= from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy K. Wilson December 9, 1955 Memorandum To: NEA Officers, State Directors, Staff, Secretaries and Presidents of State Education Associations, and Others The Columbia Broadcasting System has announced "that the critical state of the nation's schools will be searchingly examined" in a special 55-minute radio broadcast with Arthur Godfrey as narrator on Saturday, December 17, from 9:05 = 10:00 P.M. (EST). CBS roving reporters have obtained for use on the program statements by governmental and educational leaders, including William G, Carr, executive secretary of the National Education Association, The Warning Bell is the title of the broadcast which will be produced by CBS Public Affairs with the full cooperation of CBS Radio affiliated stations as a follow-up to the White House Conference on Education, According to CBS, The Warning Bell will ask and provide answers to three principal questions: (1) How bad is the school situation in the United States? (2) How did we let this happen? (3) What can we do about it? It is suggested that you telephone your local CBS radio station for the time of the broadcast in your community. ### NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. December 9, 1955 To Directors of NEA Divisions Secretaries of NEA Departments NEA Officers You may wish to see the attached story reproduced from the Woman's Home Companion magazine by the editor for distribution by the Division of Press and Radio Relations of the NEA. Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6. D. C. December 9, 1955 Memorandum to Editorial Writers: How can we get enough good teachers——and keep them? This was one of the major problems which came before the 1,800 participants in the White House Conference on Education held in Washington recently. Higher standards, according to T. M. Stinnett, is one key to help in the solution of the teacher supply problem, I am enclosing the full text of an article, "Standards Are Still Going Up!" from the December issue of the Journal of the National Education Association. Dr. Stinnett, the author of the article, is secretary of the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards (NCTEPS), which was established by NEA in 1946 and charged with the responsibility of developing a continuing program of improvement in teacher recruitment, prepara- tion, certification and advancement of professional standards, If there is further information you wish on any of these teacher supply problems, please write to me and I will be glad to send any additional materials available from the Commission or the NEA Research Division. Sincerely, Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations of the National Education Association STANDARDS ARE STILL GOING UP! Higher standards result in increased supply and quality of teaching service By T. M. Stinnett* Since 1946, standards for the teaching profession have been steadily climbing. The upward movement is evident in every state. This despite critical shortages of teachers, classrooms, and money to finance education. This despite scandalous overloading of teachers, crowded classrooms, ever~increasing enrolments, and insis- tent demands from some quarters to lower standards to meet the extraordinary condi- tions. The phenomenon can be attributed to one basic, heartening factor—an aroused and growing sense of responsibility among members of the profession for improving the quality of its services. The "Let George do it" negation is being replaced by the positive attitude of "This is my job." This upsurge of professional spirit has been spearheaded by the state education associations, 49 TEPS commissions, about 30 advisory councils on teacher education and certification, teacher-education institutions, and state departments of educa- tion. The total profession has mobilized in support of this movement. Legislative efforts in at least five states to cut back certification and preparation requirements for beginning teachers were defeated this year. And most eloquent of all, in one state (near the bottom in average teachers’ salaries) a bill in the legislature to reduce still further the already disgracefully low preparation and certification standards resulted in a spontaneous outburst of protest from the state's teachers. *Dr. Stinnett is secretary of the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards, NEA. MORE , Standards Are Still Going Up! — page two Progress in Standards Here are some of the facts about rising standards. A 1955 publication of NCTEPS reveals that: "Since 1946, 32 states have increased minimum requirements for the lowest regular elementary-school certificate; 14 states have increased the minimum requirement for high-school certificates; 32 states have increased minimum require- ments for elementary-school principals' certificates; 29 states have increased minimum requirements for secondary-school principals' certificates." To state the progress in another way: In 1946, only 15 states required a degree for beginning elementary teachers; in 1955, this requirement was in force in 31 states. In 1955, 19 states were requiring five years or more of preparation for elementary- school principals, 30 states for secondary-school principals, and 36 for superintendents. Easy Answers vs. High Standards The continuing gains are significant, especially now when insistent voices are dinning into the ears of the American people the idea that providing enough classrooms and getting enough qualified teachers for their children is a hopeless task—either now or in the foreseeable future. These beguiling voices are promising cheaper and better ways of solving these twin problems than paying for a suitable classroom and a competent teacher for every 25 or 30 children. What possibility does this rich country have of getting qualified teachers for all of its classrooms? There is no quick and easy solution to this problem, and it would be less than honest to claim that the answer to it is just around the corner, But the situation is not a hopeless one, and there are no real grounds for advising the American people to throw up their hands in defeat. The basic thesis of the professional-standards movement is that there is only one sound, lasting approach to solving the teacher shortage--to raise standards to pro- fessional levels all along the line. Only in this manner can teaching be made an attractive, stable profession. Standards Are Still Going Up! - page three And, of course, this means that salaries must keep pace with rising standards of competence. ‘The American public can get qualified teachers and can keep them if it is willing to pay in the open market what their services are commanding in other fields. What are the evidences that the high-standards approach will really produce results in terms of increased supply and quality of teaching service? Here we begin to see some of the results of the professional-standards movement that point toward a real solution to the teacher=shortage problem. In the first place, the annual production of elementary teachers with a college degree has been more than tripled since 1948 (11,142 in 1948; 35,278 in 1955). As has been frequently stated, the traditional concept that only a little prepara- tion is needed to teach little children has been the chief obstacle to the making of teaching a profession. As standards of preparation for beginning elementary teachers have been raised, the number preparing for it has increased, And this has happened in a period when college enrolments were declining. Moreover, the average preparation of employed elementary teachers has steadily in- creased in this period. In 1949, only about 49% of the employed elementary teachers were college graduates. In 1955, this percentage had risen to about 68%. A Note of Optimism In 1955, for the first year since 1950, the annual total production of new teachers by American colleges and universities showed a small gain. Since 1950, this produc- tion had been plummeting downward because of declining college enrolments. An upturn by 1955 had not been forecast. With increases in college enrolments in the last two years and continued increases in prospect for the next decade, we should see parallel increases in the annual production of new qualified teachers each year. Also the increase in teacher-education enrolments led all other areas of higher education at the senior college level in 1954-55. & Standards Are Still Going Up! - page four Nobody familiar with the situation expects or predicts a balance in teacher supply and demand to come quickly, but there is good evidence that we are beginning to make significant gains in that direction. The gains will continue—if standards continue to be raised. Thus, it is not a hopeless situation which America faces with respect to getting and keeping qualified teachers, It all comes down to whether the American people really want to resort to hopeless makeshift arrangements, or whether they are willing to support an adequate supply of qualified teachers for their children. It all comes down, too, to what the profession really wants and is willing to support——the lowering of standards as the easy, quick answer, or the longer, harder responsibility of keeping standards going up. ## # NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET. NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. December 9, 1955 TO STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION JOURNALS Dear Editor: School Board - Superintendent Relationships is the title of the 1956 Yearbook of the American Association of School Administrators which will be published on February 1, 1956. When advance page proofs reached my desk a few days ago, I immediately checked with Dr. Worth McClure, executive secretary of AASA, to see if it might be possible to invite Wilma Morrison, education editor of the Portland Oregonian and a member of the Yearbook Commission, to prepare an article based on the publication especially for the state education journals. As you will recall, Mrs. Morrison's outstanding work as an education reporter won for her the top Education Writers Association award in 1951. Many of the state journals carried her article on education reporting a year ago which she prepared especially for Nieman Reports. Enclosed is a 1,600 word article prepared by Mrs. Morrison which is for release in the February issue of state education journals. Also enclosed you will find biographical information on Mrs. Morrison, a list of the commission members who prepared the Yearbook, and a description of the contents. Proofs are enclosed of two illustrations from the Yearbook. We can supply mats of these illustrations and a glossy print of Mrs. Morrison. A press copy of the Yearbook also will be sent to you when it arrives from the printers in late January if you wish to receive it. An order form is enclosed for your convenience in requesting the illustrations and a press copy of the Yearbook. Yours sincerely, LF Uty Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations From Belmont Farley For February 1956 issues of National Education Association State Education Journals 1201 16th Street, N. W. Approximately 1600 words Washington 6, D. C. Ylattreibe Under Phosbure ea By Wilma Morrison At one of the school auditoriums a professional lecturer was speaking on "What Is Happening to the Three R's?" (Subhead "Progressive Education---Plot or Panacea?") The meeting was sponsored by a group of citizens, and the superintendent had been invited to sit on the platform, along with members of the board of education, if they could get their regular board meeting over in time. The superintendent did not make it, but he sent the assistant superintendent in charge of curriculum, and two board members were excused in time to get in on the tail end of the lecture and to take part in the panel discussion that followed. The superintendent couldn't go because he had to stay through the board meet- ing. Besides he had said he would listen to executives of an insurance company, sent from the head office to try to sell a plan of accident insurance at a spectac- ularly low rate--if they could contract to cover all children in the district. *This article is adapted from the forthcoming yearbook of the American Associa- tion of School Administrators, School Board-Superintendent Relationships, to be published in February 1956 (496 pages. $5.00). Mrs. Morrison, education editor of the Portland Oregonian, served as a member of the yearbook commission. 2 He had been too busy to see the visiting insurance officers before the board meeting. First, he was tied up several hours with the chamber of commerce educa- tion committee, finishing plans for its business-education day during which schools would be closed and 2000 teachers taken on a tour of community factories and stores. Then he had listened to a sincere and earnest woman who had written him several times. She wanted committees of children set up in each school to pick up and hold for identification dead cats and dogs they might find on the streets. He had talked with the delegation from the Gideons again about their request to place Bibles in all classrooms. Then, there had been the men fram the Berry Growers' Association who said that, since the disappearance of migrant workers, the salvation of the berry in- dustry depended on student pickers--and would the school district please shorten the spring end of the school year to let the children out to pick? He put their request in the file of labor-and-business-endorsed requests, next to a letter from the Bean Growers' Association. The bean growers had asked that the school year be started later in the fall so children could work in the fields until mid-September. The two board members got to the Three-R's meeting late but it couldn't be helped. They had to be present when the teachers' salary coordinating committee presented its case to the board for an across-the-board raise. And they could not walk out on the delegation of fathers and their plan for behind-the-wheel driver training in the five high schools. The driver-training report couldn't wait. It was by way of becoming a crusade, what with one of the newspapers mak- ing it a project and one of the gubernatorial candidates adopting it as a cam- paign pledge. America's public school boards and their administrators, the superintend- ents, live and move in pressures as a sailing craft moves in wind and tide. That is the way it has always been and that is the way it must be--as long as our schools are literally of the people. If the winds and waves seem to be running to hurricane size lately, that is no reason for dropping the tiller and-calling Pye what the ship's officers have to bear. When America's schools cease to. navigate through and by reason of an ocean of cross pressures, we shall have education in the image of Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. The future of America's children does not lie in turning off the pressures, though there are a good many extremist pushes right now that the schools could well do without, in the interest of getting on with the business of education. The future, for better or worse, depends on what the school boards and the su- perintendents do with those pressures. After all, the whole unique American concept of public responsibility for the education of all children is the result of pressures. Taken singly, most pressures are well intentioned. Many are useful. Taken in the mass, they are overwhelming. If unsorted and unrestrained, they could crowd out the curriculum, disperse the student bodies, stuff the build- ings with tons of promotional material, not to mention the greatest danger latent in ungoverned or exploited education pressures--the transposing of the schools into an arena for community fights. Everyone who is anyone and virtually every organization bigger than the neighborhood crochet club has something to promote in the schools. If the agencies that route foreign visitors around the country to give them a picture of American democracy at work could do so, they would be smart to cap the itinerary with a six-month assignment to the best school board and administration they could find. (Or, for a taste of total war, stake them out with a weak board.) If it really is a good board, working in harmony with a good administrative staff, and if the visitor could watch it long enough to see it pick its way among rocks, shoals, storms, any one of which could cripple the schools, those visitors would see the very pattern of the thing that holds and shapes this na- tion. They might marvel at what they saw. Taking cases singly, the performance of the American public toward its schools can be pretty contradictory. Employers write letters to the editor declaring that the schools do every- thing except teach kids to read, write, and figure. And the next week a busi- nessmen's organization suggests adding to the curriculum a class in how to ap- ply for a job with their members as visiting teachers. Professional people organize for a "return to the fundamentals," and then turn up at the next board meeting as members of a dads' club, with a demand for $100,000 worth of new football field for their school. Mrs. Anderson tells her club there are too many administrators and super- visors wasting taxpayers' money and too many children running around on field trips; then she takes 40 minutes of administrative time arguing that 50 children should be excused to sing for a benefit luncheon. It isn't easy, this operation of a school district--an operation that touches in some way every life in the community and may involve more money than the entire city government. But it isn't dull, except to dull and unimaginative men and women. Watching the day-by-day performance of a good school board and administra- tion is like watching Our Town, the Bill of Rights, the community index of liv- ing, and a chamber of commerce industrial growth chart, all woven into one docu- mentary drama--with Life with Father and My Mother Is a Violent Woman thrown in for laughs. A superintendent who operates a district known for its good relations with teachers and public and within the board was asked to what one thing he at- tributed his schools! long record of cooperation. He thought briefly, then being a man who in 30 years in the schools has never learned pedagese, said "Fairness." He did not embroider it, did not add the obvious--that fairness means wisdom and a dedication to the American concept of doing what is best for all children. He did recall an episode which, he said, had impressed him more than the books he studied in college. It had happened many years ago when he was a young high-school principal. A father came in demanding that his son be allowed to go to a high school outside the district in which he lived. The school man ex- plained why there couldn't be any exceptions made to the districting rule. He explained for a half hour during which the father gradually cooled down from a high temperature. Finally the man stopped threatening, put out his hand and said, "All right, it soundsfair enough. I'11 accept your reasons." He walked to the door, started to open it, then turned back and growled, "But, so help me, if I ever find out you let any other kid do what I asked you to do for mine, I'll come in here and beat your ears off!" This superintendent added one thing to his basic prescription of fairness-- the public, he said, must know you are being fair, must have access to the ad- ministration and to board meetings. In addition to being like Caesar's wife, the board and administration, if they do not want to be hanged by hearsay, must see to it that, so far as possible, the entire public knows what they are doing and precisely and honestly why they are doing it. Much is being talked, written, and spent in an effort to get superior men and women into school superintendencies. It is strange that the public has not recognized that the job of the school board member also calls for qualities beyond the ordinary. The sheer scope of the job which today's public education trustees face is enough to make a General Motors executive or an army general doff his hat to the boys in the school board offices. COMMISSION ON SCHOOL BOARD- SUPERINTENDENT RELATIONSHIPS (1956 Yearbook of the American Association of School Administrators) J. CHESTER SWANSON, Chairman Superintendent of Schools, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma SYLVIA K. BINGHAM (Mrs. Alfred M.) Member, Connecticut State Board of Education, Salem, Connecticut IRBY B. CARRUTH Superintendent of Schools,Austin, Texas JAMES L. CREASY Superintendent, Berkeley County Public Schools, Martingsburg, West Virginia CECIL D. HARDESTY Superintendent of Schools, San Diego County, San Diego, California FRANCIS KEPPEL Dean, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts C. H. MOORE Superintendent of Schools, Clarksville, Tennessee WILMA MORRISON Education Editor, The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon JAMES A. REDMOND President 1953-54, Texas Association of School Boards, Beaumont, Texas - H. ROBERTS, JR. President, National School Boards Association, Inc., Evansville, Indiana CONTENTS —SSEEas "School Board-Superintendent Relationships" 1956 Yearbook of AASA CHAPTER 1. A WORLD OF PRESSURES Schools are built by pressures; economic, ideological stakes are high; reefs and shoals; wanted: fairness, imagination, statesmanship; partnership under pressure CHAPTER 2. WHY WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARDS School boards are necessary; trustees of our heritage; the basic qualification: teamwork; who are school board members?; the responsibilities of the school board; how the school board works; guardians of our greatest treasure CHAPTER 3. THE ROLE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT The superintendent feels the same pressures as the board; in the beginning was the board; then came the superintendent; partner of the board: leader of the staff; facing dilemmas together; meet your superintendent; the superintendent's professional preparation; the superintendent's charter; sizing up the superintendent; ceiling and visibility unlimited CHAPTER 4. HOW DO THEY GET ALONG? The board as a group; multiple boards--or no board at all; what does the public want?; common aims; who does what?; the superintendent's two jobs; clear understand- ings and written policies; start off on the right foot CHAPTER 5. LIBARNING THE JOB A developing field; a new member may lead; improvement is a cooperative process; improvement depends on wide participation; superintendents also can grow in ser- vice; how the superintendent grows; time and tradition are stumbling blocks; the evolving pattern CHAPTER 6. UNDER THE GAVEL Before the meeting; the meeting; after the meeting; the gavel rings true CHAPTER 7. GIVE THE PRESS A PASS The press can help the partnership; protocol is less important than an informed public; explain beforehand to avoid criticism afterward; whose schools are they anyway?; the informed community supports good schools; the informed community elects good school boards; all relations are public for the school board; give the right reasons first; all kinds of newspapers; relations with the press are not optional; the superintendent can help to open the door CHAPTER 8. ON THE STREET More than one job; questions and complaints; sympathetic listening; explanation, not action; counseling, not direction; superintendent off duty; using a specialty wisely; taking the community pulse CHAPTER 9. TAILORING THE PROGRAM TO THE COMMUNITY What is a community?; what is the school program?; the community and the pro- gram; the board makes choices; how do we proceed?; information for the board; leadership by the board; sizing up the results CHAPTER 10, FINDING AND KEEPING PERSONNEL Policy exceptions still too frequent; what can the superintendent do?; keys to staff morale; personnel policy needed; personnel policies--the board's responsi- Contents -— page 2 bility; the staff can help; the education association can help; policies go into effect; always room for imagination; turning on the light; using the yardstick CHAPTER 11. SCHOOL BUILDINGS The partners take the long look; the architect and the partnership; educa- tional planning; getting the money for buildings; controlling building costs; maintenance a partnership job; custodial service a professional concern; school buildings--means to an end CHAPTER 12. COUNTING COSTS AND PAYING BILLS The Three R's of fiscal management; reflection on fiscal policies; right rela- tionships; responsibility for a partnership budget; responsibility for revenues; responsibility for economy; responsibility for fiscal decisions; responsibility for school financial structure; responsibility to the future CHAPTER 13. THE FUTURE What are the central issues in the next decade?; breakers ahead!; a leader- ship role BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT WILMA MORRISON Wilma Morrison joined The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) in 1943 as a general assignment reporter and shortly thereafter "inherited" the education and church beats. The education beat grew and grew, she says, until now she handles it almost, but not quite, exclusively. Recognition of her outstanding work as an education reporter and writer has come from the Education Writers Association for the best newspaper series on education in 1951; from the OEA Education Citizens' group for reporting achievements in 1953; and from Theta Sigma Phi in 1954. She is a member of the 1956 Yearbook Commission of the American Association of School Administrators. Wilma Morrison's article, "Reporting the Schools," appeared in a number of education journals throughout the nation in 1954-55 through the courtesy of Nieman Reports, published by the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University. ORDER BLANK 12/9/55 TO: Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations National Education Association 1201 Sixteenth Street, N.W. Washington 6, D.C. Please send me the materials checked below for use in connection with the feature article by Wilma Morrison based on School Board - Superintendent Relationships, the 1956 AASA Yearbooks Ll] 2 column mat of Illustration #1 - 23 picas in width. 2 column mat of Illustration #2 - 23 picas in width, [J An 8 x 10 glossy print of Mrs. Wilma Morrison. A Press copy of School Board - Superintendent Relationships, the 1956 AASA Yearbook. Print Name Publication Mailing Address City and State = fom the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy K. Wilson November 23, 1955 Memorandum To: NEA Officers, State Directors, Staff, Secretaries and Presidents of State Education Associations, and Others Two television network programs and one syndicated newspaper column will include information of interest to you in connection with the White House Conference on Education: 1. The American Forum television program on the NBC Network from 1:00-1:30 PM (EST), Sunday, November 27, will be entitled: "White House Conference - The Govern= ment's Role in Education." Participants: William G. Carr, Executive Secretary, National Education Association. Roger A. Freeman, Assistant to the Governor of the State of Washington, and former Research Director for the Education Committee of the U.S. Commission on Inter- governmental Relations. Edgar Fuller, Executive Secretary, Council of Chief State School Officers. N. Bradford Trenham, Executive Vice President, California Taxpayers' Association, Los Angeles. 2. The Edward R. Murrow-Fred W. Friendly "See It Now" CBS Television program from 5:00-6:30 PM (EST), Sunday, November 27, will be entitled: "Ballots at Bear Creek: An Educational Western." This 90-minute program will appear in the time period normally occupied by "Omnibus." The program will examine the economics of the two-fold question: How to overcome the increasingly critical shortage of teachers and how to provide schools for the rapidly increasing school population. In short, the progran theme will be: If we are to have adequate educational facilities, who is to pay for them and how? Program features: (a) A report on the controversy generated by a bond issue in Jefferson County, Colorado. (b) A discussion on federal aid for education, including interviews with Sen. Lister Hill (D., Ala.) who is for federal aid, and Rep. Ralph W. Gwinn (R., N.Y.) who is against it. (c) Suggested solutions to the school construction problem including comments by Architect William Caudill of Texas. (ad) Summation by Alan Gregg, Vice President of the Rockefeller Foundation. 3. Enclosed is a copy of the syndicated column by Walter Lippmann which appeared in the New York Herald Tribune and other newspapers November 22 on the subject, "The Shortage of Education." A second column by Mr. Lippmann on the same subject is scheduled for publication November 2h, « ## # From the New York Herald Tribune, November 22, 1955 TODAY AND TOMORROW By WALTER LIPPMANN The Shortage of Education I Next week some 2,000 educa~- tors and laymen, drawn from all the —— will Lue in Washing- vewt ton to attend the White House confer- ence on educa- tion. They have already taken part in $ called together Lippmann ty President Eisenhower who has had from Congress approval of the con- ference and an appropriation to pay for it, The reason for the conference is that education in this country is in serious trouble and big measures will be required to cure the trouble. It is the business, indeed it is the duty, of the White House conference to re- port to the President “making recommendations insofar as pos- sible” for the “solution... of significant and pressing prob- lems in the field of education.” The agenda of the conference covers almost every aspect of education from curriculum to finance, This raises a general and over-riding question. It is whether the conference will try to say @ little something about everything or whether it will res- olutely face up to the hard but essential task of making recom- mendations on the biggest prob- lems about which the Federal government can do something. . The leaders of this confer- ence will have missed the bus— the bus provided for them by the President and Congress—if they scatter their energy over the whole enormous field of education. They will have made the old mistake of talking about so many things that few will remember that they have talked about anything. They will have © November 22, missed the bus, too, if, instead of coming to a decision on the practical problems which con- cern the Federal government most immediately, they are con- tent to use the White House as the sounding board for giving more publicity to problems which have already had im- mense publicity. It is nearly two years since President Eisenhower asked Congress to approve this con- ference. The time has now come to form a policy and take a decision. What policy? A policy which shapes the relation of the Federal government to the sup-, port of the schools. 7 - - There is s strange notion afioat in the land that to have a Federal policy on education is to have something new, some- thing contrary to the American philosophy of government. As a matter of fact national grants in ald of education are as old as the Republic. More exactly, they are older than the Repub- lic in that the Northwest Ordinance of 1785 contained an enormous national grant in aid, of education. It provided that when the western lands been surveyed “there shall be reserved the lot number six- teen of every township for the maintenance of public schools within said township.” The list of Federal statutes providing aid for education is a long one. It includes the land grant colleges, vocational training, veterans education, and aid to support schools in areas affected by Federal activities, such as de- fense plants. There is no new principle in- volved, The question is — Federal aid is necessary and, if it is, how Federal aid is to be given to the schools while avoid- ing Federal control and Federal domination of the schools. There is a grave shortage in rapidly, that more and more young people are going to school and college, that the schools and colleges are expected to do more and more for them. In a word, the demand for education has been growing. There are not enough schoolrooms and there are not enough teachers to meet this demand. This is the educa- tional shortage which the White House conference is called upon to deal with. 3 : The shortage of classrooms is quite evidently a problem of money. The classrooms can be built if the money is provided. The question is whether each state separately can raise the money that it needs, or whether Federal money should be ap- propriated. This is the most important question before the White House conference, and the country has a right to expect a clear answer, The shortage of teachers is, on the other hand, only in part a question of money. It has been demonstrated, as we shail see in my next article, that it is not even theoretically possible to find enough teachers to meet the had demand, and that a reorganiza- tion of the teaching system will have to be undertaken. But the shortage of teachers cannot in any case be met unless there is a marked improvement in teach- ers’ salaries. ; There is no reason why Federal money for school buildings should mean Federal control of education, control of what is taught, of how it is taught. In fact, Congress could and, it seems to me, that Congress should, de- American education of which » crowded schooling and overworked teach- ers. The basic fact jg that our population is growing very 1985, New York Herald Tribune Ino, All rights reserved. Reprinted with Permission = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Roy K. Wilson FOR RELEASE: P.M. Papers, Wednesday, November 9, 1955 NEA JOURNAL AUTHORS TURN TABLE AS THEY ASK - "WHY CAN'T RUDY READ?" Washington, D.C., November 9--The tables were turned today as the Journal of the National Education Association published an article entitled "Why Can't Rudy Read?" Written by Harold J. Bienvenu and Kenneth A. Martyn of Palo Alto, California, the research report is aimed at Rudolf Flesch, author of the controversial best-seller Why Jo Can't Read. The two California elementary school principals have this to say: "After review= ing all the studies Flesch cites in beginning reading in American classrooms, we have reluctantly come to the following conclusion: Either Flesch is deliberately attempt- ing to mislead and deceive the American people, or Flesch can't read. Bienvenu and Martyn demonstrate to their 612,000 fellow members in the National Education Association that Flesch's ability as a researcher is not quite what it seems, especially in the light of Flesch's claim that: "I have left out nothing and I have misrepresented nothing —- to the best of my ability as a researcher." For example, where Flesch had looked at a research study made by Harry L. Tate and found nothing to favor the word study method, the Journal authors looked at the same reserach and came up with this quotation from Tate: "Regular periods for phonics instruction are not desirable." And this one: "Over-emphasis on phonics hinders rapidity and thoroughness of comprehension." MORE NEA Journal Authors Turn Table - page two Bienvenu and Martyn are writing for teachers, of course, and their research on Flesch's research of the original research gets a bit involved, but Flesch's charges against the public schools are so serious that they had to be checked. Specifically, Flesch claims that the teaching of reading in modern American schools is all wrong because it omits phonics, a system of sounding out the letters in each word. Students today, instead look at words and phrases. This is known as the "word" method or the look-and-say technique of learning how to read. Modern educators specify that different methods should be used with different children in order to get best results, and phonics continues to be a part of the educational arsenal. Flesch on the other hand insists that "Our 'scientific' educators simply don't want to know the truth.” The validity of his thesis depends on his fifth chapter, the authors write. "Most of the book is simply personal opinion (unsupported by any objective evidence), quotations out of context, accounts of Flesch's limited personal observations, and some amusing (though occasionally vicious) rhetoric. In his fifth chapter, however, he purports to demonstrate that ‘in every single research study ever made phonics was shown to be superior to the word method; conversely, there is not a single research study that shows the word method superior to phonics.'" Here is another sample from the Journal article. First, Flesch reports his own version of a study by Raymond Mosher and Sidney M. Newhall: "Eight of the ten tests favored phonics." What did the authors actually have to say about their own tests? They think that "phonic training is not especially to be recommended" to increase reading skill. An additional feature of the Journal article is a second look at Flesch talking about himself. In his book, for example, Flesch writes that he “once surprised a native of Prague by reading aloud from a Czech newspaper. 'Oh, you know Czech?! he asked. 'No, I don't understand a word if it,' I answered. 'I can only read it.'" MORE NEA Journal Authors Turn Table - page three Bienvenu and Martyn, each of whom is the father of three children, add this wv **) > , comnent: "It may be that Dr. Flesch reads research in the same way he reads Czech -- without understanding a word of it." tt # Editors: Write or wire NEA Press Office, 1201-l6th Street, N.W. Washington 6, D.C. (telephone: ADams 4-4855, ext. 2325 for copies of the complete Journal article. Also avail- able are several other research memos and reprints on "This business about Johnny and his reading." For further information: Belmont Farley, Roy K. Wilson Wednesday, November 9 A.M. Papers NEA Executive Says White House Conference May Be Turning Point in History of American Education Washington, D.C., November 8-—-The White House Conference on Ediication, in which 2,000 delegates from 53 states and territories will take part in Washington, " starting November 28, "may be a turning point in the history of American education, according to William G. Carr, executive secretary of the National Education Association (NEA). The national school aig 2 President Eisenhower jrecognized when he AE Tne et wn A SS at it proposed the White House Conference, is a crisis of materiel, manpower, and money, according to Dr. Carr. "The evidence on this crisis," states Dr. Carr in a message distributed today to FX 600,000 members of the nares. “ape the current (November) issue of the NEA Journal, “has been paraded scores of times before congressional committees in the last few years. It has appeared in every major magazine and newspaper. It is only too well known to parents and perplexed school boards. "If the White House Conference merely declares that a state of emergency exists, it will fall far below what must have been the President's high expectations when he made his original proposal." ' Dr. Carr singled out what no Mle great national issue in education. "There is danger’ he says, "that a national conference etc, (add a and b) 7 If the White House Conference fails to come to grips with the central national Léoued "She NEA executive says, "it will fall short of its highest potential The Opportunity of the White House Conference WILLIAM G. CARR N JANUARY 1954, President Eisenhower recommended i Congress a series of state and national conferences to consider the problems facing our schools. Fifteen months ago, Congress approved and financed this pro- posal. The President has named a national committee to assist the state conferences, to arrange the national conference, and to report to him on urgent problems in American education. On November 28, the White House Conference on Education assembles in Wash- ington for three days. The nation's highest executive office properly com- mands vast prestige and public respect. The White House Conference will receive nationwide attention thru every channel of publicity. As we try to interpret the significance of this confer- ence, it will be important to avoid both an impractical optimism which expects the conference to solve all educational problems and an equally unwise cynicism which anticipates much talk and little action. As a minimum, the conference will help to deepen public concern about the educational crisis. The preparatory state and local conferences have already had sub- stantial effects of this kind. The White House Confer- ence will undoubtedly heighten these effects. For a self-governing people, whose schools are con- trolled by public opinion and whose attention is con- stantly sought on scores of other important issues, this unprecedented concentration of national interest upon education is bound to have wholesome results. The teaching profession is deeply grateful for the immense amount of time and goodwill that thousands of public- spirited citizens have generously given to conference activities. The timing of the conference is excellent. President Eisenhower has already indicated that school-con- struction legislation is one of the five top legislative priorities of his administration. The celebration of American Education Week, just before the conference begins, will develop a high degree of public alertness to school problems. Many state legislatures will meet in regular or special session early next year. Most important, the second session of the 84th Con- gress convenes a month after the conference. A bill to provide federal funds for school construction has al- ready been reported favorably by a decisive bipartisan vote in the House Committee on Education and Labor. The process of forming and informing public opin- ion has its limitations as well as its opportunities. Neither re-emphasizing the importance of education in American life, however eloquently, nor affirming once more that education suffers from critical shortages of suitable classrooms and qualified teachers will solve Dr. Carr is NEA executive secretary. NEA JOURNAL—November 1955 the immediate problems that confront the schools. The evidence on this crisis has been paraded scores of times before Congressional committees in the last few years; it has appeared in every major magazine and newspaper; it is only too well known to parents and perplexed schoolboards. If the White House Confer- ence merely declares that a state of emergency exists, it will fall far below what must have been the Presi- dent’s high expectations when he made his original proposal. There is the danger also Chat a national conference may neglect the urgent responsibilities of the federal government and expend most of its precious 30 hours on local and state issues. The problems of education which are suitable for action by our national govern- ment are few, but they are vital. The national confer- ence should concentrate on these national problems. The-national scheotcrists-witchrthe-President. clearly his ee aR nd? iin ica - aAThe great national issue in education, at the mo- ment, is the relation of the federal government to the oippeet of ip public schools? Unlortinetely-thnsrsstre It is, of course, unreasonable that conclusions should be announced on this issue in advance of the conter- ence. It would have been better, however, if the issue had been frankly recognized; if relevant material pro and con had been systematically distributed to the state conferences; and if the states had been definitely advised to consider the question an indispensable part of their preparation for the national meeting. I invite every NEA member to draw this problem to the attention of the delegates from his state or com- munity and to supply them with relevant factual ma- terial, including the considered policy of the National Education Association. The Association staff will mail such material on request. A concerted effort by NEA members in the next two weeks can make a great dif- ference in the knowledge and background which White House Conference participants bring to Wash- ington. If the White House Conference fails to come to grips with the central national issues/4t will fall short of its highest potential value. If, on the other hand, conference members boldly confront these issues and refuse to be diverted by local and state problems, how- ever important, this conference may be a turning point in the history of American education. The White House Conference will be measured in terms of the informed intelligence that is brought to bear on meeting specific national issues with prompt action. #+ + 473 = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information: Belmont Farley or Roy K. Wilson For Release: P.M. Papers, Thursday, November NEA COMMISSION EXAMINES FAILURES OF KANSAS CITY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Washington, D.C., Nov. 3 — "The Board of Education in the Kansas City (Mo.) pub- lic schools should clarify its responsibilities and those of the administrative staff," admonished the Defense Commission of the National Education Association in a statement released here today after a four-month study of the school conditions in that city. The study was indértaheh by the NEA Commission for the Defense of Democracy Through Education upon the request of the Kansas City Association of Community Councils and the Teachers Cooperative Council supported by the Executive Board of the Missouri State Teachers Association, ‘The study was undertaken when the Board failed last spring to renew the contract of Superintendent Mark W. Bills, and the Kansas City school system lost its third superintendent within nine years. The Commission, which had the help of a special committee composed of representa- tive educators and a school board member, blamed the lack of continuity in Kansas City school administration upon a confused situation in the central office in which it seemed difficult at times to know which member of the administrative staff was the executive officer of the school system. "It is regrettable," says the Commission's report, "that all too frequently some members of the Board of Education, and certainly the school staff, have turned to the Deputy Superintendent dr advice and direction rather than to the Superintendent of Schools. . . The prerogatives of the Superintendent were, in fact, usurped in many matters. Bypassing of the administrative head of the school system could not help but lead to misunderstanding and suspicion. Dealings by Board (MORE ) , - NEA COMMISSION EXAMINES FAILURES OF KANSAS CITY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION -- page 2 members with the Deputy Superintendent were accentuated by cleavages within the Board." In arriving at its conclusions, members of the special committee making the study under the sponsorship of the Defense Commission, received testimony, not only from members of the professional staff of the school system, but also from citizens of the community. These witnesses told the committee that "the Board of Education seemed on occasion to treat the superintendent peremptorily and without allowing him reasonable opportunity to present his point of view. At times," the committee found, "the super- intendent was not given opportunity to speak on matters important to the welfare of the Schoole No Board of Education can expect an able man to continue as its chief adminis- trative official, unless he is treated with the ~espect and consideration due his office." This failure to recognize the superintendent was due largely, in the opinion of the survey committee, to differences of opinion that existed within the Board on particular issues. "Every effort," said the committee, "should be made to bring about harmonious action by the Board based on interest in the best welfare of the children of the community." The survey committee sharply criticized the activities of the Secretary of the Board of Education whose duties, according to Missouri law, were largely the keeping of the records of the Board's affairs. This officer, however, "has been assigned duties which are clearly within the province of the superintendent of schools. Moreover, he, like the Deputy Superintendent, has been called upon by individual Board members for consulta- tion and advice on administrative matters having no proper relation to his function as Board Secretary," Added to the School Board cleavages and to the unusual administrative functions performed by the Secretary of the School Board, the survey committee found “ample evidence from all sides tothe controversy that there is a degree of confusion as to the functions and responsibilities of the assistant superintendents of schools." "The Board of Education," said the survey committee, "should make it clear that, within the framework of Board policy, staff responsibilities shall be assigned by the superintendent and observed by all concerned." The surveyors found that inadequacies in budget making were one of the most serious consequences of lack of specific under- (MORE) * .NEA COMMISSION EXAMINES FAILURES OF KANSAS CITY SCHOOL ADMINIS TRATION -—— Page 3 standing of administrative responsibilities. They called for a careful reconsideration of budgetary procedures, asking that teachers and principals in each school have a voice in proposing types and levels of expenditure before budgetary decisions are made. The recommendation for wider participation in budget making is based upon what was felt by the committee to be a need for better understanding of the objectives and needs of the schools before "price tags are attached," since the objectives adopted are of "greater significance than the prices themselves." Schoolboard-administrative relationships in the Kansas City schools became strained in February,1954, when Superintendent Bills, without warning, submitted his resignation. "The reasons for the resignation are difficult to detect and understand," says the survey report. "Superintendent Bills' statement of resignation implied criticism of certain Board of Education procedures. However, at no time had he ever presented these criticisms to the Board. There was considerable criticism of the manner and method by which the resignation was presented, Not only members of the Board, but even some strong supporters of Dr. Bills felt that the resignation was a mistake and particularly untimely in view of the fact that a school levy referendum was to be held within a few weeks," The representatives of the Defense Commission highly complimented the interest of the Kansas City community in the public schools. "Dr. Bills was unusually successful," they said, "in rallying public support for the school program." They pointed to newly created community councils as an encouraging movement in developing edttech participation in community affairs, They complimented also the public relations services of the superintendent and gave them credit for the fact that the standing of the Board before the public had been substamtially improved during the early period of Dr. Bills’ superintendency., "However," they said, "Dr. Bills' resignation and conditions attend- ing the non-renewal of his contract, again brought about a lack of confidence in the Board of Education, This was, and continues to be, an important factor in the situation." The recommendations of the Commission include larger participation of the public (MORE ) ~ , NEA COMMISSION EXAMINES FAILURES OF KANSAS CITY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION -- Page 4 in the planning of the educational program of the schools and the means by which it is to be carried out. They suggested that the Board of Education meetings be held in large enough quarters to accommodate groups of citizens who are interested in the wel- fare of the schools. The Commission summarizes its report with the recommendation that the Board of Education recognize as its principal function the establishment of the general policies for the school system, and that it should recognize the superintendent of schools as the chief executive officer. The survey committee investigating the Kansas City public school difficulties for the Commission was composed of the following members: Earle W. Wiltse, chairman of the Special Committee, superintendent of schools in Grand Island, Nebraska, member of the NEA Defense Commission; John H. Fischer, superintendent of schools, Baltimore, Md.3; Harlan L. Hagman, dean, College of Education, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa; Clarice Kline, teacher, Waukesha, Wisconsin, president-elect, Wisconsin Education Association; Ruth Winter, teacher, Detroit,Michigan, past president, Detroit Teachers Association, state director, National Education Association, member of the NEA Defense Commission; and Isadore Samuels, president, Board of Education, Denver, Colorado. Hitt = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. Cc. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or M. Ruth Broom Press & Radio Relations 11/1/55 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE All general conference sessions will be televised and special radio broadcasts will be made from the convention floor in the Hotel Hermitage, headquarters for the meeting. Approximately 500 teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, state and national government officials, are expected to take part in the meeting. It is being sponsored by the International Council for Exceptional Children (ICEC), a department of the NEA, and the Tennessee State Federation of ICEC chapters. Official delegates will come from 16 south-central and southeastern states. Taking as its theme "Life Planning for the Exceptional Child," the con- ference will be devoted to a full-scale review of the major problems confront- ing educators, parents, and community leaders in meeting the needs of exception- al children. a aw Among the many topics to be discussed by top specialists from all parts of the nation are: public school speech correction, needs of the partially seeing, epilepsy - a school problem, educational planning for the deaf, education and the gifted. Conference participants will hear these topics discussed in many general session meetings, workshops, clinic demonstrations, and panel discussion groups. Special convention features include a traditional president's dinner, luncheon meetings, and special film showings. ICEC President Francis E. Lord, coordinator of special education, Los Angeles (Calif.) State College, will preside at the first general session, and W. A. Bass, superintendent, Nashville City Schools, will extend greetings from the host city. The International Council for Exceptional Children has a membership of approximately 10,000. It was organized in 1922 in New York City and func- tioned for a number of years as an independent association. In 1930 the NEA created a Department of Special Education, and in 1941, the two organizations merged to be known as the International Council for Exceptional Children. NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. November 1, 1955 TO: Editors and Executive Secretaries of State Education Associations The Advertising Council has prepared ten new advertisements in connection with the Better Schools Campaign. Proof sets are enclosed, along with a card which may be used in requesting free mats from The Advertising Council. Two of the enclosed items call attention to the White House Conference on Education. The remaining advertisements are devoted to the continuing theme of Better Schools: teacher prestige, the need for improved facilities and textbooks, citizen participation in community conferences, planning to meet future problems, etc. The Advertising Council has mailed proofs to advertising directors of newspapers throughout the United States. We are sending these materials to you for your information and for any use you may wish to make of the ads or illustrations in your own publications. As you may know, The Advertising Council is perfectly willing for you to pick up any of the art work from these ads and use it in any way you wish. Sincerely, AWueenl $ Belmont Farley Press and Radio Relations = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its sffillated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson FOR RELEASE: P.M. Papers, Saturday, October 29, 1955 CALIFORNIA, KENTUCKY AND MISSOURI SUPERINTENDENTS NOMINATED TO HEAD AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS Washington, D.C., October 29--Three school superintendents in California, Kentucky and Missouri have received the highest number of votes in a primary preferential ballot for the office of president-elect of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). The three are: Omer Carmichael, superintendent of schools, Louisville, Kentucky Philip J. Hickey, superintendent of instruction, St. Louis, Missouri C. C. Trillingham, county superintendent of schools, Los Angeles, California For a four-year term on the AASA Executive Committee beginning March 15, 1956, the following were nominated: Natt B. Burbank, superintendent of schools, Boulder, Colorado Wendell R. Godwin, superintendent of schools, Topeka, Kansas Leonard Maine, superintendent of schools, Portsmouth, Rhode Island The president-elect will be chosen from the three nominees for that office in a nationwide mail ballot among the 10,114 members of AASA in December. The presi- dent-elect serves a one-year term (beginning March 15, 1956) before succeeding to the presidency. He will serve as president of the association from March 15, 1957, to March 15, 1958. The results of the balloting were announced today by the Board of Tellers of AASA. Members of the board are: John M. Hough, superintendent of township schools, Leaksville, N.C., chairman J. M. Bennett, superintendent of schools, Wicomico County, Salisbury, Maryland J. E. Scott, superintendent of schools, Peekskill, New York # # # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association Is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or M. Ruth Broom Press & Radio Relations 10/17/55 SPECIAL FOR EDUCATION JOURNALS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TEACHERS ARE ALERT TO NEW IDEAS ON IMPROVING TEACHING METHODS SAYS NEW ASCD PUBLICATION Washington, D.C. -- Oct. ( ) — Proof that teachers are constantly testing teach- ing methods to find better ways to reach the children in their classrooms is demonstrated in a new booklet released today by the National Education Association (NEA. ) The booklet gives a big "Yes" to the question: Are teachers interested in improving classroom instruction? And it contains research-documented information on where teachers can find the most up-to-date reports on two subjects of current concern -- reading and Entitled "Research Helps in Teaching the Language Arts," the 80-page booklet was prepared especially for teachers by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), a department of the NEA, Bewed-On the premise that teachers, as well as parents, have many questions to ask about how children learn to read and write, the ASCD polled teachers who were taking refresher courses in these subjects at five major universities, The teachers were asked to list specific questions they would like to have discussed in a series of ASCD publica- tions devoted to research studies. Approximately 1,300 questions were submitted. Harold G. Shane, professor of education, Northwestern University, who had the task of organizing the material for the booklet, boiled down the queries into 49 basic concerns distributed among nine categories. These were questions pertaining to: reading, hand- writing, creative writing, spelling, language usage, children's literature, listening, foreign language, and oral English, Once the questions were organized they were combined in a 15-page questionnaire which was sent to more than 20 authorities in language arts. These specialists were asked to give the author, title, and source of any pertinent research which would apply to the questions. As the result of months of work, 817 reference publications have been listed in the booklet. A bibliography which is a guide to the latest available information on each topic discussed in the booklet is given at the end of each chapter. The bibliography is "keyed in" with the text in each chapter. ### ("Research Helps in Teaching the Language Arts," may be ordered from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington, D.C., at $1.00 per copy.) = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or M, Ruth Broom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RURAL EDUCATION MARKS DECADE OF PROGRESS Washington, D, C,, Oct. 16 -- The National Conference on Rural Education met in Washington, D. C., October 4-6, to inventory progress made in rural areas since the White House Conference on Education in 19. Approximately 2,000 teachers, school administrators and educational leaders participated in the two-day meeting sponsored by the National Education Association's Department of Rural Education, General sessions were held in Constitution Hall where delegates heard some of the nation's top leaders give their views on what is wrong = and right = with education in rural areas. Fifteen discussion groups met to consider specific problems of rural education and to work out action programs for their solution, In the opening general session Waurine Walker, president, National Education Association, (NEA), proposed a "midcentury" pause to evaluate the progress made in rural education and to consider the needs yet to be met, Howard Dawson, executive secretary of NEA's Department of Rural Education, said that while the conference theme was "A Forward Look", a backward look was also in order, "We are assembled again ... to take a look at what has happened during the last decade, to appraise where we are and to chart the course ahead," Dr. Dawson said, He warned that rural educators should steer clear of the "fate of the whang doodle bird ... who flew back- wards because he didn't care where he was going; he merely wanted to see where he had been," listing reasons why rural schools are not taking the forward steps that national needs require, Miss Walker urged conference participants to work harder toward raising financial goals for rural schools, broaden narrow curricular offerings “which rob the rural child of an adequate education", and to integrate more closely the school programs to the rural community. (more) 4 4 “NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RURAL EDUCATION - Page 2 Mrs. Lucille L. Klinge, president of NEA's Department of Rural Education, and superin- tendent, Lane County Schools, Eugene, Oregon, opened the first general session at Constitution Hall. She introduced Commissionee of Education Samel M, Brownell who pointed out that the problems that face rural educators are also the concern of the whole nation. "What happens in rural communities affects all of America," Mr. Brownell said. "The problem in rural education is in some respects like urban education. In some respects it is a very special one. I am sure we all agree that it is not purely a rural problem to be solved by rural people only. Urban people have a vital stake in the education of rural children," Conference participants also heard John H, Davis, director, Moffett Program in Agriculture and Business, Harvard University, speak on "Forces Confronting Rural Education in Building a Better World". He outlined a "host of problems" which face rural areas but said that an "element of change, which is being powered by the continuing discoveries of science and the applications of technology" is the most outstanding fact about the future of agriculture and agricultural communities. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, who was hostess to the 194) White House Conference, addressed the closing general session. ‘She congratulated the group on the progress that had been made in the past decade but urged them "not to be satisfied, not to be complacent.# She urged that teachers continue "to give our young people the tools with which to find whatever they want to learn in their future life so that they will know where to go to find the knowledge they need ..- and will have the habit of being able to learn, study and think,®, The problems of rural education from the viewpoint of labor, industry and from agriculture were discussed at this session by Victor Reuther, Assistant to the President, Congress of Industrial Organizations; Walter D, Fuller, Chairman of the Board, Curtis Publishing Company; and Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson. Shirley Cooper, assistant director, American Association of School Administrators, NEA, presented a summary "balance sheet" of the work done by rural educators during the past ten years. At a luncheon held at the Mayflower Hotel which marked the end of the rural education conference, Dr. Cooper listed the "notable and commendable progress made in creating con- ditions favorable to good education...under the credit side of the ledger." But he also added an equally long list under “unfinished business." Credit entries include, Dr. Cooper explained, the increasing state aids that have equalized the burden of school support, the extending of opportunities for secondary education to more rural youth, the way in which teachers are becoming better prepared to teach in an increasingly stabilized professional position, and the strengthening of adult education pro- grams. On the other side of the ledger Dr. Cooper outlined some of the work yet to be done. Heading the list is the continuing need for securing and keeping good teachers. Other items under the unfinished business column include the inadequacy of many school plants, the failure of educateys in utilizing the full potential of the newly reorganized community school district. "For lack of vision and leadership many resources, rich in educational experience and meaning, literally lying in the school room door, go by unused and even unrecognized while children suffer from educational malnutrition on a thin, colorless educational diet unrelated to their needs, interests and background of experience", Dr. Cooper said. Prior to the rural education conference the Ninth National Conference of County and Rural Area Superintendents, a division of the Department of Rural Education, was held at the Statler Hotel in Washington. Approximately 600 members attended this meeting and many participated in the national conference which began at the conclusion of the county superintendents’ meeting. # # # NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. September 30, 1955 MEMO TO EDITOR: In your community an announcement will be made soon of the student winners of Science Achievement Awards for Students for 1955. Over 1,300 "future scientists" participated this year in this annual event. One hundred forty winners will receive awards totalling $6,000 in ceremonies at their schools all across the nation. In addition to the top winners, 285 students have won honorable mention certificates for their work with science projects. For your information we are enclosing a list containing the names of the schools in your area which will be honoring student winners. The names of the teacher sponsors are also listed. These sponsors are the science or mathematics teachers who have encouraged the students to participate in this event. You may wish to contact these teachers to get first-hand information about the ceremonies at which winners will be honored. We are also enclosing background information on this annual program of Science Achievement Awards for Students. Sponsored by the American Society for Metals, the awards program is conducted by the Future Scientists of America Foundation of the National Science Teachers Association. A main purpose is to encourage students to take up science or mathematics as a career. Awards consist of U. S. Savings Bonds, gold pins, certificates, and school plaques. There are equal sets of awards in each of eight regions of the United States. Students compete only with other students in their region and at the same grade level, There are 40 awards in grades 7 and 83 40 awards in grades 9 and 10; and 24 awards in grades 11 and 12, Sincerely, f Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations =” from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy K. Wilson For Release: A.M. Papers, Wednesday, September 28, 1955 IF TEACHERS HAVE THEIR WAY, TOMORROW'S FIRST-GRADERS WILL READ FASTER AND BETTER, SAYS NEA Washington, D.C., September 27--The first-grader of the future will learn to read faster, better, and with far more enjoyment if his teachers have anything to say about it--and if they are not hampered by overflowing classes, half-time sessions, and poor tools. So says the National Education Association in a 278-page report on "Reading for Today's Children" released here tonight through its Department of Elementary School Principals. More than 70 classroom teachers, principals, supervisors, and reading specialists helped to write the report. In the lead section of the report, A. Sterl Artley, professor of education at the University of Missouri, points out that no all-purpose, surefire, never-fail method of teaching reading has yet been devised. He cites gains that have been made in the last decade and a half, and blueprints some "musts" that lie ahead for both teachers and parents anxious to help children master the complex skill of reading. For one thing, teachers cannot teach it "wholesale", for each child has his own personal private timetable for growing in reading as well as in walking, talking, and teething. Sound teaching must respect this timetable and develop new techniques to help each child set a successful pace for himself. MORE If Teachers Have Their Way - page two This is especially important in the middle and upper elementary grades, says Mr. Artley, where children's abilities begin to vary much more widely. Teachers need to stop thinking of their pupils in terms of "grades" and concentrate on them as individuals. He points out that since the English language is not constructed so that it can be mastered with any one tool, like phonics, the teacher must arm each child with many weapons that will help him recognize words, unlock their meaning, and use them, More attention should be paid in the future, claims Mr. Artley, to reading's sister- skills of writing, speaking, and listening. Teachers and parents who help the child develop skills in these related areas of communication will find him improving in reading too. Criticizing teachers' inclinations to give major attention to the slow learner and retarded reader because the "squeaking wheel usually gets the oil," Mr. Artley calls for equal concern for the bright or gifted child. He suggests encouraging him to go as fast as his accelerated timetable will allow by giving him problems to solve through reading, chances to do "research," and to report his findings to his classmates. Reading is not just a matter of mastering the books and materials used in a formal reading program, says Mr. Artley. Reading is also the interpretation of map symbols and geography, and simple formulas in arithmetic, and children must be helped, more than they are now, to develop these "content" reading and study skills. ### (READING FOR TODAY'S CHILDREN, 34th Yearbook, published by the Department of Elementary School Principals, National Education Association, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington 6, D.C., 278 pages; $3.50.) = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its sffitiated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. September 23, 1955 To The Editor: At a national conference which President Eisenhower has called at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, ways will be sought in which citizens throughout the land can work together to improve the physical fitness of our youth. This Conference on Fitness of American Youth will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, September 27 and 28, Participants in the conference will include representatives of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; the American Association of School Administrators; the Department of Elementary School Principals; the National Association of Secondary-School Principals--all Departments of the National Education Association. These representatives have called to our attention some of the questions which will be considered at the conference: 1. Facilities -- What facilities and equipment are presently available for conducting appropriate fitness programs for youth? What addi- tional facilities and equipment will be needed to provide program opportunities for all girls and boys? Leadership -- What qualified leadership is now available for conduct- ing fitness programs for youth? What additional personnel is needed in the various programs for girls and boys in different age groups; how can these leaders be secured and prepared? Information Needed ~ What research is needed on the fitness of youth, program opportunities, leadership, facilities and equipment, and public support? Interpretation and Follow-up - How can the nation be informed of the need and be encouraged to provide fitness programs for all boys and girls? How can the cooperative efforts of all community agencies be organized to utilize more effectively existing personnel, facilities and equipment and to strengthen fitness programs for youth? As the proceedings of the conference are reported through the wire services and other press and radio representatives, we thought that you might like to have the enclosed items as background information in connection with your coverage of this event, The enclosed Check List was prepared by the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. You may wish to supplement this information with additional details from school officials and other local leaders concerning fitness programs in your own community. Yours sincerely, (ee Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. September 23, 1955 TO THE EDITOR: A representative from your community is one of the authors of the new 278-page report on "Reading for Today's Children" published on September 28, by the Department of Elementary School Principals of the National Education Association. In addition to a general release on the report, we are enclosing tear sheets of the article by the author from your community for any use you may wish to make of it in your local story. Sincerely, Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its sffillated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. 9/15/55 For further information Belmont Farley or Roy K. Wilson FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Speakers on the American Forum of the Air radio and television programs over the National Broadcasting Company networks Sunday, September 18, 1955, will be: Dr. John Lester Buford, President of the National Education Association Dr. Arthur Bestor, Professor of History, University of Illinois Discussion will be about modern methods of instruction in today's school versus traditional methods, including the current reading con- troversy. The program will be telecast from the NBC Studio in the Sheraton- Park Hotel, Washington, D.C. (3:30 - 4:00 P.M., Eastern Daylight Saving Time), The program will be broadcast on the NBC radio network from 10:30 - 11:00 P.M., Eastern Daylight Saving Time. Please check your local newspaper for times that the program will be broadcast and telecast in your community. In Washington, the telecast will be seen on channel 4, WRC-TV, at 3:30 P.M., and over WRC, 980 on your radio dial, at 10:30 P.M. # # # NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. September 8, 1955 TO THE EDITOR: On September 28, the Department of Elementary School Principals of the National Education Association will publish a 278-page report on "Reading for Today's Children." More than 70 classroom teachers, principals, supervisors, and reading specialists have contributed to the production of this study. The enclosed folder describes some of the contents of the publication. A press release on it will be mailed to you around September 20. If you wish to receive a complimentary press copy of the book in advance of the publication date, please return the enclosed pink reply form (the blue card is for cash orders © $3.50!) and I shall be glad to send it to you. Sincerely, BLrenk t Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations THE CRUCIAL YEARS 2. The Crucial Years refers ta the ten-year period 1955-1965. They are called "The Crucial Years" because it is precisely in this period that teaching mst become a profession, or the effort abandoned or postponed for many years. The pressures of expediency arising from rapidly increasing enrollments, shortage of classrooms, and shortage of teachers will be the heaviest in our history. All the current signs and current conditions point up eloquently the validity of this statement. In this ten-year period it has been estimated that total school en- rollments (public and non-public, elementary, secondary, and higher edu- cation) will increase from 37,900,000 in 195-55 to 51,502,000 in 1964-65, an increase of 13,602,000 or about 36 per cent. Elementary school enroll~ ments will increase from 27,738,000 to 35,659,000, and secondary enrollments from 7,422,000 to 11,890,000 in this period. In other words, elementary and secondary school enrollments will increase during the ten-year period from 35,260,000 to 47,549,000, a total increase of 12,289,000. Percentage-wise the increase will approximate 28.6 gt the elementary level, 60.2 at the secondary level, 44.3 at the college level, and 35.9 overall. 1/ This tidal wave of new students will require something like 600,000 new teaching positions at all levels. Considering all factors, the average anrmal demand for new teachers during the period 1955-1965, for the ele- mentary and secondary schools alone, probably will run from 125,000 to 150,000. Presently, the anmal production of new teachers is approximating only about 90,000. These are the conditions which are impelling many people to feel that there is no chance in the foreseeable future for any semblance of a balanced supply of teachers to be achieved. The conditions which now exist -- conditions which apparently will continue to exist throughout most of this ten-year period -- are precisely the ones (under different formats and circumstances) which, in the past, resulted in irresistible public pressures to seek the easy, quick answers to extremely complex and difficult problems. These pressures, in the past, have compelled the teaching profession to retreat, under the impacts of a philosophy of sweet reasonableness, to lowered standards. And there are growing evidences that these factors, used in the past to lower standards, will be used again in efforts to achieve the same ends, There are now discernible efforts, well-organized efforts, td excite momentum for the development of such pressures again. In addition, there are influential voices being heard ~~ however sincere these voices may be — the import of which is to seek to persuade the American Beople that the task of securing enough classrooms and enough qualified teachers is aihopeless one; and that they should, therefore, abandon the idea and acvept largely untested arrangements which would drastically increase the present load of every qualified teacher, The Release of the Office of Education, U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, September 8, 1955. e2< American people are being advised that by providing a qualified teacher with mechanical and teaching aids and clerical helpers, the number of children to each classroom can be materially increased without loss of efficiency and without diminishing the quality of teaching service; indeed, that the quality of teaching service can be increased thereby. 2/ This is a fetching argument, since it promises to save the taxpayers the cost of constructing thousands of needed classrooms and the cost of the salaries of thousands of additional, needed qualified teachers; and it is being justified on the grounds that, however mech we would like it otherwise, qualified teachers in sufficient numbers simply cannot be had. The teaching profession must and should give support to every type of sound experimentation designed to improve the quality of teaching services. The decade ahead, with new and extraordinary conditions, can- not help but bring widespread experimentation and many innovations in education, However, the profession has an inescapable obligation to safeguard the integrity of its services — an obligation to) its clientele -- to demand thorough evaluation of such experimentation and valid evidence that teaching services can be improved before it accepts proposed inno- vations, The giving way to untried and untested procedures and to the claims of quick and easy answers to difficult problems, under pressures of extravagant claims or abnormal circumstances, is the simplest and surest way of defeating the progress of the past in efforts to make of teaching a real profession, the simplest and surest way of bringing about deteri- oration rather than elevation of the quality of teaching. Thus, the decade ahead -— the ten-year period 1955-1965 -- is indeed "The Crucial Years" for the teaching profession. In that period either teaching will become a profession in the real sense, or another half- century of the vicious circle of lowering standards, accepting makeshift arrangements, and the plummeting of public respect for teaching will be repeated, The only sound approach to the ultimate solution of this per~ plexing cluster of problems in the next decade is for the profession to mobilize resolutely in support of the continuous drive to raise standards to professional levels for admission, preparation, practice, and contin- uation in service of its members. © Anything short of this goal will be disastrous, Anything short of thie goal will not give to teaching the vast appeal that it mst. have to command the devoted comaitment of capable young people in sufficient numbers. eof aan Favorable Factors for the Grucial Years At the outset of this report, it was pointed out that 1955-1965 are crucial years for the professional standards movement; that in this period the great danger to the movement is that the public may become convinced that it is impossible to get and keep the qualified teachers the schools desperately need and may, therefore, acquiesce in proposals to cut standards See Arthur D. Morse. "Bay City Beats the Teacher Shortage.” er's, November 11, 1955. p. 36. Also see oo for Tomorrow. gol for the Advancement of Education, New York: the » November 1955. PPe 38-43. ; a of teaching services, Rich America can get and keep the qualified teachers it needs for all of its children, but to accomplish this the achievement of certain conditions are essential. Basically, a mind set is required on the part of both the public and the profession: That what this nation requires, peculiarly so because of its exhalted position among the free nations of the world, is the highest possible quality of teaching services and facili- ties and that there are no easy or simple or inexpensive substitutes for these essentials, Non-descript adjustments and makeshift expedients need not be resorted to, Indeed, if they are, then a real solution will thereby probably be indefinitely postponed, What is meant by a "reasonable" balance anda "full" balance? By "reasonable" balance is meant the meeting of the demands for new teachers each year from the college graduating class, and supplemental sources, for two purposes — to replace those who leave the profession and to provide teachers for newly-created positions as a result of increased enrollments. This need, for the dual purposes described above, would run about 125,000 teachers a year and would assume the continuation of approximate present conditions until 1961-62, To provide a "full" balance means to supply these two basic needs as well as the additional needs of replacing those with inadequate pre- parations, providing additional curriculum services, and reducing over= » there is little hope of eliminating these last four conditions before about 1965. But we can get a balance for the first two purposes by 1961-62, . all An awareness of the dangers of hard and fast predictions should be indicated. No one, however expert, can accurately forecast the future of teacherssupply and demand, There are too many variables in the situation, too many new and unexpected factors which may arise at any moment to in- fluence favorably or adversely both the supply and the demand, for the most competent forecaster to be categorical in his projections. But there are enoush Se ea The above statement mst be "iffy" in nature; that is, it mst be based upon certain assumptions, certain "ifs." What are these "ifs"? . If our average annual need for new qualified teachers for the decade may be assessed at 120,000~150,000, . If we contime to get a comparable flow (comparable to that of recent years) of qualified former teachers and college gradu- ates into teaching. ae If the number of teachers employed on emergency certificates is stabilized at approximately the current level -- some 30,000. If college enrollments increase as they have since 1954. If the holding power of teaching can be stabilized at present levels or increased by steady improvement of the relative eco- nomic conditions of teachers. If the movement to raise the standards for the selection, pre- paration, certification, inservice growth, and welfare of teachers continues unabated, With these conditions set forth, attention now may be given to the favorable factors which seem to justify the above predictions, What are the favorable factors which justify the prospects for predicting that teacher supply and demand can be brought into reasonable balance by 1962 and into real balance by 1965? They are as follows: 1. It appears now that college enrollments are increasing at such a rate as to promise total enrollments by 1962 sufficiently high to produce a college graduating class of 400,000, If the present rate of new college graduates prepared each year for teaching (30.5 per cent) is maintained or increased, this size graduating class will produce the 125,000 new teachers estimated to be needed for these two purposes. The average yield, in terms of size of the college graduating class, by the total college enrollment in the eight-year period of 1945-1955, was about 14.5 per cent; that is, on the average, the college graduating class in a given year was 14.5 per cent of the total college student body. Compensating for abnormal enrohluent years, because of returning war veterans, for two. years of that eight-year period an estimated average of 12.5 per cent would seem to be reasonable. Thus, an enrollient of about 3,200,000 will yield a graduating class of about 400,000. We shall reach this enrodlment in 1961-62, As a matter of fact, the total enrollment for this college year 1955-56 is not going to miss 3,000,000 very mech. We hit an all-time peak in college enrollments in 1954-55, after serious declines between 1950 and 1953. In this last year (1954-55), for example, the college-age pool (16-21) reached the lowest level since the late 1920's, yet we had the highest college enroll-~ ment in our history. This clearly indicates that our economic situation and other factors are stepping up the proportion of college-age students who are actually attending college. These rapidly increased college en- roliments, and all the evidences we have seem to indicate that they will continue, are the greatest single factor which induces our optimism about getting more teachers. 2. The production of teachers turned up last year about one and one- half per cent for the first time since 1950, when everybody who is familiar with the situation predicted another 5 or.6 per cent decline. Again this year, Dr. Maul advises me, from tabulations of early returns from states in the 1956 teacher supply-demand study, another sizable upturn is indicated, It appears tvident that as college enrollments contime to increase year after year, between now and 1965, we will get significant increases in the production of teachers each year, 3. The evidence indicates that in the last two years the increase in enrollments in teacher education have greatly exceeded the increases in general college enrollments throughout the country. In some institue tions these increases in teacher education enrollment run as-high as 30 to 40 per cent. The extent of increased enrollments in teacher education is indicated in Walters 1955-56 study of college enrollments. He says: "Recruits for the depleted ranks of teaching are on the way in encouraging numbers, . . -Last year there was an increase of 19.4 per cent; this fall there is an increase of 13.2 per cent over 1954." Reports to the NEA Research Division indicate that in 25 states enrollments in teacher edu- cation in 1955-56 are "“mch larger" than in 195-553 22 states report "about the same"; and only 1 state reported "smaller" enrollments, 4, The proportion of each college graduating class which has prepared for teaching has inereased steadily each year since 1948, with the excep- tion of one year. In 1948, 20.9 per cent of the graduating class had pre- pared for teaching; in 1955, the percentage had risen to 30.5 of the college graduating class of that year. It is realized, as is pointed out in Teachers for Tomorrow, that about one-third of those prepared for teaching each year do not take teaching jobs in September following their graduation. They go into the Arny, they take other jobs, they contime study in graduate school, they get married, or for other reasons they do not go into teaching that fall. However, there seems to be pretty good evidence that we are attracting into teaching each year deflectees from other years about equal in number to the deflectecs from the previous gollege graduating class, These two tend to balance each other and the figure is not as serious as it would seem to be, Remember, it was pointed out previously that in some states 50 per cent or more of the new teachers employed each year came in large part from deflectees of former years. 5. The steady increase in recent years in the proportion of women students in the college student body in the college population ms been pronounced, Since 50 per cent or more of the women in each college grad- uating class (at least this has been true since 1952) have prepared for teaching, since two out of three of the college graduates each year who have prepared for teaching are women, since three of every four employed teachers are women, and since three out of four of the wommn in each college graduating class who have prepared for teaching actually take teaching jobs the next year, it is extremely significant for the future teacher supply that the proportion of women in the college student body has been increasing rapidly since 1947. Take 1947 as the index year of 100 for both men and women in the college student body; there were only 99 men in 1955 but 143 women, In 1950, 76 per cent of the college grad- uating class were men, 24 per cent were women; in 1955, the percentage of men had declined to 64 and that of women increased to 36. In other words, the number of men in the college graduating class declined by 148,000 between 1950 and 1955, while the number of women declined by only 1,000, The U. S. Office of Education estimates that there will be still greater increases in the proportion of women in the college student body in the future. By 1962, there will be 193 women for every 100 enrolled in 1948; and by 1965, there will be 223,. This factor of the increasing proportion of women in student bodies is generally overlookee in calculating future production of teachers, This factor cannot help but have a tremendously favorable influence in increasing the supply of teachers, ~ 6 «a 6. The anma} production of elementary teachers has been almost trebled since 1948. In that period the number of states requiring the degree for elementary teachers has been more than doubled — 15 in 1946 to 31 in 1955. It seems that, we are justified in the assumption that higher standards have influenced favorably teacher supply. It is true that the production of high school teachers has declined in that period, but it should be pointed out that there has been no real elevation of standards for high school teachers in that period because most states were already at the degree level in 1948, Furthermore, the decline in college graduating classes, which was predominately men, hit the secondary school field the hardest, Of course, the importance of the mastern/of basic selences and mathe- matics by our students cannot be minimized in the technological world in which we live, But neither can the mastery of history and philosophy and literature and the arts. As someone remarked during World War II, when there was a drive to abandon or minimize every subject not directly con=- nected with the war effort: "The historians and the poets and the phil- osophers are not essential to the war effort; they are only essential to civilization." Involved, one suspects, in efforts which appear to overstate the case for the sciences, overstate the weaknesses of our schools, and overstate the weaknesses of teacher education as a prime cause of the shortage of belence teachers, is the desire to create a special prestige status for teachers of those fields. The latent hypocrisy in current laments about the science teacher shortage is eloquently illustrated by the following quote from President Perkins of the University of Delaware: “Within the past week, our State has lost a potential high school selence teacher before he ever set foot ina class~ room -- a Delaware senior whose original goal was to become a teacher, This science major, who is a very personable young man, but who has attained only an average scholastic record, has been offered a starting salary of almost $6,000 a year by a. Delaware corporation, While we are pleased with this student's good fortune, there is no mystery about the shortage of teachers when incidents such as this point to what is generally prevalent, Here is a student with no umusual scholastic achievement, no previous experience or exceptional talent being offered a starting position in in- dustry at a salary higher than he could ever earn in the public schools of Delaware, Not only does this wage represent more than any of our high school teachers are earning, but it is $1,000 greater than that paid to assistant professora at the University of Delaware, In fact, this salary is almost as much as we pay our associate professors who have a doctor of philosophy degree and many years of experience, ee "The long-run effect of this inequity in the salary situation means that these very industries which are ‘now hiring inex- perienced people and must pay such good wages to secure them will soon have: no one to hire wecause there will be no ade~ quately trained teachers in the schools and colleges to in- struct them." There is a shortage of seience teachers =- a serious one == but it is seriously to be doubted that the special prestige or status approach for any teaching field is the sound approach. We must overcome teacher short- ages by a new st&tus, a higher prestige, for all teachers. Here is an area of great temptation which, if the profession succambs to it, cannot help but worsen rather than help our teacher supply situation, More than a century ago, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote of this country; WAmerica is a land of wonders in which everything is in constant motion, only what he has not yet attempted to do." This rich nation can get the teachers it needs if it wants really to do so. The evidence indicates that we are beginning to win the battle to provide qualified teachers for our schools, That battle, of course, is not going to be won tomorrow, but we are making decided gains. If the American people are willing to support the profession in efforts to con= tinue to raise its standards, if the American people are willing to’ provide the remuneration to permit teaching to compete realistically with occupations which are now taking its qualified teachers, it is not too pptimistic to believe that we can begin to get a reasonable balance of teacher supply= demand by 1961-62 and a full balance. by 1965. \ The American people had better lose no time in providing a fully- \ qualified teacher for every child, We are too small a part of our way \ of life to fritter away any of our human resources, We have no manpower \ to sacrifice to ignorance or civic imeompetence. In the decade ahead, \ may our performances more nearly equal our professions. NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET. NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. August 15, 1955 To Editors of Journals of State Education Associations Dear Editor: For a number of years George I. Linn of Sacramento has covered the annual summer conventions of the NEA in the manner described in the attached manuscript. Perhaps you have seen this project. This statement prepared by Mr. Linn will give you any authentic information you may wish to use in connection with calling atten- tion to this project or using it somewhere in your work. Sincerely, Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations "TRAVELIN' SAM" "Travelin! Sam" is an audio-visual report of the NEA Convention in Chicago produced and distributed by George I. Linn, 2650 Sierra Blvd,, Sacramento, California, Mr. Linn has been developing this type of reporting for the last five years, and his report last year was used 27 places in 18 states for close to 4,000 persons, He became so much enthused by the possibilities that he invested in high precision slide-making equipment and a professional tape recorder. The distinctive feature of this report is that you hear what the speaker said in his own voice when you see his picture on the screen. Also you will hear choral, pageant, organ, and instrumental music while looking at the pictures of those who pro- duced it. These were recorded at the time they were presented at the convention. Not only will pictures and voices of president Waurine Walker, Dr. William G, Carr, Adlai Stevenson, Harold Stassen, and other important personages be seen and heard, but scenes fram every phase of the convention will be enjoyed. These will include the Department of Classroom Teachers, the NEA Journal, the pageant, committee and commission sessions, the celebrities dinner, exhibits, and many others, titravelin' Sam" is a half hour enthusiastically presented program, It will bring back fond memories of those who were in attendance at the Chicago Convention. It will enthuse those who were unable to attend. It will encourage all teachers to more fully appreciate what membership in this great professional organization can mean. No one seeing this "Travelin' Sam" will have any doubt as to the meaning of the statement: The NEA belongs to the geachers of America - it is their greatest heritage; their biggest supporter in the nation's capital. The pictures used in this "Travelin’ Sam" report are full rich color KODACHRCMES , They are the action shots taken while activity was in full swing, and they are close-ups for best identification. "Travelin’ Sam" is distributed postpaid on a SATISFACTION GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK BASIS for a rental fee of $7.50. Orders will be filled for first date requested as far as possible. All money received in excess of expenses will be sent to the NEA BUILDING FUND to the credit of the person, association, and state using the "show" on a prorated basis. It is a non-profit venture as far as Mr, Linn is concerned. Mr, Linn is an English teacher and counselor in the Sacramento Senior High School. He is past president of the California Teachers Association, Northern Section, and he is a life member of both the CTA and the NEA, He is the author of the symbol used on all NEA literature, the leader in the movement to do away with Rule 4a, and the "father" of the $50 Club. His "Travelin' Sam" show is a hobby, and altho he is an amateur he will not be satisfied with less than the best and will produce as wear a professional job as possible. = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Virginia R. Powell FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE iIman ILLINOIS COLLEGE OFFICIAL TO HEAD NEA CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION COMMISSION Washington, D.C., July 29--Paul Street, director of regional services, Northern Illinois State College, DeKalb, has been appointed director of the Centennial Celebra- tion of the National Education Association, it was announced here today by William G. Carr, NEA executive secretary. NEA will observe its 100th anniversary in 1957. Dr. Street, who will be on leave of absence from the college for the next two years, will assume his new post September 1. In his new capacity he will work with members of the NEA Centennial Commission to coordinate and initiate activities and projects witich will bring to the attention of the public the needs, aims and achieve= ments of the schools. During the centennial year the million members of the Association and its affiliated organizations will join with thousands of lay citizens throughout the United States and possessions to consider the role of public education in a changing world. In commenting on his appointment, Dr. Street said: "The NEA Centennial Celebration will make America more conscious of her stake in education and of the crucial role of the teaching profession in American life. "The century mark should mean a celebration but not just that. I see it asa point for inspecting the foundations of American life as they are related to education. t should be a stock-taking and should provide a summit point from which teachers ani lay citizens will get a better perspective of their responsibilities regarding the schools," Ill. College Official Dr. Street is a native of Bloomfield, Mo., and attended high school in St. Louis County. He received a Bachelor of Education degree from Northern Illinois State College in 1932 and his master's and doctorate degrees from Northwestern University in 1936 and 1947, respectively. He taught school for many years in Missouri and Illinois before joining the staff of Northern Illinois State College in 1938, In 1948-1949, Dr. Street was chairman of the 50th anniversary celebration at NISC and was also chairman of the Illinois Education Association's Centennial Observance in 1953-54. He is also a past president of the IEA. He is a life member of the NEA. While on the staff at NISC, Dr. Street was editor of The Northern Alumnus, journal of the NISC alumni association, and of Education Today, a quarterly publication. The Centennial Celebration Commission is composed of the following members: Robert D. Bailey, executive secretary, New Hampshire Education Association; Mrs. Rollin —_—— Brown, president, National Congress of Parents and Teachers; Rufus E. Clement, president, Atlanta (Ga..) University; Norman Cousins, editor, The Saturday Review; Harold Fellows, president, National Association of Radio and TV Broadcasters; John H. Fischer, suerte tendent, Baltimore City Public Schools; Willard E. Givens, former NEA executive secretary; Eric Johnston, president, Motion Picture Association; Grayson Kirk, president, Columbia University, N.Y.; Raymond Miller, consultant, Food and Agriculture Organization, and lecturer, Harvard School of Business; Walter P. Reuther, president, CIO; Helen Ryan, NEA state director and field representative, Illinois Education Association; Raymond Stites, curator in charge of educational work, National Gallery of Art; Mrs. Theodore Waller, forum director, New York Herald Tribune; Louise A. Walter, president, Kansas State Teachers Association; Allen H. Wetter, associate superintendent, Philadelphia Public Schools; Nell Wilcoxen, past president, NEA Department of Classroom Teachers; J.C. Wright, state superintendent of schools, Iowa; William G. Carr, ex officio, NEA executive secretary; and J.L. Buford, NEA president. ### = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy K. Wilson Room 600, Conrad Hilton Hotel Chicago, Illinois FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 15,000 EDUCATORS TO ASSEMBLE IN CHICAGO, JULY 3-8 Washington, D.C., July (--) -- Adlai Stevenson, Presidential candidate in the last general election, and Harold Stassen, special assistant to the President of the United States on problems of disarmament, will be among the prominent speakers at the 93rd annual convention of the National Education Association in Chicago, July 3-8, Major sessions will be held in the Chicago Stadium. Mr. Stevenson, who is now practicing law in Chicago, will address the second general assembly of the teachers convention on Wednesday evening, July 6. Mr. Stassen will speak at the third general session on Friday evening, July 8. The 1955 convention, expected to attract approximately 15,000 teachers, school officials and friends of education, will have as its theme "America's Main Power: Educated Man Power." Delegates and participants will come from every state, the District of © Columbia, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico to take part in various convention sessions. The convention will get underway with a vesper service in the Grand Ballroom of the Conrad’ Hilton Hotel, July 3, with an address by Dr. Edward Heinsohn, University Methodist Church, Austin, Texas. Benjamin C. Willis, general superintendent of Chicago public schools, will bring greetings from the host city at the first general assembly, Monday evening, July , and William G, Carr, NEA executive secretary, will report on the Association's activities and achievements during the past year. NEA President, Waurine Walker, will make a major address at one of the representative assembly meetings. The convention schedule calls for meetings of more than twenty NEA departments, special conferences of NEA's committees and commissions, and many sectional meetings and discussion groups in major hotels in the Loop area. The NEA is a national professional organization of teachers, with a membership of more than 600,000. Of the 15,000 teachers and educators who are expected to attend the convention this year, 5,500 will be delegates officially representing state and local education associations, ### NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. June 24, 1955 To: Editor, State Education Association Journal President, State Education Association Executive Secretary, State Education Association For several years the NEA Convention Press Office has made arrangements to take pictures for the state education journals of a few leaders from each state with each candidate for the NEA presidency and vice-presidency. Similar arrangements have been made for the Chicago Convention to be held July 3~July 8. A schedule is enclosed for these photographs which will be made in Room 14, fourth floor, Conrad Hilton Hotel, Wednesday, July 6. A copy of this letter is being sent to the editor of each state journal and to the president and executive secretary of the state education association so that all of those concerned will be aware of the plans for the photographs. NEA If more than one candidate is nominated for these/ offices, arrangements will be made for the photographer to take a picture of each candidate with each group of state leaders, although a print will be developed only of the group with the winning candidate. The cost to each state education association journal for this service will be $3 for making the picture and for one & x 10 glossy print, plus mailing charges. Additional glossy prints may be obtained for $1.25 each. The photograph and invoice will be mailed directly to each magazine by Oscar Smolka, Photographer, 63 East Adams Street, Chicago 3; telephone--Wabash 2-0056. A blank is enclosed for your convenience in placing an order to have your picture made. On the order blank is a space in which you should give your instruc- tions for mailing and billing. If some emergency develops so that you can not have your leaders present at the time which has been scheduled, please get in touch with me at the NEA press office in Room 600 at the Conrad Hilton Hotel and schedule a new appointment, or you may leave a note for me at the mail desk of the Conrad Hilton Hotel. During the past few years many ef the state journals have oarried photographs of their state leaders with the newly elected NEA officers as one of their pictorial features on the convention. We wish to cooperate with you in every way in obtaining good photographs again this year. In order to obtain the photograph(s), it means that the candidate(s) for the NEA offices must follow a strenuous schedule of several hours while the photographs are made. For this reason, it will be very much appreciated if all members of your group can report promptly for the photograph when it is scheduled. BF:fkb Press and Radio Encl. NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. June 10, 1955 To the Editor: The. 15,000 teachers, in¢luding the 5,000 members of the Representative Assembly, who will attend the\93rd annual NEA convention in Chicago, July 3-8, will represent almost every community in the United States, including your own, Enclosed is a copy of the NEA News describing some of the features of the convention which we believe you will wish to cover, either through a staff correspondent, or your wire services, A call to the office of the local superintendent of schools will enable you to kearn what teachers from your own community will attend and what part they will play in this annual meting of the National Education Association. A convention Press Office will be located in the Conrad Hilton Hotel beginning Friday, July 1, for the use of reporters covering the meeting. Typewriters and telephones will be available for their convenience. We will be grateful if you will let us know whether you plan to send a staff correspondent, or to rely on your wire services for convention coverage. We will assist in securing hotel accommodations for your representa-= tive, if you wish. On the back of this letter is a reply form. Sincerely yours, Belmo arley, Press and Radio Relations REPLY FORM Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations National Education Association 1201 Sixteenth Street, N.W. Washington 6, D.C, We plan to assign the following correspondent to cover the 93rd Annual Meeting of the National Education Association in Chicago, Illinois, July 3-8: Name Publication Mailing address Please make the following type hotel reservation: (Check preference) Single room Double room; for arrival on (date) morning afternoon evening. 3 Approximate price of room per day: Departure date: Note: NEA will wire your correspondent the name of his hotel. VER) It will not be possible to assign a correspondent to cover the Chicago Convention. We shall request coverage through the wire services. Signed: Newspaper: City and State: = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4.4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy K. Wilson FOR RELEASE: A.M. PAPERS, WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 19 NEW BOOKLET "IT'S HIGH TIME" SUGGESTS STANDARD OPERATING EQUIPMENT FOR PARENTS OF TEENAGERS Washington, D. C., May 31--Standard operating equipment for the parent of a youngster of high school age ought to be a shockproof constitution, limitless supplies of patience, and an ability to roll with the punches. So says It's High Time, a O-page illustrated handbook for parents of teenagers, published today by the National Association of Secondary-School Principals and the National School Public Relations Association, departments of the National Education Association, and the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. Written for parents who want to help their youngsters achieve a smooth transition from elementary or junior high into the world of high school, It's High Time covers such universal problems as how adolescents grow, teenage fads, family rules on curfews, use of the car, dating, and home chores. Also discussed are the new and sometimes-confusing matters related directly to entrance into high school - - courses of study, choosing a vocation, establishing good study habits, making friends, picking extraclass activities, extra expenses - - which face the freshman and his family. Special note is paid to the "safety valves" set up in high school to help the student make wise adjustments and decisions - - systems of counseling and guidance, parent-teacher conferences, cumulative record-keeping, organizations like the P.T.A. and the Parent-Teacher Student Association. Several parent "types" are described - - the Superior Being, the Nervous Nellie, the Heavy Chaperone, and others - - whose attitudes, says the handbook, are "almost guaranteed to produce rebellion in their teenagers." Recommended as an alternative is the "family council" method of settling differences when friction flares between teenagers and their parents. In the family council, says It's High Time, "each member gets to speak his piece, and out of the family pow-wow come rules for living to which everybody can adhere without losing face." A joint committee of high school principals and representatives of the P.T.A. served as advisers in the preparation of this handbook which has been reviewed by high school students, mothers and fathers in all sections of the country. It's High Time is available from either the National Association of Secondary-School Principals or the National School Public Relations Association, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N-W.-, Washington 6, D, C. 3 HF = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy K. Wilson FOR RELEASE: A.M. PAPERS, WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 1956 NEW BOOKLET "IT'S HIGH TIME" SUGGESTS STANDARD OPERATING EQUIPMENT FOR PARENTS OF TEENAGERS Washington, D. C., May 31--Standard operating equipment for the parent of a youngster of high school age ought to be a shockproof constitution, limitless supplies of patience, and an ability to roll with the punches. So says It's High Time, a O-page illustrated handbook for parents of teenagers, published today by the National Association of Secondary-School Principals and the National School Public Relations Association, departments of the National Education Association, and the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. Written for parents who want to help their youngsters achieve a smooth transition from elementary or junior high into the world of high school, It's High Time covers such universal problems as how adolescents grow, teenage fads, family rules on curfews, use of the car, dating, and home chores. Also discussed are the new and sometimes-confusing matters related directly to entrance into high school - - courses of study, choosing a vocation, establishing good study habits, making friends, picking extraclass activities, extra expenses - - which face the freshman and his family. Special note is paid to the "safety valves" set up in high school to help the student make wise adjustments and decisions - - systems of counseling and guidance, parent-teacher conferences, cumulative record-keeping, organizations like the P.T.A. and the Parent-Teacher Student Association. Several parent "types" are described - - the Superior Being, the Nervous Nellie, the Heavy Chaperone, and others - - whose attitudes, says the handbook, are "almost guaranteed to produce rebellion in their teenagers." Recommended as an alternative is the "family council" method of settling differences when friction flares between teenagers and their parents. In the family council, says It's High Time, "each member gets to speak his piece, and out of the family pow-wow come rules for living to which everybody can adhere without losing face." A joint committee of high school principals and representatives of the P.T.A. served as advisers in the preparation of this handbook which has been reviewed by high school students, mothers and fathers in all sections of the country. It's High Time is available from either the National Association of Secondary-School Principals or the National School Public Relations Association, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N-W-, Washington 6, D, C. ‘ Hf = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR RELEASE: May and June Journals STASSEN AND STEVENSON TO SPEAK AT 93rd ANNUAL NEA CONVENTION IN CHICAGO, JULY 3 - 8 Washington, D.C., April -- Two national political leaders will be among the banner speakers at the 93rd annual convention of the National Education Association in Chicago, July 3-8. Harold Stassen, director, Foreign Operations Administration, and Adlai Stevenson, democratic presidential candidate in 1952, have accepted invitations from NEA President Waurine Walker to address the nation's largest general educational convention. Major sessions will be held in Chicago stadium. The 1955 convention will be another full-scale "come-one-come all" convention similar to the annual meeting in New York City last year. Some 15,000 teachers, school officials and friends of education are expected to participate, The Chicago convention will open with a vesper service in the Conrad Hilton Hotel, July 3. Dr. Edward Heinsohn, University Methodist Church, Austin, Texas, will deliver the vesper address, Music will be provided by the Blue Jacket Choir from the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Benjamin C, Willis, general superintendent of Chicago public schools, will bring greetings from the host city at the first general assembly, Monday evening, July he William G, Carr, NEA executive secretary, will tell of the activities and achievements of the Association during the past year. Mr. Stevenson, who is now practicing law in Chicago, will address the second (more) NEA CONVENTION =2-. general assembly on Wednesday evening, July 6. FOA Director Stassen, newest member of President Eisenhower's cabinet, will speak at the third general assembly, Friday, July 8. His subject will be "The Search for Peace." President Walker will give the traditional presidential address at one of the evening sessions. Two major innovations in the convention program have been planned this year, One calls for dividing the representative assembly for a half-day into a series of small discussion groups on Wednesday afternoon, July 6. The group meetings will discuss NEA services and participants will have an opportunity to evaluate and make suggestions about the association's services, The second innovation calls for devoting morning and afternoon sessions, Thursday, July 7, to the discussion of major professional problems. Among the general topics to be considered are: school finance, education and the future of America, instruction, status and security of the profession, professional standards, what the public expects of its schools, implications for education of scientific progress, clinic for local leaders, amd the NEA Centennial Workshop. Morning sessions will feature prominent lay and professional leaders, The afternoon will be devoted to a number of small discussion groups in which participants will consider specific phases of the above topics. More than twenty NEA department meetings are scheduled for Monday, July h. Tuesday afternoon, July 5, will be reserved for open meetings of NEA committees and commissions. Sectional meetings and discussion groups will be scheduled in major hotels in Chicago. A vast number of professional and lay leaders will participate in the various phases of the convention program. They include: Mrs, Rollin Brown, first vice-president, National Congress of Parents and Teachers; Samuel Brownell, U.S. Commissioner of Education; Seaborn Collins, national commander, American Legion; Theodore Schultz, economist, University of Chicago; Charles Nelson, president, American Foundation for Political Education, Chicago; Msgr. Timothy O'Leary, head, Catholic Schools, Boston, Mass.; William Avirett, assistant to president, Carnegie Endowment, New York; Earl McGrath, president, University of Kansas City; Thomas Marshall, attorney and member, Chicago Board of Education; Lloyd Richmond, director of personnel, Marshall Field, Chicago; Dale Hiestand, National Manpower Council, New York, N.Y. $ Bowen C. Dees, program director for fellowships, National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C. W.W. Bauer, director, Bureau of Health Education, American Medical Association; Herbert Nursey, president, National Union of Teachers of England and Wales, Norwich, England; Lawrence A. Kimpton, chancellor, University of Chicago; John Vandercook, ABC commentator, New York City; Robert E, Wilson, chairman of the board, Standard Oil Company of Indiana; Frank Bane, executive director, Council of State Governments, Chicago; E.T. McSwain, dean, school of education, Northwestern University; Francis Chase, dean, school of education, University of Chicago; Ralph Tyler, director, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.$ B. L. Dodd, dean, school of education, University of Illinois, Urbana; Willard Olson, dean, school of education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Mary L, Williams, teacher, Charleston, W. Va. Sessions for the 5,000 members of the Representative Assembly are scheduled to be held in the morning of July 5 and 6 and in the morning and afternoon, July 8. All members of the association may observe these sessions, Among the major items on the Representative Assembly agenda are: nomination of officers for 1955-56; action on a California sponsored amendment proposing to raise dues $1, which would be earmarked for capital outlay, effective in 1956; action on resolutions and budget for 1955-56; reports on the proposed general revision of NEA ByLaws and the NEA Center Building Fund; the annual Honor Roll in recognition of (more) NEA CONVENTION -3- outstanding membership achievement; reports of the treasurer and chairman of the NEA Board of Trustees; and reports concerning the Centennial Action Program and Centennial Celebration. Commercial exhibits, featuring approximately 200 booths from various school supply and equipment firms will be held in the Exhibit Hall of the Conrad Hilton Hotel, The exhibit will open, Sunday, July 3, and close at noon, Friday, July 8. Non-commercial exhibits by NEA units will be on display in the hotel's Normandie Lounge. While in Chicago, NEA members and their friends will wish to take time to visit such points of interest as the Art Institute, the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Science and Industry, the numerous universities’in the Chicago area, the Chicago Stock Yards, the Planetarium, radio and TV studios, industrial plants, and other points of interest. Other highlights of the convention week include: The annual FTA Notables Dinner will be held Sunday night, July 3, in the Congress Hotel. This will be an occasion to pay tribute to FTA pioneers, including sponsors past and present. The Classroom Teachers Banquet will be held in the ballroom of the Conrad Hilton Hotel, uesday night, July 5, and wi be followed by the Illinois Education Association Centennial Pageant, "The Past is Prologue," staged in the Chicago Stadium. The President's Reception, jointly sponsored by the NEA and the Texas State Teachers Association, Will be held Wednesday night, July 6, in the Grand Ballroom of the Conrad Hilton Hotel. The Celebrities Dinner, Thursday night, July 7, at the Palmer House, will follow the same traditional format as in other years. Topflight TV talent will be a feature of the entertainment. John F. locke, director, Community Relations, Cincinnati Public Schools and president of the National School Public Relations Association will be in charge of the dinner. Tickets will be available at NEA Registration Headquarters. The traditional Friendship Night, Thursday, July 7, at the Conrad Hilton Hotel, will give members an opportunity to meet candidates for NEA offices. State associations also will hold open house in their convention headquarters on the lth and Sth floors of the Hilton, Balloting for the election of NEA officers scheduled for Friday, July 8. Results will be announced Friday evening. reception for the new president will be held after the general session Friday evening, Premier of "Mike Makes His Mark," the fifth public relations film in a series being produced by the NEA and affiliated state education associations, will be shown at one of the convention sessions. The film is a story of how a would-be deliquent is helped to become a good citizen through a good guidance program, a good enviroment, a well- planned curriculum and with the help of adequately prepared teachers. NEA members and delegates may arrange sightseeing trips of the city through the NEA Travel Division at reduced rates. Tickets may be purchased at booths near the convention registration booth. ttt # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. c. Telephone ADams 4-4855 anization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its te the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance taff is continuously engaged in research and study fhe National Education Association Is the national professional org affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promo the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters s to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR RELEASE: A.M. Papers, Friday, May 20 UCLA EDUCATOR ELECTED PRESIDENT OF ASSOCIATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION Washington, D.C., May 19--B. Lamar Johnson, professor of higher education, University of California at Los Angeles, has been elected president of the Association for Higher Education (AHE) in a nationwide ballot of members, it was announced here today. Dr. Johnson will take office June 1, 1955, for a one-year term. He succeeds John R. Bmens, president, Ball State Teachers College, Muncie, Ind. Results of the election were announced by G. Kerry Smith, AHE executive secretary. AHE, the college and university department of the National Education Association, has 17,000 members in 1,600 of the nation's institutions of higher education, Names of three new members of the executive committee announced in connection with Dr. Johnson's election are: Marjorie Carpenter, chairman and instructor, Humanities Department, Stephens College, Columbia, Mo.; J. Paul Leonard, president, San Francisco State College, San Francisco, Calif.; and Charles C. Cole, Jr., assistant dean of Columbia College, Columbia University, New York City. New executive committee members will serve three-year terms. MORE UCLA EDUCATOR ELECTED PRESIDENT - page two Dr. Johnson received his bachelor of science, master of arts, and doctoral degrees at the University of Minnesota, He served as instructor at Minnesota College for two years and as principal and assistant principal of Minnesota high schools from 1927-30. He was assistant professor at Montclair (N.J.) State Teachers College for one year before going to Stephens College, Columbia, Mo., where he was dean of instruction and librarian from 1931-52. He has been a member of the faculty at UCLA for the past three years. Dr. Johnson was on the staff of the National Survey of Secondary Education for the U.S. Office of Education in 1931 and directed the California Study of General Education in the Junior College during 1950-51. He is chairman of the 1956 yearbook committee for the National Society for the Study of Education, a member of the California Commission for Accrediting Junior Colleges, the National Education Association, and is a member of the executive committee of the Western College Association, Other members of the AHE executive committee are: Robert G. Bone, assistant provost, University of Illinois, Urbana; Elsie Brenneman, director of admissions, Illinois State Normal University; Algo D. Henderson, professor of higher education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Paul C. Reinert, S.J., president, St. Louis University, St. Louis; John Dale Russell, chancellor and executive secretary, New Mexico Board of Educational Finance, Santa Fe; and Dorothea E, Wyatt, dean of women, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. Dr. Bmens, retiring president of the AHE, will also serve on the executive committee in an ex officio capacity. The National Conference on Higher Education, sponsored annually by AHE, is regarded as one of the most representative gatherings of leaders in higher education in the United States. Other services of the association include cooperative programs with other national educational organizations on legislative matters, publications, and liaison with government agencies. ## # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff ts continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information: Belmont Farley, Roy K. Wilson For Release: A.M. Papers, Mon., May 17 Note to Editor: Attached is a list of the 324 finalists in the National Honor Society Scholarship Program. You may wish to check it for the names of other participants from your community and state. LOUISVILLE STUDENT RANKED BRIGHTEST HIGH-SCHOOL SENIOR IN 1954 NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIP TEST Washington, D. C., May 17--A duPont Manual High School girl from the Louis- ville, Kentucky Public School System, has been acclaimed the "brightest high-school senior of the year." She is Gwynneth Muriel Gibson, top winner of the 1954 National Honor Society Scholarships and Awards event. The announcement was made here today by Paul E. Elicker, executive secretary, National Association of Secondary-School Principals, a department of the National Education Association. The National Honor Society is administered by the NEA Department. Girls, for the first time in eight years, took most of the top honors by winning three of the five highest ranking scholarships. Gwynneth M. Gibson, the oldest of five children and vice president of the Future Farmers of America and a Junior Red Cross worker, made the highest score in the scholarship examination. She will be awarded a $500 scholarship to any accredited university or college and plans to become a high-school teacher. Competing with her were 8,911 of the highest ranking students from 2,210 public and private schools in the United States and possessions as well as several American schools in foreign countries. The test given to the entrants was described as "extremely difficult" by George E. Shattuck, principal, Norwich (Connecticut) Free Academy, and chairman of a five-member scholarship board which selected the 1954 winners. GIRLS TAKE THE HIGHEST SCHOLASTIC HONORS THIS YEAR Four other awards of $500 each will go to Susan Schwartz, Bassick High School, Bridgeport, Connecticut; Janet Faye Winslow, Rochester High School, Rochester, Minnesota; Joseph Carr Eggleston, Central High School, Memphis, Tennessee; and Lawrence Arthur Kissel, Miami Senior High School, Miami,. Florida. These students made scores just slightly lower than Gwynneth Muriel Gibson. The Kentucky student along with the other 323 finalists was given 77 ques- tions to be completed in 90 minutes. The test--regarded as the "toughest" exa- mination of the year by high-school students—~-stresses a student's "competence in verbal facility and reasoning ability," Dr. Elicker said. Among the questions pondered over by the contestants were: "What important act in American history contains this quotation: 'There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in any terri- nk ages T hereafter be acquired or be annexed to the United "From the eight words CREED, HOPE, ILLUSION, FAITH, BELIEF, RELIGION, TRA- GEDY, WISH, select one that best defines or describes the expression, The assumptions behind habitual acts." "Which one is the best answer of the following five possible answers: 'DATA:CONCLUSION as (1) materials:structure (2) food:satisfaction (3) facts:theory (4) evidence:decision (5) plans:building "At an imaginary point, 0, in the United States three rivers unite to form a fourth. One river flows South, one flows Southwest, one North, and one West. The bed of river A is dry half of the year. Excessive fog tends to form over river B. The water in river C is warm and muddy but that in river DPD is cold and clear. If a dam were constructed in river B for power generation purposes, it would soon become useless by silt deposits above the dam. From your knowledge of the general topography of the United States and from the facts given above, show on your answer sheet which direction each river flows." The annual scholarship project provides $10,000 in scholarships and awards. Out of the 324 finalists, 5 students won scholarships of $500 each and 30 others of $200 each; 17 earned honorary scholarships; 30 were awarded cash awards of $50 each; and 242 earned National Honor Society certificates of merit. The National Honor Society, generally regarded as the "Phi Beta Kappa" of high schools, has over 3 million student members in 5,233 accredited high schools. Students ranked highest in that examination entered the finals. 1954 WINNERS OF THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIPS, AWARDS, AND CERTIFICATES OF MERIT Announced by the Scholarship Board of the National Association of Secondary-School Principals A Department of the National Education Association Washington, D. C. HESE 324 winners are the finalists from a group of 594,243 seniors in 2,210 public and pri- vate secondary schools from all states, the District of Columbia, Alaska, Canal Zone, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and American schools in Germany, Japan, and Mexico. These 324 final- ists attained a percentile rank of 99.946. They were the highest ranking students in a national general aptitude test administered March 23, 1954, by the National Association of Secondary- School Principals to 8,911 high-ranking members of the National Honor Society who were pre- viously chosen from the upper 15 per cent of their senior classes. 5 NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIPS OF $500. These scholarships are for attendance in accredited colleges and universities during 1954-55. Joseph Carr Eggleston Gwynneth Muriel Gibson Lawrence Arthur Kissel Susan Schwartz Janet Faye Winslow Central High School duPont Manual High School Miami Senior High School Bassick High School Rochester High School Memphis, Tenn. Louisville, Ky. Miami, Fla. Bridgeport, Conn. Rochester, Minn. 30 NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIPS OF $200. These scholarships are for attendance in accredited colleges and universities during 1954-55. These students are alter- nates for the $500 National Honor Society Scholarships and are eligible successively in or- der of arrangement. Priscilla Northrop Vera Ann Wroble Richard Jenner Bigelow William S. Neal Robert Thomas Walsh Robert Allan Ridley Parker Erle Keys Adrian Joseph Eugene Dworsky Edward Walter Rice David Grant Hulan Eileen Marie Ouellette Glenn Lee Pfeifer Johanna Ingebore Mead Millie Rochelle Masters Lorraine Katz Jeffrey Leonard Sammons Robert Einsohn Mosher Elizabeth Anne Moody Carolyn Reynolds Susan Grace Moore Jerry Brian Fulmer James Alan Matisoff Alice Helen Panczak Beverley Imogene Ezzell Henry Nathan Pollack Herbert Sumner Waxman John Obert Voll Remington Edward Rose Carolyn Ruth Walch Richard Paul Johnston Meriden High School Technical High School Winner High School Meredith High School Tucson Senior High School Beal High School Temple High School Lamar High School Shade High School Hopkinsville High School Holyoke High School Fairbury High School Peabody High School Bronx High School of Science Austin High School John Adams High School Mamaroneck Sr. High School Jefferson High School Walla Walla High School Nutley High School Franklin Jr.-Sr. High School Malden High Schoo. Spangler High School Midwest City Sr. High School Central High School Boston Latin School Mound High School Rutherford High School Deering High School Wilmerding High School Meriden, Conn. Scranton, Pa. Winner, S. Dak. Meredith, N. H. Tucson, Ariz. Shrewsbury, Mass. Temple, Texas Rosenberg, Texas Cairnbrook, Pa. Hopkinsville, Ky. Holyoke, Mass. Fairbury, Nebr. Pittsburgh, Pa. New York, N. Y. Chicago, Ill. Cleveland, Ohio Mamaroneck, N. Y. Rochester, N. Y. Walla Walla, Wash. Nutley, N. J. Franklin, Pa. Malden, Mass. Spangler, Pa. Midwest City, Okla. Omaha, Nebr. Boston, Mass. Mound, Minn. Rutherford, N. J. Portland, Maine Wilmerding, Pa. 17 NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY HONORARY SCHOLARSHIPS. These students achieved distinguished records in the general aptitude test and in their schools comparable to the 1954 scholarship winners but have sufficient financial resources or other substantial scholarships to assure their attend- ance in college. Peter Wickes Bays Edmund Francis Becker, Jr. Francis Sylvanus Birch Harriet Adele Feinberg Sherry Ruth Feinberg Mary Ellen Florea Ann B. Frank Leroy Michael Gatzkiewicz John David Greenstone Phyllis Joyce Levine Ruth Amy Litt Helen Chalmers Long Elisabeth Ann Mertz Lois Adine Rowley Elizabeth Joanne Seago John Howard Smith John William Wesner, Jr. Falls Church High School Geo. Mason Jr.-Sr. High School Cambridge High and Latin Sch. Olney High School North High School Mt. Morris Com. High School Bayonne High School Fairbanks High School Monroe High School Liberty High School New Rochelle High School Lyons Township High School A. B. Davis High School Mariemont High School Collinsville High School Ithaca High School Jonathan Dayton Regional H. S. Falls Church, Va. Falls Church, Va. Cambridge, Mass. Philadelphia, Pa. Minneapolis, Minn. Mt. Morris, Ill. Bayonne, N. J. Fairbanks, Alaska Rochester, N. Y. Liberty, N. Y. New Rochelle, N. Y. La Grange, Ill. Mount Vernon, N. Y. Cincinnati, Ohio Collinsville, Il. Ithaca, N. Y. Springfield, N. J. 30 NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY AWARDS. These students are alter- nates for the $200 National Honor Society Scholarships and are eligible suc- cessively in order of arrangement. Each will receive a $50 cash award when he enters college. Barbara Jean Lamkin Norman Freed Jack Hirsch Freed Frank O. Shuck Jane Anne Gouwens Anne Elizabeth Johnson William Stuart Riggsby Lennelle i mca! Ira Barton Shepard Robert Thornton Fisher Clarence Bartow Drennon, III Daniel Gordon Lemear Howard Paul Zeiger Joel Bergsman Richard Bein Dobrow Stephanie Frances Niziol Donald Elmer Caddes Frederick Wayne Blackwell David Harold Smith Claudia Wrzesinsky James Clyde Armstrong James Paul Costa La Dean Faller Garey Jane Garvin Antonio Ramirez John Howard Flittie Barbara Ann Zurovec Marilyn Veryl Schripsema William David Zabe Elizabeth Ann Hormann Wethersfield High School Easton High School Stuyvesant High School Clairton High School Thornton Twp. High School Girls’ Latin School Ashland Senior High School Grandview Heights High School Bronx High School of Science Shortridge High School Bel Air High School Concord High School Niagara Falls High School Kingston High School John R. Buchtel High School Mount St. Joseph Academy Munich American High School Elkhart Senior High School Wooster High School Boonton High School Stonington High School Carter-Riverside High School Mishawaka High School Paris High School High School of Commerce Milbank High School Temple High School Farmington High School Washington High School Marple-Newtown High School Wethersfield, Conn. Easton, Pa. New York, N. Y. Clairton, Pa. Harvey, Ill. Boston, Mass. Ashland, Ky. Columbus, Ohio New York, N. Y. Indianapolis, Ind. Bel Air, Md. Concord, N. H. Niagara Falls, N. Y. Kingston, Pa. Akron, Ohio Buffalo, N. Y. Munich, Germany Elkhart, Ind. Wooster, Ohio Boonton, N. J. Stonington, Conn. Fort Worth, Texas Mishawaka, Ind. Paris, Texas New York, N. Y. Milbank, S. Dak. Temple, Texas Farmington, N. Mex. Sioux Falls, S. Dak. Newtown Square, Pa. 242 NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY CERTIFICATES OF MERIT. These students and those listed as winners of scholarships, honorary scholarships, and awards ranked the highest, attaining a percentile rating of 99.946 from a group of 594,243 seniors in 2,210 public and private secondary schools, members of the National Honor Society, including schools from all states, the District of Columbia, Alaska, Canal Zone, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and American schools in Germany, Japan, and Mexico. Janet Louise Agnew William Earl Ainsworth Jesse Clifton Albergotti, Jr. Elna Marie Allen Elinor Newlin Amram John Seller Anson Wellsburg High School North High School Columbia High School Centennial High School Lower Merion Sr. High School Lowell High School Wellsburg, W. Va. Omaha, Nebr. Columbia, S. C. Pueblo, Colo. Ardmore, Pa. San Francisco, Calif. Anne Alice Antrim Layeh Claire Aronson John Milton Badertscher Gust Bambakidis William Louis Banks Robert Lawrence Barton Paul Frank Baum Bernard Beck Barbara Alice Beckwith Doris Susan Berman Stephen Ira Bierman Michael Gannaway Billings James Davis Birkett Conrad Carl Bjerke Millie Blitt Barbara Ellen Bonham Elizabeth Ann Borgman Nancy Norma Bowles Alan Taylor Bradford Ernest King Bramblett, II Walter Charles Braun Ann Dudley Brown Bobbie Margaret Brown Jerry Wayne Brown Michael Wade Brown Stephen Dale Burton Diana Kay Carpenter Donna Carroll William Richard Caspary Charles William Clary William Robert Clayton Diane Claire Commings Melvyn Robert Copen Elizabeth Gail Cox Bruce Owen Cozzini Norman Thomas Crane Virginia Cromwell Susan Jean Curtis Alan Tracy Delahooke Nancy Currier Dorian Sheilah Valerie Doty Roger Peter Dow Dale Norman Dukes Maurice Kevin Dwyer Peter Charles Eckstein Alfred William Edlin Robert Normand Edney Jordan Ellis Martin Epstein Fred Raymond Erisman Ann Ella Faubion Daniel Feinberg Martin Robert Feldman Charles Ronald Feuer Morris Harry Fine Richard David Fink Mabel Arlene Fisher Richard George Fisher Edward Norval Fortson Richard Alan Frankel Robert Burns Fraser Bevan Meredith French Julianne Gilbert Virginia Rhea Gilbert Ralph Bertram Ginsberg Robert David Givey Herman Randolph Gluck Frank Wallace Gobetz Allen Marshall Goldman Donald Robert Green Lucy Ellen Grey Reynolds Andrew Griffith Thomas Allan Griffith Fred Thomas Grolemund Mary Lou Gunshol Joan Marie Guttadora Raymond Stewart Hall, Jr. Richard Hamilton Diantha Sibley Haviland Robert Dale Headrick William Penn High School Von Steuben High School McKinley High School East High School Fair Lawn High School Dumont High School Bronx High School of Science Bronx High School of Science Lake Forest High School Forest Park High School Harrison High School Helena High School Lincoln Academy Eau Claire Senior High School Moline Senior High School Somerville High School Cooley High School Colorado Springs High School N. B. Broughton High School Woodrow Wilson High School Maine Township High School duPont Manual High School Glenville High School Ardmore High School Ardmore High School Bend High School Central High School Landon High School Cheltenham Twp. High School Coleman High School Grafton High School Park County High School Red Hook Central School Central High School Wauwatosa Sr. High School South Broward High School Lexington High School Montgomery Blair High School Academy High School Highland Park High School Central High School English High School Boise Senior High School Immaculate Conception H. S. Thornton Twp. High School Kearny High School Baldwin Jr.-Sr. High School Stuyvesant High School William Hall High School Longview Senior High School Southwest High School A. B. Davis High School Bronx High School of Science Bronx High School of Science Medford High School New Rochelle High School Slatington High School Hornell High School North Fulton High School Bronx High School of Science Newton High School Nutley High School Battin High School Ardmore High School Bronx High School of Science Rye High School Bronx High School of Science W. C. Mepham High School Bronx High School of Science T. R. Proctor High School Highland Park High School Little Rock Sr. High School Lanphier High School Leetsdale High School Notre Dame Preparatory School Kearny High School Northport High School St. Marys High School Southwest High School Bolton High School Harrisburg, Pa. Chicago, Ill. Sebring, Ohio Akron, Ohio Fair Lawn, N. J. Dumont, N. J. New York, N. Y. New York, N. Y. Lake Forest, Ill. Baltimore, Md. Harrison, N. Y. Helena, Mont. Newcastle, Maine Eau Claire, Wis. Moline, Ill. Somerville, N. J. Detroit, Mich. Colorado Springs, Colo. Raleigh, N. C. Washington, D. C. Des Plaines, Ill. Louisville, Ky. Cleveland, Ohio Ardmore, Okla. Ardmore, Okla. Bend, Ore. Charlotte, N. C. Jacksonville, Fla. Elkins Park, Pa. Coleman, Texas Grafton, W. Va. Livingston, Mont. Red Hook, N. Y. Memphis, Tenn. Wauwatosa, Wis. Hollywood, Fla. Lexington, Mass. Silver Spring, Md. Erie, Pa. Highland Park, N. J. Valley Stream, N. Y. Boston, Mass. Boise, Idaho Montclair, N. J. Harvey, Ill. Kearny, N. J. Baldwin, N. Y. New York, N. Y. West Hartford, Conn. Longview, Texas Kansas City, Mo. Mount Vernon, N. Y. New York, N. Y. New York, N. Y. Medford, Mass. New Rochelle, N. Y. Slatington, Pa. Hornell, N. Y. Atlanta, Ga. New York, N. Y. Newton, N. J. Nutley, N. J. Elizabeth, N. J. Ardmore, Okla. New York, N. Y. Rye, N. Y. New York, N. Y. Bellmore, N. Y. New York, N. Y. Utica, N. Y. Highland Park, Il. Little Rock, Ark. Springfield, Ill. Leetsdale, Pa. Baltimore, Md. Kearny, N. J. Northport, N. Y. St. Marys, W. Va. Kansas City, Mo. Alexandria, La. Sidney Joel Heller Sandra Ruth Henckel Victor Duwayne Herlacher Allan S. Hild Katherine Ann Hinckley Jan Q. Holmquist Mary Louise Howe Jane Marie Hritz Robert William Hussey Richard Nelson Hyman Edgar Towar Irons John Merritt James Deborah May Johnson Ann Marshall Johnston Charles Bebee Jones Donald Paul Katz Paul Foran Kelley Ray Gifford Kelly Daniel Schaeffer Kemp Roland Paul Kenschaft Raymond Joseph Kingsley Judith Ann Koucky Robert Julius Kwik Virginia Claire Latad Stephanie Gail Lavender William Leininger Peter David Lenn Harlan Jonathan Lewin Allen LeRoy Limberg Clyde Bruce Lindsley George Whitney London James Norman Lowe Mary Ann Mahoney Constance Mary Marcinowski Ronald Eugene Martell Richard Byam Martin Gordon Norment Matthews David Raymond Mayhew Michael Kay McAbee Nancy Jean McLean Mary Eileen McNamara Glen Alton Miles Peter Lester Milius Dorothy Ellen Milman Frank Coyne Milstead, Jr. John Crawford Mineka Marvin Eli Mishkin Virginia Ann Monafo Richard Redding Monson Patricia Vivian Monte Mary Timmons Moore Gilbert Henry Mortensen Mary Cordelia Mullikin Robert Anthony Myers Theresa Marie Nestin Sanford Millard Nobe Joseph Karl Obold Eleanor Olsen Caroline Janet O’Shaughnessy Frederick William Ostermayer Caryl Ann Owens Marcia Gale Pankratz Ernest Roland Parkinson Mary Anne Parsons Raymond Alexander Patten Ancil Newton Payne, Jr. Merelyn Ruth Pellett Clark William Perry Arthur Saul Pfeffer Robert Alden Phinney Charda Faith Pierce Marie Theresa Pingitore Arthur Orr Pittenger, Jr. Frederick Sheldon Plotkin Philip Pomper Joel Potash Robert Remmington Proctor George H. Quester Jerome Alan Rabow Alan Lee Rappaport East Stroudsburg Sr. H. S. Central High School Centennial High School Baldwin Jr.-Sr. High School R. L. Paschal High School Highland Park High School Littleton High School Hornell High School West Reading High School Forest Park High School Shawnee-Mission High School Newport Harbor Union H. S. Central Kitsap High School Thomas Jefferson High School Centennial High School Amarillo Senior High School Mt. Trinity Academy Central High School Missoula County High School Swarthmore High School Bloom Township High School John Adams High School Belleville High School Woodlawn High School Dover High School St. Mary’s Springs Academy Senn High School Malden High School Jamestown High School Liberty High School Stuyvesant High School McMinnville High School Ferguson High School LaSalle High School Roosevelt High School Ottawa Hills High School C. E. Byrd High School Killingly High School Piedmont High School Avonworth High School Cornwall High School Plainfield High School San Jacinto High School Great Neck Sr. High School Austin High School Ithaca High School Elkhart Senior High School Girls’ Latin School Moorhead Sr. High School Stratford High School Girls’ Preparatory School Boonton High School Proviso Township High School A. B. Davis High School Billings Senior High School Mt. Lebanon High School Reading Senior High School Holy Cross High School Rochester High School Bronx High School of Science St. Paul Park High School Mountain Lake High School Boulder City High School Central High School B. M. C. Durfee High School Gainesville High School Maumee High School Dwight Morrow High School Troy High School Brighton High School Lubbock Senior High School Lake Shore Central School Broad Ripple High School Stuyvesant High School South Shore High School B. M. C. Durfee High School Abraham Lincoln High School Mineola High School Kenmore Senior High School Highland Park High School East Stroudsburg, Pa. Sheboygan, Wis. Pueblo, Colo. Baldwin, N. Y. Fort Worth, Texas Highland Park, Ill. Littleton, Mass. Hornell, N. Y. West Reading, Pa. Baltimore, Md. Merriam, Kan. Newport Beach, Calif. Silverdale, Wash. San Antonio, Texas Pueblo, Colo. Amarillo, Texas Watertown, Mass. Omaha, Nebr. Missoula, Mont. Swarthmore, Pa. Chicago Heights, Il. Cleveland, Ohio Belleville, N. J. Birmingham, Ala. Dover, N. H. Fond du Lac, Wis. Chicago, Ill. Malden, Mass. Jamestown, N. Y. Liberty, N. Y. New York, N. Y. McMinnville, Ore. Ferguson, Mo. Niagara Falls, N. Y. Minneapolis, Minn. Grand Rapids, Mich. Shreveport, La. Danielson, Conn. Piedmont, Ala. Pittsburgh, Pa. Cornwall, N. Y. Plainfield, Ind. Houston, Texas Great Neck, N. Y. El Paso, Texas Ithaca, N. Y. Elkhart, Ind. Boston, Mass. Moorhead, Minn. Stratford, Conn. Chattanooga, Tenn. Boonton, N. J. Maywood, Ill. Mount Vernon, N. Y. Billings, Mont. Mt. Lebanon, Pa. Reading, Pa. Santa Cruz, Calif. Rochester, Minn. New York, N. Y. St. Paul Park, Minn. Mountain Lake, Minn. Boulder City, Nev. Shelbyville, Tenn. Fall River, Mass. Gainesville, Fla. Maumee, Ohio Englewood, N. J. Troy, N. Y. Rochester, N. Y. Lubbock, Texas Angola, N. Y. Indianapolis, Ind. New York, N. Y. Chicago, Ill. Fall River, Mass. Council Bluffs, Iowa Mineola, N. Y. Kenmore, N. Y. Highland Park, Ill. Henry Calhoun Rayburn Susan Jane Ra Fonnie Harvard Reagan, Jr. Mabyn Kean Reeves William Reichel John Martin Reisinger Charlotte Alice Ridi Philip Christopher Ritterbush Grace Eugenie Robertson Fred Lee Robson Harold Marion Ross Charlene Diane Roth Richard Lewis Roth Ann Ryskie David Savitz Virginia May Scarnici Stanley Howard Schachne Ralph Richard Schinzel Carolyn Frieda Schneid John Frederick Schneider Jo Anne Monica Schorum Barbara Susan Schubert Gabriel Herbert Schwartz Cynthia Ellen Sears James Delmond Ren ser aed Thomas Jack Shankland David Merle Shearer John Edward Solarski, Jr. Barbara Ann > James Franklin Stanford Alfred Richard Stein Judith Rae Stenzel Robert Seba Stone Frederick William Studier aM sane. Jules Taylor lor Larry Elliott Tr nt rry a ta Mace Unie ve albert B Sarah Ruth Van Dyck — Bonnie Wade Rayanne Lucille Walter John Forrest Waters Earle Roberts Webster Robert se At ka phen Norman Delbert Whaland, J orman r. Patricia Anne Wilkins Martha — Williams Robert mn Judith Elizabeth Wilson Allan M Robert David Wolfe Janice Marianne Wood Turner Anderson Wood John Joel Woodey Ray Vallee Work, Jr. Linda Ruth Zeller Burke Kisling Zimmerman Messick High School Norwalk High School Ouachita Parish High School Cranford High School Bronx High School of Science Pocatello Sr. High School Concord High School Laconia High School Central High School Edison Senior High School Shawnee-Mission High School Ackley High School Tucson Senior High School Lyons Township High School Bronx High School of Science Eastside High School Stuyvesant High School Thomaston High School Dickinson High School Oakwood High School Maine Township High School Tokyo American High School Bronx High School of Science Weaver High Schoo Bloomington High School ed ty & ibs h os Oceanside High ache Bronx Hi ool of Science Cc. E. B i h School Bronx High School of Science Southwest = h School a hool Waverl igh Norwich High School Westfield High School Haverford Twp. Sr. High School Bethesda-Chevy Chase H. 8S. A. B. Davis High School Colorado Springs High School Pensacola High School Thornton Twp. High School Ramsey High School Monroe High School University High School South Huntington gh Schoo School South Shore Butler High Selene Lyons Township *tigh School Lake Forest High ool Montgomery Blair High School Bangor Senior sh hool Bayonne High Schoo! Bronx High School of Science Oxon Hill High School Bethlehem Central High School Jefferson os Junior College Rochester High School Bronx High ool of Science Pocatello Sr. High School Washburn High School Cc. E. B High School Bronx h ool ~ Science Cranston High Schoo Dundee Community High School Stuyvesant High Bronx High ool of Science Glenville High School North Little Rock Sr. H. S Baltimore on he m9 College Columbia Hig Sewickley High Schoo Dover High Memphis, Tenn. Norwalk, Conn. Monroe, aa Cranford, N. New York N. 4, Pocatello, Idaho Concord, N. C Laconia, N. H. Charlo’ N. C. Miami, Fla. Merriam, Kan. Ackley, lowa Tucson, Ariz. La Grange, Il. New Yor N. Se Paterson, New Jersey New York, N. Y. Thomaston, Conn. Jersey City, N. J. Dayton, Ohio Teky ag Til. okyo, Japan New York, N. Y. Hartford, Conn. Bloomington, Ill Boulder City, Nev. Wilkinsbu Oceanside, N. Y New York, N. Y. Shreveport, La. New York, N. Y. — s City, Mo. ewpo: Waverly, Towa Norwi We viid F Pa Havertown, P: Bethesda, Md. Mount ——_ N. Y. Pittsb Brain vin Ysleta, T Colorado ‘Spr rings, Colo. Pensaco! Harvey, I Ramsey, N. J. Rochester, N. Y. Iowa City, Iowa esa | Station, N. Y. Chicago, Il Butler, N. ee range, Ill Lake Forest, Til. Silver Spring, Md. Bangor, Maine Bayonne, N. J. New York, N. Y. Oxon Hill, Md. Delmar, N. Y. Jefferson City, Mo. Rochester, Minn. New York, N. Y. Pocatello, I Minneapolis, Minn. Shreveport, La. New York, N. Y. Cleveland, Ohio North vomex* pe Ark. = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 46, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or M, Ruth Broom FOR RELEASE: April 22, 1955 NATION'S SCHOOLS EDITOR TO HEAD NEW COMMITTEE, AASA ANNOUNCES TODAY Washington, D.C., April 22 -- Hollis A. Moore, Jr., associate editor, The Nation's Schools, will head a newly created information committee of the Cooperative Program in Educational Administration (CPEA), it was announced here today by Worth McClure, executive secretary of the American Association of School Administrators, Mr. Moore will assume his duties as executive secretary of the committee on June 1. A $50,000 grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation will finance the committee's work, Dr, McClure said, in a nationwide effort to evaluate the CPEA studies and to use the results of the findings to upgrade the professional preparation of school administrators. The CPEA project was launched in 1950, with an original Kellogg grant of $3,500,000, when regional pilot centers were set up in eight universities to study the further pro- fessionalization of school administrators, CPEA programs are being directed from regional pilot centers established at Harvard University, Teachers College at Columbia University, George Peabody College for Teachers, University of Chicago, University of Texas, Ohio State University, University of Oregon, and Stanford University. Mr, Moore has been a lecturer in education at Northwestern University and at the University of Virginia for the past three years, in addition to his position with The Nation's Schools, He was formerly a teacher and high school dean in the schools of Austin, Texas, and later served on the staff of the CPEA center at the University of Texas, The committee which Mr, Moore will head is expected to represent the AASA, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the County and Rural Area Superintendents, the National Conference of Professors of Educational Administration, and the National School Boards Association, together with a representative from each of the eight CPEA centers that shared in the original Kellogg grant. Committee members will be appointed within the next few weeks, Dr. McClure said, ReEE = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association Is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. > For further information Belmont Farley Conference Press Room in Board Room of Cosmopolitan Hotel, Denver (Beginning April 16) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 700 EDUCATORS FROM NINE WESTERN STATES TO ATTEND CONFERENCE ON INSTRUCTION IN DENVER, APRIL 18 = 21 Denver, Colo., April 14--Some 700 educators from nine mountain area states will arrive here next week to attend a conference aimed at improving instruction from kindergarten to college. Participants, who also will include parents and others interested in educa- tion, will attend the Third Regional Conference on Instruction, scheduled to be held here, April 18-21. The program will focus on the entire school program and the various instructional problems confronting teachers today. The conference is sponsored by state and local education associations in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Nebraska, as well as the National Education Association (NEA) and its departments. Keynote addresses by William G. Carr, NEA executive secretary, and Laura Zirbes, professor emeritus, Ohio State University, Columbus, will open the conference on Monday, April 18. Dr. Carr will discuss, "Some Current Issues in the Instructional Field," and Dr. Zirbes will have as her subject, "Raising Our Sights." Kenneth E. Oberholtzer, superintendent of Denver Public Schools, will welcome conference participants to the host city. Other major addresses will be given by Lyle W. Ashby, NEA assistant secretary for professional relations; George V. Sheviakov, lecturer in psychology, MORE 700 Educators Fr 9 Western States page two San Francisco State College; Waurine Walker of Austin, Texas, NEA president; and William F, Russell, deputy director for technical services, Foreign Operations Administration, Washington, D.C. Dr. Ashby will speak at a conference luncheon on Monday, April 18, and will introduce two University of Denver students-~Beverly Buchtel and Don Buchanan--who will tell of the "Strengths and Weaknesses of Their Elementary and Secondary Education." Dr. Sheviakov will address the second general session, Monday evening, April 18. The subject of his address, "Impact of These Times on Children," also will be discussed by a panel headed by Mack Easton, director of extension, University of Colorado, Boulder, Other manbers of the panel are: Lucille Carroll, president, NEA Department of Classroom Teachers, Wooster, Ohio; Mrs. J. L. Reed Hdgar, past-president, Denver County Council of Parents and Teachers, Denver; Sam G. Gates, director, Laboratory School, Colorado State College of Education, Greeley; Philip B. Gilliam, judge, Juvenile Court, Denver; Lyle 0. Johnson, national president, Future Teachers of America (FTA), University of Denver; Lawrence Martin, associate editor, Denver Post; Mrs. Edgel Martson, teacher, North High School, Denver; and Mavis McCormack, president, West High School FTA, Denver. Miss Walker will address a conference dinner, Tuesday, April 19; and Dr. Russell will discuss, "Education--The Bulwark of Freedom," at a second conference dinner, Wednesday, April 20. A series of group meetings are scheduled throughout the conference to give participants an opportunity to "share experiences" on teaching practices and to see demonstrations of new teaching techniques and projects now being used by various schools in the mountain area and the University of Denver, Tours of many of the Denver schools to visit classes also are planned. Among the topics to be considered are: new approaches to citizenship education; teaching moral and spiritual values; teaching controversial issues; new approaches to discipline; helping the potential delinquent; improving the teacher's classroom personality; teacher participation in school administration; reporting pupil progress to parents; human relations in the classroom; measuring achievement in the elementary and secomiary school; and the needs and problems of children and young people of today. ### # Fal . 700 Educators Fr 9 Western States page two San Francisco State College; Waurine Walker of Austin, Texas, NEA president; and William F. Russell, deputy director for technical services, Foreign Operations Administration, Washington, D.C. Dr. Ashby will speak at a conference luncheon on Monday, April 18, and will introduce two University of Denver students--Beverly Buchtel and Don Buchanan--who will tell of the "Strengths and Weaknesses of Their Elementary and Secondary Education." Dr. Sheviakov will address the second general session, Monday evening, April 18, The subject of his address, "Impact of These Times on Children," also will be discussed by a panel headed by Mack Easton, director of extension, University of Colorado, Boulder, Other members of the panel are: Lucille Carroll, president, NEA Department of Classroom Teachers, Wooster, Ohio; Mrs. J. L. Reed Edgar, past-president, Denver County Council of Parents and Teachers, Denver; Sam G. Gates, director, Laboratory School, Colorado State College of Education, Greeley; Philip B. Gilliam, judge, Juvenile Court, Denver; Lyle 0. Johnson, national president, Future Teachers of America (FTA), University of Denver; Lawrence Martin, associate editor, Denver Post; Mrs. Edgel Martson, teacher, North High School, Denver; and Mavis McCormack, president, West High School FIA, Denver. Miss Walker will address a conference dinner, Tuesday, April 19; and Dr. Russell will discuss, "Education--The Bulwark of Freedom," at a second conference dinner, Wednesday, April 20. A series of group meetings are scheduled throughout the conference to give participants an opportunity to "share experiences" on teaching practices and to see demonstrations of new teaching techniques and projects now being used by various schools in the mountain area and the University of Denver. Tours of many of the Denver schools to visit classes also are planned. Among the topics to be considered are: new approaches to citizenship education; teaching moral and spiritual values; teaching corm roversial issues; new approaches to discipline; helping the potential delinquent; improving the teacher's classroom personality; teacher participation in school administration; reporting pupil progress to parents; human relations in the classroom; measuring achievement in the elementary and secorniary school; and the needs ami problems of children and young people of today. ### # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR RELEASE: Sunday, April 1955 TIDAL WAVE OF FREE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS INUNDATES SCHOOLS, SAYS AASA REPORT Washington, D. C., April 2 -= A tidal wave of instructional materials -=- "free for the asking or even without the asking"=--is a major headache for teachers and administrators today. Donors or "sponsors" of these materials include civic, patriotic and political organizations, business, industry, government, labor and agriculture. These "free offerings" range from booklets, charts, maps, kits, posters, films, and recordings to planned speaking programs, tours and mapped field trips. To help schools separate the wheat from the chaff, the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) today released a report on the problem. The 2h-page study is entitled, "Choosing Free Materials For Use in the Schools." "The only defensible basis o hich to select materials, either free or purchased, is the degree to which they will make a positive contribution to the basic educa- tional purposes for which the school exists," the AASA report warns, "Relevance to the teaching-learning process is important, but it is not enough. The schools have a definitely assigned task of helping children learn certain things. All that is introduced to the process must aid in the discharge of this responsibility or it should not be used." The AASA report attributes the rising flood of free materials in recent years to the fact that 30 million youngsters—" a captive audience"—represent a potential market. Principal objections to gratis offerings on the part of school people can be grouped under two general headings: they may contain obvious advertising or biased information. The AASA report in no way urges a ban of all free instructional aids. When the material is good—-and much of it is outstanding-—-educators regard supplementary free materials as an important source for keeping available information current, "Revision of textbooks and other standard teaching materials cannot keep pace with new findings and new processes, particularly in the physical and social sciences," the AASA report emphasizes, -more= «a TIDAL WAVE OF FREE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS = page 2 INUNDATES SCHOOLS, SAYS AASA REPORT "At times the only ready source of needed information is the free materials supplied by interested agencies outside the teaching materials production field. They help bridge the gap between the relatively abstract world of the text and the concrete world of current happenings." In studying the problem, AASA also found that the majority of school systems do not have established policies or regulations for screening the rising tide of free materials. "Practices followed in the selection and use of free instructional materials in the schools are properly based on clearly defined school system policies," the report states, "In developing local regulations, such policies should be put in writing, officially adopted, and widely circulated among school system personnel and those outside the schools who offer to supply such materials." The report suggests the following check list but emphasizes that each school system must adapt its policy to its own situation: (1) Define the relation which materials must bear to the basic purposes and objectives of the school. (2) Provide specific guide lines upon which rules for selection and use can be based, (3) Clarify for teachers the limits within which they have official backing in the selection and use of materials. (4) Delegate responsibility to appropriate administrative officials or other school personnel for selection and handling of materials. (5) Make available necessary funds so that teachers are not forced to use materials as substitutes for superior materials that could be purchased, AASA is a department of the National Education Association. ### = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association Is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell Sunday, April 3, 1955 TIDAL WAVE OF FREE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS INUNDATES SCHOOLS, SAYS AASA REPORT Washington, D. C., April 2 -- A tidal wave of instructional materials -- "free for the asking or even without the asking"--is a major headache for teachers and administrators today. Donors or "sponsors" of these materials include civic, patriotic and political organizations, business, industry, government, labor and agriculture. These "free offerings" range from booklets, charts, maps, kits, posters, films, and recordings to planned speaking programs, tours and mapped field trips. To help schools separate the wheat from the chaff, the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) today released a report on the problem, The 2h-page study is entitled, "Choosing Free Materials For Use in the Schools." "The only defensible basis on which to select materials, either free or purchased, is the degree to which they will make a positive contribution to the basic educa tional purposes for which the school exists," the AASA report warns. "Relevance to the teaching-learning process is important, but it is not enough. The schools have a definitely assigned task of helping children learn certain things. All that is introduced to the process must aid in the discharge of this responsibility or it should not be used," The AASA report attributes the rising flood of free materials in recent years to the fact that 30 million youngsters—" a captive audience"—represent a potential market. Principal objections to gratis offerings on the part of school people can be grouped under two general headings: they may contain obvious advertising or biased information. The AASA report in no way urges a ban of all free instructional aids. When the material is good—-and much of it is outstanding--educators regard supplementary free materials as an important source for keeping available information current. "Revision of textbooks and other standard teaching materials cannot keep pace with new findings and new processes, particularly in the physical and social sciences," the AASA report emphasizes. -more= TIDAL WAVE OF FREE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS = page 2 INUNDATES SCHOOLS, SAYS AASA REPORT "At times the only ready source of needed information is the free materials supplied by interested agencies outside the teaching materials production field. They help bridge the gap between the relatively abstract world of the text and the concrete world of current happenings," In studying the problem, AASA also found that the majority of school systems do not have established policies or regulations for screening the rising tide of free materials. "Practices followed in the selection and use of free instructional materials in the schools are properly based on clearly defined school system policies," the report states. "In developing local regulations, such policies should be put in writing, officially adopted, and widely circulated among school system personnel and those outside the schools who offer to supply such materials." The report suggests the following check list but emphasizes that each school system must adapt its policy to its own situation: (1) Define the relation which materials must bear to the basic purposes and objectives of the school. (2) Provide specific guide lines upon which rules for selection and use can be based, s (3 ) Clarify for teachers the limits within which they have official backing in the selection and use of materials. (4) Delegate responsibility to appropriate administrative officials or other school personnel for selection and handling of materials. (5) Make available necessary funds so that teachers are not forced to use materials as substitutes for superior materials that could be purchased. AASA is a department of the National Hducation Association. ### = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information contact Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson Room 203, Convention Annex, City Auditorium Denver, Colorado (On or after March 9, 1955) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SCHOOL EXECUTIVES ASSEMBIE AT DENVER FOR NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SCHOOL PROBLEMS Washington, D.C., March —Forty-five hundred school executives will assemble from Rocky Mountain and Western states in Denver, Colorado, March 12-16 in one of three regional conventions to be held in 1955 by the American Association of School Administrators, a Department of the NEA, The three regional sessions will be held at St. Louis, Denver, and Cleveland, respectively. Together they compose the 81st annual meeting of the American Association of School Administrators. The theme of each of the regional meetings is "Education, An Investment in America's Future". The Denver convention draws upon federal government for program material with Clinton P. Anderson, Senator from New Mexico, and General Thomas D. White, Vice- Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force, Washington, D,C. General White will speak on "Some Aspects of Education in the Air Age". The program of the school executives ineludes other non-educators on both general sessions and sectional meetings. Vesper Services schedule as the principal speaker Dr. Alvin N. Rogness, President, Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. School musical organizations presented on the program include the Central High School ROTC Chair, Pueblo, Colorado, Morris D. Hayes, Director. Greetings will be brought to the school administrators from the nation's teachers by Waurine Walker, Texas Education Agency, Austin, and President of the National Education Association. (MORE ) ¢ SCHOOL EXECUTIVES ASSEMBLE AT DEN VER FOR NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SCHOOL PROBIEMS — Page 2 Convention program arrangements are under the direction of Jordan L, Larson, Superintendent of Schools, Mt. Vernon, New York, and President of the administrators' organization. Topics on sectional meetings of the convention are relate d to the present critical problems of school housing. The pros and cons of federal aid for school building con- struction will be discussed. Various aspects of the job of the superintendent of schools are scheduled for consideration, including the personnel factor in school administration, the establishment of effective teamwork between the school head and the school board, discovering and meeting problems of staff morale, the use of school buses for education trips, and the interpretation of the purposes, activities, and achie vements of the school system through radio and television. The school superintendents will devote time to the continuing problem of im- proving teaching, especially in the basic skills of the 3 R's, They will give more than usual attention to the recruitment of capable teachers and review driver education programs in the secondary schools. The delegates will give consideration to courses in aviation education, to plans for meeting the increasingly serious teacher shortage, to a reevaluation of the athletic program of the schools, to the mental health factors involved in juvenile delinquency, and to problems associated with racial desegregation in the schools. The 500-page 1955 Yearbook of the administrators is devoted to "Staff Relations in School Administration". The document will be reported to the delegates by Henry I. Willett, Superintendent of Schools, Richmond, Virginia, Chairman of the AASA Commission which produced the Yearbook. An important feature of the convention will be an exhibit of school equipment supplies by the Associated Exhibitors. This organization will give the Annual Award for Outstanding Service to Education to Norman Vincent Peale, Minister of the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. The presentation will be made by Roger M. Warren, Springfield, Massachusetts, president of the Associated Exnibitors, Host to the convention will be Kenneth Oberholtzer, Superintendent of Schools, Denver, Colorado. iit = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its sffiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information contact Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson - Telephone-Adams 4-4855 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DRIVER EDUCATION PAYS DIVIDENDS Washington, D.C., March ___ -—"Driver education courses offered by 10,000 of the nation's high schools are paying dividends," William G,. Carr, executive secretary of the National Education Association, said today. Boys and girls who have successfully completed approved high-school driver education can now enjoy a 10 percent reduction on their car insurance, according to an announcement just made by the National Bureau of Casualty Underwriters, whose members are stock insurance companies. The ruling is effective in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Similar rate reduction plans for graduates of high-school driver education courses have been put into effect in recent years by several mutual insurance companies. "Insurance companies, the schools, and the public need assurance that a minimum program of instruction is being offered in high-school driver education. The recently announced plan indicates that preferred rates will be allowed for graduates of programs where the state department of education certifies that at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of practice driving instruction were given, These are the minimum time standards recommended by NEA-sponsored national conferences on driver education held in 1949 and 1953." "While minimum time standards for driver education are important," Carr said, Nother recommendations of the 1953 national conference should also be considered. The NEA's National Commission on Safety Education has just published a 16-page booklet on Criteria for Driver Education. These criteria were formulated by a (MORE) ¢ | DRIVER EDUCATION — Page 2 PAYS DIVIDENDS representative group of educators, including state directors of teacher education and certification, and representatives of both stock and mutual insurance interests." The Criteria for Driver Education deals with minimum time standards, teacher selection and preparation, instructional materials, classroom and practice driving instruction, vehicles for practice driving, and general characteristics of the driver progre. . "Present driver education courses need to be improved and expanded," Carr said. "Only about 25 percent of the eligible high-school students are receiving both class- room and practice driving instruction in courses now offered by 7,000 high schools. Another 25 percent of the eligible stulents, in 3,000 other high schools, are receiving only classroom instruction. This means that the remaining 50 percent, totaling about one million students, come of licensable age each year without having the benefit of any driver education program at all." Since 1933 when a few high schools first undertook to teach driving, driver education has helped bring about a reduction in the number of deaths yer hundred million miles of vehicle travel from 15.6 in 1933 to 7.1 in 1953. Driver education can contribute even more as high schools improve and expand their programs, "If we don't pay now to equip our boys and girls for safe driving thru highschool driver education courses," Carr declared, "we will pay la er -— and much more heavily — for countless accidents. Many high schools operate complete driver education programs at costs averaging $35 per student. This is a bargain price for an educational service that pays dividends in human life and happiness far beyond the dollars-and-cents investment." = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information contact Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson Statler Hotel or Rooms 143 and 148, Public Auditorium Cleveland, Ohio (On or after April 2, 1955) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Note to Editors: The following story includes mention of participants from your city in the Cleveland regional convention of the American Association of School Administrators, April 2-6. A call to the office of your local superin- tendent of schools may provide additional information about program participants or others who will attend the convention.) LOCAL EDUCATOR SCHEDULED FOR PARTICIPATION IN REGIONAL CONVENTION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS Washington, D.C., March -— Seven thousand school executives will assemble from central and eastern states in Cleveland, Ohio, April 2-6 in one of three regional conventions held in 1955 by the American Association of School Adminis- trators, a Department of the NEA, Two previous regional sessions were held at St. Louis and Denver, Together they compose the 8lst annual meeting of the American Association of School Administrators, The theme of each of the regional meetings is "Education, An Investment in America's Future", A featured speaker of the convention will be the Honorable Richard M. Nixon, Vice President of the United States, Convention program arrangements are under the direction of Jordan L. Larson, Superintendent of Schools, Mt. Vernon, New York, and President of the administrator's organization. Topics on sectional meetings of the convention are related to the present critical problems of school housing. The pros and cons of federal aid for school (MORE ) LOCAL EDUCATOR SCHEDULED FOR PARTICIPATION IN REGIONAL CONVENTION G SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS -- Page 2 building construction will be discussed, Various aspects of the job of the superintendent of schools are scheduled for consideration, including the personnel factor in school administration, the establishment of effective teamwork between the school head and the school board, discovering and meeting problems of staff morale, the use of school buses for education trips, and the interpretation of the purposes, activities, and achievements of the school system through radio and television. The school superintendents will devote time to the continuing problem of im- proving teaching, especially in the basic skills of the 3 R's. They will give more than usual attention to the recruitment of capable teachers and review driver education programs in the secondary schools. The delegates will give consideration to courses in aviation education, to plans for meeting the increasingly serious teacher shortage, to a reevaluation of the athletic program of the schools, to the mental health factors involved in juvenile delinquency, and to problems associated with racial desegregation in the schools. The 500-page 1955 Yearbook of the administrators is devoted to "Staff Relations in School Administration". The document will be reported to the delegates by Francis S, Chase, Chairman, Department of Education, University of Chicago, a member of the 1955 Yearbook Commission of the AASA, An important feature of the convention will be an exhibit of school equipment supplies by the Associated Exhibitors. This organization will give the Annual Award for Outstanding Service to Education to Norman Vincent Peale, Minister of the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. The presentation will be made by Roger M. Warren, Springfield, Massachusetts, president of the Associated Exhibitors, Host to the convention will be Mark Schinnerer, Superintendent of Schools, (MORE ) = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE National Education Association Appoints Centennial Celebration Commission Washington, D.C., February 17 -—- Appointment of a 2l-member commission to plan the 100th anniversary celebration of the National Education Association (NEA) in 1957 was announced here today by Miss Waurine Walker of Austin, Texas, president of the association. The NEA (first called the National Teachers Association) was founded in 1857 at Philadelphia, where the association will return in 1957 for its centennial convention. Miss Helen Ryan, field assistant for the Illinois Education Association, Spring- field, and a member of the NEA board of directors, was elected to serve as chairman of the Centennial Celebration Commission. The NEA Centennial, the commission voted at a meeting here, "shall be the occasion: (1) To consider the decisive role of education in a changing world; (2) To stimulate action to provide adequate education for the increasing millions of children; (3) To strengthen the teaching profession in its service to people of all ages." As the theme for the Centennial, the commission adopted: "An educated people moves freedom forward." Commission members include: #% Helen Ryan, Field Assistant Illinois Education Association Springfield, Illinois, Chairman (more) # Designates members selected to serve on Steering Committee for the Commission. * Robert D. Bailey Executive Secretary New Hampshire Education Association Concord, New Hampshire Mrs. Rollin Brown First Vice President National Congress of Parents and Teachers Los Angeles, California Rufus E. Clement, President Atlanta University, and Member, Atlanta Board of Education Atlanta, Georgia Norman Cousins, Editor The Saturday Review New York, New York Harold Fellows, President National Association of Radio and T-V Broadcasters Washington, D. C. John H. Fischer Superintendent of Schools Baltimore, Maryland J. William Fulbright U.S. Senator from Arkansas Washington, D. C. Willard E. Givens Former Executive Secretary, NEA Washington, D. C. Eric Johnston, President Motion Picture Association of America Washington, D. C. Grayson Kirk, President Columbia University New York, New York Raymond Miller, Consultant Food and Agriculture Organization Lecturer, Harvard School of Business Cambridge, Mass. * Walter P. Reuther, President Congress of Industrial Organizations Washington, D. C. Raymond Stites, Curator in charge of Educational Work National Gallery of Art Washington, D. C. Mrs. Theodore Waller Forum Director New York Herald Tribune New York, New York Louise A. Walter, President Kansas State Teachers Association Topeka, Kansas Allen H. Wetter Associate Superintendent of Schools Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mrs. Nell Wilcoxen Immediate Past President Department of Classroom Teachers, NEA Phoenix, Arizona Jo C, Wright State Superintendent of Public Instruction Des Moines, Iowa William G. Carr NEA Executive Secretary Member ex officio Waurine Walker NEA President Member ex officio ifs Miss Walker said that parents and citizens throughout the nation will be invited to join with the NEA and "dedicate themselves anew to the cause of educational opportunity for the growing millions of American school children." Invitations to participate in the centennial will be issued to the 575,000 NEA members and to the 66 state associations, 5500 local associations, 29 departments and 24 commissions and committees affiliated with NEA. ### = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its sffiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson Note to Editors and Correspondents: Following is the testimony of William G, Carr, Executive Secretary, National Education Association of the United States, scheduled to be given before the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, February 17, 1955, at 10:00 a.m. Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I am William G. Carr of Washington, D. C., executive secretary of the National Education Association, a voluntary organ- ization of 570,000 members of the education profession. Two weeks ago I appeared before this Committee on behalf of the Association to urge prompt action on an emergency school construction bill that would provide prompt and substantial federal grants to help the states and localities provide classrooms for the present generation of school children. The classroom shortage is no less severe today than it was when I left you two weeks ago; and I shall not repeat the well-worn evidence on that point. Indeed, such repetition is not necessary. On February 8, President Eisenhower in an unprecedented special message focused the attention of Congress and the American people on the straits in which our public schools find themselves. As I see it the President's message did three things: 1. It eloquently restated "the undeniable importance of free education to a free way of life." 2. It showed clearly why we must increase at once and by a substantial amount the rate at which we are now building schools. 3. Most important, the President declared as public policy what the teaching profession and many civic organizations have long maintained, namely; that the Federal Government must help the states and localities to finance public education. This is what the President said: "Fundamentally, the remedy lies with the States and their communities, But the present shortage requires immediate and effective action that will pro- duce more rapid results, Unless the Federal Government steps forward to join with the States and communities, this emergency situation will continue." One other remark wiich I should like to make about the President's message concerns the recognition he gave to the teaching profession. In recent years, the loyalty and professional competence of teachers and school administrators have been recklessly questioned. People who ought to know better have attempted to make the public schools and the teachers the scapegoats for nearly all our tensions and troubles. It is encouraging to have no less a person than the President of the United States declare to Congress and to the American people that "Today, the professional quality of American teaching is better than ever." this Committee On previous occasions, when our Association has given/a statement of NEA policy on school construction, we have carefully refrained from supporting any particular bill to the exclusion of others. The Association has said: We believe there should be federal assistance for school construction. We believe that this assistance should be given under certain specific conditions. ‘These conditions are (1) direct grants to all the States, (2) allocation of funds on an objective formula, (3) administration of the bill at the federal level by the United States Office of Education and at the state level by the established state education agencies. In our opinion these conditions are essential to protect local and state control of education. In order that the record may be clear, I quote from the policy of the As- sociation as ratified in its 195 Representative Assembly: "The great increase in school population and the serious lag in schoolhouse construction constitute a national need that must be met with sufficient federal financial support to provide adequately for essential public-school building construction. Funds for this purpose should be distributed according to an objective formula, administered by the US Office of Education and channeled through the regular state educational agencies." -3- May I remind the Committee that these policies of the National Education Association are not developed overnight, nor do they represent the views of a small inner circle in our Washington headquarters. Our policies are made by representative groups of experienced teachers and school administrators. They are fully debated by our Representative Assembly of 5,000 delegates. Statements made in the name of the Association often represent years of careful study and pro- fessional experience at the state and local level. For this reason we can not embrace untested and hastily formulated proposals. Up until now, representatives of NEA have appeared before this Committee to support legislation in a general pattern developed by the late Senators Robert A. Taft and Elbert Thomas, both former chairmen of this Committee. The pattern of federal aid legislation developed by these great statesmen has been applied to school construction by such Senators as your former colleague, now Ambassador to India, and the present chairman of this Committee. It is signifi- cant that the Senate twice debated and twice passed a general federal aid bill embodying the philosophy of Senators Taft and Thomas, and of Senator Hill. The legislation that has been recently introduced goes far afield from the principles so carefully worked out by Senators Taft and Thomas. By the same token, S 968 diverges widely from the policy of the National Education Association just quoted. With the aid of a panel of experts our Association, in the brief period since the introduction of the bill, has examined this new legislative proposal as carefully as it could. ‘he conclusions of this examination may be summed up as follows: S 968 gives our schools much too little aid and much too much control. Unless the bill is amended to remove unnecessary restrictions and controls the National Education Association must oppose it. ‘The Purpose of the Bill is stated as being "to provide assistance of a substantial and effective nature." It will not provide such assistance. I hope the Bill can be substantially modified to 4h - provide some genuine federal assistance to states and localities instead of token assistance; unless it is so modified there is little or no reason why we should support it. Let me ask Senators to consider these questions regarding the bill, and to apply them to their own states. For instance, how many districts in your states will borrow from the Federal Government because they cannot borrow from other sources at a rate of less than 3-1/84. How many school districts in your state will be willing to submit to the United States Commissioner of Education for a period of 20 or 30 years enough information about the way they are running their schools in order that he can, and I quote here from the bill, "determine the character and necessity under this title (referring to Title I) and the manner in which such expenditures are incurred, allowed, and paid, subject to the provisions of laws specifically applicable to wholly owned Government corporations." ‘That is from Section 107 (c) of the bill. Does your state have a school building authority in being? How long do you estimate it will take your state to set up a legally-defensible school building authority if S 968 were passed? As I read the bill, a school district that needs a building must either borrow from the Federal Government at a high rate of interest or it must rent a building from the state school building authority provided such an authority exists. If it can't do either of these things then it will get a small federal grant, representing its share of $200 million spread over three years and 48 states, with which to help pay the rent on a school building. Of course, it cannot rent a school building unless there is a school building authority to rent it from. Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, we all have a great responsibility with regard to S 968. The NEA would be shirking its responsibility as a major professional organization in education if it did not share its experience with this Committee and state its views candidly. The Committee already has completed hear- ings on/attFenat school construction bills. Now it has before it still another. Even before S 968 was introduced, we were fully prepared to support a new bill based on the best features of the bills already introduced. It seems entirely probable that this Committee, especially in view of the President's message, can devise a measure that will embody some of the good features of all the proposals under consideration, from S 4 to S 968. In conclusion, may I call attention to some of the witnesses who will follow me. In developing our policy with reference to S 968, the Association has benefited greatly from the advice of experienced teachers, school administrators, and educa- tional leaders. Believing that the Committee would also welcome the advice and experience of these people, we have asked the Chairman's permission to have some of them appear today. After you have finished questioning me, you will hear from Dr. Erick L. Lindman of George Peabody College, Nashville, Tennessee. As some members of the Committee know, Dr. Lindman has had extensive experience as deputy state super- intendent of public instruction in the State of Washington and as administrator of the Office of Education's program for school assistance to federally affected areas. I believe he will be able to present to the Committee a constructive pro- gram utilizing the best elements of the President's recommendations without doing violence to the sound principles that have been evolved during the long history of federal aid legislation. Dr. Lindman will be available through this morning's hear- ings. 5 968 attaches much importance to the creation of state school building au- thorities. Only two States (Georgia and Pennsylvania) now have such authorities in active operation. Accordingly, you will hear today from Mr. Russell C. Bartman, executive director, Pennsylvania State School Building Authority. Mr. Bartman is accompanied by Dr. John M. Lumley, deputy superintendent of public instruction in Pennsylvania. To describe the possible effects of S 968 in a typical eastern state with both rural and urban areas, the Committee will hear from Dr. Fred Hipp, executive secre- tary, New Jersey Education Association. Finally, because S 968, or any school construction bill which this Congress enacts, must affect the operations of a local school district, we think the Com- mittee would like to hear the experience of a school man who had to build schools quickly in response to an emergency and who did so with federal assistance. Ac- cordingly, the final witness from this group will be Superintendent Oscar Rose of Midwest City, Oklahoma. = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance ontinuously engaged in research and study The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is c to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson Relea Executive Secretary of National Education Association Sees Too Little Aid and Too Much Control in Administration School Bill lashington, D.C., Feb. 15 =< William G. Carr, executive secretary of the National Education Association (NEA), declared tonight that "the Administration's school con= struction bill provides too little aid and too much control." Said Carr: "President Eisenhower has issued an unprecedented call for federal action to help states and localities meet the school emergency, The teaching profession is deeply grateful that the President, during the current serious international situation, has given attention to an equally serious domestic problem. "The shortage of schools now impairs the careers of hundreds of thousands of school children housed in crowded and inadequate classrooms. The NEA regrets, however, that the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, upon whose advice the President must necessarily rely, has provided Congress with proposals that will not begin to meet the need and that will, if adopted, impose upon our schools more federal control than any bills proposed in recent years. "The statement by Secretary Hobby and Commissioner of Education Brownell that their proposal ‘would put $7 billion of Federal, State, local and private funds to work during the next few years' has raised false hopes," Referring the bill (S 968) introduced by Senator H. Alexander Smith (R-N.J.), Carr said: "Close examination of the bill by persons expert in school finance and 1, / school laws shows that the only federal expenditure for construction is 67 million a year for three years. The experts could not agree with the Department of Health, Education and Welfare's conclusion that its proposals 'could more than double the rate of school construction undertaken without any Federal participation, '" A detailed analysis of S 968 with constructive recommendations will be presented by NEA in hearings before the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare on Thursday, February 17. = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information: Roy K. Wilson Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Atlantic City, N.J., Beginning February 18, 1955 NOTE TO EDITOR: Press Service for the convention will be located in Room 9, Atlantic City Convention Hall, beginning at 1 p.m., Friday, February 18. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 000 SECONDARY=-SCHOOL LEADERS TO HOLD MEETING IN ATLANTIC CITY Washington, D.C., Feb. 15 -- Joseph N. Welch, Boston attorney, will give approximately 000 high school principals, superintendents and other school leaders "A Backward Look at the McCarthy-Army Hearings" at the 39th Annual Convention of the National Association of Secondary-School Principals (NASSP) in Atlantic City, N.J., February 19. Mr. Welch served as counsel for the Army during the hearings in Washington last summer. Marguerite Higgins, Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune, will also be a guest speaker. Miss Higgins, who has recently completed a 13,000 mile trip into many parts of the USSR, will speak on "Inside Xussia As I Saw It." The convention, which will run from Saturday, February 19, through Wednesday, February 23, is being held in cooperation with the New Jersey Secondary-School Principals' Associa- tion. Theme for the convention is "Today's Challenge -- Tomorrow's Opportunity." High school principals and other secondary-school leaders from all over the nation will take part in over 70 group discussion meetings. They will visit several schools in the Atlantic City area and will see many special exhibits of textbooks and other school supplies which have been set up for the three-day conference. The Hon. Joseph Altman, Mayor of Atlantic City, will extend greetings to convention participants at the opening session. Frederick M. Raubinger, Commissioner of Education, State Department of Education, Trenton, N.J.; and Harold A. Odell, principal, Montclair (N.J.) High School, and chairman of the convention committee, will also welcome the group. Some of the problems which challenge secondary-school leaders are high on the convention program. Such topics as "Meeting the Juvenile Deliquency Problem," "What Should Be the Role of the Secondary School in Civil Defense?", "What Should the Educational Profession Do To Meet the Attacks of its Critics?", will be discussed by some of the nation's top educators. The itev. John S. Bonnell, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York City, will address the convention with a talk on "Design for Living". Other speakers include: Waurine Walker, Texas Education Agency, Austin, and president of the National Education Association; Hollis Caswell, president, Teachers College, Columbia University; Will French, professor of education, Teachers College, Columbia University; B. L. Dodds, dean, College of Education, University of *llinois, Urbana; Wilton M. Krogman, Director of Philadelphia Center for Research in Child Growth, Philadelphia, Pa.; H. C. Herge, dean, School of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.3 and Billie Davis, author of the article "I Was a Hobo Kid." The NASSP is a department of the National Education Association. ### For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell SCHOOLS AND INDUSTRY SPEARHEAD NEW PROGRAM TO RECRUIT HIGH SCHOOL STUWENTS FOR TECHNICAL CAREERS Washington, D.C., February 12--Industry is spearheading a new cooperative program these days to assure itself of a future stockpile of trained scientists and technicians, In a new grass roots recruiting program, announced today by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), science-related industries and engineering firms will offer more summer vacation employment opportunities to high school science teachers because they believe these teachers are in a strategic position to encourage young people to seek technical careers. Forty-four plants--ranging from oil refineries and chemical companies to fertilizer plants—-are cooperating with NSTA, a department of the National Education Association, to blaze the trail on this new plan to interest more young people in school science programs and futures in science and engineering. Inquiries directed to these firms which support NSTA's Future Scientists of America Foundation show that 22 firms sicteboangspextodistats have hired one or more science teachers for summer jobs during the last two years. The majority of these firms put their stamp of approval on the recruiting program. Robert H. Carleton, NSTA executive secretary, summarizes the comments of of firms who have hired teachers and/teachers who have been hired by industry this way: "Firms who hire teachers say that teachers get the work done and that in the long run industry expects to gain scientists from the boys and girls who are now taking high school science courses from teachers who had summertime jobs in industry. sae M Schools and Industry Spearhead New Program — page two of draft "Teachers who were employed by industry during the summer months say that they welcome genuine, practical, and realistic identification with scientific enterprise. They emphasize that summer jobs do wonders for the counseling and guidance abilities of science teachers," Here are some of the comments of industrial representatives and teachers: A representative of a Dayton, Ohio, chemical company said, "Should an employer attempt to get his money's worth in direct services, he can only place the teacher in a position where a simple routine can be quickly learned and practised during the few weeks the teacher is on the job. But this completely misses the whole point of the program, The essential purpose of summer employment is to broaden the teacher's knowledge and appreciation of what is involved in becoming a useful a professional scientist, of what is expected and required of/qualified graduate chemist....but the rewards of better teaching and counseling, of improved community relations, of Paar tarp in the sciences, are real enough, and even though projected on the future, they are understood and appreciated by those with the long view." A Texas science teacher says: "We appreciate this type of summer employment first of all because it supplements our salaries. We also appreciate the opportunity of working with scientists, It helps science teachers' morale and stimulates their enthusiasm for teaching. Boyle's Law, resonance, bulk modulus, each has taken on a@ new meaning. We know that we are becoming better qualified to teach science following summer enployment." A representative of an aeronautical laboratory said: "The departments in which the teachers worked felt that these employees proved valuable. For example, one man was employed as a draftsman but actually began work on preparation of a work manual for tradesman mechanics and, even though ie job ended and he went back to school, he has been retained on a consulting basis to continue with the preparation of the manual." Schools and Industry contd - page three of draft A teacher from Atlanta, Georgia, says; "Mxdummockhatioxkx Knowing that I had forgotten a lot of my college chemistry, I was a little hesitant so seek a job in an analytical laboratory. This was soon overcome, however, when I saw how easy it was to learn what I was to do. A variety of 'chores' gave me many examples to use in making my teaching more realistic. Just wait until my chemistry and physics classes come to the pages in their textbooks that deal with the lead storage battery." "High School science teachers occupy a key position for encouraging young people to consider scientific and technical careers," Mr. Carleton said. Science teachers recognize their responsibility in this problem and are willing to cooperate with industrial and scientific groups to make their school science classes practical and realistic. "The dynamic nature of the scientific and engineering fields tends to make obsolete or inadequate science textbooks, laboratory equipment, laboratory exercises, and even the instructor's storehouse of information. Science teachers for the most part look upon summer jobs in industry as refresher courses not only in their field of specialization but also in the area of guidance or counseling of the students." it # # February &, 1955 Commenting on the President's special message on education sent to Congress today, William G, Carr, Executive Secretary of the NEA said: "The NEA is pleased that the President has again directed the attention of Congress and of the Nation to the crucial shortage of school buildings. This shortage, as the special message indicates, will continue unless the federal government steps forward to join with the states and communities in eliminating it. "The NEA believes after years of study that federal assistance should take the form of substantial grants in aid, distributed according to an objective formula, administered by the U. S. Office of Education and the regular state educational agencies." Asked whether WEA would support the President's program, Carr said: "The Association has had no previous opportunity to study what the President recommends or to examine the legislation requested by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. I am calling a special meeting of the NEA Legislative Commission on Friday, February 11, at which time the proposals will be examined in detail." = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its sffiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson FOR RELEASE: February 6, 1955 SCHOOLS AND MAGAZINES COORDINATE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES JOINT COMMITTEE IS FORMED Washington, D.C., Feb. 6 -— The National Education Association and the Magazine Publishers Association announced today the formation of a joint committee to coordinate educational efforts of schools and magazines in behalf of a better informed public. The committee will serve as a working link between the two organizations in developing projects of mutual interest that will further the goals of the two educational groups. Members of the joint committee are: For the National Education Association == Andrew D. Holt, Vice-President, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Arthur Corey, executive secretary, California Teachers Association, San Francisco; Edgar Dale, professor of education, Ohio State University, Columbus; Dr. Lawrence G, Derthick, Superintendent of Schools, Chattanooga, Tenn., and past president of the American Association of School Administrators; and Martha Shull, teacher, Jefferson High School, Portland, Oregon. For the Magazine Publishers Association -- Roy E. Larsen, president and director, Time Inc., New York, N.Y¥.; Stanley High, senior editor, Reader's Digest, Pleasantville, N.Y.; George J. Hecht, publisher, Parents Magazine, Parents Institute Inc., New York, N.Y.$ Stanley R, Clague, vice-president and assistant publisher, The Nation's Schools, Chicago, I1l.; and E. Stanley Copeland, Jr., president, The Instructor, Dansville, N.Y. Roy Larsen, already active in education as Chairman of the National Citizens Commission for the Public Schools and a member of President Eisenhower's Committee (MORE ) a SCHOOLS AND MAGAZINES COORDINATE -—— Page 2 EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES JOINT COMMITTEE IS FORMED for the White House Conference on Education, was elected Chairman for the first meet- ing. Mr. Larsen will be co-chairman of the committee for the magazine publishers and Arthur Corey will serve as co-chairman for the educational membership of the committee. "Por mofe than a year the magazine industry and the NEA have been working out plans for closer cooperation," Mr. Larsen explains, "It was felt by both groups that a Joint Committee would provide the best means for continued study of the mutual pro- blems shared by teachers and magazines, "Through the efforts of this Committee, it is hoped that editors and teachers will be better able to reinforce one another in their job of creating a more literate America." The Committee had its origins in a resolution passed by the 20,000 teachers attending the national NEA convention in New York City last June. This resolution, which proposed setting up a liaison with magazine writers, was later approved by the Board of Governors of the M.P.A. "In joining forces we realize that schools and magazines must work together more closely than ever before to meet the increasingly complex problems of public education," Mr. Corey says. "An example of a responsibility mutually shared is adult education," he continues, "For decades magazines have been the chief medium of learning in adult years, a primary source of education for people after they leave school. "With the increase of leisure and longevity, adult education has become more urgently needed. The schools too are now shouldering this burden, It is therefore essential that editors and teachers work together to help citizens get more meaning from the printed page." The Committee, which has already started plans for specific programs, has as an immediate project a second Editor-Educator Conference. This will continue as an annual affair the first Editor-Educator Conference held under NEA-MPA joint backing last (MORE) SCHOOLS AND MAGAZINES COORDINATE -- Page 3 EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES JOINT COMMITTEE IS FORMED June at Columbia University as part of the bicentennial celebration of that institu- tion. Outstanding educators, magazine editors and representatives of outside fields such as government, business, industry, labor, women's clubs and other groups interest- ed in education, participated in the two-day Conference on the Columbia campus, Leaders from education and magazine publishing and government spoke on the Conference theme, "Keeping Pace with Knowledge," Details of the 1955 Editor-Educator Conference, to follow the general pattern of the previous event, will be announced shortly, Mr. Larsen says. He indicates that the Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. in early May and that it will close with the Benjamin Franklin Awards Dinner. At the dinner, winners of the annual awards for the most outstanding magazine writing of the previous year will be announced, The Benjamin Franklin Awards, which are administered by the University of Illinois, are the top honors in the magazine writing field. Hit = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance engaged in research and study The National Education Association Is the national professional organization of educators. affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson FOR RELEASE: PM Papers, Monday, January 31, 1955 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS URGES IMPROVED PERSONNEL POLICIES TO EASE TEACHER SHORTAGE WASHINGTON, D. C., January 31 —- Communities can ease the teacher shortage problem and strengthen the quality of work in their classrooms through improved personnel administration in their schools. So says the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) in Staff Relations in School Administration, a 242=page report published today. Chairman of the ten-member commission which prepared the report for AASA, a department of the National Education Association, was Henry I. Willett, superin- tendent of schools in Richmond, Virginia. Other members included school administra- tors, professors of education, the executive secretary of the National School Boards Association, a classroom teacher and a principal. The authors point out that a school system is no better than the classroom teachers it employs. In the report they outline personnel policies schools can use to recruit the best teachers and keep them. Not all schools, say the authors, have realized the importance of recruitment and selection in developing a good teaching staff. "Selection procedures too often have been limited to notifying some nearby employment agency or college placement bureau of vacancies and of choosing among three or four candidates recommended by these agencies. Included in the process have been a review of credentials and a personal interview. In some instances, where opportunity permitted, the candidate's teaching has been observed. Seldom, however, has the task been viewed as one that required a thorough analysis of the needs of the school system as they relate to staff or a really thorough search for the best available candidates." (more) go AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS URGES Page 2 IMPROVED PERSONNEL POLICIES TO EASE TEACHER SHORTAGE Job analysis, knowing what kind of teachers the schools need, a search for qualified people in a wide geographical area, consultation with staff members on the candidates, and complete examination of credentials are basic requirements in recruiting teachers, the commission asserts, But good selection procedures, says the commission, are not enough to guarantee low teacher turnover and a dedicated teaching staff. The following also help: a good orientation program for new teachers; clearly understood policies on teaching assignments and transfers; equitably distributed work loads. Competition from other professional fields and the cost of living must be kept in mind in setting salaries, the report adds. Cost of living must be considered in setting salaries, says the report, because teachers with financial worries cannot give their best efforts to their pupils. Other factors cited by the commission which help to keep good teachers in schools are: group appraisal of a teacher's services; sound promotion policies; clearly defined and well administered procedures for handling grievances; and adequate per— sonnel records. Besides examining personnel policy and working conditions, the report explores ways of improving the economic and community status of staff members; evaluation of staff relationships; and how to work with the school staff on fiscal problems, and good school-community relations. Members of the commission, appointed two years ago by the AASA included: Superintendent Willett; Lura Bennett, classroom teacher, Raton High School, Raton, New Mexico; Francis S. Chase, chairman, Department of Education, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; and Willard S. Elsbree, professor of education, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York. . (more) AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS URGES Page 3 IMPROVED PERSONNEL POLICIES TO EASE TEACHER SHORTAGE Also: Melvin L. Gruwell, superintendent, Fremont County Joint School District A-215, St. Anthony, Idaho; Charles B. Park, director of special studies, Central Michigan College of Education, Mount Pleasant, Michigan; G. E. Rast, superintendent of schools, Westport, Connecticut. And: N. C. Turpen, superintendent, Fayette County Schools, Lexington, Kentucky; Edward M. Tuttle, executive secretary, National School Boards Association, Chicago, Illinois; and Louise Weller, principal, Benjamin Franklin School, San Diego, California. = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR RELEASE: 7 p.m., EST, Saturday January 22, 1955 FAILURES AND DROP-OUTS IN SCHC¢ ATTRIBUTED TO INADEQUATE GL SAYS NEA DEPARTMENT REPORT Washington, D.C., January 23-—-Failure and drop-out casualties in high school can be traced to inadequate counseling or guidance in the lower grades, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) said here today in releasing a 256-page report on "Guidance in the Curriculum," ASCD is a department of the National Education Association. A special committee of educators, appointed by ASCD to prepare the report, point out that instruction and guidance go hand in hand and should start as soon as youngsters enter school. They also emphasize that guidance is an essential part of the work of every classroom teacher from kindergarten to the final year of high school. In taking stock of the guidance programs now operating in the nation's schools, the report says that many school systems still operate their counseling as a separate or supplementary service. Where this is done, classroom teaching and guidance are regarded as two different functions and are manned by separate staffs, Authors of the report take the stand that there is little chance of "fitting" the school program to a youngster if teachers are not permitted to combine instruction with guidance. They emphasize that teachers may overlook a variety of adjustment problems children normally face in the process of growing up when the two functions are largely separate. MORE Failures anc Droy S in Schoo: page two Where counseling is separé in some elementary grades for example, children promoted to the fourt é are assumed to be ready for fourth grade work, according to the report. I eading, arithmetic or other subjects prove too difficult for a youngster, or i any reason he fails to adjust satisfactorily to the fourth grade pattern, he i > > is responsible for the guidance of pupils, the responsibility of he problem of 'fit' is removed educational experiences offered to boys and girls needs and capacities of the individual iild," the report states, "It is clear that no outside person--principal, school psychologist or counselor--can accomplish as much as the teacher who effectively assumes his role as a guide to individual In urging that classroom teaching be made inseparable from guidance, authors of the report recognize that they are recomnending against what appears to be a common practice at the presen im "Unsatisfactory though it is, the practice of separating classroom teaching from guidance, in fact, if not in theory--prevails in many elementary and in a clear majority of high schools. "The factors which operate to make this the prevailing practice are not difficult to detect. Probably the most common reason is the feeling on the part of many teachers that they are at fault if they do not strive to bring all pupils in a given grade or class ‘up to standard,' These feelings are appreciably heightened if the teacher has reason to believe that the principal and the people of the community are judging him chiefly in terms of his pupils' success in achieving the prescribed subject matter content." The report emphasizes that "pressures from the community usually increase as children progress through the grades. In the early elanentary school years ” Failures and Drop-Outs in School - page three the teachers usually feel that they have considerable leeway in varying the classroom activities to take account of individual differences. Later the pressures mount, partly because of a misunderstanding and consequent misuse of standardized achieve- ment tests. "Too frequently, administrators, teachers and patrons alike overlook the fact that a norm is simply an average and that only about one-half of the youngsters on whom the test was standardized came up to or exceeded this average. Any teacher who succeeds in getting half of a cross-section group of pupils up to or above this average is teaching subject matter as capably as the teachers in whose classes the test was standardized. "But whether it stems from this misunderstanding or from other sources, the false idea that all youngsters can and should 'measure up to standard! gains ground as one progresses up the elementary school ladder. There is little wonder then that teachers become preoccupied with prescribed subject matter and blind to the personal factors in the lives of their pupils." The report also emphasizes that in those schools where instruction and guidance are not combined in all grades, it is assumed that guidance services are reserved for high school stuients who need assistance in selecting courses or careers and for the "problem children" who need guidance of a remedial and corrective nature, Authors of the report do not discount the need for specialized guidance workers, Some aspects of guidance must be separated from instruction for the reason that teachers are not especially trained or do not have time to deal with them. They point out that technical therapeutic techniques should be in the hands of persons trained especially in psychology, guidance and therapeutic work. The report also shows how teachers can use the services of counselors, psychologists and other guidance spedalists in the clinical and social case work fields.. # # # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Roy K. Wilson 1-19-55 For Immediate Release ° i! '. =» Below is the text of a telegram which was sent today (Wednesday, January 19) by eighteen national organizations to Senator Lister Hill concerning an emergency program of school con- struction: "We, the undersigned -rganizations, wish to express our appreciation of the sense of responsibility and statesmanship evidenced by your- self and twenty-nine other Senators in introducing Senate Bill 5 call- ing for an emergency program of school construction. "Because we are gravely concerned about the welfare of our school children, we wish to state that the needs for school construction are real, serious and immediate, We urge that the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare of which you are Chairman take early action on legislation to provide substantial school construction aid in order that a bill can be brought before the Congress as soon as possible. Signed American Association of School Administrators American Association of University Women American Library Association American Parents Committee Association for Childhood Education, International Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Council of Chief State School Officers Department of Elementary School Principals, NEA Department of Rural Education, NEA Division of County and Rural Superintendents Friends Committee on National Legislation Jewish War Veterans of the United States National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers National Council of Jewish Women National Education Association National Farmers! Union National Jewish Welfare Board Spokesmen for Children” Sent to: Senator Lister Hill, Chairman Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee United State Senate ; Washington, D.C, ## # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affilleted groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Roy Wilson 1/14/55 FOR IMaXDIAT:. RelLBast ILLINOIS SUPERINTNDENT CHOSEN TO HE D AMERICAN ASGOCIaTION OF SCHOOL ..DrfINISTH..TORS Washington, D. C., January -Paul J. Misner, superintendent of schools, Glencoe, Illinois, has been chosen as president-elect of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). He will serve in this capacity for the year beginning March 15, 193 and will begin a one-year term as president on March 15 wa” 3 jo, st? Results of a nation-wide ballot amo embers of the American Associ- ation of School administrators, which is a department of the National liducation association, were amnounced here today. Omer Carmichael, superintendent of schools, Louisville, Kentucky, currently serving as vice president, was re-elected to serve for another year beginning March 15, 195%. Martin W. Essex, superintendent of schools, Lakewood, Ohio, was elected to the Executive Committee, to serve from io ish? Dr. Misner, who has served as superintendent of schools at Glencoe since 1935, was chairman of the 1950 AASA yearbook commission on "Public Relations for america's Schools," and served as a member of the 1951 Resolutions Committee of ASA, He also has appeared on the program for AASA national conventions. Election to the presidency of the American Association of School Adminis- rators is regarded as one of tthe top honors in the field of education in the United States. ILLINOIS SUPERINTENDENT CHOSEN TO HEAD ASA Formed in 1865, the association in 1870 became one of the two original de- partments of the National Education association. Members today include city, county, and state school superintendents; college and university presidents and deans of colleges of education; administrative officers of state and national education associations; and heads of private schools who work directly with governing authorities. Yearbooks of the association cover current problems in education and authors include educational leaders and distinguished laymen. The 1953 yearbook was entitled "American School Curriculum" and the 1954 yearbook, "Educating for American Citizenship." The 1955 yearbook, "Staff Relations in School Administra- tion," will be published late in January. National conventions sponsored by the association bring together annually some 18,000 persons to consider current school problems. The results of the balloting were announced by the following A..SA Board of A\c Tellers: W. F. Loggins, superintendent of schools, Greenville, S.C., chairman John M. Hough, superintendent of schools, Leaksville, N. C. J. E. Scott, superintendent of schools, Peekskill, N. Y. = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Roy Wilson 1/14/55 FOR IMMEDIATs, RiwLBast ILLINOIS SUPERINTANDENT CHOSEN TO HE D ANERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ..DrfINISTRu.TORS Washington, D. C., January 14--Paul J. Misner, superintendent of schools, Glencoe, Illinois, has been chosen as president-elect of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). He will serve in this capacity for the year beginning March 15, 1955, and will begin a one-year term as president on March 15, 1956. Results of a nation-wide ballot among 9,000 members of the American Associ- ation of School Administrators, which is a department of the National Education association, were announced here today. Omer Carmichael, superintendent of schools, Louisville, Kentucky, currently serving as vice president, was re-elected to serve for another year beginning March 15, 1955. Martin W. Essex, superintendent of schools, Lakewood, Ohio, was elected to the Executive Committee, to serve from 1955 to 1959. Dr. Misner, who has served as superintendent of schools at Glencoe since 1935, was chairman of the 1950 AASA yearbook commission on "Public Relations for America's Schools," and served as a member of the 1951 Resolutions Committee of AMSA. He also has appeared on the program for AASA national conventions. Election to the presidency of the American Association of School Adminis- trators is regarded as one of tthe top honors in the field of education in the United States. ILLINOIS SUPERINTENDENT CHOSEN TO HEAD ASA ws Formed in 1865, the association in 1870 became one of the two original de- partments of the National Education Association. Members today include city, county, and state school superintendents; college and university presidents and deans of colleges of education; administrative officers of state and national education associations; and heads of private schools who work directly with governing authorities. Yearbooks of the association cover current problems in education and authors include educational leaders and distinguished laymen. The 1953 yearbook was entitled "American School Curriculum" and the 1954 yearbook, "Educating for American Citizenship." The 1955 yearbook, "Staff Relations in School Administra- tion," will be published late in January. National conventions sponsored by the association bring together annually some 18,000 persons to consider current school problems. The results of the balloting were announced by the following A).SA Board of Tellers: W. F. Loggins, superintendent of schools, Greenville, S.C., chairman John M. Hough, superintendent of schools, Leaksville, N. C. J. E. Scott, superintendent of schools, Peekskill, N. Y. NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. January 12, 1955 MEMORANDUM: TO EDITORIAL WRITERS AND COMMENTATORS In his State of the Union message of January 6, President Eisenhower referred to the "grave educational problems" today. "These," he said, "include such factors as population growth, educational responsibilities of schools, and increased and longer school attendance," which, he said, have produced an unprecedented shortage of classrooms throughout the nation. The President said, "this shortage is of immediate concern to all our people, Affirmative action must be taken now...The federal government can and should serve as an effective agent in dealing with this problem," The President announced that he would send a special message to Congress on February 15 presenting a program dealing with the shortage of classrooms, Already in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives legislation has been introduced to provide for federal assistance to school construction in the local school systems of the United States. Forty national organizations, both educational and non-educational including a total membership of twenty-five million, are actively supporting this legislation. It will certainly be in the news, In any attention which you may give to it in your writing you may wish to have the viewpoint of the educators, This has been effectively set forth in the enclosed address delivered this week before a group of members of Congress and representatives of national organizations by Dr. John K. Norton, Teachers College, Columbia University. Sincerely yours, Belmont Farley, Press and Radio Relations NV ey —_ ‘ j 1 fBB/ESN The Educational Policies Commission was created in 1935 as a joint Commission of the National Education Association and the American Asso- ciation of School Administrators. Since that time, it has established itself as an influential agency in American education. Among its members have been James B. Conant, Oliver Carmichael, Edmund Day, Dwight Eisenhower, George Stoddard, George Counts, John K. Norton, and others of like stature. The Commission's function is to formulate recommendations on policy concerning such problems or issues as it deems most significant. It is in a unique position to draw upon the findings of research and help translate them into educational action. Its publications are widely read and discussed by educators and by groups of citizens not directly con- cerned with education. NOT TO BE RELEASED BEFORE JANUARY 10, 1955 From: Public Education and the Future of America. Educational Policies Commission. 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington 6, D. C. vi plus 98p. Illustrated. 1955. $1.50. » « « powerful challenges from without and from within place the American people at one of the major crossroads of their history. Whether they can continue to strengthen their values in the service of democracy will depend largely on their faith, their resourcefulness, and their good judgment. These qualities may be cultivated and enhanced by education.-~/page A source of profound strength lies in the American educational heritage. For more than a century, the American people have sought to develop an educa- tion uniquely designed to further their way of life; the product of their labor has been the American public school. Nowhere else in the world is there a school approaching it in character, scope, magnitude, and responsibility. Designed especially for their task, public schools have stood--and now stand-- as great wellsprings of freedom, equality, and self-government. They must continue as supporters and guardians of the American way of life.--/page 8 . « » In some places and in some periods, the public became complacent about education. Educational achievements were on occasion taken for granted. Little wonder, then, that today's active citizen interest in education seems by contrast more spirited. Against a background of public-school history, such interest can rightly be seen as the exercise with renewed vigor of a century-old prerogative of the American citizenry--the careful examination and control of the nation's public schools.--/page 38/ With all of these great achievements, the task of finding and educating the teachers America needs is still far from completed. Thousands of American school children still attend half-time sessions for lack of qualified teachers; thousands of teachers are still teaching on emergency certificates indicating substandard professional preparation. The demand for teachers still exceeds the supply, and the recruitment of qualified personnel remains a crucial edu- cational task. Teacher recruitment and education continue as problems to which both the profession and the public need to give careful and continuing atten- tion if American schools are to carry out the Herculean responsibilities as- signed to them.—-/page The public school has been for millions the chief pathway into American life. To the evening classes of the public school the newly arrived immigrant came to qualify for the priceless award of American citizenship. To the day classes of the public school he sent his sons and daughters that they might be prepared to take full part in the life of their new homeland. The public school received these immigrants and taught them. The extent to which immi- grants and their children have become Americans and in turn served America is a first great measure of the success of the public school.--/page 68/ ne a NOT TO BE RELEASED BEFORE JANUARY 10, 1955 From: Public Education and the Future of America. Educational Policies Commission. 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington 6, D. C. vi plus 98p. Illustrated. 1955. $1.50. No clearer evidence of the value of a universal common education can be found than in the political history of the United States. No major, enduring political party has been organized on strict religious or ethnic or class or regional lines. Rather, there have been Catholics, Jews, and Protestants; Italian-Americans, Polish-Americans, Irish-Americans, and French-Canadian Americans; owners and workers; liberals and conservatives within every major political camp. Each major political party in the United States appeals to "all the people"—-a people welded together by a common school in which children of all backgrounds have met and mingled and learned .--/pages 68-697 Public schools have always been concerned with such great moral commitments as the basic dignity of the individual human being, respect for lawful govern- ment, devotion to truth, and respect for individual excellence. Above all, the public schools have taught the great precept of brotherhood. It is easier to dislike the unfamiliar than that which is known from experience. The American child who attends the public school has learned, played, and grown up with children of many different religious faiths and ethnic groups. In the give and take of growing up together, public-school children have learned the real meaning of brotherhood; they have become friends with_children of all faiths. Only a common school can serve this great end.—-/pages 69-707 More than in any other realm of American life, perhaps, the door to opportunity has been open in education. For over a century, public schools have beckoned to the competent and industrious of all classes to seek the knowledge and_skills that would enable them to serve themselves and their fellow men. . . .--/page 707 . « « Im recent years leaders in business, industry, labor, and agriculture have spoken strongly and repeatedly in support of America's public schools. Informed Americans have long been aware that without universal public education the miracle of American production could never have came to pass.——/page 7. . . « By pointing to American achievements and, indeed, shortcomings that need remedying, public schools have alerted the young to the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship. By examining the controversies of American life against a background of essential American values, they have shown young people how to make up their minds about issues that confront them. The public schools have inspired in the young not a narrow unreasoned patriotism which could easily be abandoned in crisis but rather a mture devotion which can withstand subtle propaganda and repulse the most direct challenge. . . .--/pages 715-76] -3- NOT TO BE RELEASED BEFORE JANUARY 10, 1955 From: Public Education and the Future of America. Educational Policies Commission. 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington 6, D. C. vi plus 98p. Illustrated. 1955. $1.50. It is the conviction of the Educational Policies Commission that re-appraisal of American educational policies and practices during this creative period is a helpful and hopeful thing. The Commission believes that such appraisal should involve full recognition of the values and services of the nation's unique system of public education. It believes that the great lessons of American educational experience have profound merit as guides for the future. That there are inadequacies in American education, no one doubts. Current re-appraisal should identify these inadequacies and look toward their elimi- nation; the reappraisal should also lead to reaffirmation of faith in the achievements and values of the educational system and to planning for their further development during the era now emerging. The basic values of the American educational heritage should be retained at the same time that new educational paths are charted. American education should continue to serve fully the great traditions and democratic goals to which the American people give allegiance .--/page 82/7 Faith in public education rests ultimately on two beliefs: that a particular kind of education must be designed to support a particular way of life, and that public education will best support the American way of life. The Founding Fathers were convinced that a society dedicated to freedom, equality, and self-government demanded special educational commitments and institutions. Those who built America's public schools believed public education to be a special instrument for the maintenance of a democratic society through the cultivation of worthy and responsible persons. The basic qualities in the American concept of public education have enhanced value for today--and for tomorrow. As the American people appraise the role of public education in meeting the needs of the nation, they may reaffirm their loyalty to the qualities of an educational system which has served the country well. As they survey the services which public education may render to the nation in a critical and creative moment of its history--matching those services against apparent national and world needs--they will find in a ag ie educational past worthy guides and goals for America's future.-- age 98 = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 120! SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 fhe National Education Association Is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the sclence and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged In research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE NEA ASSOCIATION FOR SUPERVISION AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT Washington, D.C., January 7--Gordon N, Mackenzie, head, Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Teachers College, Columbia University, has been elected president of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), a department of the National Hducation Association. Results of a nationwide ballot of members were announced here today. Dr. Mackenzie will begin his one-year term at the close of the Department's tenth annual convention in Chicago, March 6-10, He will succeed Prudence Bostwick, supervisor in the Denver Public Schools, who will serve as first vice president for one year, ASCD, an NEA department since 1929, has a manbership of 7,500 which includes school supervisors, directors, of curriculum, superintendents, and staff members of colleges and universities. The association focuses its publications and activities programs on the improvement of instruction and instructional materials in all fields of education. Other officers elected are Jane Franseth, specialist for rural education, U.S. Office of Education, Washington, D.C., as second vice president, and two new members to the executive committee: Madeline Tripp, elementary supervisor, State Department of Education, Raleigh, N.C., and Florence E, Beardsley, director of elementary education, State Department of Education, Salem, Ore. The two new members of the executive committee were elected for one and three years, respectively. MORE Columbia Univ Prof Elected Pres -— page two elected to the Board of Directors for four-year terms curriculum and instruction, Seattle Public Schools; Robert 5. Fleming, professor of education, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Helen Heffernan, chief, Bureau of Elementary Education, State Department of Education, Sacramento; Lillian C, Paukner, director of curriculum, Milwaukee (Wis. ) Public Schools; and Julia Weber Gordon, assistant in child and youth study, State Department of Education, Trenton, N.J. Dr. Mackenzie has participated in many field studies and surveys of supervision and curriculum development in the schools including the curriculum study of the Puerto Rican Schools, which he directed. Before joining the staff at Columbia University, he was professor of education at Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., and at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He also has been a teacher, principal, and superintendent in the public schools and was curriculum coordinator for the Wisconsin State Department of Public Instruction. Telephoned to the Washington Bureau Associated Press, by the NEA Press and Radio Division 1-6-55. Statement by Dr. William G. Carr, Executive Secretary, National Education Association, Concerning President Eisenhower's "State of the Union Message", January 6, 1955. "The National Education Association believes that the great increase in school population and the serious lag in schoolhouse construction constitute a national need that must be met with sufficient federal financial support to provide adequately for essential public-school building construction. "Funds for this purpose should be distributed according to an objective formula, administered by the United States Office of Education and channeled thru the regular state educational agencies. "We earnestly hope that such a program will be incorporated in the President's special message which he announced that he will forward to Congress on February 15." = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or M, Ruth Broom Press and Radio Relations FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NATIONAL SAFETY COMMISSION TO HOLD ANNUAL MEETING IN WASHINGTON, D. C., JAN. 6-8 Washington, D. C., Jan. 4 -= The annual Safety Commission meeting will be held at NEA headquarters to lay plans for stepping up safety programs in the nation's schools and to take a look at what has been accomplished by the commission during 195. One of the highlights of the meeting will be the consideration of future production of safety education materials, including posters, films and filmstrips, articles and publications which will be made available for use by educators in promoting better safety programs in the school curriculum, Representatives of national organizations interested in safety education have been invited to attend one session of the meeting. William G, Carr, NEA's executive secretary, will extend greetings to commission members on the opening day. The Safety Commission, organized in 1943, works closely with educators in extending and improving local safety education programs in the schools, providing materials and serving as consultants to school leaders in organizing better safety programs, Four staff members carry out the plans of the commission from NEA headquarters in Washington. Members of the commission are: Burt P, Johnson, superintendent, Tenafly Public Schools, Tenafly, Ne Je3 de Pe Abbott, dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Texas A & M, College Station, Tex.; Harvey R, Berger, teacher, Marblehead High School, Marblehead, Mass.; Max R, Goodson, assistant dean, College of Education, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; James J. Griffin, coordinator of safety, Board of Education, Chicago, Ill.; Josephine Gustafson, teacher, Central High School, Devils Lake, N.D.; J. H. Mathewson, assistant director, Institute of Transportation and Traffic Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Calif.; John G. McDowell, teacher, Central High School, Madison, Wis.; E, B. Norton, president, State Teachers College, Florence, Ala.; Katherine B, Sevedge, principal, Sherwood School, Memphis, Tenn. 3; Clara G, Stratemeyer, supervisor of elementary schools, Montgomery County, Board of Education, Rockville, Md.; Solon B, Sudduth, head, Department of Physical Education, George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tenn.; Gerald Wallace, assistant superintendent, Boise Public Schools, Boise, Idaho; Hubert Wheeler, commissioner of education, State Department of Education, Jefferson City, Mo.; C. L, Yarbrough, superintendent, Snyder Consolidated Independent Schools, Snyder, Tex. # it # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools For further information Belmont Farley, Roy K. Wilson December 28, 1954 FOR IMMEDIATE REIE ASE COMMISSION OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RAPS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES IN HOUSTON SCHOOLS AFTER YEAR-LONG DETAILED INVESTIGATION Washington, D.C., Dec. —— The Houston (Texas) Board of Education "acted precipitately" when it refused, by a vote of 4 to 3, to renew a contract with George W. Ebey, deputy superintendent of schools, according to a special in- vestigating committee report just released by the National Education Association (NEA). The "Ebey case", which attracted nationwide attention, is examined in detail in the report. Based on an investigation by a six-member committee appointed by the NEA's Commission for the Defense of Democracy Through Education, the report is an account of a probe of "educational unrest" in the Houston public school system conducted at the request of Texas educators, An uproar followed the dismissal of Dr. Ebey in 1953 after charges of alleged "disloyalty™ had been brought against him by a non-resident lawyer who, according to the report, admitted he had no first-hand information about Dr. Ebey's background. The Houston Board of Education employed a research organization not associated with the schools to investigate the charges, but in spite of absence of findings of disloyalty by this organization, the seven- member school board voted against renewing Dr. Ebey's contract. The report of the investigating committee appointed by the NEA Defense Commission states that since the charges of disloyalty were unsubstantiated, the Board of Education "acted precipitately" in refusing to renew Dr. Bbey's (MORE) COMMISSION OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RAPS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES IN HOUSTON SCHOOLS -— page 2 AFTER YEAR-LONG DETAILED INVESTIGATION contract, basing its decision upon grounds not previously presented. The report of the Defense Commission investigating committee went considerably beyond a protest against what it characterized as an unfounded charge against 4 local school administrator and his subsequent dismissal upon other grounds. It explored dissatisfactions in the school system, Early in the examinations of the Houston situation the committee found, its report states, "that unrest, un- happiness, and in some cases bitterness, exist among Houston personnel and that the dismissal of Dr. Ebey was only one incident in a long chain of events," The discovery of factors which caused "educational unrest" in the Houston school system became one of the committee's primary projects. To carry out what the committee felt would be an objective study of the frictions existing in the Houston schools, an independent agency, the Psychological Research Associates, was employed to survey and report the conditions giving rise to dissatisfactions, if any, in the school system. The Associates sent questionnaires to professional employees of the Houston school system, These were to be answered anonymously by the recipients, More than half of the 3,670 teachers responded, From these responses it was evident that the majority of teachers in the school system felt that constructive results would ensue from the NEA Defense Commission's investigation, While most of the employees agreed that the Houston school system was an excellent one in which to work, more than a third of the respondents said that they personally had experienced some kind of unwarranted pressure. More than half of the respondents indicated that such pressures were present in the Houston school system. As to whether un- pleasant consequences might result to individuals because of their social or political activities, the employees were evenly split in opinion. The cleavages, according to the committee report, were not only damaging to the morale of the school personnel, but handicapped effective consider= (MORE ) COMMISSION @ THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RAPS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES IN HOUSTON SCHOOLS -—— page 3 AFTER YEAR-LONG DETAILED INVESTIGATION ation of school matters by the Board of Education itself, because of the sharp issues often drawn between members of that body, one of whom remarked that "we found it difficult to get a unanimous vote even on adjournment." According to the investigating committee, school board discussions involving issues of great concern to teachers and pupils alike have often been marked by partisan strife and bitterness. This condition, the committee felt, began in the violent charges and counter-charges made by candidates at the time of school board election campaigns, These animosities made it difficult for a newly elected board to develop desirable working relationships. Competing factions were frequently characterized as "liberals" and "conservatives," and many school issues were decided on the basis of alignments unrelated to the issues themselves. One practice of the Houston public school system was singled out for criticism by the investigators -- that of dual administrative control. In the Houston schools, the business manager is not responsible to the superintendent of schools, He reports directly to the board of education. "This plan of organiza= tion has been the subject of much debate," said the investigators, "and in the minds of many citizens has been a basic cause of friction and lack of coordination." The effect of this type of school administration is so divisive, according to the investigating committee, that many Houston school employees “could be classified according to their major allegiance to either the superintendent or the business manager." This situation, the NEA committee alle ged, has accounted for some of the more serious cleavages within the system, The committee pointed to the fact that over 90% of the cities above 25,000 in population follow the unit control pattern and that "recent changes are in the direction of increasing this percentage." The committee recommended that the system of dual control in Houston be abolished at the earliest possible date, The committee also advised the establishment of a grievance machinery (MORE) COMMISSION OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RAPS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES IN HOUSTON SCHOOLS -—— page 4 AFTER YEAR-LONG DETAILED INVESTIGATION through which there might be equitable settlement of complaints made by school employees. The investigating committee appointed by the NEA Defense Commission to study the Houston situation was composed of the following members: John W, Letson, superintendent of schools, Bessemer, Alabama, chairman; Lucile Berlin, supervisor of science, Tulsa, Okla.; George H. Deer, professor, Louisiana State University; Maude Marcom, classroom teacher, Columbia, S.C.; A. Minis, Jr., businessman, Savannah, Ga.3 William C, Wilson, attorney and former school board member, Knoxville, Tenn, = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 64, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance din research and study The National Education Association is the national professional organization of affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote é the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engage: to improve American schools. For Further information Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CANDIDATES FOR NATIONAL OFFICES NOMINATED BY AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS Washington, D. C., November 8 == School superintendents in nine states have received the highest number of votes in a primary preferential ballot for national offices of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). Nominated for the office of president-elect were: Philip J. Hickey, Superintendent of Instruction, St. Louis, Missouri Paul J. Misner, Superintendent of Schools, Glencoe, Illinois C. C. Trillingham, County Superintendent of Schools, Los Angeles, California. Nominated for vice-president for a one-year term beginning March 15, 1955 were: Qmer Carmichael, Superintendent of Schools, Louisville, Kentucky O. H. English, Superintendent of Schools, Abington Township, Pennsylvania Ward I. Miller, Superintendent of Schools, Wilmington, Delaware For a four-year term on the AASA Executive Committee beginning March 15, 1955, the following were nominated: Martin W. Essex, Superintendent of Schools, Lakewood, Ohio Henry T, Hollingsworth, Superintendent of Schools, Bloomfield, New Jersey Leonard L. Maine, Superintendent of Schools, Portsmouth, Rhode Island Candidates for National Offices AASA (Page 2) The president-elect, the vice-president and one member of the Executive Committee will be chosen from these nominees in a nationwide mail ballot among the 9,040 members of the AASA in December. The president-elect serves a one-year term (beginning March 15, 1955) before succeeding to the presidency. He will serve as president of the association from March 15, 1956, to March 15, 1957. The results of the balloting were announced by the Board of Tellers of AASA. Members of the board are: W. F. Loggins, Superintendent of Schools, Greenville, South Carolina, Chairman; John M. Hough, Superintendent of Township Schools, Leaksville, North Carolina; J. E. Scott, Superintendent of Schools, Peekskill, New York. Ht — from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association Is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson FOR RELEASE: A.M. Papers, Saturday, Nove 6.1954 CALIFORNIA, ILLINOIS AND MISSOURI SUPERINTENDENTS NOMINATED TO HEAD AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS Washington, D. C., November 5 — Three school superintendents in California, TDlinois,and Missouri have received the highest number of votes in a primary prefer- ential ballot for the office of president-elect of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), The three are: Philip J. Hickey, Superintendent of Instruction, St. Louis, Missouri Paul J. Misner, Superintendent of Schools, Glencoe, Illinois C. C. Trillingham, County Superintendent of Schools, Los Angeles, California. The president-elect will be chosen from these three nominees in a nationwide mail ballot among the 9,040 members of AASA in December, The president-elect serves a one-year term (beginning March 15, 1955) before succeeding to the presidency. He will serve as president of the association from March 15, 1956, to March 15, 1957. The results of the balloting were anmeuncedtoday by the Board of Tellers of AASA, Members of the board are: W. F, Loggins, Superintendent of Schools, Greenville, South Carolina, Chairman; John M, Hough, Superintenient of Township Schools, Lleaksville, North Carolina; J. E. Scott, Superintendent of Schools, Peekskiil, New York. itt = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 46, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized In 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. October 14, 1954 For further Belmont Farley, Washington, |! Speci st journals )--The National Education Association will hold its thi Regior Instructional Conference in Denver, April 18-21, Waurine Walker, NEA president, announced here today. State and local education iati other organizations interested in education i he mountain area states will cooperate with NEA and its departments in sponsoring the conference. States participating in the spring meeting are: Arizona, Colora Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana and Kansas, An initial planning meeting Denver, November 6, at which tim meet to plan the program and to assign a delegate quota to each state, Approximately 500 delegates will be nominated by local education associations, school administrators, state education associations, and other organizations. The delegates will include classroom teachers, supervisors, administrators, college teachers and administrators, parents others interested in education, "The 1955 conference will again be devoted exclusively to the improvement of instruction," William G, Carr, NEA executive secretary, said in commenting on the purpose of the conference, "Regional conferences represent a newer trend on the part of the nationa and state education associations to offer their members broadened programs of instructional service, > NEA and its departments have worked closely with state associations MORE Third Regional Instructional Conference - page 2 in sponsoring two similar instructional conferences during the past four years, "The first conference of this type was held in Toledo, Ohio, in 1951 and the second such conference was in Minneapolis earlier this year, The NEA recognizes that a series of regional conferences over a period of years would not only be a distinct service to education but would also reach many teachers who do not have an opportunity to attend other NEA conferences, "Better classroom teaching will be the central theme in the conference," Dr, Carr emphasized, "The instructional resources of the National Education Association and its departments together with the resources of the western area will be well represented at the Denver meeting, "The classroom teacher, the school administrator and supervisor, the college teacher and administrator attending the conference will hear addresses by many outstanding leaders on the philosophy and objectives of modern education, They also will be able to exchange ideas on successful instructional practices and to see and examine demonstrations and new instructional technics at the wide variety of discussion sessions and experience sharing groups which will be scheduled during the conference," tt # # NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RURAL EDUCATION Washington, D. C., October 4-6, 1954 CONFERENCE DIVISIONAL MEETINGS AND TOPICS Purpose: To consider specific problems and promising lines of action for their solution. Division: 1. The Needed Educational Program for Rural Children and Youth--Its Scope and Quality Monday Night (1) Review of the past and preview of the desirable future Tuesday A.M. (2) Problems to be faced in educating today's rural citizens (a) Elementary school (b) Secondary school (c) Post- high school education in the community. Tuesday P.M. (3) Promising lines of action. The School as a Community Institution. Monday Night (1) "Community" and "community school"--their meaning and significance Tuesday A.M. (2) Community schools that serve the needs of the people— illustrations and evaluation Tuesday P.M. (3) The community's citizens--their relationships and responsibilities to their schools. Economic and Social Trends Related to Rural Education. Monday Night (1) Population characteristics and income distribution as major factors affecting education Tuesday A.M. (2) Special aspects of a changing rural life. School District Reorganization. Monday Night (1) Present status--description and evaluation Tuesday A.M. (2) Standards of organization Tuesday P.M. (3) How to attain reorganization. Personnel for Schools Serving Rural People Monday Night (1) Present status, number and variety of personnel needed Tuesday A.M. (2) Recruitment and preparation of needed personnel Tuesday P.M. (3) Economic and other provisions affecting the retention of teaching personnel to serve rural children and youth. Financing the Education of Rural People. Monday Night (1) Special aspects of finance—buildings and equipment, transportation, educating the handicapped, etc. Tuesday A.M. (2) Present systems of state finance--evaluation and recommendations Tuesday P.M. (3) Federal participation in financing the education of rural people--status and recommendations. Physical Facilities for Schools Serving Rural People and Their Communities. (buildings, grounds, equipment, transportation, etc.) Tuesday A.M. (1) Functional plenning and operation in reletion to the educational program Tuesday P.M. (2) Commnity use of school facilities. The Development of the Intermediate Unit. Monday Night (1) The intermediate service unit--emerging concepts and present status Tuesday A.M. (2) Services to and relationships with local commnity units Tuesday P.M, (3) Administration, organization, and personnel to provide the service. The County Unit of School Administretion. Tuesday A.M. (1) Advantages, limitetions and future development of existing county units Tuesday P.M. (2) Unique administrative problems of the county unit. Education for the Disadvantaged and Minority Groups in Rural Areas. Tuesday P.M. (1) Identification of these groups; programs to meet their needs. The Educational Programs of Organizations and Agencies Serving Rural People. Monday Night (1) Adult needs and programs to serve them Tuesday A.M. (2) Youth needs and programs to serve them Tuesday P.M. (3) Coordination of school and non-school programs. Improvement and Administration of Small Schools. Tuesday A.M. (1) The one- to three-teacher elementary school Tuesday P.M. (2) The high school serving fewer than 100 pupils. The Rural Environment's Distinctive Impact on Children and Youth. Monday Night (1) Distinctive experiences and their effects on the rural child Tuesday A.M. (2) The utilization of appropriate commnity resources for learning. Rural Education and the World Scene. Tuesday P.M. (1) Rural education as a world need; implications for. the United States. Opportunities for Rural Youth at the College Level. Monday Night (1) Problems involved and effective means of solving them. T-9/1/54 = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell (Press Room, Continental Room, Statler Hotel, Starting Fri., Oct. 1) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MRS. ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE BENSON TO ADDRESS NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RURAL EDUCATION, OCTOBER 4-6 Washington, D.C., October 1——Secretary of Agriculture Ezra T. Benson will address some 2,000 rural educators and delegates from agencies and organizations serving rural communities during the National Conference on Rural Education next week, The three-day conference is scheduled to open October 4 with general sessions at Constitution Hall. Secretary Benson will participate in a sumposium on the subject, "Rural Education from the Viewpoints of Agriculture, Labor, and Industry." Victor Reuther, assistant to the CIO president, will present the views of labor, and Walter Fuller, chairman of the board, Curtis Publishing Company, Philadelphia, will discuss the subject from the standpoint of industry. The 1954 Conference, which is sponsored by the National Education Association through its Department of Rural Education, is expected to mark a decade of progress in rural education since the 1944 White House Conference on Rural Education. The U.S. Office of Education is associate sponsor, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, who was hostess to the White House Conference on Rural Education in 1944, will speak at the closing session of the conference, Wednesday, October 6. Her subject will be, "Human Rights." Every state will be represented at the conference. They will include leaders from public schools and other agencies serving rural people, parent-teacher MORE Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Secy of Ag Benson to address Natl Conf on Rural Ed, Oct 4-6 (page two) groups, farm organizations, school boards, youth-serving groups, as well as lay and professional leaders who are familiar with the rural problems of their states, Other major addresses will be given by Samuel M. Brownell, U.S. Commissioner of Education, Washington, D.C.; Waurine Walker, of Austin, Texas, president of the National Education Association; and Howard A. Dawson, of Washington, D.C., executive secretary, NEA Department of Rural Education, Dr. Dawson will keynote the three-day conference with his address on the subject, "A Decade of Education in Rural America," John H. Davis, director of the Moffet Program in Agriculture and Business, School of Business Administration, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., will discuss, "Rural Education's Role in Building a Better World." Vernon L. Heath, of Robinson, Ill., vice-president of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and executive vice-president of L.S. Heath and Sons Company, will discuss,"The Nation's Stake in the Teacher Situation," and Mrs. Haven Smith, of Chappell, Nebr., first vice-president, Associated Women of the American Farm Bureau Federation, will have as her subject, "The Distinctive Educational Needs of Rural People." Other speakers include: Glenn Kendall, president, Chico (Calif.) State College; Francis S, Chase, chairman, Department of Education, University of Chicago; Frank W. Cyr, Professor of Rural Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City; John Cox, secretary for general services, Illinois Agriculture Association, Chicago (a Farm Bureau affiliate); Willard E. Goslin, chairman, Division of School Administration and Community Leadership; George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tenn.; and Griscom Morgan, assistant to the president, Community Service, Inc., Yellow Springs, Ohio, Among the topics to be discussed as a series of divisional meetings are: per~ sonnel for schools serving rural people; financing education for rural people; education for the disadvantaged and minority groups in rural areas; the distinctive impact on children and youth of a rural environment; the educational program of organizations and agencies serving rural communities, and school district reorganization. A number of agencies and organizations are cooperating in the conference including many NEA departments, the National School Boards Association, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, the Association of Junior Colleges, the Association of Childhood Education, the American Vocational Association, the American Association of University Women, the American Library Association, the Association of American Colleges, the National University Extension Association, Phi Delta Kappa, Farmers! Union, and the American Institute of Cooperation. Government groups cooperating include: the Agriculture Marketing Service, Bureau of Human Nutrition and Economics, Farmers! Cooperative Service and the Federal Extension Service, all of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; the Children's Bureau and the Public Health Service of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare; the Bureau of Indian Affairs Education Branch of the Department of the Interior; and the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor, Some 700 county school superintendents, who are members of the NEA Division of County and Rural Areas Superintendents, will hold their ninth annual conference at the Statler Hotel, October 1-2, They also will participate in the National Conference on Rural Education. . ## # # NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RURAL EDUCATION* Washington, D. C., October 4-6, 1954 EDUCATION FOR RURAL AMERICA--A FORWARD LOOK Purposes: To explore trends and major issues affecting rural education, and, on the basis of this, (1) take stock of opportunities and responsibilities in providing for the education of rural people, (2) consider means of fulfilling these responsi- bilities, and (3) determine promising lines of action. Sunday, October 3 -- Registration and Leaders Meetings Mond October 9:30 A. M. OPENING GENERAL SESSION Constitution Hall Greetings Miss Waurine Walker, President, National Education Association The Role of the Office of Education in Education for Rural America Samuel M, Brownell, U. S. Commissioner of Education A Decade of Education in Rural America Howard A. Dawson, Executive Secretary, Department of Rural Education Rural Education's Role in Building a Better World John H. Davis, Director, Moffett Program in Agriculture and Business, Harvard University 2:00 P. M. ASSEMBLIES--To explore broad areas of concern--simultaneous sessions ASSEMBLY I, THE TEACHER--The situation with respect to teachers and other school personnel to serve rural people. The Nation's Stake in the Teacher Situation Vernon L, Heath, Vice President, Illinois Chamber of Commerce The Teachers We Need To Serve Rural Children and Youth Glenn Kendall, President, Chico State College, Chico, California ASSEMBLY II. THE STUDENT--The question of who are to be educated and the nature of their unmet needs. The Task Ahead in Achieving "Equal Educational Opportunity for All" Francis S. Chase, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois The Distinctive Educational Needs of Rural People Mrs. Haven Smith, Associated Women of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Chappell, Nebraska ASSEMBLY III. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAM--The means by which adequate educational opportunities can become available to rural people. A School Administrator's Viewpoint Frank W. Cyr, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York ¥The Ninth National Conference of County and Rural Area Superintendents of Schools meets in conjunction with the Conference, with separate sessions October 1 and 2, over Monday, October 4 (continued) 2:00 P. M. THE ASSEMBLIES (continued) An Agricultural Leader's Viewpoint John K. Cox, Illinois Agricultural Association, Chicago, Illinois ASSEMBLY IV. THE SCHOOL IN THE COMMUNITY--Relationships of school and community; their implications for public education in rural communities. An Educator's Viewpoint Willard E, Goslin, George Peabody College, Nashville, Tennessee A Community Leader's Viewpoint Griscom Morgan, Community Service, Inc., Yellow Springs, Ohio DIVISIONAL MEETINGS--To consider specific problems and promising lines of action for the solution of these problems. (See separate listing) Tuesd October 9:30 A. M. DIVISIONAL MEETINGS (Continued) 2:00 P. M. " . a 8:00 P. M. SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP MEETINGS--For cooperating organizations and agencies requesting opportunity for sessions to consider implica- tions of the Conference for their respective programs. Wednesday, October 6 9:30 A. M. CLOSING GENERAL SESSION Constitution Hall Greetings Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt (Hostess to the 1944 Conference) Rural Education from the Viewpoint of Labor Victor Reuther, Assistant to the President, Congress of Industrial Organizations Rural Education from the Viewpoint of Industry Walter D, Fuller, Chairman of the Board, Curtis Publishing Company Rural Education from the Viewpoint of Agriculture The Honorable Ezra Taft Benson, U. S. Secretary of Agriculture 1:00 P. M. LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ADVISORY COUNCIL Overview: One Man's Interpretation of the Conference Shirley Cooper, Assistant Secretary, American Association of School Administrators Discussion: What can amd should be done to put to effective use ideas and information developed through the Conference? NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. September 10, 1954 Dear Editor: "Citizenship Day" (September 17) has been proclaimed by President Eisenhower in commemoration of the formation and signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1778. Native youths who reach voting age and those from other lands who have obtained United States citizenship through the naturalization process will be honored in Washington on September 17, the final day of the Ninth Annual Conference on Citizenship. The Conference in Washington from September 15 - 17 brings together some 1200 representatives from 800 private organizations throughout the United States. In connection with this event we believe that you will be interested in the enclosed report of the Eighth National Conference on Citizenship which we are sending to you with the compliments of the Citizenship Committee of the National Education Association. The citizenship conference has been held annually since 1946, under the auspices of the National Education Association and the Department of Justice. The National Education Association Citizenship Committee under the chair- manship of Miss Ema Mae Brotze, a junior high school principal from Marshall, Texas, carries on a continuous program to stimulate effective citizenship programs. In the enclosed report we believe you may find especially helpful the statements on pages 14 and 15, made at the 1953 Conference by Judge Luthur Youngdahl, of the United States District Court; Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr.; and William A. Early, who was then president of the National Education Association. Sincerely, Ao O Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Virginia R. Powell For Immediate Release PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION CONFERENCE TO HOLD FALL MEETING Washington, D. C., August 20 = Am eleven-man planning committee will meet in Washington, D, C., October 1, 2, and 3, to outline a program highlighting current issues facing the nation's colleges and universities for the Tenth National Conference on Higher Education to be held in Chicago, February 28, March 1 and 2, 1955. The conference, sponsored by the Association for Higher Education (AHE), a department of the National Education Association, is attended by educators from many of the nation's major institutions of higher learning as well as representatives from lay and professional organizations and federal agencies, Judson C, Ward, Jr., dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University, Georgia, will head the planning committee. Other members are: Robert G, Bone, director, Division of General Studies and Professor of History, University of Illinois, Urbana; William H, Cartwright, chairman, Department of Education, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Harold W. Herman, editor, College and University Business, Chicago, Illinois; The Right Reverend Monsignor Frederick G. Hochwalt, secretary general, National Catholic Educational Association, Washington, D.C.; J. Paul Leonard, president, San Francisco State College, San Francisco, California; Elizabeth Eckhardt May, dean, School of Home Economics, University of Connecticut, Storrs; Roy A. Price, Professor of Social Science and Education, Maxwell Graduate School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.3 James W, Reynolds, Professor and Consultant in Junior College Education, and editor, American Robert Thornton, Dean of Association of Junior Colleges Journal, University of Texas, Austin; nstruction, versity, New Urleans, La.; and Charles Turck, president, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn. John R, Emens, president, Ball State Teachers College, Muncie, Ind., who is AHE president, and G. Kerry Smith, executive secretary, also will serve on the committee. # # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its e welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the national professional organization of educators. engaged in research and study The National Education Association is affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote th strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously the science and practice of education, and to build to Improve American schools. Nant e c October 14, 1954 Washington, D.C., )--The National Education Association will hold yructional Conference in Denver, April 18-21, Waurine W ed here today, State and local education associations as well as other organizations ed in education in the mountain area states will cooperate with NEA intereste States participating in the spartments in New Mexico, Nevada, Montana An initial planning meeting of the conference is scheduled to be held in Denver, November 6, at which time representatives from mountain area states will meet to plan the program a .o assign a delegate quota to each state, Approximately delegates will be nominated by local education associations, school administrat tate education associations, and other organizations, The delegates will include school supervisors, administrators, college teachers and administrators, parents, and others interested in education. "The 1955 conference will again be devoted exclusively to the improvement of instruction," William G, Carr, NEA executive secretary, said in commenting on the purpose of the conference, 2 newer trend on the part of the national and "Regional conferences represent education associations to offer their members broadened programs of instructional re worked closely with state associations MORE Third Regional Instructional Conference - page 2 in sponsoring two similar instructional conferences during the past four years, "The first conference of this type was held in Toledo, Ohio, in 1951 and the second such conference was in Minneapolis earlier this year, The NEA recognizes that a series of regional conferences over a period of years would not only be a distinct service to education but would also reach many teachers who do not have an opportunity to attend other NEA conferences, "Better classroom teaching will be the central theme in the conference," Dr, Carr emphasized, "The instructional resources of the National Education Association and its departments together with the resources of the western area will be well represented at the Denver meeting, "The classroom teacher, the school administrator and supervisor, the college teacher and administrator attending the conference will hear addresses by many outstanding leaders on the philosophy and objectives of modern education, They also will be able to exchange ideas on successful instructional practices and to see and examine demonstrations and new instructional technics at the wide variety of discussion sessions and experience sharing groups which will be scheduled during the conference," #### Cosy AL IGSY NOTE TO EDITOR: The Ninth National Conference of County and Rural Area Superintendents, a division of the NEA Department of Rural Education, is scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C., October 1-2, Members of the group also will participate in the National Conference on Rural Education. Joint Conference headquarters will be at the Statler and Mayflower Hotels. = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MRS. ROOSEVELT, SECRETARY BENSON, VICTOR REUTHER TO ADDRESS NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RURAL EDUCATION IN WASHINGTON, D.C., OCTOBER 4-6; 4,000 NATIONAL LEADERS WILL PARTICIPATE Washington, D.C., August 11 ~-Some 4,000 educators and persons representing agencies and organizations serving rural communities will hear Secretary of Agriculture Ezra T. Benson, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and other national leaders speak on major issues facing rural education at the National Conference on Rural Education in Washington, D.C., October 4-6, General sessions will be held in Constitution Hall. The 1954 conference, which is sponsored by the National Education Association through its Department of Rural Education, is expected to mark a decade of progress in rural education since the 1944 White House Conference on Rural Education. The U.S. Office of Education is associate sponsor. Mrs. Roosevelt, who was hostess to the White House Conference on Rural Education . in 1944, will discuss "Human Rights." A symposium on the subject, "Rural Education from the Viewpoints of Agriculture, Labor and Industry," will be presented by Secretary Benson; Victor Reuther, assistant to CIO President Walter Reuther; and Walter Fuller, Chairman of the Board, Curtis Publishing Company, respectively. Other major addresses will be given by Samuel M. Brownell, U.S. Commissioner of Education; Waurine Walker, president, National Education Association; Howard A. Dawson, executive secretary, NEA Department of Rural Education; md Shirley Cooper, assistant secretary, American Association of School Administrators. MORE MRS ROOSEVELT, SECY BENSON, VICTOR REUTHER TO ADDRESS NATL CONF ON RURAL EDUCATION IN WASH, DC, OCT 4-6; 4,000 NATL LEADERS WILL PARTICIPATE (contd) Dr. Dawson will keynote the three-day conference with his address on the subject, "A Decade of Education in Rural America." He will review the progress made in rural education during the past decade and will discuss the present status of education in rural communities. After the opening conference session four assemblies are scheduled to consider the following basic areas necessary in the provision of educational opportunities for rural people: insuring an adequate supply of qualified teachers; distinctive needs of the rural student; providing the needed educational program; and ways that a well-coordinated school and community can serve rural people. Presentations in each assembly will be made by a professional and a lay person. Among those participating are: Glenn Kendall, president, Chico State College, Chico, Calif., Francis Chase, chairman, department of education, University of Chicago; Mrs. Haven Smith of Chappell, Nebr., first vice-president, Associated Women of the American Farm Bureau Federation; John Cox, secretary for general services, Illinois Agriculture Association, Chicago (a Farm Bureau affiliate); and Griscom Morgan, assistant to president, Community Service, Inc., Yellow Springs, Ohio. Among the topics to be discussed as a series of divisional meetings are: personnel for schools serving rural people, financing education for rural people; education for the disadvantaged and minority groups in rural areas; the distinctive impact on children and youth of a rural environment; the educational programs of organizations and agencies serving rural communities, and school district reorganization. A number of agencies and organizations are cooperating in the conference including many NEA departments, the National School Boards Association, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, the Associa- tion of Childhood Education, the American Vocational Association, the American Associa-~ tion of Junior Colleges, the American Association of University Women, the American Library Association, the Association of American Colleges, the National University Ex- tension Association, Phi Delta Kappa, Farmers' Union, and the American Institute of Cooperation. Government groups cooperating include: the Agriculture Marketing Service, Bureau of Human Nutrition and Economics, Farmers! Cooperative Service and the Federal Exten= sion Service, all of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; the Children's Bureau ani the Public Health Service of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare; the Bureau of Indian Affairs Education Branch of the Department of the Interior; and the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor. tit# = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 120) SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the sclence and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For immediate release 7/30/ 5b Note to the Editor: Below is a special report for September journals on late developments in ¢onnection with the NEA Building Fund.—- Belmont Farley A total of 586 new life members were enrolled in the National Education Association during the 92nd Annual Convention in New York City on June 27-July 2, bringing an additional $87,900 in cash and pledges into the $5 million Building Fund. Since December 1952 all life membership fees have been earmarked for the new NEA Education Center in the nation's capital. Another development at the New York City convention was the organization of the "$50 Club." Until July 1948 life membership in the WEA could be purchased for $100, Since that date the cost of a life membership has been $150. During the New York City convention a group of Life Members who paid $100 organized the $50 Club by making a cash contribution of $50 directly to the NEA Building Fund. George Linn of California proposed the club and 54 others joined him. A. C, Flora and Karl H. Berns, co-chairmen of the Building Fund Committee, report that many others whose life membership fees are paid up and who are en-— titled to NEA services for life without further fee are joining the $50 Club, According to Dr. Flora "this voluntary action on the part of teachers who became life members of NEA at a time when $100 represented, in many cases, one~ tenth or more of the annual salary ought to give other teachers an assurance that $150 life membership in the NEA is a wonderful investment toward their future professional growth. (more) "Many years ago, with an average salary of a school teacher around $1,000 a year, it took a lot of faith and just plain courage for the teacher to invest that amount in a professional organization. It took faith for those teachers to take out life membership — faith in themselves and faith that the NEA would build a brighter future for them and better educational opportunities for all children," Charter members of the $50 Club are: ALABAMA R. L. Booker, Mobile ALASKA Donald Lawvere, Craig ARIZONA Edward Gurr, Phoenix John P, Hindman, Casa Grande Winona Montgomery, Phoenix Mrs. Nell Wilcoxen, Phoenix CALIFORNIA Mrs. Genevra Davis, Los Angeles John R, King, Bakersfield George I. Linn, Sacramento Mary Virginia Morris, Los Angeles DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Hilda Maehling Glenn E, Snow GEORGIA William A, Early, Savannah Willis A, Sutton, Atlanta ILLINOIS Mrs. Gladys Robinson, Rockford Ruth Ann White, Rockford INDIANA Sara C, Ewing, Indianapolis Gertrude E, McComb, Terre Haute L. V. Phillips, Indianapolis Audrey N. Shauer, Valparaiso Mary Van Horn, Newburgh (more) KANSAS F, L. Schlagle, Kansas City MASSACHUSETTS Albert Johnson, Southwick MICHIGAN Catherine L. Hyde, Port Huron Mildred A, Kunz, Port Huron MISSOURI Genevieve Hamilton, Joplin MONTANA Oliver Peterson, Billings NEBRASKA ' Florence B. Reynolds, Omaha Gertrude Reynolds, Omaha NEVADA Mrs, Thelma Flavin, Lamoille NEW JERSEY Mildred Lackey, Keyport Ruth Pearson, East Orange Carolyn Pohl, Belleville May C. Smith, Trenton NEW MEXICO Mary Foraker, Albuquerque NEW YORK Zoraida Weeks, Albany NORTH CARQLINA Mrs, Maude M. Jeffers, Gastonia Zona Livengood, Greensboro Mrs. Belle McCorkle, Winston Salem NORTH DAKOTA Vincent Dodge, Fargo OHIO Margaret Boyd, Steubenville Mrs. Sarah C. Caldwell, Akron Lucille Carroll, Wilmington Leonore Holliday, Cincinnati Ralph S. Miller, Findlay Anita Ruffin, Bellevue (more) PENNSYLVANIA Harvey E, Gayman, Harrisburg David Guhl, Connellsville Mabel Studebaker, Erie SOUTH CAROLINA A, C, Flora, Columbia S, David Storiey, Columbia TEXAS Leslie C, McDonald, Housten UTAH Marva Banks Lindsay, Salt Lake City VIRGINIA Mary DeLong, Roanoke WEST VIRGINIA Corma Mowrey, Charleston HE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET NORTHWEST. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. July 23, 1954 TO THE EDITORS OF STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION JOURNALS: Dear Editor: Several requests have been received for the text of the response made by Miss Waurine Walker when she was nominated as a candi- date for the presidency of the National Education Association in Madison Square Garden in New York on June 29, The enclosed text has just been received from the stenotypist and we are glad to send this copy to you. Also enclosed is a photograph of Miss Walker which was taken in Madison Square Garden, If we can be of any further help to you, please be sure to let us know, Sincerely, (a: Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. July 21, 1954 MEMORANDUM TO EDITORS AND CORRESPONDENTS: Enclosed are copies of telegrams on school construction legislation which were sent to President Eisenhower and Congressional leaders this afternoon (Wed- nesday, July ay; The telegrams are for immediate release for news use, School construction legislation now before Congress includes $2601 intro- duced by Senator John S. Cooper (R-—Ky) and reported by the Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee on July 9, and HR 9841 introduced by Rep, Peter Frelinghuysen Jr., (R-NJ). Each bill would distribute $250,000,000 annually to the states for a period of two years to help relieve the immediate shortage of public school building facili- ties. While not identical, the bills differ primarily in terms of the formula to be employed with each using a variation of the Hill-Burton hospital construction formula, If you wish further information concerning the proposed legislation, James L, McCaskill, director of the NEA Division of Legislation and Federal Relations, will be glad to help you. (Telephone ADams 4-4355), Sincerely, ont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations TEXT OF TELEGRAM ON SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BILLS July 21, 195k President Dwight D. Eisenhower The White House Washington, D. C. THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES POSSESS NO MORE PRECIOUS NATIONAL TREASURE THAN THE CHILDREN ENROLLED IN OUR SCHOOLS. TO SAFEGUARD THIS RESOURCE AND TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF INCREASING ENROLLMENTS AND RISING BIRTH RATES OUR SCHOOLS MUST HAVE MORE CLASSROOMS, WE BELIEVE THAT EMERGENCY FUNDS SHOULD BE PROVIDED TO STATES AND LOCALITIES WHOSE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS FAR SURPASS THEIR AVAILABLE FISCAL RESOURCES. FOR THIS REASON WE RESPECTFULLY URGE YOU TO REQUEST CONGRESS TO GIVE FAVOR- ABLE CONSIDERATION TO EMERGENCY PUBLIC SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BILLS INTRO- DUCED BY SENATOR COOPER AND TEN OTHER SENATORS AND BY REPRESENTATIVE FRELINGHUYSEN. LETTER FOLLOWS REQUESTING PERSONAL INTERVIEW WITH GROUP REPRESENTING THE SIGNERS OF THIS MESSAGE, American Association of School Administrators American Association of University Women American Federation of Teachers American Library Association American Parents Committee American Vocational Association Congress of Industrial Organizations Cooperative League of U.S, A. Council of Chief State School Officers Department of Classroom Teachers, NEA Department of Rural Education, NEA Friends Committee on National Legislation Jewish War Veterans of the U. S. National Association of Secondary School Principals National Congress of Parents and Teachers National Council of Jewish Women National Education Association National Grange National Jewish Welfare Board Order of Railway Conductors TEXT OF TELEGRAM ON SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BILLS Sent individually to: Honorable Richard M, Nixon, Vice President Honorable William F, Knowland, Senate Majority Leader Honorable lyndon B, Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Honorable H, Alexander Smith, Chairman, Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee Honorable John S, Cooper, Chairman, Senate Education Subcommittee Honorable Joseph W. Martin, Jr., Speaker of the House of Representatives Honorable Charles A, Halleck, House Majority Leader Honorable Sam Rayburn, House Minority Leader Honorable Samuel K, McConnell, Chairman, House Education and Labor Committee Honorable Carroll D. Kearns, Chairman, House Education Subcommittee July 21, 1954 THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES POSSESS NO MORE PRECIOUS NATIONAL TREASURE THAN THE CHILDREN ENROLLED IN OUR SCHOOLS. TO SAFEGUARD THIS RESOURCE AND TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF INCREASING ENROLLMENTS AND RISING BIRTH RATES OUR SCHOOLS MUST HAVE MORE CLASSROOMS. WE BELIEVE THAT EMERGENCY FUNDS SHOULD BE PROVIDED TO STATES AND LOCALITIES WHOSE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS FAR SURPASS THEIR AVAILABLE FISCAL RESOURCES, FOR THIS REASON WE RESPECTFULLY URGE YOU TO SUPPORT FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION BEFORE ADJOURNMENT OF EMERGENCY PUBLIC SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BILLS INTRODUCED BY SENATOR COOPER AND TEN OTHER SENATORS AND BY REPRESENTATIVE FRELINGHUYSEN, American Association of School Administrators American Association of University Women American Federation of Teachers American Library Association American Parents Committee American Vocational Association Congress of Industrial Organizations Cooperative League of U.S.A... Council of Chief State School Officers Department of Classroom Teachers, NEA Department of Rural Education, NEA Friends Committee on National Legislation Jewish War Veterans of the U.S, National Association of Secondary School Principals National Congress of Parents and Teachers National Council of Jewish Women National Education Association National Grange National Jewish Welfare Board Order of Railway Conductors = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. July 15, 1954 MEMORANDUM TO: Washington Editors and Correspondents Subject: News Conference on Emergency School Construction Legislation at National Education Association headquarters, 1201 16th Street, N. Wey Washington, D,. C, Time: 11:00 a.m., Monday, July 19, 1954 The need for immediate passage of federal school construction legislation will be discussed at a News Conference to be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, July 19, in the Board of Directors room of the National Education Association headquarters building, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N, W., Washington, D. C. Participants in the News Conference will include: Miss Waurine Walker of Austin, Texas, newly-elected President of the National Education Association William G, Carr, Executive Secretary, National Education Association Also on Monday, Miss Walker expects to discuss with Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Oveta Culp Hobby the possibility of Administration support for emergency school construction bills now pending in Congress. The National Education Association endorsed such legislation at its 92nd annual meeting which ended in New York City on July 2, 1954. School construction legislation now before Congress includes $2601 intro~ duced by Senator John 5. Cooper (R-Ky) and reported by the Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee on July 9, and HR 9841 introduced by Rep. Peter Frelinghuysen,Jro, (R-NJ). Each bill would distribute $250,000,000 annually to the states for a period of two years to help relieve the immediate shortage of public school building facili- ties, While not identical, the bills differ primarily in terms of the formula to be employed with each using a variation of the Hill-Burton hospital construction formula, A digest of the Cooper bill as reported in the Senate is attached to- gether with a table showing the approximate amounts to go to each state, Sincerely, elmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations Draft 7/14/54 MEMORANDUM FROM: Belmont Farley TO: Washington news correspondents NEA PRESS CONFERENCE ON EMERGENCY SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION LEGISLATION Statements on the need for passing federal school construction aid by NEA's newly elected president, Waurine Walker of Austin, Texas, and by NEA executive secretary, William G. Carr will be featured at a press conference scheduled for Monday, July 19 at 11:00 A.M., in the Board of Directors room in the NEA headquarters building. Miss Walker, who is in Washington briefly before leaving for Oslo, Norway to attend the anmal meeting of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP), is hopeful of obtaining a personal interview with Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Oveta Culp Hobby at which time she will appeal for Administration support of bills now pending in Congress. These axe|s-atan introduced by Senator John S. Cooper (R-Ky.) and reported by the Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee on July 9, and HR 9841 introduced by Rep. Peter Frelinghuysen, Jr. (R-N.J.). Each bill would distribute $250,000,000 annually to the states for a period of two years to help relieve the immediate shortage of public school tuilding facili- ties. While not identical, the bills differ primarily in terms of the formula to be employed with each using a variation of the Hill-Burton hospital construction forma. A digest of the Cooper bill as reported in the Senate is attached to- gether with a table showing the approximate amounts to go to each >) qrbdg 1, 1954 = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolied in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE IOWA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT ELECTED HEAD OF NEA COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS' DIVISION Washington, D.C., July 7 — Ernest W. Barker, superintendent of Pottawattamie County Schools, Council,Bluffs, Iowa, has been named president-elect of the County Superintendents' Division of the National Education Association for 1954-55 in a recent nationwide ballot of members, it was announced here today by Howard A. Dawson, executive secretary of the NEA Department of Rural Education. Superintendent Barker will succeed Cecil E, Shuffield, superintendent of Howard County Schools, Nashville, Ark. He will take office at the close of the Ninth National Conference of County and Rural Area Superintendents which is scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C., October 1-2. Other officers will be elected during the conference. The Division has approximately 1,000 members who are adminis- trators in rural education. Mr. Barker has been school superintendent of Pottawattamie County since 1948. He began his teaching career in Lafayette County, Missouri. Later he was principal in Sweet Springs and Jefferson City, Missouri, for six years and elementary school supervisor for three years at Moberly, Missouri. Before assuming his present position he was director of elementary education in Council Bluffs for two years. MORE TOWA SCHOOL SUPT ELECTED HEAD NEA COUNTY SUPT DIV (page two Long active in Iowa educational organizations, Mr. Barker is a member of the Iowa State Education Association; Iowa Association of School Boards; Committee for Iowa Teacher Education and Professional Standards; secretary, Iowa Association of County Superintendents; past president, Southwest Iowa Education Association; vice-president, District 9, Parent-Teacher Association; and director, Department of Education, Iowa Congress of Parents and Teachers. He is also a life member of the National Education Association. In addition to his activities in education, Superintendent Barker is a member of Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce Civic Governing Board; vice president, Kiwanis Club; a member of the executive board, Council Bluffs Good Will Industries; Pottawattamie County Board of Health; chairman, Southwest Iowa Developmental Study Committee; Girl Scouts; School of Nursing Committee, Jennie Edmundsen Hospital; Western Iowa Civic Music Board; Crippled Children's Association Board, Pottawattamie County; a member of Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa and president, Nemaha Chapter, Kappa Delta Pi. Mr. Barker received his bachelor of science degree from Central Missouri State College, Warrensburg and his master's degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia. ###E#F = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 20,000 U.S. AND OVERSEAS EDUCATORS WILL ATTEND UN MEETINGS THIS MONTH Washington, D.C., June 18 — United Nations officials will open UN facilities this month to their counterpart in education from various nations of the world. Their visitors will be some 20,000 educators and teachers from the United States and 30 overseas countries who will be attending the 92nd annual convention of the National Education Association in New York City, June 27 - July 2. In an unprecedented action, Dag Hammarskjold, UN secretary general, members of his staff, and many UN representatives have cooperated with the NEA Committee on Inter=- national Relations to arrange for special convention sessions, daily tours, and special exhibits at UN headquarters for this cross-section of the world's educators and teachers. Seven sessions with the general theme, "Education and the United Nations", are scheduled to be held in the UN General Assembly hall, 3 to 5 pm, Monday, June 28, through Thursday, July 1, and from 10 am to noon, Wednesday, June 30, through Friday, July 2. Among the official and non-official experts in international affairs who will address these sessions are: Secretary-General Hammarskjold; Andrew Cordier, executive assistant to the UN secretary general; Benjamin A. Cohen of Chile, assistant secretary general for UN public information; Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt; James J. Wadsworth, deputy United States representative to the UN; Earl J. McGrath, president University of MORE 20,000 US & O/SEAS EDUCATORS WILL ATTEND UN MEETINGS THIS MONTH (page 2 Kansas City and former U.S. Commissioner of Education; Rt. Rev. Msgr. Frederick G, Hochwalt, secretary general, National Catholic Educational Association; and Frank P,. Graham, UN representative in India and Pakistan, Ambassador Enrique Rodriguez Fabregat, Uruguayan permanent UN representative; Krishna Menon, Indian UN delegate; Minerva Bernardino, Dominician Republic alternate UN representative; Franc Kos, Jugoslavian deputy permanent UN representative; Ambassador Henri Hoppenot, French permanent UN representative; and Salvador P, Lopez, minister plenipotentiary of the Philippine Embassy. On the final day of the UN's special sessions, members of the United States National Commission for UNESCO will report on the activities and progress of UNESCO. Speakers for this session include: Mrs. F, Peavey Heffelfinger, Republican national committee-woman from Minnesota; John A. Perkins, president, University of Delaware; and George Shuster, president,Hunter College. Solomon V. Arnaldo, director of the New York office of UNESCO, will serve as chairman of this session, Teachers will also be given time to become familiar with the physical plan of the United Nations buildings and will have an opportunity to visit the UN bookshop, post office and gift shop. UN staff members have arranged for teachers to see and hear UN films, filmstrips and recordings. An exhibit of teaching materials about the UN and world affairs also will be on display at the Carnegie Endowment International Center. An international reception for some 1,000 guestsis scheduled Thursday evening, July 1. This function will be sponsored by the UN Department of Public Information, the New York State Teachers Association and the NEA Committee on Intermtional Relations. Members of the NEA Committee on International Relations are: Margaret Boyd, chairman, Steubenville, Ohio; W. Linwood Chase, Sharon, Masss Lucy Cobb, Deming, N. Mexs Louise Owen, LaGrange, Gas Dr. McGrath and Robert H. Reid, NEA executive assistant to the committee, tte # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information: Belmont Farley will be in New York City at the New Yorker Hotel June 24 - July 3. Convention Press Service in Rooms 27 and 28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, beginning June 25 FOR RELEASE: P.M.PAPERS, FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 1954 20,000 TEACHERS TO ATTEND 92nd ANNUAL MEETING OF NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION IN NEW YORK CITY, JUNE 27-JULY 2 Washington, D. C., June 18 -- More than 4,500 delegates elected by the nation's teachers will participate in the 92nd annual meeting of the National Education Association (NEA) to be held at Madison Square Garden, New York City, June 27-July 2. An additional 15,000 teacher-leaders will take part in various convention sessions, bringing the total attendance to approximately 20,000. "We hold these truths..." will be the convention theme, according to William A, Early, president of the NEA and superintendent of Savannah and Chatham County schools, Georgia. Convention speakers include Ralph W. Sockman, minister, Christ Church, New York City; Robert F. Wagner, mayor of New York City; John Foster Dulles, secretary of state; Grayson Kirk, president, Columbia University; Dag Hammarskjold, secretary general of the United Nations; Mrs. Newton P. Leonard, president, National Congress of Parents and Teachers; Samuel M. Brownell, U. 5S. commissioner of education; Arthur Connell, American Legion national commander; Billie Davis, Springfield, Mo.; and William G. Carr, NEA executive secretary. [MoRE_7 20,000 TEACHERS TO ATTEND 92nd ANNUAL MEETING OF NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION IN NEW YORK CITY, JUNE 27-JULY 2 -- Page 2 ————— ee NS PUNE 2 (ULL One convention feature will be Operation SUNNY (See United Nations, New York), co-sponsored by the National Education Association and the United Nations. Seven Sessions with the general theme of "Education and the United Nations" will be held at the UN General Assembly, Monday through Friday, June 28-July 2. Among those scheduled to address the UN sessions are: Mrs, Eleanor Roosevelt; James J. Wadsworth, deputy United States representative to the United Nations; Earl J. McGrath, president, University of Kansas City and former U. S. Commissioner of Education; Rt. Rev. Msgr. Frederick G. Hochwalt, secretary-general, National Catholic Educational Association; Ralph Bunche, director, Trusteeship Division, UN Secretariat. Teachers will find help on a wide range of their professional problems through 90 discussion groups scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, June 30 and July 1. Discussions will focus on community relations, instructional prob- lems, teacher welfare, professional preparation and growth, finance and buildings, Twenty-two specialized departments of the NEA will hold meetings on Monday, June 28, On Tuesday, June 29, fifteen NEA commissions and committees will hold meetings. The Joint Committee on Educational Television will hold a demonstration and clinic to provide tips on television programming for the classroom, On Thursday, July 1, the premiere showing of "Freedom to Learn", a new 273-minute motion picture produced by the NEA and affiliated state education associations, will be held in Madison Square Garden. The film deals with the teaching of controversial issues in the classroom. Another convention feature will be the Audio-Visual Demonstration Center in Madison Square Garden where delegates may see a full-sized modern classroom exhibit and the newest audio-visual aids, Hit NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. June 17, 1954 Dear Colleague: On behalf of the officers of the Education Writers Association it is a pleasure to extend an invitation to you to attend the Annual Awards Luncheon of the Association in the Georgian Room of the Hotel Statler at 12:00 noon on Monday, June 28, in New York City. Prizes will be awarded for the outstanding writing dealing with education during 1953 appearing in newspapers and magazines. The guest speakers for the occasion will he Erwin D, Canham, editor of the Christian Science Monitor, and Dr. William Jansen, superintendent of New York City Schools, who will discuss "The Joint Responsibilities of the Press and Education." Tickets are §.25, including gratuities and tax. They will be available at NEA Registration Headquarters in Madison Square Garden in New York City beginning at 12:30 P.M. on Sunday, June 27, The Education Writers Association Awards for distinguished re- porting and interpretation have come to be highly regarded since they were established in 1949. Officers of the Association this year are Leonard Buder, New York Times, president; Joseph Deitch, special correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor, secretary-treasurer}; and the following executive committee members: Ruth Dunbar, Chicago Sun-Times; Fred M. Hechinger, New York Herald Tribune; Wilma Morrison, the Portland Oregonian; and Jack Sherman, the Battle Creek Enquirer= News. This invitation may also be extended to other friends. Sincerely, 4 Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET NORTHWEST. WASHINGTON 6. D. C. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR NEWSROOM OR NEWSREEL June 10, 195) To Program Manager Station Dear Sirs: One of 20,000 American teachers who will gather in New York City June 27- July 2 for the 92nd annual meeting of the National Education Association is ‘ from your city. There may be other teachers in attendance from your community, but a larger number will not be able to go to the meeting. You will wish to take to them and to the parents and other citizens of your area some re- port of this convention. This letter suggests a way in which you may do so in a timely and effective manner. A special program of cooperation with the United Nations is a feature of this meeting. Seven sessions of the convention will be held in the United Nations Assembly. Officers of the United Nations and its compon- ent parts will speak on convention programs. Representatives of educa- tion from many countries of the world will attend the convention to study the practices of American education. Selected delegates to the convention will be given an opportunity to interview the educators who attend the meeting from abroad and to talk with the officials of the United Nations, UNESCO, and similar groups com- petent to describe the problems of education in other nations. is one of the educators selected for this convention acti- vity. We shall be glad to tailor-make a portion of this interview for your use to any length or character you wish. The interview prepared for that purpose will be professionally recorded by competent techni- cians on tape and the tape will be mailed to you air.matlsispecialvdelivery, for use in your own radio newscasts. Tape will be accompanied by appropriate introductions for local use. Attached is a form which you may fill out asking for this service. Glued 5: Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations Hotel New Yorker New York, New York NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. June 4, 1954 MEMORANDUM TO CHIEF EDITORIAL WRITERS: Enclosed is a news release about Strengthening Community Life: Schools Can Help based on the latest report of the Educational Policies Commission of the National Education Association and the American Association of School Administrators which is scheduled for release to daily newspapers for the PM papers, Thursday, June 10. If you would like to have a complimentary copy for your information and use, please fill out the form at the bottom of the page and return to me, Sincerely, . ; i j " , i ° , p a q DAA : vile Usa eal ont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations REQUEST FOR PRESS COPY OF STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY LIFE: SCHOOLS CAN HELP TO: Belmont Farley, Director Press and Radio Relations National Education Association 1201 Sixteenth Street, N.W. Washington, 6 D.C. NAME: Representing: Mailing Address: City: = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously to improve American schools. engaged in research and study For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR RELEASE: PM Papers, Thursday, June 10 EDUCATIONAL POLICIES COMMISSION ISSUES REPORT ON STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY LIFE Washington, D.C., June 10 — Citizens and their school officials are overlooking the resources and potentialities of the public schools for strengthening American community life at a time when the nation is urgently in need of strong local communities. This opinion is expressed in a 42-page report issued today by the Educational Policies Commission of the National Education Association and the American Association of School Administrators on "Strengthening Community Life: Schools Can Help." The Commission sums up the thesis of their statement in three points: Strong local communities have unique contributions to make to the achievement of American purposes. In the process of building strong local community life, citizens should become and remain self-reliant, inventive, and independent individuals, self-protected against the stifling encroachment of statism and deadening conformity. The local community's schools both can and should become potent channels used by the people to strengthen local community life. Pointing out that public schools of the latter half of the twentieth century should be "community-building schools", the Commission emphasizes that one of the major needs of the nation is "to replace the anonymity of life in sprawling, impersonal metropolises and in 'bedroom suburbs! with the personalized, people-do-know-and-care living that is possible in these same areas when they become sites for effective local communities. MORE ED POLICIES COMM ISSUES REPORT ON STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY LIFE (page two) "The call for strong local communities is not a nostalgic escape to the past, because the local communities of 1900 will not meet man's needs in 1960 or 1990. The call for strong communities is a realistic facing of the necessity for a new type of locally based social endeavor that can and will function to contribute to the success- ful living of man today and tomorrow." The Commission. recognizes that a person has grown beyond the local community today in his interests and his work, but it stresses the fact that "the modern man needs to send down roots, to have a sense of belonging, to feel proprietorship over the institu- tions that serve him and which only vital local communities can give him, "One may lift the individual out of the community in. which he has lived, but one can never lift from the individual the community in which he grew," the Commission observes. The report stresses the fact that the builders of good communities are not limited to any one group or several groups but include individuals, official and seni-official agencies, private associations, business enterprises, churches, public and private schools and colleges all acting together. "The task of building better local communities in America is a stupendous one", the report emphasizes. “Whether the community is a rural village, a county, a town, a section of a great metropolis, or a rapidly expanding suburb, every asset is sorely needed. Each individual person, agency, or institution has the obligation to work with all others whose joint efforts can produce better communities. "Local communities grown stronger around feelings of common interest, face-to-face friendships, shared responsibilities, feelings of belonging and being wanted. Schools can and do foster and develop these very things. Strangers meet each other as they take their children to school on opening day, are soon invited back to get to know each other——and their children's teachers—better. Alert principals and teachers MORE ED POLICIES COMM ISSUES REPORT ON STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY LIFE (page three make new elementary schools the rallying points for the people in new residential de- velopments. These sorts of things are happening more and more by deliberate intention, instead of happy accident, as community leaders, school officials, city planners and alert citizens set themselves to build community through their schools." Recognizing that modern man has had to learn to act at the state, national, and international level, the Commission foresees some difficulty in developing a sense of community through school programs unless schools are accepted by citizens as tools of community improvement, "Teachers and administrators may need additional preparation and motivation to promote parent contacts, work successfully with adults, foster community-starting enter- prises," the Commission says. "Citizens may have the opinion that schools are for the children, and children only, and to learn otherwise may take some time. "Individual school administrators and teachers already loaded beyond the breaking point simply cannot shoulder additional responsibilities without lessening the over-all effectiveness of the schools} the report cautions. "Funds will have to be provided for the employment of added staff, and duties may have to be reassigned. These difficulties, while very real, have been surmounted by schools and citizens in local communities throughout the country. Schools can and do promote the sense of community." In calling attention to the school's role in building better communities, the re=- port lists several of the contributions schools can make toward strengthening community life: Acquaint pupils with their communities; assist in identifying community problems; gather and disseminate information needed in the solution of community problems, expedite and help coordinate efforts toward community improvement; sometimes lead in efforts at community improvement; involve youth with adults in the study and improvement of local communities; and initiate citizen action for community improvement. Although the report stresses the breadth of school's role in improving the comnun- ity, it also emphasizes that the school is only one of many agencies that people can and do use to strengthen community life. "The school is far more often a helper than it is the leader in community building," the Commission says. "Even when the people accord community-building leadership to the school, they do so chiefly because they have discovered that the school is a good rallying point for many community agencies rather than a dominator and director of agencies. The path to community-strengthening service by the school is the path of cooperative endeavor," #### te # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE IS SELECTED AS DELEGATE TO 92ND ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION IN NEW YORK CITY, JUNE 27 = JULY 2 Washington, D.C., (date )— has been selected as a delegate to represent the Association at the 92nd annual convention of the National Education Association (NEA) scheduled to be held in Madison Square Garden, New York City, June 27 - July 2. NEA is a professional organization of teachers. Of the 20,000 teachers and educators who are expected to be in attendance this year at one of the nation's largest educational conventions, 4,400 will be delegates officially representing state and local associations. They will come from every state, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico to attend the representative assembly which is held in conjunction with the annual meeting. Nationally and internationally known leaders will address many of the general sessions, including John Foster Dulles, secretary of state; vag Hammarskjold, secretary-general of the United Nations; Robert R. Wagner, mayor of New York City; Samuel M. Brownell, U.S. Commissioner of Education; Ralph Bunche, director, Trusteeship Division, UN Secretariat; Grayson Kirk, president, Columbia University and William A. Early, NEA president. One of the highlights of this year's convention will be the use of the United Nations General Assembly Hall for several section meetings on the theme, "Education and the United Nations." Among those who will address these sessions are: Mrs, Eleanor Roosevelt; James J. Wadsworth, deputy United States representative to the United Nations; Rt. Rev. Msgr. Frederick G. Hochwalt, secretary-general, National Catholic Educational Association; Earl J. McGrath, president, University of Kansas City and former U.S. Comnissioner of Education. Many of the current issues facing public education will be considered in discussion groups and panel meetings by lay people and teachers and educators repre- senting all levels of education. A series of information sessions will discuss such topics as: safeguarding freedom through education; the prevention and cure of delinquency; forces affecting education today; potentials of TV education; text- books--their content and selection; reaching the non-parent group in the community. Another highlight of the convention will be the premiere showing of "Freedom to Learn", a 16 mm sound color motion picture on the teaching of controversial issues, produced by the NEA in cooperation with its affiliated state education associations. The National Education Association, founded in 1857, now has more than a half million members who are served by 67 departments, divisions, commissions and committees. MEMORANDUM TO ALL DELEGATES: This news release was prepared for your use. After you fill in date, your name, and the name of the education association you will be repre- senting, it is suggested that you give the press release to the editor of your local newspaper for publication. Please send ree clipping of this release to the Director, Press and Radio, NEA, 1201 Sixtee Street, N.W., Washington 6, D.C. = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association Is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further details: Belmont Farley, National Education Association, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington 6, D. C. Telephone -- Adams 4-4855 David Loth, Office of Bicentennial Publicity, 106 Low Memorial Library, Columbia University, New York 27, N. Y. Telephone -- University 5-4000, Ext. 2428 For Release: Morning Papers, Thursday, June 3, 1954 Note to Editors: Photographs of those who attend the conference from your community may be obtained from local sources avail- able to you, or we will furnish them if you wish. MAGAZINE MAKERS JOIN EDUCATORS TO DISCUSS THE COMMON GROUND OF PUBLIC EDUCATION New York, N. Y., June 1 -- In an unprecedented move two great media of education announce a decision to confer on their responsibilities in keeping citizens informed of events and opinions in a world of rapid and significant change. A point of special emphasis will be accurate and adequate reporting and evaluation of the aims, problems, and achievements of the nation's schools and colleges. Leading educators and top magazine editors will assemble for this purpose June 14-15 on the campus of Columbia University, New York City. They have chosen for the topic of their conference "Keeping Pace With Knowledge". The meeting will be jointly sponsored by the Magazine Publishers Association and the National Education Association and held in conjunction with the Columbia Bicentennial celebration. Participants on the programs of the two-day editor-educator conference include outstanding editors of magazines, members of Congress, and other representatives of government, college executives, superintendents of schools, (MORE) MAGAZINE MAKERS JOIN EDUCATORS TO DISCUSS ~- Page 2 THE COMMON GROUND OF PUBLIC EDUCATION classroom teachers, professors, and officers of professional educational associations. Educators and editors will be represented equally on each panel and forum of the conference, Magazine representatives participating include Ben Hibbs of the Saturday Evening Post; Gardner Cowles, Look; Norman Cousins, The Saturday Review of Literature; Frank Givney, Newsweek; and John Barkhan, Coronet. Hduca~ tors include Hollis L. Caswell, president-elect, Teachers College, Columbia Univer- sity; Andrew D, Holt, vice-president, University of Tennessee; Arthur F. Corey, executive-secretary, California Teachers Association; William Jansen, superin- tendent of schools, New York City; William G, Carr, executive-secretary, National Education Association; and Samuel Brownell, U.S. Commissioner of Education. Senator Estes Kefauver, Tennessee, and Congressman Samuel K. McConnell, Jr., Pennsylvania, are among participants from the federal government, Members of the conference include fifty educators and about an equal number of representatives from various foundations, national organizations representing labor, business, industry, agriculture, and the professions, in addition to editors and others from the publications world. The bearing of the conference upon the effective interpretation of education is reflected in the topics assigned to various speakers. Executive Secretary William G. Carr will discuss "How To Criticize Schools". William Jansen of New York City will outline "The Multiplying Jobs of the School". Other areas to be explored in which schools and colleges have a primary responsibility are the guidance of youth and juvenile delinquency. An entire program of the meeting will be devoted to the sharp differences of opinion that sometimes characterize public appraisal of educational methods and objectives, The panel devoted to this feature of the conference is entitled "How To Handle Controversy". Herbert Mayes, Good Housekeeping, will be (MORE) MAGAZINE MAKERS JOIN EDUCATORS TO DISCUSS —— Page 3 THE COMMON GROUND OF PUBLIC EDUCATION moderator. Hollis Caswell, dean and president-elect, Teachers College, Columbia University, will speak on "The Range of Controversy From the Educator's Point of View"; Norman Cousins, Saturday Review of Literature, will discuss the same topic from the editor's viewpoint. Alice Miel, professor of education, Teachers College, Columbia University, past president of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, a Department of the NEA, will depict the effect which such controversies have on the educational process. "The immediate result of the conference," says Reginald Clough, vice chairman of the Public Relations Committee of the Magazine Publishers Associa- tion, "should be a closer liaison between editors and the key opinion-leaders in the educational field to the benefit of both." "The educational leaders of the United States welcome this conference," says Executive Secretary Carr, "because magazines help to mould public opinion regarding our schools and colleges. One of the objectives of the meeting is to create an understanding between editors and educators which will result in treating criticism of education constructively." Conference chairman will be John W, Studebaker, former U. S. Commissioner of Education who now heads the Board of Scholastic Magazines. The conference closes with a banquet, when Edward Weeks, editor of the Atlantic Monthly, will act as toastmaster, and at which Roy E. Larsen, President of Time, Inc., and William A, Early, President of the NEA, will outline plans for future cooperative projects in which the editors and educators may engage. NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. THE FOURTH BICENTENNIAL CONFERENCE June 3—4, 1954 The Nicholas Murray Butler Library Columbia University, New York, New York (Note to Editors: The address from which the attached excerpts are made will be delivered by William G, Carr, Executive Secretary of the National Education Association in Room 222-M, Nicholas Murray Butler Library, Thursday, June 3, 2:00 p.m. It is being sent to you for whatever use you may wish in covering this meeting.) What then are the rolesof the federal government as far as education is concerned? The first role is leadership to focus public and professional inquiry on great national problems of education which transcend state and local boundaries, The second role is to assume some of the cost of public education so that no American child will be denied a good minimum standard of education. HHHHHH He No matter where the federal education agency is or may be placed, its problem is to exert a dynamic, non-coercive leadership for education, Today, the federal govern- ment is not well organized to carry out such educational activities. Citizen control over federal educational activities is made extremely difficult because there is no focal point at which responsibility can be pinned, Furthermore, the administration of federal educational programs by non-educational agencies and personnel may be accompanied by direct or indirect federal controls, The channels used by these agencies are not always those of the established state school systems. Without an independent federal agency for education, federal educational activities must continue to be a con=- fused series of uncoordinated and piecemeal programs. Re HRHRHR HH It is time now for the federal government to share in the financial responsibility for education. HM HM HH HH The federal government might make funds available to the states for school con- struction. Since such expenditure is needed by all states, it would allow the states and localities to use more of their tax resources for the actual operation of schools. HRHRHHMA HH For current operations, the federal government should assume, on a permanent basis, a portion of the expense of educating American school children. In effect, the federal government should permanently guarantee that. no American.child. shall have avail- able for his education less than a basic amount to be agreed upon, HHH HH F (MORE) CARR -— Page 2 Neither of the alternatives to federal partnership in the support of education is attractive. Basic modification of the assignment of sources of revenue is impractical and improbable, Continuance of the present neglect with federal palliative action on an emergency basis is costly, inequitable, and dangerous to the principle of state and local control. HHHHRHMHHR A There are two familiar objections which are always raised against the proposal that the federal government should accept some of its reponsibility in the general financial support of education. To put them in the form of questions, these objections are: (1) Can we have federal aid to education without federal control? (2) Can we afford federal aid to education? HRRHHH HH We can have as much or as little federal control as the Congress puts in the law. Experience shows that no control ensues if Congress asserts that there is to be no federal control over the shaping of policy or curriculum, or the selection of teachers, Contrariwise, when the Congress fails to make a clear declaration of policy on federal control, or when it has placed the administration of an educational program in the hands of a non-educational agency, federal control of education has deve loped. HHRHHHt UHH Can we afford it? less than a month ago, there was an important ceremony at the White House, The President signed a bill which provides about one billion dollars per year in federal aid to the states. HRHKEHHH EE The President expressed his gratification over the enactment of this legislation. He cited the great need for modernization and expansion to remove deficiencies and to meet the vastly increased demand. Primary responsibility, the President said, remained in the states but the law recognized that the federal government had a responsible relationship in this problem. I have not told you yet what the billion dollars is for, but I imagine most of you will have recognized by this time that it was the all-time record for federal aid to highways, Enthusiasm for this legislation ran high, When it was considered in the House, one Congressman affirmed flatly that the greatest need of the nation today is better roads, Another legislator said that the great problem before the American people today is to provide adequate facilities on which to operate their automobiles, Other speakers expressed their regret that. the fund was not at least four times larger. One enthusiastic member of the House called it "the most worthy, one of the most out- standing, one of the most necessary causes to which we can contribute our funds." Another representative called the existing condition of the highways inexcusable, and pointed out that the years of neglect caused by the war and defense expenditures made prompt help for highways imperative. (MORE) GARR == Page 3 Through much of the discussion ran the theme of the non-partisan nature of this bill, "We are all for better roads and improved highways," said one speaker, Yes, we are indeed, As a result of this beneficial legislation, many a driver will be able to travel as safely at fifty miles an hour as he now does at forty. An adequate system of highways is an important part of the national defense, But, a nation that serves its people by building roads and which refuses, year after year, to face the question of help to its schools, is neglecting an aspect of national defense that is even more impartant than six-lane highways, It is a strange business. Money can be found for every government activity until we come to education. Then the cry goes up that we have a staggering national debt, that our taxes are high (although we have sharply reduced them this year), and that it is impossible to support our schools. When it was proposed to earmark for education the resources under the outer continental shelf (not the resources formerly in dispute between the states and federal government, but the resources which all agree belong to the national government) the Director of the Budget replied that such resources should be used to retire the national debt. As a people we do not reason this way about our immediate economic interests. Let some of the states go a few weeks without rain and their governors wing their way like homing pigeons to the national capitol to demand and get federal relief. Let a tornado strike, or a dam break, and federal aid literally flies to the stricken area. But, the flood of children, the nation's hope and the nation's future, receives no such attention from either the Chief Executives of the states or from the federal legislature. Congress seems to have more important matterse o « o anyway, there isn’t enough money. e e and besides there is a big national debt, « « »« and we might (perhaps) try to get to it at the next session of Congress, o « o we hopes Our government does what we, the people, want done. Thousands of children go to school day after day in unsuitable and dangerous buildings, are taught by under~ paid and undertrained teachers on half-time shifts, or otherwise unsuitably educated. The fault likes not in our government but in ourselves as citizens. We have not yet put first things first. When we do, we shall support education by the teamwork of all our governments, -— local, state, and national. Hit = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 46, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEARLY 850,000 TEENAGERS NOW RECEIVING DRIVER EDUCATION IN NATION'S HIGH SCHOOLS Washington, D. Ce, May 20, 195) == Nearly 850,000 teenagers are enrolled in driver education courses in the nation's high schools, -The Research Division of the National Education Association announces that there has been an increase in one year of 15 percent in the number of students enrolled in these courses and that 7.2 percent of the schools offer some kind of driver instruction. These disclosures were made in a survey of driver education in the public high schools by NEA in cooperation with the National Commission on Safety Education, "More than in 10 persons hold driver's licenses and many of them are skilled," says William G, Carr, executive secretary of the NEA. "Many others, either because of lack of skill or civic understanding, ride roughshod over the rights of others, Meanwhile, an army of youth want to drive, will drive and should drive." For this reason the NEA encourages high schools to offer courses in driver education. The report discloses that almost 400,000 teenagers are enrolled in high school driver education courses that offer both classroom instruction and practice driving. An additional 450,000 are enrolled in courses offering classroom instruction only. One-third of the schools reporting in this survey require students to take classroom instruction in driver education, Nine percent of the schools require students to take practice driving. Of the schools reporting, 8 out of 10 give credit for the course. Eight out of 10 also reported no accidents during the past three years in connection with practice driving. The average cost per student for both classroom instruction and practice driving is about $30. This cost does not include the price of practice cars, which have been supplied largely by automobile dealers, motor clubs, and other public-spirited citizens. In out of 5 schools reporting, the board of education pays for the program out of regular school funds, Most of the remaining schools support their programs partially or entirely through student fees, #### = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further details: Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson For Release: May 10, 1954 (Note to Editors: Witnesses will make copy of their testimony available to members as they take the stand. Hearings will be held in Room P=38-C of the Capitol Building.) CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS PROPOSE STEPS TO RELIEVE BUILDING SHORTAGE Washington, D,C., May 10 — Senator John Sherman Cooper (R-Ky.), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Education has announced May 11 as the opening day for a series of hearings on federal aid to local school construction, First witness on Tuesday will be U. S. Commissioner of Education, Samuel M. Brownell, followed by Mrs. Agnes Meyer, journalist and lecturer, and Worth McClure, Executive Secretary of the American Association of School Administrators. The subcommittee will hear testimony on four bills which propose that the federal government help relieve the acute shortage of school buildings in the country. Senator Cooper's bill, S 2601, would allocate $100,000,000 per year to all states through an objective formula in direct proportion to the number of school-age children (ages 5-17) in inverse proportion to the per capita income, A second construction bill, S 2779, Senator John McClellan (D-Ark.) and 24 co= sponsors, is similar to the Cooper Bill in its formula, but is slightly more favor- able to the poorer states. The third bill, 5 359, Senator Earle Clements (D-Ky.) would distribute federal funds according to the number of school-age children ina state. A fourth bill, S 536, Senator Humphrey (D-Minn.) will also be considered. 5S 536 resembles the Cooper and McClellan bills in most respects, Following is a list of witnesses scheduled for the remainder of the hearings, with dates and approximate times of their appearance. Copies of their testimony will be available in Room P=38-C of the Capitol. = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.\W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR RELEASE TO MAY EDUCATION JOURNALS 1954, NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RURAL EDUCATION TO ATTRACT OVER 4,000 PARTICIPANTS TO NATION'S CAPITAL, OCTOBER 4-6 Washington, D. C., May - <= More than 4,000 educators, representatives of organi- gations, and others interested in rural education are expected to be in attendance at the 1954 National Conference on Rural Education in Washington, D. C., October 4-6. The conference is sponsored by the National Education Association through its Department of Rural Education, The U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, through the Office of Education, will act as associate sponsor. Other federal departments and agencies and national organizations interested in rural life and education will act as cooperating agencies and organizations, "The 1944 conference focused public opinion on crucial needs and issues in rural education and gave powerful impetus to a new public interest in it," Howard A. Dawson, executive secretary of the NEA department of rural education, said in explaining the purpose of the conference. "The 1954 conference will explore trends of the past decade and major issues now affecting rural life ani education, and consider problems of policy for the future with special reference to public school responsibility. "All major areas of the country and all groups concerned with the educational well being of rural people and rural communities will be represented in the conference. These include public agencies serving rural people, parent-teacher groups, school boards of education, farm organizations, youth and youth serving groups, and other interested lay and professional leaders," The NEA has requested states to name a committee for the purpose of recommending parti- cipants from each of the states who will represent both lay and professional leaders. Parti- cipants upon acceptance of invitation and completion of advance registration will be sent information about the conference and hotel accommodations. The Ninth Annual NEA Conference of Country and Rural Area Superintendents is scheduled to meet in Washington, D. C. October 1-2. Members of the County Superintendents! group will also participate in the National Conference on Rural Education. Inquiries and suggestions concerning the 1954 conference may be sent to the NEA Department of Rural Education, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington 6, D. C. Hit it = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further details: Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson For Release: PM papers, Thursday, April 29, 1954 SH(RTAGE OF PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY TEACHERS THREATENS TO SHORTCHANGE STUDENTS IN STUDY OF ATOMIC AGE SUBJECTS Washington, D.C., April 29 —— Boys and girls enrolled in the schools of the United: States may be shortchanged in their study of physics and chemistry in this atomic era. This was the prospect outlined here today in a report published in the Journal of Teacher Education which reveals that only 867 teachers qualified to teach physics or chemistry will be graduated from all the colleges and universities of the country this June. Furthermore, the potential supply of teachers of any science ,has dropped 56.3 per cent since 1950. So says the National Education Association in an annual survey of teacher -supply and demand for 1954. The survey was made by the NEA Research Division for the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards. The report, based on a survey of the 1200 colleges and universities throughout the nation which prepare teachers, is one in a series sponsored each year since 1948 by the Commission in an effort to help get enough qualified teachers for U.S. schools. Other teaching fields hard hit so far as the number of eligible trained teachers are concerned include industrial arts, men's physical and health education, social science, mathematics, and agriculture. The supply of potential teachers of these subjects has dropped more than 50 per cent in four years in each cases Pointing out that 50,000 new high school teachers will be needed to man school posts in the coming school year, the report notes that only about 50,000 will be (MORE ) SHORTAGE OF PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY TEACHERS THREATENS TO -—— Page 2 SHORTCHANGE STUDENTS IN STUDY OF ATOMIC AGE SUBJECTS graduated this June and that many of them will never seek or accept a teaching position, This comes in the face of a coming sensational groundswell in high school enroll- ments, The extra five million boys and girls who have been bursting elementary school seams in the past seven years are now beginning to push into the junior high school grades. Concluding that where there are three students in the high schools now, there will be four students in 1960 and five students in 1965, the report goes on: "For several years the high schools have been riding along on an even keel, with little change in total number of students to be educated, and with the supply of qualified potential candidates emerging from the colleges each year far outnumber- ing those prepared for elementary school service...Now the scene is changing rapidly; the supply of prospective high school teachers coming from the colleges has been cut almost in half in a brief four-year period, amd the high school enrollment is at the point of beginning an increase which, within the next five years, will be sensational." The survey reports that in a followup of 1953 teacher graduates of colleges in 13 states and Hawaii, only 64 per cent actually went into teaching. The remainder went into business, homemaking, further academic study, or military service. This constituted a loss, says the survey, of one out of every three eligible candidates for teaching posts. The survey shows that the gap between teachers needed and teachers available at the elementary level is still and will remain critical. To handle new enrollments, and to provide replacements for teachers who die, retire, or leave their posts for other fields, same 85,000 new elementary school teachers are needed. But only 35,000 trained graduates will come from colleges and universities this Jure to help staff elementary. schools. Noting the weak "holding power" of the teaching profession, the report comments "throughout its history, the American public school system has been required to employ replacements at the beginning of each school year in numbers which would be alarming in most areas of professional service." UWprl ag 1asy. NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 6, D. C. April 26, 1954 Dear NEA Member: You will be interested to know that a unique series of radio interviews has been inaugurated over the Mutual Broadcasting System and various other U. S. stations featuring accredited observers to the United Nations from many national and international organizations. This series, sponsored jointly by U. N. Radio and the Non- Governmental Organization Section of the U. N.'s Department of Public Information, is planned to acquaint the gensral public with the fact that most U. S. citizens are represented at U. N. Headquarters through organizations to which they beiong. Robert H. Reid, executive assistant for the Committee on Inter= national Relations of the National Education Association, is scheduled tbh be interviewed, June 18, He will tell of the U. N. activities scheduled at the time of the 92nd annual NEA convention in New York City, June 27-July 2. Attached is a schedule of the radio interviews entitled," The People Work for Peace" which gives the names of other participants, the city, station, day and time of the broadcasts in your commmity. You may wish to share this schedule with other NEA members in your school or office bulletin board. Sincerely, Belmorit Farley, Press and Radio Relations FIFTY-EIGHTH NATIONAL CONVENTION OF THE MERICAN ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND RECREATION A Department of the National Education Association Statler Hotel, April 19-23, 1954, New York, N.Y. For further information: Roy K. Wilson The Sutton Room Hotel Statler, New York, N.Y. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 19, 1954 NOTE TO NEWS DESK: During a major national convention such as the one scheduled by the American Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation in New York City, April 19- 23, 1954, we find it impossible to provide complete service to local papers. We have requested each delegate to help you by filling in the following story with information of interest to your readers, - Roy K. Wilson, Conference Press Service. 4,500 MEMBERS TO ATTEND AAHPER BIENNIAL CONVENTION IN NEW YORK CITY New York, N. Y., - More than 4,500 delegates are expected to attend the 58th Biennial Convention of the American Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER), April 19-23, in New York City. The AAHPER is a department of the National Education Association. Among those here to take part in the convention is In addition to national leaders of health, physical education and recreation, featured speakers of the convention will include U. S. Commissioner of Education Samuel N. Brownell; Harry D. Gideonse, president of Brooklyn College; and Wilton M. Krogman, professor of physical anthropology, University of Pennsylvania. Athletics and its relation to the curricula of schools and colleges will come under special consideration by the educators. Other aspects of education which will be examined include school and community health, safety education, elementary, secondary, and college physical education, recreational therapy, corrective and physical therapy, camping and outdoor education, and folk and square dancing. Other features of the meeting include a workshop in elementary school physical education, a dance section workshop on teaching methods, and demonstrations in girls' and women's volleyball, lacrosse, and golf, Special convention sessions have been planned for student members of the delegation who will represent schools and colleges from all parts of the nation. ##aeeet# = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET. N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information: Roy K. Wilson, The Sutton Room Hotel Statler, New York City Beginning Sunday, April 18 FOR RELEASE: April 16, 1954 5,500 DELEGATES AND STUDENTS TO ATTEND AAHPER BIENNIAL CONVENTION IN NEW YORK CITY New York, N.Y., April 16 - More than 4,500 members of the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER), plus some 1,000 high school, college and university students are expected to arrive in New York Sunday, April 18, to attend the AAHPER's 58th Biennial Convention. The AAHPER is a department of the National Education Association. In a four-day meeting built around the theme "The Challenge of Values", at the Hotel Statler, delegates will hear addresses by such speakers as Harry D. Gideonse, president, Brooklyn College; Samuel N. Brownell, commissioner, U. S. Office of Education; Wilton Krogman, professor of physical anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Lyle Spencer, Science Research Associates, Chicago. In more than 70 scheduled meetings, educators and students will examine develop- ments of the past two years in health, physical education and recreation. The Associated Exhibitors Association is planning more than 100 exhibits in all areas of health and physical education. A symposium on athletics in education will be led by Harry Scott of Teachers College, Columbia University. Speakers on the symposium will be Howard A. Rusk, M.D., chairman, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, New York University College of Medicine; Charles C. Wilson, M. D., professor of education and public health, Yale University; and F.C. Rosencrance, associate dean of education, New York University. Highlighting discussions on school athletics, Charles Bucher, professor of education, New York University, will lead a panel meeting on "Sportswriters, Friend or Foe?", Sports- casters and sportswriters who will participate include: Mel Allen, National Broadcasting Company network; Red Barber, Columbia Broadcasting Company network; Bob Wolff, sports director, station WWDC of Washington, D. C.; Arthur Daley, New York Times; Larry Robinson, New York World Telegram and Sun; and Red Smith, New York Herald Tribune. Other features of the convention include workshop sessions in which teen-age problems will be discussed by officials from the Girl, Scouts and Boy Scouts of America, the YMCA, YWCA, and Boys Clubs of America, Inc. A dance section meeting will feature a talk on Dance Therapy by Marian Chace, St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Washington, D. C., and an address by Walter Terry of the New York Herald Tribune on "Present Day Trends in Dance and Implications for the Future." Clifford L. Brownell, Teachers College, Columbia University, who is president of the American Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, will address the opening general session on Monday, April 19, in the Ball Room, Statler Hotel. ###e eet = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET. N.W. WASHINGTON 6 D.C Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professions! organization of educetors. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR RELEASE: Friday, A.M. Papers April 2, 1954 SOUND PROGRAM OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION BEST WAY TO COMBAT JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, SAYS AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND RECREATION Washington, D. C., April 1—Juvenile delinquency can be combatted swiftly and economically by providing a sound program of physical education and recreation for all youngsters and youth in the nation's schools. This solution is suggested in a statement issued here today by the American Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER). The statement, which appears in the April issue of the Association's official publication, The AAHPER Journal, is in answer to those who «are becoming convinced that there is a relation between insufficient physical activity and the alarming delinquency problem, "Children need from two to four hours of vigorous activity each day for normal growth," the AAHPER statement points out. "Without this amount of regular and vigorous activity young bodies will not develop and maintain the necessary muscular strength for physical fitness and health, "A sound program of physical education not only develops muscular fitness but also provides a healthy outlet for the tensions of modern living, which otherwise may be expended in anti-social behavior. A well planned, well conducted activity program is essential for children in the formative period of their development, and it should begin with nursery school and kindergarten and continue through college." Stressing the importance of a strong physical education program in school, the statements says, "A school in which health, physical education, and recreation are not considered as important as the traditional three R's is not providing its pupils (more) SOUND PROGRAM OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION BEST WAY TO COMBAT JUVENILE DELINQUENCY.... — Page 2 with a modern functional education for conditions today. "Since the physical and emotional needs of every child should be met, all students should be enrolled in physical education classes. Those who, by reason of illness or disabiltiy, are unable to take part in the most vigorous forms of activity should be assigned to modified activity or rest—whenever possible under the guidance of medical authority. "Administrators and teachers must have'an equal interest in the potentially great halfback and the boy with a permanent disability who is trying to live within the limits of his disability.* Academically, physical education must be on a par with the other subjects of the curriculum. No substitute activities should be permitted, for nothing else in the program can take the place of physical education." Among the activities suggested in the statement are: stunts, tumbling and other self-testing activities; games of simple organization for large and small groups; modified athletic games for intermediate and upper grades; rhythmic activities; activities related to nature and the outdoors, and water and winter sports, AAHPER, a department of the National Education Association, has been active in furthering competitive sports in American secondary schools and colleges since it was founded in 1885, Its membership numbers more than 18,000 and includes educators and specialists in health education, physical education and recreation, Dat eee 22. (GSy¥ = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professions! organ’ze!\on of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of embers. the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong sc soo! community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged In research and study to improve American schools. For further information Roy K, Wilson, 1201 - 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Belmont Farley, Conrad Hilton Hotel, Chicago, Dl. FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, MARCH 22, 1954 MUSIC EDUCATORS DEMONSTRATE THE PRACTICE OF THEIR ART BY A FREE PEOPLE IN CONTRAST TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF MUSIC TO REINFORCE THE IDEALS OF TOTALITARIANISM Chicago, Ill., March 22 — Chicago welcomes the music teachers and students of America March 26-31 when 15,000 instructors and their pupils assemble in the 1954 Music Education Convention and Festival. A week of demonstrations in choral and instrumental music will illustrate the variety and attainment in that art by a free people. The theme chosen by the music educators is "Music Education in a Democracy", "No other country in the world accepts the fact that music belongs to every boy and girl and adult as a part of his education," says Ralph E. Rush, President of the Music Educators National Conference, or of the largest departments of the National Education Association. Mr. Rush is Chairman of the Music Education Department of the School of Music, Uni- versity of Southern California, Los Angeles, and will preside at the meetings of the Conference which brings together all types of music from pre-school through college ‘and university levels. "The purpose of our biennial conference is two fold," says President Rush."(1) Our leaders come together to examine the program of music educa- tion with a view to improving instruction; (2) and to contribute to the cultural development of school, community, and nation." (MORE ) MUSIC EDUCATORS DEMONSTRATE THE PRACTICE OF THEIR ART -—- Page 2 BY A FREE PEOPLE IN CONTRAST TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF MUSIC TO REINFORCE THE IDEALS OF TOTALITARIANISM Among speakers on Conference programs are Benjamin C, Willis, General Superintendent of Schools, Chicago; Earl E. Harper, dean, School of Fine Arts, State University of Iowa, Iowa City; Harold C, Case, President, Boston University; E. T. McSwain, dean, School of Education, Northwestern University, Evanston, 1.3 Karl D. Ernst, supervisor of music, Portland, Oregon, Public schools; and Raymond Kendall, dean, School of Music, and professor of Music History and Liter- ature, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Mr. Archibald Je Carey, Jrey member of the Chicago City Council and distinguished lecturer and civic leader, alternate delegate to United Nations, will address a general session in the Chicago Civic Opera House.- Demonstration of music teaching technics range frm the organ to the wood= winds,and will bring together for demonstration the music organizations of many public schools and colleges throughout the United States. Members in attendance at the final general session will see ballet from the Austin High School, Chicago, with accompaniment by the Lane Technical High School orchestra of that city. The place of music in religious worship and in intercultural relations will receive special emphasis on program sessions. Executive officer of Conference arrangements is Vanett Lawler, Associate Executive Secretary, Washington, D.C. Executive Secretary of the Music Educators National Conference is C. V. Buttelman, Chicago, Dl, Hit = trom the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organizetion of educators More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was org nized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools For further information Belmont Farley, Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif, Roy K,. Wilson, 1201 - 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C, FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1954 CURRICULUM BUILDERS CHART COURSES FOR LEARNING EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM Los Angeles, Calif., March 5 =~ The wide world as a classroom will occupy the attention of the school curriculum builders and supervisors of America as the Ninth Annual Conference of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Develop= ment gets under way at Los Angeles, California, March 7-12. Twenty-five-hundred specialists in this field are expected to attend, "The citizens of tomorrow will not live in textbooks, but in their communities," says Alice Miel, president of the Association and professor of education, Teachers College, Columbia University, "Texts will continue to be useful aids in learning, but their structure must be enriched by learning experiences that draw upon every resource of home, community, state, nation, and the world. We have, therefore, chosen 'Creating a Good Environment for Learning’ as our conference theme." The program will start on an international note when Robert D,. Murphy, deputy under-Secretary of the U»5. Department of State, addresses the opening session on certain aspects of foreign policy. Group meetings on international understanding will follow. Alice V. Keliher, professor of education, New York University, will develop the conference theme with emphasis upon the local community as a learning re= source. Choosing the learning experiences will be discussed by William M, Alexander, professor of education, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. (MORE) CURRICULUM BUILDERS CHART COURSES FOR LEARNING EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM -—- Page 2 Earl C, Kelley, professor of education, Wayne University, Detroit, Mich.; Gordon N. Mackenzie, head, department of curriculum and teaching, Teachers College, Columbia University; and Hilda Taba, professor of education, San Francisco State College, San Francisco, Calif., will join Mr. Alexander in canvassing the possibilities of learning experiences in the environment of home and school, Among other topics to be covered at the conference are safeguarding intellectual freedom in school and community, working with citizens in curriculum study, deal- ing with constructive and destructive criticism, communicating with parents on personal growth of students, meeting the needs of the gifted and the slow learner, education for economic competence, handling controversial issues in the schoolroom, education for citizenship, and school discipline, Prominent speakers include Henry Steele Commager, professor of history, Columbia University, who has selected for his topic "The Social-Political Dimensions of a Good Learning Environment"; and Mrs. Pearl A. Wanamaker, state superintendent of public instruction, Olympia, Washington, who will present from the discussions of the five-day meeting those recommendations which seem to be immediately significant in charting the course for improvement of supervision and curriculum in the nation’s schools, Officers of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, a Department of the National Education Association, are: President, Alice Miel; first vice-president, Maurice R. Ahrens, public schools, Corpus Christi, Texas; second vice-president, Robert S. Gilchrist, public schools, Pasadena, Calif.; field secretary, Maycie K, Southall, George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tenn. Convention manager is George W. Denemark, Executive Secretary of the organization, Washington, D.C. Ht = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone District 4552 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 825,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A heodquorters staff is continvously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. February 2, 1954 To the Editor: More than 16,000 school superintendents and other educational leaders from all parts of the United States will take part in the 80th Annual Convention of the Ameri- can Association of School Administrators in Atlantic City, New Jersey, February 13-18, 1954. From the enclosed outline of the convention program you will note that considera- tion will be given to a wide range of current school problems of great interest to parents and citizens in every community. Fifty newspaper and magazine correspondents covered the AASA convention last year. Press service for the convention this year will be located in Room 8 of the Atlantic City auditorium. We shall be glad to welcome a reporter from your paper or to help the wire service correspondents obtain coverage which you request of them. If you wish assistance on hotel reservations, please use the reply form below to let me know at once, giving name of reporter, date of arrival and departure. Reporters may reach me and Roy Wilson, assistant director of the convention press service, at NEA headquarters, 1201 Sixteenth St., N. W., Washington 6, D. C. (phone Adams 4-4855 in Washington) through February 9, and at the Traymore Hotel (phone 4~-3021) in Atlantic City beginning February 10, So many topics are included on the convention program that you may wish to talk with your superintendent of schools about which of these problems will be of greatest interest in your community so that you can determine the type of coverage you wish to request, Also, your superintendent will be able to tell you about representatives from your community who will be in attendance at the convention. Sincerely, Qo x, Belmont Farley, Director Press and Hadio Relations Belmont Farley, National Education Association 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington 6, D. C. (Print name) will represent us at the AASA convention in Atlantic City, Feb. 13-18. Hotel reservation is requested for arrival (date) and departure » L/ single; L[/ double. (date) ff Sorry, will not send reporter but will request coverage from AP, UP, or INS. Paper State : PRP: LE Ns = trom the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional or izati e t ganization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the A iati i affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and rliarranny roped the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson FOR RELEASE: A.M. Papers, Monday, Feb, 1 sh AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SAYS CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION PROGRAM SHOULD TEACH HOW TO DEAL WITH CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES Washington, D.C., Jan, 31—Teaching know-how for dealing with controversial issues, not providing pat answers, is a prime aim of the modern school's citizenship education program, So says the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) in a 390- page report called "Educating for American Citizenship" published today. The authors, a commission of nine prominent educators including school superin- tendents, professors of education, a classroom teacher and a principal, voice concern over threats from isms without and civic apathy within on important issues of the day. Purpose of this 32nd Yearbook, according to the commission, was to survey existing practices in citizenship education to see where they might be improved, Concluding that a good school curriculum cannot avoid touching upon controversial issues if it wants to give students experiences in contemporary affairs, the commission says the question is not whether children should hear and talk about controversial issues. "No school," it goes on, "can prevent youth from hearing about such issues in their daily lives. The question to be decided is: should their contacts with con- troversial issues be limited to experiences outside the school--or should they meet such issues in school where they may learn to handle them? Youth will meet them sooner or later. Hence it seems far more appropriate to include them in the curri¢- ¥.ulum as natural, normal aspects of life about which youth must learn." (more) AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SAYS CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION PROGRAM SHOULD TEACH HOW TO DEAL WITH CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES -- page 2 Pointing out that "we cannot fight totalitarian ideologies without understanding them, and that to understand them, we must read what their adherents say, argue their faults and merits, and know their strategy and their great weaknesses" the commission says it is important for young people to have access to books and materials dealing with communism, But, it warns, "if such materials are on the shelves of school libraries, they must be labeled clearly to indicate their communist bias," The commission further calls for well-trained, emotionally mature teachers who can guide classroom discussion of controversial issues with evenhanded impartiality. Declaring that education for citizenship really is a community problem and that the school is only one of the forces determining the quality of citizenship, the authors suggest mobilizing and coordinating efforts of school personnel, parents, community agencies, service clubs, women's organizations, communications media and "unorganized persons" to develop a community-wide program of citizenship training. They warn: "Until communities are willing to endeavor to make all aspects of community life touched by children and youth be good for them, they need not be sur- prised, if even with a good school program of civic education, their older youth are not as good citizens as they hoped they would be." When community and school work together on citizenship, the commission maintains, the schoolchild is helped to function more effectively and intelligently in his "seven circles of citizenship"~-family, school,neighborhood, town, state, country, and world, “Too often, the commission observes, citizenship is not considered something which should be "taught." It is easy for laymen and even teachers themselves, accord- ing to the authors, to assume that "most people with an education are better citizens than they would have been if uneducated, and hence all that is necessary to do is to keep children and youth in school as regularly and as long as possible." (more) ¢ AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SAYS CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION PROGRAM SHOULD TEACH HOW TO DEAL WITH CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES -- page 3 "They have come to see," the authors continue, "that being a good citizen has to be taught just as specifically and directly as being a good typist or a good doctor. Merely being in attendance or even getting good school marks in a variety of subjects is no guarantee that the needed level of civic competence is being attained." The commis- sion outlines a well-planned citizenship program as one that provides the following: 1. Schools give students thorough instruction in the American heritage, stressing primarily the fields of history, geography, civics, sociology, economics and related social studies. Here, and in other courses and school activities, the student becomes well-informed about the origin and meaning of American govern- ment, its institutions and the ideals of justice and liberty that self- government makes possible. Schools strive to build American ideals and democratic attitudes. Commenting that "democracy has been slower than dictatorship to put the emotions to work creating favorable attitudes toward its principles and ideals," the conmis- sion lists some ways whereby favorable attitudes are created in school: by the teacher's own practice of good citizenship; by the democratic tone or climate of the classroom; by giving students opportunity to develop desirable good group standards; and by direct teaching of patriotic ideals through the constructive use of musical and dramatic arts, pageantry and emotional appeal. Schools give students training in defining problems, working on them, and solving them. Schools help students to locate, classify, appraise and compare information in order to reach independent opinions. Schools give students practice in active school-community service to rein- force what they have learned. Here the commission cites examples of students undertaking projects to get out the vote on election day, clear up traffic hazards, beautify school grounds, cut down Halloween vandalism. (more) Ps AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SAYS CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION PROGRAM SHOULD TEACH HOW TO DEAL WITH CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES —- page 4 As a guide to.communities who wouid evaluate their program of citizenship educa- tion, the commission poses eleven key questions. It further discusses five .current or recently-completed major studies in the field of citizenship education which illustrate different approaches being used. The studies cited include the Detroit Citizenship Education Study; the Citizen- ship Education Conference of Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York; the Kansas Study of Education for Citizenship; the Civic Education Project of the Civic Education Founda- tion, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Citizenship Education Project of Teachers Col- lege, Columbia University, New York City. Benjamin C. Willis, general superintendent of schools of Chicago, Illinois, Yearbook served as chairman of the/commission appointed two years ago by AASA, a department of the National Education Association. Other commission members: Newton Edwards, professor of education, University of Chicago, Illinois; Rayburn J. Fisher, assistant superintendent of schools, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Alabama; Will French, professor of education, Teachers. College, Columbia University, New York, N. Y.; Paul R. Hanna, professor of education, Stanford University, California. Also, Lillian Larson, journalism teacher and publications director, High School, Grand Junction, Colorado; Newell D. McCombs, superintendent of schools, Des Moines, Iowa; Paul T. Rankin, assistant superintendent of schools, Detroit, Michigan; Mary E. Ronk, principal, Ernie Pyle School, Indianapolis, Indiana, # # # Educating for American Citizenship, the Thirty-Second Yearbook of the American Associ- ation of School Administrators, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington 6, D. C. 1954. $5.00. = trom the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and Its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Roy K. Wilson FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Note to Editors Reference to the index of the enclosed program, or a call to the local super intendent of schools, will inform you of local participants in the convention pr@ rams, THE NATION'S SCHOOL EXECUTIVES FOCUS ATTENTION UPON EDUCATION FOR AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP Washington, D.C., __—"Sixteen thousand school executives and other educators will direct their attention especially to education for citizenship at the 80th annual convention of the American Association of School Adminis- trators," says Lawrence G. Derthick, Superintendent of Schools, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and president of the organization, in announcing the meeting to be held in Atlantic City, N.J., February 13-18. "The threat to the ideals upon which the American government rests is total," says President Derthick. "Citizens universally recognize the magnitude of the world's struggles in which their country is involved. As individuals they are swept into the current. They must be prepared to carry what burdens good citizenship imposes upon them, Once intervening oceans isolated this continent from the other countries of the world. These barriers are dissolving. We live in a world community. We are concerned directly with what happens even in remote and smaller countries of the world, "This country's need for sound citizenship is a major reason for support of the public schools. This responsibility has always been recognized; at this moment in history it becomes paramount. The programs of the forthcoming convention will discuss the mobilization of school and community in an all-out program to maintain and advance those ideals upon which our nation has been building for more than a century and a half." The program of strengthening education in American citizenship is out- lined in a 400-page yearbook prepared by a Commission of which Benjamin C,. Willis, General Superintendent of Schools, Chicago, is Chairman, Superintendent Willis will present the proposals of his Commission as one of the features of the convention program. Many of the 97 general sessions and sectional meetings (MORE ) THE NATION'S SCHOOL EXECUTIVES FOCUS ATTENTION -- Page 2 UPON EDUCATION FOR AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP of the six-day convention will be devoted to discussion of various aspects of the citizenship program proposed by this Commission which has been at work for two years on its report. Laymen from various fields will bring to the convention their political viewpoints with their own recommendations for action, Topics assigned to these lay participants range from general forecast, such as "The Shape of Things to Come" by Eric Sevareid, chief Washington correspondent of the Columbia Broad- casting System, to specific present responsibility of UNESCO in the world scene which will be discussed by Myrna Loy, member of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, Washington, D.C. William L. Shirer, author and air wave commentator, will debate Peter von Zahan, German radio correspondent, on the subject "Can We Depend on Europe?" Educators to participate in the analysis and construction of citizenship programs include Herold C. Hunt, professor of education, Harvard University, whose topic is "Partners With Youth". Mrs. Raymond Sayre, Ackworth, Iowa, past president, Associated Country Women of the World, will speak on "Building Bridges of Understanding". Douglas McKay, Secretary od the Interior, will represent the President of the United States on the programs Stressing the responsibility of education in other fields, Charles R. Sligh, Jre, immediate past-president of the National Association of Manufacturers, will describe for educators "The Romance of Research in Industry". "The Role of Education As Business Sees It" will be discussed by Herman W. Steinkraus , president and chairman of the board, Bridgeport Brass Company, Bridgeport, Conn. Billie Davis, Sunday school writer, author of "I Was a Hobo Kid", will recount a story in which schools and teachers gave new direction to her life. A special report of the Educational Policies Commission of the American Association of School Administrators and the National Education Association will be devoted to school athletics. The report will be presented by (MORE ) THE NATION'S SCHOOL EXECUTIVES FOCUS ATTENTION -- Page 3 UPON EDUCATION F(R AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP N. D. McCombs, Superintendent of Schools, Des Moines, Iowa, a member of the Commission that prepared the statement. While the report will be sharply critical of some of the practices now fre- quently followed in school athletics, the authors say that, "The experience of playing athletic games should be a part of the education of all children and youth in school in the United States. Participation in school athletic games should be a part of the education of all children and youth in school, Athletic programs contribute to health am happiness, physical skill, emotional maturity, social competence, and moral values.” Playing hard, and playing to win are not ruled out as objectives of athletics, but the character of competition should be adjusted to school levels and to the maturity of the pupils,the Commission believes. The American Education Award for 1954 will go to Walt Disney, producer of animated cartoons. The presentation will be made by Charles Se Stock, Louisville, Ky», President of the Associated Exhibitors, donors of the awards William A, Early, Superintendent of Schools, Savannah and Chatham County, Georgia, President of the NEA, and Samuel M. Brownell, U.S. Commissioner of Education, Washington, D.Co, will bring the conventioners greetings from their respective organizations. Convention entertainment, through the courtesy of the Associated Exhibitors, includes the Firestone Orchestra, Howard Barlow, conductor. Artists Dorothy Warenskjold, Alec Templeton, and John Sebastian, will be featurede A wide range of more than 80 topics is scheduled for discussion in the committee rooms of the Auditorium, hotel ballrooms, and other boardwalk meeting places, These sessions for pooling practical ideas will devote attention to the education of the mentally-gifted child and the mentally-retarded one. Cooperation with community agencies, including the relationships of citizen advisory committees to school boards, will be discussed, The rapid development of sub- urban life, the expanding services of pupil transportation in school-owned buses, the prospects of out-door education, the role of television, new standards in school building, are among other problems for consideration. Hit = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. M J t ‘ . ore than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the A iati i affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and taninnin: porn the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley or Roy Wilson FOR RELEASE: A.M. Papers, Monday, Feb, 1 1 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SAYS CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION PROGRAM SHOULD TEACH HOW TO DEAL WITH CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES Washington, D.C., Jan, 31—Teaching know-how for dealing with controversial issues, not providing pat answers, is a prime aim of the modern school's citizenship education program, So says the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) in a 390- page report called "Educating for American Citizenship" published today. The authors, a commission of nine prominent educators including school superin- tendents, professors of education, a classroom teacher and a principal, voice concern over threats from isms without and civic apathy within on important issues of the day. Purpose of this 32nd Yearbook, according to the commission, was to survey existing practices in citizenship education to see where they might be improved, Concluding that a good school curriculum cannot avoid touching upon controversial issues if it wants to give students experiences in contemporary affairs, the commission says the question is not whether children should hear and talk about controversial issues, "No school," it goes on, "can prevent youth from hearing about such issues in their daily lives, The question to be decided is: should their contacts with con- troversial issues be limited to experiences outside the school--or should they meet such issues in school where they may learn to handle them? Youth will meet them sooner or later. Hence it seems far more appropriate to include them in the currie- t-ulum as natural, normal aspects of life about which youth must learn." (more AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SAYS CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION PROGRAM SHOULD TEACH HOW TO DEAL WITH CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES -- page 2 Pointing out that "we cannot fight totalitarian ideologies without understanding them, and that to understand them, we must read what their adherents say, argue their faults and merits, and know their strategy and their great weaknesses" the commission says it is important for young people to have access to books and materials dealing with communism, But, it warns, "if such materials are on the shelves of school libraries, they must be. labeled clearly to indicate their communist bias." The commission further calls for well-trained, emotionally mature teachers who can guide classroom discussion of controversial issues with evenhanded impartiality. Declaring that education for citizenship really is a community problem and that the school is only one of the forces determining the quality of citizenship, the authors suggest mobilizing and coordinating efforts of school personnel, parents, community agencies, service clubs, women's organizations, communications media and "unorganized persons" to develop a conmunity-—wide program of citizenship training. They warn: "Until communities are willing to endeavor to make all aspects of community life touched by children and youth be good for them, they need not be sur- prised, if even with a good school program of civic education, their older youth are not as good citizens as they hoped they would be." When community and school work together on citizenship, the commission maintains, the schoolchild is helped to function more effectively and intelligently in his "seven circles of citizenship"--family, school,neighborhood, town, state, country, and world, ‘Too often, the commission observes, citizenship is not considered something which should be "taught." It is easy for laymen and even teachers themselves, accord- ing to the authors, to assume that "most people with an education are better citizens than they would have been if uneducated, and hence all that is necessary to do is to keep children and youth in school as regularly and as long as possible," (more) 4 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SAYS CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION PROGRAM SHOULD TEACH HOW TO DEAL WITH CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES -- page 3 "They have come to see," the authors continue, "that being a good citizen has to be taught just as specifically and directly as being a good typist or a good doctor. Merely being in attendance or even getting good school marks in a variety of subjects is no guarantee that the needed level of civic competence is being attained." The commis- sion outlines a well-planned citizenship program as one that provides the following: 1. Schools give students thorough instruction in the American heritage, stressing primarily the fields of history, geography, civics, sociology, economics and related social studies. Here, and in other courses and school activities, the student becomes well-informed about the origin and meaning of American govern- ment, its institutions and the ideals of justice and liberty that self- government makes possible. Schools strive to build American ideals and democratic attitudes. Commenting that "democracy has been slower than dictatorship to put the emotions to work creating favorable attitudes toward its principles and ideals," the commis- sion lists some ways whereby favorable attitudes are created in school: by the teacher's own practice of good citizenship; by the democratic tone or climate of the classroom; by giving students opportunity to develop desirable good group standards; and by direct teaching of patriotic ideals through the constructive use of musical and dramatic arts, pageantry and emotional appeal. Schools give students training in defining problems, working on them, and solving them. Schools help students to locate, classify, appraise and compare information in order to reach independent opinions. Schools give students practice in active school-community service to rein- force what they have learned. Here the commission cites examples of students undertaking projects to get out the vote on election day, clear up traffic hazards, beautify school grounds, cut down Halloween vandalism. (more) AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SAYS CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION PROGRAM SHOULD TEACH HOW TO DEAL WITH CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES -—- page 4 As a guide to communities who wouid evaluate their program of citizenship educa- tion, the commission poses eleven key questions. It further discusses five current or recently-completed major studies in the field of citizenship education which illustrate different approaches being used. : The studies cited include the Detroit Citizenship Education Study; the Citizen- ship Education Conference of Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York; the Kansas Study of Education for Citizenship; the Civic Education Project of the Civic Education Founda- tion, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Citizenship Education Project of Teachers Col- lege, Columbia University, New York City. Benjamin C. Willis, general superintendent of schools of Chicago, Illinois, Yearbook served as chairman of the/commission appointed two years ago by AASA, a department of the National Education Association. Other commission members: Newton Edwards, professor of education, University of Chicago, Illinois; Rayburn J. Fisher, assistant superintendent of schools, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Alabama; Will French, professor of education, Teachers. College, Columbia University, New York, N. Y.; Paul R. Hanna, professor of education, Stanford University, California. Also, Lillian Larson, journalism teacher and publications director, High School, Grand Junction, Colorado; Newell D. McCombs, superintendent of schools, Des Moines, Iowa; Paul T. Rankin, assistant superintendent of schools, Detroit, Michigan; Mary E. Ronk, principal, Ernie Pyle School, Indianapolis, Indiana, # # # Educating for American Citizenship, the Thirty~Second Yearbook of the American Associ- ation of School Administrators, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington 6, D. C. 1954. $5.00. = trom the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R. Powell FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF ANNUAL ELECTION OF OFFICERS Washington, D.C., June 28 -- Robert Stollberg, associate professor of science and education, San Francisco (Calif.) State College, has been chosen president- elect of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), a department of the National Education Association, it was announced here today. Results of a nation-wide ballot among the 5,000 NSTA members were released at the annual meeting of the Association's Board of Directors in New York City. NSTA, the largest organization of its kind, was established in 1895 and reorganized in 1944. More than 60 local, state, regional and national organizations of science teachers are affiliated with it. Walter S. Lapp, chairman, science department, Overbrook high school, Philadelphia, begins his term July 1 as NSTA president, succeeding Charlotte L. Grant, instructor in biological sciences, Oak Park and River Forest high school, Oak Park, Ill. Dr. Stollberg will serve as president-elect during the current school year and will assume the presidency July 1, 1955. Other officers elected for one-year terms are: Dorothy Tryon, head of science department, Redford high school, Detroit, as secretary; and John S. Richardson, professor of education, Ohio State University, Columbus, as treasurer. MORE NATL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSN ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF ELECTION (PAGE 2) Ten members were elected to the board of directors. Ralph E. Keirstead, consultant in science, Hartford (Conn.) public schools, was elected for a one-year term and the other new directors will begin two-year terms: Charles G. Gardner, general science teacher, Grant Junior high school, Syracuse, N.Y.; Marian Young, elementary classroom teacher, New York City; Otis W. Allen, head of science depart- ment, Greenwood (Miss.) high school; Ruth Armstrong, general science teacher, Fort Smith (Ark.) junior high school; Merten W. Hasse, head of science department, Central high school, Aberdeen, S.D.; and J. Donald Henderson, associate professor of physics, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D. The Association conducts the Future’ Scientists of America which annually presents science achievement awards to promising young scientists in junior and senior high school and to outstanding science teachers. In addition to publishing The Science Teacher magazine, the Association also conducts a national and three regional meetings annually. ###eE = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enroll i i t ‘ \ y ed in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study For further information to improve American schools. Belmont Farley,. Roy Wilson FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE HENRY I. WILLETT, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, RICHMOND VAcs CHOSEN TO HEAD AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS Washington, D. C., January 1l-Henry I. Willett, superintendent of schools, Richmond, Va., has been chosen as president-elect of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). He will serve in this capacity for the year beginning March 15, 1954, and will begin a one-year term as president on March 15, 1955. Results of a nation~wide ballot among 9,000 members of the American Association of School Administrators, which is a department of the National Education Association, were announced here today. Other officers elected were Omer Carmichael, superintendent of schools, Louisville, Ky., vice president, to serve for one year beginning March 15, 1954; and Starr M, King, superintendent of schools, Beverly, Mass., member of the Executive Committee to serve from 1954-1958. Mr. Willett was chairman of the AASA Resolutions Committee in 1951. He is chairman of the Association's 1955 Yearbook Commission on “The Superinten- dent Works With His Staff." He was a speaker on the general convention program in 1952 and has served as chairman and participant in convention discussion groups. He has served as superintendent of schools in Richmond since 1946. ~moré— HENRY I. WILLETT CHOSEN TO HEAD AASA Election to the presidency of the American Association of School Administrators is regarded as one of the top honors in the field of education in the United States. Formed in 1865, the association in 1870 became one of the four original departmentsof the National Education Association, Members today include ¢ity, county and state school superintendents; college and university presidents and deans of colleges of educations administrative officers of state and national education associations; and heads of private schools who work directly with governing authorities. Yearbooks of the association cover current problems in education and authors include educational leaders and distinguished laymen. The 19§3 Yearbook was entitled "American School Curriculum" and ithe 1954 Yearbook, "Educating for American Citizenship" will be published late in January. National conventions sponsored by the association oring together annually some 15,000 persons to consider current school problems. The world's largest educational trade show featuring school supplies and equipment will be a feature of the 1954 convention in Atlantic City, N.d., February 14-19. The results of the balloting were announced by the following AASA Board of Tellers: Irvin H. Schmitt, superintendent of schools Falls Church, Va., chairman; John M. Hough, superintendent of schools, Leaksville, N. 6.; W. F. Loggins, superintendent of schools, Greenville, S. C. ##t = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolied in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Roy Wilson 1/7/5h FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION URGES BROAD PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN CONFERENCES ON EDUCATION RECOMMENDED BY PRESIDENT EISENHOWER IN "STATE OF UNION" MESSAGE Washington, D. C,--"State and national conferences on education, as proposed by the President in his State of the Union message, should help to reveal the scope ‘and gravity of the nation's educational crisis and give effect to the public demand that this serious problem be attacked," says William G. Carr, executive secretary of the National Education Association, + These conferences, sctictiiie to Dr. Carr, should include representatives of the teaching profession, of state and national governments, and of all major segments of the general public. In a statement released following the President's address Dr. Carr also said: "Because most of the needed information has already been assembled, prompt action in calling these conferences is possible. I shall, therefore, recommend that our forty- eight affiliated state education associations cooperate heartily with the President's request for such conferences and that the National Education Association stand ready to help at the national level. "The President's public recognition that the education of youth, --our nation's greatest resource,--is being seriously neglected because of a shortage of teachers and school buildings is a timely reminder to Congress and to the public. "Legislation introduced into Congress last year by Senator Cooper (R.) of Kentucky would, if promptly enacted, give effect to the President's recommendation that the Federal government assist states which cannot provide sufficient school buildings. "Parallel legislation to reduce the shortage of teachers should also be enacted. The need has been well established. The education of children cannot be postponed, "By existing resolutions, the National Education Association also strongly supports the President in his call for continued firm support of the United Nations, for statehood for Hawaii, and for lowering the voting age to 18," ### SF from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. Telephone ADams 4-4855 The National Education Association is the national professional organization of educators. More than 950,000 teachers are enrolled in the Association and its affiliated groups. Financed by the voluntary dues of its members, the NEA was organized in 1857 to promote the welfare of pupils and teachers, to advance the science and practice of education, and to build strong school-community relationships. A headquarters staff is continuously engaged in research and study to improve American schools. For further information Belmont Farley, Virginia R, Powell FOR RELEASE: A, M. Papers, Thuréday January 7, 195i SAFETY FILM "SHOT" IN SILVER SPRING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO BE PREMIERED IN FOUR CORNERS SCHOOL THURSDAY EVENING Washington, D. C., January 6--A new documentary film on effective ways to teach fire safety will be officially premiered at 8 p.m,, Thursday, in the auditorium of the Four Corners School in Silver Spring, The motion picture entitlei, Fire in Their Learning, was produced by the National Commission on Safety Education of the National Education Association, The producation, which was filmed at the Four Corners School on Old Bladensburg Road, is based on an actual incident at the elementary school involving a brush fire at the edge of the school ground. The cast includes Mrs. Helen Johnson, Four Corners School principal, Carolyn Patterson, fourth grade teacher, members of her last year's fourth grade class, and members of the Silver Spring Fire Department. Among those who have been invited to attend the showing are parents of pupils in the school, members of the Silver Spring Fire Department, the NEA Safety Commission, representatives of the Montgomery County fire marshell's office, the National Fire Protection Association, the National Board of Fire Underwriters, the Automotive Safety Foundation, and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, The NEA Safety Commission headed by M. R. Trabue, dean of the school of educatioh, The Pennsylvania University, is composed of 15 members who represent elementary and secondary schools and colleges and universities throughout the nation. Norman Key is secietary to the Comission. ###