= from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C od ADams 4-4855 December 31, 1959 SPECIAL TO STATE JOURNALS Following is a condensation of the address delivered by Rep. Frank Thompson, Jr (D-N.J.), at the NEA's Seventh Annual National Conference on Federal Legislation, in Washington, December 12, 1959. Even year-old figures from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare display that public school enrollment in this country was approximately 1,843,000 more than the normal classroom capacity of the public, elementary and secondary schools. There were nearly 72,000 classrooms built during the last school year, a near record. Yet, this rate of construction barely kept pace with increased attendance and obsolescence The states still reported a need for 140,500 additional classrooms. At this rate of progress, all other things being equal, the United States will be without classroom shortages in about 78 years, or in the year 2036. This is preposterous enough by itself, but, of course, all other things are not equal. For example, the rate of expansion of our school age population promises to increase markedly in the years to come. These shocking and embarrassing shortages must be eliminated. The other pressing problem in our schools is one with which you are perhaps even more familiar: teachers' salaries. We should do far more than we are now doing to enhance the prestige of the teacher and to provide him with more effective support in his efforts to improve the effectiveness of his teaching. The workload a teacher faces, the research and study facilities available to him, the students and colleagues with whom he associates, the prestige accorded his position, and the congeniality of the community in which he lives — as well as the salary he is each affect the attractiveness of the teaching profession. In varying degrees each young person will consider these elements as he or she considers whether to enter the teaching profession. To increase its supply of teachers, any community needs to enhance the attractiveness of each of these elements. It cannot rely solely on raising salaries any more than it can rely solely on the simple love of teaching. If the nation ever could really afford sub-standard schools, that time has cer- tainly long since passed. With local school districts pressing hard against debt limitations and with many states lacking sufficient revenue to bear a larger share of the burden, we have come to one of those emergencies which calls for new and effective plans. I come before you as an advocate of Federal Aid to Education. Many people tend to forget that children are citizens not only of their states but of the United States as well. To be good citizens, they must be properly educated. Moreover, we are in- creasingly a mobile people. Between 1950 and 1956, each year about five million people moved from one state to another. This alone bears eloquent testimony to the inter- dependence of our educational effort and the fact that educational levels in each state are the concern of all the states. The argument that Federal Aid means Federal control is a familiar one. Our Federal system is a system of infinite subtlety and complexity. By and large it is a system of shared responsibilities and powers. To unimaginative and inflexible minds, every Federal involvement raises the spector of Federal domination, of the obliteration of our traditional reliance on local initiative. But to the better-informed, a Federal sharing of responsibility seems only natural and not the least bit frightening. To these people national problems of great significance require national concern and as- sistance. It is argued over and over that the schools are traditionally and preemi- nently a local responsibility. Of course, they are. But is not education also a national responsibility? Of course, it is. It is not an "either-or" proposition. Responsibility for education is neither exclusively local nor exclusively Federal; it belongs to both; it is shared. -3- From this general proposition, the case for Federal Aid to Education follows easily and forcefully. For what happens in a business or a family or a labor union when one member finds himself in a difficult situation, the solution of which he can- not achieve by his own efforts? If the system is truly cooperative, the struggling member expects and receives help from the other. So it is —or should be— in the field of education. The evidence is overwhelming that there is a massive shortage of classrooms in the United States and that teachers' salaries are far below what they should be if enough good teachers are going to be attracted to — and remain in the teaching profession. Federal involvement in the financing of education is miniscule; Federal responsibility is, along with that of the states and the local school districts considerable. What needs to be done, then, is to make Federal assistance commensurate with Federal responsibility. There is a move under way on a most tentative basis to reach bipartisan agreement on behalf of some legislation which the Department of Health, Education and Welfare feels the President MIGHT approve. The prospectus which I have seen for this legisla- tion indicates that it might possibly build a few classrooms but it is completely and absolutely inadequate, especially in view of the fact that, again, it makes no mention of the urgency for increased teachers’ salaries. There are two major flaws in this proposal. It puts the problem off for another year and it wouldn't begin to meet the problem even then. It would be far too little and rather late. It doesn't even affect the large number of districts which have reached the limits of their indebtedness and can borrow no more money no matter who proposes to help them pay off new bond issues. I don't really know if this plan was inspired by banking interests as a nice little device to safeguard their investments, but it might just as well have been, for all the good it would do for the nation's schools. os hn The proposal is further evidence of what my friend, Representative Lee Metcalf, calls "Study, Stall, Stumble and Stop." Accordingly, I am a strong supporter of the Murray-Metcalf Bill which has been reintroduced in the first Session of this Congress in a slightly modified form. The bill provides for large Federal grants to the States to be used for school construction or for teachers' salaries, or both, as the State determines. The crisis in American education demands unusual expenditures of money. There will be, of course, the usual cries of fiscal irresponsibility and the usual pro- testations that the nation cannot afford it. I say this is absurd; we can afford whatever is needed to provide our children with an adequate education. What is re- quired is creative leadership and a steady confidence. I am weary of hearing about what we cannot afford. We are by far the richest nation in the history of mankind and the failure to educate our children properly constitutes a national scandal. We subsidize everything from corn and peanuts to the aircraft industry. Maybe the school children of America ought to hire some professional lobbyists. I wish I could promise you that this legislation will pass and that the money will be appropriated. I am rather confident that some kind of aid to education bill will pass, but I cannot predict its final features nor whether the President will sign it. But I do have high hopes that the Murray-Metcalf bill will pass in substantially the form I've just outlined. Until then, do not overlook your role as advisers to your Congressmen. The right to petition the government is guaranteed by the Constitution and not even teachers are required to take a loyalty oath before exercising it. Letter campaigns which are obviously inspired or which come to an office in mimeographed form are notoriously ineffective, as are threats and lectures. But responsible, sober letters from you as individuals, from your teacher organizations and from parent-teacher groups are taken seriously by most Congressmen. The failure of the Congress and of the Administration to act is in part your failure. As teachers you are more aware of the needs of America than any other group. But as teachers you have not sufficiently educated your Representatives in recognizing your problems or solving them. Let us work together in an educational effort to get the Federal Government to assume its rightful share in educating our children. Nothing you do will be of more importance to the welfare and security of your country or to the advancement of your own profession. 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4.4855 For further information: M. Ruth Broom FOR RELEASE AT WILL 2000 Teachers of Speech and Theater Arts Convene in Washington, Dec. 28-30 WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- More than 2000 teachers of speech and theater arts from throughout the country are expected to attend a convention opening Sunday, Dec. 28 at the Statler Hilton Hotel here. Sessions will continue through Dec. 30. Cooperating in the meeting are the Speech Association of America, the American Educational Theater Association, the National Society for the Study of Communication, and the National University Extension Association. The role of broadcasting in politics, with special reference to the 1960 conven- tions and presidential campaign, will be examined at a panel session Monday morning. Participants include J. Leonard Reinsch, executive director of the 1960 Democratic convention; Robert Humphreys, campaign director for the Republican National Committee, and Elmer W. Lower, manager of news and public affairs for NBC News, Washington. There will be a symposium of labor-management relations Tuesday evening. Par- ticipants include Sen. Wayne Morris (D-Ore.); Mark Starr, director of the educational department, International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union; and Charles A. Kothe, vice president, industrial relations division, National Association of Manufacturers. Chairman William C. Doerfer of the Federal Communications Commission will par- ticipate Wednesday morning in a panel discussion of the role of the FCC in broadcasting. Other participants include Representative Oren Harris (D-Ark.), chairman of the House Commerce Committee, and Sen. William E. Proxmire (D-Wis.). Program participants from the theatrical world include Dore Shary, motion picture director, and Stella Adler of the Stella Adler Theater Studio. The participating organizations have scheduled more than 100 individual sessions on a wide variety of subjects relating to speech and the theater. Some of the topics are: "Growing Pains of the Profession of Speech and Hearing Therapy," "The Future of Mass Media Research," "Speech for Foreign and Bilingual Students," "Ghost Writing," and "The Care and Feeding of Playwrights." + # ft = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further information: Roy K. Wilson or Joseph T. Crown, Jr. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEA Honors 31 Employees At Special Ceremony WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- Thirty-one employees of the National Education Association, including three with over 35 years of service, were honored this afternoon during a special program at the organization's new $8-million head- quarters building on 16th Street. The three, who's aggregate service of 105 years out distances the life span of NEA by 4 years, are: Mrs. Bertha Cornell, 4917 Redford Road, Greenacres, Md.; Mrs. Edna V. Sands, 5912-l4th Street, N. W.; and Mrs. Gladys Harlow West, 101 Northwood Avenue, Silver Spring, Md. They all came to work for the associa- tion in 1923, when it was housed in the old Guggenheim Mansion at 16th and M Streets, N. W. The building was razed two years ago to make room for the new headquarters on the same site. Virginia Stephenson, 3530-39th Street, N.W. received a diamond pin for 25 years of service. Others received certificates, including those with lengthy service who received their 25-year pins at past ceremonies. In presenting the pin and certificates of appreciation to the group, Dr. William G. Carr, executive secretary of the Association, praised them for their devotion and faithfulness to the organization and to the cause of educa- tion in the United States. NEA is the world's largest professional organization. (more) NEA Honors 31 Employees At Special Ceremony - 2 Robert A. Luke, president of the NEA Staff Organization, presented gifts to four Association staff members who retired during the past year. The NEA Chorus, under the direction of Gene Morlan, presented its annual Christmas concert during the program. Other staff members honored at the same program included: (For 10 years service) Virginia 0. Berthy, 3005 Erie Street, S.E.; Robert H. Carleton, 2029 Lanier Drive, Silver Spring; Elsie M. Cheseldine, 1228 I Street, N.W.; Dorothea M. Davis, 1530-l6th Street, N.W.; Wilda F. Faust, 6255-29th Street, N.W.; Isabelle Grayson, 2018 Columbia Pike, Arlington; E. Grace Herring, 1414 Massachu- setts Avenue, N.W.; Ellen N. Holway, 4807 Westway Drive, N.W.; Bobbie Lee Kinsey, 1401 Kanawha Street, Hyattsville; Helen S. Lloyd, 1539 Key Blvd., Arlington; J. L. McCaskill, 3122 Martha Custis Drive, Alexandria; Elsie Shannon, 1101-15th Street, N.W.; Eva G. Shenk, 5617 N. 23rd Street, Arlington; T. M. Stinnett, 201 N. George Mason Drive, Arlington; Carl A. Troester, 209 Crestmoor Circle, Silver Spring; Penelope Wallace, 1918 I Street, N. W.; Anne C. Yates, 3802 Milan Drive, Alexandria; and Margaret C. Haygood, 1901 Wyoming Avenue,N.W. Leo Boyer, 509 E. Schuyler Road, Silver Spring and Merrill F. Hartshorn, 5425 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. received awards for 15-years of service. Dr. Lyle W. Ashby, 4425 Windom Place, N.W., deputy executive secretary of the NRA, and Mrs. Helen Cox, 7905 Chicago Avenue, Silver Spring, were cited for 30 years of service. R. B. Marston, 2013 Glen Ross Road, Silver Spring; Grace E. Overstreet, 3100 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.; Madaline Remmlein, 1500 Massachusetts Avenue,N.W. ; and Alice S. Werner, 5336 Colorado Avenue, N.W.; all of whom retired during the past year, were presented with gifts from the Association. ttt t 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 46, D. C. ADams 4.4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or Myrtle Bonn FOR RELEASE: Sunday Papers December 20, 1959 New NEA Estimates Show Pupil Enrollment At 36 802; Teacher Sal at $502 WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 -- The National Education Association today released its most recent estimates on pupil enrollment, school revenues, the teacher situation, and other school information for the year 1959-60. The estimates, compiled and published by the NEA Research Division for the 18th consecutive year, cover data for the 50 states as well as for the nation as a whole. The report, titled Estimates of School Statistics, 1959-60, shows: a * Pupil enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools is 36, 399,802. That's 4.1 percent more youngsters than the 34,952,277 who were in school during 1958-59. * Current expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance is $369 -- up 5.4 percent over last year. * Total instructional staff is 1,455,335 -- up 4.3 percent over last year. Of these, 1,348,567 are classroom teachers, with about one in 14 an emergency (not fully certified) teacher. * Average classroom teacher salary is $5025 -- up 4.8 percent. Elemen- tary teachers average $4835,and high school teachers average $5334. It is estimated that one out of every eight teachers will be paid less than $3500. The Far West continues to have the highest salary average and the Southeast the lowest. * The turnover of instructional staff has increased slightly -- 1.9 percent. An estimated 123,700 persons, or 8.5 percent of the total in- (more) NEW NEA Estimate - page 2 structional staff will be leaving the states' public schools for old age, disability, to take other positions, or other reasons. * The number of school districts is estimated to have dropped from 43,507 last year to 40,605 for 1959-60. (In Hawaii, the whole state is one basic unit for school operation.) The trend toward consolidation of school districts has been consistent over a long period of years. In 193l- 32, there were 127, 422 districts of administrative units. first time this year, the NEA estimates include school-age population and average daily attendance along with enrollments. The school-age population -- youngsters aged five through 17 -- constitute 24.5 percent of the total population. Ten years ago, the percentage was 20.3. Average daily attendance as a percent of enrollment is estimated at 88.7 percent. This is the same as it.was 10 years ago, with slight fluctuations in between. ie On school finance, the estimates show total expenditures, including current ex- pense, capital outlay, and interest, increased from $14,253,239,000 in 1958-59 to $15, 543,109,000 in 1959-60, an increase of 9.0 percent. Over a 10-year period, the increase was 167.9 percent. In most cases, figures for 1959-60 include Hawaii and Alaska. The NEA estimates were developed with the cooperation of the state departments of education and state education associations. Thirteen tables are included to show state by state breakdowns. A special table gives estimates for the Canal Zone, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. ##?d i : Copies of Estimates of School Statistics, 1959-60, are available from the National Education Association, 1oOl loth Street, N.W., Washington 64. BC. Single copy: 75¢. QucATION y »* Si, WASHINGTON 6, 0. C, » ee wS = 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W > SZ. \/ (Zz f ational (ducationC/ Vasociation ADAMS 4-4855 o “ - w&B 3 “a '¢ UNITED “\ December 17, 1959 Memorandum to Editors and Correspondents: Enclosed is a copy of the program for the forthcoming annual convention of the Speech Association of America which will be held at the Statler Hotel here, December 28-30. Meeting concurrently with the SAA will be the American Educational Theatre Association, the National Society for the Study of Commn- ication, American Forensic Association, and the National University Extension Association. The program for these joint meetings is jam-packed with news-making names and topics. Here is a brief rundown of some of the highlights: * On Monday morning, Dec. 28, a three-member panel of experts will take part in a discussion of "The Role of Broadcasting in Politics: The 1960 Conventions and Campaign." Appearing will be J. Leonard Reinsch, executive director of the 1960 Democratic convention; Elmer W. Lower, manager of news and public affairs, NBC, Washington; Robert Humphreys, campaign director, the Republican National Committee. Tuesday, Dec. 29. All-convention luncheon. Featured speaker: Robert Thayer, head, Bureau of International Cultural Relations, U. S. Department of State. On Tuesday evening, a symposium on the question "What Policy in Labor-Management Relations Will Best Serve the People of the U.S.?" Taking part will be the Hon. Wayne L. Morse, U. S. Senator from Oregon; Mark Starr, director, Educational Department, International Ladies' Garment Workers Union; and Charles A. Kothe, vice-president, Industrial Relations Division, National Association of Manufacturers. On Wednesday morning, Dec. 30, a panel discussion on "The FCC's Role in Broadcasting," will feature such participants as the Hon. William E. Proxmire, U. S. Senator from Wisconsin, the Hon. Oren Harris, U. S. Representative from Arkansas; and William Doefer, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Topics to be discussed throughout the three-day convention range from "Te Future of Mass Media Research," to "Ghost-Writing," and "The Care and Feeding of Playwrights." Among the prominent program participants from the theatrical world include Dore Schary, famed motion picture director, and Stella Adler of The Stella Adler Theatre Studio. A Press Office will be open for the convenience of reporters at the Statler and our staff will be glad to assist in any way. Sincerely, M. Roe) Convention News Editor Division of Press and Radio Relations mrb/ea enclosure 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or M. Ruth Broom SPECIAL FOR EDUCATION JOURNALS Nation's Top Practicing Scientists To Meet With Science Teachers at Annual Conclave Stepped up school science programs -- from kindergarten through the 12th grade -- will be the main concern of approximately 2000 teachers when they meet in Kansas City, March 29-April 2, for the eighth annual convention of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Some of the nation's top practicing scientists will be working closely with convention participants to study the role and importance of a broad and continuous science program for all American school children as sessions get underway in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium. Predictions for an outstanding convention have been forecast by Robert H. Carleton, NSTA executive secretary, 4s he announced program plans and re- ported that two Nobel Prize winners head the roster of distinguished speakers. They are Dr. Linus C. Pauling and Dr. Walter H. Brattain. Dr. Pauling, who won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, began teaching at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena in 1922. He received his doctorate there in 1925, and is currently professor of chemistry. He has received 14 world-known awards for his contributions and discoveries in chemistry, medicine, and international law; he has been given honorary doctorates by 17 universities. Dr. Brattain is a co-winner of the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for his investigations in semiconductors and the discovery of the transistor effect: Since 1929 he has been with the Physical Research Department of the Bell Telephone Laboratores in Murry Hill, New Jersey. He was born in China, edu- cated in Washington and Oregon, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. NSTA President Donald G. Decker, who is dean of Colorado State College (more) Top Practicing Scientists to Meet -- page 2 at Greeley, will set the stage for discussions throughout the convention at the opening general session as he outlines the problems and issues involved in teaching science today. Current science topics will be explored in an extensive "Frontiers of Science" series of discussion sessions. Addresses by college and research scientists will pinpoint recent developments in the major fields of science -- biological science, physical science, earth science, and health. Included also on the "Frontiers" program series, in addition to Dr. Pauling and Dr. Brattain, will be such outstanding speakers as Dr. George B. Kistiakowsky, science advisor to President Eisenhower, and Dr. John R. Heller, director of the U. S. National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md. Dr. Kistiakowsky was born in Russia and was educated in Moscow and Kiev. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Berlin in Germany. He has been a member of the teaching staff at Princeton University and holds the chair of pro- fessor of chemistry at Harvard University. He has been associated with national defense efforts since 194) and was appointed to the President's Science Advisory Committee in 1957. Dr. Heller began his career with state and national public health offices in 1930 and has served as Chief of the U. S. Division of Venereal Diseases and Assistant Surgeon General, U. S. Public Health Service. His work includes the fields of medical research administration, public health administration, epi- demiology, international cancer control, venereal disease control, and medical education. Other convention speakers include Dr. Robert H. Johnson, superintendent of Jefferson County public schools, lakewood, Colo.; Dr. leona M. Sundquist, chair- man, Department of Science, Western Washington College, Bellingham; Dr. Joe Zafforoni, professor of science education, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; and Dr. John H. Fischer, dean, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City. For the first time, conferences for science supervisors, consultants, and coordinators will be conducted under NSTA sectional status on the mornings of March 29 and 30, at the start of the convention. The Thursday evening general session on March 31 will feature the announcement of winners in the STAR '60 (more) Meet -- page 3 awards program for science teachers. Winners are selected on the basis of entries demonstrating effective science teaching methods. The first award of $1000 and 55 others totaling $12,500 will be presented. Approximately 100 commercial exhibits, the largest number displayed at any NSTA convention, will be presented in the Exposition of Science Teaching Materials in the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium where all general convention sessions will be held. Banquet and luncheon sessions and other related meet- ings are scheduled in the two convention headquarters hotels, the Muehlebach and the Phillips. 12/16/59 No Se) S = i gpucation Assy G 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D.C. She. aa Vf &, f alionat 6G, ducalion CL Vpsociation ADAMS 4-4855 December 15, 1959 TO SECRETARIES OF STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONS Dear Colleague: You will receive under separate cover from the NEA Research Division a copy of Estimates of School Statistics, 1959-60. This is the annual Research Division report which supplies data for the current year on admin- istrative organization, pupils, professional staff, revenues, and expendi- tures for public elementary and secondary schools. Because this report is especially popular with newsmen who may be querying you for additional facts about your state, we want to alert you to its publication. When you receive your copy, you will see that it con- tains state breakdowns on all major statistics. The report is being made available to news media throughout the country for use on Sunday, December 20. For your additional information, we are enclosing a news release which summarizes highlights from the publication. The news release is being distributed from the NEA Press and Radio Division to press associations, newspapers, Washington correspondents and other working press, radio and television personnel. Sincerely, k,l) Roy K. Wilson, Director Press dad Radio Relations rkw/ea enclosure = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C. e ADams 4-4 For further information: Thomas Gilligan or Joseph Hanlon FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY -- Dec. 14, 1959 NEA Head Asks Prime Evening Time For Public Service TV Broadcasts WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -- The National Education Association urged the Federal Communications Commission today to require that a fair portion of the prime evening television viewing period be devoted to public service broad- casts, including those with educational values. NEA President Walter W. Eshelman told the commission that public service broadcasts in the 7 to 10 p. m. period might be regarded as fair compensation by the stations for the use of the air waves which belong to all the people. Broadcasting stations are licensed to use these air waves "in the public interest, convenience and necessity." Dr. Eshelman, who is supervising principal of schools at Upper Dublin, Fort Washington, Pa., urged the Commission, in considering applications for re- newal of TV licenses, to strengthen the standards by which it measures whether the applicant stations have in fact functioned in the public interest. He found much to commend in commercial broadcasting, but said there was no doubt that not all stations have been meeting their public service responsi- bilities. Speaking of the impact of television on education, Dr. Eshelman pointed out that it has greatly influenced the generation of children now in the public schools. "No longer," he said, "does the teacher control, to the extent he did only a few years ago, the limits of learning. The 2l-inch tube has defined, (more ) - Prime Evening Time Pe ae to a considerable extent, what the student regards as worth knowing and talking about. The increase in things learned outside the classroom and the new learning experience perpetually available on television require of the teacher better preparation and more flexibility. Today's fourth grader can ask penetrating questions about the propulsion of missiles, the function- ing of a vaccine, and the principles of architecture." Dr. Eshelman also urged the Commission to give priority to the claims of educational television in all communities where there is already adequate commercial service by two or more commercial stations. Educational stations, he said, have an increasingly important role to play in the education of grow- ing numbers of children and adults. 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further information Myrtle Bonn FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Special to Education Journals) Social Studies Teachers Recommend Major Curriculum Changes; Urge "Realistic" Program The National unci For t Social Studies closed its 39th annual conven- tion in Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 28 with some of the nation's top leaders in the field agreeing that drastic changes in the social studies program are in order More than 1500 teachers and research specialists attended the three-day meeting The Council, a department of the National Education Association, has a membership of epproximately 7200 school and college teachers of history, govern- ment, economics, sociology, and geography. While most spes iced the need for a more "realistic" and "up-to-date" curriculum in the social studies, recommendations for specific changes varied vid idely. They ranged from an overhauling of the entire concept to alterations Wid in teacher preparation courses Proposals made at a series of assemblies and section meetings included: Broadening the lower elementary program to include units which encompass more than personal experience -- the "home-school- community" concept A direct approach to controversial issues which are shaping current affairs. On this topic, Dr. Harold D. Drummond, profes- sor of elementary education, George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tenn., told the group that "'sweetness and light’ -- the glossing over of filth, disease, prejudice, starvation, death -- can no longer be tolerated Social problems and their solu- ~ ALL tion mist be honestly faced at all age levels, whether or not Vs " they are considered to be controversial A "pruning" of the curriculum to eliminate insignificant details, substituting more current problems. (more) Social Studies Teachers -- page 2 Heavier emphasis on "economic literacy," termed essential if citizens are to decide political issues wisely and make intelligent choices as consumers. More emphasis was also urged for citizenship education, conservation education, human relations, and international understanding. Elimination of the "wooden-shoe-windmill-tulip" stereotype at all levels. The lengthening of pre-service training for teachers to include more "content courses" and heavier emphasis on con- tent in in-service programs. Provisions for adapting the curriculum to changes brought on by the scientific and technological revolution. Re-examination of the present grade sequence of social studies offerings. Former President Harry S. Truman, speaking at the closing banquet, gave the social studies teachers an intimate glimpse into the duties of the office of the presidency. He drew frequent laughter and applause with his quips and camments on various presidents since George Washington. "The President is the only lobbyist in Washington who looks after the claims of 150 million people," Mr 1 said. The rest of them have their own lobby- ists, he added. "I think it is up to you to convince the youths of today that this is the greatest government in the world and that it is up to them to continue this Republic as the writers of this great Constitution of ours would have wanted them to do," Mr. Truman told the teachers "You are the ones who have the ability to do it. You are the ones who can make it so interesting that they will want to preserve it and maintain it." In a press conference preceding the speech, Mr. Truman said he is complet- ing a book, tentatively titled "Mr. Citizen." It covers his experiences since he left the presidency. He is also planning a history book for children on the United States government. Social Studies Teachers -- page 3 In a strong resolution, the Council condemned legislation requiring public employees to list all organizations to which they belong as a condition of em- ployment. A resolution in support of the Murray-Metcalf bill was also passed. Dr. Eunice Johns, supervisor of secondary education in the Wilmington, Delaware, Public Schools, takes office as the new president Jan. 1. President- elect is Dr. Emlyn D. Jones, director of social studies, Seattle, Washington, Public Schools. Dr. Samuel P. McCutchen, chairman of the department of social studies, New York University, New York City, was named vice-president. Outgoing president is Howard H. Cummings of the U. S. Office of Education. Executive secretary is Merrill F. Hartshorn of Washington, D. C. Next year's convention is scheduled for Boston. 12/10/59 = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 6, D0. C ADams 4.4855 For further information Beatrice Gudridge or M. Ruth Broom [MEDIATE RELEASE U.S. Documentary Films, Winners in Venice Festival, To Receive Awards Here December 10 WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Five award-winning American films and the Italian film that won the Grand Prix award at the 1959 Venice International Film Festival will be shown in the auditorium of the National Education Association at 8:00 p.m. on Dec. 10, according to an announcement here from the Committee on International Non-Theatrical Events (CINE). In a special awards ceremony prior to the film showings, Dr. Gabriele Paresce, press counselor of the Italian Embassy, will present silver statues and diplomas to producers of American films whose entries received special recognition at the festival. Although the selections were made in Venice, actual presentation of the awards to the American producers will be made during this ceremony. Three American-produced films which were singled out for prizes will receive silver statues and two others will be given diplomas for honorable mention by the judges. Highlight of the evening will be the screening of the Grand Prix winning film "Non Basta Soltanto L'Alfabeto,”™ produced by Michele Gandin of Italy. This film is being brought to this country especially for this presentation. (In English, the title is: The Alphabet is Not Enough.) The film is a compassionate presentation of constructive efforts to solve an urgent social problem. The three films to receive prizes are: * "Skyscraper" produced by Shirley Clarke, Willard Van Dyke, and Irving Jacoby, winner in the "Places, People and Folklore" category. (more ) U.S. Documentary Films, Winners in Venice - Page 2 * "Moonbird," produced by John Hubley, winner in the "Cartoon Films" category. * "My Own Yard to Play In," produced by Phil Lerner, winner in the "Social Documentary" category. Receiving diplomas in two other categories will be "Appalachian Spring," pro- duced by Peter Glushank, Nathan Krall, and Martha Graham, which was honored in the "Television Films" category; "Life of the Molds," produced by Irving Jacoby and Willard Van Dyke, which received recognition in the exhibition of films for children. Another feature of the Thursday evening program will be a talk by Dr. William G. Carr, NEA executive secretary. The NEA, through its Educational Television Con- sultant Harold Wigren, has served as coordinator for the Commtttee on International Non-Theatrical Events since its organization in 1957. CINE is a voluntary group drawn from the non-theatrical motion picture industry and from educational organizations and was established to set up the machinery for choosing and screening films to represent the United States at selected film festivals all over the world. The Committee is comprised of representatives from American industry, education, television and religious groups all with the common interest in improving the standards of cinemotography and more adequately representing the non-theatrical industry in international festivals. Presiding during the special awards program will be CINE chairman Ralph L. Hoy, Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pa. The two vice-chairmen of the Committee, who will also be present, are: James A. Barker, president of Capital Film Laboratories, Washington, D.C.; and Stanley McIntosh, executive director of Teaching Films Custodians, Inc., New York City. ttt @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: 3eatrice Gudridge or Joseph Hanlon FOR RELEASE: A.M. Papers Friday, Nov. 27, Teachers Specify Working Conditions Necessary for Quality Education WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 --- A bill of particulars setting out the working conditions for school teachers and school administrators which should prevail in a school system which seeks to offer quality education is contained in a new publication of the National Education Association's Department of Class- room Teachers. The book, Conditions of Work for Quality Education, is the product of a year long study, based on analysis of nearly 1000 policy handbooks from school systems throughout the country and on replies to a questionnaire sent to a sampling of about 7000 NEA members. Desirable working conditions are a prerequisite for quality edu- cation, the book points out, because undesirable conditions lead young teachers to avoid careers in teaching and induce experienced teachers to leave the profession when better economic opportunities present themselves. The conditions described as desirable in the report are found, the book says, in many commnities and in many others sincere efforts are being made to establish similar conditions. "Such examples," the book adds, "encourage the belief that desirable conditions can be established in most, if not all, of the nation's school systems. In those communities where little thought has been given to these matters, the present declaration is a reminder and 4 warning." The book goes into specifics in describing desirable working conditions. These fall generally into five categories, discussed in separate Working Conditions - Page 2 chapters, and the chapter headings might be considered as a teacher's Bill of Rights. They propose; 1 - The right to professional status. Specialized preparation, as with teachers, is only one of the marks of a profession. Another is how it operates in practice. Teaching is the primary profession because all members of all professions achieved that status through education. 2 - The right to adequate time and means. The many demands made on the schools today often combine to prevent the teacher from making the best use of his professional preparation and competence. Often because of demands on his time for routine clerical and even janitorial services, civic projects or community activities, he does not have adqquate time for the main job -- teaching. 3 - The right to fair treatment. Teachers, as professional people, need to work in something more than a formal employer-employee relationship. There ought to be a friendly, cooperative partnership between them and the commnity. 4 . The right to good leadership. Too often the school superin- tendent has been considered to be expendable and has not been recognized as an essential factor in arranging desirable working conditions for classroom teachers. He ought to have both time and encouragement to render effective professional service. His status should be that of professional advisor on educational policy. 5 - The right to security. Teacher salaries should be at a level sufficient to attract and retain a highly qualified, career minded professional staff. Sound insurance, retirement, and leave policies should be adopted. The report points out that each year many thousands of teachers leave the profession permenently and other thousands shift from one system to another in search of better working conditions. The annual supply of new teachers is least adequate in the elementary schools, where the need is greatest, the book adds. Each year one fourth of the young people who have gone to the trouble and expense of preparing for teaching careers change their minds at the point of employment. says, are dissatisfaction hours ts on the personal and professional ambitions conditions are remedied, the report adds, sd people would seek to enter would find >i Tt S sO rewarding and satisfying that only unusual circumstances could induce them to leave teaching. ssion deserves to work under favorable conditions," it concludes, not only as licated elf-respecting group, but also because only in this way can our teac s be serve America's children and youth." NOTE: Complimentary press copies of Conditions of Work for Quality Education « Lr may be obtained from the Department of Classroom Teachers, National Education Associat 1201 Sixteenth St., N.W., Washington 6, D. C. Other cop: 7 from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 46, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Myrtle Bonn Nov. 25 and after: NCSS Press Office Muehlebach Hotel, Room 414 Kansas City, Mo. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Social Studies Teachers to Map Curriculum Changes at Kansas City Meeting, Nov. 26-28 KANSAS CITY, Nov. 24 -- Approximately 1400 social studies teachers -- from elementary grades through college -- will meet here November 26 for a three-day appraisal of the social studies curriculum. How to lift the social studies program from the "Indian tepee stage" to the level demanded by space age tech- nology will be the chief concern. The meeting will be the 39th annual convention of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), a department of the National Education Association. Headquarters will be the Muehlebach Hotel here. Announcing the convention program, NCSS President Howard H. Cummings, social science and geography specialist at the U. S. Office of Education, Washington, D.C., elaborated on the problems facing the social studies field. "Unlike science, mathematics, and modern languages, social studies cannot look forward to heavy government subsidies," Mr. Cummings said. "To meet the challenge of the science era and to adjust the social studies program to meet the needs of youth in the years ahead, volunteer organizations of social studies teach- ers and foundations will all have to contribute their time and resources,” he added. This year's convention, according to Mr. Cummings, will bring social studies teachers the latest research and enable the researchers to find out what are the problems most in need of solution. Delegates will meet in five general sessions and various section meetings. (more) Note to Editor: The enclosed copy of the NCSS convention program will help you spot participants from your community. Social Studies Teachers to Map Curriculum Keynote speaker at the convention's Annual Banquet Friday evening will be former President Harry S. Truman. At the event which will be held in the Grand Ballroom, President Hotel, Elmer Ellis, president, University of Missouri and past-president, NCSS, will act as toastmaster. Highlighting the convention program will be three assemblies Friday morning geared to the topic "A Look Ahead: Specific Changes Which Need to be Made in the Social Studies Curriculum." The assemblies will deal with social studies in the elementary and secondary schools and in teacher education. Follow-up section meet- ings in the afternoon will study in detail the suggestions presented in the morning assemblies. A welcome will be extended to the social studies delegates by James A. Hazlett, superintendent of public schools, Kansas City, at the first general session Thanks- giving night. Also on the program will be Dr. Howard E. Wilson, dean, School of Education, University of California, los Angeles, who will discuss "Experiences in Comparative Education." Friday luncheon meetings will be divided according to specific social studies interests -- American history, economics, geography, sociology, and political science. At the Saturday luncheon meeting three University of Missouri professors are featured ~~ W. Francis English, dean, College of Arts and Science; Athel G. Unkesbay, professor of geology; and William A. Albrecht, professor emeritus of soil. Some of the timely subjects to be dealt with at the section meetings of the conference include “The Academically Able and the Advanced Placement Program," "Teaching About Africa in World Affairs," "Teaching About the USSR," "Social Studies in the Elementary Schools in Germany," and "Content in the Problems of Democracy Course." The NCSS, organized in 1921, has been a department of the National Education Association since 1925. Executive secretary of the group is Merrill F. Hartshorn of Washington, D. C. @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or Joseph Hanlon FOR RELEASE: P. M, Papers Monday, Nov. 23, 1959 Gap Between Earnings of City and Rural Teachers Is Narrowing, NEA Study Finds WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 -- The city school teacher is still being paid substantially more than his colleague who teaches in a country school, but the gap is narrowing, the National Education Association has determined. A new publication of the NEA Research Division reporting on 1958-59 salary schedules shows an average annual salary for urban teachers of $5313, while the average for rural teachers was only $4013. Thus the country teachers were paid 25 percent less than those in the cities, on the average. But 25 years ago the average rural salary was only 45 percent -- less than half -- of the urban salary. As the decade of the 1950s began, rural salaries were 29 percent below those in the cities. The data gathered by NEA show also that another trend has been reversed. For some years the average salaries of classroom teachers had risen faster than the salaries of school administrators, but the current study shows recent percentage increases for administrators on a par with those for teachers. In 1958-59 the average urban school superintendent earned twice as mich as the average classroom teacher; the high school principal earned somewhat more than 50 percent above the classroom teacher, and the elementary school principal about 45 percent more. The bigger the school system, of course, the greater were the differences for administrators. In terms of purchasing power, using 1958-59 dollars, salaries of urban class- room teachers have risen from $3636 at the midpoint of the depression of the 1930s to $5313 for the 1958-59 year. In the same period, and on the same basis, the (more) a Gap Between Earnings of City and Rural -2- averaze for all wage and salary workers rose from $2404 to $4341. For teachers the increase was 46 percent; for all workers it was 80 percent. The figure for all wage and salary workers is dominated by the earnings of clerical, sales, agricultural and industrial workers and others without professional training. Comprehensive figures for the earnings of professional workers are lack-~ ing but various reports of recent years for professional-technical workers -- 4 group that includes ot limited t ave indicated incomes ranging from 35 to 70 percent above those of all workers. "hatever the exact figures," the NEA report says, "it is clear that earnings for urban school employees, although steadily moving upward, have far to go in reach- ing professional Note: Copies of Salaries and Salary Schedules of Urban School Employees may be ordered from NEA Research Division, 1201 - 16th St., N.W., Washington 6, D.C... Prices 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or M. Ruth Broom FOR RELEASE: Sunday Papers Nov. 15, 1959 Recreation Personnel to Discuss School-Community Cooperation WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 -- How school recreation programs can save the taxpayer money will be discussed at the first National Conference on School Recreation to be held Nov. 16-18 at the National Education Association headquarters.here. The conference will bring together approximately 150 school leaders from 26 states to study how greater use of the school plant and school recreation leaders can eliminate the need for separate and expensive community efforts, particularly in rural America. Dr. Harold K. Jack, vice-president of the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER), an NEA department, said in announcing the conference: "Besides considering the place of school recreation activities and facilities in community life, this conference will emphasize the coordination of school recreation with the total curriculum. "Gone are the days," Dr. Jack adds, "when sports were the only recreation offered in the schools. The modern school-sponsored program is a varied one including arts and crafts, music and dancing, activities of benefit to both mind and body." Dr. Jack, director of the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Temple University, and chairman of the Recreation Division of AAHPER, is conference director. Co-sponsored by the AAHPER and the U.S. Office of Education, the conference will give participants an opportunity to delve into many problems facing school recreation leaders. Among topics to be considered in discussion sessions will be financing, leader-~ ship, community relationships, programming, and facilities. National organizations cooperating in the conference include the American Associa- tion of School Administrators, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, (more) ion Personnel to Discuss National Association of Secondary-School Principals, and the Department of Elementary School Principals, all departments of the NEA. Other cooperating groups are the National Recreation Association, Athletic Institute, Society of State Directors of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and Chief State School Officers. Keynote speaker at the opening general session on Monday, Nov. 16, will be Dr. Hugh B. Masters, Director of Continuing Education at the University of Georgia, Dr. Masters will further clarify the school's role in recreation. "The public school must help develop the program for leisure time because the public school belongs to the people," says Dr. Masters, former director of the division of education of the Kellogg Foundation in East Lansing, Mich. Recreation is one of the major concerns of AAHPER which was organized in 1937 by the merger of the American Physical Education Association and the Department of School Health and Physical Education of the NEA. Membership in AAHPER, which is open to students and professionals, is approximately 25,000. Members of the Conference Steering Committee besides Dr. Jack include John H. Jenny, Wilmington (Del. ) public schools; Joseph F. Madden, Hicksville (N.Y. ) public schools; Albert H. McCay, South Huntington (N.Y.) public schools; Simon A. McNeely, U. S. Office of Education; George E. Seedhouse, Cleveland Board of Education, Cleveland, Ohigq; and Jackson M. Anderson, AAHPER staff liaison. +t # # # @ fom the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D.C ADams 4-4855 FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Nov. 15, 1959 NEA Mobilizes to Win Federal Support for Schools WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 -- The National Education Association announced today an all-out campaign to mobilize public opinion in favor of Federal support for education in accordance with the principles of the Murray-Metcalf bill introduced in the last session of Congress. This bill would provide Federal support, in the form of grants to the states, which the states could use for school construction, teacher salaries, or both. Dr. William G. Carr, executive secretary of the 700,000-member NEA, following a meeting of its Legislative Commission, issued a statement "respectfully suggesting” that both major political parties and all political candidates examine their positions in the light of the need for quality education for all American children. "The NEA is confident," Dr. Carr said, "that the American voters will be care- fully assessing these positions during the coming year. "The American people want quality education for their children, and they intend to get it," Dr. Carr continued. "The American people are ready and willing to pay the price for both first rate teachers and good classrooms. "In the unlikely event that the Administration debt service or similar proposal for school construction comes to a vote in either house of Congress, the National Education Association will urge that it be defeated. "Tf a bill providing federal grants for school construction only comes to a vote in either house, the Association will urge that it be amended to include teachers salaries with freedom of choice to the states to decide priorities. "Tf no satisfactory school support bill embodying the principles of the Murray- Metcalf bill is enacted by the next session of Congress, the Association will endeavor to make this matter a major issue in the political campaigns of 1960 so that the American people may again express their mandate for the enactment of such legislation in: 1961." Nea Mobilizes to Win The executive secretaries of the 50 state education associations affiliated with NEA will meet Tuesday and Wednesday at its headquarters in Washington. At that meeting, there will be a full discussion of the need for Federal funds for both classroom construction and teachers salaries and plans will be laid for a campaign in each of the states to bring the issue clearly before the public. NEA has also scheduled, for Dec. 10, 11 and 12, a national meeting at its head- quarters of 175 educational leaders, representing every state, at which plans will be made for enlisting in the campaign the efforts of the 6700 city and community education associations which are affiliated with NEA. The NEA Board of Directors at a meeting at NEA headquarters last month approved a statement expressing alarm over the failure of Congress to provide adequate Federal support for education at the first session of this Congress which ended in September "The problem becomes more acute day by day," that statement said. "Federal support for education is mandatory at once. The first order of Federal business should be the adequate financing of public education." NEA's Legislative Commission, which authorized Dr. Carr's announcement, is the unit in that organization charged with responsibility for recommending to the member- ship needed Federal legislation. Its 10 members come from widely separated parts of the country. They are: Irving F. Pearson, executive secretary, Illinois Education Association, who is chairman; Mrs. May C. Smith, classroom teacher, Trenton, N. J.; Miss Reba Anderson, classroom teacher, Hutchinson, Kan; Dexter 0. Arnold, assistant superintendent, Concord, New Hampshire; Thomas D. Bailey, state superintendent of public instruction, Tallahassee, Fla.; Robert R. Hamilton, dean, University of Wyoming Law School, Laramie; Everett Keith, executive secretary, Missouri State Teachers Association, Columbia, Mo.; Oscar V. Rose, superintendent of schools, Midwest City, Okla.; Howard G. Sackett, district superintendent of schools, Port Leyden, N. Y., and J. Le McCaskill, executive secretary and director of the NEA Division of Legislation and Federal Relations. The Administration's proposal is for a lending program which would advance Federal funds to local districts to pay 50% of the interest and principal on bond issues for school construction. The outlay would be spread over a long period of years and would not greatly affect the Federal budget in any one year. (more ) NEA Mobilizes to Win ane Sai aan nt ah A el tae A somewhat modified version at the last session of Cong has been stalled in the House In the Senate the Murray-M which approved, insté short hited eee teté -iginal Murray-Metcalf bill was approved Education and Labor Committee, but it tac LCS 11f Bill is still held in the Labor Committee +0 rm bill for school construction funds only. 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 4, D. C. ADams 4.4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or M. Ruth Broom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Local School Recreation Leaders At National Parley in Washington, D.C. WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 -- How school recreation programs can save the taxpayer money will be discussed at the first National Conference on School Recreation to be held Nov. 16-18 at the National Education Association headquarters here. The conference will bring together approximately 150 school leaders from 26 states to study how greater use of the school plant and school recreation leaders can eliminate the need for separate and expensive community efforts, particularly in rural America. Dr. Harold K. Jack, vice-president of the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER), an NEA department, said in announcing the conference: "Besides considering the place of school recreation activities and facilities in community life, this conference will emphasize the coordination of school recreation with the total curriculum. "Gone are the days," Dr. Jack adds, “when sports were the only recreation offered in the schools. The modern school-sponsored program is a varied one including arts and crafts, music and dancing, activities of benefit to both mind and body." Dr. Jack, director of the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Temple University, and chairman of the Recreation Division of AAHPER, is conference director. Co-sponsored by the AAHPER and the U. S. Office of Education, the conference will give participants an opportunity to delve into many problems facing school recreation (more) Local School Recreation Leaders leaders. Among topics to be considered in discussion sessions will be financing, leader- ship, community relationships, programming, and facilities. National organizations cooperating in the conference include the American Associa- tion of School Administrators, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, National Association of Secondary-School Principals, and the Department of Elementary School Principals, all departments of the NEA. Other cooperating groups are the National Recreation Association, Athletic Institute, Society of State Directors of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and Chief State School Officers. Keynote speaker at the opening general session on Monday, Nov. 16, will be Dr. Hugh B. Masters, Director of Continuing Education at the University of Georgia. Dr. Masters will further clarify the school's role in recreation. "The public school must help develop the program for leisure time because the public school belongs to the people,” says Dr. Masters, flormer director of the division of education of the Kellogg Foundation in East lansing, Mich. Recreation is one of the major concerns of AAHPER which was organized in 1937 by the merger of the American Physical Education Association and the Department of School Health and Physical Education of the NEA. Membership in AAHPER, which is open to students and professionals, is approximately 25,000. Members of the Conference Steering Committee besides Dr. Jack include John H. Jenny, Wilmington (Del.) public schools; Joseph F. Madden, Hicksville (N.Y.) public schools; Albert H. McCay, South Huntington (N.Y.) public schools; Simon A. McNeely, U. 8. Office of Education; George E. Seedhouse, Cleveland Board of Education, Cleve- land, Ohio; and Jackson M. Anderson, AAHPER staff liaison. ¢*## # Nn TS, Pe al from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, 0D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice Gudridge or M. Ruth Broom FOR RELEASE: A. M. Papers Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1959 Teachers Go Back to School: Major Subject - Better Pay WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 -- A group of about 130 education leaders from every state in the union will be going back to school for four days here, Nov. 11-14. The school? The Second National School for Teacher Salary Scheduling. The purpose? To give instruction and information which will help teachers improve their salary status. One of the outstanding lecturers at an "extra-curricular" session -- a banquet meeting at the Statler Hotel here Saturday evening, Nov. 14 -- will be the Honorable Lee Metcalf (D-Mont.). Mr. Metcalf is co-author of the Murray-Metcalf school support bill backed by the National Education Association. Other sessions of the 1959 school will be held in the headquarters building of the National Education Association. It is sponsored by the NEA Office of Professional Development and Welfare and has been developed by Robert W. McLain and Erwin L. Coons, members of the NEA Salary Consultant Service. Both Mr. McLain and Mr. Coons will serve as instructors during school periods. Salary school students will follow a strict schedule of classes every day, be- ginning Thursday, Nov. 12, after an opening general session meeting and orientation. They will be welcomed by Dr. Hilda Maehling, NEA assistant executive secretary for pro- fessional development and welfare, and will hear an address by F. J. C. Seymour, assistant general secretary of the Alberta, Canada, Teachers Association. Mr. Seymour (more ) Teachers Go Back to School Ml NR ee Ra he will speak on "Salary Negotiations with School Boards." This topic will be taken up by students during class sessions. Other study topics include trends and techniques in salary scheduling, merit rating, raising money for teachers' salaries, resources for salary committees, special problems in salary scheduling, the salary committee and its work. Other guest speakers who will make talks during the three-day school include a school finance expert, Dr. R. L. Johns, head of the Department of Educational Administration, College of Education, University of Florida at Gainesville. His topic on Thursday evening, Nov. 12, will be "Teachers' Salaries, Taxation and the Nation's Economy." Dr. William G. Carr, NEA executive secretary, also will address the group at this time. NEA staff members who will serve as "teachers" include Dr. Sam M. Lambert, director, Research Division; Dr. Hazel Davis, assistant director, Research Division; Henry E. Butler, Jr., legal counsel, Defense Commission; Margaret Stevenson, executive secretary, Department of Classroom Teachers; Eric F. Rhodes, assistant director, NEA Membership Division. WASHINGTON 6 D. ¢ ADams 4-4855 For further information 1riage or FOR RELEASE: A. M. Papers Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1959 Teachers Go Back to School: Major Subject - Better Pay WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 -- A group of about 130 education leaders from every state in the union will be going back to school for four days here, Nov. 11-14. The school? The Second National School for Teacher Salary Scheduling. The purpose? To give instruction and information which will help teachers improve their salary status. One of the outstanding lecturers at an "extra-curricular" session -- a banquet meeting at the Statler Hotel here Saturday evening, Nov. 14 -- will be the Honorable Lee Metcalf (D- Mont.). Mr. Metcalf is co-author of the Murray-Metcalf school support bill now before the U. S. Congress. Other sessions of the 1959 school will be held in the headquarters building of the National Education Association. It is sponsored by the NEA Office of Professional Development and Welfare and has been developed by Robert W. McLain and Erwin L. Coons, members of the NEA Salary Consultant Service. Both Mr. McLain and Mr. Coons will serve as instructors during school periods. Salary school students will follow a strict schedule of classes every day, beginning Thursday, Nov. 12, after an opening general session meeting and orienta- tion. They will be welcomed by Dr. Hilda Maehling, NEA assistant executive secretary for professional development and welfare, and will hear an address by F. J. C. Seymour, &. assistant general secretary of the Alberta, Canada, Teachers Association. Mr. Seymour (more ) 7 Teachers Go Back to School will speak on "Salary Negotiations with School Boards.” This topic will be taken up by students during class sessions. Other study topics include trends and techniques in salary scheduling, merit rating, raising money for teachers’ salaries, resources for salary committees, special problems in salary scheduling, the salary committee and its work. Other guest speakers who will make talks during the three-day school include a school finance expert, Dr. R. L. Johns, head of the Department of Educational Administration, College of Education, University of Florida at Gainesville. His topic on Thursday evening, Nov. 12, will be "Teachers' Salaries, Taxation and the Nation's Economy." Dr. William G. Carr, NEA executive secretary, also will address the group at this time. NEA staff members who will serve as "teachers" include Dr. Sam M. Lambert, director, Research Division; Dr. Hazel Davis, assistant director, Research Division; Henry E. Butler, Jr., legal counsel, Defense Commission; Margaret Stevenson, executive secretary, Department of Classroom Teachers; Eric F. Rhodes, assistant director, NEA Membership Division. 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice Gudridge or M. Ruth Broom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Local Educators Sign Up for Salary School in Nation's Capital, Nov. 11-14 WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 -- A group of about 130 education leaders from every state in the union will be going back to school for four days here, Nov. 11-1}. The school? The Second National School for Teacher Salary Scheduling. The pur- pose? To give instruction and information which will help teachers improve their salary status. One of the outstanding lecturers at an "extra-curricular" session -- a banquet meeting at the Statler Hotel Saturday evening, Nov. 14 -- will be the Honorable Lee Metcalf (D-Mont.). Mr. Metcalf is co-author of the Murray-Metcalf school support bill backed by the National Education Association. Other sessions of the 1959 school will be held in the headquarters building of the National Education Association. The salary school is sponsored by the NEA Office of Professional Development and Welfare and has been developed by Robert W. McLain and Erwin L. Coons, members of the NEA Salary Consultant Service. Both Mr. McLain and Mr. Coons will serve as instructors during school periods. Salary school students will follow a strict schedule of classes every day, beginning Thursday, Nov. 12, after an opening general session meeting and orientation. They will be welcomed by Dr. Hilda Maehling, NEA assistant executive secretary for pro- fessional development and welfare, and will hear an address by F. J. C. Seymour, assistant general secretary of the Alberta, Canada, Teachers association. His topic will be "Salary Negotiations with School Boards.” This topic will be taken up by students during class sessions. Other study topics include trends and techniques in salary scheduling, merit rating, raising money for teachers’ salaries, resources for salary committees, special problems in salary scheduling, the salary committee and its work. Other guests who will speak during the three-day school include a school finance expert, Dr. R. L. Johns, head of the Department of Educational Administration, College of Education, University of Florida at Gainesville. His topic on Thursday evening, Nov. 12, will be "Teachers Salaries, Taxation and the Nation's Economy." Dr. William G. Carr, NEA executive Secretary, will also address the group at this time. ttt 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice Gudridge or M. Ruth Broom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Teachers From 10 Southeastern States End Record Regional Meet in D. C. WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 -= About 400 teachers from 10 southeastern states and Puerto Rico wound up their biggest regional conference in 19 years here Saturday and went home full of advice about how to be better teachers and how to tackle some of the tricky problems blocking their fight for better working conditions and more time for teaching. The teachers met here Nov. 6-7 at the National Education Association head- quarters for the Classroom Teachers Regional Conference sponsored by the NEA Department of Classroom Teachers. They heard DCT President D. Batchelder, who is a teacher in the Newton, Mass., schools, state at the opening general session "that as long as one out of every three teachers find it necessary to hold down a second job to earn a living, adequate preparation for teaching will be a mirage and a myth." They also heard Hilda Maehling, NEA assistant executive secretary for pro- fessional development and welfare, outline the following widespread practices which “militate against professional competency.” * Heavy teaching loads and extra-curricular assignments. Unreasonable daily work schedules which allow inadequate time for preparation, professional advancement and participation. "Undemocratic” administrative policies which exclude teachers from policy-making in the areas of personnel and curriculum. Conference participants spent two days discussing mutual problems in a series of clinics, general session meetings and in small discussion groups, and in addition acted upon a number of resolutions in their business meeting. (more ) Teachers From 10 Southeastern States 2- Among the resolutions passed unamimously was one on the citizenship role of teachers. It states, in part, that “every teacher has the right and the obligation to be an informed and active citizen," and recommended that every school system in its written personnel policies guarantees ... full political equality with other citizens in the exercise of their rights and obligations, including such rights as voting, discussion political issues, campaigning for candidates, or running for public office. In another resolution concerning merit rating, conference participants re- affirmed their vigorous opposition to “subjective rating as a means of determining teachers' salaries." They favor an evaluation plan which would be the "cooperative endeavor of all concerned," stressing that the evaluation must be based upon all educational factors, including type of community, building facilities, and administra- tive practices as well as classroom procedures. At the closing conference banquet in the Statler Hotel, the teachers heard Mrs. Bernice McCullar, director of information, Georgia State Department of Education, speak on "Gladly Learn and Gladly Teach." Mrs. McCullar told them that "the minds of tomorrow are in their keeping,” and that they must work harder to make themselves better persons if they are to help the nation's children be better prepared for a larger world "in this terrifying age." She challenged the teachers to learn to teach with "grace, with laughter, and with good humor," but warned that nothing can take the place of "skill and know-how.” Teachers, she said, cannot gladly teach unless they find learning a stimulating adventure and instill in children the excitement of learning. Chairman of the regional conference was Mrs. Esalee J. Burdette, from Washington, Ga., who is director of the DCT’s Southeast Region. Two teachers from Norfolk, Va., served as state and local chairmen, respectively. They were Miss Dorothy Herron and Mrs. Elizabeth Glemn. Next year's southeast regional conference will be held in Asheville, N. C. tt? Note to Editor: Enclosed is a list of names of participants in the Southeastern Regional Classroom Teachers Conference who are from your area. from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge FOR RELEASE DURING AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK November 8-14, 1959 "Test Anxiety" May be Seriously Hindering Your Child in School, Research Shows A large number of children approach tests with fear and trembling, a situation which can seriously interfere with their success in school. This is one finding reported by a Yale research team in the November issue of the NEA Journal, publication of the National Education Association. If your elementary-school child worries before taking a test, gets a nervous (or funny) feeling when the teacher says a test is coming up, and worries after the test is over because he feels he has not done well, he is experiencing what clinical psychologists call "test anxiety." Children who are test-anxious have difficulty solving problems, even though they might know the answers in a less nerve-wracking, non-test situation, the researchers discovered. In an era when people's lives are in great part determined by their success or failure in tests, inability to cope with test-taking can have far- reaching consequences. Scores can be very misleading, if they are interpreted without considering the individual and his reaction to taking tests. For six years the Yale team studied the reactions of elementary-school pupils to tests. They have come up with the following conclusions: Test anxiety is by no means infrequent among elementary-school children. The higher the test anxiety, the lower the child is apt to score in conventional IQ tests. (more ) "Test Anxiety" May be Seriously Hindering Your Child in School, Research Shows . Test anxiety tends to increase in higher grades. Test-anxious children do much better when they know exactly what is expected of them.....when they are not asked to function independently. Which children are most likely to suffer from test anxiety? The researchers came up with the following profile of the test-anxious youngster: He tends to be anxious about many things, in addition to test taking. He usually blames himself for his failures, and does not have a high opinion of himself in general. The mother of the anxious child worries about what is right and wrong, and about what people will think of herself and her child. She tends to keep the child dependent upon her. Are girls or boys most likely to be test worriers? Girls more often admit that they worry about tests, but actual symptoms of test anxiety are more frequently found among boys. If a child is highly anxious, the researchers concluded, his full potentialities are not likely to be discovered by the usual testing methods used in schools. 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge FOR RELEASE DURING AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK November 8-14, 1959 26 Million on School Guest List For American Education Week America's schools are making mass preparations to cope with the world's biggest guest-list. More than 26 million parents, grandparents, and interested citizens are expected to accept youngsters' invitations to visit their schools during American Education Week, November 8 to 14. Purpose of the coast-to- coast Open House: to-encourage adults to see for themselves how well children are being equipped for tomorrow in the classrooms of today. Around the country, this 39th annual observance will see students launch- ing helium balloons, entertaining parents in the school cafeteria, demonstrating science experiments at fairs and in downtown store windows, and providing baby- sitting service for the younger set whose parents are visiting classrooms. New York City schools, as usual, will have the biggest influx of parents and adult citizens during the week. More than a million visitors are expected to visit classes and talk with teachers. In Oklahoma, more than 414 Masonic lodges with 87,000 members are under- taking a statewide observance of the week. Each Mason is expected to ask 10 other persons to participate in AEW activities. In Minneapolis, 50,000 place mats, bearing a "recipe for good schools," will be used in restaurants. Clement Atlee, former Prime Minister of England, will speak at the opening event in Beloit, Wis. 26 Million on School Guest List Duluth will see more than 500 businessmen visiting the schools in a cooperative effort with the Chamber of Commerce. Businessmen will spend morning and afternoon visiting classes, broken by lunch in the school cafeteria. The afternoon session will be followed by a coffee hour with teachers. In St. Paul, Minn., school children will launch hundreds of small helium- filled balloons to direct attention to that city's observance. Dallas, Texas schools have arranged for Girl Scouts and Campfire Girls to care for younger children in the school nurseries while parents are attend- ing American Education Week events. More than 74 civic clubs in that city will undertake some form of AEW activity, many of them holding their meetings in school that week. In Prince Georges County, Md., parents will view their youngsters' school achievements in a countywide school fair. Radio stations in Philadelphia will play special AEW transcriptions supplied by the school system. In Wichita, PTA units will put on special programs honoring retired teachers; libraries will have special displays; school personnel will speak at civic clubs; business firms will use educational slogans for their postage meters. Sponsors of the national observance are the National Education Association, the United States Office of Education, the American Legion, and the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. This year's American Education Week theme is "Praise and Appraise Your Schools." @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M, Gudridge FOR RELEASE DURING AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK November 8-14, 1959 Is Your Child's School Bus Safe? Here's How to Find Out Recent school bus accidents have shocked the nation into greater aware- ness of the need for safer vehicles, better trained bus drivers, and more stringent safety rules to protect children. More and more automobiles fill our highways, travelling at higher rates of speed. As more school districts con- solidate, increasing numbers of children are travelling longer distances to school by bus. The hazards to school transportation are increasing. Millions of adults will be visiting their schools during American Education Week, and the National Education Association (NEA) urges them to take this opportunity to determine whether their school bus system measures up to recommended national standards of safety. The following checklist, recommended by the NEA National Commission on Safety Education, will help parents discover the gaps, if any, in their school bus safety program. This list should not be regarded as an infallible yardstick. All schools have different safety problems, involving different kinds of roads, weather, and traffic conditions. However, for each item checked "Partly" or "No," the parent should ask himself "Why isn't this true of our school?" and "How can I help improve the situation?" Is Your Child's School Bus Safe? ee nee ee eee Reems Sous See eS Is this true of your school? Yes Partly No School bus drivers are selected on the basis of adequate standards of character, emotional stability, driving experience, physical condition and knowledge of traffic rules. Each driver is required to pass a physical examination at least once a year. Regular and systematic instruction in driving and traffic regulations is given all drivers. All school buses meet or surpass the minimum standards set up by the state education department, or other authorized agency. All buses are checked regularly and thoroughly by authorized mechanics. A check sheet is used in each mechanical inspection so that no item is overlooked. All school bus drivers are required to come to a complete stop at railroad crossings. Each accident involving a school bus is reported promptly and carefully analyzed so that effective steps may be taken to prevent others of the same type. A definite traffic pattern has been established for approaching, loading and unloading, parking on and leaving the school grounds. The pattern eliminates the need for backing the bus on the school grounds. School bus patrols help keep order on the buses, aid pupils in boarding and leaving the buses and help them across the highway safely. Drills are held in which riders, assisted by the school bus patrol, evacuate the bus by way of the emergency door. (more ) Is Your Child's School Bus Safe? Is this true of your school? Yes Partly No The school gives instruction in safe bus- riding habits and behavior. Each school bus is equipped with a first-aid kit, fire extinguisher, flag, and flares for use in emergencies. Buses are not over-loaded.....it is not necessary for children to stand. The best way to use this list is to clip it and take it to a school superintendent or school transportation director. The local police and highway patrol can also be of help in answering the questions. If improvements are in order,school officials and the local PTA may already be working on them. What they need is the support of interested citizens. tt t @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 46, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further information Beatrice M,. Gudridge FOR RELEASE DURING AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK November 8-14, 1959 How Can Parents Help Out in School? Educators Give Practical Tips As more than 26 million parents, relatives and other citizens stream through their schools during American Education Week, many will feel the urge to offer their services to the hard-working school staff throughout the year. Educators welcome and encourage their help, and have never been in greater need of it, although parental assistance can sometimes be a mixed blessing. So said the Department of Elementary School Principals of the National Education Association in a study titled, Parents and the Schools. Parents can be tremendously valuable aids in some areas of school activities, agreed the educators. In others, where technical knowledge of educational principles and policies is involved, the school staff should take the lead. How can parents make themselves most useful? Myra C. Woodruff, chief of the Bureau of Child Development of the New York State Department of Education, offers the following partial list of suggestions: Assisting teachers on field trips. Describing the parent's vocation or profession. in the classroom. Demonstrating a skill in the classroom. Assisting at the school lunch hour. Helping in the school library. Providing clerical help in the principal's office. (mare ) How Can Parents Help Out in School? Educators Give Practical Tips Elementary school principals from all parts of the country described the following helpful things parents in their areas have done: They served as advisors to a wide variety of after-school hobby clubs. They worked with teachers to create a school library. Mothers helped in the school's first-aid room. Parents served on committees studying better ways of reporting pupil progress. Parents helped arrange exhibits; made costumes and painted scenery for school plays and pageants. Parents built playground equipment, book shelves, classroom storage units. Is parent participation in school activities a healthy thing for the child and his education? It is the only way we can achieve a good education for our children, said one of the book's contributors, who recommended that parents and school personnel "sit down in groups, each trusting the other's personal integrity and utilizing each other's strengths, skills and knowledge." One board of education executive even urged that non-parents help in the schools, too, toprovide ‘an objective point. of view on school problems. 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 46, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or M. Ruth Brown FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Classroom Teachers Invited to Study Working Conditions at Thanksgiving Week Conference WASHINGTON -- Another step in a nationwide project designed to improve working conditions for teachers will be taken during Thanksgiving week when about 50 teachers from all over the country meet here to get ideas on how to take the initiative in their own schools to get “better conditions for better teaching." Sponsored by the Department of Classroom Teachers of the National Education Association, the conference is to be held in the NEA headquarters building, Nov. 28-29. (name) (position or title) from will take part in the meeting (city and state) which is an outgrowth of a "Conditions of Work" project initiated by the DCT last year. Teachers invited to this conference represent local education associations which are conducting pilot studies in their own school systems. The teacher-participants will get a firsthand look at the DCT's 140-page report of its project entitled Conditions of Work for Quality Teaching which will be used as a@ measuring stick and range finder for their own projects. The new report, to be published in mid-November, lists certain "rights" that teachers are entitled to expect and outlines certain principles that should be established if the conditions under which teachers work are conducive to quality teaching. Classroom Teachers Invited to Study Working Conditions at Thanksgiving Week Conference The report states that teachers should have 1) professional recognition; time and means to teach; 3) fair treatment; 4) good administration; and security and welfare. Using these conditions as a point of departure, conference participants can compare what provisions are made in their own school systems with the "ideal" ones suggested in the report and plan action programs to improve conditions. DCT President Richard Batchelder, who is a teacher in the Newton, Mass., schools, said in announcing the conference: "We hope to supply these teachers some basic tools for use in conducting local projects. The importance of this conference and the companion local projects cannot be over-emphasized. "The decisions reached, the recommendations made, and the techniques developed can and should have far-reaching effects on the welfare of classroom teachers, and the educational development of children." 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 4, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further information Beatrice Gudridge or M. Ruth Broom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Good Fitness Programs for Elementary Grade Youngsters Aim of National Conclave Here WASHINGTON, Nov. -- The National Conference on Fitness of Children of Elementary School Age, which opened here Nov. 29, has brought together 200 health and physical education teachers, school physicians, psychologists, other school per- sonnel and interested parents to see what can be done about setting up good health and physical education programs for kindergarten youngsters and those in the ele- mentary grades. Sponsored by the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (AAHPER), a department of the National Education Association, the con- ference will continue through Dec. 3. Sessions are being held in the NEA headquarters building here. Among the conference participants: High on the list of questions that conference participants hope to find answers to are "should pre-school and first and second graders be tested for physical skills?" "What kinds of intramural programs, play days, sports days and other types of informal get-togethers should be organized for boys and girls in grades K-67" The AAHPER took the lead in a nationwide testing program of school children in grades 5 through 12 last year, and the results led to the establishment of an (more ) Good Fitness Programs for Elementary Grade Youngsters Aim of National Conclave Here an all-out "Operation Fitness U.S.A." campaign. This drive was designed to make not only school personnel, but whole families "fitness conscious." Nothing to date, however, has been done to study the physical skills of elementary grade children. No major decisions have been reached as to the advisa- bility of giving pre-school and lower elementary grade children specific tests for fitness. Conference sessions, however, have been geared to the major premise that the elementary schools in the United States have responsibility for helping to develop strong and able children who can take their places as capable and responsible members of society throughout their lives. AAHPER officials stress the importance of main- taining a balance between the mental, physical, and social development of all school children. AAHPER President Arthur A. Esslinger, dean, School of Health and Physical Education, University of Oregon at Eugene, welcomed conference participants at the opening general session on Sunday evening, Nov. 29, and the keynote address was given by Dr. Robert Fleming, chairman of the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, New York University. On Monday morning, following a speech by Dr. William Ellena, assistant execu- tive secretary of the American Association of School Administrators, a five-member panel of health and physical education teachers and supervisors probed deeply into a broad range of topics which point up the challenges that face teachers and school health personnel in the space age. Serving on the panel were Gladys Andrews, professor of elementary physical education, New York University; William Blake, elementary physical education teacher, Bronxville, N.Y.; Helen Stuart, supervisor in physical education, State Department of Education, Raleigh, N.C.; Robert Atonacci, supervisor of physical education, Gary, Ind.; and Mrs. Weeta Morris, principal of Pine Crest Elementary School, Silver Spring, Md. Elsa Schneider, specialist in health and physical education in the elementary section, U.S. Office of Education, Washington, D.C., is conference director, and Dr. Rachel Bryant, consultant in physical education and girls and women's sports, will be serving as AAHPER staff liaison for the conference. ttt 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 November 1959 Soviets Remodeling Education System, Martin Essex Finds Profound dissatisfaction with the current Soviet educational system exists in Russia today, and another educational revolution has already been blueprinted, according to Dr. Martin Essex, president of the American Association of School Administrators, who returned Nov. 3 with 62 other school administrators from 4a one-month tour of the Soviet Union. "By 1963 a new model of education, unique in man's history," Dr. Essex re- ports, "will be in operation. Educators in the U.S.S.R. use the word 'polytech- nicalization' to describe the new plan. Production is its prime goal. The emphasis has shifted from turning out a few trained specialists to mass produc- tion of practical producers." Among the changes noted by Dr. Essex are a shift from a 10-year curriculum to an ll-year course. Two days out of the six-day school week will be devoted to practical work on farm or factory. Theoretical education in the U.S.S.R. is on the way out: the shift will be to vocational training. And another detail of the "revolution" is the building of 500 senior high schools; hitherto the entire curriculum had been housed under one roof. “The new system," Dr. Essex said, "may work hardship on those capable youngsters who, for career reasons, would have wished for an uninterrupted secondary and higher education. Now, not only will the last three years of secondary education be combined with factory, farm or production work, but preference for admission to all higher educational institutions will be granted to persons who have previously worked fulltime for at least two years in agri- culture, industry or the military. "In short," he concluded, “the Soviet general education school will hence- -more- , 7 Soviet Tour forth attempt to do justice not only to the 25 percent of its graduates who go on to the university, but also to the 75 percent who help do the nation’s physical work. This is what the Soviets call 'preparation for life'." The tour was sponsored by the National Education Association, the American Association of School Administrators and the National Association of Secretaries of State Teachers Associations. Two groups -=- one under the direction of Dr. William H. E. Johnson, professor of education at the University of Pittsburgh and the other led by Paul Stevens, superintendent of schools, Rapid City, South Dakota -- visited Moscow, Tbilisi, Kiev and Leningrad. The tour also included brief stops in Berlin, Warsaw, Helsinki and Copenhagen. Dr. Essex said that among the trends the administrators observed were "very exciting approaches to foreign language instruction. For example, one entire boarding school of 600 pupils will study Chinese in all grades. Some day schools follow a similar pattern in Chinese or other languages." Noting that many recent reports on Soviet education have been misleading, Dr. Essex said that "we are concerned with the end product. The task of American education is to prepare the individual to make the decisions he is privileged to make. The purpose of Soviet education is to serve the State. In Russia, rarely does a pupil ask questions; rarely is there a classroom discussion; rarely is there planning between student and teacher." While teacher salaries are perhaps not as high in Soviet Russia as Americans have been led to believe, Dr. Essex said that there appeared to be no shortage of teachers there and that the prestige a Russian teacher enjoys in his commnity would be an enormous asset to U. S. society. He called for a rededication of Americans to the importance of education. "Our system of education," he said, "is intended to free the mind. The Russian's purpose is apparently to subvert the mind." ¢t # # 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or Joseph Hanlon FOR RELEASE: A. M. Papers Monday, October 26, 1959 Education Groups to Study School Testing Programs WASHINGTON, October 25 -- A joint study of testing programs offered to elementary and secondary schools by state, regional, and national testing organiz- ations was announced today by three national groups of school administrators. They are the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the American Association of School Administrators, and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The study will be concerned with the extent to which testing programs may influence the curriculum of the schools. It will also examine the effects of using school time for testing programs not directly connected with teaching in the school. Upon completion of the study, the sponsoring organizations may find it possible to suggest policies for administrators considering testing programs from outside the schools. Charles C. Holt, assistant superintendent, Proviso Township High Schools, Maywood, Ill., has been named director of the project, which will require about a year. Ralph W. Tyler, director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, California and Glyn Morris, assistant superintendent for pupil personnel in Lewis County, N. Y. will serve as technical consultants. The project will be under the general direction of an advisory committee composed of these officers and leading members of the three sponsoring organizations: David B. Austin, professor of education, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City; W. Earl Holman, Principal, Jackson High School, Jackson, Mich. ; (more) Education Groups to Study Edgar Stahl, principal, Emmerich Manual Training High School, Indianapolis, Ind.; R. E. Jewell, superintendent of schools, Bend, Ore.; William Kottmeyer, assistant superintendent of schools, St. Louis, Mo.; Henry I. Willett, superintendent of schools, Richmond, Va.; J. C. Wright, superintendent of public instruction, Iowa State Department of Education, Des Moines; and Fred Raubinger, commissioner of education, New Jersey State Department of Education, Trenton. tt # @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further Beatrice M. Gudrid Sunday papers October 25, 1959 Vast Changes Education for YASHINGTON, Oct 2! Vocational education is not just routine training for routine jobs, but can rich advantages in preparation for re- warding and productive living. Yet t rural and village high schools vocational training is still held to be no more than agriculture courses for boys and home economics classes for the girls. These observations are contained in a new book Vocational Education for Rural America, published by the Department of Rural Education of the National Education Association with the cooperation of the American Vocational Association. It is the work of many authors, each an expert in some phase of the field. Vocational education, the authors say, is costly education, and few rural schools can afford the staff, space, and equipment that would be required by a normal distribution of vocational "Te people of many rural communities," the book says, "still think that they have provided for vocational education in their high schools when they have provided some courses in agriculture for farm boys, some courses in home economics for girls, some courses in stenography, and some courses in industrial arts -- the latter never intended to be a vocational subject. "Most rural communities have not yet discovered what the founders of vocational education knew a half century ago: Effective vocational education must be provided largely after full time schooling is over for persons already engaged in occupations." If rural communities are to have the kind of vocational education they should have,. the book concludes, changes of the sort that many would consider revolutionary, are in order. Some of the steps recommended are: *A general recognition that there is likely to be almost no market for unskilled persons in the next generation. *Acceptance of the fact that this has become a nation devoted largely to industry and business; that the rural group is a small and declining part of the population. (more) xWe must use differently the funds for vocational education that we have raise far more money We cannot continue to spend most of our funds for. 4c. vocational education *Opportunities for vocational education must be made available in every high school principals already over- as specialists in the education of adolescents. The education of vocational teachers mist be expanded and improved. ¥Public school buildings mist be planned for the use of adults who are enrolled in vocational and other adult courses as well as for children. "Recognizing that vocational education can only be effective when there the book concludes," we shall continue to provide education in agriculture and homemaking in rural commmities, but we shall recognize that from one-half to three-fourths of rural youth will probably engage in other occupations outside the communities in which they have grown up. "Rural communities will undertake to provide counseling about the occupations in which these prospective migrants may engage and help individuals plan a program which includes the basic education and the practical arts education which will be helpful to then. ' The solution to which many commmities have turned with increasing rapidity and greater interest in recent years is the development of area or regional vocational schools. Eleven states operate such schools, and seven others offer vocational programs on a wide geographical basis through established secondary schools of some particular commmnity. In many other states there are cooperative regional arrangements among school districts for the maintenance of an adequate vocational program. There is a long tradition of Federal support for vocational education, dating from the Morrill Act of 1862 which offered public lands to the states for the support of colleges of agriculture and mechanical arts. Spurred by the need for skilled workmen and increased food production in World War I, Congress approved the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 which provided funds on a matching basis (more) Since then have reinforced training, the book says, Act to $33,180,000 tioned for vocational education for the same purposes. By 1956 local funds for each Federal dollar." than 93.5 per cent of the total cational education) went for ruction; only 1.5 per cent went for NOTE: Copies of Vocational Education for Rural America I —— may be ordered from the National Education Association, 1201 Sixteenth N. W., Washington 6, D. C. ’ : , a Single copies, 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 46, D. C. ADams 4-4855 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE lTational Education Associati Wicae TY tate ot " EN ee liew TV Series The School Story WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- The National Education Association, in company with 50 affiliated state education associations, entered the television field this month k series of half-hour films entitled "The School Story." According to William G. Carr, executive secretary of NEA, this expansion of the Association's public service television programming marks the first time that 1 national non-commercial television series has been "built around the problems, aims, and achievements of education in this country." "The School Story" will be available to television stations in 261 major TV markets during the 1959-60 school year. Viewers of the series will see many important issues in education explored -- from how first-graders learn reading skills to the curriculum program of a comprehensive high school to the missile laboratories of a great university. Each affiliated state education association will handle bookings on TV stations in its state. It is anticipated that most stations will book "The School Story” once a week for 13 weeks during the school year. To give the stations maximum flexibility in bookings, 16 films have been made available. A number of agencies: have cooperated with NEA on different titles in the series. These include Harvard University, the New Jersey Education Association, the Sears-Roebuck Foundation, the U. S. Steel Corporation, the University of Oklahoma, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Greater Washington Educational Television Association, and several NEA departments. Included in "The School Story" series will be the following films: "How Good Are Our Schools Dr. Conant Reports," based on the best-selling book, The American High School Today. "Right Angle,” the 1959 film produced by NEA and state affiliated associations, which tells how the public schools develop children's individual differences. "The Big Classroom," a new film showing how the learn-as-you-go approach of NEA-sponsored tours enables teachers to bring back new firsthand knowledge to their classes. "The Golden Key," which reveals the influence a teacher has on his students. In the film, Lee A. DuBridge, president of the California Institute of Technology and a 1959 Golden Key award winner, takes his former physics teacher, 0. H. Smith, through the fabulous facilities of Caltech. (more ) National Education Association Releases "Plan for Learning," the story of what happened when one community needed to build a new school. "Report on Tomorrow," which shows how closely business examines the educational facilities of an area into which it might expand. "Pursuit of Wisdom," which shows how scholarship is nurtured and emphasizes that it must be used to benefit mankind. "They Grow Up So Fast," a dramatic episode which points up the values of a good program of physical education. "TV: New Frontier in Learning" shows how a "live" teacher can use classroom television to add an exciting new dimension to education. Other titles include: "A Shoebox Full of Dreams," adapted from the popular A Desk for Billie; "And Gladly Teach"; "Freedom to Learn"; "Not By Chance"; "Mike Makes His Mark"; "Crowded Out"; "Skippy and the 3 R's." ttt @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further information: M. Ruth Broom, Press Office Director Empire Room, Olympic Hotel Seattle, Washington FOR RELEASE: A. M. Papers Wednesday, Oct. 21, 1959 Rural Educators and County Superintendents Adopt "Excellence" as Theme of Seattle Convention WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 -- Excellence in education -- what it is and how to get it -- will be the topic examined by about 1100 county superintendents and rural area educators when they meet in Seattle, Wash., Oct. 23-28, for a two-in-one convention. The occasion will be the combined annual meetings of the Department of Rural Education of the National Education Association and the NEA Division of County and Rural Area Superintendents. All convention sessions will be held in the Olympic Hotel. U. S. Senator Gale McGee (D-Wyo.), who formerly taught history at the University of Wyoming, will be among the convention speakers. He will address an all-conference luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 24. Speaking at this same time will be NEA President W. W. Eshelman, who is supervising principal of Upper Dublin Schools, Fort Washington, Pa. Another distinguished speaker will be Chief Justice Matthew W. Hill of the Washington Supreme Court. He will speak at a banquet meeting Monday evening, Oct. 26. Keynoting the conventions earlier on Monday will be Kenneth Hansen, director of the School of Education at Western State College of Colorado at Gunnison. Mr. Hansen will speak on “Achieving Excellence in Education" at the general session at 9.30 a.m. In addition to general session meetings, convention participants will study together in a series of group discussion meetings and special interest sessions topics of real concern to the teachers and administrators in the nation's smaller communities. (more ) Rural Educators and County Superintendents Adopt -2- i Dh A stn tad SD I a PN Specialists in the field will explore the meaning of excellence in such areas as curriculum, health, guidance, instructional materials, special education, vocational education, and possibly, creative arts. After these aspects have been fully developed by the specialists, the superintendents will step in to consider how much of the ideal program is manageable in terms of the limitations imposed on them by such things as organizational structure, staff, and financial resources. During the meeting William E. Bishop, superintendent of schools at Englewood, Colo., will take over as new president of the Rural Education Department, and Winston Brown, superintendent of county schools at Waukesha, Wis., will become president of the County and Rural Area Superintendents. Highlighting the closing convention session on Wednesday, Oct. 28, will be a special program devoted to the work of the Boy Scouts of America. Ed Wolf, director of rural scouting of the national organization, is to be the featured speaker. The two organizations holding the joint convention have a combined national membership of approximately 2000. Present president of the Rural Department is Velma Linford, superintendent of public instruction, State Department of Education, Cheyenne, Wyo., who will preside during the Department's meetings. L. M. Dimmitt, superintendent of King County Schools, Seattle, Wash., is president of the Division of County and Rural Area Superintendents, and will serve in a double capacity throughout the convention. He will be a host from his hometown and native state and will preside during the Division's major sessions. t # # al from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4.4855 For further information: M. Ruth Broom, Press Office Director Empire Room, Olympic Hotel, Seattle, Washington FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Local Educator to Join Colleagues for Rural Area, County Superintendents Convention WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 -- Excellence in education -- what it is and how to get it -- will be the topic examined by about 1100 county superintendents and rural area educators when they meet in Seattle, Wash., Oct. 23-28, for a two-in-one convention. The occasion will be the combined annual meetings of the Department of Rural Education of the National Education Association and the NEA Division of County and Rural Area Superintendents. All convention sessions will be held in the Olympic Hotel. Among convention participants for the two meetings will be U. S. Senator Gale McGee (D-Wyo.), who formerly taught history at the University of Wyoming, will be among the convention speakers. He will address an all-conference luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 24. Speaking at this same time will be NEA President, W. W. Eshelman, who is supervising principal of Upper Dublin Schools, Fort Washington, Another distinguished speaker will be Chief Justice Matthew W. Hill of the Washington Supreme Court. He will speak at a banquet meeting Monday evening, Oct. 26. Keynoting the conventions earlier on Monday will be Kenneth Hansen, director of the School of Education at Western State College of Colorado at Gunnison. Mr. Hansen will speak on "Achieving Excellence in Education" at the General session at 9:30 a.m. (more) Local Educator to Join Colleagues -2- In addition to general session meetings, convention participants will study together in a series of group discussion meetings and special interest sessions topics of real concern to the teachers and administrators in the nation's smaller communities. Specialists in the field will explore the meaning of excellence in such areas as curriculum, health, guidance, instructional materials, special education, vocational education, and possibly, creative arts. After these aspects have been fully developed by specialists, the superintendents will step in to consider how much of the ideal program is manageable in terms of the limitations imposed on them by such things as organizational structure, staff, and financial resources. During the meeting William E. Bishop, superintendent of schools at Englewood, Colo., will take over as new president of the Rural Education Department and Winston Brown, superintendent of county schools at Waukesha, Wis., will become president of the County and Rural Area Superintendents. Highlighting the closing convention session on Wednesday, Oct. 28, will be a special program devoted to the work of the Boy Scouts of America. Ed. Wolf, director of rural scouting of the national organization, is to be the featured speaker. The two organizations holding the joint convention have a combined national membership of approximately 2000. Present president of the Rural Department is Velma Linford, superintendent of public instruction, State Department of Education, Cheyenne, Wyo., who will preside during the Department's meetings. L. M. Dimmitt, superintendent of King County Schools, Seattle, is president of the Division of County and Rural Area Superintendents, and will serve in a double capacity throughout the convention. He will be a host from his hometown and native state, and will preside during the Division's major sessions. = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 4, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge FOR RELEASE: P.M. Papers October 13, 1959 Flag of Quality Should Fly Over Nation's Schools, Says NEA President WASHINGTON, D. C. -- ‘The pricetag for excellence in education comes high, President Walter W. Eshelman of the National Education said here today, but failure to pay up may cost our survival as a free nation. Calling on Americans to "run up the flag of quality over their school- houses," Mr. Eshelman announced that the NEA Executive Committee and Board of Directors meeting here this week, had strongly re-affirmed the Association's stand for federal support of education, as embodied in the principles of the Murray-Metcalf bill introduced into the 86th Congress. In a resolution, the &l-member Board composed of representatives of 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, called on Congress immediately upon its reconvening in January, to enact federal support legislation which would “leave to the states authority to allocate the funds as needed for salaries, school construction, or both, so as to maintain the principle of state autonomy in education." Noting that every phase of education is underfinanced today, the board's statement accompanying the resolution spelled it out this way: "Teacher salaries, in general, are too low to attract and maintain an adequate corps of qualified teachers; equipment needs are not being met; school supply funds are woefully inadequate; insufficient funds exist to (more) Flag of Quality Should Fly provide the types of programs needed in vocations, health, fine arts, sciences and all other fields; school construction lags far behind presently needed classrooms and laboratories. Many schools contime to operate on half-day sessions through necessity. There are’ local commnities in every state unable to provide adequate finances for public education at a time when enrollments are soaring and when national survival depends on the quality of public education.” Y The Murray bill, S.&{, a broad-purpose type of legislation providing money for both teachers' salaries and school construction, was introduced in the Senate of the 86th Congress by Sen. James E. Murray (D Mont. ) and 30 other Senators. It is awaiting action by the Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee. The companion bill, HR 22, was introduced into the House of Representatives by Rep. Lee Metcalf (D,“Mont.). It was reported by the House Education and + Labor Committee to the House Rules Committee on June 8, 1959. Note: Texts of the Resolution and its accompanying statement are enclosed. t## @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 4, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For additional information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or Joseph Hanlon Stinnett and Buford to New NEA Posts WASHINGTON, D. C., Oct. 12 -- T. M. Stinnett, executive secretary of the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards, was named Assistant Executive Secretary for Professional Development and Welfare by the NEA executive committee and board of directors at their meeting in Washington, Oct. l2. Dr. Stinnett will succeed Dr. Hilda Maehling, who is retiring Dec. l. Dr. John Lester Buford, who was president of NEA in 1955-56, was designated a trustee, succeeding Corma Mowrey, 1950-51 NEA president, who joined the NEA staff Oct. 1 as associate director for lay relations. Dr. Buford is superintendent of schools at Mt. Vernon, Ill. Dr. Mowrey had been director of the Division of Professional Services for the West Virginia Education Association, Dr. Stinnett joined the NEA headquarters staff in 1948 as associate secretary of the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards, and in 1951 he became executive secretary for the commission. A native of Arkansas, Dr. Stinnett served as superintendent of schools at Stamps, Ark.; as assistant state commissioner of education and director of teacher education and certification for the Arkansas State Department of Education; as executive secretary of the Arkansas Education Association and as executive assistant to the president of the University of Arkansas. He is editor of the Journal of Teacher Education, published by the TEPS commission. & tt # tatement on Federal Support of Education Approved by the Board of Directors of the National Education Association RESOWTION Be it resolved, the Congress of the United States be called upon to enact legislation immediately upon reconvening in January 1960, to provide broad and continuing support of public education Such legislation should insure an adequate level of federal financial support for general public education purposes Be it resolved, further, this federal support legislation must leave to the states authority to allocate the funds as needed for salaries, school con- struction or both so as to maintain the principle of state autonomy in education. STATEMENT The Board of Directors of the NEA, representing the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is alarmed by the failure of the Congress of the United States to provide adequate federal support for public education prior to adjournment in September 1959. This failure to meet the federal responsibility for appropriate financing occurred in the face of mounting problems before public education, problems affecting the well being and strength of the nation, and the present and future national prosperity. Every phase of public education is under-financed today. Teacher salaries, in general, are too low to attract and maintain an adequate corps of qualified teachers; equipment needs are not being met; school supply funds are woefully inadequate; insufficient funds exist to provide the types of programs needed in vocations, health, fine arts, sciences and all other fields; school con- struction lags far behind presently needed classrooms and laboratories. Many schools continue to operate on half-day sessions through necessity. There are local communities in every state unable to provide adequate finances for public education at a time when enrollments are soaring and when national survival depends on the quality of public education. The solution to the problems besetting public education largely rests in the Congress of the United States accepting the responsibility of carrying its share in providing support of education throughout the nation. The public schools are in a critical situation today. The problem becomes more acute day by day. Federal support for education is mandatory at once. The first order of federal business should be the adequate financing of public education. ¢t t ft all from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON 4, D. C. For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or Joseph Hanlon A » nA fc otr~ 26 S959 fre Ptr 4 FOR RELEASE: P. M. Papers Mond@y, October 12, 1959 Education Groups to Study School Testing Programs WASHINGTON, October 11 -- A joint study of testing programs offered to elementary and secondary schools by state, regional, and national testing organizations was announced today by three national groups of school administrators. They are the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the American Association of School Administrators, and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The study will be concerned with’ the extent to which testing programs may influence the curriculum of the schools. It will also examine the effects of using school time for testing program not directly connected with teaching in the school. P Upon completion of the @tudy, the sponsoring organizations may find it possible to suggest policies for adgfinistrators considering testing programs from outside the # £ ft i Dr. Warren C. Seyfert, director of Milwaukee County Day School, Milwaukee, Wis., schools. has been named direétor of the project, which will require about a year. Dr. Ralph W. Tyler, director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, C@lifornia and Dr. Glyn Morris, assistant superintendent for pupil personnel in Lewis dounty, N. Y. will serve as technical consultants. The project will be under the gengral direction of an advisory committee composed of officers and leading menbe}s of the three sponsoring organizations. ### @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or Joseph Hanlon FOR RELEASE: P.M. Papers Monday, Oct. 5, 1959 "Flaming Youth" No Joke As Juvenile Arson Soars WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- Youths who aren't setting the world afire with their accomplishments in school are apt to be setting fire to schools, churches, lumber- yards, barns, public buildings, and private homes. Arson by juveniles is now the No. 2 cause of all fires. These facts were turned up by the staff of the National Education Association's Juvenile Delinquency Project in the course of preparing its second and final report, Delinquent Behavior: Principles and Practices. There was a marked increase last year, William C. Kvaraceus, director of the NEA Delinquency Project, found, in the number of fires "set" by juveniles. This means fires deliberately set, not just fires that resulted from "playing with matches." Last year was the first time that a significant number of these fires were set by young girls. Quoting a report from the International Association of Arson Investigators, Dr. Kvaraceus said, that between 45 and 60 percent of all fires in which arson is a factor are set by youths between the ages of 12 and 18, and that these per- centages would go up another 10 or 15 points if the cause could be established for thousands of fires in which the origin is listed as "unknown.” "The No. 1 motive is malicious mischief or vandalism,” the Arson Investiga- tors report. "The other motives, in order, are: thrill and excitement, spite or revenge, to cover up other crimes (such as burglary), mental illness, and fraud." The fraud motive appeared only in automobile fires. @ fom the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, 0. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or Joseph Hanlon FOR RELEASE: A. M. Papers Monday, Oct. 5, 1959 America's Schools and Teachers Play Key Role In Preventing, Controlling Juvenile Delinquency WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 == A restricted school curriculum which denies the less academically talented an opportunity to achieve a measure of success can spark delinquent behavior by spontaneous combustion, It can do the same by confining the more able student to a dull and slow learning routine. The unsuccessful, or frustrated pupil then discovers that the way for him to impress others, and to “prove” that he is not as dumb as his report card suggests, is to show them that he is good at something -- "even though it be stealing, breaking windows, or carrying on gang warfare." cy These ideas are among those presented in the second and final report of the National Education Association's one-year study of juvenile delinquency and what it means to the schools. They represent data gathered at 11 regional conferences in which several umdred professionals participated, and at one national conference attended by 200 educators and others concerned with delinquency and related fields. The report, titled Delinquent Behavior: Principles and Practices, enumerates eight general principles which should guide the schools in efforts to prevent and control juvenile delinquency. Working from these general principles, the authors have set up, under each category, an amplifying statement of how these principles can be put into practice. Each such section of the 350-page book is followed by a report on what is actually being done along these lines in many specific school districts in the country. Several mmdred schools and other state and commmity agencies contributed (more ) & Note to Editor: A review copy of oa Behavior; Principles and Practices is enclosed. You wi so find an in at ed for your use in spotting references to your state. Juvenile Delinquency - 2 = descriptions of their programs to these sections of the report. The theoretical basis for the practical steps proposed in the final report was laid earlier this year in the first report: Delinquent Behavior; Culture and the Individual. This defined juvenile delinquency as behavior that is characteristic of the youths in lower class urban commmities whose conduct is in keeping with their primary group - the street corner gang = but at the same time violates the standards of the predominant middle class. From this point of view, what the sociologists call "norm violating behavior,” or juvenile delinquency, is often the “standard™ or even the "demanded" behavior in the primary reference group of the delinquent, which is the street corner gang. “For the boy in the street corner gang," these reports say,. “shooting craps, drinking, truanting, swearing, and staying out all night may represent status and prestige-achieving conduct within his gang == his primary reference group <= although these activities may violate rules and regulations of the legal-societal system." The report concluded that most juvenile delinquents are essentially "normal" youngsters, reacting normally to their own environment. The key question to be faced by those who would alter the situation becomes: "What techniques can be used to orient norm-violating individuals in the population toward a law-abiding lower class way of life?" Here, then, is the eight-point program authors of the report propose for the schools: lx The classroom teacher has the major responsibility for early identification of potential juvenile delinquents, and for referring them to an appropriate source of help. ‘The teacher should maintain adequate records and anecdotal reports of (more) Juvenile Delinquency - 3 - every pupil taught, so that accurate and up-to-date information will be available when needed. 2- The teacher should make every effort to enable each pupil, including norm violators, to achieve his potential. The teacher mist try to build for the lower class pupil pride in his past, confidence in his present, and hope for the future. Regular conferences with parents are important. Teachers should try to handle behavior problems within the classroom until they become so extreme that they upset others in class; then the teacher should seek other assistance. 3= The school should have a curriculum that provides equality of educational opportunity for all, irrespective of varying abilities, special talents and disabil- ities. The school program that over-emphasizes a narrow one-track academic curriculum for the college-bound tends to deny equal opportunity to others, may make second and third-class citizens of the less academically inclined students, and may precipitate manifestations of delinquent behavior among them. Early drop-outs, frequently the forerunner of delinquency, are often due to the failure of a one-track curriculum to stimlate or hold the student whose interests and een are not academic. ir err AGete2 The report cites a New York study that found the incidence of delinquency & x there was four and a half times higher among children with low IQ's than among those with high IQ's. In this situation the school often became a source of failure and frustration to which the child responded by rebelling. ) kh. The classroom teacher should realize that there are limits to what he can accomplish alone. The school should have an integrated system of special services F \G/ é A ”™ \ a to help novm—violetors. These may often be helped only through the special skills of such people as guidance workers, psychometrists, school nurses and doctors, (more ) Juvenile Delinquency - 4 - psychologists, caseworkers, speech therapists, remedial reading experts, and psychiatrists. Small schools should seek part time help of this sort, or plan to meet such needs on a regional, county, or state basis. 5- WASHINGTON 6, D. Cc, a C7 Wz aio ae Uducation Cy Vso chaion ADAMS 4-4855 September 21, 1959 Memorandum to Editors: The National Education Association is cooperating with Better Homes & Gardens magazine and the National School Boards Association on a new program of awards for action in the improvement of education. We are enclosing a fact sheet and news release prepared by the News Bureau of Better Homes & Gardens. [2m Ik. (selon Roy K.# Wilson, Director Division of Press and Radio Relations 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge RELEASE: 4. 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or Joseph Hanlon FOR RELEASE: A.M. Papers Saturday, Sept. 12, 1959 NEA Defense Commission Gites"Political” Budget Conn. School Crisis In Report on West Haven, Washington, Sept. 11 -- Residents of West Haven, Conn. are getting substandard schools because that's the kind they are willing to pay for, an investigating committee reported last night at a meeting attended by the community's public officials. "Citizens of a community can have as good a school system as they want, or as poor a school system as they will tolerate," the report said. "The shortcomings of the West Haven school system must be seen in a framework of longstanding community apathy." The report was submitted by a special committee of the National Education Association's Defense Commission. Its investigation was undertaken after the Connecticut Education Association, in view of school conditions at West Haven, declared that it would be a violation of professional ethics there for any member not already employed at West Haven to accept a teaching post. The investigating committee was headed by Dr. Joseph Manch, superintendent of schools at Buffalo, N. Y. Members of the West Haven Board of Education, the Board of Finance, representatives of the State Board of Education, and other public officials were invited to the meeting at which the report was presented. The report proposed a change in Connecticut law which would give to boards of education, rather than boards of finance, primary authority to determine school budgets and school tax rates. (more) NEA Defense Commission -- 2 The committee found that in West Haven both the Board of Education and the Board of Finance had tried to avoid increases in local property taxes primarily for political reasons. School board members, the report said, seemed to have been elected generally for reasons of party regularity rather than on the basis of qualifications to be competent school board members. Although commending teachers for their competent service, including payment for school equipment at their own expense, the report said. that some of the actions of the West Haven Education Association had given the impression the teachers were more concerned with their individual welfare than with im- provement of the educational program in the schools. There was little evidence, the report said, that the local association had a consistent program to develop strong and continuing support for public education among voters of the community. The controversy which led to the appointment of the committee, and to the action of the Connecticut Education Association in discouraging its members from accepting teaching posts in West Haven, resulted from a dispute about teacher salaries in 1958. Teacher salaries there have been consistently among the lowest in Connecticut. When the 1958 salary dispute was settled, directors of the Connecticut Education Association rescinded the resolution which would have made acceptance of a teaching position in West Haven an ethical violation. (more) NEA Defense Commission -- 3 Recommendations to the State Legislature, which would have an effect on all the schools in Connecticut, are as follows: "The Legislature and officials of Connecticut should consider amending the laws of the state so that: a. Authority to determine the total school budget and to establish the local tax rate for the support of the public schools would reside in the first instance in boards of education instead of boards of finance. State School Allotment funds apportioned to the towns and cities of the state would be restricted in use to the support of the public schools and not be permitted to become a part of the general fund of the respective municipalities. The State Board of Education would be authorized to set reasonable minimum standards for local school systems and the commissioner of education would be authorized to enforce compliance with them. d. An enforceable state equalization program for the public schools would be provided, including appropriate minimum salary requirements." tit Note to Editors: Copies of the West Haven Report may be obtained from the NEA Defense Commission, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W. Washington 6, D. C. from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Beatrice M. Gudridge or Virginia Warren BACK-TO-SCHOOL 1960 For Release at Will (900 words) "Realistic" Social Studies Help Your Child Face World As It Is WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The "wooden shoe-windmill-tulip" type of social studies is not adequate for today's modern child who gets his information, attitudes, and conduct signals from the far corners of the globe -- and who may soon be getting them from outer space. According to spokesmen for the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), a department of the National Education Association, social problems and their solutions, even if controversial, must be faced honestly at all levels in school. "Sweetness and light -- the glossing over of filth, disease, prejudice, starvation, death -- can no longer be tolerated," said Dr. Harold Drummond of George Peabody College, Nashville, at a recent NCSS meeting. And a book pub- lished by the same organization forecasts profound changes in the teaching of social studies in the next 20 years. The book suggests that in addition to the present heavy history basis for social studies, more emphasis will be placed on the social sciences and economics in an attempt to contribute to the student's understanding of the contemporary world. What could this mean for your child? (more) "Realistic" Social Studies It may mean that he will start studying serious social problems, usually reserved for high school, at an earlier age. As he studies Hindu customs and folk art, he will also learn why millions of Hindus are starving, how this problem is being approached, and how important its solution is to world peace. Schools will put more stress than ever before on grim reality. Educators also urge that your child learn more about the facts of economic life at a tender age, and continue to study them all through school. This economic learning would not be a new subject added to the already crowded curri- culum, but would develop naturally from subjects already being taught. Here's how it would work: In history, as your child learns about the frugality of the Puritans, he would also be taught the principle of capital formation. In reading about the controversies of Jefferson and Hamilton, he would learn the conflict between emphasis on economic growth and political freedom. He would learn how political expediency affects policies on world trade. In geography, he would discover that peoples, depending on their culture, develop different institutions and economic systems, through which they produce and distribute goods and services. The urgent need for more economic education in America's schools was set forth in a recent publication, Educating for Economic Competence, produced by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, another NEA department. "Me high school graduate should be able," the book says, "to apply the tools of economic analysis to the issues of the day.” For your child, these issues will be very personal and practical ones: What career will have the best long-range future for him...Whether it is wiser (more) "Realistic" Social Studies -3- to spend his money or save it in an inflationary economy. Or they could involve matters of national importance on which he must help make decisions. How can you help spark your child's interest in social studies? Here are tips from teachers: If you're a faithful follower of news broadcasts and an inveterate reader of newspapers and news magazines, he'll get the idea you think it's important to keep up with current affairs. Discuss news at the dinner table, giving him opportunity to express his views. Discuss local candidates for public office, too, and the issues and problems of your community. . Keep an atlas, almanac, dictionary, globe, and encyclopedia conveniently close to the TV set for use during news and documentary programs, or simply to settle arguments. "Let's look it up” should be one of the most common phrases around your house. . Are foreign exchange students or professors attending or teaching school or college in or near your community? Perhaps you could invite these interest- ing visitors to family dinner some night to hear about their homes, foods, schools, games. . Help him to judge each person individually rather than by race, creed, or color. How? By curbing your own unthinking remarks about others. ## # 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Jack T. Parker FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE All State Education Journals and National Education Magazines International Adult Education CO6mmittee Formed WASHINGTON, D. C. -- The adult education movement, riding a tidal wave of popularity in this country, is now being promoted internationally by the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession. At its Assembly of Delegates meeting July 3l-August 7 in Washington, D.C., the WCOTP organized a seven-member adult education committee whose members will represent Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. It marks the first time the teaching profession has formally recognized the adult education field on a world-wide basis. The objectives of the committee, according to a resolution adopted by the WCOTP Executive Committee, are: 1) To emphasize to all teachers and teachers' organizations in all countries the values and possibilities of adult education for their own professional growth and in the development of free and responsible citizens. 2) To bring all teachers and administrators into association with their colleagues in the various fields of adult education, such as university extension, public schools, rural education, workers education, and libraries. 3) To work contimously for the development of the status of adult education within the educational family. 4) To assist the clarification of objectives and concepts of adult education. International Adult Education 5) To use all effective means, particularly the facilities of WCOTP as well as its associations with national and international organizations, to promote, improve and extend adult education. Dr. J. Roby Kidd, director of the Canadian Association for Adukt Education, Toronto, Ontario, has been named chairman of the committee. Dr. Leland P. Bradford, director of the Division of Adult Education Service, National Education Association, Washington, D.C., is secretary. Other committee members are Dr. Johannes Novrup, Magleaas Folksh¢jskole, Birkerfd, Denmark; Dr. Felix Adam, director of the Adult Education Office, El Paraiso, Caracas, Venezuela; Dr. Paul Sheats, dean of the University of California Extension, Los Angeles, Calif., and Tomijiro Tamra, Superintendent of Education, Hoya-Machi, Tokyo-tu, Japan. A committee member from Africa will be appointed. Regular mommittee meetings have been tentatively scheduled for Malaya in April, Uganda in May, and either Holland or Switzerland in July, all during 1960. In a separate resolution, the Assembly of Delegates recommended "that adults everywhere, regardless of the level or extent of formal education, be urged to continue to obtain the knowledge and the understanding underlying improved human relations and to make this knowledge and understanding a part of their daily behavior; that continuing education become a public responsi- bility and an integral part of all regular educational programs." The WCOTP is composed of 107 national and 55 associate (regional or local) members representing more than 3,500,000 individual teachers located in 62 countries and territories. @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 46, D. C. ADams 4-4855 For Further Information: Roy K. Wilson or Beatrice M. Gudridge FOR RELEASE; Sunday Papers August 30, 1959 A Tale of 37 Cities and Their Schools: Things Will Be Different This Fall WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 -- A ferment of fresh ideas -- on curriculum patterns, teaching methods, special classes, use of teachers and facilities -- is bubbling in the nation's classrooms as 40 million youngsters head back to school this September. So says the National Education Association as it released today re- ports from 37 of the nation's largest cities on school changes and experiments which will go into effect this fall. First of its kind to be conducted by NEA, the roundup of new develop- ments is expected to become an annual late-summer project of the Association. Its purpose: to chart trends each year as school systems gear their programs to modern educational needs. Denver, for example, hopes to have an "almost human" electronic teaching machine for foreign language studtes, but Kansas City has settled for the presumably more attractive presence of 10 members of the Junior League who will serve as teacher aides in secondary schools. Virtually all school systems report that they are strengthening language programs, but Hawaii will be teaching -- in the elementary grades -- Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Hindi and Tagalog. On the other hand, Austin, Texas, has a six-week pre-school course in English for non-English speaking pupils who will be entering the first grade. Many school districts mention new science laboratories and inten- sified programs in science courses. Only Atlanta, Ga., however, has con- structed a science classroom in the middle of the local zoo -- in the Monkey House, in fact. A Tale of 37 Cities -2- Pittsburgh is working on a teacher exchange program with Carnegie Institute of Technology in that city and will have some Carnegie teachers in its high schools, while some of its high school teachers are going to Car- negie Tech -- going there not to study, but teach, as preparation for teach- ing college-level courses to talented high school students. Nearly all the school systems have extensive programs for helping the gifted student make the most of his abilities, and some of these extend down to the fourth grade. Many of them involve advance placement -- college level work for superior high school students. Several cities mention that they are developing special programs for culturally deprived students, or for slow learners Not uncommonly, mention is made of special classes to be held before or after regular school hours, There is, apparently, a rapid growth in the use of television as a teaching aid. Language laboratories are on the increase, and San Francisco has adopted, in all of its secondary schools, the U. S. Army method of teaching foreign languages. This places the initial stress on learning to- speak and understand the language, rather than on the formal rules of grammar. A summary of the reports made to the National Education Association by local school superintendents follows: EAST New York City: Developing 4 program to seek out academic talent in children from low income areas; assigning 100 guidance teachers to ele- mentary schools to assist maladjusted and educationally retarded pupils. Rochester, N.¥.: Opening large new high school with excellent facilities including science laboratories; all classrooms equipped for audio- visual instruction and closed circuit television; extending school-work program for slow high school learners. Erie, Pa.: Opening a new technical high school, with a capacity of 1500 students, and equipment valued at $800,000, for a wide variety of technical and vocational courses. All facilities are to be available for adult courses also. A Tale of 37 Cities -3- Springfield, Mass.: With aid from National Defense Education Act funds, training in electronics has been stepped up. Highly advanced training units and components have been added to vocational school laboratories. An experimental third-and fourth-grade class for emotionally disturbed children will open for the second yeer. Baltimore, Md.: Plens an experimental "teaching team" in five schools where six teachers will work with five classes, one "senior teacher" to co- ordinate the team project; experimental ungraded program, grouping second through fifth-grade pupils according to social-intellectual maturity level, rather than age, will be tried in one school; contract let for $33 million new junior high school designed on "school within a school" lines -- four classroom wings for 600 pupils, each with its own assistant principal, counsel- ing personnel and instruction facilities. Philadelphia, Pa.: Five major subjects (instead of four) for high school seniors of superior ability; introduction of new science program from kindergarten through sixth grade; expansion of science and mathematics courses (calculus and analytical geometry now available in high school) foreign lan- guage laboratories in three senior high schools. Wilmington, Del.: Additional period each day in senior high schools; preparations for advance placement (college level high school courses); trial of unit organization (primary and intermediate groups instead of annual grades ) _ one large elementary school. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Longer school day in elementary schools; start of teacher exchange program between high schools and Carnegie Institute of Technology. Jersey City. N.J.: Annual promotion plan to be put into effect; high school students in upper classes to take one extra subject each year until graduation. Washington, D.C.: Honors classes for gifted children to be estab- lished from fourth grade on up; French and Spanish are to be offered begin- ning in the third grade; starting experiments on integrated teaching of mathe- matics and science, and on method of early identification of talented youth and enrichment of opportunities in a group deprived economically, culturally, and to some extent educationally. A Tail of 37 Cities = Scranton, Pa.: New course in English composition for college-bound high school teniors, in addition to regular English course; Russian as a high school elective; more guidance counselors; new remedial reading course at ninth grade; stronger program for gifted, particularly in mathematics, science, and history; gifted may take five or six fulltime subjects in high school. MIDWEST E high schools with 12 4. Toledo, O.: Extended added to staff; new reading improvement program for 300 ele- more counselors mentary pupils to be conducted as pilot program under direction of Columbia University trained consultant. Milwaukee, Wis.: Experimental programs to study relative merits of several different programs for gifted students in both elementary and secondary schools; oL. > as teaching aid; initiating studies with "culturally deprived" children; teaching Russian in one high school. Evansville, Ind.: Reviewing science and mathematics programs through school meetings and district worksh sreparatory to next summer's curriculum workshop at which new course guides will be drawn up as part of five-year review of total curriculum; entering second year of three-year experiment in use of television with classroom teachers and studio teachers working cooperativel Columbus, 0.: Television programs expanding, with daily offerings in eighth grade health-science and tenth-grade English, weekly programs in second- and sixth-grade elementary science, third- and fourth-grade art; bi- monthly program on fifth-grade physical education. Flint, Mich: Experimental class in modern physics at high school level; experimental program in large-group instruction for algebra and busi- ness training; extension of primary-cycle plan to all elementary schools and adoption of intermediate cycle plan at one school as an experiment. St. Louis, Mo.: Enlarged program of special education for the mentally retarded and expanded program for the gifted, reaching down to the fifth grade; whole social studies curriculum, elementary and secondary, being re-written; new experimental program in higher mathematics for gifted students to include courses in elementary functions, probability and statis- tical inference. (more ) A Tail of 37 Cities -5- Kansas City, Mo.: Ten Junior League members to serve as teacher aides in secondary schools; two special rooms at secondary level for emotionally mal- adjusted pupils, plus one "interim room" for others needing special kelp; experi- menting with defining three levels of difficulty in academic courses in grades 10 through 12; expanding large class television experiment; new emphasis on languages, with one language laboratory installed; forming first non-television large class, a group of 105 seniors studying family living. SOUTH Charlotte, N.C.: New programs in mathematics and science with par- ticular emphasis on the gifted student; reorganization of mathematics curricu- lum will leave senior year open for study of statistics, advanced algebra and calculus; science courses being arranged to leave senior year open for seminar approach, with individualized laboratory sessions. Richmond, Vae: High School program will now embrace five years, com- mencing with eighth grade and requiring 23 units for graduation; French to be taught beginning with fourth grade; algebra and high school general science to be offered in eighth grade. Baton Rouge, La.: Experiments in certain classrooms will seek evi- dence that students have opportunity for analytical, critical thinking; new type report cards will give grade in subject, and indication of whether student is achieving his potential in subject. Atlanta, Ga.: New language laboratories in two high schools; expanded programs for superior students and blind students; continuation of television programs; honors diplomas to be granted for first time; expanded counseling and guidance; new science laboratories in all eighth grades; science class established in Primate House of Grant Park Zoo. Louisville, Ky.: Language course for elementary pupils to be of- fered by television; experimental language laboratory in one high school; four-level programs starting in secondary schools, with differentiated diplomas offered. Miami, Fla.: Overlapping sessions, with pupils attending for six hours in an eight hour period, classes running to as many as 600 students taught by television during the overlap; new arithmetic kits in elementary schools for each grade; new reading clinics at junior high schools and ele- mentary schools; advanced science pupils assigned to commercial and medical (more ) A Tale of 37 Cities laboratories for Saturday and after school internships, Cin oLx Austin, Tex.: week pre-school class in English for non-English speaking pupils starting school this fall; experimental six week summer pro- gram of enrichment for gifted junior high school students, first tried this summer, will be extended next year; classes in elementary Spanish, beginning at fourth grade, will be established, before or after school. Nashville, Tenn.: Hopes to have reading speciali mentary schools to work with retarded readers. San Antonio, Tex.: Teachers will participate in extensive state- wide re-examination of curriculum, evaluating reports just released by state curriculum commissions; state standards to be set by Texas Education Agency after considering these reports and evaluations. Norfolk, Va.: High school diplomas will be specified as "College Preparatory," "General," or "Vocational"; new system-wide developmental read- ing program; experimenting with television teaching of Spanish for fifth and sixth grade, and radio teaching for fourth and fifth grades. Savannah, Ga.: Experimental teaching of foreign languages in the elementary schools; new pilot class for emotionally disturbed children, and WEST Omaha, Nebr.: Language programs in junior high schools intended to cover ground usually covered in first two years of senior high schools; uni- fied progrem of mathematics for junior high schools; experiments with arith- metic and foreign language programs in elementary schools; advanced science courses in high schools (bio-chemistry, physics, chemistry) to be continued. San C Calif.: U. S. Army system of teaching foreign lan- guages to be established in high schools; new science program and bio-chemistry laboratory at one high school; new high school electronics laboratory to be available on scheduled after-school basis to gifted junior high and fifth- and sixth-grade pupils; new experiments in grouping; organization of a great books study club; studies of teacher marks, failure patterns and grades of students who go on to college. A Tale of 37 Cities Oakland, Calif.: Greatly expanded program for gifted students, from elementary school through city college; sixth grade gifted centers, limited to 20 pupils, to be established in 11 schools, eight schools with too few gifted sixth-graders for "centers" will have "cluster groups" of gifted get- ting special guidance and instruction and working with same materials; high schools to offer before and after regular classroom hours seminars in science, mathematics, history, languages and philosophy; smaller English classes to permit more written work; parents employed for noon hour supervision of play- grounds and cafeterias to give teachers duty-free period. Denver, Colo.: Planning to rent an "almost human" electronic ma- chine to supplement teaching of French and Spanish. Machine operated by students asks questions, tells whether answers are right or wrong, "hot" or "cold"; high schools to have expanded guidance and counseling program. Fresno, Calif.: Joint project to articulate mathematics programs of Fresno and Tulare counties in grades 7 through 9; teachers to participate in growth-in-service sessions evaluate testing programs, their use and interpretation; new stress on guidance in elementary schools. Long Beach, Calif.: Duty-free luncheon period for teachers through employment of lay persons, mostly parents, as cafeteria and playground supervisors; health insurance program free to school district employes, who may pay to bring dependents under plan. Portland, Oreg.: School administrators and a selected group of teachers are studying comprehensive reports made by a group of college pro- fessors after study of Portland curriculum for college-bound students. Teachers and administrators are to submit a program to the School Board by the end of the year. Hawaii: Two traveling science teachers, trained at Oak Ridge In- stitute, and a traveling mathematics and science library will visit four major islands; new policy allows high school students, after examination, to take college level work for credit, others get released time for university work; new state director of foreign languages will start pilot elementary pro- grams in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Hindi and Tagalog; adult educa- tion programs for tourist drivers, airline and hotel employes to improve service to tourists, a major Hawaiian industry. 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 46, D. C. For Further Information: Roy K. Wilson or Joe Hanlon FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dr. Carr and Others to Discuss Whether American Schools Can Do the Job WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 -- Dr. William G. Carr, executive secretary of the National Education Association will be one of the participants this week in the nationally broadcast radio feature, "The Leading Question," as it examines the topic: "The American Schools: Can They Do The Job?" Others on the program with Dr. Carr will be Arthur S. Flemming, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, and Fred Hechinger, education director of the New York Times. The moderator will be Lewis W. Schollenberger, associate di- rector of public affairs for CBS news in Washington. Hechinger will speak from New York; and the others will broadcast from Washington. The program is intended to review, as schools across the nation prepare to reopen in September, the progress they have made in the two years since the launching of Russia's satellite "Sputnik" focussed new attention on the status of education in America. This program, "The Leading Question,” goes out over the CBS network on Friday night and is carried by many stations at that time. Others, however, use it as a delayed broadcast by means of tape recording. You may wish to check with stations in your area to determine when they will carry it. @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: M. Ruth Broom, Phillips Hotel Kansas City, Missouri FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Teenage Traffic Safety Leaders Spark Drive for Safety Programs WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 -- Teenage traffic safety leaders fran all over the nation will meet in Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 30-Sept. 2, to formmlate a safety program as an extra curricular activity for high school students. Two students from each state, including Alaska and Hawaii, will attend the National Traffic Safety Conference to be held at Southwest High School. Students will map out their own plans of action which can be put into effect in their local schools and communities. They will have the advice and counsel of adult leaders from their own states. Re presenting Sponsor of this new approach to traffic safety is the National Commission on Safety Education, a division of the National Education Association, under a grant from The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. The sponsors of the conference -- and the students themselves -- feel that young drivers are best qualified to instill in their own group a strong safety conscience. "Full confidence is being placed in the youth of America as a responsible citi- zen group," said Raymond C. Firestone, president of the corporation making funds available for the meeting. "We feel that young people in general are ready and willing to do their part in mking our highways safer for all of us." In the past, groups of teenagers have been organized to combat the increasing toll of traffic accidents among young drivers but have been hampered by the lack of a plan to coordinate their efforts with other groups. For the first time, they will have the opportunity to work on a nationwide scale. "Driver and safety education courses in our nation's schools," says Gerald R. Wallace, Commission Chairman, “have produced excellent results in cutting down traffic accidents among youngsters. The Student Traffic Safety Program was not designed to replace any activity now in existence but the commission believes it will supplement and strengthen all such activities." The Student Traffic Safety Program was launched on a national basis last year under a grant from The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. More than 500 high schools participated in the first year's program. Students meeting in Kansas City will discuss the pest year's activities and plan further progress and expansion of the program for the caming school year. # # # = from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For Further Information: Roy K. Wilson or Beatrice M. Gudridge FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE High School Must Be Flexible, Comprehensive, Says ASCD Report WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 21 -- By the end of the 8th grade, the student's ideas should begin to "jell" on the four-year program he will follow in high school -- but school, parents, and counselors should be prepared for shifts along the way as he matures, grows in knowledge, perhaps changes his vocational sights. So says a new report, The High School We Need, published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), a department of the National Education Association. Flexibility is the theme underlining the whole report. The student, say its authors, must be offered a wide variety of experience in high school; his program should be tailored for him alone and his individual talents and potential; that program should get a long hard look each year to see if it still "fits," the high school day itself should not be too rigidly slotted into strict periods; the curriculum should be constantly under survey to keep it uptodate and dynamic. The report, prepared by ASCD's Commission on the Education of Adolescents which has been studying the adolescent and the education provided for him by schools and other agencies for the past six years, strongly approves the compre- hensive high school. Reason: such a school gives students from widely-different backgrounds opportunity to live and work together and also offers a wider choice of courses. (more ) High School Must Be Flexible -2- The report calls for the student to spend one-third to one-half of his time on general education which will equip him for "the common responsibilities of free citizenship." The rest of the time, say the authors, should be used by the student to develop his talents and to further his personal goals "within the framework that the community is willing and able to support." While flexibility in courses is recommended, the report also recognizes the student's need for some "anchorage" throughout his high school career. This would be provided by a “home base” for each student, perhaps a homeroom group with which he will have a continuing relationship; and at least one staff member to act as sort of big-brother, guide, and friend throughout the four-year period. This will probably be a classroom teacher, says the report, since guidance counselors, even in ideal situations, must work with some 200-300 students, and do not have time to build up personal relationships. # 7 from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 In the booklet Status and Trends; Vital Statistics, Education and Public Finance, scheduled for release Sunday, August 9, there is a typographical error on page 15, in Table 16, which appears at the bottom of the page. In that portion of the table which deals with the percentage of men teachers, the headings have been scrambled. A corrected version of the table is enclosed with this memorandum. You will note that the only difference is that reading from left the headings at the far right should be: (1) All Teachers; (2) Elementary School and (3) Secondary School. Sorry. # # # 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D0. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Roy K. Wilson or Beatrice M. Gudridge SPECIAL TO STATE JOURNALS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TEPS Kansas Conference Draws 1100 to Discuss Ideal Curriculum for Preparing Teachers WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- It's what's up front that counts in the classroom, too. That's what the 1100 educators who settled down in steamy Kansas heat this past summer for a four-day, all-work-and-no-kidding conference had on their minds. Occasion was the second national "cooperative approach" session sponsored by the National Com- mission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards (TEPS) at the University of Kansas in Lawrence June 23-26. Like last year's unprecedented meeting at Bowling Green, Ohio, the Kansas Con- ference brought together what one reporter dubbed "the Hatfields and the McCoys" of the education world--the specialists in "methods" (professionals in teacher education) and the specialists in "subjects" (educators from the academic disciplines), plus a healthy sprinkling of classroom teachers. Their job: to paint in the broad outlines of how America's future teachers should be prepared in college for their “up-front” jobs in the nation's classrooms. In Bowling Green, the scholars and the professional educators had discovered, somewhat to everyone's surprise, that their opinions coincided more often than they collided. And they agreed, to a man, that teacher education must be improved. This year, they went to the heart of the problem--the college curriculum it- self and its retooling to produce the kind of teachers the nation needs. (more) TEPS Kansas Conference For three days at Kansas, they talked--in language that was blunt but not bitter. The fourth day they put it in writing. The recommendations of some 34 discussion groups blossomed into an imposing mimeographed 84-page "Tentative Report" which may provide impetus, in years to come, for sweeping changes in the education of America's teachers. Their overall conclusion--teacher education is going to have to be round, firm, and fully packed. Some examples on which the majority seemed to agree: Teachers-of-tomorrow must have five years of college preparation, instead of four. The fifth year, most conferees thought, should be taken after some teaching experience, but before full professional licensing. The prospective teacher should spend some 40-50 percent of his time in general education; 25-35 percent in his specialized field, and 20-25 percent in professional education courses. The student preparing for elementary teaching should take a major or specialized work in an academic discipline. Cooperative planning of the total college curriculum is a must--academicians as well as professional educators must get into the act. As one group put it: “the education of teachers is a function of the total college or univer- sity." Other strong threads of opinions cropped up in many of the reports--that the future teacher should have stronger background in both English and at least orm foreign language; that the present quality of student teaching leaves something to be desired; that the requirement of a minor teaching field for teachers may not be desirable. These findings will be subjected to the acid test of intensive study this year by state departments of education, regional groups, colleges and universities, as well as the eight major professional associations and 60 subject-field associations .cosponsor- ing the TEPS series of conferences. The 1960 series of regional TEPS conferences will also be keyed to study of the findings. When all this is over, the "Tentative Report," it is hoped, will become a "Final Report” which can become source material for improving preparation programs. (more ) TEPS Kansas Conference Major speakers at the conference, tackling a variety of big topics, seemed gen- erally agreed that the American egghead was coming into his own--and that it was high time. Dr. I. James Quillen, dean of the college of education at Stanford said that American attitudes toward intellectual endeavor are changing for the better, and a "new climate seems to be developing in schools and colleges, in family living rooms, " and in the public press and periodicals Kansas U's Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy said the world was a place where the 20th Century American has to be a man of imagination and daring, a man articulate in more than one language, a man talented in the subtleties that allow him to get along with his neighbors, world wide. ) ‘ant ban aLaxr Physicist Jerrold R. Zarachias of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, describing work of the Physical Science Study Committee, said the new course it is de- veloping for high schools is based on the belief that "the fundamentals of physics can be understood not just by the future Einsteins and other scientists, but by John Q. Citizen." Washington Correspondent Max Freedman of The Manchester Guardian said that in the power struggle for world leadership, "there is no substitute for the American people's strength, constancy, power, and ideals." In a ringing charge to the final session, Arthur F. Corey reminded conferees that teaching was a profession whose competence might tip the balance of our civiliza- tion...and that therefore the preparation of future teachers must be undertaken with a sense of excitement, vision, and emotion. Traditional "hitch-hikers" onto the big TEPS meeting were three related groups which held sessions ahead of, or concurrently with, the main show. They were the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC ) ; the Chairmen of State TEPS Commissions; and the Student National Education Association. (more ) TEPS Kansas Conference All three groups elected officers as follows: WASDTEC elected as President Richard Sorick, director of teacher education, Oregon State Department of Public Instruction at Salem; and as Vice President Wayland W. Osborn, director of teacher education and certification, Iowa State Department of Public Instruction, Des Moines. Miss M. Eleanor Rice, supervisor of certification, Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore, was re-elected Secretary. Re-elected chairman of the State TEPS Chairmen this year was Fred Vescolani, associate professor, administrative and educational services, Michigan State Univer- sity at East Lansing. The lively contingent of Student NEAers (91 youngsters from 51 state student education associations) elected George A. Bueltmann, senior at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, as their new president. Other officers elected during this Third Annual Student NEA Leadership Conference were as follows: Robert St. Germain, Plattsburg, N.Y., first vice president; Jack Smallwood, Sarasota, Florida, second vice president; Ben S. Flatt of Gainesboro, Tennessee, third vice president; Arthalia Bordeaux of Wilmington, N.C., secretary, Jennie Johnson, Des Moines, Iowa, historian; and Robert Vogel, Ogden, Utah, parliamentarian. Be 5.5m the NATIONAL 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W an internation Tt 1 Kd tion Association, The National rips, slides, ederation of three EDUCATION ASSOCIATION WASHINGTON 6, DBD. C ADams 4-4855 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE sir seats, students can peek re a jungle in Peru, go whale- Hungarian rhapsody -- all through and records available to nfederation of Organizations of the "Audio-Visual Aids for International were recommended by teachers, objectivity. Representing f this kind ever published. derstanding and sympathy by aiding in ns include title, content, language, a card file system, are N.W., Washington 6, D.C. and a half million teachers representing U.S. teachers, is the 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 46, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Roy K. Wilson or Joseph Hanlon FOR RELEASE: A.M. Papers Monday, July 20, 1959 Curriculum Association Probes Learning Processes; Expert Holds Human Intelligence Can Be Developed WASHINGTON, July 19 -- The right kind of teacher may actually be able to create intelligence in a student and not be limited by the intelligence with which the student was endowed at birth. This contention is advanced by Dr. Arthur W. Combs, professor of education and psychology at the University of Florida at Gainesville, in a new publication of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Learning More About Learning. ASCD, a department of the National Education Association, has a membership of approximately 7000 educators who are responsible for curriculum de- velopment in public schools and colleges. Contrary to what psychologists have taught for generations, Combs maintains, intelligence is not a static capacity, open to little change or modification. Rather, he thinks of intelligence as a function of the "perceptual field” of the individual. This means, he contends, that human capacities for intelligent behavior are far more open to change than has ever been supposed, "indeed we may even be able to create intelligence by helping people to perceive more extensively and more richly, and by creating situations that make it possible for these perceptions to be avail- able when needed.” Contributors along with Dr. Combs to the new book are: Dr. Rhoda Metraux of the Institute for Intercultural Studies, New York City, who discusses anthropology and learning; Dr. Robert E. Shafer, Wayne State University, Detroit, whose subject is, "The Commnication Revolution and Learning"; and Dr. Robert E. Bills, of Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn, Ala., who deals with "Believing and Behaving: Per- ception and Learning.” Learning, in Dr. Combs' view, becomes a problem of helping people to per- ceive things differently, and because an individual's perceptions are not open to direct attack, what is called for is a method of teaching that emphasizes growth and development from within, rather than force and coercion from without. (more) Curriculum Association Important in this connection, he holds, is assistance given to the student to discover a personal meaning in what is to be learned, and, as an example of how not to do this, he quotes a hypothetical teacher as telling a student: "Alice, I'm not interested in what you think or believe. What are the facts?" Under the older order, Dr. Combs says, intellectual capacity was regarded as dependent on three things, the nature of the physical organism, the length of time it had lived, and the experiences to which it had been exposed. He adds another four factors as bearing on the individual's ability to per- ceive: need (people perceive what they need); values (people perceive what they value); self concept (people perceive what seems appropriate to themselves); and threat (threat hinders perception). In the combined list of seven factors, he notes only one -- time -- is not open in some degree tc ification and change. "That perceptual psychology puts the capacity for intelligent behavior within our grasp," he warns, "does not mean that we can make modifications quickly, easily, or at will. "It does, however, open great new vistas down which we can now only dimly peer. It means t perhaps we are not so much the victim of circumstances as we have been led to believe. "Tt means that education may not just be the victim of the child's intel- ligence, but the creator of intelligence. It means that we teachers need not feel defeated, that there are many things we can do, even with the most limited child." Dr. Combs' views were presented to the ASCD at its Third Curriculum Research Institute held last year in Chicago. They are included in the booklet, Learning More About Learning, along with other papers and reports which were submitted at that meeting. The booklet was edited by Alexander Frazier, director, Center for School Experimentation, College of Education, Ohio State University, Columbus. Note: Complimentary press copies of Learning More About Learning may be obtained from Association for Supervision and Curriculum Develop- ment, National Education Association, 1201 16th St., N.W., Wash. 6, D. C. Other copies: $1. @ from the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Roy K. Wilson or Joseph Hanlon FOR RELEASE; Sunday Papers July 19, 1959 Cincinnati Teachers At Leadership Training Laboratory WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Five Cincinnati educators have enrolled for the three-week training laboratory for educational leaders, sponsored by the Adult Education Service of the National Education Association, which opens tomorrow at Bethel, Me. The program is designed to develop knowledge of group dynamics and human relations. Nearly 100 educators from various parts of the United States have en- rolled for the course at Gould Academy, in the foothills of the White Mountains. Problem areas such as teacher-student, teacher-administrator, teacher- parent, and school-commmity relationships will be explored. Participants will practice skills of analysis and leadership and group, community, and organiza- tional relationships. Emphasis is on how the lessons learned in the laboratory can be applied to back-home situations. Participants will spend a portion of each day, organized into groups of about 15, operating so that the experience of each of these groups can be used as an example of group development and individual behavior. (more ) Cincinnati Teachers Among those enrolled are classroom teachers, principals, school superin-~ tendents, and persons with leadership functions in educational associations and in state and local departments of education. The Cincinnatians enrolled are: Rodney V, Beach, headmaster, College Preparatory School for Girls; Miss Celia C. Risen, 2526 Canterbury Avenue, a public school teacher; Miss Jean Tilford, 608 East McMillan Street, assistant supervisor of social studies in the public schools; Richard F. Hobson and Ralph E. Shauck, assistant principals, Western Hills High School. @ fom the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 SIXTEENTH STREET, N.W WASHINGTON 6, D. C ADams 4-4855 For further information: Roy K. Wilson or Joseph Hanlon FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Social Studies Teachers Coming to Washington For "Behind the Scenes" Look at Government WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Forty teachers from 19 states are coming to Washington next week for a "behind the scenes" look at their government in a seminar sponsored by the National Education Association. The Washington sessions, which open Monday at the Woodner Hotel, will continue for five weeks. Most of the participants will then go on to New York for a sixth week, dealing with operations of the United Nations. Two NEA divisions, Travel Service and the National Council for Social Studies, are cooperating in the program. Participating in it are three universities whose faculty members will serve as the instructional staff, providing lectures, conferences, discussions, and films. The universities, which are offering academic credit to those who enroll for it, are the University of Kansas City, New Mexico Western University, and Western Illinois University. The program offers an intensive six-week laboratory course for teachers of such subjects as history and political science. It is intended to make the participants better teachers by adding personal experience to the facts they find in their text books. (more ) Social Studies Teachers a Aen i a ee Much of the first week will be spent in getting acquainted with such Wash- ington institutions as the Capitol, Supreme Court, and Library of Congress. Lecture topics include such subjects as: “Trends in Government Service," "The Role of the Courts in Defending our Liberties," and "Dynamics of National Government." Later the teachers -- themselves students again for the duration of the seminar -- will visit members of Congress, attend sessions of Congress and its committees, meet with lobbyists, with members of the White House staff, and with the top members of the executive departments and agencies. The New York sessions will follow a somewhat similar pattern, but dealing with the United Nations and its agencies. Weekends have been reserved for trips to out-of-town sites of cultural and historial interest, such as Annapolis, Gettysburg, Jamestown, and Williamsburg. Ward Whipple, social studies teacher at McKinley High School here, is co- ordinator for the seminar. 7/10/59