, author and lec- turer; William Ogburn, Professor of Sociology, University of Chicago; and Ray Lyman Wilbur, President of Stan- ford University. The Conference has been organized especially to appeal to those interested in guiding American youth to think creatively and act co operatively in solving our social prob- lems. Information as to fees and other details may be secured by writ- ing to Stanford Education Conference, Stanford University, California. 178 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY ar the inta ints udy for | at “his nall ups, vith sak, one dich on and n, ild- ‘ion An- the ‘ion ni- ong vho Vil- r0- jer- lec- of an- has REPORTS OF COMMITTEES Editorial Committee Maude McBroom, Chairman University Elementary School, Iowa City, Iowa There are a lot of newer things going on in the elementary school today ; there- fore, we have chosen the title for the 1938 Yearbook to be “Newer Practices in Reading in the Elementary School.” We think we have solved the reading prob- lem, and no doubt when you received the circular about this Yearbook, some of you said, “Oh, my goodness, are we back on reading again?” But, I want to prove to you that our problems are not all solved yet. Statistics show us the following: 1. That 24.1 percent of all failures in the public schools are due to reading. 2. That 10 to 40 percent of the children in grade one fail to be promoted and that 90 percent of these failures are due to reading. 3. That at the end of grade three at least 40 percent of all pupils have not enough reading ability to handle the fourth grade reading curriculum, and use the ordinary fourth grade textbook. 4. That both the native and the developed taste of the high school pupils are at a relatively low level. 5. That 9 percent of the high school pupils read magazines and the better maga- zines are not on the list. 6. That 56 percent of the college students do no optional reading of books, and 16 percent occasionally read newspapers and magazines. This data should prove that we have not solved all of our reading problems, and that we have yet many difficulties ahead. May I say that this Yearbook is a trend toward bringing to you actual schoolroom practices of people who have tried to meet some of these difficulties. It does have a few philosophical articles, but it mainly brings practical viewpoints. This new Yearbook has ten chapters. One is on Reading Readiness and such imminent people as Lucile Harrison and Marion Mann Rowe have sent us con- tributions. People are saying that we are hearing too much about this subject but what is Reading Readiness? When is a child ready to read? How do you test it? What are some of the experiences in the first grade that are helping to get the child ready for reading? All these questions and others are answered in this chapter. We have one article dealing with speech aspects, particularly of reading readi- ness, written by a person who has been experimenting for about fifteen years with the speech difficulties of children. In our chapter on beginning reading, we have actual cases of how people have taken care of the different levels of reading ability. One article in this chapter is written by Mr. McDade. If you have been following his articles in the Elemen- tary School Journal, you are familiar with his work. We have some excellent articles on literature in the middle grades from the standpoint of developing their tastes and appreciations. The question of diagnostic and remedial reading is taken care of in another chapter. Here we learn how to prevent reading difficulties. We have minor and PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 179 major difficulties taken care of, and we have descriptions of reading centers for tak- ing care of difficulties in a whole city. We have an excellent chapter on materials in reading, some principles set up by no less person than Niela Smith. Many of you have used her books. Also there is an excellent chapter on school libraries, and one elementary school principal reports in some detail exactly how he equipped his elementary school library, and how he carries out his program there. We have a chapter on different types of organization schemes, both city-wide and within classes, telling us something about how to organize our work. We have an excellent chapter, I think, on administration and supervision in the elementary school. We are told how to prevent difficulties; how principals re- ceived better service thru demonstration lessons; and how they conduct them. An excellent article on a Parent-Teacher Association meeting, in which there js an attempt to educate the parents in regard to the reading program. One chapter is devoted to a well supervised reading program. At the close of each chapter we have a short bibliography of twenty references, At the suggestion of Eva G. Pinkston, secretary, we are making up a study-outline to go with this, so that you can use the Yearbook in faculty meetings, study groups and principals’ conferences. When you receive your copy of this new Yearbook in the fall, let us hope you will make use of it. If you do, and it helps improve your conditions and solve some of these problems in your school, | am sure the Editorial Committee will feel they have been justified for the amount of work they have put into it. Library Committee James W. Mates, Chairman Burgwin School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The Ten Most Outstanding Professional Books in Elementary Education* “A good book,” says John Milton, “is the precious life blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured upon purpose to a life beyond life.” Weare blessed with many fine books in education, and especially in the elemen- tary field. Men and women in the profession have placed in our hands a wonder- ful opportunity to read and enjoy with them their experiences and ideas. The publishers of books have ever been alert to improve their product, making it so at- tractive and economical. Any method of selecting professional books in the field is open to criticism and justly so. To get information quickly involved the questionnaire technic which has its limitations. Your committee arbitrarily agreed upon the following plan of securing data: A committee of ten members was selected from ten sections of the United States. Each member contacted ten people in the field as principal, teacher, supervisor, and librarian. These people were asked to select the ten most outstanding professional books published since 1934. A blank form was prepared with specific instructions as to title, author, date of publication and rank of choice. *Read by Dr. Robert Edgar, Bellevue, Pennsylvania. 180 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY they turn inter T in tl dom A te rang each L The ten books listed here were selected on the basis of the number of times they were mentioned, and not by rank (weighted). Fifty-eight blanks were re- turned, of which fifty-two could be used in the study. The committee was not interested in which of these ten books was the most outstanding one. 1. 2. 10. Betts, Emmett Albert—The Prevention and Correction of Reading Difficulties— Row, Peterson & Co., 1936. California Curriculum Commission—Teachers’ Guide to Child Development in the Intermediate Grades (State Dept. of Education, California, 1936). Caswell, Hollis L., and Campbell, Doak 8.—Curriculum Development—Amer- ican Book Co., 1935. Educational Policies Commission—The Unique Function of Education in Amer- ican Democracy—National Education Association, 1937. Harrison, M. Lucile—Reading Readiness—Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1936. Hildreth, Gertrude—Learning the Three R’s—Educational Publishers, 1936. McGaughy, J. R—An Evaluation of the Elementary School—Bobbs-Merrill Ca.,. 1937. National Society for the Study of Education—The Teaching of Reading—Thirty- sixth Yearbook, Part I—Public School Publishing Co., 1937. Norton, John K., and Norton, Margaret A.—Foundations of Curriculum Build- ing—Ginn & Co., 1936. Tippett, James S., and others—Schools for a Growing Democracy—Ginn & Co., 1936. This list of books indicates several trends. First, what the professional people in the elementary field are reading. Curriculum and reading are shown to be dominant interests, as these subjects have three or four books placed on the list. A total of one hundred and sixty-nine books were mentioned, showing the wide range of reading these people are doing. *The following table shows the number of books listed and number of times each were mentioned : List of Professional Books Published Since 1934 Showing Frequency in Which They Were Mentioned NUMBER OF Books FREQUENCY OF MENTION 97 1 25 2 15 3 6 4 8 5 5 6 3 7 0 8 2 9 2 10 0 11 2 12 1 13 z 14 1 15 *From the above table it is observed that any book to be placed on the list was mentioned at least nine times. PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 181 Second, the philosophy of education was of second interest as shown by th, books read. The publications of all the professional organizations were mentione quite frequently, but even when they were mentioned they were seldom rankej better than fifth on a ten-point scale. This list of books is recommended to you as a list of desirable books to ly placed on your bookshelf for continual reference. Check your selected reading lists for teachers to see if these books are on your list. The members of the committee wish to take this opportunity to thank thos who contributed to this study. We believe this type of thing should be done fr. quently to take inventory of just what the profession is reading. No doubt this report has raised additional questions in your mind, and it is our hope that it will at least stimulate your reading. Department Report Eva G. Pinkston, Executive Secretary 1201 Sixteenth St., N. W., Washington, D. C. I am glad to report that our Department is growing. In fact there is an ip. crease this year over last year. Of course, I have told this good news to the Execv- tive Committee and [| shall tell it to the Enrolment Chairmen who meet two o’clock tomorrow afternoon at the Crane Building. (By the way, if your enrol- ment chairman is not here, will you please represent your city and come to the Enrolment Chairmen Meeting tomorrow afternoon, so that you can take a report home about the work of the Department and the things which we plan to do?) Last year the Executive Committee decided to increase our quota over the year before. Miss Edythe Brown was President at that time and we reached the quota of 5000 members which she set for us. In fact we passed it. We went to 5153. I am pleased to report that now we have passed the whole quota of last year and are at 5250. (Applause.) Since our quota is 6000 for this year, we must work like the very mischief, if we are to come up to President Stratton’s expectations. We shall need the help of everyone, because the more members we have the more service we can render. This rendering of service means help. It means paying the expenses of our Editorial Committee. It means paying for the publishing o! the Yearbook and the bulletins. It meafis rendering individual help to people over the United States, whether they are members of the Department or not, for the main interest of the Department is furthering the cause of elementary education. We have, as | said, increased our membership over last year, but let me give you the February 15th figures for the past three years and show you how fast we have gone: 0 Si Ra SNe eae eee Ee NE February 15, 1937 nn Ft ES ie atin ages February 15, 1938 a" li aaa arenes a SOU I believe you will say we are a growing institution. This year we have published an Annotated Bibliography of the First Fifteen Yearbooks of the Department, and this has been quite a great help. ‘This eatra 182 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY Bh bull Exe bibl Pra rent prej yea! out! mit’ of t sche enct Yor celv beg tha Dr. ind Em to ver not me son Gu a f wa wil gar Scl Pk y the ioned nked ‘0 be ding those fre. this will \ in- ecu: two rol- the Port 0?) year the t to reat ork ons. ore ing - of ver the on. ast bulletin goes only with a membership. I am sorry we cannot sell it, but the Executive Committee told us that we must not this year. We plan to bring this bibliography up-to-date, at the end of each five-year period. Our New Yearbook, as you heard yesterday afternoon, will be on “Newer Practices in Reading in the Elementary School.” Another service, which we are rendering is a Study Outline for our Yearbooks. I asked Dr. Samuel Berman to prepare the one on “Appraising the Elementary School Program,” which is this year’s Yearbook, and he has. We have to charge twenty-five cents for these study outlines to cover the cost of mimeographing, paper, ink, etc. The Editorial Com- mittee is preparing a Study Outline for the new Yearbook. A request which I want to make is that you send to headquarters, two copies of the report cards and permanent record cards, which you are using in your school system. We want these for display purposes at the Second Annual Confer- ence on Elementary Education, which will be held at New York University, New York City, July 1-15, 1938. I am glad to announce that to date we have re- ceived 50 applications for this conference. I am not going to talk about dollars and cents this afternoon. Each year we begin from scratch, but I don’t mind because this means that we are giving to you people who are members of the Department the very best which we have. I thank you. (Applause. ) Presentation of Gavel by Dr. Harvey C. Minnich, Curator of the McGuffey Museum and Dean Emeritus, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. The Department of Elementary School Principals was greatly honored by and indebted to Dr. Harvey C. Minnich, Curator of McGuffey Museum and Dean Emeritus, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, for the gavel which he presented to President Mason A. Stratton for the Department. Dr. Minnich said: I am most happy to greet so many McGuffey lovers here. The reason I am here is that Mr. McGuffey wrote the books at Miami Uni- versity. While he was an orator and a great teacher in his own right, if he had not written these great readers, we probably would have had only the announce- ment of the death of another great teacher. I thought it might be of interest to this great department if they should have some memento of Mr. McGuffey, so I scurried about and found that Mr. Mc- Guffey had planted one tree on the Miami campus. That tree was cut down a few years ago, before I became interested in Mr. McGuffey and most of it was burned; but I found a very faithful man the other day who had carted home with his own hands a piece of that tree, and from that tree I have had made this gavel. I take great delight in presenting to the Department of Elementary School Principals this gavel for their future use in this meeting. PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 183 SECRETARY’S REPORT Atlantic City, New Jersey February 26 — March 3, 1938 The Department of Flementary School Principals held two general sessions in the Rose Room, Traymore Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, February 28 and March 1, respectively, These meetings were unusually well attended, and those who had charge of making the programs were indeed heartened. President Mason A. Stratton secured outstanding educational leaders to address the group on Monday afternoon and these gentlemen brought most helpful messages, 4; the close of each address an opportunity was given for discussion, and questions wer. quickly forthcoming from all parts of the room. It has been the custom of the Department for several years to invite the host state ang city to have charge of one afternoon program; therefore, on Tuesday afternoon Presiden Stratton introduced Mr. Floyd A. Potter, president of the New Jersey State Principals Association, who had arranged the program and who presided. Mr. Potter introduced two of his fellow Kiwanians, Mr. James W. Cullen, leader of the “Community Sing” with Mr. Bert Estlow, an accomplished musician at the piano. These gentlemen had the group singing in chorus. Individual singing was demonstrated when Mr. Cullen asked Mr. Potter New Jersey, Dr. Hartman, New Jersey, Mr. Fertsch, Texas, and Mr. Miller, Nort Carolina, each to sing one stanza of “There’s a Tavern in the Town.” It was with much regret to all when the hands of the clock pointed to the time for this enjoyable group singing to stop. Mr. Potter announced that due to illness, Dr. A. L. Threlkeld could not be present and that Dr. D. A. Prescott, School of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, would address us. This very fine address of Dr. Prescott’s was most stimulating and inspiring. The programs of these fine meetings were as follows: First Session—Monday, February 28, 2:00 p.m., Rose Room, Traymore Hotel. TEACHER PARTICIPATION Mason A. Stratton, President of the Department, presiding. GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT REPORT OF THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Miss Maude McBroom, Chairman, and principal of the University Elementary School Iowa City, Iowa. EDUCATION WITH A PURPOSE Dr. Edgar Doudna, Secretary, Board of Regents of Normal Schools, Madison, Wisconsin. DIscusslioN—15 min. TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN CURRICULUM MAKING Dr. Paul Hanna, Professor of Education, Stanford University, California. DIscuUssion—15 min. Second Session—Tuesday, March 1, 2:00 p.m., Rose Room, Traymore Hotel. Sponsored by the New Jersey and Atlantic City Principals Floyd A. Potter, President, presiding Music AND COMMUNITY SING REPORT OF THE LIBRARY COMMITTEE Dr. James W. Mates, Chairman, Principal, Burgwin School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT Miss Eva G. Pinkston, Executive Secretary, 1201 16th St.. N. W., Washington, D. C. EMOTIONS AND THE EDUCATIVE PROCESS 184 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY DIsc Ti Cra! mem Cou! Jami socia B: Buck Mon mad who: table all c brea elem repo this B: was celel Holt affai Floy meni Tt supe Elen Pull Sche catic Moi Kat Rosi ence Supt Fra D vani lusti Rose ively, & the 8 the were > and ident ‘ipals 1 two with Troup Otter, North with Troup and New ating hool, nsin. RY Dr. D. A. Prescott, Schoo] of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N. J. DiscussioN—15 min. Social Affairs Tea—On Sunday afternoon from four to six p.m., Mr. Ralph Scull, in charge of the Crane National Exhibit, offered the facilities of the Crane Building for a social hour to the members of the Department of Elementary School Principals and their friends. The County Helping Teachers of New Jersey whose president is charming Miss Katherine Jamison, acted as hostesses. Approximately 300 principals and their friends enjoyed these social contacts and this very fine hospitality. Breakfast—The Atlantic City Principals, under the chairmanship of Miss Margaret Buchanan, made arrangements for the splendid get-to-gether breakfast, which took place Monday morning, February 28, 7:30, Belvedere Room, Traymore Hotel. President Stratton made everyone feel at home by asking that the ten seated at each table select a chairman whose problem it was to find out the name, nickname and hobby of those present at that table, and to be ready to make it known at the close of the meal. This fine plan soon had all chatting as if they were friends of long standing. The short business session at this breakfast consisted of making announcements for the week, which would be of interest to elementary principals and their friends. The Secretary was called on to give a short report regarding the progress of the Department. One hundred and fifteen responded to this early hour call, braving the cold, strong wind which came down from the north land. Banquet—The banquet of the Department of Elementary School Principals, which was held in the American Plan Dining Room, Traymore Hotel, 6 p.m., February 28, was in celebration of the 100th anniversary of those famous Eclectic Readers, written by William Holmes McGuffey and his younger brother, Alexander. The 629 present at this unusual affair, enjoyed the evening to its fullest extent. Our competent banquet chairmen, Mr. Floyd Potter, Miss Mabel Castle, and Miss Ethel Hammel, made the splendid arrange- ments with the Traymore Hotel for this lovely occasion. The distinguished group of men and women who represented the scholars under the superior leadership of the schoolmistress, Miss Ella J. Hamilton, former Supervisor of Elementary Education, Atlantic City, New Jersey, were: Mr. Aaron Kline, Principal, Pullman School, Chicago, Illinois; Mrs. A. Virginia Adams, Principal, Cunningham School, Vineland, New Jersey; Dr. James W. Crabtree, Secretary-Emeritus, National Edu- cation Association; Dr. Agnes Samuelson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Des Moines, lowa; Dr. Willis A. Sutton, Superintendent of Schools, Atlanta, Georgia; Miss Katherine D. Blake, formerly Principal, School No. 6, New York, New York; Dr. Joseph Rosier, President, Fairmont State Teachers College, Fairmont, West Virginia; Dr. Flor- ence Hale, Editor, Grade Teacher, Darien, Connecticut; Dr. William W. Trent, State Superintendent of Schools, Charleston, West Virginia; and Dr. Cornelia Adair, Principal, Franklin School, Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Walter Evans, Principal, Hunter-Farragut Public School, Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, demonstrated his ability in choral reading by getting the enthusiastic crowd to join lustily in reading the selections printed in the programs. Dr. Ernest Horn, Professor of Education, University of Iowa, lowa City, Iowa, was invited by Schoolmistress Hamilton to speak to the group in the person of Mr. McGuffey. Mrs. William Holmes McGuffey (Anne Yago McGuffey of Gilbert and Sullivan fame), Washington, D. C., kindly consented to go to Atlantic City and join in the celebration and to lend her beautiful soprano voice in rendering selections of that time, as well as be the leader of the songs. Mrs. McGuffey is the niece-in-law and daughter-in-law of the authors of those famous McGuffey Readers. The Department of Elementary School Principals will be forever grateful to Dr. H. C. Minnich, curator of the McGuffey Museum, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, for having a gavel made from the tree planted on the Miami campus by William Holmes McGuffey and presenting it to President Stratton. Dr. Minnich is now having this gavel properly inscribed. It will be on display at the headquarters office in Washington, D. C. (loaned by Mr. Stratton). PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 185 Because of the intense interest of Mr. Leonard G. Rundstrom, assistant manager of the Traymore Hotel, the group had the delightful pleasure of listening to the beautiful and appropriate music rendered by the Traymore Instrumental Trio during the dinner hour, President Stratton was honored to have at his right at the head table Superintendent Charles B. Glenn, President, American Association of School Administrators and at his left Dr. Caroline Woodruff, President, National Education Association. These two guests and other celebrities who were attending the convention were given places of honor, So that Schoolmistress Hamilton could have an exact reproduction of the school furnj- ture of the period in which the McGuffey Eclectic Readers were used, Mr. Frederick M. Harman, Assistant Superintendent of Schools in charge of buildings, Atlantic City, New Jersey, made desks corresponding to those of the period, even reproducing initials and carvings as the youngsters of those days seemed to want to leave on the furniture. The bell which Schoolmistress Hamilton used belonged to President Stratton’s grand- mother. Pages of this bulletin show scenes from McGuffey Night. Note the lovely costumes worn by Schoolmistress Hamilton and her troupe of actors. The cover of the 20-page program and the pictures appearing therein were exact re- productions of those first Eclectic Readers. Headquarters is indeed sorry it cannot comply with the many requests for duplicates of these lovely programs. Executive Committee Meeting Sunday Morning, February 27, 1938 The Executive Committee of the Department of Elementary School Principals met in the Chippendale Room, Traymore Hotel, February 27. Those present were: Mason A, Stratton, President; Edythe J. Brown, First Vice President; Isabel Tucker, Second Vice President; H. B. Norton, Third Vice President; Arnold Gregory, Fourth Vice President; Edith B. Joynes, Ira M. Kline, Maude A. Rhodes and Irvin A. Wilson, Executive Com- mittee Members; M. Emma Brookes, Director, Retirement Division; Herbert C. Hansen, Director, Life Membership Division; Maude McBroom, Cecelia Galvin, L. M. Fertsch, Jess Hudson, Editorial Committee Members; Richard R. Foster, Research Division, Na- tional Education Association; and Eva G. Pinkston, Executive Secretary. President Stratton called the meeting to order and expressed his delight that so many of the official family were present and his regret that it was impossible for Cassie F. Roys and Harry H. Haw to attend. He then asked for a report from the Editorial Committee pertaining to the forthcoming Yearbooks of the Department. Miss McBroom, chairman, gave a splendid report about the 1938 Yearbook (this report can be found on page — of this bulletin) ; Mr. Fertsch reported the progress made on the 1939 Yearbook; and Miss Galvin presented the suggested topics for the 1940 Yearbook. A motion was made by Miss Brookes, seconded by Mr. Wilson, that these reports be accepted. Motion carried. Dr. Foster suggested a proposed Six Point Schedule for the Editorial Committee: 1. That the topic for each yearbook should be selected and submitted to the Execu- tive Committee at the February meeting two years in advance of publication. 2. That the printed folder containing outlines for each yearbook be mailed to prospective contributors the following fall or early winter. 3. That a meeting of the Editorial Committee be held early in the fall to complete this outline and get it ready to go to the printer and to receive manuscripts which are already on the way. 4. That contributors to the next yearbook (1940) be asked to submit manuscripts the following June 30 instead of the following November 1. 5. That the Editorial Committee continue to meet in February as in the past. 6. That the publication date of the Yearbook stay the same. After much discussion, a motion was made by Miss Tucker, seconded by Miss Brown, that this report be accepted. Motion carried. A motion was made by Miss Tucker, seconded by Mr. Hansen, that the suggested theme “Meeting the Needs of the Individual Child in the Elementary School,” be the topic for the 1940 Yearbook of which Miss Galvin is chairman. Motion carried. 186 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY Bs bg Th ing, | First Presi Ira N Direc Franl Presi Secre Pre tives. as th banqi At the S carric Th Dr. ¢ to ho motio form: that } Th PRI 7 f the and hour, ident left, uests urDi- ck M, New and and- . re oply ys an, ed. Cu. on. ete ich pts ne he A motion was made by Mrs. Joynes, seconded by Miss Brown, that the reading of the minutes of the Detroit Meeting be omitted since they had been published in the October issue of the National Elementary Principal. Motion carried. President Stratton asked for the Secretary's Report. This was presented. After discussing the importance of the Official Record and information which appear in the back of each Yearbook, together with the list of members, a motion was made by Mr. Gregory, seconded by Mr. Norton, that the Secretary be instructed to make a more strenuous effort to secure the names of the presidents and secretaries of the various principals clubs in the United States. Motion carried. A suggestion was made by Mr. Gregory that the State Enrolment Chairman be charged with the responsibility of sending in the names of officers of state and local clubs. A motion was made by Mr. Kline, seconded by Miss Rhodes, that a survey be made, possibly by way of a questionnaire, to make a study in certain key states of the turnover in membership, the Secretary to determine the states. Motion carried. All problems of the Department as listed in the report of the Secretary were presented. One of these problems was to publish a better and more attractive bulletin. A motion was made by Mr. Hansen, seconded by Miss Brookes, that the Secretary be instructed to use her judgment in this matter. Motion carried. There were two or three suggestions offered: (1) Increasing number of pages to a uniform 64-page bulletin; (2) Using more pictures; (3) Increasing number of bulletins. A motion was made by Mr. Hansen, seconded by Mrs. Joynes, that the meeting recess until 9 o’clock Monday morning. Motion carried. Monday Morning Meeting February 28, 1938 The Executive Committee met in the Chippendale Room, Traymore Hotel, Monday morn- ing, February 28. Those present were: Mason A. Stratton, President; Edythe J. Brown, First Vice President; Isabel Tucker, Second Vice President; H. B. Norton, Third Vice President; Arnold Gregory, Fourth Vice President; Maude A. Rhodes, Edith B. Joynes, Ira M. Kline, and Irvin A. Wilson, Executive Committee Members; Herbert C. Hansen, Director, Life Membership Division; M. Emma Brookes, Director, Retirement Division; Frank D. Whalen, President, New York City Elementary Principals’ Club; Charles Joyce, President, New York State Elementary Principals’ Club; and Eva G. Pinkston, Executive Secretary. President Stratton called the meeting to order and welcomed the New York representa- tives. He asked them to tell about their plans for the Summer Meeting at New York City as they have outlined them. Plans for the Tuesday afternoon program, the breakfast, the banquet, place of meeting, tickets, prices, etc., were discussed. A motion was made by Miss Tucker and seconded by Mrs. Joynes that the minutes of the Sunday meeting be accepted and recorded in the April issue of the bulletin. Motion carried. The secretary read letters from Dr. Grayson N. Kefauver of Stanford University and Dr. George Kyte of Berkeley, inviting the Department of Elementary School Principals to hold its 1939 Conference on Elementary Education at their respective universities. A motion was made by Mr. Gregory and seconded by Mr. Norton that lack of definite in- formation as to where the next meeting of the N.E.A. will be held causes our board to feel that it cannot take any action until it hears further from the N.E.A. Motion carried. The secretary reported: 1. That 50 persons have made application for the Conference on Elementary Edu- cation to be held at New York University, New York City, July 1-15. 2. That the State of Washington has formed a State Elementary Principals’ Club, and that a letter of congratulation has been sent. 3. That the Nationwide Committee of the National Education Association dur- ing the next three years hopes to be of real help in thé field of individual guid- ance to the elementary schools of this country. PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 187 The subject of Salary Schedules was discussed. A motion was made by Mr. Hansen seconded by Miss Tucker that a committee be appointed to make a study of the salaries of principals and that this committee make a report at the June meeting. Motion carrieq Because of the many changes in the administration and supervision of the elementary school, the secretary asked that the duties of the principal be considered. It was decided that each officer should write a short opinion on what the duties of the principal are and that these opinions be published in an early issue of the National Elementary Principal, In lieu of the many reports which are reaching headquarters relative to Retirement Tenure, and Pensions, the secretary was instructed to make a definite effort to learn where unhappy conditions exist and to give as much help as possible. Mr. Gregory suggested that the Department have a Creed and said he would send q copy of the Michigan Elementary School Principals’ Creed to headquarters. A letter was read from Dr. Hinckley of the National Youth Conference with regard to the Lundeen, Maverick, Coffee, Voorhis Bill. A motion was made by Mr. Kline, seconded by Miss Rhodes, that this letter be received and that Dr. Hinkley be informed that the Department feels it is not within its jurisdiction to take action on this matter. Motiop carried. A motion was made by Mr. Hansen, seconded by Miss Rhodes that Miss Brown be selected to represent the officers at the Tuesday afternoon meeting in giving a vote of thanks to the local committee for the splendid arrangements which were made for this convention, and that the Secretary be instructed to write those who helped make our cop. vention such a wonderful success, expressing the appreciation of the officers. Appreciation was expressed to the President, Mason A. Stratton and the Secretary Eva G. Pinkston, for the splendid work they have done during the past year. Meeting adjourned. Enrolment Chairmen Meeting March 2, 1938 The following friends met in the Crane Building for the purpose of discussing means of bettering the enrolment campaign of the Department of Elementary School Principals Wednesday, March 2, 1938, 2 p.m.: H. B. Norton, Birmingham, Ala.; Nellie V. Lind, Denver, Colo.; Elizabeth R. Malcolm, New Haven, Conn.; Eva G. Pinkston, Washington D. C.; Mabel Nelson, Tampa, Fla.; Maude A. Rhodes, Atlanta, Ga.; Edythe J. Brown South Bend, Ind.; Carl W. Lemme, Evansville, Ind.; Florence E. Dixon, New Orleans, La.; Mrs. Anna Rose, Kensington, Md.; Effie Grace Higgins, Waltham, Mass.; Isabel Tucker, St. Louis, Mo.; Mrs. Ethel K. Newell, Omaha, Nebr.; Ralph C. McConnell, At- lantic City, N. J.; Mason A. Stratton, Atlantic City, N. J.; Gustav Patz, Irvington, N. J.; Louise Kurtz, Nutley, N. J.; Jessie M. Wamsley, Pitman, N. J.; Jane E. Monahan New York, N. Y.; Mrs. A. R. Wilson, Durham, N. C.; J. E. Miller, Washington, N. C.; Jess S. Hudson, Tulsa, Okla.; Frank D. Austin, Port Arthur, Texas; L. J. Nielson, Salt Lake City, Utah; Mrs. Edith B. Joynes, Norfolk, Va.; and R. O. Edgerton, Portsmouth, Va. A mimeographed report of the latest membership was presented to each member of the group. Each person was called upon to report his method of securing memberships and the progress he has made this year. Miss Lind presented a typewritten report of the work done by the Colorado Enrolment Chairmen. This report showed the procedure used and the results accomplished. Mr. Lemme told how he wrote a personal letter to five principals whom the city chairman could not get to join, and as a result these five people are members. Miss Rhodes gave an account of how she and other chairmen attended the ten district meetings held in her state and talked before the groups about the national Department As a result of this she received 13 new members. Mr. Hudson presented the idea of going after County Superintendents and asking them to join. He tried this out in his state and was quite successful. He also said that when a person said they would not join the Department because it did not do him any good, 188 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY he’ an per the hop pril sch stat qua to § to § and hov org all her reir is g Bir his anc cha Pin be this kne pri anc PI aNsen, laries Tried, tary cided | are, Cipal, ment, where nd a rd to ded it the Otion n be te of - this con- ‘tary, eting nan rict ent. 1em hen vod, RY he would answer them “After all, it isn’t a question whether the Department can do you an individual good, but are you professional enough to do the Department some good.” Miss Malcolm reported that her greatest difficulty was in selecting chairmen to help her. Mrs. Wilson told us that North Carolina has now six active districts and that she sent a personal letter to the principals of her state and then went to the district meetings to collect the dues personally. Mr. Austin, who was representing his state enrolment chairman, Mr. W. L. Darnell, hopes that there will be a close correlation between the state and national organizations. He said, ““The elementary principalship is an active and growing concern, and elementary principals should be proud of this position, because it is the foundation in the elementary school system.” Miss Brown believes that the enrolment chairmen should make an effort to go to all state, and local principals’ meetings and offer to take the dues and send them into head- quarters. These personal contacts, she believes, will help very materially. Mrs. Rose stated that one contact which she had made at this convention will enable her to get the names of the principals from some of the sections where she has been unable to get into. Mr. Nielson reported that the work of the national department has just begun in Utah and the elementary principals are beginning to have a place of recognition in his state. Miss Higgins, who was representing her state chairman, Miss Louise Wingate, told how when she was chairman, she always made an appeal for support of the national organization not for what the principals got out of it, but for what they could put into it. Mrs. Newell, who represented her state chairman, Miss Virginia Ellett, reported that all but one member in Omaha had paid their dues in the National Department. Miss Tucker reported that when she was State Chairman she kept some postcards on her desk and a list of the unpaid members, and every few days she sent out a few cards reminding principals that they had not paid. Mr. Norton, who represented his state chairman, Robert C. Johnston, reported that he is going back to Alabama and tell the principals about the Yearbook, and he is expecting Birmingham to be 100 percent again this year. Mr. McConnell explained that his work dealt with rural schools and therefore, most of his contacts had to be made thru the mail. Miss Troy said she felt that the enrolment chairmen were the backbone of the state and national organizations. She suggested that the state presidents and state enrolment chairmen get together at a luncheon during the state meeting and become better acquainted. Miss Nelson, who represented her state chairman, Mr. Frank Foulks, reported that Miss Pinkston would be at their State Meeting in March, and this visit by the secretary would be of much help in interesting the principals in the national Department. Mrs. Joynes, who represented her state chairman, Lillian M. Johnson, reported that this is the first time Virginia has ever made a quota in any national organization that she knew of. She stated that they were not going to quit yet. Mr. Patz brought out the idea that the principals must be educated to the idea that the principal holds the key position. He believes that we should give principals a job to do and make them Department conscious. Miss Wamsley sent a letter to unpaid principals telling them about our programs at Atlantic City, and McGuffey Night. This brought a few new members. Miss Monahan said that her main difficulty is that there are so many organization in New York City. Mr. Edgerton reported that the superintendent permitted all principals of Portsmouth who were members of the D.E.S.P. to attend the convention with expenses paid. He feels that next year he will have competition. At the close of the meeting, Mr. Scull, manager, Crane Building served delicious re- freshments. Eva G. PINKSTON, Secretary. PRINCIPAL, APRIL, 1938 189 New Books Motion Pictures in Education by Dale, Dunn, Hoban, Schneider, will be helpful to research workers, teachers and administra- tors to evaluate what has been done, to con- sider what ought to be done, and to conceive a plan of what can be done with this new educational medium. Educators interested in any feature of educational advance will find it an indispensable reference tool. It is published under the auspices of the Com- mittee on Motion Pictures in Education of the American Council on Education. This excellent new book can be obtained from the H. W. Wilson Company, 950 Uni- versity Avenue, New York. = wF ® Elementary school history must not be high school history cut down. It must pre- sent all the facts in such a simple manner that the pupil will not be confused by the concepts too mature for his comprehension. It must introduce the idea of relationships so gradually and so naturally that he will see them as factors in the interesting story of his country’s growth rather than as a special study of cause and effect. Every effort has been made in America Today by Nichols, Bagley and Beard, published by the Macmillan Company, to tell the story of our nation’s growth in a way that will appeal to children of the upper elementary grades. x * * What the World Eats by Webster and Polkinghorne, is easy reading for children in the middle elementary grades. By means of stories and imaginary journeys, it tells children about their everyday foods, and also about the strange foods of other chil- dren in far-away lands and in days long ago. It tells how and where the food grows, how they are harvested, and how they are taken to market. Thruout the book there are illustrations in colors. At the end is a list of new words, suggestions about things to do while studying about foods, and an index. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2 Park St., Boston, Mass., has published this book. x * * Social Psychology of Education by Bowden and Melbro, McGraw-Hill Book Company, presents the applications of social psychol- ogy to the problems of educational workers. The authors deal with the social-psycholog- ical aspects of the learning process; the technics of attitude formation and the per- sonality development; and the use of com- mon means of social control in school and classroom. x * * D. Appleton-Century Company, 35 West 32nd Street, New York, takes pleasure ip presenting The Story of the Alphabet by Edward Clodd. In this new edition of an invaluable and intensely interesting book, the evolution of the different alphabets js traced, with special emphasis on the com- mon primitive forms and concepts from which the modern alphabets have been de- rived. a Living Long Ago and Now, a textbook- workbook in Social Studies for the Elemen- tary Schools by Joy M. Lacey, combines core or basic social studies information with teaching-learning exercises. The short units of instruction tell how man has developed better ways of living thru the ages. There are interesting little stories of traveling westward, building log houses, the growth of towns, the way different tribes of Indians live, how the first people used fire, as well as stories about dairy cows, truck farms, lumber camps, cotton mills, and the build- ing of new homes today. This book is pub- lished by the Johnson Publishing Company, 8-10 S. Fifth Street, New York. = & FP Flying the Printways —Experience Through Reading by Carol Hovious has been prepared for the sixth and seventh grades. It has been minutely tested in class- rooms of every type of school thruout the country from New York to California—one room country schoolhouses, large city schools, in select residential districts and in underprivileged foreign districts. It has been subject to constant revisions on the recommendations of both pupils and teach- ers. This book contains stories about movies, flying, airplanes, and adventuring in far corners of the earth. Many lively illustra- tions vividly express the high interest con- tent of the text. D. C. Heath and Company has published this splendid book. 190 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY its NEWER PRACTISES READING in the ELEMENTARY SCHOOL The Seventeenth Yearbook of the Department of Elementary School Principals Chapter Headings Will Be: I. Desirable Scope of the School Program in Reading. Il. Reading Readiness. III. Beginning Instruction in Reading. IV. Cultivating Appreciation and Good Taste in Reading. V. Study Reading in the Content Fields. VI. Diagnostic and Remedial Practises. VII. Providing Reading Materials in the Classroom. VIII. Using School and Public Libraries. IX. Organizing Schools and Classes for Better Reading In- struction. X. Administering and Supervising the Reading Program. Ready for distribution September 15, 1938 A little more Kindness— A little less Creed. A little more Giving— A little less Greed. A little more Smile— A little less Frown. A little less Kicking— A man when he’s Down. A little more ‘““We’— A little less ‘“T’’. A little more Laugh— A little less Cry A little More Flowers— On the pathway of Life. A fewer on Graves— At the end of the Strife. ANON. RING CK PA PORN +